The discussions are still flying on LinkedIn.  Most were engaging, and I was so overwhelmed I wasn't able to reply to all of them.  (more...)

I'm so thrilled.  After years of NIMBYism, supported by the hypocritical likes of Henry Waxman, the Metropolitan Transit Authority approved the subway to the sea.  Well, it's more rail to the sea as we are talking about a light-rail line.  Although one neighborhood, Cheviot Hills, fought tooth and nail against the project (even though the line wouldn't run through their neighborhood), it looks like expanded mass transit in LA is going to happen.

Two regrets I have about Michael Jackson:  1)  I never saw him live in concert and 2) I didn't see This is It in the theaters.  But I did finally see the DVD, and while the film was stellar and moving . . . I was entranced by one of the special features, "The Gloved One."

 

MJ had always been a fashion icon, and his images will always be imprinted in our memories.  What struck me about watching This is It was that his untimely, and unnecessary passing, affected so many people in countless ways.  Yes, there were the grips, assistants, dancers, planners, etc. . . . but what would have been worth a trip to London was to see him in concert wearing the costume he would have worn during "Billie Jean." (more...)

I realize that defending Toyota in February 2010 is like defending Richard Nixon in August 1974, but I'm about to do something that will make me about as popular at a Green Drinks gathering as a big juicy Costco steak.

 

I'm going to cut Toyota some slack.

 

I have not followed this story as closely as all the automobile bloggers out there.  It seems to me that they knew of all these problems and either at least, underestimated the problem, or at worst, tried to sweep them under the floor mats.  That was a mistake.  (more...)

At the corner of Silver Lake Boulevard and Parkman Avenue lies a 2000-square foot patch of asphalt that has lain empty for decades.  Occasionally, trash is strewn across it; sometimes there are unpermitted weekend yard sales or flea markets; often cars are parked on it illegally.  Years ago this space was paved over to make right turns off of Parkman to Silver Lake Blvd. safer, but the redesign left wasted space that currently does nothing for the local community.

 

But soon, after two years of research, phone calls, and neighborhood activism, this barren space in Silver Lake, south of Sunset Boulevard, will become a vibrant park, thanks to the Parkman Triangle Improvement Project. (more...)

Rio is one of those must visit cities, so you should be sure to visit before the 2016 Summer Olympics in case its leaders decide to erase its wonderful retro sheen.

 

Naturally the beaches are lovely, but you must visit the Botanical Garden, at the foot of Corvocado mountain.  When we visited in 2004, we happened to visit there on a very rainy day, but we loved every moment of it.  Whether you are into orchids, palms, carnivorous plants, cacti, or flowers, you will be in heaven.

 

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That line ended the 1974 film, Chinatown, one of the great psychodramas of all time.  Inspired by the catastrophic disputes over land and water that embroiled Southern California politics in controversy during the early 1920s, Chinatown should be on your must-see list if you have yet to watch it.

 

It's funny how that term, Chinatown, is part of our American conscience.  Part of it is that when about 1 in 5 of the earth's population has roots in that region, you are bound to run into a Chinatown, or at least a cluster of Chinese restaurants and businesses.  You shouldn't miss San Francisco's Chinatown when visiting, though the real joy of this neighborhood is exploring its back alleys like Ross and Waverly.  New York's Chinatown is vibrant and full of cheap eats in a city that's notorious for assaulting your wallet.  Los Angeles still has a Chinatown, but drive a few miles east to towns like Alhambra or Rosemead if you want truly authentic food and a good foot massage.  (more...)

Next month we are going to Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, for Carnival.  It will be my second time in Brazil and first in Salvador, and I am looking forward to this trip.  I am a little nervous, however--the word on the street is that Brazilian immigration will not allow you in the country if you have an excess of 9% body fat, and it's too late for plastic surgery.  So being in a country where the term "dress code" is probably presumptuous is a little nerve wracking.  Let's just face it, Brazil is noted for its gorgeous people and sense of style and design, so how is an American guy going to fit (pardon the pun) in?  Well, we're trying a diet that actually works and at many levels is sustainable:  the Paleolithic Diet. (more...)

Yesterday, as I walked up Pico Boulevard to the Los Angeles Convention Center, a sense of doom overcame me as I saw the crowds outside the entrance on Figueroa Street.

 

Drat, I thought.  It's 10:20, it started at 10, and I won't get into the Go Green Expo.  The place is mobbed, so "green" really is the rage!  There will be thousands of people accosting the exhibit hall for a handful of job openings--just like what we see in the newspapers when a new hotel opens and 3000 folks queue up for 100 jobs.

 

I could not believe all the tension in the air.  People really looked down and out.  It seemed half of them were smoking cigarettes.  I saw many with determined looks on their faces.  It seemed that most were with their families.  Such is life in LA at a time when employment is over 12%.

 

Will I ever get in, I thought, as I approached the glass and steel entrance.