Even Before Projected El Nino Winter Rains - Colorado River Basin Spring Rains Will Cover California's 2015 & 2016 Minimum Allotment of Colorado River Water

In fact, with all but one of the states that take water out of the Colorado River having 100% or more of their normal May rainfall (California was the laggard at 70%), there is already enough water arriving in storage facilities to cover the minimum allotments of each state for 2015, 2016 - and even part of 2017 even without any additional rain.  And with the current tropical storm hitting Colorado and adjacent states...

This Thursday's map of June's continuing strong thunderstorms in the Great Basin  courtesy of The Weather Channel
...... June is looking to be another wet month.  But, so far, this is only short term good news since the water levels in all the river's storage facilities are still far below normal and the snow levels that normally feed the river during the spring and the summer, are also still below normal. 

Two Reasons Why Kirk Kerkorian Was One of the Great Angelinos - and One of Those Men They Just Don't Make Any More

          a photo of Kerkorian during his early years in real estat  
 A native Californian born of immigrant parents, Kirk Kerkorian was one of the last of the great - larger than life characters who used to populate this city - and who also once made Los Angeles a great city. In contrast to today's business leaders who sell LA businesses to companies in other states and other countries, Kirkorian instead bought businesses in other states, and then owned them through his LA based holding company, Tracinda.

One early example of his attitude towards life was - to make certain he would be a pilot in the coming war, he first privately learned how to fly – and later signed up as a pilot with the RAF Air Transport Command to deliver new planes from Canada to England for 2 ½ years by flying them over the North Atlantic and then having to fly back over the North Atlantic on another plane. 

And despite the fact that prior to the start of the war, only 50% of all flights over the North Atlantic ever reached the other side, Kerkorian delivered 33 US and Canadian planes to the RAF in England.

For the more 'conventional' aspects of his life, here is the LA Times story.

And Here are some of TODAY's $1 books on my Last Day at The Last Bookstore.

First, here is why this day - Sunday May 17th -  is my last day at The Last Bookstore at 5th & Spring in Downtown LA.

Second, among the just arrived $1 books are over 200 books on film and TV, over 50 books on new media & media studies and and - very recently - over 50 books on the theater - and over a different play.  Our woman's studies section now has over 150 books in i, our psychology section has close to 1,000 books in it and our long empty natural section is now filled with books - including six different ones on just elephants!

We also have an incredible number of Robert Parker large hardcover novels as well as hardcover novels of over 30 different authors we almost never get any books of - much less hardcover books - such as Alexander McCall Smith.  Many more posts on just arrived inventory  to follow in next few hours....  And we are open until 9  PM tonight

UPDATE

Over a hundred $1graphic novels have just been put out - along with 2 boxes of cook books - along with a bit of everything else you can imagine...

This is My LAST Day.. curating... the Labyrinth at The Last Bookstore

I'll have more to say about this - and about some of the great books that on on sale for $1 today, but first here is the post from The Last Bookstore and below that is a list of some of the great $1 books on sale this Sunday afternoon.

May 12, 2015

Off to Greener Pastures

Sunday, May 17th will be Brady Westwater’s last official day in the Labyrinth Above the Last Bookstore. The Last Bookstore is sad to say goodbye to Brady as a daily fixture at the store, but we are very excited to see all that Brady will do as he turns most of his time and attention back to his writing. Please join us in wishing him well, and keeping up with his latest projects.
Among the projects Brady will be shortly completing are the final edit of his literary Western novel - The Long Rider - and the final polish of a contemporary comedy screenplay – The Dalton Brothers - which is concurrently being turned into a YA novel.

He will also continue to work on two projects conceived and then started at his desk in the Labyrinth.  The first book will examine the past, the present – and future – of Downtown Los Angeles from two different points of view.
First, the concept that Downtown Los Angeles – beginning in the 1820’s and continuing into the 1860’s was the first – and eventually - the penultimate example of a Western town and that Los Angeles has continued to creating and exploring new frontiers such as film making and aviation.
Second, that one frontier Los Angeles created during the early 20^th Century –  the concept of a small central city being surrounded by multiple other cores – is now enabling Los Angeles to develop the first example of what a 21^st Century City cab might – and possibly - should be.  And, ironically, the central focus where both of these events first began to happen (almost exactly 100 years within each other) – was in the handful of blocks surrounding 5^th & Spring – where The Last Bookstore is located.
The other new project first gestated within the Labyrinth is “The Last Bookstore’s Guide to Downtown Los Angeles”; an insider’s guide of DTLA that is being designed for both its own citizens – and for its increasingly numerous visitors.
Brady will continue leading walking tours from The Last Bookstore on the weekends. His next tour is May 20th, and you can find him at the main entrance of the Last Bookstore at 11 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday. His tours have been featured in Los Angeles Magazine, GQ, and recently in American Cowboy (http://www.americancowboy.com/article/3-days-los-angeles-27784). Please check out his walking tour Facebook page for the latest on his tours and schedule: https://www.facebook.com/HistoricDowntownLosAngelesWalkingTours?fref=ts. You can also keep up with Brady and his work on his blog: http://lacowboy.blogspot.com.
If you aren’t able to come by and say goodbye before Sunday, we hope to see you on a tour with Brady soon!

And if you do come down today, among the just arrived $1 books are over 200 books on film and TV, over 50 books on new media & media studies and and - very recently - over 50 books on the theater - and over a different play.  Our woman's studies section now has over 150 books in i, our psychology section has close to 1,000 books in it and our long empty natural section is now filled with books - including six different ones on just elephants!

We also have an incredible number of Robert Parker large hardcover novels as well as hardcover novels of over 30 different authors we almost never get any books of - much less hardcover books - such as Alexander McCall Smith.  Many more posts on just arrived inventory  to follow in next few hours....  And we are open until 9  PM tonight.

UPDATE

Over a hundred $1graphic novels have just been put out - along with 2 boxes of cook books - along with a bit of everything else you can imagine...

I Need Some Advice For Someone I Know Who Is Signing Up For Medicare

I know someone who is about to miss his third enrollment period to sign up for Medicare because he doesn’t know where to get impartial - and well informed advice – for which plan he should sign up for.  And more importantly – which carrier he should sign up with.  He has also heard that by not signing up during his first enrollment period, he may have fewer options.  And his main concerns are about being able to go to any doctor he wants, not being denied due to existing conditions and – most importantly – having a provider who will allow him to try multiple strategies to attack a couple problems he has.  Any suggestions on who can answer these questions?

Why Zumthor's New Design For LACMA Makes It Even More Of A Terrorist Target

While Swiss architect Peter Zumthor has changed – and improved - his proposed plan to rebuild LACMA, his new plan also makes LACMA an ever greater target for terrorist groups.  This is particularly true of terrorist groups such as ISIS whose goal is to destroy every culture other than their own version of Islam.    

And to demonstrate they are serious, they have attacked – and destroyed – major cultural monuments in every country they have targeted.   And right after they attacked a major art & cultural museum in Tunisia, they announced they are going to destroy the Louvre when they attack Paris.

So why is LACMA still considering building the most comprehensive art and cultural institution in Los Angeles directly over a six lane road?   

A busy road where any terrorist group – or  single individual -  can drive a car – or  track – packed with military grade explosive devices – and set it off directly under the building - demolishing - and collapsing - the building and the people and the art in it.  

But now Zumthor’s new plan appears to place even more of the museum over the road and it will also provide windows so the people and the art in the museum will be visible to anyone driving on Wilshire.  But that's just part of the problem.   Even the majority of the building that is not over Wilshire will be up on stilts and it will also be just as  unnecessarily vulnerable to attack by explosive devices.  

But no one seems to want to discuss this very real danger.

Twice before (here and, here) I've brought this up – but so far – no one at LACMA or LA County has addressed how they plan to handle the unique - and pootentially catastrophic - danger this design - and only this design -  will create for Los Angeles's greatest museum.