Rode 30+ miles today

I met my friend Miguel at the Travel Town Train Museum for a ride into Griffith Park. We finished at the Observatory and then rode into Los Feliz for lunch at Nature Mart. We both got tuna sandwiches and split organic cookies and salt and vinegar chips. We also had smoothies next door at the Bulk Bin? Miguel is a freak and put cayenne pepper in his juice. Oh! and we saw a coyote in the park. He was fat, no bones popping out like you usually see them. Stay Safe Coyote Spirit of Griffith Park!

Comcast Admits to Blocking Free Speech!

From SavetheInternet.com:

An investigation by the Associated Press caught Comcast secretly inspecting online communications and crippling users' ability to share information with one another.

The FCC has launched an investigation into this gross violation of Net Neutrality. If they do not act soon, large telephone and cable companies could control what you do, where you go and what you watch online.

To learn more, visit the URL below to check out what's at stake and send a loud message directly to the FCC:
http://www.savetheinternet.com/comcast.php



SavetheInternet.com just caught Comcast Corp. stacking an FCC hearing with paid (and apparently sleepy) seat-fillers.

The hearing was set up to investigate Comcast's recent blocking of the Internet. But Comcast packed the room so that the public couldn't get in to voice their support for Net Neutrality.

We took pictures and recorded an interview that proves Comcast was taking seats from concerned citizens. Now, we need you to make sure that the company doesn't get away with this ever again. Here's what you can do:

1. Tell the FCC to stop Comcast Web blocking.
2. Urge your representative to support the "Internet Freedom Preservation Act."
3. Tell your friends to take action at SavetheInternet.com.

Comcast is blocking the public debate just like it is blocking the Internet: it wields its substantial political and financial power to shut out debate and shut up people.

The picture above (which you can redistribute as you wish) tells a part of the story. Comcast paid people to fill space who were so uninterested in the issue that they took the opportunity to nap. Meanwhile, more than a hundred people with legitimate concerns were left out in the Boston cold. (read more about it on our blog and the links below)

Tens of thousands of people have already protested Comcast by writing the FCC a or urging their elected officials to support the "Internet Freedom Preservation Act," a bipartisan bill that would re-establish Net Neutrality protections as a foundation of communications policy.

For too long, media policymaking has been rigged against us. By taking action, we're sending a wakeup call to phone and cable lobbyists that they will no longer set the agenda.

Whether it's on the Internet or at public hearings, we will stand up for everyone's right to connect and be heard.

Thank you,

Timothy Karr
Campaign Director
SavetheInternet.com

Another one bites the dust

25 years from now, people will stroll past a large, dated, anonymous building on San Vicente and say "This is where Dutton's used to stand." The day finally came and Duttons will close it's doors in April. Rest in Peace.

Farms, Gardening, Laws and Civic Action

Here's local and national things you can do to improve your personal food supply.

1. The Farm Bill is a massive domestic spending program that does both good and bad. Besides supporting unsustainable corporate mega-mono-fossil-fueled-unorganic-agribusiness with subsidies that keep the price of processed foods artificially low, it also funds a small cozy program known as the Community Food Project. The CFP's goal is to "help ensure that low income people have access to good, fresh food, that communities are feeding their people well, and that family farmers are able to find markets for their products." This program is in danger of being axed from the Farm Bill. Everyone should have access to excellent, healthy food. That's a given, once you think about it. But our political representatives need to hear it from us. So. About those calls. Please take three minutes and call your House of Representatives member and both Senators and tell them two things:

• Tell them that you are very concerned that continued CFP funding is in jeopardy in the Farm Bill.
• For the Senators, please thank them for the Senate's support, and ask them to make sure the final bill contains $10 million in mandatory funding.
• Urge your Representatives to contact conference committee leaders to make sure that $10 million in mandatory funding is included in the final version of the bill. If your Representative is a Democrat, have him/her call Chairman Peterson; if your Representative is a Republican, have him contact Rep. Goodlatte.

Here's the number of the Congressional switchboard: 202-224-3121. Remember, this is only a start. Imagine if our Farm Bill looked like this!

2. Locally, Silver Lake Farms is offering organic gardening courses for the month of March. There are a number of interesting courses I am eager to signup for:

Organic Gardening: Introduction

The Stuff of Life: Composting & Vermicomposting

"Dine From The Harvest" with Chef Matthew Roberts

Everyone Learns in the Garden - a class for children, moms & dads

Start an Organic Kitchen Garden with Marta Teegen of HOMEGROWN

Tangerine Mimosa

From my garden to your screen. See the rest of breakfast on Lisa's blog!

Coziest Gallery in L.A.?

After work today, Heather and I took a drive down to Culver City to visit our friend Fette at her gallery. It's in a cute 1940s duplex with a white picket fence and a perfectly manicured grassy yard. The gallery doubles as her home, or is it the other way around? Fette and her husband Matthew have excellent taste and are perhaps the cleanest people we have ever met. The space is immaculate like a gallery, yet doubles as their home. I could never run a gallery out of my house. One look in my "office" and you'll understand.

Currently on view:

Melanie Bonajo (in collaboration with Kinga Kielczynska).

Margaux Williamson.

february 22 - march 22, 2008.

Honey Brothers tonight @ Little Pedros

The Fold Presents:
Friday, February 22 @ Bordello
901 E. 1st St.
Downtown LA
$10
HONEY BROTHERS 12:30a

No advance tickets. Last minute show!
Great acts first:

HAZELDEN 11:30p http://www.myspace.com/hazelden
RYKARDA PARASOL 10:40p http://www.myspace.com/rykardaparasol
GOLDEN ANIMALS 9:50p http://www.myspace.com/goldenanimals
WHAT MADE MILWAUKEE FAMOUS 9p http://www.myspace.com/whatmademilwaukeefamous

I just got Simpsonized!

And you can too! Click here! Please send me a pic before and after! I'll post them for all to see!

A Day at the track

For his birthday last December, Heather and I got Scott a day at Willow Springs Raceway. Well, the day finally came and the weather was perfect.


The Aston Martin proved to be quite the performer thru the 9 turns at Willow.








First we had some instruction about the track, courtesy of Tim Herren with All Time Racing...


We met some really nice folks.

Robert from Tustin brought his Noble 400 to the track. Scott got to ride with him for a couple laps. His car was incredibly fast and nimble. He was making short order of the Porsches in attendance.


Rod Bean, a racer with 3 decades of experience, took both of us for a spin in his 2004 Corvette Z06. Rod knows this track and brutally mandhandles his vette around the corners with the traction control turned off. It was the wildest ride of my life! Here he is taking Scott down the front straight at 130mph passing 2 cars...Terrifying!!!


The track awaits...


Here's Scott navigating the esses, running at about 60mph...


Heading down the front straight....

It was a blast. I never realized just how difficult it is to drive quickly. The amount of concentration and physical stamina wipes you out. A spin with Rod in his Corvette was absolutely the most terrifying and exhilarating experience in a car without driving. There's nothing like hitting the apex of turn 9 and running down the front straight at 113mph. I have a new found appreciation for all motorsport racers.

"Obama is the only democrat with a chance of beating McCain."

I missed the Obama rally at UCLA yesterday, but my friend Ellen attended and brings me this report. (p.s. her dad is a really smart political science professor...)

Hi All,

Okay, so I am kind of mad at myself already for doing this... because I really *hate* getting into political conversations without an invitation to do so...

That said, however, I went to the LA Obama rally today and was just really moved and filled with a sense of hope that I think I had forgotten over the past eight years. A year ago, I made it to a small Obama rally and I was really impressed with his sincerity, politics, ideology, and charisma. I had hoped there was a chance he would make it this far, but I did not even want to let myself hope we could be where we are today--for fear of another political disappointment.

Today, Caroline Kennedy, Oprah, Stevie Wonder, Maria Shriver, and Michelle Obama spoke at UCLA. They were all inspirational in their own ways. I don't want to make this an unbearably long email, but I will say that Michelle Obama was powerful, insightful, hopeful, and so fierce. I was blown away. (you can check out the footage online and on c-span... I would highly recommend checking out Michelle's.)

Since you all know my dad, I will also tell you that he has of course been following the polls very closely... and when it comes down to numbers, it looks as if Obama is the only democrat with a chance of beating McCain. Hillary's numbers do not begin to compare. This is a time, then, when I think it is very important to think about the Democrat who can win. I have more information/stats/articles about this, but I don't want to overwhelm here. SO, if you are interested, please let me know... if not, I am really sorry to have bothered you.

This is a really exciting moment in our history, and I hope that no matter what we can all encourage our friends and family to vote this Tuesday!

lots of love, e