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.