Great for Skiiers, Bad for Motorists


Southern California was hit yesterday with an unusually strong arctic blast. Because this, our fair city and the surrounding areas are as prepared for a meteor strike as they are for the slightest fluffly snowfall, you can imagine what an "arctic blast" will do. Two-wheel SUV and hybrid vehicle-traffic came to a screeching halt as snow and ice blanketed roads, forcing the closure of several of SoCal's busiest freeways, including I-15, I-5 and Highway 14.


The storm's combination of frigid air, powerful winds and heavy precipitation dropped the snow level to an unusually low 2,000 feet, with at least 20 inches of snow in Wrightwood, 5 inches in the hills above Malibu and 6 inches or more in Palmdale, where all major routes from Los Angeles were blocked. - L.A. Times

Holiday Lights in Southern California: Festive or Tacky?

Discuss....

To Live and Die in LA


I have to believe this is 100 percent factual or a writer trying to become famous. Because people in L.A. ALWAYS seem to be looking for a place to live, one can only assume writing a post for Craigslist is as close to mainstream publishing as most people will ever get.


Either way, it's awesome.


Enjoy the latest bounty of L.A.'s Craiglist...


$400 Room in eccentric boarding house (Venice) (map)


Why would a room rent for $400 when rooms three blocks from Venice beach normally rent for $1100? Well, because the room is in a house that is nothing like any other house you will have ever lived in. Allow me to explain: I live in the backyard in a van. How's that for starters? I'm placing this ad for the loveable older gentleman who occupies the house. His name is George and he is the man you will be calling if this room interests you. I will stay out of it completely since, as I mentioned, I'm just a guy who lives in the backyard and can type. And I want to help George get some leads. The place is available right now. You could move in today if you cover the first and last month rent. It will be a share a home agreement. No lease. Just share a home. Dig? Read more....

Fire Destroys 80 Montecito Homes


Firefighters have been battling a fast-moving brush fire driven by 50- to 70-mph winds which erupted Thursday night in the hills above Montecito in Santa Barbara County. So far, it has burned 1,500 acres, and has destroyed more than 80 homes.


The blaze, dubbed the Tea fire, broke out about 6 p.m. in the coastal foothills of Montecito, where a number of celebrities live, and quickly overwhelmed firefighters with its speed. A number of evacuations have been reported.

Gen X Gives Life to Baby Boomers - Part Two

Ever one for trend-spotting, I couldn’t help but notice that there seems to have been an unusually high surge in pregnancies in the past few years. Of course it has something with the “...age we are…” (early-thirties) but it’s not just my friends who are pregnant. It’s not because I’m doing “older” things and hanging out with “older” people. These days it seems women everywhere - at Target, the car wash, the dog park, the grocery store - EVERYWHERE are knocked up.


Is this the second Baby Boom?


The U.S. is experiencing what the AP/Lexington Herald-Leader earlier in the year called a "baby boomlet," citing a reported 4.3 million births in 2006, the largest number recorded since 1961, near the end of the baby boom. (Stobbe, AP/Lexington Herald-Leader, Jan. 16, 2008).


“…Going against the trend in many other wealthy industrialised nations, the United States seems to be experiencing a small baby boom, reporting the largest number of children born in 45 years…. An Associated Press review of birth numbers dating to 1909 found the total number of US births was the highest since 1961. An examination of global data also shows that the United States has a higher fertility rate - the number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime - than every country in continental Europe…”
According to this message board, others are noticing the trend as well. (BTW, congratulations 2008 babies: the “Year of the Pig” is a great year to be born – you will be “successful and wealthy…”)


What’s more, statistics confirm that teenage pregnancies are on the rise and abortions are on decline.


This recent article also hints to a national trend of increased pregnancies.


So, if you’ve had kids in the past few years – congratulations! They’re part of what may become known as the “Second Baby Boomer Generation.” Or something more clever, like the BB2s. (Cool abbreviation, right? You heard it here first...)


Can we expect, come January 2009, we’ll see reports that 2008 surpassed 2006 in terms of total number of births? (I personally know about 10 people who have had children or are expecting children in the past six months alone!)


So, if I had to guess, I’d say yes…


Update, Nov. 13:
And what about 2009? Word on the street is that Newsweek is planning a story on a potential baby boom as a result of Americans having sex on election night... Maybe this generation should be named "Obama-babies" instead?

Credit: New York Times, Nov. 5, 2008

Mammoth Opens Early


The snow gods are smiling on the Eastern Sierra. Today, Nov. 3, marks the opening day of Mammoth Mountain ski area - 10 days earlier than planned. Mammoth Mountain is the first resort to open in California.


A snow storm dropped about a foot of snow on the mountain. According to park officials, the lower part of the mountain received 6-12 inches of snow and more snow fell at the mid-mountain level and above. Additional snow showers are expected through Tuesday morning, and snowmaking machines are also working around-the-clock.


The last time the mountain opened this early (Halloween weekend, three years ago), it was a long, fun season. Here's hoping 2008/2009 brings more of the same!

Buncha’ Slackers


For those of you who are still undecided when it comes to the presidential election, perhaps this missing link will sway you.


The Slacker Spotlight.


You guessed it: sign on to Slacker.com and you too can listen to the musical preferences of Barack Obama and John McCain. Depending on how deeply you read into stuff like this, their selections may seem surprisingly telling of how “with it” each candidate is.


Play On


There’s something for everyone: gay, straight, black, white, young, old, really old … Alabaman.


Predictably, Obama’s playlist kicks off with a song about high gas prices and all the problems in the world that he alone will fix: India Arie’s “There’s Hope.” Other favorite artists include Earth, Wind and Fire, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Sheryl Crow, Aretha Franklin, John Mayer, Elton John, Kanye West, Marvin Gaye, U2, Bruce Springsteen and of course the legendary Beyonce.


McCain’s playlist is equally as varied, but maybe more interesting. I’m not making this up:


Elvis Presley
Beach Boys
ABBA
Hank Williams Jr.
Chuck Berry
Kenny Loggins
Dooley Wilson
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Survivor
Franki Valli
The Platters
Queen
Osbourne Brothers
Darryl Worley
USHER!!
AC/DC
Daddy Yankee


Am I alone in having a hard time picturing John McCain EVER enjoying AC/DC, even when he was young(er)? Maybe “Back in Black” and “Highway to the Danger Zone” were ringing through his helmet while he was crashing all those planes? And who the hell is Daddy Yankee? (Just Googled him. He’s a Latin Grammy winner.)


Oh, yeeeeaaah – need to appeal to the Latinos… Score one McCain. (Quick, someone alert the Obama campaign and tell them to add Ozomatli to the list. Wait. What? Oh, it’s already on there…)


That’s our guy, always one step ahead with a less-obvious, genuine choice. At least he’s consistent.


Well-played, Obama.

Trying to stay nonpartisan for purposes of this blog... failing miserably.


Check out the latest pro-Obama movement - PSAs produced by the Malibu-based non-profit Heal This Nation.


It's refreshing to see even the most steadfast Obama supporters take an inspiring, aboveboard approach to endorsing their candidate. Unlike the GOP, which counts on their herd-mentality supporters blindly believing (and parroting) any negative, slanderous mis-information they concoct and spoon-feed to FOX News.


The Heal This Nation :30, :45 and :60 second segments are scheduled to run in key battleground states in the coming weeks. (If you're in one of them and you're still not sure who you're voting for - you need to make up your mind and fast!)


Here's hoping these PSAs, coupled with this Friday's release of Oliver Stone's latest satirical biopic "W" - not to mention McCain's sloppy, erratic campaign in its own right - should seal the deal for this election.


Fingers crossed.

Generation Y Not?


Christine Hassler knows twenty-somethings. And a whole lot more.


As a best-selling author, counselor and motivational speaker, she’s in very high-demand.


Based in Santa Monica, Christine has made a career of researching and understanding issues that twenty-somethings commonly encounter. Now in her early thirties, she credits that understanding to her own experience with many of the same issues she faced in her twenties - everything from love, to heartbreak; career choices to body image issues.


“As a counselor, I ask the questions I call ‘The Twenties Triangle:’ Who am I, what do I want and how do I get it?”


Adept at spotting trends, especially as they relate to the 20-something sect, Christine has written not one, but two best-selling books, Twenty-Something, Twenty-Everything: A Quarter-life Woman's Guide to Balance and Direction (New World Library) and The Twenty-Something Manifesto (New World Library). She’s also a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, where she proffers advice on everything from relationships to adults who refuse to grow up (a phenomenon she's dubbed "adultolescence"). As a professional speaker, Christine leads seminars and workshops to audiences around the country.


Most recently Christine has formed a program for companies regarding the unique challenges that go along with hiring, attracting and retaining twenty-something talent – a common issue many businesses face today.


Generation Y, those born between 1978 and 1999, now make up over one-fourth of today’s workforce.


“The work ethics and attitudes of (Gen Y) are exponentially different from the Gen X’ers and Baby Boomers who are hiring and working with them,” she said. “The generational dynamic in the workplace today is increasing frustration and decreasing productivity. Employers and corporations are struggling to attract, motivate and develop Gen Y’ers who fuel aggravation due to their sense of entitlement and desire for instant gratification.”


Christine is confident there are ways to motivate these individuals. She said her program "empowers managers and executives to unlock the talent, loyalty, and work ethic of this emerging workforce."


“With the appropriate leadership and reinforcement, today’s twenty-somethings can become the type of employee who is vital to the success of a company,” she said.


For more information, visit http://www.christinehassler.com/

---

Seventy three percent of 18- to 25-year-olds have received financial assistance from their parents in the past year, and 64 percent have even gotten help with errands.

JACK FM's "Jack's Third Show" Brings Together All Kinds of Awesome


Billy Idol stole the show on Saturday as "Jack's Third Show" took the stage in Irvine. The second-to-last perfomer had the aging crowd on its feet as he belted out old favorites: "Mony, Mony," "Rebel Yell," "White Wedding," and "Dancin' With Myself."




Many fans left before the headliner, Devo, took the stage.




Other acts in attendance included the Psychedelic Furs, who opened the evening promptly at 5 p.m. Second on stage was a spirited Twisted Sister, with frontman Dee Snider looking and sounding pretty much the same as he did when he burst on to the scene in 1982 (for better or worse.)




The token female act - Deborah Harry, of Blondie - wore a keyboard-inspired number that matched the pattern on the overhead video screen. Throughout her set, she only forgot the words once - which resulted in a repetitive, unintelligible ending to "Heart of Glass" (much to the confusion of the audience and her band alike).


Kevin Cronin and the gang sang with all the gusto of a show at the height of their career, as REO Speedwagon brought the crowd together with an emotional "I Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore," and other favorites.




But the real entertainment of the evening had to be the crowd. There's nothing like reprising familiar classics amongst old-school "rockers" with their mustaches, parachute pants and do-rags... And I can't quite explain what's it's like to see a 40-something woman take off and toss her bra on stage. You just have to experience it for yourself.




I think Dee Snider said it best when he proclaimed: "There are a lot of fine lookin' MILFs out there tonight..."




Truer words were never spoken.

McCain Saves the Day

I filed my taxes by the extension deadline of Sept. 15. With everything that’s going on with the investment banks, do you think they’ll just keep my economic stimulus payment and use it as a credit towards the new taxes I’ll owe as a result of the $700 billion bailout, er, “rescue package” for the financial industry?

My prediction is this: McCain’s recent announcement to suspend his campaign to work on the economic crisis is a set-up, a trap into which the American public is unwittingly walking into.

Sure, we’re skeptical on a surface level and feel he’s more or less chickening out on the debates, coincidentally on the day when his numbers started to decline. But I believe there’s much, much more.

It’s a sinister, twisted, complicated web and I, as a lowly writer, don’t claim to understand the inner workings of Wall Street, the Treasury, mortgage-backed securities (or the republican psyche, for that matter). But I read enough to understand the basics, which entitles me to form my latest conspiracy theory… (Thanks in advance for indulging me.)  
Economic Catastrophe: Scene One. Act One.

“Gloom and Doom. Heap on the fear.”

On September 24, Bush addressed the nation in a speech that sets up the dire situation our country is facing, and stressed the need to help out the financial institutions that are the backbone of our economy – without which our country, and the world as we know it, will collapse.

In his speech, he supports the $700 billion bailout and concedes that, yes, “It is difficult to pass a bill that commits so much of the taxpayers' hard-earned money…” He went on to say, “I also understand the frustration of responsible Americans who pay their mortgages on time, file their tax returns every April 15th, and are reluctant to pay the cost of excesses on Wall Street….But given the situation we are facing, not passing a bill now would cost these Americans much more later.”

• Forget the notion that this enormous sum is essentially a blank check that would be entrusted to a non-elected official, and the plan includes no monitoring or regulation, no relief for distressed homeowners or taxpayer protection.
• Forget that the American people will have no idea where the money actually goes – or who profits from it.
• Forget the theory (also a good one), that the Bush Administration and all of their Wall Street cronies are cleverly, confusingly and hurriedly creating this bill – months before the end of his presidency - as a way to bilk a few billion (possibly TRILLION) dollars out of the American taxpayers – to again, save and BENEFIT the Power Elite (of which Bush is included).

No, here’s my prediction – maybe it’s naïve. Miraculously, somehow in this situation, McCain is going to emerge victoriously. If anyone could pull it off, it's this administration. They've gotten away with so much already.    
The set-up:

McCain wanted to postpone the debates to appear as though he was “working on this issue” more so than Obama. Now, if a new solution comes about - a new plan: one that amends or counters altogether the $700 billion proposal; one that doesn’t involve taxpayers shelling out hard-earned wages to bail out the banks – it will be touted as McCain’s “big idea.”
   
What’s more, he will use the public outcry over the government bailout as an example of why "socialist-run" programs are wrong, how they don’t work - and how opposed all Americans (regardless of their political affiliation) really are to the idea of “big government.”

It's perfect timing: the MONTH before the election. People remember the things they see the most often and most recently. This will be top-of-mind come November 4. My guess is "McCain's solution" will be presented just before then.
  
Maybe my theory is oversimplified – maybe it’s defeatist. Again, I’m no Wall Street insider. But can’t you see it now? McCain will single-handedly be painted as the guy that saves America. The White Knight. The problem-solver, directing our country out of this terrible, Great Depression-like situation.

Talk about a coup. (And scene.)

OC Exits For Dummies

I didn’t write this, but I know the guy who did. He’s been making the long journey from Hermosa Beach to Costa Mesa everyday for the past five years. The hilarious/sad part is: he wrote this all from memory (and experience).


You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll probably suggest he get another job closer to home.


Excerpt from the email: "I've got O.C. dialed. I know every exit on the 405… "


Westminster-great stop. Motel 6, In-n-Out, 76 Station.


Bellflower-Chevron with a nice mart and easy accessed bathroom.


Brookhurst-a 1/4 mile detour earns you a plethora of choices from Exxon, Mobil and Chevron, to the holy grail: Starbucks. Plus, if you need some last-minute stirrups for your Wednesday night softball game, there is a Big 5 behind the strip mall on the left.


Best car dealers: tie -- Beach Blvd. or Lake Forest Blvd. Both have a nice selection but Beach has more white 2-wheel drive pick-ups.


Best IKEA
Harbor - way better than Carson. Known as super IKEA to insiders. Bigger, newer and has warmer cinnamon buns. Skol!


Best Airport
Three-way tie: LAX for numerous international and direct flights options, and SNA at MacCarthur for in-terminal amenities. Finally, LGB for its outside luggage carousel and trailer park-like terminals. (Sorry San Diego. You're not technically on the 405. No flights to Boston without stops in Phoenix and Cinci.)


Most useless exit:
Palos Verde - had no services or green cliffs, for that matter.


Best spot for tire change ON the freeway:
1/2 mile past Seal Beach Blvd. - there is a unusually wide shoulder, sheltered partially by a sound wall. If you get a wobble, make an effort to get here if you can't exit. It could save your life.


Finally, consider making a stop at the Magnolia Diner for late-night eats. There is a roller skating rink and go-karts across the street if you feel like taking a spin.

The Sarah and Hillary Show


The best thing on television...

Newsflash: L.A. Sucks


According to a recent poll by Travel + Leisure magazine, Los Angelenos came in dead LAST when compared to every other city in the U.S. for the friendliest people and most intelligent people categories.


What's this? No love for L.A.?


May I remind you, dear voters, that this is the same city in which Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan AND Britney Spears reside? It's like the intelligence/friendliness trifecta, right here in Southern California.


For those of you who don't know, these are the A list celebrities that entertain us, teach us how to dress, show us how to find new best friends by staging a reality TV show, and continually educate us on where to find the best restaurants /clubs / Pinkberrys in the area.


Is this abysmal ranking a sign that these things are not important or appreciated in our society today? I shudder to think.

Charleston, South Carolina took top honors for the friendliest city, and the smartest locals can apparently be found in Seattle, according to the survey. The online survey of 125,000 people ranked 25 U.S. cities in 45 categories ranging from most affordable to best-looking people.


L.A. lost those categories too.


(1) Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet: Act 4, Scene 5

Palin to America: Bring Back the Banana Clip

Tonight was a tough one for Sarah Palin.


In tonight's ABC Nightly News interview, she floundered. Had she been prepared (or had any experience with a national news outlet, sans cheering crowds before tonight), Charlie Gibson's questions may not have seemed quite so difficult.

Sarah tripped up so many times, you could almost hear the gears in her head grinding - as she tried desperately to figure out how she could get back to her key messages and "spunky" talking points. The whole exchange was borderline nonsensical as she spewed right-wing propaganda answers that didn't match the questions being asked of her.


After the interview, the Associated Press referred to Gibson as, "... an old professor unhappily recognizing that his student does not deserve a passing grade..."


As someone who's developed corporate messages and performed media training for executives - not to mention an Obama supporter - I found this process fascinating.


My favorite part of the interview was not when Charlie asked Sarah about the Bush Doctrine and she - literally - looked like a deer caught in headlights. (She couldn't respond so she started talking in broad terms about Bush's policies.)


And it wasn't when she formed a tiny fist and began punching the air for emphasis to underscore her "important" rhetoric and try to derail Charlie's line of questioning (to no avail).


It wasn't even when she repeated Charlie's name 47,000 times - an old interview technique, which affords the speaker an oft-needed "beat" to think about her next statement; and, if done effectively, allows the subject to establish a "connection" with the interviewer and his/her audience. (In this case, the technique only succeeded in an annoying, nasally repetitive delivery of "Charlie's" name and served to break the cadence of the discussion, more than anything).

No, my favorite moment was subtler, yet more direct. The excerpt is below:


GIBSON: You said recently, in your old church, "Our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from God." Are we fighting a holy war?


PALIN: You know, I don't know if that was my exact quote.


GIBSON: Exact words.

Then she tried to spin her "exact words" and her thoughts on "God's Will."

It was so very painful to watch.
Where's the Camera?


I'm really beginning to think this whole "Sarah Palin for VP" thing is a joke. If Punk'd were still on the air, I was half-expecting Ashton Kutcher to jump out from behind that chair (the one that Sarah looks so uncomfortable sitting in), and let her and everyone else know the jig is up. We all had a good laugh, now let's get on with the real election.


I'm really trying to be open-minded about this process, so I often go here to check out all the rumors that are flying around the Internet. One thing's for sure, we're getting down to the wire and things are only getting uglier.


I normally wouldn't quote a celebrity regarding a political candidate, but this one's great. (I see a "Team America II" coming on... Someone call the Film Actors Guild.) -----
"I think there's a really good chance Sarah Palin could become president, and I think that's a really scary thing... I think the pick was made for political purposes... Do the actuary tables and there's a one out of three chance, if not more, that McCain doesn't survive his first term and it'll be President Palin... It's like a really bad Disney movie. The hockey mom, you know, 'oh, I'm just a hockey mom'... and she's facing down President Putin... It's totally absurd... it's a really terrifying possibility... I need to know if she really thinks that dinosaurs were here 4,000 years ago. I want to know that, I really do. Because she's gonna have the nuclear codes." - Matt Damon, with perhaps the funniest quote on Palin I've heard yet (besides Peggy Noonan's, of course).


I've gotta' hand it to the Republicans: they accomplished something I didn't think could ever be done. They found someone who makes President Bush look smart.

Looks That Kill
__

On Sept. 11, the Environmental Working Group, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the Breast Cancer Fund, will host an upcoming discussion regarding how minimal exposure to the toxic chemicals found in our everyday products/environment can have a serious effect on our health over time. The founder of Healthy Child, Healthy World will also be there, presenting ways to reduce your child's exposure to toxic chemicals.


If you know anyone in the LA area with kids or anyone interested in the importance of going green, please pass the below along and be sure to RSVP to guarantee your space. It should be an interesting discussion.

Toxic chemicals contaminate every American's body and have been linked to serious health affects like cancer, reproductive problems and learning disabilities. Join us as we expose the hidden dangers of chemicals found in our everyday environment and common products, and focus on what we can do to change this moving forward.

What: What's Going On? A presentation and discussion on the toxic chemicals in our toys, cosmetics and in our bodies (RSVP »)

When: Thursday, the 11th of September, 6:30 p.m.

Where: Louis Room, Bullocks Wilshire Building, Southwestern Law School3050 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles (directions »)

Who: The Environmental Working Group will discuss the 287 chemicals found in the blood of 10 special people in a multimedia presentation called "10 Americans." Stacy Malkan of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and author of Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry will read an excerpt from her book about toxic chemicals in personal care products. Christopher Gavigan, author of Healthy Child Healthy World and Executive Director of the non-profit of the same name, will provide simple steps everyone can take to reduce children's exposure to toxic chemicals.

Free and open to the community. Refreshments will be served and local companies that have signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics will be on hand with personal care product samples.
RSVP to guarantee your space »

Modern-Day West Side Story

The Brentwood Grand Prix, a bicycle race, will occur on Sunday, August 17. On the local news, they’re calling this an event intended to “...educate motorists and cyclists that the two can co-exist on the roads of L.A."

----

This is particularly important since more and more people are riding bikes in light of rising gas prices. Even more important, since there's a blatant disregard for cyclists in L.A.

The race route is a "...2.3 mile loop on scenic San Vicente Blvd. in the heart of Brentwood."

==

You know the area. Brentwood. San Vicente and Barrington. The Bean. CPK. Whole Foods. It's all right there.

It's like a rite of passage. If you move to L.A. at some point you've either rented an apartment, or you've crashed on a couch at a friend's house after a night of partying at Q's on Wilshire. The next morning you walked to Coral Tree Cafe or, if you were feeling poor, Noah's Bagels.

I used to live in Brentwood. Five years ago. When it was even less crowded than it is now. This is motorist-central, where - even though there's a bike lane - cars rule the road. They race around corners, run red lights, block intersections, refuse to merge, make illegal turns, and honk. Always with the honking...

• This is the area where my roommates and I couldn't invite friends over certain times of the day because there was no parking on the street.
• This is the area where my boyfriend (now husband's) car was innocently parked on the side of the road when another car careened into it - doing enough damage to total it.
• This is the area where one friend (who still lives there) has had THREE cars broken into and/or STOLEN in the past six years.
• Last but not least (and perhaps most pertinent to this post): this is also the area where, when riding my bike to work one day, I was inches away from being pummelled by a driver coming way too fast out of an alley.

Do I think more people should ride bikes in L.A.?
Yes. Biking keeps you fit. It reduces CO2 emissions and - if enough people did it - it could unclog the overcrowded streets.
Do I think it's a good idea to "educate motorists" about respecting and being aware of cyclists?
Considering in the not-so-distant-past I became intimate with the grill of Mr. Land Rover Discovery, um, yeah.
Do I think anyone driving in L.A. will listen to this group's message?
Sadly, probably not.
The city offers motorists a guaranteed fast-track on the always-glutted 405 if they would simply CARPOOL. The HOV lane, most Angelenos assume, is a "trick." It looks like a passing lane, yet apparently you get in trouble if you use it for that ("...what double lines, officer?")
People love their cars. Until we get a reliable, efficient, LOGICAL transportation system (like a train system that doesn't require all passengers to connect downtown), the traffic in L.A. and lack of respect for bicyclists will never change.
At least the Brentwood Grand Prix is a step in the right direction. On second thought, blocking off this major thoroughfare on a weekend day may only further enrage motorists.
Good luck, guys.
To find out more about the race that's (by coincidence or necessity?) sponsored by West L.A. Urgent Care and TWO attorneys-at-law, visit http://www.brentwoodgrandprix.com/