Michael Ramirez: Drawing Blood in Ink
Obnoxious. Obsessive. Opinionated. That’s how political cartoonist Michael Ramirez, the featured speaker at the Pacific Palisades Republican Club’s election-year kickoff brunch, described himself on Sunday at the Riviera Country Club. “The difference is I get paid to be obnoxious. Politicians are just obnoxious,” Ramirez said in his opening remarks. “Editorial cartoonists are like pit bulls trained to attack at the slightest provocation. I sometimes feel like this hybrid between Edward R. Morrow and the Son of Sam. You need to know who the enemy is to draw conclusions, then draw blood. I’m an equal opportunity offender. If I haven’t offended you yet, I will soon.” Ramirez’s take on political, social, and economic issues was in evidence throughout his hour-long presentation, which included showing three dozen of his cartoons from a career that included a Pulitzer Prize. During his talk he tackled the national deficit, Social Security, unemployment, Hollywood, 9/11, abortion, affirmative action, sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, HMO’s, and the war in Iraq. However, Ramirez made no reference to the ongoing controversy over the Mohammed cartoons that have been written about but not yet shown in the U.S. mainstream press. “While we all have our own perception about what is going on that is filtered through our experience, there is at the bottom the simple truth, which is what I look for,” said Ramirez, a Republican. The cartoonist’s controversial work appeared for eight years on the op-ed page of the Los Angeles Times, until it was dropped at the end of December. Known for his conservative views, Ramirez is now a senior editor and the editorial cartoonist for Investor’s Business Daily. He is syndicated by Copley News Service and published worldwide in more than 550 newspapers and magazines. “My job is to absorb, analyze, then attack,” said Ramirez, who considers himself a better writer than artist. “However, I’m not na’ve enough to think I can change people’s minds. Whatever I am trying to say has to be clear to the reader. That is who I am writing for. The goal is to draw them into the debate.” One of Ramirez’s concerns is the U.S. political system, which he sees as reactive, and “government that is too big. We now have more people producing red tape than producing products in this country.” He said he also sees an America suffering from an identity crisis, and increasing racial tension. In his talk, Ramirez defended the Bush administration, challenging the notion that the U.S. rushed to war with Iraq when there were “over 50 nations” in support of the effort initially. “And there were weapons of mass destruction,” he insists. “We went there to try and find out where they went.” Ramirez, whose father was a first generation Mexican-American and mother Japanese, speaks four languages. He graduated in fine arts from the University of California Irvine in 1984. When he entered UCI he was planning on becoming a doctor, like each of his siblings (two brothers and two sisters. However, he began drawing editorial cartoons almost immediately for the student newspaper, New University, which merged his other interests: politics and history. After graduating, he went to work for The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tennessee, where he won the Pulitzer in 1994. In 1997, the year he was president of the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists, he was recruited by the L.A. Times, which Ramirez considered a great accomplishment: the son of a migrant worker succeeding three-time Pulitzer winner Paul Conrad. The cartoonist said he starts his day around 5 a.m. when he turns on the television news “to see what’s going on.” He’s a ferocious reader and does copious amounts of research because “it’s important to take in all sides.” He joked that to “get all sides,” he reads The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal, as well as publications such as Mother Jones. “You can’t draw a cartoon you don’t believe in,” is how Ramirez sees it. “I remember there was a controversy over whether airline pilots should be tested for drugs. I drew a pilot dressed as Hamlet and the caption read: ‘To pee or not to pee.’ An editorial cartoon without a message is merely a cartoon. That’s why what I do is on the editorial pages and not the comic pages.” Before and after his talk, Ramirez autographed copies of his cartoons and was asked by several young Palisadians to assess their own cartooning efforts, which some brought along for Ramirez to sign. Attending the event was former gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon, his wife Cindy, along with their 13-year-old son Griffin, a freshman at Harvard-Westlake. “There’s a real void now that Michael’s not in the L.A. Times,” Cindy said. “I miss him.” Also attending were longtime Palisadians Ann and George Smith, who have belonged to the GOP club for three years. “We’re fans of Michael’s,” said George. “It’s a shame the Times let him go.”
Ernestine Collins Named “Pali Idol”
By DIVYA SUBRAHMANYAM Sophomore Ernestine Collins, a second-time contestant and singer at her church, became the 2006 Pali Idol at Palisades High School’s fourth annual singing contest last Friday night. The event is a local spinoff of Fox TV’s hugely popular “American Idol.” The competition began with a group of more than 80 contestants, which was pared down to 20 semifinalists, and then, the 11 finalists who performed on Friday night. During the event, the finalists performed and were narrowed down to the three top singers Each of the four judges cast one-fifth of the deciding vote, while the audience acted as the remaining fifth. Members of the judging panel included PaliHi Principal Dr. Martinez (in her second year), Joe Lando, Lilli Lee and James Swindel. Lando co-starred for 10 years on “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” and now guest-stars regularly on ABC Family’s “Wildfire.” Lee, a former producer for the Emmy Award-winning entertainment program “Extra,” has covered “American Idol” competitions. Swindel ha worked in the sales and marketing departments at Island Records and Arista Records for two decades. The program opened with all the finalists in an ensemble performance of “Celebration,” by Kool and the Gang. Several of the singers stepped up to the microphone for short solos, each unique to their voice and style of singing. Then, one at a time, the finalists performed their pieces. Collins, who has a husky but soulful voice, sang “I’m Ready for Love” by India Arie in the first round. She had “a lot of fans,” observed Lando about the large cluster of students who erupted in cheers when Ernestine’s first performance was announced. For the finals, she sang the more powerful “I’m Going Down,” originally recorded by Mary J. Blige. This song showcased Ernestine’s range to a greater extent than her gentler first piece. “You sound like a real American Idol!” exclaimed Lee. Martinez agreed, saying “That song was perfect for your voice’good job.” Ernestine said afterwards that she grew interested in singing when she was quite young. “It started when I was three years old. I saw Patti LaBelle on TV and I just dropped my blocks. I’ve been singing since then.” Active in her church, where she got her singing start, Ernestine also participates in track and field. After two years of Pali Idol experience, she now plans to try out for the national “American Idol” next year. “My heart was pounding when I was on stage,” she said, “[but now] I feel like I can do anything.” The two other finalists were Jasmine Einalhori and Shannon Kinnard. Jasmine’s first-round choice was “I’m Going Down,” and she sang the Lauryn Hill version of “Killing Me Softly” in the second round. Both choices showcased her powerful vocal range. Lee also observed her stage presence, telling Jasmine that she was “very involved” with the music on stage. Shannon sang “My Heart Will Go On,” Celine Dion’s memorable theme from “Titanic.” Martinez complimented her “dynamic voice,” while Swindel expressed admiration for her “powerful pipes.” Shannon’s second-round choice was the classy, smooth, “Don’t Know Why,” by Norah Jones. Collins was awarded $200 and Einalhori and Kinnard received $50. The other eight contestants were Justin Jones, Denise Kotlarenko, Jakeem McGee Lewis, Jordan Lloyd, Raiai Lee, Mia Pruitt, Lauren Tizabi, and Laura Yazdi. They each received gift cards to Tower Records. Pali’s Leadership class and their teacher, Chris Lee, organized the event. Lee, also an American history teacher, hosted the program along with Annie Tippe, the 2004 Pali Idol. During the intermission/first voting period, a documentary from the media class, called “Pali Idol: Behind the Scenes,” was projected to a screen above the stage. It featured interviews with candidates who didn’t make the final cut, but unfortunately, the film’s sound faltered and the viewing had to be cut short. The best thing about this competition, said Lee, is that “it gives people a chance to perform, [people] who wouldn’t normally be able to. Also, this was the best year in terms of support. The contestants were a lot closer than they have been in the past and the camaraderie was great to see.”
Inside L.A.’s Mail Processing Center
Since last summer, Palisades residents have been contacting the Palisadian-Post with their postal service concerns. The most common complaint has been late mail delivery’mail that was delivered hours, days and, in some cases, months late. In mid-January, I visited the local La Cruz station, and new Manager in Charge Jason Miles said service would improve after he dealt with some internal problems and gave employees the direction and support they needed. He also said that the closure and consolidation of the Marina Processing and Distribution Center into the Los Angeles Processing and Distribution Center last July did not contribute to the Palisades’ decline-in-service issue. Departure times for trucks leaving the plant in South L.A. for the Palisades were adjusted and the automated machines that sort the mail “are very reliable,” he said. Last Thursday, the Postal Service conducted a media tour of the plant, which is located about seven miles south of downtown. The L.A. center occupies 74 acres. With 1.1 million square feet under its roof, the facility is the largest of its kind, on one level, in the nation. It processes about 23 million pieces of mail daily. Given the latter statistic, it felt oddly empty and quiet on the workroom floor as we strolled through the First Class card- and letter-sorting area at 11 a.m. The equipment that usually sorts letters at speeds of up to 36,000 pieces per hour was turned off, and we were told that the few employees working on the machines were doing “preventive maintenance.” “Where is everyone?” I asked, having been told that 4,400 employees work at the plant on a 24-hour rotation. Most are not on the usual 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule, said Delores Killette, consumer advocate and vice president of consumer affairs. They begin arriving at about 3 p.m., and the majority of mail starts coming in at about 6 p.m. “We’re close to the efficient number [of employees],” Killette said, though she emphasized that staffing shortages are not a problem because they have a “supplemental” work force of about 630 temporary employees. The Postal Service hired some temporary help when the Marina center was closed, and 380 employees from that plant’300 clerks and 80 mail handlers’transferred to the L.A. center. Clerks work hands-on with the mail, sorting and distributing, while mail handlers load and unload trucks and drive industrial vehicles. In the plant, First Class card and letter mail is processed in a separate area from the standard, flat mail, which includes large envelopes, catalogs, magazines and newspapers. Our tour did not cover the flat-mail processing area. Mail handlers transfer incoming mail from trucks to the opening unit (OU), also known as the mail preparation unit. Here, machines that look like fork lifts take over, hoisting individual hampers of mail and dumping the contents onto a conveyer belt that carries the mail “downstream,” or towards the front, northern end of the building. The mail heads to an Advanced Facer/Canceller machine, which turns all of the letters stamp-side up, and places a postmark on each piece. The letters are automatically sorted into one of seven bins, and non-barcoded mail must go through an Optical Character Reader, which reads the address and “sprays” on a barcode. A Delivery Bar Code Sorter then sorts the mail by destination into “walk sequence,” or carrier routes, so that clerks at the local stations spend less time manually sorting the mail. The L.A. plant has 84 DBCS machines; the first ones were installed about 10 years ago. These automated machines sort up to 36,000 pieces of mail an hour and require only three employees to run them. Spokesman Larry Dozier compared this to earlier mechanized letter-sorting machines, which were run by 12 to 18 employees and sorted only 2,000 letters per hour. While some mail is processed mechanically at the plant, only a tiny percentage is processed manually’the pieces that are too thick to go through or that could not be read by the machines. Sorted mail is placed in individual trays on a Low Cost Tray Sorter for final dispatch, which means it heads to the loading dock for departure. There are 142 dock doors, 100 of them outbound, each with a destination name written above it. Trucks that deliver the mail to local stations are scheduled to leave the plant at 4:30 a.m., 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., but Dozier said the latter dispatch time has been readjusted to 7:30 so that trucks arrive earlier. Asked why mail destined for the Palisades would be delayed in arriving at the local post office, Killette said it might have to do with the scheduling, or reporting times for plant employees. Some of those times have had to be readjusted as well. “Now we’re in a position we can manage, with supplemental help, to be able to deal with the volume,” Killette said. Many of the temporary employees were hired to help handle increased mail volume in recent months. While the volume of First Class mail has decreased, the Postal Service has seen an increase in advertising mail, especially in more affluent areas of the city. Dozier said that mail volume usually drops during the summer, but did not in 2005. There was a temporary increase in volume during the winter holiday season and again immediately preceding the recent change in postal rates. Postal officials attribute later mail delivery in the city to this high volume. They also point to possible problems with delivery routes, which are currently being evaluated and adjusted. Officials are also in the process of hiring 65 additional full-time mail carriers for the entire L.A. district, which is 540 square miles, but would not say specifically where those employees will be distributed. “Twenty have been hired,” Dozier said. “Another 15 are near the end of the process [testing and background checks] and within two weeks we expect to complete work for another 20.” The Postal Service maintains that the Marina consolidation is unrelated to service problems that Palisades residents have been and still are experiencing. However, officials acknowledge internal kinks’both at the L.A. plant and here at the La Cruz station’that are affecting local mail delivery as they are being ironed out.
Village School Seeks June Opening of New Building
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
Village School is preparing to end the school year in June with a bang. That’s when the final nails will be hammered into its new facility for arts and athletics on the corner of La Cruz and Alma Real. The project, which has been under construction for a year and a half, will supplement the existing campus on Swarthmore. While the school’s academic departments will remain at the main site, the business office will move to the new building, where physical education, music, dance and art programs will be headquartered. “We’re bursting at the seams,” said Head of School Nora Malone in an interview with the Palisadian-Post last Wednesday. “We wanted the facilities to match the current program.” She said the school, which currently has an enrollment of 288, has no plans to increase its student population beyond capacity (290) or add any grade levels (currently K-6). Village School parent and Palisades resident Ardie Tavangarian is the designer and builder of the new facility. “It’s an unusual project for me because I’m used to doing very elaborate museum homes,” said Tavangarian, who owns the West Los Angeles firm Arya. “I’ve never had a situation where most of my clients are not even born yet. That, to me, is rewarding, and very challenging.” In fact, three of his clients are his own daughters’Shana, who is graduating in June, and twins Emila and Nila, who are in second grade. His eldest daughter, Sade, attends Harvard-Westlake. Tavangarian and his wife, Tania, have lived in the Palisades since 1991. His design makes use of every inch of the 20,000-sq.-ft. lot, formerly the Yamato Nursery, between Seven Arrows Elementary and the 881 Alma Real building. Part of the challenge was constructing the two-story subterranean parking structure, which will have more than 70 spaces for exclusive use of the school. “We had to bridge over the entire site because the soil was unacceptable to be building on,” he said, explaining that they drilled caissons so as not to add pressure to a large storm-drain pipe that runs under the site. The entrance to the parking lot will be on Alma Real. The 15,000-sq.-ft. space above ground includes a two-story L-shaped building that houses a gymnasium which also serves as a theater, with a stage and retractable, cushioned seating. Other classrooms include a music/drama room with practice and recording space, a dance studio, art room, P.E. office, teachers’ lounge, warming kitchen and concession stand. Many of the rooms overlook the turf field to the west which is just under 6,000 sq. ft. “The building was designed from the inside out,” Tavangarian said, explaining that he was guided by the school’s program as well as his desire to make it a unique building for children. “My focus is to keep bringing a playfulness to it because the main clients are children,” he said. To achieve this playful quality, his team chose circles as the theme, incorporating “peek holes” into the design’along stairwells and in hanging mesh drapes. He selected color variations of red, orange and yellow, and easy-to-maintain, non degradable materials such as natural wood and copper. The railings on the exterior of the building are made of mahogany from Spain, and the surface tiles that line the outdoor walkways are Italian porcelain. The interior walls of the gym are a natural-colored, 12-inch thick concrete to keep sound in and unwanted noises out. Tavangarian plans to cover the exposed equipment storage closets with a patterned, impact-proof material to protect the children. There will be 20 colorful, low-energy light fixtures hanging over the basketball court, which is actually two half-courts. The court floor is white maple “like the Staples Center,” he said. Parents who want a better view of the games will be able to reserve seats in a skybox, another special feature which Tavangarian said will also help raise money for the school. “We’re trying to find ways to take advantage of space,” he said. Even the music/drama room, located directly above the stage and visible from the gym floor, has sliding glass doors so that the space can be used as a secondary stage. “This is going to be a very different experience for [the students],” Tavangarian said. An 18-ft.-wide Ferrari-red roll-up door connects the gym to the field, “to integrate the indoor and outdoor spaces,” Tavangarian said. While the school will hold most of its P.E. activities in the gym and on the small playing field, students will still have to go around the corner to the Palisades Recreation Center park for flag football and soccer, according to Malone. The roof of the structure is a no-maintenance copper, as are the gym’s exterior walls, which have already started to darken. There will also be exposed copper air ducts across the gym ceiling, which is perforated to absorb sound. In contrast to the copper/bronze tone of the gym building, the other half of the L-shape, where administration and multi-purpose rooms are located, is designed with a stainless steel material for a lighter, metallic finish. The entire structure is designed to feel and look more like a residence than an institution, said Tavangarian, who used natural wood trusses instead of the usual steel along the gym ceiling. Some of the natural materials were more costly’a 65-ft.-long microlam beam, for example, cost about $15,000 compared to $12,000 for steel’but he believes they add a warmth and softness to the space. “I’m hoping the building will add value to the community,” Tavangarian said. He has added features like a flower planter at the top of the copper wall on the La Cruz side of the building and a window that defines the corner of the building at Alma Real and La Cruz He plans to incorporate a fountain in which water drips down from the building to the ground below, as was originally suggested by the Palisades Design Review Board. “We’re working with the City [of Los Angeles] because it’s actually not our property,” he said about the corner land around the building. “We want to beautify it and make it part of our project, with minimum maintenance and very little water.” One of his main concerns is protecting the exposed, natural materials from taggers who, in the last few weeks, have spraypainted graffiti on other parts of the new building. Tavangarian welcomes suggestions from the community but said he does not plan to build a wall around the whole structure. The building entrance as well as a rolling gate that opens to the field will be on La Cruz, across from the Blue Cross Pet Hospital. While Tavangarian has had fun with the challenging project, he said this is his “first and probably last school.” He joked about the pressure he feels to complete the project in time for his daughter to graduate on the site in June. He said when he comes home from work every day, his children ask, “What did you do at the school today?”
All that Jazz and More
By BARRY BLITZER Post Columnist UCLA’s Royce Hall was the scene of Friday night’s performance of Peru Negro, an exuberant, irresistible song and dance company, which since its founding in 1964 has paid homage to Peru’s African heritage. The large and superb cast of male and female dancers, singers, guitarists and percussionists (2004 Grammy Award winners for their CDs) played to a full house of all colors and sects, young and old. Interestingly enough, many of the instruments that Peru Negro uses originated in the early 17th century when the Spanish Conquistadors banned their Peruvian slaves from drumming because they were fearful of religious connections and the ability to transform the participants with trances. So the slaves, in turn, adapted the rhythms to play on chairs, tables and wooden boxes; a fruit crate became a flamenco-like drum, a donkey’s jaw a replica percussion instrument currently played to give the music its rattling charm. Included in the two-hour show were colorful courtship dances, a Peruvian contest of virtuosic tap-dancing, and what was apparently the audience favorite, “Son de los Diablos,” a frantic, up-tempo carnival with dancing devils in comedic costumes, striving to scare the hell out of us. Also rousing were subsequent boy-courts-gal numbers (and vice versa) with numerous pelvic thrusts by both sexes. Provocative to say the least. Minor quibbles. The second act was somewhat repetitious, so, unhappily, was the lengthy audience participation “sing-off” between a vivacious female vocalist/dancer and her macho male singers counterpart; mostly incomprehensible to those in the audience, whose knowledge of Spanish was limited to “Buenos Dias” and “Gracias.” Nonetheless, Peru Negro was a spectacular happening, not to be missed. Back to the present and the ever challenging L.A. jazz scene. Tonight, March 2, The Vic, that funky old pseudo-speakeasy on Main Street in Santa Monica, celebrates its fourth anniversary with the pianist Stu Elson trio. Special guests include belting songstress, the always swinging Barbara Morrison. Call impresario Ray Slayton at (888) 367-5299 for reservations, show times and tonight’s “secret password” to gain admittance. Last, and far from least, is our home away from home, The Jazz Bakery in revitalized Culver City, gratefully a hop, skip and jump from the Palisades, aptly described by its founding mother Ruth Price as a nonprofit jazz theater. Next week’s attractions: Pianist Jon Mayer on Monday, March 6, followed on Thursday through Sunday by the legendary sax man Pharaoh Saunders and trio. There’s free parking, half- price for students with IDs at show times (if not sold out) plus gourmet eateries in the immediate vicinity. Finally, a brief nonsectarian sermon: Stash those John Coltrane and Diana Krall CDs, donate your iPods to Goodwill, then treat your spouse or significant other to some good old low-down live jazz and blues. The musicians themselves will appreciate your patronage and so will we fanatical jazz critics. Amen.
Amy Gumenick Plays a Variety of Roles to Feed Her Passion
By KAREN LEIGH Palisadian-Post Contributor Ninety seconds. That’s all the time Amy Gumenick had to convince a panel of UC Santa Barbara drama professors that she did indeed deserve admission into the school’s prestigious Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) acting program. “The audition process…was a minute-and-a-half monologue,” she says, “and it was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done.” That was freshman year. Now, the 19-year-old Gumenick, officially a sophomore BFA candidate, is set to take on her biggest stage role to date in UCSB’s winter play, “By the Bog of Cats.” It’s a modern spin on the classic Greek tragedy “Medea,” and Gumenick portrays Caroline, a trophy wife with an agenda. Though she possesses a wealth of experience in musical theater, she says, “plays are more my calling.” Her passion for acting began at age 8, when Gumenick, a lifelong Palisadian, started dabbling in community productions. “I’ve always loved and been intrigued by theater,” she says. “I can’t remember a time I didn’t want to do it.” She acted with local company Theatre Palisades Kids and in shows at Marquez Elementary and Paul Revere Middle School, before arriving at Palisades High and staking her claim as a standout in the the school’s top-notch drama department. Over four years, her repertoire included Tennessee Williams’ “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and the Gershwin musical “Crazy for You.” But the Drama Teachers Association of Southern California’s annual theater festival, where she starred in “Macbeth” as a freshman, opened her eyes to the wonders of non-musical acting. “I love them both,” she says of plays and musicals. “I didn’t feel like I was making a choice.” Senior year, Amy was selected to co-direct a festival scene’Shakespeare’s “Winter’s Tale.” “There’s a different level of appreciation now,” she reflects. “I can put myself in a director’s shoes.” Unlike peers who opt to focus either on comedy or drama, Gumenick’s resume is mixed. In addition to Pali shows, she played the killer cutie-pie Roxie Hart in “Chicago” at Los Angeles’ Young Adult Civic Light Opera and donned Dorothy’s blue-gingham dress for local children’s theater performances. She also spent this past summer acting in a song-and-dance version of “Peter Pan”‘the inaugural production of The Pretenders, a Westside theater company geared towards young adults and created by her sister (and UCSB grad) Lisa, 24. “She did a great job of keeping things professional,” Amy says of her older sister. “When we were rehearsing, she was the director and I was just an actor…to be part of the formation of a company is incredible. This is a stepping stone from educational theater to the professional world.” Next up is July’s production of “Hair,” a musical famous for its full-cast nude scene (says Amy sheepishly, “we’re working that out.” An actor’s life.) Years of theater experience came in handy when Gumenick arrived in Santa Barbara. “Here, I get the conservatory experience with a liberal arts education.” One of a select group admitted to the Bachelor of Fine Arts department, she takes movement, voice, and acting classes which are evaluated daily by faculty'”every day is a final exam.” At the end of each quarter, BFA students are either asked to return or given the boot. “It acts as a driving force. We don’t have the option of slacking.” Constant pressure, she adds, has brought the sophomore actors closer together. “We’ve become family more than a competitive group. “We spend more time together than with our families and friends, anyway.” One of two freshmen cast in last winter’s “Pentecost”‘a play examining politics in Eastern Europe’she found that rehearsals left “little time to fit anything else in.” However, the production, in which she vamped as a Eurotrash personal assistant, was “the most professional I’ve ever done. We were working with real lights, sound effects, staging, and other techs…working professionals.” That role led to appearances in student-directed one-acts and now “Bog,” for which she has been rehearsing nonstop in preparation for the show’s March opening. “It’s exhausting. But I’m so happy. I love what I’m doing.” In rare off-stage moments, Gumenick takes part in improv comedy sessions’and studies. (“I had a 4.0 grade-point average last quarter,” she says proudly.) She has also made the leap to screen, landing roles in several student films through UCSB’s Film Studies department'”another great advantage of being here. These parts were very different from other acting I’ve done.” Exposure to this medium inspires Gumenick to profess a career in Hollywood her ultimate goal. “I want to make a difference through my craft,” she says, “and I think artists reach a wide range of people through film.” Gumenick wants to use her talent to spread messages about mental illness and other troubling issues. “The arts can be used as a tremendous healing tool,” she says, “and if I can affect just one person, that would make everything worthwhile.” As she works towards an acting career, Palisades Highlands resident Gumenick declares herself “so lucky to have a close, wonderful family.” Parents Neil, an acupuncturist, and homemaker Cecile “have never missed a performance.” Rounding out the clan are Lisa and brother Brian, 30, who works as a chef in Barcelona, Spain. Next up for Amy is a possible stint in grad school, and a lifetime of doing what she loves. “Even if I go the Hollywood route, there’s something magical about theater,” she says. “I’ll have that the rest of my life.”
Arborist to Speak March 6 About Good and Bad Bugs
Susan Sims could talk about the birds, bees and most definitely about trees, but for the Palisades Garden Club, she’ll tackle bugs on Monday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m. at the Woman’s Club, 901 Haverford. Sims, a board certified master arborist, specializes in diagnosing and curing tree diseases and operates the Sims Tree Learning Center on 6.5 acres in Riverside County. Equipped with degrees in agricultural biology and ornamental horticulture and plant pathology, Sims will lend her experience to the discussion of insects. “I guess I’ll be teaching entomology 101,” Sims told the Palisadian-Post. “I usually talk about the connection between the damage to the tree or plant and the suspected culprit. We need to determine whether it is an insect that is doing the damage, also whether or not the insects are under biological control.” Sims and her husband have been in the tree health care business since 1972, the part of the business that pays the bills, she says. Their consultation work takes them from Ventura to San Diego and is unusual because they are strictly health care specialists, not tree trimmers. “A job might be working with Caltrans or developers to determine if a tree is worth preserving and if so, how do go about it,” Sims said. Another interesting Sims assignment necessitated some detective work. “I got a call from an insurance company about a pine tree that had fallen on a neighbor’s car,” Sims said. “We told the owner that in order to pursue the cause of the accident they would have to go back to the developer who bought the trees, or to the landscape gardener who planted it. We discovered that the roots had been girdling the root ball and cutting off circulation to the tree, which eventually produced a weak spot. The tree could have been left in the original container too long, or the landscaper could have used an auger to dig the hole instead of digging a nice big hole.” The Sims’ other love is the Tree Learning Center, which is dedicated to preservation, education and research. The center maintains a small collection of old-time farming, gardening and transportation equipment and vehicles. In addition, the Simses have a palm collection of more than 100 varieties, and an iris collection. In the museum, visitors can see the mushroom collection, including mycorrihizae’beneficial fungi, which assist in assuring plant health and resistance to disease and insects. Sims says that visitors are welcome to the gardens the last Friday of the month, or may call to make an appointment: (951) 685-6662. The Garden Club meeting is open to the public, and refreshments will be served.
Feasting on Local Color
Lise Luttgens’ travel photographs are wonderfully free of convention. Instead of snapping well-known landmarks and vistas, she points her camera at the rich details of a locale to evoke a powerful sense of place. “I tend to like displays and focus on how people put together windows,” says Luttgens, who shares a townhouse in the Palisades Highlands with her 16-year-old daughter, Kate. Last fall, Luttgens traveled by ship from Venice to Istanbul and her colorful, offbeat impressions of this journey are now on view in a photo exhibition at the Hidden Caf’. There are no images of St. Mark’s Square or the canals of Venice; her take on this city is all about groupings of Murano glass. In Istanbul, she roamed the vast Grand Bazaar for seven hours straight, where she translated the visual extravaganza of this famed marketplace into striking compositions of plates and pashminas. The spice market provided yet another spectacle for her talented eye, with displays of fish, figs, saffron and olives artfully framed in her viewfinder. In contrast to the frenetic marketplace, the quiet elegance of mosque interiors also is illuminated in her original work. When not feeding her fervor for travel and photography, Luttgens is a busy professional who provides executive leadership to nonprofit and health care organizations through her own consulting firm. She was senior vice president and chief operating officer at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles from 1995 to 2001 and most recently served as interim chief executive officer of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California. Yet photography has been a constant throughout much of her life, beginning as a high school student growing up in San Francisco. Her father, a physician, was a serious photo hobbyist whose interest led him to study with Ansel Adams in Yosemite. “He taught me early on the science of photography and built me a darkroom in the attic,” says Luttgens, who remembers whole days happily spent locked away developing and printing pictures. In college, she and a classmate were awarded a grant to travel to New Mexico and produce a slide show about Native Americans. “We set it to music and, of course in those days, it was Cat Stevens,” Luttgens says with a laugh. Aside from this experience, however, Luttgens’ studies were directed elsewhere. She has a B.A. from Beloit College and a master’s degree in public health from Yale. She credits a slew of adventure-filled trips’beginning with Africa in 1995’as reigniting her picture-taking instincts. What followed was a trip with her daughter to Alaska, a South American cruise along the coast of Chile and Argentina and, three years ago, a tour of Australia that culminated in scuba diving with sharks at the Great Barrier Reef. On another trip, Luttgens and her daughter intended to enroll at the language institute when visiting San Miguel de Allende in Mexico, but the marketplace won over, with both mother and daughter consumed with taking pictures. When Luttgens was tapped by Mary Autera, owner of the Hidden Caf’, to exhibit her work in the restaurant, she felt a touch overwhelmed. “I have a reasonably good eye; it’s the technical side of things that is a challenge,” she says. “I wasn’t sure I could pull it together working 60 hours a week.” In stepped Mazi Aghalarpour of Village Photo, who saved the day by assisting Luttgens in sorting through 550 digital images to choose the best 40, and who also lent his expertise in printing. “The whole point of photography is you don’t have to say anything,” Luttgens says in regard to what she values most about the medium. “All you have to do is let people look, and then words aren’t necessary.” The show continues at the Hidden Caf’, 1515 Palisades Dr. in the Highlands through April 23. Photographs, all printed in either an 8 x 10 or 8 x 12 format, are for sale: $35, matted; $60 framed. Contact: 230-9823.
Mortenson and Departing Coach Motivate Paly Team at Y-Champs
Motivated by a departing coach and a former Olympic swimmer, the Palisades-Malibu YMCA performed well at the annual Southern California YMCA Swim League championships last weekend at El Monte Aquatics Center. Paly’s team of 71 swimmers was the second largest in the competition. “All the hard work and effort the kids put into the season has paid off,” said head coach Kameron Kennedy, who is leaving the program to pursue advanced degrees in kinesiology and business at the University of Texas in Austin. “Everyone who participated had at least one personal best time.” At the pep rally Friday night, Jay Mortenson, who won a gold medal in swimming at the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, delivered a rousing motivational speech. Two of his four children, J.P and Nina, swim for Paly. “It was a huge boost for the kids to hear Jay talk and I could tell they were really listening to what he had to say,” Kennedy said. “He showed them his gold medal and it gave the team a lot of inspiration going into Saturday’s preliminaries.” Swimming in her first Y-champs meet did not seem to intimidate eight-year-old Mardell Ramirez. She won the 25 Butterfly and 50 Freestyle events and finished third in the 25 Free. Catherine Wang, 11, took second in the 50 Fly. Thirteen-year-old Alexandra Edel had two Junior Olympic cut times. She was second in both the 50 Free and 100 Free and third in the 200 Individual Medley. Another 13-year-old, Allison Merz, won the 50 Free, was second in the 100 Fly and was third in the 100 Free. Jennifer Tartavull, also 13, made a spring Junior Olympics cut and took fourth in the 50 Free. Erica Drennan, 15, took third in the girls’ 100 Backstroke. For the boys, 10-year-old Nicholas Edel clocked “aa” times in all of his events. He swam second in the 50 Freestyle, third in the 50 Breaststroke and second in the 100 Free. Danny Fujinaka, 13, notched two Junior Olympic and one “aa” time while placing third in the 100 Butterfly and 100 Free. Eight-year-old Alec Wilimovsky placed second in the 25 Free and third in the 25 Breast. Paly’s 8-and- under girls 100 Freestyle Relay took first with Elizabeth Edel, Tiana Marsh, Nina Mortenson and Mardell Ramirez while the boys’ 8-and-under 100 Medley was second, led by Peter Bickel, Joe Walker, J.P. Mortenson and Kent Sheridan. The boys were also runner-up in the 8-and-under 100 Freestyle Relay (Mac Abe, Hunter Loncar, Kenneth Saab and Alec Wilimovsky) and third in both the 9-10 division of the 200 Freestyle Relay (Nick Edel, Kieran Sheridan, Alex Landau and Michael Lukasiak) and the 11-12 division of the 200 Freestyle Relay (Andrew Chang, Leland Frankel, Shervin Ghaffari and Jordan Wilimovsky). In the girls’ 11-12s, Paly’s Wang, Kirkpatrick, Lewenstein and Silka took second in the 200 Medley Relay while Jessica Schem, Shelby Pascoe, Haley Hacker and Rebecca Lawton took third in the 13-14s and the senior girls (Drennan, Ana Silka, Hannah Haberfield and Lizzie Ebert) were second. The 11-12 girls (Olivia Kirkpatrick, Rachel Jaffe, Mara Silka and Georgia Johnson) were third in the 200 Free Relay. Paly won the 13-14 girls’ 200 Free Relay with Alexandra Edel, Allison Merz, Kimberly Tartavull and Jennifer Tartavull. The 13-14 boys’ 200 Freestyle Relay of Mike Buchhauer, Jimmy De Mayo, Fujinaka and Ben Lewenstein swam third. The girls’ senior 200 Free Relay (Drennan, Haberfield, Ebert and Hayley Lemoine) was second. Palisades-Malibu YMCA Director Carol Pfannkuche fully supports the swim program and met with Paly swim parents on Tuesday to discuss qualified candidates for a new coach.
