The rumors that Suge Knight was responsible for the murder of Tupac Shakur have been swirling for years because Suge Knight had a motive—money. Suge had a lot to lose if Tupac left Death Row Records and he had a lot to gain from Tupac's death. Back then the perception was that Suge Knight was Death Row Records. The contracts were all drafted in the name of the record label—not with Suge personally.
NEWS ABOUT THE MILITARY, MARINES, ARMY, NAVY, AIR FORCE, DOD, DOJ, WHITE HOUSE, NASA... Oh... and the Murders of Tupac and Biggie
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Tupac:187 reveals that Suge Knight Had Nothing To Do With Tupac Shakur's Murder
The rumors that Suge Knight was responsible for the murder of Tupac Shakur have been swirling for years because Suge Knight had a motive—money. Suge had a lot to lose if Tupac left Death Row Records and he had a lot to gain from Tupac's death. Back then the perception was that Suge Knight was Death Row Records. The contracts were all drafted in the name of the record label—not with Suge personally.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
4 Ways to Improve Your Move (Features) (On Target)
It’s moving season and Uncle Sam’s got your back. Fred Hyden, the section lead for Personal Property and Passenger Transportation, oversees and writes policy for the Defense Personal Property Program, or as we may know it: the household moving goods program. Hyden gave us all the info you need for a smooth transition from one place to another. Here are 4 things you (probably) didn’t know about moving in the Corps.
Teach Yourself How to Move
Received orders and not sure where to get started? Visit www.move.mil. The Defense Personal Property System provides personalized online “self counseling” instructions for how to move. All you have to do is visit the site, click on the “before you move” tab and find “DPS How-to Guides”. Open the “Self Counseling” link and walk through the rest of the instructions. The important thing about moving is making sure you’ve got everything ready to go. There are little things, like disconnecting your washing machine or dishwasher, that need to be done before the movers arrive. Bottom line: if you’re not ready, you’re not moving.
How Much Stuff Can You Move?
Marines are allowed to move a specific weight of household items, depending on their rank and marital status. For example, a single sergeant is allowed to move up to 7,000 lbs, while a married sergeant would receive an allowance for up to 8,000 lbs. The same goes for officers, with a single captain being allowed 13,000 lbs and a married one allowed 14,500 lbs. On the contrary, if your prescribed weight limit doesn’t fit your needs, you can always send in a request for a higher weight allowance at your transportation office. Check out the DPS Weight Allowance Chart.
It’s Your Stuff, and You’re in Charge
Have you ever been skeptical about the movers or anyone else breaking your stuff? Don’t worry, according to DPS regulations, you are the supervisor and can make sure no one is mistreating your things. Also, if anything is damaged during the move, DPS will reimburse you for the current cost, or replace it with an equivalent item.
What if I’m moving, but don’t have a place to move into, yet?
Say no more. You can store your goods for up to 90 days in a storage facility at the government’s expense. As long as the member’s order and/or transportation authorization is valid, delivery out of storage — regardless of how long it has been there — is on the house. This includes shipments that have been converted to storage at the member’s expense.
by lisetteleyva via Marines Blog
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
My Steps for Bataan (Corps Connections) (Marines Uncovered)
A few weeks ago, I edited a commentary written by Navy Cross recipient Sgt. Maj. Justin Lehew, sergeant major of Training and Education Command at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. The story was about his experience walking the Bataan Memorial Death March at White Sand Missile Range, New Mexico in 2014.
It was a well-written piece and I enjoyed reading it. Little did I know, in a few weeks I would have the opportunity to share the experience with him and two other Marines.
Land of Enchantment
The topography of New Mexico is similar to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, but with more rocks and desert vegetation. It looked like the place was sort of removed from time. Old vehicles from the 1950s and 60s sit in the yards of rundown houses and shutdown businesses.
Upon arrival at the airport, I rode with Sgt. Chris Parnelli, a financial management resource analyst for Training and Education Command and Cpl. Cody Jones, a driver for the commanding general of the same command, on a trip from El Paso, Texas. We joked about the state of New Mexico being the land of enchantment. You see scant life until you pass through Las Cruces, New Mexico. Rundown buildings and broke down vehicles are seemingly misplaced in the mountainous, desert landscape.
My cohorts and I rode through the desert toward White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. To say the installation is secluded would be an understatement. It is nestled at the base of two large mountain ranges with nothing around it for 50 miles. Its isolation is expected since it was the testing ground of the Trinity Project, the test of the Atomic Bomb during World War II.
Glistening White Sands of New Mexico
Sgt. Maj. Lehew arrived the following evening and contacted us; he referred to us as his boys. We made plans to go and visit some of the sites, which I thought was a novel idea seeing there was nothing around within view.
Sergeant Major said that after our first stop we would understand why they call this place White Sands. We packed into Sergeant Major’s black ram pick-up he was renting and started to make our way to White Sands National Monument.
After about 30 minutes or so, we started to see 12-foot-tall dunes dotted with desert vegetation. You could see through the scraggly plants the purest white sand beneath. After a short stop at the museum located at the national park, I learned the color is a factor of the sands consisting nearly entirely of gypsum, the mineral found in dry wall. These dunes of white spread for 200 miles in all directions and can be seen from space. The sand is held in place due to the large underground lake, so these pristine dunes never shift outside of the circumference of this white blemish on the face of the planet.
Ham the Astrochimp
The next point of the tour was hidden in the city of Alamagordo, New Mexico, which, although secluded and out of the way, actually holds a vast treasury of history.
We parked in front of a beautiful, golden-glass-gilded, cube-shaped building in the hills overlooking the city time forgot. Walking up the steps toward the building there were numerous static displays of rockets, engines, and observation equipment. After getting an eye full of the outside, we entered the New Mexico Museum of Space History.
The museum is home of the International Space Hall of Fame pays tribute to all who dedicated their lives to space exploration or at least contributed to the overall idea. Every single artifact, from engines the size of cars to space toilets, could be observed or touched. I didn’t touch the toilet, of course.
The museum is also the final resting of arguably one of America’s greatest heroes, Ham, the ‘Astrochimp.’ Ham was the first Hominidae launched into space by NASA, Jan. 31, 1961.
His remains are buried under a small monument stone. Sergeant Major said, “It truly is a shame what happened to this American hero. He was the first monkey in space and he gets buried in Alamogordo.”
The Little Engine That Could
I will preface this with saying although I enjoy staying active and outdoors; this event was, to date, one of the hardest physical experiences of my life. My heart goes out to my brothers and soon to be sisters in the infantry, who hike like this on the regular.
Every painful step of this 26.2-mile hike gave me only a small taste of what the 60,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war experienced at the hands of the Japanese Imperial Army in April 1942 in the Philippines.
The opening ceremony of the event culminated with an honorary roll call of the Bataan Death March survivors. Before this segment of the ceremony, the men were pallid statues covered with blankets being assisted by their accompanying caregivers. As soon as their names rang out breaking the pin-drop hearing silence of the cool desert morning air, their voices mustered so much power. My back straightened and the event took on a reality I had not experienced while training or traveling around Southern New Mexico.
Not long after, myself and the other Marines from the National Capital Region began our long trip on foot wearing plate carriers and whatever else we thought we might need to overcome our small taste of Bataan Death March. Of course I wore my trustee camera bag armed with my weapon of choice, a Canon 5D Mark II.
The first seven miles, the speeches, survivor roll call, taps and the cannon fire invigorated me. Soon I wore palm size blisters across the balls of my feet, which slowed me to a near snail’s pace. At this point Sgt. Parnelli, an avid marathon runner, took off like he had wings on his feet and I would not see him again till the end of the march. I had to keep going. I wanted to finish and I knew it was going to get worse. I had entered the “little engine that could” mode.
I walked with Sergeant Major for the majority of the march. We spoke about leadership, family and the future. I am not much of a fan boy, but I can honestly say he is man I am proud to look up to for the rest of my life. The humility, care and strength he exudes is something I want to grow and emulate in myself. My personal favorite trait is a realness, which I think can be often lost as you gain rank and stack up accomplishment after accomplishment. Also, his father was part of the D-Day invasion in World War II, and his brother managed the Grateful Dead, yes Dead Heads, you just read that.
After about the first nine miles you start heading up a road toward the mountains. I thought the place was desolate but as I continued to walk up and down the sandy inclines, which circled a small mountain, I was certain I was not in Kansas anymore. I sat down to change boots when Cpl. Jones caught up and he saw my feet. We laughed when he said, after seeing the giant blood filled blisters on feet that his encouragement was halfhearted and really he was saying, oh man this guy is not going to make it.
The cool morning air was violently ripped away from me and replaced with the baking heat of the desert. I emptied and filled up my camel back three times through miles 16 to 20. The water was mainly mental and to maintain a healthy core temperature. Any nourishment I put into my body at this point was not going to help my aching back and cramping legs.
I chugged along slowly until mile 20. Sergeant Major had warned all of us about the two-mile-long inclined sandpit, which came up swiftly after the mile marker. True to his word, this segment of the course was a game-ender for many marchers. Search and Rescue, border patrol and medical personnel patrolled this area constantly. It was not an uncommon sight to see them load up with the body of a broken marcher.
After a grueling hour or so I made it to the long road toward the missile range. My legs had all locked up. My feet were numb from pain. My face was hot to the touch, but I still continued. I wondered how the men on the Bataan Death March felt. They knew that any slowing down or outcry would earn them a bayonet in their ribs or sound blow courtesy of their captors.
I finally made it to the low stone and mortar wall, which separated base housing and I could see the two water towers marking the last mile or so of my trek. At the first water tower I caught up to Sergeant Major, who looked pleased to know all his boys made it to the end. He later let me know he could tell how much pain I was in, because I would shut my mouth long enough to grunt for a few hundred yards or so and then continue with pleasantries. I love to talk, okay, anyone, who knows me will tell you I am loud and I love to learn about people.
I could see the final stretch. It was in site I could hear the beep of the chip tracker signaling the record of my journey through the desert. I saw Cpl. Jones, who yelled, “Good job, Sergeant!”
People were cheering and screaming.
After finishing the race, Sergeant Major and his boys, which I am proud to be, formed a reflexive security perimeter of sorts and laid on our packs next to the finish line. We all just passed out right there. We woke up 30 minutes later to Sergeant Major smiling as he said Marines could sleep anywhere.
In Memoriam
After 10 hours spent wandering through the desert, sleep did not come easy when I laid down that night. My lower body ached and all I could think about was, “What if I had to march knowing I may never see my loved ones again, like the prisoners, who walked the 60 miles urged on by the Japanese Imperial Army?”
All I had to do was reach the finish line. The men, who survived the death march in 1942, were loaded onto unmarked boats. Some boats were sunk by U.S. vessels, which had no idea fellow Americans and Filipino troops were aboard.
I finally found sleep and when I woke up I could walk again. I took steps much like a baby gazelle first learning to walk, shaky and knocked-kneed. My limp reminded me of the physical and mental trial I endured, the minuscule taste of pain I shared with the Marines from TECOM, and the memory of the Battling Bastards of Bataan.
by allybeiswanger via Marines Blog
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Peace on Earth? Good Will? Peace is a choice... Choose Peace!
© 2000 – 2014 Michael Douglas Carlin. All rights reserved.
Friday, November 21, 2014
Outlaw Radio’s Celebrity Cult Following
By Michael Douglas Carlin
The news that George Burns had passed away was just breaking when the original denizens assembled for the premiere episode of Outlaw Radio. Magic Matt Alan aka "Mr. Cigar" was hosting with Ronnie Schell, Jack Riley and Sam Denoff as the guests. The concept of the show is about as Americana as it gets - people sitting on the front porch drinking, smoking and talking, having a conversation about life. That day each guest remembered an encounter with George Burns who was known as a cigar smoker. Jack Riley said on live radio, “We drink, We smoke, We interrupt.” And the Outlaw Radio motto has lasted to this day.
Lori Downey Jr. produces the Outlaw Radio show, maintaining the same charm that was originally envisioned, bringing “down home” conversation to the airwaves. The guests are a steady stream of the who’s who of politics, show business, and people plucked from newspaper headlines. The show isn’t politically driven but it doesn’t skirt political issues either. It has become the radio show with a celebrity cult following with listeners tuning in from their various gigs around the world.
Matt is currently on Sirius Radio doing the Morning Drive in both Los Angeles and New York - the two biggest markets in the country. The Saturday show, Outlaw Radio, gives him a break from the normal routine. Recently, he took a few days off to star in the Burt Reynolds movie, Category Five, about five families weathering a hurricane.
Lori is the widow of the late Morton Downey Jr. Matt recalls meeting her, expecting to find a gold digger. Instead, he found a hard working, accomplished performer, who was totally in love with her late husband. They immediately became friends, then an item seven years ago when their friendship blossomed. The two are inseparable – they often complete each other’s sentences. Most men would be intimidated by the shadow of Morton Downey Jr. but Matt pays daily homage to the icon. Matt’s political views line up exactly, as does his sense of story when every day he creates what is great radio.
Radio was pronounced dead when television was born in 1956, but radio could not be more alive with today’s technological advances that have brought us Satellite and Internet broadcasts. Magic Matt and Lori are poised to benefit from the merging of all platforms. There will undoubtedly be opportunities in television soon as each of their shows is ripe for a visual outlet to augment the existing audio outlet.
“We drink, We smoke, We interrupt” has led to some great radio moments. One recent guest was Billy Vera, who wrote the quintessential break-up song, At This Moment. On that show there was a very public breakup happening that was totally unscripted. It sounds like a set-up but it wasn’t. Henry Hill was a guest on the show, and presented a painting he did of a rat. Pierre Salinger came on the show and told the story about being sent to Cuba to purchase 500 boxes of cigars for President Kennedy. When Salinger arrived back in Washington he reported to Kennedy that he acquired the cigars and watched Kennedy sign into law the Cuban embargo just moments later.
Meatloaf, Anna Nicole Smith, Rudy Giuliani, Dan Haggerty, Milton Berle, Ryan Stiles, Chuck McCann, Elliott Gould, Dom Deluise, and literally hundreds of other celebrities have appeared on the show. There have been arguments and reconciliations. Ten thousand cigars have been smoked and thousands of gallons of alcohol consumed but the laughter has never faded. Each of the current guests are funny and we are always only six days away from a new Outlaw Radio show that will make us laugh.
I ask about the influence of Morton Downey Jr. on the show and touch a nerve, but not for the reasons you might think. Recently a film has been released as a “so called” documentary on the life of this icon. Lori begins by telling me about the heart of Morton Downey Jr. who helped the homeless, gave people jobs and made their careers and championed freedom in America - none of which made it into this film. Opportunists (filmmakers) used unauthorized footage to sensationalize the life of Morton. The filmmakers interviewed disgruntled former employees and people with an ax to grind and didn’t really capture the essence of who this man was. Clearly he created a persona for television much like what Stephen Colbert and Jerry Springer have done. When the show was over he walked off the set as a real person. Lori is animated when she discusses her late husband and Matt looks on with admiration. We see that she loves Morton even now - we also see that Matt loves her. When the conversation turns back to the radio show Lori looks at Matt the same way… The secret ingredient in Outlaw Radio is love. Love for each other, the guests, and America. Outlaw Radio is Americana.
Citizen of the Year
by Michael Douglas Carlin
A year and a half I have sat next to Carl Schlossberg who has recently been named Citizen of the Year by the Century City Chamber of Commerce. I have sat next to him at the Art Council and the Sculpture Committee meetings and I have been his student. I have listened to his eloquent talks about the importance of art. I have learned to appreciate so much more the expressions of artists that enrich our lives. I was there that very first day when he presented his vision for the very first curated public art show along Avenue of the Stars. He bridged the gap for all of us newbies to public art by showing us how it would look. He spoon fed us until his vision became our vision. He spoon fed the building managers, city officials, board of the Chamber, sponsors, landscaping experts, building inspectors, and publicity people. We all had the experience of a lifetime as we walked the project through from inception to fruition. We all learned from his skilled hand and benefitted from knowledge he spent his lifetime acquiring.
We grew from the experience. We were all touched by his passion for the arts. We all borrowed his tremendous stature in the world of art and it is time to recognize the heft he has brought to Century City to match the heft that is all around us within this “one of a kind” community.
The previous Citizens of the Year have all been worthy recipients but honoring Carl Schlossberg has a special sweetness as he has giving us the gift of art to appreciate in Century City.
2013 CENTURY CITY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
CITIZEN OF THE YEAR EVENT HONORS
CARL SCHLOSBERG AND
ROBINS, KAPLAN, MILLER & CIRESI L.L.P.
The Century City Chamber of Commerce announced its Citizen of the Year honorees for 2013: Carl Schlosberg, Fine Arts Dealer and Curator, and Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P, a litigation-focused law firm that has gained national recognition for its pro bono representations. An awards luncheon will take place at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza on Thursday, May 23, 2013. For more than 30 years, the Century City Chamber of Commerce has selected an individual and company who exemplify excellence in corporate and community relations to bestow its highest civic recognition award, Citizen of the Year. Keynote Speaker, Dan Schnur, Director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at USC, will address the audience at this annual event that attracts more than 200 civic leaders and business professionals from the greater Los Angeles area. As an expert in political strategy, campaign communication and government reform, Dan will share insight on the race results for Los Angeles’ Mayor, City Controller and City Attorney, which are held two days prior to the awards luncheon.
Carl Schlosberg, the 2013 Individual Citizen of the Year, has been a fine arts dealer for more than 40 years. He has exhibited sculpture in the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills to the fields and parks of Malibu. Carl’s most recent project was as curator of the one-mile outdoor exhibition, “Gwynn Murrill on Avenue of the Stars.”
Carl has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles magazine, Daily News and other notable publications. Carl has been Chairman of the Sculpture Garden Committee of the University of Judaism; has led private tours of major sculpture gardens in the Northeast; and is a founder of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) and the Skirball Cultural Center. He currently chairs the Sculpture Committee of the Century City Chamber of Commerce Arts Council.
The 2013 Corporate Citizen of the Year, Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P., is a litigation firm with clients from Fortune 500 corporations and emerging markets to entrepreneurs and individuals as both plaintiffs and defendants. The firm, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary and has more than 240 lawyers located in Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York and Naples, FL, has long been recognized for its pro bono work.
Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. has received The National Law Journal’s 2011 Pro Bono Award and was selected as a Pro Bono Firm of 2010 by Law360. The American Lawyer ranked the firm eighth in the country in the 2011 Pro Bono Survey, and twice named the firm to the A-List (2007 and 2004). The firm has also regularly received a top ranking for litigation from Chambers USA and was chosen as a “Go-To Law Firm” by Corporate Counsel. Its Century City office is comprised of approximately 40 attorneys and is the recipient of the Citizen of the Year award.
“We are thrilled to name Carl Schlosberg and Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi as our Individual and Corporate Citizens of the Year,” says Susan Bursk, President and CEO of the Century City Chamber of Commerce. “They are dedicated to serving the needs of those in the local community and beyond, making them very deserving of the award.”
Sponsors include Century Park, Watt Plaza, Fox Studios, Williams Data Management, Westfield, The Plaza, Constellation Place, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, L.L.P., and Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. The 2013 Citizen of the Year Awards Luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. To reserve your seat or company table, please visit the Chamber’s website at: www.centurycitycc.com or call the office at 310-553-2222.
The Century City Chamber of Commerce is a vibrant and dynamic organization, and one of Los Angeles’ most active, involved and relationship-driven chambers. The Chamber places special emphasis on its members working together through its councils to build better relationships and create effective programs and events that help businesses expand their reach into the marketplace. For more information on the Chamber, visit our website or contact our office.
Jeff Garrison is Fiscally Green®
Stonefield Josephson’s President Promotes His Firm as:
“Accountants for Your Green World”
Is accountant and Stonefield Josephson President Jeff Garrison more plugged in to his solar panel than his calculator? Does he prefer a carbon footprint analysis to an audit analysis? Is Garrison, in fact, the green accountant ambassador? While the White House appointment has yet to materialize, it is clear that Garrison’s interest and activities in eco-friendly arenas beyond spreadsheets is altering the geeky, numbers-obsessed image of the accountant, while doing something good for the environment.
“I’ve never worn a pocket protector,” he says. Instead, Garrison, who has led the Los Angeles-based full-service accounting firm Stonefield Josephson since 2002, prefers to spend quality time with his kids and run on the beach with his dog. You can see him doing so in an advertising campaign to show the firm’s personality. “Accountants aren’t dorks,” says Garrison.
To prove it, the company maintains a “Back Porch” section on its website (www.sjaccounting.com) to showcase the private passions of its CPAs, which range from art collecting to surfing to cooking. On the site, CPAs offer recipes for paella, chicken tarragon, and other favorite dishes, and Garrison himself suggests wine pairings. Exposing the firm’s soft side helped it reach its annual revenue, says Garrison, as well as attract clients from successful rock acts and the hippest clothing venues to numerous “green” companies.
“Green business has moved rapidly from the periphery to the mainstream,” Garrison states. “It now holds promise for businesses of every size in every sector. There is, in fact, a growing trend in which more and more people are deciding whether or not they use a company based on its environmental orientation. I believe that if companies don’t alter their habits to fit in with the changing viewpoint of the population, they will soon be left behind by their quicker, smarter rivals. Being more environmentally friendly makes great business sense in many ways.”
Stonefield Josephson takes its commitment to the preservation and restoration of the planet seriously. Its sustainability practice, termed Fiscally Green®, and under Garrison’s leadership, is working to implement sustainability techniques and promote environmental responsibility within both home and office. It is introducing eco-friendly business practices and developing strong business alliances with like-minded companies that share the firm’s passion for protecting the environment and promoting responsible ecological practices that benefit the commercial sector and the community at large.
By reducing waste, developing energy conservation efforts and facilitating community outreach programs, Stonefield Josephson is committing to sustainability as a path to creating business value. Employee engagement in sustainability is an essential component of Stonefield Josephson’s green initiative – one that creates an energized and passionate team environment. “Encouraging our employees to reduce their carbon footprint, and guiding them in how to do so, is just one of the ways we’re making that happen,” notes Garrison. “Stonefield Josephson is proud to be one of the first accounting firms to embrace sustainable practices and become responsible stewards of the environment.”
“Green is a path for creating significant, durable business value,” states Garrison. “Green represents a way of seeing our business and the challenges it faces through a new lens that can bring exciting new opportunities for us into focus. Green business offers opportunities to put money back in the pockets of owners, shareholders and employees by cutting wasteful spending on excessive resource use. We are sold on green’s triple bottom line (TBL) of economic, environmental and social benefit – not just for our clients, but also for ourselves.”
While Garrison is all for the warm, fuzzy aspects of the sustainability movement, his level of expertise runs deeper and continues to deepen and evolve over time. He explains, “Fiscally Green® is dealing regularly with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, with emphasis on: Title IV: Energy and Water Development, IRS codes, and U.S. Treasury grants. If all these green opportunities don’t create a warm, green feeling in business owners’ hearts, they will most certainly create a warm, green feeling in their wallets.”
Garrison concludes, “Embracing a greener lifestyle isn’t just about helping to preserve equatorial rain forests, it can also mean improving your health, padding your bank account, and, ultimately, improving your overall quality of life. Bottom line for our firm -- green business is smart business. Going green provides cost savings as well as a competitive advantage in the marketplace.”
For more information or questions about Fiscally Green® or Stonefield Josephson, please contact Jeff Garrison, President, at 310.432.7456 or jgarrison@sjaccounting.com.
Stonefield Josephson, Inc.
2049 Century Park East
Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Have You Had Your Mammogram This Year?
By Michael Douglas Carlin
There is a brave woman on the front cover of the Century City News this issue. Brave not because she has abandoned what society calls decency by shedding the wig and embracing her cancer. No she is brave because she has stared down the Grim Reaper that came a callin’ for her a wee bit prematurely. She was recently diagnosed with Breast Cancer and she embraced her situation willing to follow the advice of her team of doctors and fight – for her life. Three weeks ago she was declared “Cancer Free” and has so far won her fight. The threat of cancer is never fully gone.
But the question is put to all of you by Kimberly Michel because she cares about each of you. Have you had your mammography this year? Early detection could save your life. It is a topic that nobody wants to discuss and yet too many of us mourn our friends that have stared at the Grim Reaper and not been victorious. Too many lives have been cut short by the most deadly killer for women. Kim is also brave to buck societal pressures to cover up and hide behind the wig. But those of you who know her and are able to call her a friend also know that this is a woman that is “salt of the earth” even though she has achieved the upper strata of success. She is hoping by shedding the wig she can help to save a few lives. One of those lives might be yours. Have you had your mammography this year? Seriously, have you?
I met Kim a number of years ago when I started this paper. I met her through my Rotary Club as one of her agents is a Rotarian. I was invited into her company, Michel Financial Group, the Mass Mutual Representative on the West Side of Los Angeles. I knew then that I was in the right place because each and every person at the company had such positive energy. I discovered that all of them followed the lead of Kim who is the General Agent of the Company. Over the years I have become a friend and fan of both Kim and the company and the news that Kim had been diagnosed with breast cancer was very troubling to me. Kim is a woman who has given back to an extent that is certainly not common in our society and she truly is a “pillar of the community”. The day I learned about her battle I felt our community was being shaken. How could someone that is so good be battling something so bad?
One of the ironies is that a particular organization that both Kim and I have worked for is the Lorraine Jackson Foundation that provides scholarships for children that have lost a parent to breast cancer. Kim was extremely involved prior to any awareness that she would be stalked by the disease. Thankfully her children may never qualify for those scholarships. Will your own children qualify? Have you had your mammography this year?
Many of you that know me also know that I participate in humanitarian causes. This past week our little team shipped a container that has 2 echo cardiogram machines and a couple hundred boxes of “single use” medical supplies that will save an unknown but significant amount of lives. I bring it up because those lives are a world away from our community. If we reach out to save them but lose our friends and neighbors in the process how much meaning will it all have? I am grateful that my friend, Kim, elected to take on the fight with breast cancer and has won. What would our community be without all of the Kimberly Michel’s in it? Get that mammography today!
I recently had the opportunity to sit behind closed doors and ask all of the inappropriate questions about Kim’s battle. Kim was very candid and if you want someone to talk to about her battle with the disease I invite you to call her up and talk. She will be most accommodating.
Kim is a mother, a wife, and a business woman. She never thought she would have breast cancer. She has been faithful about going to her screenings every year and in spite of them was diagnosed with two tumors in each breast that have been present for seven or eight years. They were missed because they were deep within the tissue. Her doctor’s appointment for “Hot Flashes” is what led to the discovery of the tumors. She was seeking hormone replacement therapy when the doctor said I think you need to go in for an MRI this Saturday. She quickly assembled an entire team of female doctors that developed a battle strategy that included radical mastectomy and chemotherapy. The result was that Kim needed eight days off every six weeks. The entire process was very painful for her and for the entire family but as a result she tells us that they are all so much closer now. There were a few moments of levity when her five year old grabbed the wig and put it on running around the house yelling “I’m the mommy! I’m the mommy!”
Kim talks about her husband and tears well up. “Tom was a rock. He learned about having to be the daddy and the mommy in our household.” Tom authored a number of letters he called care pages sent out to family and friends to update them on Kim’s progress. Through it all he kept his sense of humor. He learned that you can’t rush cancer. Cancer takes the time it takes. He has learned that you have to wait things out. Tom and the kids were exposed to the indecency of cancer as during those eight days off Kim would go through various stages of the chemotherapy and some of them were not that pretty.
Kim is in the business of selling insurance. As we look out her window we see Insurance giant AIG and that brings up talk of the times we live in. One thing she tells me about her brush with death is the experience she had with healthcare. A single bill she received for $116,000 for a five day hospital stay was renegotiated by the insurance carrier down to $8,000. I didn’t get it at first so I asked her to explain. If you went into the hospital as uninsured you would have paid $116,000 for the services. When her health insurance company got the bill they called up the hospital and negotiated the bill down to $8,000. Kim said, “Our healthcare system is broken.” But that doesn’t mean that Kim didn’t have an appreciation for being insured to the hilt. As an insurance executive she is a believer in being well insured and she has great coverage. Her own experiences have bolstered that belief and she wants to help everyone be prepared for the unexpected. She also wants you to get the medical attention that you need in time to save your life. Have you had your mammography this year?
Like the optimist I have always known Kim to be she tells me about the positive things that have come from her bout with Breast Cancer. She talks about her kids being better kids, the 25 pounds that she has lost, and not having to shave her legs. Now when Kim sits in traffic she no longer gets irritated by it – “Traffic? Big Deal!” Her child was called into the Principal’s office twice in one day… she wasn’t happy but she was slightly amused. The lesson for Kim is that in the grand scheme of things LIFE IS SHORT AND IT’S PRECIOUS. Not just her life but yours. She has taken her wig off to reveal the smooth bald and the now furry bald head that brings awareness to the issue of breast cancer. She is wearing her baldness to save lives. As we part Kim says, “Thank God for hot flashes!”
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Eco-Warrior Leads Assault On Climate Change
By Michael Douglas Carlin
Ask David Nahai about the state of affairs in America and he thunders back, “Congress needs to get its act together.” He is referring to the gridlock that paralyzes our political system and he is referring to the uncertainty of Congress ignoring important issues that need solutions now. David Nahai is the foremost authority on the two problems that are facing humanity and he hails from Century City. Where humanity will get energy and water are daunting challenges that face us for our future. David is optimistic that solutions are available but we need to make many changes in how we live. “There is a tremendous interplay between water and energy, 20% of California’s energy is spent to pump water from one place to another.” Clearly the cheapest and cleanest energy unit comes from the energy unit that isn’t used. Changing how we get our water could provide us with significant savings on the energy frontier. David is an expert in the field of water and energy and he talks fluidly about both sides of the equation – production and consumption. Clearly he knows how to preserve every drop of our precious resources… but he also has a vision for how humanity will conquer the daunting challenges that face us.
He encourages small businesses and individuals to make changes now that are voluntary warning that down the road those changes may become obligatory. David proudly wears the monikers of environmentalist and entrepreneur. He tells everyone that going green is a double entendre – meaning that you reduce humanity’s carbon footprint while at the same time making money. The green rush in California is fueling our economy. The green rush is our future.
He speaks candidly about DWP’s challenges that lay ahead. Coal will soon be eliminated as an energy source and DWP is working hard to transition to cleaner sources of energy. David refers to the DWP website for a wealth of information about rebates and incentives for going green. This information is a great resource to make more money or to shave the costs of any household or business. He is quick to point out the green initiatives at Watt Plaza where he offices. Watt has been one of the early adopters of green technology to conserve water, recycle, and reduce their carbon footprint.
With Los Angeles being the tipping point of the world on the green frontier, we in Century City might just be the tipping point of the tipping point. David is available as a lawyer and consultant. He speaks regularly at green conferences worldwide. For more information about David go to
www.davidnahai.com
Biography
H. David Nahai has an extensive record of success in both the private and public sectors, as a lawyer, CEO, government official, environmentalist, business owner and community leader.
Nahai is a partner in the law firm of Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard & Smith and is a co-chair of the Firm’s national energy, environmental, water, and real estate practice. Nahai is also the President of David Nahai Consulting Services, LLC and is Senior Advisor to the Clinton Climate Initiative.
David Nahai Consulting Services advises and assists public and private entities involved in the environmental sector, with particular emphasis on renewable energy, energy efficiency, water conservation and wastewater treatment and recycling projects.
The Clinton Climate Initiative is a division of the Clinton Foundation. The mission of the Clinton Climate Initiative is to bring about the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions on a global scale through specific project partnerships with governments around the world.
Until October, 2009, Nahai served as the Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the largest municipal utility in the United States. In this capacity, Nahai oversaw more than 9,000 employees and an annual budget of more than $4.5 billion. Nahai resigned as CEO in October, 2009, but served as consultant to LADWP until December 2009.
Nahai was nominated as LADWP’s CEO by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and confirmed by the City Council in 2007. He served for two years on the LADWP Board of Commissioners prior to becoming CEO. He was appointed to the Board in 2005 and became Board President in 2006.
Nahai led an overall transformation of the LADWP that included the unprecedented expansion of the utility’s renewable energy portfolio; the origination and execution of the City’s groundbreaking Water Supply Plan; the attainment of historic reductions in water consumption in the City; the realization of record breaking energy efficiency levels; and the launch and implementation of water and power infrastructure improvement programs. Under his leadership, the LADWP increased its renewable energy portfolio from 3 percent in 2005 to around 15 percent by the end of 2009, and achieved the completion of Pine Tree, the nation’s largest municipally owned wind farm, and the Lower Owens River Project, viewed as the most extensive river restoration program in the United States. Additionally, Nahai oversaw the creation of the Los Angeles Solar Plan, the most ambitious solar program of any municipal utility in the U.S. Under Nahai’s leadership, LADWP garnered numerous environmental awards, including the 2008 Climate Change Leadership Award from Green California and the 2009 Los Angeles Heritage Award from Project Restore.
In addition to his expertise in the energy field, Nahai is widely recognized as a leading expert on water issues. He served for over 10 years on California’s Regional Water Quality Control Board, which safeguards the quality of surface, ground, and coastal waters in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, an area with over 11 million residents.
At the Water Quality Board, Nahai served under three different Governors. He was first appointed by Governor Pete Wilson, and re-appointed by both Governor Gray Davis and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Nahai was elected to an unprecedented four terms as Chairman of the Board in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2006.
Nahai is credited with reinvigorating the effectiveness of the Water Board and spearheading some of its most aggressive programs, especially in the area of coastal protection. During Nahai’s tenure, the Board was awarded the Environmental Leadership Award by Keep California Beautiful, in appreciation of the Board’s pioneering work in the area of urban run-off pollution. The Water Board’s prestigious annual awards have been named the “H. David Nahai Water Quality Awards” in recognition of his service. He resigned from the Board in 2007, upon accepting the CEO position at LADWP.
Nahai began his career in the private sector as an attorney three decades ago, working at some of the United States’ largest and most respected law firms. He started at Loeb & Loeb and was a partner at Memel, Jacobs, Pierno, Gersh & Ellsworth, at Finley, Kumble et al and at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan. In 1992, Nahai formed Nahai Law Corporation, specializing in real estate, corporate, environmental and commercial law. He divested his interest in the firm in 2007.
As a transactional real estate and environmental lawyer for 30 years, Nahai has represented clients and performed transactions at the highest levels, working on complex matters and supervising teams of attorneys. Nahai is an AV rated lawyer.
Nahai has been the recipient of numerous awards and commendations. In 2003, he received the Environmental Champion Award from the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters. In 2008, he was honored as an environmental leader by Heal the Bay. He has been twice honored for community leadership.
Nahai sits on the Boards of the California League of Conservation Voters and Heal the Bay, and has served on the Boards of numerous charities, including the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, the Iranian American Jewish Federation, and the Jewish Community Foundation.
Nahai holds graduate and post-graduate degrees in law from the London School of Economics and the University of California at Berkeley, and was a Visiting Scholar at Berkeley.
Nahai is a frequent speaker and radio and television guest regarding environmental, climate change, water, and energy issues.
Monday, October 13, 2014
The Garden of Eden
The problem with this scarcity is that it is killing the innocent. We pay farmers not to produce food. We destroy other food. We throw away so much too. We do all of this while people are starving. We see the photos, the video and hear the stories but we do nothing.
We live in Paradise and it is time that we provide Paradise to all of humanity.