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Disagree with your neighbor? Don't just stew over it; write about it. Flag as Inappropriate
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Janette Gorney May 13, 2013 at 10:16 pm
Thank you Kat! I hear you, yet all we really have to do is become more conscious of our impact and…Read More we will make a huge difference. Thanks for reading!
Katherine Berlyn May 13, 2013 at 09:31 pm
I love your dolphin photos! It breaks my heart to think that our garbage and negligence can harm…Read More our beautiful dolphins, birds, and sea turtles.
Tina May 17, 2013 at 09:46 am
Awesome. Plus did you know that Flair Cleaners cleans US Flags for free year-round?
SantaMonicaNative May 13, 2013 at 05:30 pm
Yes,it istoo late to reverse some of the bad decisions, but it is not too late to take a good look…Read More at some proposals that haven't been settled. It is very important to remember that you can't go back and unbuild a bad decision. I firmly believe the proposed tower buildimgs are bad decisions. Yes, the provide more money for the city coffers and even potential job opportunities, but to lose our skyline in exchange is a bad bargain. I am also not very happy about the two towers. Ugly doesn't come close to how i feel about the Geary. Please remember you can't take it back once it's built.
Stephanie May 24, 2013 at 06:14 pm
There has been a ban on gun research for the CDC and the NIH since 1996. In 2012 that ban was…Read More extended to all departments of Health and Human services in the US. I had no idea. Plus the ATF has not released any useful data or stats since 2003. Anyone (including myself) saying, "studies show..." in relation to gun violence doesn't have a leg to stand on because there are no national recent studies or data collection on this subject. The only data is coming from the NRA or studies allowed by the NRA. Congress, prodded by the NRA, banned research of gun violence. I am sickened that our government has allowed this to happen. How many suicides are there every year? Who knows? There is just no information. It's so bad that teachers in universities have been telling students not to go into gun studies, because there is no money in it. So even if we start research now, there are only 10-15 gun experts in the country and results take years. I'm so disgusted by this. Who bans research? In 1996 death by shooting was the 2nd leading cause of death to young people the first being car accidents. So Congress told our health institutions, taxpayer funded, they could not research that? That is so messed up. No wonder they say crime is down, but the jails are fuller than they have ever been. Studies show gun ownership does this and that. It's all a bunch of garbage, no one knows the truth. I'm not even mad at the NRA, I'm mad at our leaders for banning research. Who does that? I'm so mad I could spit.
James Gordon May 20, 2013 at 02:18 pm
Stephanie:
I don't recall asking for examples of licensees who made bad choices. I do recall asking…Read More if "you have an objective basis for your concerns?" You responded by identifying some anecdotal (as opposed to statistical) evidence that some licensees made bad choices. Your evidence fails to support your position. Here's a brief article discussing the number of licenses that Florida has revoked because of gun related crimes: http://politics.heraldtribune.com/2012/07/25/florida-approaching-1-million-concealed-weapons-permits/
Regarding your questions about G. Zimmerman. (1) I've already pointed out mistakes ziimmerman made, including following Martin. So, no, I would not want him to be the neighborhood watch captain. (2) I can and do avoid places where there are increased risks of violence (ATMs at night, check-cashing stores, prostitutes, drug dealers). That being said, I cannot accurately predict when/where I will need a gun. People are robbed in grocery store parking lots as well as coffee store parking lots. So, I believe the desire to have a gun in those locations is not unreasonable. More importantly though, I don't think people who are licensed to carry guns should repeatedly take their gun on and off all day long. This needlessly increases the risk of a negligent discharge. (3) The forensic evidence strongly supports virtually every element of Zimmerman's account of the incident. The significant element that is unsupported is whether Martin saw and attempted to grab Zimmerman's gun. Given that Zimmerman was already sustaining serious bodily injuries, this element isn't really necessary to believe the propriety of acting in self-defense. As to the two lies you reference, the first related to Zimmerman's finances. It was his wife who made the representations to the court. Zimmerman sat there "like a potted plant" in the words of the court. This obviously reflects poorly on him, but likely will not be presented to the jury. The second lie relates to his passport. A second passport was issued to him after he reported the prior passport had been stolen. The court itself did not believe Zimmerman was lying about the second passport, but that there were more innocent explanations. You apparently believe I think Zimmerman is innocent. I am waiting to see all the evidence before I make up my mind.
Stephanie May 20, 2013 at 02:39 am
You asked for some licensees who made bad choices with their concealed weapons and I gave them to…Read More you. Why don't you ever answer any of my questions? Knowing what you know now about George Zimmermans arrest record (before he killed Martin), would you want him in charge of your neighborhood watch? Does one need a gun to go to Starbucks? The grocery store? How can we believe anything Zimmerman says after he lied TO A JUDGE TWICE?
Michael Laney May 12, 2013 at 05:58 pm
Really, is it still always the mother? Numerous variables are involved in a child's eventual…Read More development: Genetics, temperament, dominant neurotransmitters, attachment hormone levels, cultural environment, sibling relationships, influence by extended family & friends, educational experiences, economic & health issues and other innate capacities and challenges the child possesses. I'm afraid developing a BPD isn't quite that simple.
Eddie Greenberg May 8, 2013 at 09:09 pm
Thank you Marilyn Wexler. I totally agree with all that you have said in this eloquent letter. SMPD…Read More have done well in DUI checkpoints for the past few years and they are appreciated for doing so. We are all better off for their efforts!
True Freedom May 7, 2013 at 04:17 pm
@Elias: RE: carrying purchases in your hand...
like Chris Rock in "I'm Gonna Get You…Read More Sucka"... "F** the cup, pour it in my hand!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNQRqAoT-2c
classic
Diana Swartz (Editor) May 7, 2013 at 04:17 pm
Thank you for your contributions to this conversation. Comments are now closed. If you'd like to…Read More continue sharing your opinions, please contact your local Patch editor about starting a blog.
rubberband May 7, 2013 at 04:12 pm
@Lisa:
cool.
Think of me as a Kung Fu type, wandering the earth playing my flute, visiting cities…Read More and hanging out...but w/o the moral lessons or grasshopper stuff. I laugh a lot.
p.s. bacon
p.s.s the dog pic is cute.
Aaron Mirsky April 11, 2013 at 06:26 pm
Great letter! Mr. Hill, you have a wonderful perspective and attitude. I am relatively new hear, my…Read More family moved to Santa Monica in 1976. I cherish my memories at Santa Monica Beach and hope to continue to "refresh my soul" for many years to come.
Steven Rosen April 10, 2013 at 01:43 pm
Beautiful letter and I under his perspective. But I think if you look at the Quality of Life from a…Read More generic standpoint (if there is such a thing), I don't think we headed in an upward trajectory. I cannot imagine more traffic, and new skyline created by tall buildings and newly-required traffic management to make the Quality of Life better for any of us.
Stodj April 9, 2013 at 04:41 pm
Lovely comment. I sense from your letter a new perspective on why this growth is happening, besides…Read More the $ involved, everyone needs to refresh their souls in this time of history and Santa Monica does that...at least at the beach where, hopefully, building will not progress.
We do need to focus on halting the height of buildings as that will seriously change the environment here.
Thanks, Michael.
karen April 11, 2013 at 11:02 pm
I left Santa Monica in 1987. I went to Samohi and Lincoln, worked at Sears and loved the small town…Read More feel. Yes it's changed, but so has everywhere else. If my kids were young enough to drag along I would move there in a heartbeat. If you don't like it anymore, don't visit. I don't really understand why anyone would write to a local media outlet and complain about the town. How insulting. I'll take SM over the Bay area (talk about expensive!) any day.
SantaMonicaNative April 8, 2013 at 07:02 pm
Continued (sorry) The city changes.
More people, more housing needed. More people more cars, more…Read More traffic, more trash, more dogs. Next we get the commercial builders who see Santa Monica as a cashbox. In city where 10 stories is tall, we get money hungery people who don't live here, who think 20 stories is better. That's where we are now. A turning point in the city. Once you build them you can't take them back. The city will change even more with the Expo line. We can't stop change, we can't restrict building except through zoning. We can temper it. What we can do is shop locally to save the few local businesses that remain and call City Hall on over ambitious projects. Speak up! It's frustrating-they don't listen but eventually they can be voted out. Don't let Santa Monica turn into Beverly Hills by the sea. We need normal businesses we can afford. Places to eat that you don't need a loan. Stop voting for group politics, read the ballot, get involved, even if only on a personal level. Know your city, don't just complain.
SantaMonicaNative April 8, 2013 at 06:47 pm
My parents loved Santa Monica, the first place i remember was a huge old house on 4th and Montanna…Read More which had been subivided into units. If my parents had kept all the properties they owned in this city, i'd be rich. That said i must admit i still love Santa Monica. Go back to any city you grew up in and you will be shocked by the change. Part of the change has to do with the congested state if Caliornia. There are more people, no doubt of that. The other thing is memory tends to blur the facts. The things that matter to an adult are meaningless to a child. There are so many things that have disppeared from this city but they have been replaced by other things. Nothing but bugs are ixed in amber,cities can't be. In addition to that, Santa Monica has not grown in a natural fashion. The City Council has intervened in the natural growth of the city with laws, taxes and programs to fashion a city THEY want, not necessarily what would have been. The city has been pushed into a schitzophrenic combination of high ideals and directed outcomes. Rent control remade the city, changing it from a city with children and families to single renters. Vacancy decontrol helped to change that. Mom and pop owners are almost gone. Few small businesses can exist here, they can't compete with chains The city favors tenants over landlords, lawyers are expensive so properties get sold, torn down and replaced by multiple units. Low income housing increases the density of neighborhoods.
Steve Herbert April 10, 2013 at 08:12 pm
Many folks say the biking is not for them, therefore it can't work for everyone. What should they…Read More should say is it may not work for them but if a larger percentage of those who can ride would, the total numberof drivers would be reduced as more of them are out of their cars and riding bikes.
Also consider if you can afford to drive a car you very likely can afford an electric bike. These "hybrids" are a nice blend of an electric motor with a bicycle which can provide as much or as little assistance as the rider prefers. As they still qualify as bikes so you can use and benefit from the bike lanes, but as they are electric they can help those with arthritis, sciatica and other people make the impossible, possible.
RJ April 9, 2013 at 06:17 pm
.....Barbara, you forgot to add the need to eliminate about half of the population in Santa Monica…Read More before one could "rediscover" the sleepy beach town it used to be. Then don't forget the other "bike riders" that drive just a crazy as some automobile drivers....failing to abide by the rules of the road...and law! Unfortunately city officials have been trying to squeeze 10 pounds of garbage into 5 pound bags for the last 20 years....then come up with bright ideas like proposing to build movie theaters that enter/empty right on to 4th Street at Arizona (after tearing down the City parking garage) were we all know every idiot that has been issued a driver's license will stop and hold up traffic to drop off their kids...only to return to do it all over again when picking them up. Heaven forbid their kids have to walk from a block away where the parent could avoid blocking traffic on one of the busiest main thoroughfare streets in the city. I’m sure you could come up with many more examples of the most insane development that has happened or is proposed to happen. So Barbara......where is that area with "no congestion"???
Paul S April 10, 2013 at 01:47 am
Don't correct it Jerry - it's very you and we all knew what you meant- and it was fine
Chris Loos April 4, 2013 at 04:00 pm
When the Expo line is complete and people start using it to travel back and forth from Santa Monica…Read More to DTLA, I think the idea of going without a car (or getting by with 1 car per household instead of 2) will seem mainstream to many more people.
Michael April 4, 2013 at 03:33 pm
3) Getting folks to part with their cars is like forcing divorce upon a couple rapturously in love…Read More
40 minute commute from Santa Monica to Downtown LA on the Expo Line!! Where do I sign up? I will be one of the first to move to a residence within walking distance of a Santa Monica Expo Station. If not having a parking space makes my rent cheaper I have no problem selling my car.
Glenn E Grab March 30, 2013 at 02:12 pm
last week it took me 1 hour and 15 minutes to go from Sepulveda and Culver to the Lemlee Theatre on…Read More 2nd street at 3:30 on Sunday afternoon...I can ride my bike there in 30 minutes...the only reason I took my car was because I went with two friends...one of whom was temporarily on crutches..we griped at him the whole evening..
mimi March 29, 2013 at 02:22 am
There is another travel option for the disabled called Access Services. They transport all over los…Read More angeles and neighboring suburbs. You may want to check them out. You are fortunate to have a friend who transports you around instead of riding with WISE, which you dislike.. You could be of great help to your friend if you used Google Directions (before you leave home) to find various routes to your destination. I am familiar with the Chez Jay location on Ocean Ave. There are better and worse ways to get there. I suggest you choose better. Of course, this requires advance planning and a bit of home work. Think of all the aggravation you will save yourself and your friend. The choice is yours.
Dan Charney March 29, 2013 at 02:21 am
Well said- I never go downtown - haven't for almost ten or more years- once every few years I go to…Read More the Genius Bar- take the bus-( which no longer runs on my street)-
I have been going to Chez Jay almost 40 years or more- I used to work out on the bluffs- can't do any shopping anywhere near Wilshire or Montana- I can walk to Main - get my groceries at night- what is happening here is no different than what is happening in Congress and to our entire country- the rich are doing as they wish - the rest of us can die- the building that will be gone soon will be any with low income tenants and shabby houses- all gone
natalie mcadams May 6, 2013 at 12:55 am
I started a petition to the EPA to get the lead out of aviation fuel and I have continued to speak…Read More out against it but you are either intentionally being obtuse or not reading carefully. THE REAL ISSUE IS THE ULTRAFINE PARTICLES IN THE JET FUEL THAT CAUSE BRAIN DAMAGE IN CHILDREN AND CANCER IN EVERYONE. SMO has to go and if i work toward that it takes care of both issues and the noise pollution so you can do whatever you want but that's my course and with the help of many others and now also many politicians in Santa Monica and in both the US House and the Senate, it is working.
natalie mcadams May 6, 2013 at 12:17 am
You should become more educated on this issue if you want to speak about it. The land is deeded for…Read More park use so it won't be able to be developed for any purpose. This there will be big development and lots of traffic is another red herring thrown up as a fear tactic by the pilots. And lead is an issue but not nearly the issue that the permanent brain damage caused by jet exhaust causes in children. These jets idle on the runway for 20-30 minutes at a time spewing noxious gases into the surrounding neighborhoods. And guess what, we pay good money for our homes too and I don't care if the property value rises b/c I want to stay. I do care that no one has the right to pollute and endanger the lives of others and that is what SMO is doing and it has to go. And it is going to go and if you aren't feeling the winds of change then clearly you need to follow the issue more closely. And honestly if you don't live in or around this area, we don't really care what you have to say on the subject. And most of the pilots complaining fly private jets and there are plenty of airports that they can fly into. And even if they do have to commute, so what - better that they have a longer drive than children die!
S A May 5, 2013 at 11:33 pm
How do you propose doing this. Affordable housing? How does one control the cost of housing in a…Read More free market economy. Santa Monica is one of the most expensive cities in the United States to live. It's a privilege and a result of hard work that people can afford to buy a home so close to the ocean in a beautiful town. Affordable housing is located where nobody wants to live like Riverside.
I can't believe how many people want to tear down this airport and build a magical playland in its place. If the airport was closed the land would be sold to the highest bidder and they would develop the project in the most profitable way possible. Probably condo buildings and shopping malls.
If these arguments were left to stand there would be virtually no small airports left in the United States. People would be forced to fly out of LAX to JFK and drive or take buses for several hours to get to their final destination.
Yes it's true, when you compare the environmental impact of this airport to a park the airport is worse. When you compare it to the consequences of closing the airport it's really not a big difference. Barring the leaded gas issue which is being addressed.
r May 2, 2013 at 10:07 pm
A huge park doesn't work because you need REVENUE!! A Torrey Pines Golf model golf course where…Read More residents have low price and visitors have high price is the way to go. That pays for things. Add a major hotel and you have tax revenue with people visiting, golfing, eating and leaving their money in Santa Monica.
If you have ever seen a Junior Golf tournament and how the kids manage themselves you will understand what a great child development tool golf is. Did you see Guan Tianlang at the Masters? That is what golf does for kids. Rational, clear thinking, patient, well spoken, polite, etc. etc.
A park will become nothing more than a homeless refuge sucking resources from police fire etc. Don't just do a park!!!!!!!
Val Streit May 1, 2013 at 10:19 pm
Ed, what are you talking about? My photo has to do with marriage equality...where do you get that…Read More is like the issue with the airport? I suggest that you look up the NO H8 Campaign. This is not an issue of hate it's an issue of the importance of the airport and the historical and monetary value.
People are entitled to their opinion either way...
Ed Little May 1, 2013 at 05:59 pm
Ironic, Val Streit, that your photo is the very symbol of open-minded change and social progress,…Read More and yet you're full of nothing but H8 for people who say the same when it comes to your precious little airport. There is a middle ground to this issue, people, and like all issues, if you tone down the anger we can get there a little faster.
Gem City Muse May 3, 2013 at 08:39 pm
You are the voice of reason, Stephanie. What certain people haven't learned is that the government…Read More cannot legislate morality or good habits. Certain groups believe if there's a problem the gov't can make a law and solve it. Whether plastic bags or guns, big brother can't legislate morality.
Jonathan Ortega May 3, 2013 at 02:52 pm
All I hear is a bunch of whining, this ban is for the greater good TO PROTECT OUR PLANET, stop…Read More including your ego's and feelings for a lifeless object in this conversation. If you knew anything about environmental law/politics, you would realize that money is spent on hot topics, because if they weren't hot nobody would support their movement and these already limited resources will be wasted.
Cigarette butt's, the e-cig is coming along
Cars and planes, is there an un-disruptive alternative? Get over yourselves
geoff harris May 3, 2013 at 11:20 am
@Can't Say,,,, I hope thew next thing to be banned are the BLOWERS. The worst, constant, extremely…Read More local, violent destruction of our Sonic environment. Talk about disturbing the peace.
Muffle it completely, or back to the rake, I say. (Yeah, I know it would take more time to rake, and it's concomitant adjusted cost might find some up in arms, {since it appears many are willing to argue over 10 cents}).
Ban the blower!! You'll feel so much better!!
nubiles May 19, 2013 at 07:15 am
Two words: sour grapes. I'm sure Fox News is what you're really watching anyway...
Stuart Clark May 9, 2013 at 06:57 pm
Any time I see "single use bag" I know that the writer has an agenda to foist. Most people…Read More will reuse these bags or put them in the recycling bin that all markets are required to have. One of these bags weighs 1/7th the weight of a TJ's paper bag and this affects transportation costs as well as recycling volume. Recycling paper, the primary component in our landfillls, takes lots of water. If you miss the carry home bags, you can buy them on the internet at $20 / 1000.
geoff harris May 9, 2013 at 09:48 am
Thanks, Marty. Definitely one of The most troubling issues of our times. Monsanto wields a great…Read More power (check: farmers in India), and their intent is bordering on the diabolical, to say the least. (also check the bee decline in recent years--a decade--dropped by a third. There's a bill coming up in congress to address this similar issue.)
Yikes. Too bad we weren't able to pass that initiative for food labeling.
Growing your own food is part of self empowerment, but also a wonderful miracle to observe.
Paul S April 24, 2013 at 11:25 pm
always has been about sex or the promise of perfection or happiness- it's never changed- Robert…Read More Downy Jr's father - Robert D Sr did a movie in the 60's - "Putney Swope" - a good send up of the ad game- I worked as a copywriter in the late 60's and couldn't wait to get out- never disliked a business more than the ad one- yet- some ads are pure genius- many Bud ads definitely- those Honda blowfish ads are incredible - I love a good ad- they are rare
Jeffrey Sabatini April 24, 2013 at 07:22 pm
In the mid 80s & 90s it was "SEX SELLS". The late 90s into 2005 brought us funny ads…Read More that centered around dumb stunts, usually ending up with some poor guy getting hit in the 'boys'. Between then and now, the "heart tug" or "real men cry" ads like the Budweiser "Clydesdale friends forever" ad. Which of course was the perfect follower to Bud's "Mascot dog trains horse Rocky style" and "Donkey gets a shot" ads. All ad hall of fame'rs in my humble opinion.
Sadly, it looks like the ad world has taken two giant steps backwards with the bevy of male & female eye candy flashed over disclaimers of side effects such as : Nausea, vomiting, uncontrollable flatulence, sudden weight gain, sudden weight loss, skin rash, welts & boils, hair loss, blindness, heart arrhythmia, swollen glands, muscle atrophy, Turrets, short term memory loss and how the product should not be used by or in proximity to pregnant women or nursing mothers.
However, I would like to say "feek'n about time" for all the "thank you and honor our military and first responder" theme ads.
But if I could change ONE THING in regard to this discussion... It would be to finally apply "Truth In Advertising Laws" to political ads!
What say you?
Jeffrey Sabatini April 24, 2013 at 06:37 pm
Advertising is an art in itself. The ad spoof movie Crazy People showed how important the right tag…Read More line can be with "Metamucil, use it or you will die!". Or like the motto of my former firearms dealership... "If our guns can't kill it, it's immortal!". Good times, good times.
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