Home Blog Page 2123

Pali Works Overtime for Win

By
dev
-

Anastasi’s Extra Point Lifts Dolphins’ Football Above Westchester, 21-20

Alex Anastasi (left) is congratulated by Palisades teammate Malcolm Creer after kicking the game-winning extra point in overtime at Westchester.
Alex Anastasi (left) is congratulated by Palisades teammate Malcolm Creer after kicking the game-winning extra point in overtime at Westchester.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer

When Alex Anastasi jogged onto the Westchester High field at the end of last Friday afternoon’s game he was more excited than nervous. Palisades’ sophomore kicker was grateful for a second chance after having a field goal blocked in the fourth quarter. This time, he was determined not to miss. Sure enough, his extra-point try split the uprights and lifted the Dolphins to a 21-20 overtime victory–their first over Westchester since 2002. Palisades needed to win to stay in contention for the Western League title and a possible playoff berth but also to rebound from its gut-wrenching 39-35 loss to Fairfax the previous week. “I messed up on that kick earlier so I was ready to hit this one,” said Anastasi, who was mobbed by teammates after the game-winning kick. “I didn’t want to let the team down.” Anastasi hooked a 25-yard field goal inside the left goalpost to give Palisades a seemingly insurmountable 17-point lead late in the third quarter but an encroachment penalty before the snap forced him to retry five yards closer and his second attempt was blocked. “I didn’t get it up high enough and coach told me that afterwards,” he said. “I was hoping that wouldn’t cost us the game.” Westchester responded with a 69-yard scoring pass from Chris Gafford to Andre Buford and a two-point conversion run by Fred Johnson to pull within 14-8 with 4:37 left in regulation. In a cruel twist of irony, Palisades punter Casey Jordan was run into by the Comets–a play eerily similar to one that led to the Dolphins’ loss to Fairfax–but it was ruled the ball was tipped and no penalty was called. Then, option quarterback Chris Jacobs turned a broken play into a 14-yard touchdown that tied the score with 14 seconds left. However, the Comets were flagged for excessive celebration, moving the extra-point attempt back 15 yards. Kalan Collins’ try was wide left, setting the stage for overtime. “My first thought after they tied it was ‘Here we go again,'” Dolphins’ Head Coach Kelly Loftus said. “It just goes to show how quickly momentum can change in a football game.” Westchester (2-5 overall, 1-1 in league) got the ball first in overtime and needed just two plays to score on a three-yard run by Johnson. However, he was stopped inches from the goal line on the two-point conversion, opening the door for Palisades (4-3, 1-1) to win with a touchdown and extra-point. Seeing a crack in the door, Palisades quarterback Conner Preston was not about to let it shut. On first down, he threw wide to Khalid Stevens on a slant. But on second down, he fired a laser to Tyquion Ballard, who beat two defenders to the pylon for the tying touchdown. Anastasi booted the decisive kick moments later. “The play we called was doubles with streaks and outs,” Preston said. “Tyquion ran the out and I threw it to him before he broke. He made a great catch and did a great job turning to get in the end zone.” Preston completed 18 of 26 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns, both to Joseph Hyman, who caught seven balls for 116 yards and twice lost his helmet on bone-crunching hits. “Joe played great today,” Preston said. “He showed why he’s one of the best receivers in the City.” Stevens rushed for 92 yards in 17 carries and added four receptions for 51 yards. Ballard ran nine times for 56 yards and caught three passes for 27 yards. Palisades would’ve led by more than 7-0 at halftime had it not been stopped twice on fourth down inside the Comets’ one-yard line. Although pleased with the win, Loftus was disappointed his team let its lead slip away. “We scored more points than they did and for that you should be proud,” Loftus told his players. “But we have yet to play solid football for four quarters and that’s what we need to strive for.” Loftus was dismayed that Palisades was penalized 13 times for 95 yards–the fifth time in seven games the Dolphins reached double digits in penalties. His team’s effort, however, could not be questioned. “I’m pleased with the way we responded to adversity,” he said. “It would’ve been easy to get discouraged after they came back but we battled right back.” Anastasi worked on his field goal kicking and kickoffs all week in practice and but for one long return in the second quarter he was successful in pinning the Comets near the sidelines. “I guess the extra work helped,” he said. Preston connected with Hyman on a 19-yard scoring play with five seconds left in the first half, then found Hyman on a crossing route in the end zone early in the fourth quarter for a 14-0 lead. Having lost 22-21 to Peninsula earlier in the season Loftus was happy to be on the other end of a one-point game. “We’ll take it and go home,” he said as he boarded the bus. “This is never an easy place to win.”

Blues to Host Chinese U-20s

By
dev
-

In their first game since winning the 2008 United Soccer League Women’s championship, the Pali Blues Soccer Club will host the Chinese Women’s U-20 National team on Wednesday, November 12, at the Stadium by the Sea. Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m. Emotions will run high as many players will play their final game as members of the Pali Blues before heading to the professional ranks of Women’s Pro Soccer (WPS). “We are excited to bring a Chinese National Team to the Palisades,” Blues head coach Charlie Naimo said. “What makes this game even more special is that we will be giving our fans one last chance to see some of their favorite Blues players in action before they say their goodbyes and head off to the professional teams that have drafted them.” Not only will this match be an opportunity for Blues fans to send off their favorite players, but there will also be outstanding action on the pitch from both sides. “The game itself will consist of great action as it will be loaded with WPS draftees playing against a great national team during their final preparations for the U-20 World Cup, which will be held in Chile at the end of November,” Naimo confirmed. “We are expecting loads of Blues fans along with a strong showing from the Chinese supporters to join us for a great evening.” The Blues, ranked #2 in the world by Women’s World Football, already have a total of nine players headed to play in the inaugural season of WPS, which will begin in April of 2009 with seven clubs throughout the United States. The Blues saw seven players selected in the WPS General Draft with midfielder Jill Oakes taken second overall by the Bay Area. The second-year franchise also saw Matilda Sarah Walsh selected by Sky Blue FC in the WPS International Draft, and Aussie Collette McCallum was taken by Sky Blue FC as a discovery player. The Chinese U-20 National Team is led by head coach Zhang Guilai. After playing the Blues, the Chinese will head to Chile for the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. Scheduled to begin play on November 19, the Cup will be played among the 16 qualifying nations with the final occurring on December 7 at La Florida Stadium. In their past two appearances, the Chinese U-20’s have claimed the silver medal in both tournaments. In 2006 they fell to Korea DPR in Moscow, playing in what was the first U-20 Women’s World Cup. They also reached the championship game against Germany in the 2004 U-19 World Cup in Thailand. The USL W-League played its inaugural season in 1995, and it is recognized as the premiere development league for female players in North America. The schedule is set to open next May and commence in August.

Rec Hockey Rolls in New Rink

By
dev
-

Action from Saturday's roller hockey game between Green and Blue. Kelly Harlan and James Kahn each scored eight times in Blue's 17-12 victory. Chet Burrows scored 11 goals for Green. Photo: Joyce Harlan
Action from Saturday’s roller hockey game between Green and Blue. Kelly Harlan and James Kahn each scored eight times in Blue’s 17-12 victory. Chet Burrows scored 11 goals for Green. Photo: Joyce Harlan

The Palisades Recreation Center began its roller hockey league season by christening its refurbished portable rink last Friday. The new rink features a repaired, straighter asphalt surface and re-striping. There are also new goals, new goalie gear and a new spectator viewing area. The co-ed program, which serves ages 5-13, plays fall, winter and spring seasons. Program Director Ethan Rill is hoping the new rink will help increase enrollment in the league after several players graduated to ice hockey. “At least 25 kids who played roller hockey in the Palisades are playing ice hockey now,” Rill said. “With the veteran players moving on, now is a great time for beginners to join the league.” New Park Director Erik Haas has been very supportive of the enhancements to the roller hockey program. Hass said he was eager to promote sports beyond the typical choices of baseball, basketball, soccer, and football. Roller hockey is a great sport for athletes who prefer constant movement. “After a long week at school, it is so nice that these kids can come out here and go fast, crash into the boards, and blow off some steam” said local teacher Bruce Harlan, a parent volunteer with the league. Although roller hockey appears to be a rough sport, pads, helmets and face cages prevent almost all injuries. “Kids collide and fall down constantly, but they just get up and keep playing,” Harlan said. “The league is even open to kids who do not yet know how to skate. As long as you have some in-line skates, you can come to the park and Ethan [Rill] will teach you to skate.” Many of the players on the current roster could barely stand on skates in September, but now they are more focused on scoring goals, than they are in staying upright. For more information on roller hockey at the Rec Center, log on to westlahockey.com or visit the Rec Center and speak with Rill or Haas.

African Sojourn

By
dev
-

A Photographer’s Intimate Portrait

Documentary and fine art photographer Cary Sullivan, a Pacific Palisades resident.
Documentary and fine art photographer Cary Sullivan, a Pacific Palisades resident.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer

Native curiosity, a modicum of restlessness and wind-blown fate. Meet Cary Sullivan. A photographer and music producer with an expansive world view, Sullivan started life in Pacific Palisades and lives in the house where she was raised, now in an extended family, with her mother, Mary, husband Rocky Dawuni and their daughter, Safiyah. While Sullivan’s life may appear to be parochial and comfortably predictable”she even sends her daughter to the elementary school down the street’she retains the interest in the world around her that she displayed as a child, which she explored through the lens of a camera. ‘I remember a neighbor taught me to use a pinhole camera,’ Sullivan recalls, explaining the simplicity of a lightproof box with a single hole in one side. ‘I even started working in a darkroom as a child, and, at PaliHi, I took as many photography classes as I could.’ It was at Palisades High School where Sullivan deviated from the expected and ‘begged’ to finish her studies at nearby Temescal Canyon High School. ‘I was a good student, all As and Bs, but I really wanted to go into an environment where I could work at my own pace,’ she says. ‘I like to work this way. I don’t need to be overseen. Just give me a project so I can put my mark on it.’ With the support of her teacher, Sullivan was able to expand her experiments in photography, shooting documentary material and the quiet changes in the natural world. She even won first prize in an LAUSD contest with a nature scene she shot in Temescal Canyon. By the time she arrived at UC Santa Cruz, Sullivan had already completed a number of undergraduate requirements at Santa Monica College and set her focus on a cultural anthropology major. This worked well with her photography because, as she says, ‘black-and-white, color, digital or film, I was always interested more in the image, not how you take it.’ In the early 1990s, serendipity rearranged Sullivan’s life when she applied for the Education Abroad Program. Her first choice was Kenya, as she had studied Swahili for a year and a half. However, the program only accepts one person for the top spot and she was told that she was first runner-up. So that threw her plans for Kenya into limbo. ‘But I began to hear from friends who had been to Ghana that it was an incredible country, and that convinced me to apply,’ Sullivan says. With her decision, Sullivan found herself on the exact opposite of the continent’Kenya is in East Africa and Ghana in West Africa, just a few degrees north of the equator. And despite English being the official language, Sullivan studied twi, one of the three mutually intelligible dialects of the Akan language spoken by about 15 million people. ‘The first thing I noticed was the friendliness of the people,’ Sullivan recollects. ‘There is an openness and acceptance. Ghana was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence, so most of the young people didn’t grow up with racism. There is economic disparity, but no racial disparity.’ The former British protectorate became a parliamentary democracy in 1957, and today is considered one of the more stable governments in Africa. Sullivan arrived after the rainy season and admits the year was ‘quite trying. I was in school, I was 21, I was a vegan, studying the language, finishing my coursework”which culminated in a huge exam at the end.’ While at the university in Accra, she met a fellow student, Rocky Dawuni, who would become her companion, musical inspiration and, eventually, her husband. The son of a military man, Dawuni grew up in Accra with his eight brothers and sisters and followed his older brother to the university, the second in the family to attend. ‘He had formed his first band and was playing around campus and doing shows in the city,’ Sullivan says. The couple returned to Los Angeles, where Cary ventured into the film industry. She worked as a camera assistant until a broken arm blocked that track’she could no longer carry the heavy 35-mm film canisters. In 1996, Cary and Rocky returned to Ghana for a year, where Cary worked at the first independent TV station, freed from government control.   The couple lived bi-continentally for a time, but ‘that became strenuous,’ Cary says. ‘I was working in the music business. We launched Aquarian records, based in Ghana and Los Angeles, which holds the right to all of Rocky’s records, and oversees the licensing for TV.’ With a growing understanding and deepened knowledge of the eclectic culture of Ghana, Sullivan began to coordinate festivals in Africa and Los Angeles, and to produce progressive radio, including five years on ‘Chocolate City’ on KCRW with Garth Trinidad, a progressive mix of jazz, nu-soul, funk, hip-hop and world rhythms. She now curates the Caf’ Z free music series at the Skirball Cultural Center, from May through October, and for the last eight years has produced Dawuni’s ‘Independence Splash,’ an exuberant celebration of the country’s independence day on March 6. Cary and Rocky draw attention to the music, whether in Ghana, where 40,000 fans celebrated the 50th anniversary of Ghanaian independence this past March, or Afro Funk’ at the Zanzibar in Santa Monica, the oasis for African music and culture, where ‘sessions are often spontaneous jams that can go on for 25 minutes and create a magical moment,’ Cary says. Sullivan all along has found a seamless alliance between the music and her photography. ‘I think Africa has historically and continues to be very misrepresented in the media, with pictures of bloated babies with flies in their eyes. I try to look at the whole picture, but definitely focus on the wonder of Africa and her people as well as the complex reality of a continent that is the cradle of civilization’3 ‘ times the size of the U.S. with over 1,000 languages and close to a billion people.’ Sullivan’s recent Ghana photographs are on view at the Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave. (one block east of Abbot Kinney Boulevard) through November 5. The closing wine-and-hors d’oeuvres reception happens on Wednesday, October 29 from 7 to 9 p.m. Contact: 310-823-0710.

CLASSIFIED ADS FOR THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 23, 2008

By
dev
-

HOMES FOR SALE 1

HAWAII EXISTS IN LA! NEW INVENTORY. 11 HOMES AVAIL. Terrific Opportunity! PCH/Sunset. Up to 1,600 Sq. Ft. $179,000-1.1 million. Some completely remodeled, many upgrades. Ocean views, wood floors, new kitchens, sun deck, rec center w/ pool/spa/gym. Steps from the sand. Condo alternative. Agent, Michelle Bolotin, (310) 230-2438

FURNISHED HOMES 2

4+4, VIA DE LAS OLAS. Greenbelt & white sand ocean views from every room. Walk to beach/village. 2 fireplaces, com. kit. designer furniture. Lg bonus room can be 4th BR. Outdoor firepit; BBQ, hot tub, mature trees, all the trimmings. $10,400/mo., flex lease. (310) 459-1707

UNFURNISHED HOMES 2a

ONE LEVEL SINGLE family home, Palisades Highlands. Remodeled 3 bd, 2 ba. Nice private backyard, large community pool, tennis courts, etc. Call Judy, (310) 994-9289, (310) 454-0696

MARQUEZ: 3 BR+2 BA, great room w/ open beamed ceiling, country kitchen & designer baths, new AC, patios & zen garden for entertaining. $5,750/mo. (310) 502-3665

CHARMING PRIVATE ONE bedroom guesthouse. High ceilings, tile floors, appliances, laundry connection. $1,645/mo. Includes utilities. Elly, (310) 877-3074

$4,500/MO. 3 BEDROOM, 2 bath+den house with white picket fence, just steps from the village, hardwood floors, newer appliances, lovely garden with paid gardener. (310) 266-9387

3 BDRM, 1 BATH, hardwood floors, corner location, walk to Village. $3,400/mo. (949) 786-5301

ALPHABETS: 6 BD, 5 BA. Quiet cul-de-sac, walk to village. Granite kitchen, new appliances, Rustic Canyon view. Available now. $6,000/mo. (310) 454-3710

EL MEDIO BLUFFS home built in 2006. 4 bdrms, 4 baths, large great room, quiet street. Avail. 1/1. $11,000/mo. unfurn, $11,500/mo. furn. (310) 595-0080

MARQUEZ: 2 bedroom, 1 bath, hardwood floors, great neighborhood, $3,000/mo. (310) 721-7403

OCEAN VIEW FROM LIVING ROOM! Quiet, safe, 1+1. Hot tub, pool, rec. room, pool table. Hear the waves at night! 1 year lease required. $1,850/mo. Tony, (858) 715-0878

STROLL TO THE VILLAGE from this cozy 2 bd, 2 ba home. Fireplace, detached garage, will consider small pet. Avail Nov. $4,100/mo. Jim, (310) 459-6545

UNFURNISHED APARTMENTS 2c

$1,500/mo. VERY CUTE BACHELOR, garden setting, full bath & kitchen, breakfast nook, plantation shutters, in triplex near bluffs. No pets. Non-smoking. 1 yr lease. (310) 804-3142

APT FOR RENT. $2,000/mo. 2 br. 1 ba. Spacious!! Carpet. For 1 person. New frig. & stove. (310) 454-2904

$2,100/MO. CHARMING 2+1, lower unit in 5-plex, new hardwood floor, frig & blinds. Carport, laundry on site, shared yard. Pets considered. (310) 454-0867

CONDOS, TOWNHOMES FOR RENT 2d

GEM IN THE PALISADES, 2 bdrm, 2½ ba, townhouse, hdwd, tile, carpet. Large roof deck, own laundry room, W/D, dishwasher. Additional storage. Parking. $3,500/mo. (310) 392-1757

FURNISHED OR UNFURNISHED immaculate, one bedroom. Minimum age 62 years. Close to everywhere. $1,300/mo. Broker, ofc, (310) 456-8770 or (310) 795-3795

LUXURY CONDO for rent in village. 2 bdrms, 2 baths, 2 balconies, 2 fireplaces, security parking. 9 month minimum lease. $3,950/mo. Full built-in kitchen. Stackable washer/dryer in unit. Call (310) 999-4425

WANTED TO RENT 3b

LOCAL EMPLOYED male seeks guesthouse. Quiet, local references. Non-smoker, no pets. Call Palisadian-Post, (310) 454-1321

WANTED: GARAGE to rent. Would like long-term rental for small vintage car. Seldom driven. Please respond to Mr. Nye, (310) 839-1984 x114

OFFICE/STORE RENTALS 3c

BEAUTIFUL, NEW PROFESSIONAL office suite in downtown Pacific Palisades. Separate entrance/exit, waiting room, private bathroom, kitchenette. Individual offices avail Nov. 1. Contact srl@ucla.edu

BRIGHT, OPEN AND AIRY OFFICE SPACE available in the Pacific Palisades Village near shops and restaurants. Approx. 1,000 sf. Call (310) 459-5800

PALISADES OFFICE SUITES AVAILABLE in the heart of the Village including: 1) Last remaining single office suite at $1,500 per month and 2) Office suites ranging in size from 1,015 sf to 3,235 sf, all with large windows with great natural light. Amazing views of the Santa Monica mountains, private balconies and restrooms. Building amenities include high speed T1 internet access, elevator and secured, underground parking. Call Brett at (310) 591-8789 or email brett@hp-cap.com

VACATION RENTALS 3e

FOUR FULLY SELF-CONTAINED TRAILERS for rent across from Will Rogers State Beach & about 2 miles from Santa Monica Pier. $1,095/mo. & $995/mo. (310) 454-2515

OCEAN VIEWS from every room. 3 BR, 4 BA on semi-private bluff street. EZ commute on PCH or Sunset. $2,750/WEEK. (310) 459-5975

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES 5

MAKE MONEY NOW! Revolution in anti-aging technology. Promoting younger looking skin naturally. No need for Botox or Restylane. Representatives wanted. Join our sales team now! (310) 795-1515

LOST & FOUND 6a

FOUND: MEN’S PRESCRIPTION DARK GLASSES, black metal frame with case. Found Sunday, October 12th, Alma Real area. Call (310) 454-1440

BOOKKEEPING/ACCOUNTING 7b

BILL PAYING, BANK STATEMENT RECONCILIATIONS, small business or personal bookkeeping, property, staff & nursing care management/scheduling are available in the Palisades. This can include QuickBooks gathering of data for 2008 to prepare for your visit to your CPA. Call Shirley at (310) 570-6085

BOOKKEEPING & FINANCE SERVICES for home & office: organize mail, pay bills, reconcile banks/credit cards/investments accounts, financial analysis/planning/budgeting/counseling. Computer expertise. Caring & thorough. (310) 218-6653, (310) 459-2066

COMPUTER SERVICES 7c

MARIE’S MAC & PC OUTCALL. I CAN HELP YOU IN YOUR HOME OR OFFICE WITH: • Consultation on best hard/software for your needs • Setting up & configuring your system & applications • Teaching you how to use your Mac or PC • Upgrades: Mac OS & Windows • Internet: DSL, Wireless, E-mail, Remote Access • Key Applications: MS Office, Filemaker, Quicken • Contact Managers, Networking, File Sharing, Data backup • Palm, Visor, Digital Camera, Scanner, CD Burning • FRIENDLY & PROFESSIONAL — BEST RATES. (310) 262-5652

YOUR OWN TECH GURU * SET-UP, TUTORING, REPAIR, INTERNET. Problem-Free Computing, Guaranteed. Satisfying Clients Since 1992. If I Can’t Help, NO CHARGE! COMPUTER WORKS! Alan Perla (310) 455-2000

THE DETECHTIVES™. PROFESSIONAL ON-SITE MAC SPECIALISTS. PATIENT, FRIENDLY AND AFFORDABLE. WE COVER ALL THINGS MAC • Consulting • Installation • Training and Repair for Beginners to Advanced Users • Data recovery • Networks • Wireless Internet & more • (310) 838-2254 • William Moorefield • www.thedetechtives.com

USER FRIENDLY—MAC CONSULTANT. User friendly. Certified Apple help desk technician and proud member of the Apple consultant network. An easy approach to understanding all of your computer needs. Offering computer support in wide variety of repairs, set-ups, installs, troubleshooting, upgrades, networking, and tutoring in the application of choice. Computer consulting at fair rates. Ryan Ross: (310) 721-2827 • email: ryanaross@mac.com • For a full list of services visit: http://userfriendlyrr.com/

GARAGE, ESTATE SALE SERVICES 7f

PLANNING A GARAGE SALE? an estate sale? a moving sale? a yard sale? Call it what you like. But call us to do it for you. We do the work. Start to finish. • BARBARA DAWSON • Garage Sale Specialist • (310) 454-0359 • bmdawson@verizon.net • www.bmdawson.com • Furniture • Antiques • Collectibles • Junque • Reliable professionals • Local References

NANNIES/BABYSITTERS 8a

NINA: We need to find our nanny a new home. Nina is incredible! M-F, F/T, drives. Call Lauren, (310) 871-3352

NANNY NEEDED, Marquez area, Tues.-Sat., F/T, L/O. English & refs req’d. Must drive. Call (310) 459-8895 & lv msg.

LOVING NANNY, 30 yrs experience; 8 yrs in the Palisades; excellent references; does not drive but walks everywhere; great English; perfect for babies & small kids; housework too; like a member of the family; 100% reliable; full or part time. Call Teresa, (310) 367-8521

EXPERIENCED EUROPEAN NANNY is looking for afternoon or weekend job. Clean DMV. Legal and references. Call Monika, (818) 481-1549

DOMESTIC AGENCIES 9

VIP NANNY AGENCY • “Providing very important people with the very best nanny.” • Baby Nurses • Birthing Coaches • Housekeepers. (818) 907-1017, (310) 614-3646

HOUSEKEEPERS 9a

“PROFESSIONAL SERVICES.” We make your home our business. Star sparkling cleaning services. In the community over 15 years. The best in housekeeping for the best price. Good references. Call Bertha, (323) 754-6873 & cell (213) 393-1419

HOUSEKEEPER/BABYSITTER/ELDER CARE, day or night, available Monday-Sunday. Own transportation, excellent ref’s. Call Maria, (310) 948-9637

HOUSEKEEPER AVAILABLE full or part time. Has own car. Speaks English. Local references. Call Francis, (213) 595-0722 or mansalbar@gmail.com

HOUSEKEEPER/BABYSITTING. Available to travel. 25 years experience. Excellent references. Reliable. Call Elizabeth, (323) 463-7889

HOUSEKEEPER AVAILABLE Tues., Thurs. & Sat. Live-out. Local Palisades & Santa Monica references. Own transportation. Call Marta, (213) 365-6609. Please leave a message.

HOUSEKEEPER/BABYSITTING available 3 days a week. Excellent experience and local references. Own car, flexible hours. Please call Isabel, (213) 604-7004

HOUSEKEEPER OR BABYSITTER. M-F, Full time. Good references. Car owner. Legal. Speaks English. Call Ingrid, (323) 778-3873, cell (323) 514-6548

HOUSEKEEPER/BABYSITTING available anytime. Own transportation. Reliable, 15 years experience. References. Call Nidia, home, (310) 477-4157 or cell, (310) 422-7624

HOUSECLEANING AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY. Own transportation, live-in or live-out, for one day or 5 days a week. Good references. For more information call Marina, (562) 408-2068

HOUSEKEEPER/BABYSITTER: Available Monday-Sunday. Experienced, good references, good English, reasonable, own car, trustworthy. Let me make your life easier!! Call Flor de Maria, (323) 357-4485

HOUSECLEANING/ERRANDS/SHOPPING. Available Mon. & Thurs. & Fri. Own car. Local references. English good. Call Eraka at (818) 826-0519

ELDER CARE/COMPANIONS 10a

GOOD COMPANY Senior Care. A premiere private duty home care agency. Provides in-home care and companionship to help people remain independent and happy at home. If you are a caring individual who would like to join our team, please call (323) 932-8700. joni@goodcopros.com

EUROPEAN CAREGIVER. Any days & some nights. Over 12 yrs experience in private homes, hospitals, convalescent homes. Excellent local references. Call Martine, (310) 458-3037 or (424) 214-9091

EXPERIENCED ELDERCARE/COMPANION. Available full time, flexible days, live-out, own car, CA DL, CPR trained, good English. Please call Nora, (323) 842-7543 or (213) 675-0126

LIVE-IN COMPANION & HELPER will trade services for lodging. Mature, responsible female, looking for live-in helper situation, will trade for living quarters. Run errands, shopping, some food prep. Care for dog(s), etc. Longtime Westside resident, great local references, healthy lifestyle, n/s, n/d. English speaking only. (310) 720-6103

GARDENING, LANDSCAPING 11

PALISADES GARDENING • Full Gardening Service • Sprinkler Install • Tree Trim • Sodding/Seeding • Sprays, non-toxic • FREE 10” Flats, Pansies, Snap, Impatiens. (310) 568-0989

JEFF MAYER LANDSCAPE DESIGN. Custom residential landscaping, irrigation, lighting, maintenance. C-27#853041. Certified Arborist #WE-5991A. Phone (951) 236-9891

BUDGET SPRINKLERS and LANDSCAPING. Installations, upgrading & sod. Repairs, wood fencing. Free est. (310) 398-8512. St. lic. #768354. Free houseplant w/ every estimate. “You call, we haul”

“CALVIN’S GARDENS” • Let’s create that organic vegetable & herb garden you’ve dreamed of! Also, interior residential/commercial accounts. Gardening for 30 years. Call (310) 460-8760

MOVING & HAULING 11b

HONEST MAN SERVICES. All jobs, big or small. Hauls it all. 14 foot truck. 20th year Westside. Delivery to 48 states. (310) 285-8688

MASSAGE THERAPY 12b

MASSAGE BY GHASSAN! If you have back pain, neck pain or headache, we will come to you! Experienced more than 20 years! Call Ghassan, (818) 489-2009

WINDOW WASHING 13h

EXPERT WINDOW CLEANER • Experienced 21 yrs on Westside. Clean & detailed. Can also clean screens, mirrors, skylights & scrape paint off glass. Free estimates. Brian, (310) 289-5279

THE WINDOWS OF OZ. Extremely detailed interior/exterior glass & screen cleaning. Specializing in high ladder work. 10% new customer discount & next day service available. Owner operated. Free estimates. Licensed & bonded. (310) 926-7626

CATERING 14

HOLIDAY EVENT PLANNER & CULINARY STUDENT. Le Cordon Bleu student and event planner to help with your holiday prep, cooking, serving, menus & all event details. 10+ years experience. $20/hr. Please call Danielle, (310) 691-0578

PERSONAL SERVICES 14f

GREAT ORGANIZER! Declutter your home, office, closet, etc. Errands, bill paying, etc. No project too large or too small. Local references! Please call “T”, (310) 488-9575

SEEKING MORE OUT OF LIFE? Want a life you can be proud of? Tired of worry and stress and feeling emptiness and void? We can help you through. Call for more information: (818) 398-8777 or (405) 819-2998

HOUSEMAN, DRIVER. Daily household needs, grocery, etc. Valued contacts, trustworthy, plumbing, electrical, catering, caretaking available. Feed pets, water plants, check mail, etc. Excellent ref’s. F/T, P/T available. Call John Mueller, (310) 709-9143

PET SERVICES/PET SITTING 14g

HAPPY PET • Dog Walking • Park Outings • Socialization • Insured. Connie, (310) 230-3829

PERSONAL TOUCH. DOG WALKING/sitting service. Cats included. Pali resident over 25 yrs. Very reliable. Refs available. If you want special care for your pet, please call me. Jacqui, (310) 454-0104, cell (310) 691-9893

FITNESS INSTRUCTION 15a

HAVE FUN! GET FIT! NORDIC WALKING CLASSES. Certified Advanced Nordic walking instructor, Palisades resident teaches private/group classes in the Palisades. Weekends. (310) 266-4651

TUTORS 15e

Start School With The Right Backup. In-home private tutoring K-12. 30+ years teaching/tutoring exper. Math, reading, grammar, essay writing & study skills. Former special ed teacher. Call Gail, (310) 313-2530

SCIENCE & MATH TUTOR. All levels (elementary to college). Ph.D., MIT graduate, 30 years experience. Ed Kanegsberg, (310) 459-3614

MS. SCIENCE TUTOR. Ph.D., Experienced, Palisades resident. Tutor All Ages In Your Home. Marie, (310) 888-7145

PROFESSIONAL TUTOR. Stanford graduate (BA and MA, Class of 2000). Available for all subjects and test prep (SAT & ISEE). In-home tutoring at great rates. Call Jonathan, (310) 560-9134

CLEARLY MATH & MORE! Specializing in math & now offering chemistry & physics! Elementary thru college level. Test prep, algebra, trig, geom, calculus. Fun, caring, creative, individualized tutoring. Math anxiety. Call Jamie, (310) 459-4722

EXPERIENCED SPANISH TUTOR • All grade levels • Grammar • Conversational • SAT/AP • Children, adults • Great references. Noelle, (310) 273-3593, (310) 980-6071

POSITIVE KIDS • HAPPIER FAMILY! Exceptional teacher/consultant. Change performance. Increase skills. Improve grades K-8. Call Alexis, (310) 854-9627

PERSONALIZED SPANISH TUTORING! South American teacher w/ university degree. All ages & levels. Learn, improve, get confident for studies & traveling. Experienced w/ children. (310) 741-8422

SCIENCE & MATH TEACHER FOR HIRE. Super organizer. Start on the right foot! B.S. Biochemistry, SUNY Stony Brook, M.A. Columbia University, Teacher’s College. Certified New York (Westchester) public school teacher, now teaching in LA! Prefer students 7th grade to College. I work in the Palisades, but prefer to tutor at your home. Practice tests available! SAT II subject test coaching! Academic progress monitoring & notebook organization! Alex Van Name: (310) 295-8915, www.310tutoring.com

SPANISH TUTOR, CERTIFIED TEACHER for all levels. Has finest education, qualifications, 21 yrs exper. Palisades resident, great references, amazing system, affordable rates. Marietta, (310) 459-8180

FRENCH TUTOR. Fun native French speaker available to tutor beginner, intermediate and advanced students of all ages. Available week days and weekends. Contact Elias: Eliassfaxi@gmail.com or (310) 740-7247

SPEED READING COURSE! Increase speed, comprehension, memory. Homework, SAT, non-fiction, fiction. Group discounts. Experienced instructor. (310) 383-4400

MUSIC LESSONS & INSTRUCTION 15h

FIND YOUR VOICE! Singing & Performance Coaching • All ages • Singing • Songwriting • Recording • Demos • Talent Shows • School Plays • Laurie, (310) 579-5668 • Native Palisadian • soundeyes@aol.com

CARPENTRY 16a

FINE WOODWORKING: Carpentry of any kind. Bathrooms, kitchens, doors, cabinets, decks & gates. State lic. #822541. No project too small. References available. Reasonable prices. Contact: Ed Winterhalter at (310) 213-3101

CONCRETE, MASONRY, POOLS 16c

MASONRY, CONCRETE & POOL CONTRACTOR
36 YEARS IN PACIFIC PALISADES. Custom masonry & concrete, stamped, driveways, pools, decks, patios, foundations, fireplace, drainage control, custom stone, block & brick, tile. Excellent local references. Lic. #309844. Bonded/insured/workmen’s comp. Family owned & operated. MIKE HORUSICKY CONSTRUCTION, INC. (310) 454-4385 • www.horusicky.com

CONSTRUCTION 16d

ALAN PINE, GENERAL CONTRACTOR • New homes • Remodeling • Additions • Kitchen & bath • Planning/architectural services • Insured • Local refs. Lic. #469435. (800) 800-0744 or (818) 203-8881

DOORS 16f

“DOOR WORKS” • Residential and commercial, door repairs, replacements. Handicap services, weatherstripping. Free est. Premium service. Lic. #917844. (310) 598-0467, (818) 346-7900

ELECTRICAL 16h

PALISADES ELECTRIC. ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR. All phases of electrical, new construction to service work. (310) 454-6994. Lic. #468437 Insured Professional Service

ELECTRICIAN HANDYMAN. Local service only. Non-lic. Please call (310) 454-6849 or (818) 317-8286

ELECTRICAL WORK. Call Dennis! 26 yrs experience, 24 hours, 7 day service. Lic. #728200. (310) 821-4248

FENCES, DECKS 16j

THE FENCE MAN • 14 years quality workmanship. Wood fences • Decks • Gates • Chainlink & overhang • Lic. #663238, bonded. (818) 706-1996

INDEPENDENT SERVICE CARLOS FENCE: Wood & Picket Fences • Chain Link • Iron & Gates • Deck & Patio Covers. Ask for Carlos, (310) 677-2737 or fax (310) 677-8650. Non-lic.

DECK REPAIR, SEALING & STAINING. Local resident, local clientele. 1 day service. Marty, (310) 459-2692

FLOOR CARE 16m

GREG GARBER’S HARDWOOD FLOORS SINCE 1979. Install, refinish. Fully insured. Local references (310) 230-4597 Lic. #455608

CENTURY HARDWOOD FLOOR • Refinishing, Installation, Repairs. Lic. #813778. www.centurycustomhardwoodfloorinc.com • centuryfloor@sbcglobal.net • (800) 608-6007 • (310) 276-6407

GOLDEN HARDWOOD FLOORS. Professional Installation and refinishing. National Wood Flooring Association member. License #732286. Plenty of local references. (877) 622-2200 • www.goldenhardwoodfloors.com

JEFF HRONEK, 39 YRS. RESIDENT • HARDWOOD FLOORS INC. • Sanding & Refinishing • Installations • Pre-finished • Unfinished • Lic. #608606. Bonded, Insured, Workers Comp. www.hronekhardwoodfloors.com (310) 475-1414

GLASS & MIRRORS 16n

PROFESSIONAL GLASS INSTALLER/DESIGNER. Call Tony for free quotes: (818) 518-5168. Non-lic.

HANDYMAN 16o

HANDYMAN • HOOSHMAN • Most known name in the Palisades. Since 1975. Member Chamber of Commerce. Lic. #560299. Call for your free est. Local refs available. Hooshman, (310) 459-8009, 24 Hr.

LABOR OF LOVE carpentry, plumbing, tile, plaster, doors, windows, fencing & those special challenges. Work guaranteed. License #B767950. Ken at (310) 487-6464

LOCAL RESIDENT, LOCAL CLIENTELE. Make a list, call me. I specialize in repairing, replacing all those little nuisances. Not licensed; fully insured; always on time. 1 Call, 1 Guy: Marty, (310) 459-2692

HANDYMAN. Painting exterior/interior, baseboard, water damage repair, drywall repair, tile. 18 yrs. Excellent service & experience. Free estimates. Non-lic. Call Fortino Matias, (310) 502-1168

HANDYMAN SERVING PALISADIANS for 14 years. Polite & on time. No job too small. Ref’s available. Non-lic. Ready for winter? (310) 454-4121 or cell, (310) 907-6169. djproservices@yahoo.com

HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING 16p

SANTA MONICA HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING. INSTALLATION: New and old service and repairs. Lic. #324942 (310) 393-5686

PAINTING, PAPERHANGING 16r

PAUL HORST • Interior & Exterior PAINTING • 54 YEARS OF SERVICE • Our reputation is your safeguard. License No. 186825 • (310) 454-4630 • Bonded & Insured

TILO MARTIN PAINTING. For A Professional Job Call (310) 230-0202. Refs. Lic. #715099

SQUIRE PAINTING CO. Interior and Exterior. License #405049. 25 years. Local Service. (310) 454-8266. www.squirepainting.com

ZARKO PRTINA PAINTING. Interior/Exterior. 35 years in service. License #637882. Call (310) 454-6604

A PACIFIC PAINTING. Residential, commercial, industrial. Interior/exterior. Drywall, plaster, stucco repair, pressure washing. Free estimates. Bonded & insured. Lic. #908913. “Since 1979.” (310) 954-7170

PROFESSIONAL AND AFFORDABLE interior/exterior kitchen cabinet repaints and finishes. Licensed and bonded and on time! Lic. #105761. Call All Seasons Painting, (310) 678-7913

REMODELING 16v

KANAN CONSTRUCTION • References. BONDED • INSURED • St. Lic. #554451 • DANIEL J. KANAN, CONTRACTOR, (310) 451-3540 / (800) 585-4-DAN

LABOR OF LOVE HOME REPAIR & REMODEL. Kitchens, bathrooms, cabinetry, tile, doors, windows, decks, etc. Work guar. Ken Bass, General Contractor. Lic. #B767950. (310) 487-6464

COMPLETE CUSTOM CONSTRUCTION • New/Spec Homes • Kit+bath remodeling • Additions • Quality work at reasonable rates guaranteed. Large & small projects welcomed. Lic. #751137. Call Michael Hoff Construction, (310) 823-3137

HELP WANTED 17

DRIVERS: TEAMS EARN TOP DOLLAR plus great benefits. Solo drivers also needed for Western Regional. Werner Enterprises, (800) 346-2818 x123

PART-TIME HOUSEKEEPER. Monday & Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Must have car, speak English, references and be on time. Call for interview, (310) 230-0330

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT FOR Malibu office: Career-oriented, organized, detailed. Excellent communication, phone, writing skills. Computer literate (Quickbooks, Word, Excel, Photoshop). Email resume: adam@amazingtaste.com

Full-Time RECEPTIONIST NEEDED for busy Brentwood financial firm. Full benefits, nice offices, great staff. Front desk experience and professional demeanor required. First, call (877) 577-3377 to leave a message. Also fax resume (800) 750-7550, but voicemail is required.

MAINTENANCE COUPLE NEEDED. Salary and living quarters. Please call (310) 454-2515 or (310) 633-0461

MOTHER’S HELPER NEEDED. Must have car. Drive kids MWF. References. Light cooking a plus. Needed immediately. Call for interview. (310) 230-4191

HEALTHY CAFES (In Spectrum Clubs), Pacific Palisades & Howard Hughes, need high energy, professional & fun, front counter servers with excellent people skills & customer service. Restaurant experience necessary. Bilingual, English/Spanish a plus. Available Mon-Sun. Fax resume: (310) 573-1336

AUTOS 18b

1999 FORD F250 Super Duty V10 Supercab Longbed, black w/ lumber rack & Weatherguard tool box. Great work truck! $6,500 OBO. (310) 576-0622

GARAGE, ESTATE SALES 18d

MULTI FAMILY GARAGE SALE! Saturday, 10/25, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. 18441 Kingsport Dr. Malibu, 90265. (PCH & Coastline) Furniture, rugs, linens, computers, home goods, toys, & much more!

FABULOUS YARD SALE!! Dining table/chairs, wood upholstered love seat & two chairs, coffee table, dishes, collectibles & much more. Sat., 10/25, 9 a.m. 1037 Kagawa St. in the Alphabet Streets.

MULTI-FAMILY RECESSION SALE. Saturday, 10/25, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Furniture, rugs, collectibles, lots of interesting stuff. 1142 Charm Acres, north of Sunset, off Via de la Paz.

HUGE ESTATE SALE! Custom furniture, armoires, sofas, beds, tables, leather dining chairs, rugs, curtains & accessories. Also bikes and ski gear. 16807 Via la Costa, Saturday, 10/25, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

DISHES, (LENOX, BLUE WILLOW, 1920s china + more), teenage girl clothes, household misc., needlepoint rug, chandelier, garden tools, 2 Kohler kitchen sinks. Sat., 8 a.m.-3 p.m., 1014 Lachman Lane

MULTI-FAMILY SALE. Clothes, furniture, household items, video games, music. Sunday, Oct. 26, 8 a.m. till 3 p.m. 1224 Chautauqua (cross street Bestor)

WANTED TO BUY 19

WANTED: Old tube guitar amplifiers, working or not. ‘50s, ‘60s, etc. Tommy, (310) 895-5057 • profeti2001@yahoo.com

Hirsch

By
dev
-

Playwright Richard Hirsch
Playwright Richard Hirsch
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer

=Act I: When we first checked in with Richard Martin Hirsch (‘Palisadian Playwright’s ”Remainders’ of Marriage,’ April 23), the local playwright anticipated the debut of his latest play, ‘The Concept of Remainders,’ at the Chandler Studio Theatre in North Hollywood. Cut to Act II: ‘Concept’ has now been nominated for two Ovation Awards, including Best Play.   ’Being nominated was a pleasant surprise,’ Hirsch tells the Palisadian-Post. ‘The Ovation Awards are the only peer-selected theater awards in Los Angeles and cover all levels of theater from the smallest venues to the Ahmanson. This means I was selected as one of only six playwrights for all the new plays produced last year (from September 1, 2007 through August 31). It’s very humbling.’ ‘Concept’ centers on a conservative, middle-aged couple, Mac and Mary, as they hit a lull in their 15-year marriage. The pair agree to allow each other to sleep with other partners during a 10-day window. ‘Concept”s cast included Meredith Bishop, Suzanne Ford, Bradley Fisher, Dan Gilvezan and Salli Saffioti in the featured roles. ‘Audience response was overwhelming, with many shows selling out and the run extended by two weeks,’ says ‘Concept”s conceiver. ‘Wonderful cast, wonderful experience. The play received ‘Critic’s Pick’ designations from Stage Scene L.A. and also the L.A. Weekly.’ In addition to the play itself being nominated, Hirsch-play veteran Bishop also received an Ovation Award nomination for Best Performance by a Lead Actress for her role as Sophie in ‘Concept of Remainders.’ Which means Bishop will enjoy friendly and formidable competition against four other established actresses, including Laurie Metcalf and JoBeth Williams. Hirsch is no stranger to Ovations, having traveled down this road before. ‘I was privileged to have been nominated two years ago,’ he says, ‘for the same award for writing ‘The Quality of Light,’ which had a hugely successful run at the Long Beach Playhouse. This makes me the only playwright in Los Angeles to be nominated twice in the past three years!’ Of course, just being nominated is an honor, but Hirsch and Bishop will learn if they win their respective categories when the Ovation Awards ceremony is held on November 17 at the Harriet and Charles Luckman Fine Arts Complex at Cal State L.A. So beyond the Ovations, what’s next for the Palisadian? ‘I’m most excited about my new play, ‘Regarding Those Responsible,’ which recently won first prize in the 2008 National ‘Next Generation’ Playwriting Competition in New York,’ Hirsch says. ‘Sponsored by Reverie Productions, the play will be workshopped in November for a week and will then receive three public staged readings at the Kraine Theatre in Manhattan, with the intent to move it toward production next summer.’ Sounds like a triumphant Act III in the making.

A Dream House Built From a Nightmare

By
dev
-

Peggy Harris Turned a Personal Tragedy into a Home for Brain-Injured Adults

By NANCY MYERS Special to the Palisadian-Post ‘Build it and they will come,’ says former Palisadian Peggy Mallett Harris, 59, who last month completed her dream house: a home for brain-injured adults in Ventura.   The one-story home is beautifully landscaped, with a large back yard, four cheery bedrooms, and an open-style kitchen family room. Called the Central Coast Home for Brain Injury Survivors, it’s a sister home to Back in the Saddle in Apple Valley.   But for Harris, a licensed caretaker with 16 years of experience in the field, her dream began as a nightmare. On August 10, 1992, her 16-year-old daughter Jennifer survived an auto accident, but was left in a coma for three months. Nine months after her discharge, Jennifer had suffered permanent brain damage.   Peggy and her then-husband, Dr. Jeff Harris, worked hard to learn what they could to help Jennifer through the critical stages of recovery. They tried to incorporate her back into the family household, but Jennifer’s frontal-lobe injury left her without discretion as to language or behavior. She fought with her parents and siblings.   ’Brain-injury victims are different from other handicapped people because they have a ‘before’ and an ‘after’ life,’ Harris says. ‘They remember much of what they did before the injury, and understand that their lives abruptly changed. They are frustrated, and can be very angry.’   Harris’s other daughters were 6 and 10 years old at the time. Ultimately, the Harrises took Jennifer to live at Back in the Saddle’at the time the only such care facility in L.A.’s Westside.   Slowly and painfully, Jennifer learned to control her hostile tendencies. After years of patience and help from her family, Jennifer graduated from Apple Valley High School.   ’Brain injured people want to be loved and appreciated,’ Harris says. ‘They don’t want to be depressed. They don’t understand why they cannot manage themselves anymore. They want to be independent. And they can also be painfully blunt and outspoken, which is hard on the people around them.’ A Palisades High graduate, Harris holds a B.A., cum laude, in English and a master’s in public health from UCLA. She has worked at L.A. County-USC Medical Center and the USC School of Medicine as assistant director of their Office of Federal Health Relations. For 20 years, she assisted her former husband as vice president of his private practice of pediatrics and general medicine in Malibu. Following a divorce, she took UCLA courses in landscape design and formed her own business, P.M. Harris Landscape Design.   ’I am now an administrator,’ Harris says, ‘licensed by the state of California to provide a group home for up to four adults. The Community Care Licensing Division, under the Department of Social Services, requires an exacting education. I did lots of studying, took classes, and passed tests.   ’Currently, about two percent of the adult population has brain injury,’ Harris continues, ‘and about 50 percent are traumas from car accidents. The typical patient is a male, 20 years old, who was in a car or motorcycle accident. There are about 23,000 brain-injured adults in Los Angeles County.   In 2008, Harris’s dream of forming a home for head-injured adults merged with Isaac Mutabazi’s interest in starting a second Back in the Saddle facility. Harris chose the house because of its proximity to Ventura College, renowned for its brain-injury programs. Harris spent nine months upgrading the property. She did the landscaping herself, and she lives on the premises full time, as does Jennifer. Inside the house, the cozy living area opens into the kitchen, featuring a hearth and a fireplace. The house has both private and semi-private colorful bedrooms. The Central Coast Home features wheelchair-accessible pathways meandering through gardens leading to restful benches, surrounded by attractive floral and vegetable patches. There is a large patio with a dance floor and a parrot’s cage.   ’Brain injured adults have hopes and aspirations just like non-injured people, except their dreams are much more difficult to achieve,’ Harris says. ‘I can provide case management with trips to doctors’ offices,’ Harris says. ‘I can provide support for activities for the brain-injured adult: things like gardening, cooking, dancing, computer work, yoga, arts and crafts. I am seeking people such as Jennifer who want to improve their quality of life.’   This past summer, the Central Coast Home was used by the Brain Injury Center of Ventura, a nonprofit organization, for its successful Wednesday night dinner events, and the Home recently obtained a contract with the Veterans Administration.   Harris considers the Home her crowning achievement.   ’The Central Coast Home has been 16 years in the making, It seems like every thing I have done in my life professionally has led me here.’   For information on the Central Coast Home for Brain-Injury Survivors, contact Peggy Harris at 805-659-2106.

WWII Pilot Honored at 10 Downing Street

By
dev
-

Palisadian Betty Lussier displays the medal she received from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown at 10 Downing Street recognizing the surviving members of the Air Transport Auxiliary during World War II.
Palisadian Betty Lussier displays the medal she received from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown at 10 Downing Street recognizing the surviving members of the Air Transport Auxiliary during World War II.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer

‘They only waited 68 years to recognize us,’ Betty Lussier deadpanned during a recent interview in her Pacific Palisades home. ‘They’ is the British government and the ‘wait’ is since 1940. During a special ceremony in September, Prime Minister Gordon Brown awarded medals to surviving members of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), a group of pilots who delivered nearly 310,000 aircraft between factories and front-line airfields for Britain during World War II. Lussier stood among the honored. She and her female comrades hold the distinction of being the first women ever to officially ferry aircraft during wartime. The ATA, comprised of civilian men and women from 22 countries, made a major contribution to the Allied victory. They performed the vital function of delivering planes from factories to squadrons, shuttling aircraft back for repairs, thus freeing pilots for combat duty. Lussier, the daughter of a decorated WWI pilot, learned to fly a Piper Cub as a teenager growing up in Maryland. Thus began a lifelong love affair with aeronautics. In 1942, the determined 21-year-old responded to Britain’s call to aid the war effort and was quickly assigned as an ATA pilot. ‘It was very satisfying,’ says Lussier, who, at 86, still maintains a pilot’s license. ‘They paid us the same as men and advanced and promoted us just as if we were real citizens. It was the first time I saw equality with men, and that really amazed me.’ That equality was cut short once the ground invasion of Europe took place. When women were forbidden to fly in combat zones, Lussier promptly resigned. ‘I loved flying so much I would have stayed, but I really wanted to do what the men were doing,’ she recalls. Undeterred, she joined the Office of Strategic Services as a counterespionage agent. There she entered the elite division known as X-2, where she was one of the few Americans trained and authorized to decode German messages and deliver them to combat headquarters. When the war ended, Lussier married a Spaniard, Ricardo Sicre, one of her X-2 associates. They raised four sons, first in Madrid and later in Switzerland and in New York. Her adventure-filled life includes a turn as a farmer in Morocco, where she introduced hybrid corn and started schools for farm laborers. Lussier recounted that experience in ‘Amid My Alien Corn,’ a book published in 1957. Lussier’s brood now includes nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Two of the grandkids joined her when she was honored in London. The day of recognition began with a bus trip to White Waltham Air Field, the original ATA headquarters, where veterans were treated to an aerobatic show. ‘Of course, being England, this all happened in the rain,’ Lussier says with a laugh. ‘In between, they fed us tea and crumpets, then more tea and crumpets.’ The highlight came with the visit to the Prime Minister’s residence, where Gordon Brown spoke individually to each of the attendees, numbering just over 30 people. ‘He told me how impressed he was by this chapter in British history, when so many young people came to the aid of a foreign country,’ Lussier recalls. Lussier hopes a book she wrote chronicling her many daring feats will soon be published. Tentatively titled ‘A Woman at War,’ it draws heavily upon her war journal. Despite a lifetime of derring-do, Lussier maintains a surprising low profile among her family. One son, a film producer, lives in Santa Monica, two live in Spain, and another lives in London. ‘No one is ever a hero in his or her own house,’ she explains. She does have star status with modern-day women pilots, who often send letters and e-mails praising Lussier for the path she and others set. ‘It’s wonderful seeing all the young women who are flying now,’ Lussier says. ‘They don’t know how lucky they are to be flying in combat. Some of us would have died for that opportunity.’

‘Peter and Mr. Wolf’ Plumbs an 8th Grader’s Dilemma

By
dev
-

Composer, music historian and KUSC host Alan Chapman at his job at USC.
Composer, music historian and KUSC host Alan Chapman at his job at USC.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer

Alan Chapman, music historian and KUSC host, cuts just the right image, he thinks, as he drives his black, customized Mini Cooper convertible with the top down, so he can ‘work on my tan for the high school reunion.’ A guy’s gotta have some fun, especially the peripatetic Chapman, who spends a lot of time on L.A.’s freeways, motoring to the radio station or downtown for his teaching gig at the Colburn School, not to mention his monthly forays to Long Beach to provide pre-concert commentary for the Pacific Symphony. Plenty of time to listen to music and exercise his imagination and whimsical sense of humor, which will be on display for Palisades audiences on Saturday, October 25 and Tuesday, October 28. His musical caprice ‘Peter and Mr. Wolf,’ a tongue-in-cheek wink at the Prokofiev classic, debuts at the Palisades Branch Library on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Tuesday at 8 p.m. for Chamber Music Palisades season opening at St. Matthew’s. The narrative, which except for the name shows no resemblance to ‘Peter and the Wolf,’ actually came to Chapman on a walk, not a drive. Having accepted Chamber Music Palisades’ commission, Chapman did what he always does when he says ‘Yes”’he had no idea what he was going to do. ‘I was walking around Disney Hall one day when it came to me in a flash,’ he says, just as his short opera, ‘Les Moose: The Operatic Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle,’ had done 10 years earlier. Peter, he imagined, is an eighth-grader and Mr. Wolf is his science teacher. The tension builds when Peter has to come up with a project idea and present it to his demanding science teacher. Chapman brings the audience into the drama a week before the science project is due, building the tension with Peter’s trials and errors as each day slips away. As with Prokofiev’s ‘Peter,’ each character is announced by his own musical theme and ‘voiced’ by his own instrument. Peter, the clarinet, who has no gift for science, must confront the ‘sort of scary’ science teacher, Mr. Wolf, the bassoon. The mother is the flute, the father, the French horn, and Peter’s wise little friend Amy is the piccolo. Oh, and the piano does an admirable job barking for Ferdinand the dog. ‘I have organized this piece as a series of vignettes,’ Chapman explains. ‘As narrator, I talk, sometimes I’m speaking the words while the instruments are playing. Sometimes I explain what the music will be saying. ‘With many failed ideas, Peter is finally helped by his piano teacher, who ‘redirects’ his thinking on the project,’ Chapman adds. This piece is light and frivolous until it delivers a message about science. Peter finally ends up discovering that there is science in music. A sort of artist in his own right, Mr. Wolf is excited about this science project, as Chapman sees it. ‘This is a noble, majestic piece.’ Although Chapman has been involved in music since childhood’he played piano, bass and guitar and joined the musicians’ union at 16’he was more interested in math and science during his high school years. In fact, he went to MIT, but rapidly changed his intentions to major in music with a minor in German literature and behavioral science. While Chapman and his wife, singer/ songwriter Karen Benjamin, have two children’neither is an eighth grader. Their son Jake, 14, may or may not be a science whiz, but he is a jazz pianist, vibraphonist and rock guitarist, while daughter Molly, 12, is a singer/actor and also plays piano. The two have joined their parents in several of their musical theater concerts and even composed a song, ’22,’ for Alan and Karen’s 22nd wedding anniversary. Chapman has been delivering his pithy insight into the content of Chamber Music Palisades’ concerts for a decade, as he will continue to do as the 12th season opens on Tuesday. In addition to the premiere of ‘Peter and Mr. Wolf,’ the program will include works by Rossini, Muszynski, Gernot Wolfgang and Danzi. Tickets to ‘Peter and Mr. Wolf,’ at the Palisades Branch Library, on October 25 at 2 p.m., are free. Tickets for Chamber Music Palisades’ October 28 concert at 8 p.m. cost $28 (students free): call 310-459-2070 or visit www.cmpalisades.org.

Fire Doused below Corona del Mar

By
dev
-

Water-dropping helicopters made many passes on the four-acre fire that burned from Pacific Coast Highway to the top of the bluff at Corona del Mar Saturday. Photo: Robert Larson 
Water-dropping helicopters made many passes on the four-acre fire that burned from Pacific Coast Highway to the top of the bluff at Corona del Mar Saturday. Photo: Robert Larson 

Thanks to a quick response by firefighters, multi-million-dollar homes along Corona del Mar were saved from a threatening hillside blaze Saturday afternoon. The fire started just above Pacific Coast Highway, west of Chautauqua Boulevard, and worked its way up steep, brush-covered terrain below the Huntington Palisades pocket park overlooking Santa Monica Bay. The most probable cause of the fire was a homeless encampment cooking fire that got out of control, according to Captain Graham Everett, Battalion Nine Chief. The fire is still under investigation by the arson squad. Nora Lerer, who lives on Corona del Mar, was having lunch with friends on her patio when she saw smoke on the hillside below. She called 911 and then ran to get a hose. Within minutes, she heard an explosion. ‘The fire took off quickly after that; it shot up the hillside,’ Lerer said. ‘I’m guessing the explosion was a propane tank or a Coleman cooking stove that belonged to one of the homeless who live on the hillside.’ A firefighter from Station 69 came to Lerer’s backyard and the two of them hosed down her backyard. Other residents gathered at the overlook and watched the firefighters’ progress. Carol Smolinisky, who lives on Corona del Mar across the street from where the fire burned, was inside her house when the smoke alarm went off. When she opened her front door, she saw flames. ‘There was no time to do anything. It was frightening,’ she said. ‘It seemed like my husband I might have to grab the dog we were babysitting and run.’ Firefighters from Fire Stations 23, 69, and 19 and a Santa Monica engine company waged a campaign on the steep and hilly terrain, fighting from the highway, atop the bluff and in the air. Four camp crews also were on the scene, along with three helicopters. According to Station 69 firefighter Mark Koenig, the fire was contained to four acres. ‘Everyone was there quickly and there was an aggressive attack on the blaze,’ he said. Everett said the crews were able to keep the fire out of a grove of eucalyptus trees, which was important. ‘The trees have a lot of oil content and burn real well once they get going,’ he said. The trees will ‘explode,’ sending embers and leaves flying. The camp crews also played an important role. ‘On a burn line, they cut a line, and clear a fresh dirt line, so that we know the fire is out,’ Everett explained. ‘They’re used exclusively in the brush setting; they take the fire fuel out, by using chainsaws and other tools.’ In addition to the two water-dropping helicopters (which refueled at a hydrant at Will Rogers State Historic Park), a third helicopter functioned as a command ship. Typically in fires, a helicopter acts as a control tower and conducts the air operations, as well as communicating to the command center. ‘We did a lot of water drops,’ Everett said. Although there was an offshore flow, wind was not a factor in this fire. Another plus for firefighters was the location, close to the ocean. ‘That area gets a lot of moisture every night, just from being off the water,’ Everett said. ‘There was heavy smoke, but it was because it was burning ‘green’ material, not like the dry underbrush at Porter Ranch fire, where once it started burning, it was ‘off to the races.” The 1:52 p.m. fire caused Pacific Coast Highway to be shut down for several hours, with the eastbound lanes being reopened at 4:45 p.m; and the westbound lanes 45 minutes later. When asked about brush clearance in the fire area, Everett said that clearance has been done around and below the homes on Corona del Mar. He wasn’t sure who owned the land below these homes, but said it was not in code violation.

1...2,1222,1232,124...2,522Page 2,123 of 2,522
© 2025 Pacific Palisades Post, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272