The Rundown

Monks are being murdered by a repressive government in Burma (read below before you go on - please!)...and life goes on here in our beach town. Gather, participate and stay aware of it all.

Here's a bunch o' stuff to celebrate/enjoy/escape/protect our fabulous community:

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From two of my favorite people, Stuart Byer and Joy Dittberner:

LAGUNA DANCE FESTIVAL

A slew of terpsichorean delights are coming to Laguna, and lots of them are free or offered at a really low price.

- Check out this Saturday's (9/29) FREE performance by professional dancers at Main Beach at 4 p.m., buy a t-shirt, take the free dance class that follows at 5 p.m.
- For kids ages 3-12, on Wednesday Oct. 3 there's a free workshop: Dancing Hands, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Neighborhood Congregational Church (340 St. Ann's Drive at Glenneyre) led by UCI dance prof and Lagunan Jodie Gates.
- Lots of other performances, master classes, preperformance talks and a gala this Saturday night with winners from TV's "So You Think You Can Dance."

See the whole rundown at www.lagunadancefestival.org

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From my musical muse and peace sister Pam Wicks:

CONCERT FUNDRAISER FOR THE MANNA FOUNDATION
Benefiting Orphanages in Thailand

Saturday, September 29th 7 p.m.

Please join us for this very special concert, co-sponsored by Coast Magazine as we help raise desperately needed funds for orphans in Thailand. It is the wish and goal of the Manna Foundation to raise $12,000 to buy a school bus for the children. Until that goal is reached, the children will continue to be transported to school on flatbed trucks and exposed to torrential downpours along the way. We would love to help them reach that goal and even small donations go a long way
to help make this a reality. We look forward to co-creating a beautiful night with you.

In addition to a full concert with us, there will be a silent auction with lots of great things to bid on. There's a related
article in this month's Coast Magazine - please pick up a copy or read it by going to www.coastmagazine.com - article on page 162.

Neighborhood Congregational Church - Bridge Hall - 7 p.m.
340 St. Ann's Drive
Tickets are $15 in advance/$20 at the door
(additional donations to support the orphanages are welcome)
Please contact 714-602-2056

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From Johanna Felder and Bibe Stockman for the Laguna Art Museum:

Another fabulous outing without having to DRIVE:
LAM's CONTEMPORARY COLLECTORS’ COUNCIL TRIP (deadline for sign-up is this Saturday 9/29!)

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2007
9:30 am: Meet at Laguna Beach High School, 625 Park Avenue
9:45 am: SHARP – Depart for Los Angeles
11:00 am: Los Angeles County Museum of Art – 5905 Wilshire Boulevard
"Dali: Painting & Film." We will view nearly 100 of Dali's paintings, sculptures, photographs and text, plus his films (optional):
Un Chien Andalou, L'Age D'or, Chaos and Creation, Impressions of Upper Mongolia, Spellbound, Destino.
1:00 pm: Lunch - Promises to be delicious
2:30 pm: Ace Gallery, 5514 Wilshire Boulevard. Doug Christmas, gallery owner, said this will be a “knockout” show of London based Lauren Bon’s work which took two years in the making.
4:00 pm: Private collection in Hancock Park
5:00 pm: Return to Laguna Beach

Cost is $100 for CCC members, $125 for non-members of CCC. Price includes luxury bus transportation, admission to the museum and lunch. Such a deal! Come on, sign up, you KNOW you're not gonna go to that Dali show on your own, and Ace Gallery is a treat. And did I mention there's wine on the bus on the way home?

Deadline for reservations is Saturday, September 29th. Don’t Delay! Trip is limited to 25 people. Make check payable to Laguna Art Museum and note it is for the CCC trip. Send to: Johanna Felder, 2680 Park Avenue, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Your check is your reservation. For more information, call Bibe at LAM – 494-8971, Ext. 213.
If you sign up for the trip but will be late or not able to make the bus, please call Johanna -- cell phone 949-533-4947.

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STOP THE FOOTHILL SOUTH TOLL ROAD - SAVE TRESTLES BEACH

Sign up for the bus on Thursday morning Oct. 11 to an important Coastal Commission hearing in San Pedro

Attend the October 11th California Coastal Commission (CCC) meeting in San Pedro and tell the California Coastal Commissioners to deny the proposed Foothill South Toll Road through San Onofre State Beach. Save Trestles Beach. If you have never been there, check it out, it’s worth saving.

The most important hurdle before the Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) is the powerful, non-partisan California Coastal Commission. The Coastal Commission will be meeting in October to decide whether to approve construction of the toll road in the coastal zone.

Additionally, the Coastal Commission is charged with making sure the TCA’s road doesn’t pollute the water or harm the surf at Trestles. We expect that the TCA will spend a lot of time and money convincing the CCC that their road is a good idea. We need you to attend the Coastal Commission meeting and let the Commissioners know that Trestles and the San Mateo Campground are too important to be sacrificed for a “pay to drive” road.

In preparation for the October 11th hearing we are hosting an organizing meeting on Monday, October 1st with Sierra Club’s Coastal Director, Mark Massara. The meeting will be held at 7 pm the San Clemente Community Center at 100 North Calle Seville, San Clemente CA 92672.

Please mark your calendars and plan to take a day off of work or school to join us at this important hearing on October 11th. The hearing will be held at the Crowne Plaza Los Angeles Harbor Hotel at 601 S. Palos Verdes Street, San Pedro CA 90731. We will also be providing free bus transportation to those who are interested.

Do your part to ensure that a great campground, great community and great surf beach remain livable, pristine and protected. We owe it to our community, our kids and future generations.

For more information contact Robin Everett at robin.everett@sierraclub.org or call 949-361-7534

Sincerely,
Friends of the Foothills Campaign

Organizing Meeting
Monday, October 1st 7 pm
San Clemente Community Center
100 North Calle Seville
San Clemente CA 92672

Coastal Commission Hearing
Thursday, October 11th 9 am
Crowne Plaza Los Angeles Harbor Hotel
601 S. Palos Verdes Street
San Pedro, CA 90731

You might study the arguments of the TCA: see http://www.ftcsouth.com/home/faqs.asp

Wear Red This Friday for Myanmar

Oh my poor, neglected blog! I am so sorry if you have been checking here regularly, only to find stale news and old rants. The autumn air, the slight chill in the air brings with it a new focus on schedules and regimens, creative pursuits and maybe even time to read my book club books (what? 450 pages about the Holocaust by next Friday??)...but let's take one thing at a time.

First, The Lagunan's attention has been captured by Buddhist monks in cinnamon robes half a world away. Despite the threat of beatings and death by the repressive military junta that governs that nation, monks in Myanmar (Burma) have taken to the streets in droves, chanting prayers and calmly announcing their opposition. On Monday there was merely a military presence where protests occurred, then tear gas was fired into crowds, and yesterday they started firing automatic weapons at protesters.

With the international community now watching closely, it will be surprising but not unimaginable that the violence could continue. In Laguna Beach, what can you do? Wear red this Friday in solidarity with the freedom-seeking monks who are out there chanting prayers in front of semiautomatic weapons. It's the least we can do here -- and pray, if that's your thing.

Background from today's NEW YORK TIMES ('cuz they write better than I):
The violence of the past two days has answered the question of whether the military would fire on Buddhist monks, the highly revered moral core of Burmese society. For the past 10 days, the monks have led demonstrations that grew to as many as 100,000 before the crackdown began.

“The military is the one who proudly claims to preserve and protect Buddhism in the country, but now they are killing the monks,” said Aung Zaw, editor of The Irrawaddy, a Thailand-based magazine that has extensive contacts inside Myanmar.
Like others monitoring the crisis, which began on Aug. 19 with scattered protests against steep fuel price increases, he said it was difficult to learn the numbers of dead in a chaotic situation in which hospital sources are sometimes reluctant to talk. He said he had been told of one death today when soldiers attacked two columns of monks and other people.

“The military trucks, I was told, just drove in and soldiers jumped out and started shooting,” he said, describing a scene that was reminiscent of the mass killings in 1988, when the current junta came to power after suppressing a similar peaceful public uprising. On Wednesday, the junta acknowledged the death of one man, but news agencies and exile groups put the number as high as seven.

U. S. Marines "Spit and Polish" Car Wash Saturday 9/22

From my friend Sita:
The Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post #9934, Dana Point is sponsoring a car wash for the U.S. Marines, 5th Regiment Headquarters Company from Camp Pendleton. Marines will wash and dry your car to a "Spit and Polish Shine." Donations are accepted. The food, beverages, and Marine Vehicle displayed are compliments of the Local VFW, The Helping Hand Worldwide and the Marine Regiment.

In November, our Troops will attend their annual Marine Corps Birthday Ball, prior to deploying to Iraq for a 12-month tour. We hope to defray most if not all of the costs they will incur through this event. Please give a helping hand to those hands that give so much.

Make your plans to come by, shake a hand, say a "thank you" and be a part of this great event.
Where: South Shores Church Parking Lot
Address: 32712 Crown Valley Parkway, Monarch Beach, CA
(Just up from PCH and Crown Valley)
When: Saturday, September 22nd
Time: 10AM-3PM

In the event you are unable to attend and wish to make a contribution, make checks payable to "Headquarters Company Ball Fund" and send them to:
Headquarters Company Ball Fund
ATTN: 1st SGT Pritchard
5th Marine Regiment
Headquarters Company
BOX 555453 BLDG 62448
Camp Pendleton, CA 92055

Stand Up and Be Counted

Care to take a stand on the war in Iraq? It may seem quaint, but there is strength in numbers when many are gathered to express their opinion that the U.S. must end its involvement -- now. Come join your friends and neighbors in a bid for peace at Main Beach at 7 p.m. August 28. Tens of thousands of other Americans will be doing the same this Tuesday evening, as suggested by moveon.org.

You can sign up at http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/index.html?action_id=92

In fact, if you know anyone virtually anywhere in the nation who might like to attend or set up their own vigil on Tuesday night, they can find out what's going on at this URL.

Bring kids, bring your friends, your neighbors and show that you are part of the majority ready to put an end to this wrong-headed war. Oh -- and if you haven't seen it yet, be sure to view this prophetic 1994 video of DIck Cheney:

http://www.moveon.org/

Hey, use that crosswalk!

What is UP with all the jaywalking visitors to our fair city? Don't they know how many people get killed every year just walkin' across Coast Highway?? Guess not.

From the Subway Sandwich patio one recent Saturday at noon, I watched a Big Daddy drive the southbound family minivan up to the red curb in front of Friendship Shelter (about 20 paces south of the oh-so-handy, life-preserving crosswalk at Cress and Coast Highway), park and put on his flashers, partially blocking traffic. Destination: Subway! He stood there until the traffic cleared enough for him to lead his two teenage daughters across this busy section of road, dashed in for a bagful of footlongs -- then waddled back OUT into traffic, again endangering his offspring, completely ignoring the rushing cars, honking horns and the - did I mention - convenient CROSSWALK a few yards away.

Someone is gonna die! It's Darwinian. Not sure how fast the traffic has to be going before instincts take over in their sun-addled heads. I know it seems like a dopey rule when there are no cars around, but jaywalking is illegal for good reason during peak summer season. Or is it? Do LBPD officers bother to give out tickets or warnings for jaywalking? I have seen several egregious, hair-raising incidents lately with people casually picking their way through a dizzying rush of cars. Are we just waiting for some clueless Kansan to be the first red smudge on the double-yellow line? It's scary enough in the crosswalks with the flashing yellow lights. I have a pet peeve about drivers who blow through them -- but motorists aren't the only ones who need to be ticketed. In a meeting between a moving vehicle and a human body, there is always just one left intact.

Take a Chance

The dog days of summer now include.... a free dog! A friend whose life is in transition needs to move with her young daughter to a new apartment, and their 8-year-old dog, Chance, can't come along.

If you or someone you know would like to give a home to Chance, a corgi/golden retriever mix with a cheery personality, contact The Lagunan. His owner says he is healthy, gets along well with other dogs, loves kids, and does well as an indoor/outdoor dog. Can you help find Chance a new home? E-mail me at mcmurray@mac.com.

UPDATE:
Chance has a home! And a new brother! He's getting settled in in his new digs - a roomy house with a big yard and caring new owners. Deepest thanks to Sharon and Mike for taking in this shaggy new member of the family.

What's Going on the Canyon

The Lagunan is back! After a computer crash, moving household, and other time-consuming energy-suckers too mundane to mention, I am happy to be back at the keyboard and ready to inform, comment, and ask what y'all think here at my teensy little blog.

A lot has happened in the past month to capture a local's attention! I'll take on just this one today ('cuz it makes my blood boil):

- The Minutemen and their ilk have turned up the heat on the day labor site in the canyon. They come from miles around, beckoned by the fear-mongering cries of Eileen Garcia (don't let the name fool you - she sets one straight about being a proud lily-white northern European who changed her name a few marriages ago). Newcomer Eileen and a horde of people from far outside Laguna Beach think they know what is best for our town and are fighting dirty to get the day labor site closed down.

Um, just who do they think does all the grunt work around here? Who does Eileen have doing her household chores and gardening? Who built her house? Who does she think buses the tables and preps the food at the restaurants she and George dine at? Why would she believe that closing down the day labor site is a good thing? Does she really believe that Laguna has a surfeit of Nordic-looking college kids looking to pick up a few extra bucks over the summer by working for $10 an hour?

To me, and to most of the people I know who aren't willing to engage in this issue, this crowd is just plain mean. Who would deny a person a day's work by repeating the mantra, "It's illegal! It's illegal!"?

The dirty secret is that our federal and state governments have long looked the other way regarding immigrants doing our most basic jobs because we can't have a functioning economy or enjoy the quality of life we do without a hard-working class of people, legal or no. City manager Ken Frank says that the city is required by federal law to provide a safe hiring place, and we already have a good solution.

We do. Eileen and others who echo her fearful cries are too new to town to remember the corner of North Coast Highway and Viejo Street -- there were usually dozens of young men hanging out awaiting a day's work. They made a mess and created a traffic hazard. What we have now -- an organized method and orderly place for the day workers in the canyon -- is a good answer to a problem we simply have to deal with. Where there is wealth (i.e., here) there will be those who enable the leisure class through the sweat of their collective brow. The truth is, we need them, and they need us. Chasing workers out of town and stirring up trouble for the city isn't going to help anyone. There are many more productive, positive ways to make a difference in the community, and I hope these people understand the error of their thinking. But I won't hold my breath.

- On a lighter note! (Whew!) If you want a slice of local flavor, head to the Sawdust Festival this Friday, August 3! It's FREE for locals. Stroll around and watch the glass blowing, buy a toe ring, check out the pottery, and toss a penny into the mill fountain and make a wish for Laguna to retain its charm and neighborliness even as shrill debate threatens to divide its residents.