Carol Baker Tharp, RIP

I had heard that Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) General Manager, Carol Baker Tharp, had passed over the weekend. Kevin at LAO now has the Mayor's press release confirming the sad news (see excerpt at bottom).

From the first day we all met Carol, those of us in the Neighborhood Council movement recognized her as one of us. A realistic, pragmatic leader, she encouraged each of us to find the best we have within ourselves to better the lives of all those in our communities. She will be missed both as a friend and as a leader.

“Carol Baker Tharp loved the City of Los Angeles and spent the past year working to strengthen its neighborhoods as the General Manager of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment.

“Through her entire professional career and decades of community involvement as leader of Coro, the acclaimed non-profit civic affairs leadership training institution, and during her service to USC, Carol maintained the belief that civic engagement is the cornerstone of democracy. She committed her life to expanding power of the people.

“Her integrity, intelligence, compassion and humor will be missed. Though we mourn her passing today, we take comfort in the fact that her work and ideas will continue to yield positive benefits for the people of Los Angeles.”

Malibu Burns - But Everyone - Including LA - Will Continue To Ignore The Real Reasons!

Looking over the addresses posted of the homes that burned or were damaged in Malibu last night and this morning - I recognize a lot of familiar addresses. Addresses where friends of mine were living when I left Malibu over ten years ago. Addresses near homes I had sold in the past. And, under damaged, is the address of the home I sold Axl Rose in Latigo Canyon many years ago.

And each of these addresses has one thing in common. Massive forests of sumac bushes on the hillside either just below or above them. Sumac bushes that once ignited will create massive fire storms if they have not either been totally removed or trimmed to the ground during fire season. But no government agency requires the removal of this deceptively green but explosively combustible fuel - beyond a far too small setback area.

Additionally no governmental agency in the City of Los Angeles or the County or the City of Malibu (that I know of) has yet to require the removal of existing wood shake roofs in fire areas. Nor do fire codes go far enough in banning wood on the outsides of houses in high risk fire areas. Nor does anyone ever demand that these reforms be implemented in Los Angeles - even when the embers of the latest fire are still smouldering.

Now some people will say the only answer is to not build in fire areas, but that is ignoring that almost ALL of California is a fire area. And the edge of almost any community will usually be in a fire area. So unless the government buys all the hillsides around Los Angeles, people will have the right to build their own home on their own property.

But they should also be required to make their homes far more defensible against fire than the current codes call for - with the full clearance of sumac being mandatory.

But even if that happens, there would still be one problem. Some of the agencies that have been acquiring park lands, have refused to do safe brush clearance where their properties abut housing. They have also refused to do controlled burns and have allowed massive sumac forests to grow by people's homes, endangering everyone who lives in those homes.

And, unfortunately, one of the people who lost his home in this fire is Frank Angel - a lawyer who represents many of those agencies, even though he has chosen to live in one of the highest fire risk areas of Malibu. He and his wife, Meredith are long time residents and valued and highly engaged citizens of Malibu. Their loss of almost everything they own is a tragedy. But perhaps their loss can finally make the parks agencies understand they have a responsibility to be good neighbors with those who live next to them, many of whom built their homes there long before the park agencies acquired their land.

Lastly, this tragedy might also finally convince the parks agencies to do one more thing - install gates and keep their roads locked shut during high fire alerts. And below is the possibly tragic reason why:

http://origin.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_7549106?nclick_check=1

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but some reports said it may have broken out at a scenic overlook called Malibu Bowl. Some residents said they heard cars heading down Corral Canyon between 2:30 and 3 a.m. with people yelling and laughing. Several residents complained that the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy has not restricted access to the Malibu Bowl overlook in times of high fire danger.

Will The Autry Museum Cowboy Up And Buy Wyatt Earp's Gun?

With Los Angeles suffering from a major deficit in cultural tourism and the Autry Museum of the West being a well kept secret in its hidden away location, you'd think they'd be buying up the last remaining relics of the major figures of the Old West, particularly a record number of those items have sold at auction in the past weeks. But I've heard from a second hand source this weekend - the Autry has not been a major (if at all) buyer to the frustration of a lot of people both at the museum and among the supporters of the museum.

Now if this is true - I don't know; I only know what one seemingly well informed person has told me. But I do know it's been a long item since I've read a press release boasting of the Autry's acquisition of any iconic relics. So what will be Autry be doing at this Tuesday's action when many one of a kind items will be sold?

Will they be buying a rifle owned by Wyatt Earp who spent more of his life in Los Angeles than in any other city or town? Will they be bidding on anything? Well, if my admittedly second hand source is correct - below is a list of all items the Autry will not be bidding on:

The Wild West Rides Again at Bonhams & Butterfields
November 18, 2007


AuctionPublicity.com - Antique arms, armor and modern sporting guns come to auction at Bonhams & Butterfields in San Francisco on Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007 featuring firearms from famous and infamous figures of the Wild West, including Geronimo, Calamity Jane, “Buffalo Bill” Cody, outlaws Cherokee Bill and Bill Doolin, and a saber attributed to George Armstrong Custer, among others.

According to Arms Dept. Director Paul Carella, the breadth of the November antique arms offering is unprecedented. “The number of historical figures represented in this sale has never before been seen. Several of the lots come to auction from a private collector who has decided to offer the material after a lifetime of collecting. We’re pleased to offer these notable firearms, expecting international interest – from both private and institutional collections,” said Carella.

The November auction comprises more than 800-lots and opens with Bronze Age daggers and swords displaying brilliant green patinas and dating as early as 1200BC. Bladed weapons include elaborately decorated presentation swords, officer’s swords, daggers and stilettos. An historic Model 1860 cavalry saber with brass hilt and leather grip is attributed to General George Custer and could bring as much as $30,000. The 35-inch blade is dated 1864, was made in Massachusetts and originally sold in the Butterfields’ salesrooms in 1997.

Revolvers on offer include highly collectible firearms from notable individuals as well as guns collected by those less well-known. A scarce factory-engraved Colt Woodsman target model semi-automatic pistol in its original box could bring $5,000 to $7,000. By 1943 more than 150,000 had been produced, but this pistol is one of only 115 engraved by the factory. This example is also engraved with the owner’s name and was likely a gift to San Francisco native Mary Heath, a competitive skeet shooter and a UC Berkeley grad. Mary Heath Keesling passed away in 2006 and had been a noted supporter of the Bay Area arts community.

Revolvers carried by familiar names from American history include a Remington New Model Army percussion revolver surrendered by Apache Chief Geronimo in August of 1886. Geronimo had great trust in a US Army Lieutenant he’d called “Big Nose, ” and the pistol is offered with documentation relating to Lt. Charles Gateway, an aide-de-camp to General Miles. The pistol maintains walnut grips adorned with brass tacks and could bring $20,000 to $30,000.

A Geronimo rifle surrendered to the Lieutenant is a US Model 1870 Springfield, estimated at $20,000 to $30,000 while a Winchester Model 1866 lever action musket is attributed to Chief Spotted Elk, a chief of the Sioux Nation, and expected to sell for $8,000 to $12,000.

A Colt Model 1860 Army Richards conversion revolver attributed to Bob Ford, the man who killed Jesse James, could bring as much as $7,000 while a Colt single action revolver carried by Bob Doolin could sell for as much as $25,000. Doolin rose to infamy after starting The Wild Bunch, his own bank-robbing gang, in the weeks that followed the shootout that killed the bank-robbing Dalton Brothers Gang– Doolin’s former cohorts. Doolin’s pistol is nickel-plated with black hard-rubber grips and became part of a museum collection after Doolin’s demise — he was killed on August 24, 1896 by a posse led by Heck Thomas. A Dalton firearm, carried by Bob Dalton, is a Winchester Model 1886 lever action rifle offered with a handwritten letter dated 1895 attesting to its provenance. The Dalton Winchester could bring $10,000 to $15,000.

The gun used to kill John Dillinger is to be offered, this Smith & Wesson revolver presented with documentation relating the story of the “Lady in Red” and the FBI’s plans to lure Dillinger to Chicago’s Biograph Theater in 1934 (est. $15/25,000). Also offered in the sale is a rare signed John Dillinger letter, written from prison a decade before his death (est. $6/8,000).

A Case Brothers double action revolver carried by Martha Jane Canary AKA “Calamity Jane,” could sell for $2,000 to $3,000. The 32-caliber pistol was reportedly found in her possession at the time of her death. She had worked as a frontier scout for the US Army and her resume included time spent as a muleskinner for the railroads. She’d appeared on stage, in the Wild West shows promoted by Buffalo Bill and was a published author.

A rifle modified and used by Colonel William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody is another Winchester, a Model 1873 lever action. This rifle features a brass inlay on the muzzle reading: Welcome to Hell, while brass inlaid to the right side of the action reads: Col. Buffalo Bill Cody. It was converted to a single shot percussion rifle and reportedly used by the marksman for shooting glass balls during his famous Wild West shows (est. $10/15,000).

Firearms from a pair of famous brothers should interest collectors, lawman Wyatt Earp’s Remington Model 1882 double-barreled shotgun is estimated at $20/30,000 and the same estimate has been placed on a rifle owned by Virgil Earp, a Model 1873 saddle ring carbine. Virgil Earp was injured at the shootout at the OK Corrall, both firearms have descended within his side of the family.

Another firearm carried by a notorious figure is a Winchester Model 1886 lever action rifle owned by Texas outlaw Crawford Goldsby AKA “Cherokee Bill.” Goldsby, according to lore, killed his first man at the young age of 12 and continued to take the lives of both innocents and lawmen before he was hanged at the age of 20. The Winchester has an octagonal 26-inch barrel and a German silver Rocky Mountain style sight. The walnut stock features Cherokee Bill in white paint and could bring $40,000 to $60,000.

The auction also includes sporting guns, many with elaborate inlays and etching, as well as exotic weaponry and historical collectibles. Of note is a cased .470 Nitro sidelock ejector double rifle by the London firm J Rigby & Co, its firm name engraved in gold, expected to bring $80,000 to $100,000. Delightful for Western collectors is a Napa Valley CA collection of silver-inlaid and silver-mounted spurs, many examples signed. Previews open in San Francisco November 18th, continuing daily until the auction on November 20. The illustrated online catalog is available for review and purchase at www.bonhams.com/us.

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AuctionPublicity.com - Antique arms, armor and modern sporting guns come to auction at Bonhams & Butterfields in San Francisco on Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007 featuring firearms from famous and infamous figures of the Wild West, including Geronimo, Calamity Jane, “Buffalo Bill” Cody, outlaws Cherokee Bill and Bill Doolin, and a saber attributed to George Armstrong Custer, among others.

According to Arms Dept. Director Paul Carella, the breadth of the November antique arms offering is unprecedented. “The number of historical figures represented in this sale has never before been seen. Several of the lots come to auction from a private collector who has decided to offer the material after a lifetime of collecting. We’re pleased to offer these notable firearms, expecting international interest – from both private and institutional collections,” said Carella.

The November auction comprises more than 800-lots and opens with Bronze Age daggers and swords displaying brilliant green patinas and dating as early as 1200BC. Bladed weapons include elaborately decorated presentation swords, officer’s swords, daggers and stilettos. An historic Model 1860 cavalry saber with brass hilt and leather grip is attributed to General George Custer and could bring as much as $30,000. The 35-inch blade is dated 1864, was made in Massachusetts and originally sold in the Butterfields’ salesrooms in 1997.

Revolvers on offer include highly collectible firearms from notable individuals as well as guns collected by those less well-known. A scarce factory-engraved Colt Woodsman target model semi-automatic pistol in its original box could bring $5,000 to $7,000. By 1943 more than 150,000 had been produced, but this pistol is one of only 115 engraved by the factory. This example is also engraved with the owner’s name and was likely a gift to San Francisco native Mary Heath, a competitive skeet shooter and a UC Berkeley grad. Mary Heath Keesling passed away in 2006 and had been a noted supporter of the Bay Area arts community.

Revolvers carried by familiar names from American history include a Remington New Model Army percussion revolver surrendered by Apache Chief Geronimo in August of 1886. Geronimo had great trust in a US Army Lieutenant he’d called “Big Nose, ” and the pistol is offered with documentation relating to Lt. Charles Gateway, an aide-de-camp to General Miles. The pistol maintains walnut grips adorned with brass tacks and could bring $20,000 to $30,000.

A Geronimo rifle surrendered to the Lieutenant is a US Model 1870 Springfield, estimated at $20,000 to $30,000 while a Winchester Model 1866 lever action musket is attributed to Chief Spotted Elk, a chief of the Sioux Nation, and expected to sell for $8,000 to $12,000.

A Colt Model 1860 Army Richards conversion revolver attributed to Bob Ford, the man who killed Jesse James, could bring as much as $7,000 while a Colt single action revolver carried by Bob Doolin could sell for as much as $25,000. Doolin rose to infamy after starting The Wild Bunch, his own bank-robbing gang, in the weeks that followed the shootout that killed the bank-robbing Dalton Brothers Gang– Doolin’s former cohorts. Doolin’s pistol is nickel-plated with black hard-rubber grips and became part of a museum collection after Doolin’s demise — he was killed on August 24, 1896 by a posse led by Heck Thomas. A Dalton firearm, carried by Bob Dalton, is a Winchester Model 1886 lever action rifle offered with a handwritten letter dated 1895 attesting to its provenance. The Dalton Winchester could bring $10,000 to $15,000.

The gun used to kill John Dillinger is to be offered, this Smith & Wesson revolver presented with documentation relating the story of the “Lady in Red” and the FBI’s plans to lure Dillinger to Chicago’s Biograph Theater in 1934 (est. $15/25,000). Also offered in the sale is a rare signed John Dillinger letter, written from prison a decade before his death (est. $6/8,000).

A Case Brothers double action revolver carried by Martha Jane Canary AKA “Calamity Jane,” could sell for $2,000 to $3,000. The 32-caliber pistol was reportedly found in her possession at the time of her death. She had worked as a frontier scout for the US Army and her resume included time spent as a muleskinner for the railroads. She’d appeared on stage, in the Wild West shows promoted by Buffalo Bill and was a published author.

A rifle modified and used by Colonel William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody is another Winchester, a Model 1873 lever action. This rifle features a brass inlay on the muzzle reading: Welcome to Hell, while brass inlaid to the right side of the action reads: Col. Buffalo Bill Cody. It was converted to a single shot percussion rifle and reportedly used by the marksman for shooting glass balls during his famous Wild West shows (est. $10/15,000).

Firearms from a pair of famous brothers should interest collectors, lawman Wyatt Earp’s Remington Model 1882 double-barreled shotgun is estimated at $20/30,000 and the same estimate has been placed on a rifle owned by Virgil Earp, a Model 1873 saddle ring carbine. Virgil Earp was injured at the shootout at the OK Corrall, both firearms have descended within his side of the family.

Another firearm carried by a notorious figure is a Winchester Model 1886 lever action rifle owned by Texas outlaw Crawford Goldsby AKA “Cherokee Bill.” Goldsby, according to lore, killed his first man at the young age of 12 and continued to take the lives of both innocents and lawmen before he was hanged at the age of 20. The Winchester has an octagonal 26-inch barrel and a German silver Rocky Mountain style sight. The walnut stock features Cherokee Bill in white paint and could bring $40,000 to $60,000.

The auction also includes sporting guns, many with elaborate inlays and etching, as well as exotic weaponry and historical collectibles. Of note is a cased .470 Nitro sidelock ejector double rifle by the London firm J Rigby & Co, its firm name engraved in gold, expected to bring $80,000 to $100,000. Delightful for Western collectors is a Napa Valley CA collection of silver-inlaid and silver-mounted spurs, many examples signed. Previews open in San Francisco November 18th, continuing daily until the auction on November 20. The illustrated online catalog is available for review and purchase at www.bonhams.com/us.

I'd Like One Job Application - Please!

I don't know if I can forgive Kate over at the FishbowlLA for posting this help wanted ad instead of just forwarding it to.... me:

Any writers who can ride? Playboy TV has a job for you:

Playboy TV is looking for a skilled Male professional Horse Instructor that can teach 4 Playboy Models how to handle, groom and ride a horse for our HIT show "Hot Babes Doing Stuff Naked". We provide the Horses and the location. NO NUDITY required for the male instructor, however, must be comfortable around nude models.

LA's Broadway Makes Wall Street Journal!

Two years ago I posted about a conversation in the lobby of the Orpheum Theater during the Ovations Awards (LA's Tony Awards) that could change the future of Broadway. Then, two Monday's ago, after a lot of track laying, another conversation at City Hall marked a major step in creating that future. Then this last Monday night many of us who will be involved in this project met in that same lobby before and after this year's Ovation Awards and further planned that future.

And now, in today's Wall Street Journal, even New York has taken notice that there soon may be more than one 'Broadway' in the future of the American theater.

Broadway West?
Tinseltown Eyes Theatrical Revival
By JONATHAN KARP
November 14, 2007; Page B1

Los Angeles

Along Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, the Tower Theater helped usher in the era of "talking pictures" in 1927, and the Los Angeles Theatre hosted the 1931 premiere of Charlie Chaplin's classic film "City Lights." Albert Einstein accompanied the star to the gala, while Great Depression victims stood in line for bread across the street.

The Los Angeles Theatre's owners have slowly restored its glory.

But unlike the Broadway of New York City, where -- when stagehands aren't on strike -- throngs arrive in tour buses to see "Mamma Mia" or "A Chorus Line," the 12 theaters in L.A.'s version of the Great White Way have long been neglected and sit mostly unused.

The baroque and gothic venues, built between 1910 and 1931 for vaudeville acts and movies, line a six-block stretch that today is a mélange of retail marts, check-cashing outlets and bridal shops. Two theaters serve as churches, and another has become a flea market. This street teems with activity by day but largely empties at dusk.

For the first time in decades, though, there is hope that the city's faded theater district can be revived -- as a broader renaissance of downtown Los Angeles takes hold.

After previous failed attempts to restore Broadway's nightlife, a new initiative by developers, preservationists and policy makers is gaining impetus because of two multibillion-dollar projects at both ends of the business district: the L.A. Live sports and entertainment complex in the south and the Grand Ave. residential, hotel and shopping plan in the north. Broadway is envisioned as a thriving theater corridor, with bistros, bars and new stores, linking the two megadevelopments.

"The timing is finally right for revitalizing Broadway," says Michael Delijani, who owns the Tower, Los Angeles, State and Palace theaters. The nearly 2,000-seat Orpheum Theatre has been renovated, and the Million Dollar Theater -- built in 1918 by impresario Sid Grauman, whose later Hollywood cinemas accelerated Broadway's decline -- is due to reopen in the coming months after a makeover.

Los Angeles city council member José Huizar has been shuttling between the theater owners and the city's planning department to build consensus for a revival plan. In a small but concrete step, he secured city council support late last month to fund a study on how to make more parking available, a major bottleneck for the large theaters. This month, Mr. Huizar says he will present a comprehensive vision for the theater district to deal with everything from better street lighting to increased access for loading stage equipment at the theaters.

Like other downtown Los Angeles projects, Broadway faces a host of challenges, including its proximity to thousands of homeless people living in the Skid Row neighborhood a few blocks away and the question of how to balance future theater fare among live stage performances, films and Spanish-language entertainment. Skeptics say downtown already has a glut of event venues.

Even proponents say gentrification could create tension with the street's business owners, most of whom are Hispanic, who eventually will be expected to upgrade their restaurants and shops, or move. Mr. Huizar, whose connection to the street dates from a childhood of watching Spanish-dubbed martial-arts movies in Broadway theaters, believes all interests can be accommodated. Community activists say efforts already are under way to help commercial tenants relocate to available properties within blocks of Broadway.

"Downtown is big enough for everybody," says Brady Westwater, an entrepreneur and civic activist. New condominium, loft and apartment complexes downtown have begun luring professionals to move to pockets near Broadway and create demand for higher-end supermarkets and stores.

Advocates believe that revamping Broadway is important to creating a more cohesive downtown for the growing number of residents and tourists alike. It could also accelerate real-estate investment downtown, which hasn't been as desirable a property play as Beverly Hills or Santa Monica.

Broadway's success could hinge on investing millions of dollars in public transportation, including reviving the Red Car trolley that operated until 1961, to make downtown -- an area of several square miles -- easier to get around. In the short-term, though, the focus is on scrubbing off graffiti, adding parking and renovating and reopening the theaters.

Unlike New York, where the city and state governments invested directly in venues, "in L.A., all the theaters are private, and the owners will have to lead the process," says Tara Jones, a consultant and president of National Preservation Partners, a nonprofit group. Ms. Jones has prepared studies on the theaters' market feasibility.

Entertainment conglomerates haven't yet embraced Broadway west, but it's still early in the process.

Only four of Broadway's theaters are available for events, and only one, the Orpheum, has truly been renovated. The Broadway Bar, adjoining the Orpheum, offers a rare watering hole for before or after a performance.

Orpheum owner Steve Needleman invested $3.5 million to overhaul the 1,970-seat venue, which has hosted episodes of the television show "American Idol" and was one of several Broadway theaters used to film the movie "Dreamgirls." In recent weeks, Mr. Needleman has rented out the Orpheum for Los Angeles Fashion Week events and to Siemens AG for the launch of a new magnetic-resonance imaging machine. "I do a wide variety," he says. "I know how hard it is to fill 2,000 seats."

Mr. Needleman's parents bought the building in 1964, not for the theater itself, but for the 11 floors of garment-factory space above it. In 2001, Mr. Needleman began restoring the theater. He has since invested some $4 million separately to convert the upper floors into apartments.

The street's biggest theater landlord, Michael Delijani, is aiming to position his four venues for a range of offerings. His newest acquisition, the 300-seat Tower theater, was earning its keep one recent afternoon as the set for a "CSI" episode, replete with a New York City taxi and police car at its curb.

The jewel of Mr. Delijani's theater portfolio, the Los Angeles Theatre, has been in the family since the 1970s, but only gradually have the owners sought to restore the ornate, French-inspired interior. Reminders of past glory abound, from the chandeliers and gilded lobby decor to the auditorium's ceiling mural to the ladies restroom, where each of 16 stalls is decorated in a different color of marble.

Another Delijani property, the State Theater, once featured performances by Judy Garland. Now it is leased by an evangelical church. In addition to restoring the venue, there is "some discussion" about developing the upper floors as a boutique hotel," says Ms. Jones, the consultant.

Despite the comparisons to New York, Los Angeles's Broadway is likely to lean toward film events and concerts. Mr. Huizar, the city councilman, says, "The ultimate would be to book a [New York] Broadway show."

Mr. Westwater, a civic activist who has helped lure art galleries downtown, agrees. He is busily trying to recruit theater professionals, musical productions and live drama to Los Angeles.

Extended runs here would give tourists a reason to visit downtown and would "create a West Coast outlet to amortize the cost of putting on productions," he says.

He is confident the plan to attract New York productions will succeed, adding, "The only question is: Who is going to be the first to cut a deal and get the best terms?"

Write to Jonathan Karp at jonathan.karp@wsj.com1

Is Today's Really Bad Economic Bad News Really... Really Good News?

The always thought provoking David Leonhardt has one of his better columns in tomorrow's New York Times. Below is his opening... and his closing... on why too much economic good news can turn out to be ... bad news... just as some bad news can end up being... good news.

Better yet, though - just click on the above link and read the whole article.

November 14, 2007

Economic Scene

A Close Look Reveals Silver Linings in the Economy

By DAVID LEONHARDT

Until yesterday’s rally on Wall Street, the news on the business pages has sounded pretty grim lately. Stocks are still down 6 percent from their peak this year, and oil is near a record high. The dollar, incredibly, is worth only 96 Canadian cents. And house prices will be falling for a long time to come.

So in an effort to cheer everyone up before Thanksgiving, this column is going to focus today on some good news. Here it is:

Stocks are still down 6 percent from their peak, and oil is near a record high. The dollar, incredibly, is worth only 96 Canadian cents. And house prices will be falling for a long time to come.

Seriously.

As long as the financial system doesn’t have a major meltdown, none of these developments will turn out to be as bad as you think. Some of them are downright welcome.

Too often, we think about the economy without nuance. We treat it as a local sports team that is either winning or losing, up or down. We’re always supposed to be rooting for stocks and homes to become more valuable and for oil and overseas vacations to become more affordable.

But that’s not quite right. There are real downsides to an economy full of expensive assets and inexpensive resources. There are also a lot of people who are better off because of the recent turmoil. You may well be one of them.

And in his closing paragraphs...

The other ostensible pieces of bad news have their own silver linings. As the cost of gas has soared to $3 a gallon, from an inflation-adjusted low of about $1.20 in 1999, Americans have finally started buying more efficient cars and trucks. For the first time since the mid-1980s, the fuel economy of new vehicles has increased for two straight years, the Environment Protection Agency recently reported. This will slow global warming and make life a little less comfortable for oil-rich autocrats (though not nearly as much as a carbon tax would).

The fall of the dollar, meanwhile, may be precisely what the world economy needs right now, as James Paulsen of Wells Capital Management points out. It provides a lift to the sagging American economy, by allowing companies in the United States to export more, while encouraging consumers to spend less on imports and save more.

It’s not even clear that falling house prices are such a bad thing. They don’t really matter for families who aren’t planning to move. They don’t even matter much for families moving to a similar house in a similar market. The house they are buying will have gotten cheaper, too.

Families hoping to buy their first house, on the other hand, clearly benefit. (Easy for me to say, though. As my boss pointed out when he heard about this column, I’m a renter and still decades from retirement.)

There is no question that people have gotten hurt this year. Many families have struggled to pay their bills. Others have had to delay retirement, and thousands have lost their homes to foreclosure. In an ideal world, the imbalances in the economy would never have become so extreme.

But once they did, what, really, was the alternative to the recent turmoil? An ever-higher stock market, ever-cheaper oil or an ever more insane mortgage market wouldn’t have solved the problems of the American economy. It would have made then worse.

E-mail: leonhardt@nytimes.com

Correction Of The Century! Paris Hilton - And Binge Drinking Elephants!

I'd comment on the below correction - but... what could I possibly add??

CORRECTIVE: Paris Hilton Story

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

(11-13) 15:44 PST GAUHATI, India (AP) --

In a Nov. 13 story, The Associated Press incorrectly reported that Paris Hilton was praised by conservationists for highlighting the problem of binge-drinking elephants in northeastern India. Lori Berk, a publicist for Hilton, said she never made any comments about helping drunken elephants in India.


The AP

Los Angeles Times Posts Daily Circulation - INCREASE!

Read all the bad, bad news for major newspapers today in Editor & Publisher - but at the bottom of the below excerpt is the surprise that the LA Time's daily circulation has gone UP by .5%! Now Sunday did drop by 5.1%, but that is also the period when the TV guide was dropped, so that maybe a one time loss. As for what this all means - more in a later post.

First FAS-FAX Numbers: Many Top Papers Take Big Hits

By Jennifer Saba

Published: November 05, 2007 8:10 AM ET

NEW YORK The Audit Bureau of Circulations released circulation numbers for more than 700 daily newspapers this morning for the six-month period ending September 2007. Of the top 25 papers in daily circulation (see chart, separate story), only four showed gains.

According to an analysis of ABC figures, for 538 daily U.S. newspapers, circulation declined 2.5% to 40,689,617. For 609 papers that filed on Sunday, overall circulation dropped 3.5% to 46,771,486. The percentages are based on comparisons from the same period a year ago.

For The New York Times, daily circulation fell 4.51% to 1,037,828 and Sunday plunged 7.59% to 1,500,394, at least partly due to a price increase.

Daily circulation at The Washington Post was down 3.2% to 635,087 and Sunday was down 3.9% to 894,428.

Daily circulation at The Boston Globe tumbled 6.6% to 360,695 and Sunday fell about the same, 6.5% to 548,906.

The Wall Street Journal was down 1.53% to 2,011,882 daily but USA Today posted a gain of 1% to 2,293,137.

The New York Post slipped this period with daily circ down 5.2% to 667,119 and Sunday fell 5% to 405,486. New York's Daily News also showed declines in daily circ down 1.7% to 681,415 while Sunday decreased 6.8% to 726,305.

At the Chicago Tribune, daily circulation slipped 2.9% to 559,404 and Sunday fell 2% to 917,868.

Its sister publication, the Los Angeles Times, grew slightly up 0.5% to 779,682, while Sunday fell 5.1% to 1,112,165.

DLANC City West Special Election For Resident Board Seat! Tuesday Nov. 6th!

Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Special Election for City West
Residential Representative

On Tuesday November 6th between 7 PM and 7:30 PM within the SEIU 347 office at
1015 Wilshire Blvd. 90017, a town hall meeting will be held where the
vacated DLANC City West Residential seat will be filled by a show of hands. Free parking is available on the roof of the building off of St. Paul.
The City West District is west of Harbor Freeway starting at Bixel and 8th and then north along Bixel to 7 th, then west to Witmer until 6th, then east on 6th to Bixel until Bixel hits Emerald on the other side of the new high school and then North to 1st, then east to Beaudry and then north to the Hollywood Freeway.

Registration will start at 7:00 PM and all potential voters and candidates will be required to bring proof they live within the boundaries of the City West Residential District. At 7:30 PM, each candidate will be given 3 minutes to speak after which a vote will be held. If no one has a majority of the votes, then an immediate run-off will be held between the two highest vote getters. Candidates are also asked to have an alternate (who will attend board meetings when they are not available) with them, but that is not required.

For the exact location of boundaries go to www.dlanc.com and in our bylaws section – linked at the bottom of the page – you can check out the map that is in Appendix
'A'. Additional information about DLANC can also be found on the website. If you do
not have web access or if you have any questions about DLANC or this election, you can call Brady Westwater at 213-804-8396.