Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
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At tonight's Santa Monica City Council meeting, longtime City Council member Kevin McKeown announced that he would retire as of June 11, 2021. He cited his advancing age. "I know I don't look it, but I'm well into my 70's" he said. He noted that it had been an honor and a privilege to serve the community. He has been a member of the 7 member Council for 25 years. The other Council members expressed shock and surprise at McKeown's announcement, which came as the meeting was about to adjourn, at...
Venice residents are tired of seeing the once famous, though eclectic, boardwalk turned into one large homeless encampment. And they're talking to the media this week. For example, the UK Daily Mail writes: "On Sunday Crocodile Dundee star Paul Hogan, 81, warned the homeless away. 'This is my house, not yours,' he wrote on a note he posted on the gate of his $3.5 million Venice Beach home. Hogan complained that he is homesick and desperate to return to his native Australia but doesn't want to go...
The fire began Friday night at Michael Lane and Palisades Court. As the fire spread, people on social media wondered: Did some homeless guy (or gal) start the fire? Police are searching for an arson suspect believed to have started the fire. They have questioned two men, one of whom is on probation for setting fires. Authorities have a large perimeter set up, and were canvassing the area hoping to find him. Helicopters dropped non stop water on the hills near pacific palisades, as hundreds of...
5/13/21: We've all become used to covering our faces everywhere. But as announced Thursday morning by the head of the Centers for Disease Control, and echoed by US President Joseph Biden, there is no longer a need to wear a mask whether indoors or outdoors. President Biden credited an "all out effort" to vaccinate Americans. About half of the adult population is vaccinated. "The CDC is saying they have concluded that fully vaccinated people are at a very low risk of getting Covid...Please protec...
4/30: A major natural gas leak near the intersection of Lipton Avenue and Berkeley Street, has caused an eight-block area of Santa Monica to lose electrical power and natural gas. Residents as far west as 24th Street reported that they could smell natural gas. The outage began at about 6 p.m. on Thursday April 29th, and had not been resolved as of 4 p.m. Friday April 30th. An excavator hit a 16" pipeline underground. "It's like a car wreck down there," explained a Southern California Gas Company...
Have you ever wished that you could be recruited by the Men in Black? This story is about a guy who actually was. One day in 2001, Mansour Jabbaar (M.J.) George was strolling through the Topanga Canyon mall when he was stopped by a casting director from Central Casting. She asked MJ, if he would like to try out to be a Body Double for Will Smith. Columbia studios was then filming Men in Black II, and they needed an actor who resembled Smith. She gave MJ a card and told him to meet her later...
Forget that silly stuff about Meghan and Harry. Here's a story that actually affects you: On Sunday, April 18th Krispy Kreme Donuts will close its Santa Monica location at Euclid (13th Street) and Wilshire. "Dear Santa Monica Community: Our lease is expiring and this store will be closing permanently on April 18th," said a sign on the counter at KK." we have enjoyed serving you" the sign continued, and please visit our website for other locations. This will leave only 3 donut stores between 6th...
Cats have shared campfires with humans for the last 10,000 years. At one time it was thought that ancient Egyptian priests domesticated the house cat from African wildcats. But when archaeologists discovered an 8500 year old grave on Cyprus containing a young girl and her cat, they knew the relationship went back much longer than the pyramids. It is also believed that cats decided to move in with us. They "self-domesticated," the only animal ever to do so on a large scale. In between the Roman...
Apparently seeking an alternative to the drive to split Malibu from the SMMUSD, proponents of a recall petition are seeking to recall four members of the Santa Monica Malibu School Board. "Santa Monica and Malibu Parents Jointly Launch Recall of Four School Board Members", said the group in a press release. The effort is direct against four members of the board: Laurie Lieberman, Maria Leon-Vasquez, Jon Kean, and Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein. The recall proponents allege "serious malfeasance. Ra...
A water main break in Pacific Palisades Sunday night after 9 pm, flooded an apartment building's parking garage in Pacific Palisades. The breach on Sunset Blvd was centered across the street from Palisades Charter High School, from El Medio Drive to Marquez Avenue. LA County Lifeguards walked from car to car through waste deep water in the underground car park, searching the vehicles to ensure no one had been trapped there. Local residents were without water above Sunset between El Medio and Mar...
Earth averages two major volcanic eruptions each year. So far this year, the biggest one erupted just 20 miles away from the Icelandic capital city, Reykjavík. Iceland boasts only 364,000 residents. About ten percent of them drove to see the volcano in Iceland's Southwest corner, on the Reykjanes peninsula the weekend of March 20th. At night glowing lava is actually visible from the Capital, where half of Iceland's population reside. "Following a three-week period of increased seismic...
3/11: The Santa Clarita division of the LA County Sheriff's Department reports that it has recovered 250 stolen catalytic converters, and arrested 19 suspects. The smog mediation devices, which scrub automobile exhaust, are frequently stolen by thieves who sell them to scrap dealers. The converters are said to be worth $250 to $750 each. The entire lot of 250 catalytic converters is estimated to be worth $750,000 or so. The 19 arrested people men also had $100,000 in cash on them, at the time of...
8: A highly convincing video with over 26 million views on Twitter and Facebook, appears to show the Mars Perseverance Rover on the Martian surface, with audio. While Perseverance will ultimately broadcast audio and video from the Martian surface, the video now going viral is not actually from NASA at all. While NASA did land Perseverance on Mars, many on the internet are unintentionally sharing a false video. The 26 second fake video claimed to be from Mars Perseverance rover goes viral....
Golf legend Tiger Woods was seriously injured and taken to the hospital in a car crash near the Genesis Invitational Gold Tournament in Rancho Palos Verdes early Tuesday morninb. The accident involved only Woods' vehicle, which rolled down the side of a hill and appeared to have been crush. The sheriffs department corrected and said that the jaws of life were not used. Speaking at a press conference, a Sheriff's spokesman said Woods was rescued through the vehicles windshield. They said it was...
2/17: The theft of a car part called a catalytic converter is an ongoing problem in Los Angeles County. All cars sold in California after 1974 are required to have catalytic converters. When cars are not parked in a secure area, thieves steal the converters, which are designed to clean automobile exhaust. The main reason that catalytic converters are stolen is because they're valuable to scrap metal dealers, auto experts say. They contain precious metals, including rhodium, platinum, and...
An attorney who appeared before the 394th Texas Judicial District had to argue that he was not, in fact, feline in nature. The judge assured him that it was some sort of filter, and that his appearance as fluffy, would not prejudice his client. "I'm not a cat," he argued. The court released the video to show how "attorneys were struggling to produce justice during the pandemic," and not to poke fun at attorneys. The video has gone viral and is the subject of numerous internet memes. One of them...
A group called Protect Ballona Wetlands, has filed a Petition for Writ of Mandate with the LA Superior Court. The lawsuit seeks to restrain the Calif. Dept of Fish and Wildlife from approving a project to “restore, enhance, and establish native coastal wetland and upland habitats on approximately 566 acres within the Ballona Reserve.” The group alleges that the State’s description of the plan as restoration is “disingenuous.” They say that the plan will actually harm wildlife, take the land out...
An atmospheric river passed through Santa Monica last night, dropping 3 inches of rain. LA County gets about 14 inches of rain in a typical year, so that's about a quarter of our annual rainfall in one storm. Santa Monica resident Liz Angeles wondered where the birds go when it rains? She shot these photos attempting to find out. She discovered that the intelligent birds were practicing social distancing. Anthony Fauci has apparently inspired them to avoid coronavirus. Days like today make me...
The City of Santa Monica has extended its emergency order preventing residential and commercial tenants from being evicted for nonpayment of rent, to March 31, 2021. Which begs the question, why pay rent? Eviction defense lawyers we spoke to, said they recommend remaining on good terms with your landlord. He's still expected to pay property taxes, after all. The State of California does have a record of helping landlords collect rents, through strict laws and summary unlawful detainer...
Those of you who like me, are constantly searching for their fix of chocolate dipped cookies and Rugala, we will just have to find your daily pastry elsewhere. Vienna Bakery has closed its doors after 67 years on Wilshire Blvd and 12th Street in Santa Monica. The kosher bakery has supplied my shul for many years. I have attended countless bar and bat mitzvahs featuring challah and deserts from Vienna Bakery and Restaurant. But as Joni Mitchell sang, everything comes and goes, pleasure moves on...
Public Works Director Susan Cline has been appointed Acting Assistant City Manager, the City said in a press release. The PUblic Works department is the City's largest department. The Acting Assistant City Manager position is slated for a six-month term beginning January 18, 2021, the city said. Interim City Manager Lane Dilg leaves the City this Spring, reportedly because her husband is taking a position in the Biden administration. So presumably when Dilg leaves, Cline will move into the top...
For the remainder of January, the Santa Monica Pier will be closed on the following dates: January 16-18, January 23-24 and on January 30-31, 2021. A major draw for tourists, the Pier was closed from May 15, 2020 to the end of September, and also during the last 3 days of 2020, and first three days of 2021. Los Angeles County, which has over ten million residents and is the biggest county by population in the entire United States, has had 12,500 Covid-19 deaths. 950,000 local residents have...
He was once lauded as the Chinese equivalent of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. From a humble background as a school teacher, Jack Ma founded Alibaba.COM, the largest online retailer in the world's most populous country. But now he has not been seen for 4 weeks, since Chinese authorities asked to "question" him. Ma is a strong proponent of an open and market-driven economy. This may have brought him into conflict with Chinese President Xi Jinping, a man who came to power promising to cure...
Does life reflect art, or should art reflect life? Art gives us a new perspective, shows us a new dimension and makes our understanding of life deeper, wrote Emmanuel Kant. Or perhaps it was Banksy. "Great art often comes from difficult times," acknowledges mural artist Samir Arghandwall. "We're left alone most of the time with not much to do, so we have time to develop your own work. Any time an artist is left alone, they can work on their own stuff. Time to reflect on your own life and love."...
In an announcement on the City's website, the City of Santa Monica said its 100 year old pier would close during the long new year's weekend. The Pier was closed from March 16th to October 14th, when it partially reopened. The amusement park, Pacific Park, has never reopened. "In an effort to slow the rampant spread of COVID-19 throughout Los Angeles County, the Santa Monica Pier will temporarily close for the New Year's holiday weekend," reads the City press release. "The closure will be...
