Sunday, May 13, 2012
Do you know the origins of Mother's Day?
I'm looking forward to sleeping in and waking up to a delicious home-cooked breakfast on Sunday, but Mother's Day was not always about breakfast in bed, or even the second-most expensive day to buy flowers. The first American Mother's Day was in 1870, created by suffragist and abolishionist Julia Ward Howe. Howe is most remembered for writing the Battle Hymn of the Republic, but after witnessing the continuing horrors of the Civil War, she called on women to work toward peace: As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war, Let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead. Let them solemnly take counsel with…
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Gridlock traffic on the Westside has some residents ready to move.
This was written and submitted by Lisë Davis. Patch accepts opinion pieces on any relevant local topic. Your submission may be edited for length and clarity. To submit a piece to Patch, email it to the site editor. My husband and I moved from two miles east of the 405 Freeway to two miles west of the 405 Freeway nearly four years ago. In the past three years, the traffic situation in our new neighborhood has only steadily gotten worse, and to the point where we are thinking of leaving Los Angeles. I was born here. My husband has lived here for over 40 years. I cannot imagine leaving, but I cannot imagine staying here if something does not change for the better. To travel east from our home in Brentwood after 2:30 p.m. is beyond painful and…
Thursday, April 19, 2012
April 19 marks Holocaust Remembrance Day. As we remember those who perished, the president of Jewish World Watch notes that despite the adage “Never Again,” there have been 46 genocides since the Holocaust.
A few years ago, my father-in-law, David, stood on a corner in the small Ukrainian village of Tuchin and pointed to the spot where he last saw his mother, Chaya, his sister, Rachel, and her three small children in November 1941. The Nazis had invaded the Ukraine in June and by November it was clear that they were advancing on Tuchin. Chaya sent David off by foot to outrun the Nazis; as bad luck would have it, her daughters' children were suffering from the measles and had high fevers. The plan was for Chaya, Rachel and the children to join David on the eastward trek a few days later. Chaya waved goodbye to David, knowing that they would only be separated for a few days. Within hours of David's departure, the Nazis invaded. David's family…
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Enjoy Passover with these easy recipes for gelfite fish, charoset, prime rib, pizza and even a seven-layer cake.
There are another seven days to get through before the end of the Passover holiday and you can't just eat matzah. Here are five different suggestions to help you survive the week. Gelfite Fish An Asian twist to the traditional dish. Ingredients For Garnish: Directions Traditional Charoset Traditional dish with no added sugar. Ingredients Directions Garlic Prime Rib Scrumptious entree for the holiday. Ingredients Directions Passover Pizza An easy and tasty snack for kids and adults. Ingredients Directions Passover Seven Layer Cake A no-bake, Kosher cake for the holidays. Ingredients Directions Thanks to AllRecipes.com and Holiday Eats for Passover recipes.
Friday, April 6, 2012
In sum, Passover is a great weeklong Jewish festival of freedom that points to our universal longing for a better, freer, and more just world.
This year the Jewish festival of Passover begins at sunset April 6 and lasts until Sunday night, April 15. The holiday is meant to be seven days, but there is a long-standing tradition for Jewish holidays celebrated outside of Israel to add a day. This is because, in ancient times, the Jewish year was not set according to a calculated calendar but rather simply by observing the status of the new moon in the sky, and there was some doubt as to when the holidays were. So, Passover outside of Israel is eight days long. The roots of the holiday are found in the biblical Book of Exodus, and tells the story of where God sends Moses to liberate the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. Telling and retelling the story is in fact central to …
Monday, April 2, 2012
Where do you like to grab your eggs, pancakes and toast?
French toast, eggs, bacon, coffee, oatmeal, a giant cinnamon roll... When it comes to breakfast, some restaurants are simply better than others at getting your morning started. We want to know where you think is the best place in Marina del Rey, Playa del Rey and Del Rey to grab the first meal of the day. Please nominate your favorite breakfast stop in the comments and let us know why it's the best. Here are a few local restaurants that serve breakfast: We will take nominations this week and open the polls for voting on Monday.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
For Anti-Bullying Week, 10-year-old Reagan McKenzie wrote new lyrics to The Cure's LoveSong and pleads for you, the viewer, to do something specific.
Anything that will inspire a 10-year-old to do anything this personal and positive is worth watching. When it is inspired by the Long Beach after-school fight involving Joanna Ramos, it got our attention. Then 10-year-old Reagan Mackenzie posted it on our Patch story about the case. It is her vocal rendition of The Cure's Lovesong. On the story comments, she wrote: "I am 10 yrs old and even tho they said the other girl was not bullying her I think if they planned a fight there must of been some talking about ea other in a bad way and that is bullying even if they were both doing lit. Im sad for them both but I wrote a song for joanna for anti bully week it is about making other kids feel bad and making them want to fight or hurt themselves…
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Assembly Speaker John Perez has diverted crucial funds to help Besty Butler defeat her local challengers, Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom and resident activist Torie Osborn, in the race for the 50th Assembly District, says Paul Hogarth.
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Wednesday, February 8
This snippet of an opinion from Paul Hogarth comes courtesy of the Huffington Post. California's new map of legislative districts offers Democrats an historic opportunity to pick up seats in November—and win a two-thirds majority that would make Republicans irrelevant. But in a move to consolidate control at the expense of everything else, Assembly Speaker John Perez has diverted resources from competitive "swing districts" and is instead meddling into Democratic primary fights in deep-blue seats. In West L.A., for example, State Assemblywoman Betsy Butler has carpet-bagged into the new 50th Assembly District with the Speaker's blessing—a district where she currently represents less than 2 percent of its constituents. Perez has gone all-…
Monday, February 6, 2012
If you want to enjoy riding waves for life, it can take some work. Here are tips on staying in shape for lifelong surfing.
It used to be easy. I could surf twice a day on my shortboard and never get tired. My lower back didn’t hurt, and I was skinny. I started surfing at the age of 13. The surfers I hung out with were athletes who either played baseball or football, ran cross country or competed on the swim team. I swam and ran cross country. During the 13 years I worked as an ocean lifeguard in San Diego County, I stayed in shape working with the UCSD master’s swim team (the legendary mid-80s noon workout) and trained for and competed in triathlons with my lifeguard-surfer colleagues. My fitness role models were San Diego surfer-lifeguards turned Ironmen, like Mark Allen and Scott Tinley. After 34 years of surfing, things have changed. My boards are thicker …
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Greyhound fans and animal lovers comment on Skechers' Super Bowl Sunday ad. Is the ad controversial to you? Let us know.
Nearly a month before its Super Bowl Sunday ad was to air, Skechers' stab at Super Bowl ad glory began receiving negative comments for its use of greyhounds racing a French Bulldog clad in, you guessed it, Skechers shoes. In early January, Grey2K, a greyhound protection group, asked Skechers to trash the ad because it was filmed at an Arizona race track the group believes mistreats greyhounds, and organized boycotts at Skechers' stores. Said Grey2K President Christine Dorchak, "We are hopeful that the company will hear our concerns, realize its mistake and withdraw this misguided promotion of dog racing." In a January 11 article published by USA Today, Skechers marketing chief Leonard Armato said the ad would not be pulled, saying that …
Mark Elliot
9:45 pm on Sunday, May 13, 2012
Very frequently I bike from central Beverly Hills to downtown Santa Monica and it takes me only 30 minutes if I don't tarry. And on most return trips after 4 pm I just marvel at both avoiding the jam and enjoying my own movement, under my own power. Once our roads become more friendly to cyclists, we'll reach the tipping point quickly: the bike will not only be more convenient as a choice, but … more ›