Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
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This winter I've been driving places to go Peak Bagging with Leroy the Dog. Two hours south of Albuquerque and just south of Socorro NM, we climbed 3 peaks 1800 feet of vertical gain. It was sunny and the air was clean and beautiful. Leroy is a wonderful dog, but he's maybe a little older now, and so am I. We have had to cut it to 3 peaks over 7 miles. We used to do almost twice that. He's very gung ho, looking around for animals and watching them run. Leroy's big on rabbits....
The National Wildlife Federation's #SaveLACougars campaign announced today that fundraising for the wildlife crossing at Liberty Canyon over the 101 Freeway in the Los Angeles area reached a pivotal $18 million-mark last month. This includes a recent $1.4 million gift from a private donor-bringing the project's fundraising to an exciting homestretch and putting the groundbreaking within sight. "The incredible support of people from around the world has allowed us to advance...
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...
Some say we Americans are fascinated with winners. But sometimes we are just as fascinated with losers. Take Bernie Sanders, for example. The old communist has run for President since I was in Grade school, never coming closer than runner up for the Democratic nomination. But now the commie from Vermont is making bank (for charity) off his cold discomfort on January 21. During the Inauguration of Joe Biden on January 20, 2021, a photograph of Vermont senator Bernie Sanders...
When the lockdowns hit Southern California, it didn't take wedding industry professional Andrea Cohen long to realize she could turn what seemed like devastation into a new business. The owner of Chuppah Studio, a business that provides custom and rental chuppahs for Jewish weddings, Cohen saw by May of 2020 that the restrictions on gatherings made by state and local officials was not going to end soon since COVID-19 was continuing to move through the population. She reached...
Children's Bureau is now offering two virtual ways for individuals and/or couples to learn how to help children in foster care while reunifying with birth families or how to provide legal permanency by adoption. A live Zoom Orientation is scheduled on January 21st from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM hosted by a Children's Bureau team member and a foster parent. For those who want to learn at their own pace about becoming a foster and/or fost-adopt parent, an online orientation...
In 1982, California Condors, magnificent birds with a wingspan of over 9 feet, were all but extinct. Only 22 individual birds were left. But since the inception of the California Condor Recovery Program, this number has swelled to over 520 birds. Over half of them are in the wild. The rest contribute their DNA to breeding programs such as the one at the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Garden. The 1,720th bird to be recorded in the program was hatched this summer at the LA Zoo, b...
Ask Rusty – Should I Wait Until Age 70 To Claim? Dear Rusty: I have read your answers to the commonly asked question of "When should I claim social security benefits." You always say one should wait as long as possible (up to age 70) to get the maximum monthly benefit. But I have not seen you address the matter of all the money you could have collected if you start drawing sooner and how many years it will take, if you wait, to recoup all that money. I am now 64. I have a...
I doubt many stop to ponder what types of issues a prisoner might be dealing with during this pandemic. Unless you know someone in prison, why would you? We actually have a lot of the same issues, you and I. Our schools are closed. Our store is out of a lot of things due to supply chain disruption. Many of us can't go to work due to quarantine. We can't have visits with anyone. Many of us are addicts in danger of relapse. In prison, a lot of things come down to sheer will and...
Soccer and Girl Scouts have been a big part of my life, so when Covid limited previous ways of participating in both for most of 2020, I started to think about new ways to stay involved. I turned to earning my Girl Scout Gold Award through a project I called "Patching Together a Safe Return to Soccer." The idea was to better understand issues of health and safety in youth group sports, particularly during the pandemic, support girls' leadership development, encourage girls to...
Since Covid-19 began, many basic needs go unmet. We face extreme lows. Not knowing when it will end. Wondering if you're in a nightmare. Is this an endurance test? Is this war? Am I being mentally water boarded? Is this only prison? I'd rather deploy to a combat zone. See, I'm on almost a month straight of "quarantine" AKA lockdown here at the California Institution for Women in Corona, California. This began December 2nd here. Why? Because prison staff carried Covid-19 into...
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 o...
Prisoners assigned to kitchen jobs cook all the meals for the entire institution, under staff supervision, of course. It's been this way since the prison industrial complex formed its authority over mass incarceration. So, prisoners cooking daily for prisoners is the norm. Well, since the quarantine of most of the California Institution for Women in Corona, California, this has left a dramatic shortage of inmates to run the kitchen, as well as other areas of the prison. How...
Ask Rusty – About Repaying Social Security Money Taken by Politicians Dear Rusty: It is common knowledge that over the decades politicians have taken billions if not trillions of dollars out of the Social Security fund to finance other government programs. This information is never published or addressed and having the government repay this money back to SS is never discussed, as it seems to be the most logical solution. When the SS program is financially viable again, f...
'Buck Rogers' weapons are becoming a reality, says AMAC WASHINGTON, DC, Dec 31 -- "No kidding, our troops are getting genuine ray guns to use against an enemy attack. They are not the kind that Buck Rogers had back in the day; they are sophisticated defensive laser weapons," reports the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC]. Lt. Gen. Paul Ostrowski recently revealed that by 2022 the Army will add a 50-kilowatt mobile laser weapon to its active duty arsenal. Ostrowski...
Ask Rusty – I'm 66. When Should I Claim Social Security? Dear Rusty: I'd like to get advice on when I should begin taking my Social Security benefit. I turned 66 in October of 2020. Signed: Pondering Retirement Dear Pondering: Deciding when to claim your Social Security benefit is a personal choice which should consider several factors, most importantly: • Your need for the money at this time • Your current health and expected longevity • Your marital status Since you have al...
Someone in Japan thought of a Cat Cafe: A place where you could go have a cup of coffee, while a couple dozen felines brush past your legs and snuggle in your lap. You could even take one home. A cat, not just coffee. Then came March 16, 2020, the pandemic and lockdowns. The no kill shelter that is West LA's Cat Cafe and Lounge, is still open due with the help of volunteers and staff, and the public is still welcome to bring home a new kitten or adult cat. But the cafe is...
Feel-good stories are few and far between this Holiday Season due to the scourge of COVID-19 that has us locked down, safe-distancing and wearing masks. Whether your holiday of choice is Hannukah, Kwanzaa or Christmas, here are a few little uplifting events that occurred recently that just might lift your spirits: Winning $5,000 on a scratch card lottery bet makes you lucky; getting an unexpected gift of $5,000 is a truly heartwarming experience, especially this time of the ye...
Ask Rusty – Should a Working Widow Claim Now or Wait? Dear Rusty: My husband died 13 years ago at age 50. I am now 64, never remarried, and work full time making a healthy income. I have never claimed any of his benefits. What are my best options? Signed: Working Widow Dear Working Widow: You have several options available as both a widow and a worker entitled to your own Social Security benefit. 1. You could collect a reduced survivor benefit (only) from your deceased h...
Can this year get any worse? Well, probably not. But remember, in total darkness, you can see the light of a single candle a mile away. And you can see a row of singing portapotties performing the Hallelujah choir on the streets of Chicago. And probably smell them as well. The story of the singing porta-potties begins with an Illinois company called Service Sanitation. They deliver portable toilets to construction sites, events and wherever needed. "We believe that every...
Is your child making you crazy? Don't feel bad. We are all going through it! Every day I have high hopes of taking a bath or doing yoga while the kid is on zoom school, But two hours later the bath is cold, and I got NO yoga in--AGAIN! "Mom, can I have this? Mom, look at this! Mom, where is my...? Mom, can you help me with this? Mom, I'm hungry!" Here we go again on lockdown and find ourselves baking and cooking more. Nothing like comfort food, right? Luckily we now have not...
Some say a vacation isn't defined by the length of the distance you go, but the ability to allow yourself to step into another world. And with Covid severely restricting airplane expeditions, the day-trip adventure has become the way to hack travel in 2020. Which is why Edible Skinny delighted in voyaging to the perfect Los Angeles Stand-In for Europe: Solvang, CA. The trip might have been just two hours north of the City of Angels, but it sure felt like a world away. As...
TIME Magazine will distribute its print edition starting tomorrow, and the cover will declare 2020 with a red X over it, to be "the Worst Year Ever." This year has, of course, been characterized by the Covonavirus pandemic and its economic and social impacts. Worldwide, 65 million people have contracted Covid-19, and over 1 million people have died so far from it. A promising vaccine said to be 90% effective, is just beginning to be distributed. The red X has historically...
December 6 - Over the weekend, ICU remaining capacity at hospitals in the Southern California region dipped below 15%, triggering a new set of of closures in various sectors of the community. The new restrictions will take effect Sunday, December 6 at 11:59 pm. Governor Newsom had warned last week that if ICU capacity at hospitals in a designated area, such as Southern California, dropped below 15% remaining capacity, the state's Regional Stay Home Order would kick in. On...
Christmas has different beginning times for most everyone. For some it's when you put up the Christmas tree and decorations. For others it's when you wrap some presents and put them under the tree. While for others it's about the Christmas music. When they first start hearing Christmas songs on the radio then Christmas has begun for them. Christmas may begin for you when your family arrives home to share in your celebration. Or your Christmas celebration may really begin when...
