2007test

2007 (2006)(2006a)(2007a)(2008) (2000-2010) Table of Contents

Sources

Busdriver Video (s) filmed at 2421 Third St., Santa Monica, 90405, 2007
Busdriver Road Kill Overcoat Epitaph 86810-2 CD 2006 See Text

Kneebody Low Electrical Worker, Colortone-Media 7001, CD, 2007

Making Great Melodies, performance Santa Monica Daily Press, 6, 61, Tuesday, January 23, 2007, p.5 See Text

Jorge Casuso Mechur* to be Named to School Board Lookout News, 8 August 8, 2007 See Text

Jonathan Friedman (Assistant Editor) Longtime activist selected as new SMMUSD board member, The Malibu Times, 9 August 2007, LLVI No. 32 pp. A1 & A18 See Text

Ocean Park Fauna: Caterpillar, Two Photographs, August 5, 2007 by Laura Darlington*, See Images

Ocean Park Flora: Epiphytes Photograph, May 12, 2007 by Mary Leipziger* See Photo

Events, Concerts, Performances, Tributes:

Cantori Domino Musical Performance of Avshalomov* Choral Work and Brahms' German Requiem, sung in English, Sunday, May 27, 2007 4:00 PM St. Augustine's by the Sea 4th Street between Wilshire and Arizona Santa Monica Tickets: $20 Parking in public structure across the street. David Avshalomov*, D.M.A., composer and bass. See Text

Ruth Weisberg* Unfurled, Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, May 8-July 29, 2007.

Jo Todd* Spoken word/vocals Ocean House Saturday February 3, 2007 3:30 pm

August Kleinzahler (Excerpt from) Secondary Sexual Characteristics,, London Review of Books 13 December 2007, p. 25, See Text

"Making Great Melodies," The Santa Monica Public Library, (310) 458-8600; Saturday, January 27, 2007, David Avshalomov*, Rene Burkett, Lauri D. Goldenhersh, Jeremy Schoenberg, Greg Schreiner. See Text

Bill Mohr* at the Poetry Reading at the Church in Ocean Park on January 20, 2007 (featuring himself and Laurel Ann Bogen). See Text

Landmarks Commission Meeting July 9, 2007 Appeal of New Construction at 2617 Third St., 7 p.m. City Council Chambers, City Hall, 1685 Main St. 2007 See Text

7 December, Friday-7:30 PM at Beyond Baroque
Join in a memorial tribute to the great Venice Poet Laureate Philomene Long,
who passed unexpectedly this August 21st.
A Tribute to Venice Poet Laureate Philomene Long, See document
Daedelus*. See Text
youtube.com /Daedelus* Fair Weather Friends, December, 6-12, 2007
Concerrt: Troubador, with Busdrive, Los Angeles, Dec. 21, 2007

Questions/observations:

The Jane Golden Mural is being redone?

Angels Attic is moving to Heritage Square?

The Shotgun House is being moved. Yes.

The High School (s); See the August 11-12, Daily Press.

August, 2007 Oceanpark.ws:
I am looking for old film/video footage of the Venice Pier Ballroom from the 1940's. If possible, footage of Ted Daffan and His Texans playing there in 1944 and 1945. I am Ted's granddaughter and a) have never seen him play with the band and b) want to possibly put together a documentary.
If you have access to any archival video or could steer me in the right direction, I would greatly appreciate it.
Many thanks, Dayna Quinn-Castillo
Thank you for your inquiry. I haven't run across any yet but I'm interested in any details you might have at hand . . .
I found Blue Steel Blues by Ted Daffan's Texans on the ProperBox CD set Disc Three, Doughboys, Playboys and Cowboys: The Golden Years of Western Swing . . . Kelyn

Releases:

Busdriver Road Kill Overcoat Epitaph 86810-2 CD 2006

Daedelus. NinjaTune, EP, Vinyl, 2007

Kneebody Low Electrical Worker, Colortone-Media 7001, CD, 2007

Links:

Lee Arnold* has put up a baker's dozen of Ecolanguage videos on YouTube.
The "channel" with the whole list is here: http://youtube.com/leearnold

On-Going Activities:

Save the Cottage at 2219 Ocean Ave. [Demolition requested by University of Illinois Foundation], 2007

Save the Main Street building which housed the Jeff Ho* Surf Shop and John Baldessari*'s studio [Development in the works], 2007. Landmarked?

The Ocean Park Association and other neighborhood groups are campaigning for campaign spending reforms in Santa Monica, and they are sponsoring a Fourth of July Parade down Main Street, Jerold Harris*, Grand Marshall, 9:30 a.m. July 4, 2007, See Text and Images

Business Cards:

Joanne Jaffe,* Gallery of Functional Art, 2007,
Bergamont Station, Santa Monica, 2007
galleryoffunctionalart.com/jaffe.shtm

Victoria Rembeau Miko,* Joe Miko* and his Swim Records, May 31, 2007, 2006 See Text

Kara Schwartz,* Two Poems, 2007 See Text

Documents:

Busdriver Video filmed at 2421 Third St., Santa Monica, 90405

www.epitaph.com/videos/player/913
The Busdriver spots are going up once a week. the hi res versions are on the front page of my website, There are currently 3 up, with three more to go.

www.benbarnes.net.

Busdriver Road Kill Overcoat Epitaph 86810-2 CD 2006 Released January 2007

Performance wth Daedelus in Los Angeles at the Troubador, Dec. 21, 2007

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Daedelus

Alfred's "Fair Weather Friends" video was featured on YouTube's Featured Videos December 6-12. There were over 270,000 hits, and listeners rated the music and the video highly.

Listening to public radio as I was driving Dec. 12, I noticed one of Alfred's songs used as an in-between on Marketplace, just after the Robert Reich segment! You can listen online: http://marketplace.publicradio.org

Performance with Busdriver in Los Angeles at the Troubador, Dec. 21 2007.

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Making Great Melodies, performance Santa Monica Daily Press, 6, 61, Tuesday, January 23, 2007, p.5

The Santa Monica Public Library [(310) 458-8600] hosts Making Great Melodies, a concert of vocal music on Saturday, January 27, [2007], Renowned Santa Monica composer and bass vocalist David Avshalomov* is joined by distinguished local artists soprano Rene Burkett, mezzo-soprano Lauri D. Goldenhersh, tenor Jeremy Schoenberg, with accompaniment by pianist Greg Schreiner.

This musical event will feature selections that range from oratorio and opera excerpts to sacred arias, Elizabethan madrigals, show tunes, traditional and even some folk and light popular songs, as well as a few surprises.

Tickets for auditorium seating available one hour prior to concert. Contact the Santa Monica Public Library.

Announcement: Cantori Domino Musical Performance of Avshalomov* Choral Work and Brahms'German Requiem, sung in English, Sunday, May 27, 2007 4:00 PM St. Augustine's by the Sea 4th Street between Wilshire and Arizona, Santa Monica Tickets: $20 Parking in public structure across the street. David Avshalomov*, D.M.A., composer and bass.

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Landmarks Commission Meeting July 9, 2007 Appeal of New Construction at 2617 Third St., 7 p.m. City Council Chambers, City Hall, 1685 Main St. 2007

The Third Street Neighborhood Historic District, Created July 1990

Changes have been proposed for 2617 Third St. Site, namely the addition of new construction behind the existing structure. Opponents claim that the style is incompatible, that the building is too large, and will be highly visible from the street. It will be item 9B on the Landmarks Commission Agenda.

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Jorge Casuso Mechur* to be Named to School Board Lookout News, 8 August 8, 2007

August 7-Architect Ralph Mechur*-a tireless volunteer and education activist -is expected to be appointed to the School Board Thursday night, District officials announced Monday.
Mechur, who has served as president of the Education Foundation for the past five years, will replace Emily Bloomfield, who resigned from the board to move east with her family shortly after being reelected to a four-year term in Novemner 2006.
Mechur would serve until November 2008, when an electon will be held to fill the vacated seat for the next two years.
"Schools are an integral part of society," said Mechur, whose daughter graduated from the district in 1999. "The future is our kids. I have a lot to offer to keep our schools at the level that they are.
"The challenge is always to maintain the success that we've had, to close the achievement gap (between white and minority students) and to deal with the continuing financial issues that face education," he said.
District officials praised Mechur's commitment and dedication to the distrcit.
"I think he will make a marvelous School Board member," said Board member Dr. Jose Escarce. "He has longstanding experience working on a wide variety of issues, and he's incredibly selfless and passionate.
"He has a commitment to making the whole district and the schools better," Escarce said. "There aren't that many people who devote as much time to the schools."
Mechur has served on the School District's Facilities Master Plan Committee, the Measure "BB" Advisory Committee and the SMMUSD Capital Improvements Oversight Committee.
A resident of Santa Monica for three decades, Mechur has remained a key player in the education arena long after his daughter graduated, helping to lead a grassroots movement that pressured the City Council three years ago to give the district more than $6 million in annual funding.
But although he has served on numerous committees, as well as on the City's Architectural Review Board and Planning Commission, Mechur has never sought elected office.
"I thought about it, but there have always been good folks," he said.
When Bloomfield vacated her seat, Mechur said, "it just seemed the right time for me to put my name in and serve."
Mechur's experience should make it easy for him to assume the post, district officials said.
"Bringing Mr. Mechur on board will be a smooth transition due to his level of involvement, expertise, and demonstrated past commitment to the district," Board President Kathy Wisnicki said in a statement issued Monday.
"Mr. Mechur is certain to be a valuable asset to the SMMUSD Board of Education," said Superintendent Dianne Talarico. "He brings a wealth of knowledge to the board based on his participation on numerous district committees and advisory boards during the past several years."
Mechur has also held teaching positions, including Project Coordinator with the Los Angeles City Building Educational Programs, Coordinator with the Hoover Street School Environmental Learning Project, and most recently as a Studio Lecturer at USC's School of Architecture.
During his spare time, Mechur enjoys surfing, playing soccer and reading.

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Jonathan Friedman (Assistant Editor) Longtime activist selected as new SMMUSD board member, The Malibu Times, 9 August 2007, LLVI No. 32 pp. A1 & A18

"Ralph Mechur* has served on various school district and city of Santa Monica committees and commissions. His term lasts until 2008, and he says he plans to run in next year's election to keep his seat on the board.

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education is expected at its meeting on Thursday to appoint Ralph Mechur* to fill the board seat vcated in June by Emily Bloomfield. Mechur*, 57, has been the president of the district's fundraising body, the Education Foundation, for the past 18 years.

Although the Santa Monica resident has been active with the district and the city for approximately 25 years, he has never sought an elected position.

"There was an opening, and it seemed like I was ready for this," Mechur* said. "The timing was right."

Mechur* was interviewed by the board at a meeting last month as one of two candidates, the other being Nicole Piccard, to replace Bloomfiield, who has moved to the East Coast. Each board member ranked the candidates using a points system, and the scores were combined to select a winner.

Mechur's turn will last until the next General Election, which is in November 2008, even though Bloomfield's term would not have expired until 2010. Mechur could run for the seat in 2008, which he said he plans to do, but he will not be considered an incumbent.

In addition to Mechur's nearly two decades heading the Education Foundation, he has also been a member of several other district and Santa Monica city committees and commissions, including the SMMUSD's Facilities Master Plan and Measure BB Advisory committees, and the city of Santa Monica's Planning Commission and Architecture Review Board.

Mechur* received words of praise from district officials in the notice released by the district.

"Bringing Mr. Mechur on board will be a smooth transition due to his level of involvement, expertise and demonstrated past commitment to the district," said board President Kathy Wisnicki.

Superintendent Dianne Talarico said, "Mr. Mechur* is certainl to be a valuable asset to the SMMUSD Board of Education. He brings a wealth of knowledge to the board based on his participation on numerous district committees and advisory boards during the past several years."

Mechur* comes to the district in a time of controversy and in the beginning stages of a healing process with the Santa Monica City Council. With the enrollment declining, the district's revenue from the state being based on daily attendance, the SMMUSD is facing a projected deficit by the 2009-10 school year of at least $7 million. And the Santa Monica City Council, which has an agreement to give the district at least &6.5 million annually, was reluctant to raise that total because some council members were troubled by district actions. This included the SMMUSD's placement of confidentiality clauses in agreements with parents of special education students and the requirement of a former chief financial officer to sign a statement that he would not publicly speak about the district's financial status.

With the threat of not receiving $530,000 from the city, the district last month agreed to place a moratorium on the inclusion of confidentiality clauses in special education agreements, while the special education program is studied by an outside party. Also, district and city officials are reconvening a joint-committee that last met in 2004 to sort through various issues.

"I think the district has reached a reasonable agreement with the city," Mechur* said. "It is going to do the study on special education services. And then we'll make whatever changes are in the best interest of our student."

Mechur*, a Santa Monica resident for more than 30 years, heads the firm, Ralph Mechur, Architects. He has a daughter who graduated from the district in 1999. In his spare time, he enjoys surfing in Malibu, playing soccer and reading."

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Bill Mohr* at the Poetry Reading at the Church in Ocean Park on January 20, 2007 (featuring himself and Laurel Ann Bogen) said he had found his poem on this website. He lived at 512 Hill St., in the seventies.

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Ocean Park Main Street Fourth of July Parade, July 4, 2007

The Passing Parade

Ocean Park Boulevard, Jane Golden Mural, Main St., Parade Passing By

Santa Monica Democratic Club, July 4, 2007

Ocean Park Fourth of July Parade

Photographs by Mary Leipziger*, July 4, 2007

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Ocean Park Faurna:

Caterpillar, August 5, 2007 by Laura Darlington

(Caterpillar 2.jpg.)

2421 Third St.

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August Kleinzahler

London Review of Books 13 December 2007, p. 25

(Excerpt from) Secondary Sexual Characteristics,

Spindrift of grunion spume in moonlight
Granular, sorrel-coloured, ammoniac
Upon the tide's retreat
A meniscus of foam hissing in sand
The milt bores deep
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Ocean Park Flora: Epiphytes Photograph, May 12, 2007 by Mary Leipziger*

2421 Third St. , Santa Monica, CA 90405

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December, Friday - 7:30 PM

A Tribute to Venice Poet Laureate Philomene Long

A memorial tribute to the great Venice Poet Laureate Philomene Long, who passed unexpectedly this August 21st. Prolific author, poet, and muse, Long defined the Venice spark. In addition to being partner to Venice West legend Stuart Perkoff, then longtime wife and partner to poet John Thomas, she was a worldwide Beat luminary for books including American Zen Bones: Maezumi Roshi Stories, and The California Mission Poems. Her Book of Sleep, Bukowski in the Bathtub, and The Ghosts of Venice West were written with John Thomas. Her own poetry collections are The Queen of Bohemia and Cold Eye Burning (both Lummox), and her films include The Beats: An Existential Comedy. Join family, friends, and some of Los Angeles's most noted, poets, writers, actors and artists for this tribute to the writer, poet, filmmaker, and friend who will live forever as the symbol of Venice and the Queen of Bohemia. Co-sponsored by the Venice Arts Council.

(Back to Sources) Victoria Rembeau Miko*, Joe Miko*'s Swim Records, 2007, 2006

May 31, 2007

[Joe Miko opened his first photography store on Lincoln Blvd., in Venice in 1961. After being burglerized on during the Christmas season, Joe moved to the Santa Monica Mall in 1962, next to Stewart Cameras into a store because it already had Camera in the sign. (Personal interview, 2007]

Dear friends,

I'd like to share with our friends Joseph's accomplishments in the WORLD STANDINGS SWIMMING COMPETITIONS of "Fédération Internationale de Natation." He is listed among the 10 best in the world for MEN 85-89. Joseph accomplished this while battling MYELODYSPLASIA, (bone marrow cancer). We have a wonderful, and dedicated oncologist/hematologist at UCLA, Dr. Michael Rosove, who keeps him relatively "above water," and competing.

Here's the hyperlink www.fina.org/masters/tabs.php After you click on it, go to: 2005 TABULATIONS, and click on the second-LONG COURSE 2005 Top Ten. It's on page 16 of 23. I have copied this page, and highlighted Joseph name in RED, and the competitions, in BLUE of the MEN'S 85-89.

Joseph is incredible! He is the most accomplished man I know. Has never stopped making records with Marathons, which he ran every year until he was 70, plus swimming, plus twice California Champion-15K in cross country skiing, plus participated in American Team in Windsurfing World Championships in the Bahamas, Canada, and Italy, and enjoys table tennis twice a week. He has windsurfed three times a week for longer than the 26 years I know him, but quit last July because of the pollution in the beaches, and his having a compromised immune system. Still exercises on all our machines every morning for an hour and a half, and swims at least three times a week for an hour each time. He has more medals, and awards than we know what to do with them. What a guy I married!

I couldn't help sharing this with all of you. and as we would say back in Texas, "thanks for the listen."

A proud wife of a great man,

Victoria Rembeau Miko

A wonderful friend, Bud Cleveland in Florida, and himself a very accomplished man in this, and other sports as well, sent us the info. He couldn't help himself making Joseph, and me happy, and proud.

FINA World Masters Top 10-Long in the World

Walt Reid-FINA Masters Recorder Page 16 of 23 3/14/2006

[Men 85-89]

50 M. Backstroke

100 M. Back
200 M. Back
50 M. Breaststroke
100 M. Brst: World (8) 2:44.68 Joe Miko*, USA
200 M. Brst: USA (2) 5:43.75 Joe Miko*, Gold Medal,
50 M. Freestyle
100 M. Free
200 M. Free
400 M. Free World (9) 10:39.04 Joe Miko*, USA
800 M. Free: World (8) 21:44.59 Joe Miko*, USA
1500 M. Free: World (5) 42:23.61 Joe Miko*, USA


(Back to Sources) Kara Schwartz* Two Poems, 2007 A small one

do these words only sound good
in my mind
today
nothing can trap the wind

Haiku II

white flag on the beach
serenity in surrender
then the women put her blanket down

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