The Great Wall of Los Angeles

 I must have driven by the Great Wall of LA thousands of times in my life.  It's a 2500 long mural painted on the walls of the Tujunga Wash on Coldwater Canyon Blvd., just south of Oxnard St.  I went past it twice a day on my way to work at Monlux Elementary School, for 20 years and never knew of it.  Boy, was I missing something.

Thanks to my friend Barbara, who is planning a trip to Los Angeles in April, I now know about it.  She loves to research interesting places to visit in the cities she visits, and she discovered The Great Wall.

The money for the project came from SPARC, the Social Public Art Resource Center.  Founded by Judy Baca, who also created the idea for the mural, it is SPARC's signature piece.  Judy Baca designed the project, and with the help of over 400 community artists, it was completed between 1974-1979.  It's a landmark pictorial representation of the history of the ethnic peoples of California from prehistoric times to the 1950's.  I was impressed.

There are bike paths and walking trails, but with some money it could become a parklike area extraordinaire.  It needs some TLC, but it is certainly something to see.  Plans are in the works for more panels to represent the 1960's and 1970's.  If you get a chance, go see it.  Take your grandchildren.  They will enjoy it and learn a lot.

Huge Increase In Homeschooling

 Even before the pandemic, homeschooling was on the rise.  With covid-19, it more than doubled.  Statistics from 2019 show that about 5 million children were homeschooled, about 3.3% of all kids ages 5-17 attending school.  In 2020 and 2021 these numbers increased due to the shutdown of most schools for a year.  During the pandemic, black students being homeschooled rose from 3.3%-16.1%.  White students being homeschooled increased from 5.7%-9.7%, and Hispanic students being schooled at home rose from 6.2%-12.1%.

It's obvious why homeschooling increased during the pandemic, but before that it had been on an upward trajectory for over 30 years. Why?  Here are a few reasons.

1.  Parents want more control over what their children are taught in school.  Many homeschoolers are very religious, and only want their children exposed to certain ideas.  

2.  Many parents feel that they can shield their children from bullying by homeschooling.

3.  Some parents feel that the quality of public schools has diminished, and they can do a better job themselves.

4.  Some children are very involved in acting, athletics (gymnastics, swimming, etc), or music, and travel a lot, so parents find it easier to have them homeschooled.

How do homeschooled children do after they graduate?  67% of homeschooled children graduate from college.  That is 10% higher than the graduation rate for students from public schools.

I know a woman (wife of a rabbi) who homeschooled all six of her children.  They all went to colleges like Harvard, Brown, and Penn.  She must have done one hell of a job.  It's tough on the parents to homeschool their kids, but for some, it's the right way to go.

Bread Is My Nemesis

 As a lifelong woman with a weight problem, I am always looking for ways to keep eating the foods I like and keeping my weight under control.  One of my favorite foods is bread:  hot crusty bread fresh from the oven is probably my favorite, but I also love croissants, English muffins, warm pita bread, naan, and bagels.  Who doesn't like a good bagel?

Marilyn and Melanie, my two friends who give me the best cooking ideas as we travel the WW road together, recently sent me a recipe for a two ingredient bagel.  I laughed at the idea, but when I tasted the bagel, I was blown away.  This tasted like a real bagel, and it was only 2 points!!  A regular bagel is about 9 points.  The bagel is made from self rising flour and non fat greek yogurt.  That's it!!  You can top the bagels with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, Everything Bagel seasoning or coarse salt.  You can also use the dough to make a pizza or naan.  I'm off to the kitchen right now to make a batch of dough.  

I am having an impossible time getting the recipe into this blog, so you will have to google the following:  Weight Watchers 2 ingredient dough.  Read the whole recipe.  It's just 2 cups of self rising flour and 2 cups of non fat greek yogurt, but it gives you advice if you dough is too sticky  or too firm.  Enjoy.

Dave's Rock Garden in Encinitas

 Be sure and stop by Dave's rock garden the next time you go to Moonlight beach.  It is on Encinitas Blvd, just steps from the volleyball courts.  Here's how Dave Dean came to have rock garden next to his home.

Next door to Dave, was and empty lot in need of some TLC.  After years of trying to work with the coastal commission to transform this coastal plot of land from neglected dirt to a work of art, Dave took matters into his own hands.

He began by removing trash, then pulling the weeds from the ground.  Next, he planted succulents and added some artistic details, like painted rocks.  Once the land was no longer an eyesore, the city took notice.  They issued him a cease and desist order.  Rather than complying with the order, Dave was inspired to continue his work and make it even more beautiful.  Dave began painting rocks with inspirational phrases on them, and encouraging neighbors to do the same.

Today, the garden is thriving, every inch filled with artistic rocks, plants and other interesting details.  Be sure to stop by and take a look.  It will make you smile, and as far as I know, the city has given up trying to eliminate this garden of beauty and inspiration.

Finding The Right Charity To Give To

 I recently blogged about Jose Andres' World Central Kitchen, and how they have worked to feed communities in time of crisis.  They are now in Poland, helping to feel Ukrainian refugees arriving there in droves.

I started to think about what organization I wanted to donate to, not just for this particular tragedy, but in general, what are the best organizations to give to?  It's not easy to answer the question.  It takes a lot of research, so before you write your next check to a charitable organization, think about checking them out.

There is so much fraud in charitable organizations.  The best way to start is by using either charity navigator or guidestar.org to check them out.  I just took one sketchy organization called Kids Wish Network and checked them out, only to find they have no rating at all!  Scammers give their charity a name that sounds like something you've heard of, for example Breast Cancer Relief Foundation.  They may call you and thank you for giving in the past (you haven't) and ask for more.  I looked at the charities with the word breast cancer in the title and found dozens.

At this time in particular, when many want to donate to relief funds, feed the hungry organizations, and other charities that are trying to help refugees, the scammers are hard at work.  Just be careful.  Try to give to organizations that are not top heavy on administration.  More than 25% for administration and fund raising is too much.  Give, but make your dollars count.

Wynston's Ice Cream Shop in San Marcos Is A Blue Ribbon Winner

 If you ask most people where they get their news, they'll tell you CNN, Nightly News, New York Times, or San Diego Tribune.  Ask me, and I'll tell you I get the best stories, information and gossip from my local dog park and my monthly visit to the hairdresser.  (Well, not really, but I do get some great information in these two places).

Tracy has been my hairdresser for the past 7 years, ever since I moved to Ocean Hills.  She and her friend Isabelle have a front space in Phenix, next to Albertson's in Vista.  Between the two of them, they must cut and color hair for half of Ocean Hills and the customers that are there always have interesting stuff to share.

I was there in February, and the man in Isabelle's chair started talking about the most delicious ice cream shop in San Marcos.  Its chocolate ice cream had won a blue ribbon!  I had to check it out.

Wynn's Ice Cream Shop opened in 2020.  It is the creation of the Wynn family, transplants from the midwest.  Their ice cream was an instant hit, but there were problems with the name.  Wynn's is a trademark name (Steve Wynn from Las Vegas), and they had to change the name.  Thus, Wynston's became the name not long ago.

All their ice cream is handmade, in house, and it is delicious.  Some of their most popular flavors include cookies and cream, mint chocolate chunk, chocolate (award winner), Malted milk brownies, butter pecan, That cookie dough, and vegan coconut Ube (an Asian root vegetable).

Today, everyone loves Handel's, but I think you will like Wynston's just as much.  Give it a try if you're in the San Marcos area near Twin Oaks.

White Supremacists Have Infiltrated All Levels Of Government

 We hear about the Proud Boys, the KKK, and the Oath Keepers.  They're just the tip of the iceberg on what has become, and continues to be, an extreme right, racist, anti-semitic hatred for Jews,  Muslims,LGBTQ, and people of color.  They are members of congress and many more are running for congress.  They are members of school boards, state legislatures, and election boards. Most are running under the banner of the Republican party, some with support from Trump and others, some without.  Here's some of what you should know.

Gab is the preferred media platform of alt-right individuals.  This is where controversial men and women go when they are banned from Twitter.  Paul Gosar, a congressman, subscribes to this website.  The filth that is written and talked about on that website is unimaginable.

Arthur Jones, an Illinois candidate for the 3rd congressional district several years ago, boasted membership in the American Nazi Party.  On Arthur Jones' website he features a section called "Holocaust" in which  he argues that the idea that 6 million Jews were killed in Germany, is the biggest, blackist lie in history. Jones won the primary, but lost the general.  

In North Carolina, Russell Walker, a white supremacist ran for state house of representatives.  He believes that Jews are not semitic, they are satanic.  He also lost in the general election.

Thomas Rousseau, a 24 year old , runs the Patriot Front, a  racist organization responsible for 80% of all right wing propaganda nationally.  

There are dozens of hate groups domestically, and their number and membership is on the ground.  One group, Vanguard America, believes that their ancestors founded America, and bequeathed it to them, and them alone.  (In other words, make it an all white country).

There's so much I would like to say on the subject, but time does not permit me to do so.  If you think what's happening in America is a bad thing, get involved.  How?  Several ways.  First, find candidates at the local level that you believe in, and work to get them elected.  The old saying, "All politics is local," is certainly true now.  School boards and state legislatures have a huge impact on our future.  Second, if you know men or women who want to get involved at the local level, encourage them to run for city council, school board, whatever.  Important decisions are made at the local level.

As for some of our elected officials whose political future may be over, watch for what happens to these officials, involved in The Big Lie and inciting violence.  Lauren Bobart, Paul Gosar, Madison Cathorn, Mo Brooks.  We'll see if they are punished for rhetoric.  

AI Has Changed Poker Forever

 My husband Ron, was a great poker player.  Besides betting on horses, poker was his favorite thing to do. (Actually, working was his favorite thing to do, but poker and racing were his favorite hobbies.)

Rona had a group of friends that he played poker with weekly for many years.  The stakes weren't really high, but he could win or lose a few hundred dollars in an evening.  In the mid 1980's he  met some new poker players that played for really high stakes.  They included Michael Chow (Chow's Restaurant), Dick Van Patten, Vince Van Patten, and Michael Berk (Baywatch executive producer).  For a while they played in the back room of Chow's Restaurant in Westwood.  The stakes were high, probably too high for Ron, but he held his own and loved it.  Then, the game moved to our guesthouse in Brentwood.  Every week 8-9 players would come over for a night of bridge.  I'm not sure why the game broke up, but it eventually did.  Many thousands of dollars could change hands in an evening.  I was glad when it ended.

When we moved to North San Diego, Ron was unable to find a good home game, so he started playing at Oceans 11, and often Pala or Harrah's.  The games were for smaller stakes than he had been playing in before, but he just loved the game and the challenge.

I wonder if he would recognize Texas Hold'Em today.  Artificial Intelligence has changed the game of poker forever.  Old time professionals say that AI killed the soul of the game.  What old timers learned through trial and error in thousands of hands of poker, younger players learn by AI.  Algorithms don't lie.  They can tell the player when to hold'em and when to fold'em.  It takes longer for the computer to figure out bluffing, or the psychology of the game, but they are figuring it out.  Experts think that in the near future a robot will win the World Series of Poker.  Already, bots are beating professional players. It's just another example of how AI is changing our world.  Is it for the better?

Living With Coyotes

 It seems like the coyote problem in my neighborhood keeps getting worse and worse.  Hardly a week goes by that a small dog or cat isn't snatched from someone's backyard or attacked while out walking.  I am not so concerned about coyote attacks during the day, although anything is possible, but at night when I have to take Pepper out I am scared to death.

Coyotes can hide in bushes.  They often work in groups to find their prey.  Last night I carried a broom with me.  A friend of mind had a loud horn which she carries, another friend carries bear spray.  I was walking home from the clubhouse last night and heard what sounded like 5-6 coyotes laughing it up.  You know what that means.

So how do we co-exist with these wild animals that live here?  Setting traps and relocating them doesn't work.  They always seem to come back to the area they know.  Killing them is not an answer either.

I have read all the articles on how to stay safe from coyote attacks, but there is still tremendous fear in our community walking, especially at dusk or dawn.  I think my temporary solution is going to be a large flashlight ( I don't think they'll like that) and a horn.  The trouble is they are so quick your dog could be gone before you get to toot the horn.  Anyone with experience or ideas, I'd love to hear from you.

Where There's A Will There's A Way

 I saw some video from a shelter for refugees in Poland this morning that gave me hope in the future of mankind, as well as making me very angry.  First, what makes me hopeful?

In 48 hours, Poland took a shopping center and turned it into a shelter for 800 Ukrainian refugees.   What they did in 48 hours is nothing short of amazing.  They installed showers and toilets.  They got a catering up and going, so everyone gets good, hot meals every day, plus set up a snack room where refugees can go in a make a sandwich when they're hungry.  Best of all, they have a medical center that is staffed by a doctor 24/7.  Their effort puts us to shame as to how, and how fast, we respond to crisis.  Cut the red tape, think creatively, and do what has to be done!

The part that makes me angry is when I think about our homeless situation in America, and how long it takes to get even the simplest thing done.  Specifically, in Los Angeles, the VA land was needed to house hundreds of homeless living in tents in Brentwood, right on the street.  It took at least a year to get the homeless moved inside the VA grounds, get bathrooms installed, and get social services involved.  That is simply unacceptable.  It's the same in San Diego.  I think it was two mayors ago that a plan was enacted to get more housing for the homeless.  Where is it?  The problem just gets worse and worse. Where is the will to get this problem under control?  Everyone is so concerned about bureaucratic red tape, permits, archaic laws and so on, and no one is solving the problem.   Do Americans have the will to solve our homeless problem?  It's clear that the Polish people understand what it means to help neighbors in need and are doing it, often to their own detriment.  Will, creativity and sacrifice, that's what the Poles have got.  Do we have it too?

I've Discovered A New Vegetable

Well, it's not a new vegetable, just new to me.  I can't tell you how many times I have walked by a package of sunchokes, also called Jerusalem artichokes, wondered what they tasted like, and just moved on.  I was at Roger's Gardens just before Christmas with my mom, Dorothy, and my friend Phyllis.  We enjoyed the gardens, the wonderful decorations all over the gardens, and then we enjoyed a fabulous lunch at The Farmhouse.  Why am I telling you all this?  Because our lunch at the Farmhouse included a delicious sunchoke appetizer.

First, I must tell you about our drinks at the Farmhouse.  I'm not much of a drinker, especially at lunch time, but their list of specialty drinks were so enticing, we all had one.  Mine was a pomegranete margarita.  So delicious.  My mom had a lemon and pomegranete vodka martini.  The glass rim was dipped in sugar. We were feeling good, so we ordered their special appetizer of the day, fried sunchokes sauteed with mushrooms and chimichurri sauce.

  Here's how they prepared them.  First they sliced them razor thin on a mandolin, then deep fried them.  Then the fried sunchokes were sauteed in a pan with mushrooms and chimichuri sauce.   I can't describe how great they were.  I am going to Von's, one of the few places around here that carry sunchokes, to get them and experiment.  They were so good.  Don't be afraid to try them. They are a tubular shaped root vegetable, a member of the sunflower plant.  They are native to North America and are available from late fall-early spring.

Sunchokes are high in iron, potassium and thiamin.  They are low in calories, high in fiber.  Their primary carbohydrate is insulin, thus they are beneficial to diabetics and pre diabetics.  Their mild, sweet and crunchy flavor is similar to a water chestnut or jicama.  

The Farmhouse Restaurant has a website with recipes on it, but this particular recipe is not available.  I may just have to call the chef and ask for his recipe if I can't figure it out myself.

 

Helping Ukraine

 I picked up a book that had been on my nightstand for months, and found it so appropriate to this moment.  The book is called We Fed an Island, by Jose Andres.  Jose is a celebrity chef from Washington, D.C., who went to the aid of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.  He helped rebuild Puerto Rico, as he says, one meal at a time.  He talks a lot about the problems dealing with bureaucracy, and found that working with people in Puerto Rico was much more effective than working with government bureaucrats.  He talks about the millions and millions of donated dollars that are wasted and stolen.

Jose talks about the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief as being the BEST organization for getting food and meals to locals in time of disaster.  I checked them out.  After the Red Cross and Salvation Army, they are the third largest relief organization in the world.  They may be third, but they are best at getting thousands of meals quickly to those in need.

It all began in 1968 when Texas Baptists assisted victims of Hurricane Bulah.  Now, they are helping people all over the world who need food, shelter and water.  SBDR is owned and operated by state conventions, local associations, and churches.  They work alongside federal agencies like FEMA, but receive no federal funding or reimbursement.  

If you're in a giving mood and want to help Ukraine, you might want to check out SBDR.  I always look to give to organizations that aren't top heavy with administrative costs.  This war is a humanitarian disaster.  I hope the people of the world step up and give.

Are We Headed Toward Civil War?

Barbara F. Walter is a political scientists from UCSD who has been studying civil war around the world for many years, and has a new book out, How Civil Wars Start:  And How to Stop Them.  She concludes that we are closer to civil war than people might want to think.  

Walter says that civil wars have predictable patterns.  They are most common in "anocracies," countries that are neither full autocracies nor democracies, but somewhere in between.  If you have looked at studies of the U.S., and it's position in the world of democracies over the last decade, you will see a sharp decline.  We are ranked 27th in the world in terms of the strength of our democracy.  In fact, we are no longer called a full democracy.  

Warning signs of civil war include the rise of intense political polarization based on identity rather than ideology.  Instigators of civil violence tend to be previously dominant groups who see their status slipping away. (check that box).

When asked what the chances are that we might face a civil war (started by right wing extremists she believes), she says the chance is about 3%.  That doesn't sound like much, but when she makes the analogy to smoking, it does.  If you smoke, your chances of getting lung cancer the first year are very small.  As years go by and you continue to smoke, your chances of cancer increase dramatically.  If we do nothing to fix our democracy, each year that goes by will increase the chances of civil violence.

Failure to fix the flaws in our democracy make us weaker in so many ways.  Divisions of race and class are bad for democracy.  Keeping certain groups from voting, making it hard for certain groups to move up the economic ladder (not providing equal educational opportunities to all) make us weaker.  Let's try to fix the problem.  Passing laws making it hard for minorities, seniors and young people to vote may be a temporary fix to those trying to stay in power, but in the end, the voice of the majority will be heard, if we are to stay a democracy.

 

And Just Like That

 If you were a fan of Sex In The City many years ago as I was, you've probably been watching the new show on HBO Max,  And Just Like That.  It catches up with Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda after 20+ years.  (Samantha is out).  They are now in their 50's, raising children, changing careers, facing the death of a spouse, and divorce from a spouse.  It is relevant and edgy, in fact some say, a little too edgy.

I love the show.  One of the new characters is Che Diaz, Carrie's boss.  She is a non binary comedian, who with Carrie and a male sidekick, produce a podcast.  

What is  non-binary?  It's an umbrella term for gender identity this is neither male or female.  It falls under the umbrella term of transgender, which mean identifying with the gender other than their assigned sex.  A woman who feels like a man is transgender.  Non-binary may have a fluctuating gender, sometimes feeling like a woman, sometimes like a man, sometimes like neither.  The pronoun used to refer to them is "they" rather than he or she. It's all very strange to me.  I don't understand it at all.  It makes me feel old!

There are so many terms that now fall under the LGBTQ umbrella.  These include non binary, demigender, pangender, agender and genderfluid.  Oh, so much new jargon to learn and understand.  As I said earlier, I love the new character Che on And Just Like That, but I don't really understand who she is.  As more and more people talk about non-binary gender, more will be revealed, and hopefully, more will be understood.