Travel Rx

According to a recent report in Condé Nast Traveler, Your Next Vacation Could Save Your Life.

Suggestions for getting the greatest health benefits out of your next escape?

• Take at least a week's time off
• Keep travel through various time zones to a minimum to avoid jet lag
• Maximize your free time - don't check email, call home, etc. It cuts into "me" time
• Chose somewhere that offers some social interaction opportunities (i.e. a resort over a remote cabin in the woods). Making new friends has been shown to "increase the restorative powers of vacation."
• Engage in a moderate level of exercise - even if it's just walking
• Choose a place with long, lazy sunny days. (Way better than a place with cold, dark ones. Duh.)

The report also digs the knife in a little deeper when comparing the U.S. to other countries - like Germany - where a six-week vacation is mandatory for all full-time workers. According to the report, 34 percent of American workers never use the meager vacation time they do have!

It's time to start. Your life depends on it...

Sweet Treats

SusieCakes, an "All-American Home-Stye Bake Shop," is now open in Manhattan Beach. Check out their signature frosting-filled cupcakes (red velvet and mocha are personal favorites)!

They've got other stuff worth trying: lemon bars, cookies and the like; but skip the whoopie pie-flavorless sugary filling enveloped in too-soft cookies.

My recommendation: save the calories for the cakes.

SusieCakes

3500 N. Sepulveda Blvd
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(310) 303-3780

Six? All.

Perhaps the most debauchery-filled weekend in the South Bay is none other than the first weekend of August. The event: Six Man.

Six Man (noun): The Coachella of volleyball tournaments, the event spans one weekend in the middle of summer in the upscale community of Manhattan Beach. Each team is comprised of six players, either male or female (no co-ed). It’s about $500 for each team to enter. Professional players are welcome, but the majority of participants are amateurs. Many of the teams get sponsors. Many of those sponsors are alcoholic beverage companies. Or bars. The teams dress up in costumes to promote their brand. Costumes range from the hilarious, to the clever, to the beyond provocative. Creative themes include naughty nurses, sexy ballerinas, Oompa Loompas, the Los Angeles Lakers.

Now I know what you’re thinking, how could an event that revolves around half-naked, totally trashed men and women – and volleyball - be all bad?

Think of the South Bay as one big college campus – with older students. Manhattan Beach (and parts of El Porto) to the north are like the main hall, and Redondo Beach to the south is kinda’ like the old annex. Like any college, there are cliques, rumors, illegal substance abuse and the overt juggling of significant others.

With the first month of summer in L.A. being so overcast it’s earned the nickname “June Gloom” (and it consistently delivers year after year), the beach communities have a lot of time to make up in the remaining summer months. Fourth of July festivities kick it off, but Six Man… Six Man is when the party reaches its apex. It’s a time when inhibitions are low and libidos are high.

Nearly 34,000 people live in Manhattan Beach and almost 40 percent of the population is between the ages of 25 and 44.

It’s a siren call for everyone – young and old, locals and more increasingly, international visitors, to converge in this tiny enclave of Los Angeles - crushing an area that is normally a quiet little beach community. Despite the increase in the police force, Six Man-goers have been known to revel in the streets, urinate on the beach, dance on tables, have sex in public places, and imbibe their body weight in alcoholic libations.

That is, of course, when they’re not watching the volleyball tournament.

Spotted this year:

- A beyond-intoxicated man repeatedly climbing a light pole outside of Ercoles on Highland Ave.

- A thirty (or forty)-something woman strolling on the beach near the Pier; wearing her neon pink bikini bottoms backwards

- An underaged girl "accidentally" stumbling into the middle of a game as she searched desperately for her bike. (In her defense, she was sobbing uncontrollably. Probably couldn't see through the tears.)

- Two men taking a dip in the ocean - wearing only boxer briefs

- Several “straight” men dressed up like a modern-day droogs, with a Southern California twist

- Two women dancing on a makeshift "stage" while a man inflated an inner tube - which was around one of the girl's waists.

Needless to say: a great time was had by all.

You Heard It Here First

In November 2008 I predicted, based on limited research, that the U.S. was in the throes of a baby boom in recent years. And lo and behold, the New York Times confirmed it. There were more births in 2007 than in 1957, the height of the original baby boom.

Now, whether or not a boom of "Obama babies" was spawned on election night remains to be seen. Just a few more weeks and we should know...

Update: August 11, 2009

...In 2007 alone, American women birthed more than 4.3 million babies — the highest number ever. More than a quarter of those were to women having their third or fourth child, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Photo credit: Gawker.com

Stranger Than Fiction

In the age of instant information, the media are under constant pressure to be the first to break a story. In their haste to produce news quick, sometimes facts go unchecked. And apparently, that’s okay.

With the downsizing of reporting staff, it’s not uncommon for one reporter to be responsible for writing about multiple topics with which he may not be familiar. Combine this with the plethora of social media vehicles that offer more rapid, democratized distribution channels than ever, and it's not only possible for incorrect information to get published, but to proliferate in a matter of seconds.

After the New York Times plagiarism scandal in 2003, where reporter Jayson Blair blatantly fabricated details and stole information for at least 36 of the 73 articles he wrote for the national newsdesk - one would think the media might be a little more buttoned up in terms of journalistic integrity and responsibility. Not so.

To test today's media efficacy, an Irish college student recently altered what many media and professionals consider a reliable reference - Wikipedia. When a famous composer Maurice Jarre passed away, the student purposefully misquoted the deceased and added the “fact” to Jarre’s entry in Wikipedia. To their credit: Wikipedia’s editors caught the non-referenceable statement and removed it, but it wasn’t before other reporters had read the inspiring, yet false, quote and reprinted it as their own – multiple times.

"I am 100 percent convinced that if I hadn't come forward, that quote would have gone down in history as something Maurice Jarre said, instead of something I made up," the student said. "It would have become another example where, once anything is printed enough times in the media without challenge, it becomes fact."

An even more grievous case of un-fact checking occurred In the case of Bob DeWitt, a patient who received a cardiac medical device to help his condition. The media began running Bob's inspiring story and miraculous recovery in January 2009 and didn't stop picking up the story until April 2009. The good news: more people learned about the amazing new technology that sustained Bob's life after his battle with severe heart failure. The bad news: Ever in-search of new content and feel-good health care pieces, no one bothered to check in with Bob to see how he was doing. Bob passed away in early February, shortly after the first time his story ran.

The most recent occurrence of the media’s preference for speed over accuracy occurred last Thursday when KNX 1070 NewsRadio interrupted a segment regarding the "Life and Times of Farah Fawcett" to announce that Michael Jackson had been rushed to the hospital and was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. Their source? TMZ.com.

The news, unfortunately, turned out to be true and KNX ending up breaking the story before anyone else – which, of course, is their top priority. Still, it’s a sad commentary of journalism today when KNX, "Southern California's most trusted and honored news radio station," considers a celebrity gossip and entertainment site as a credible source of information.

Photo credit: Super School University

Local Yokels

There are few things more entertaining than local TV advertisements. Here are a few favorites from SoCal and beyond.

Westminster Beachbikes

Credit MacDaddy

Jones Big Ass Truck Rental & Storage

Red House Furniture

Seal the Deal

During a recent trip to Hermosa Beach, we were reminded just how vast and marvelous the Pacific Ocean really is.

The day started pleasantly enough. Warm sun, a cool breeze; just me and my husband hanging out. Before long, a crowd started gathering not 50 feet away from where we sat. A 250 lb. baby elephant seal had washed ashore and hadn't the will or the strength to turn around and head back to sea. Tourists snapped photos. Lifeguards jabbed signs into the sand warning people to stay 25 feet from the wild animal, as it is protected by California state law.

We watched as a second seal appeared - bobbing in the surf, dangerously close to the shore. Maybe searching for his brother? It was all very surreal - kinda' like a Disney movie where two seals go on an adventure and one seal dares the other to get closer to "the humans." He takes the dare and accidentally beaches himself, while the other looks on helplessly from the surf.

After about 20 minutes, we began to worry. Was this seal sick? Was it going to die? I frantically searched for the number for a marine rescue in the area, remembering my friend had told me about a place in San Pedro.

No sooner did I Google and punch in the number on my phone did a white truck roll onto the beach. A very unofficial-looking marine animal specialist hopped out of the truck, strolled over to the animal and ran a series of seemingly unofficial tests to make sure the seal was okay. The rescuer held his hand up in front of and over the seal to see if he would react. (He did.) He walked around the animal and firmly squeezed his tail. (The seal let out an audible grunt in protest, indicating that he had feeling in his lower extremities.)

The worker then returned to the truck and grabbed a large, rolled up net, which he used as a stretcher. He made it look easy - sliding the baby seal onto the contraption, then carefully rolling it around him, to make sure it was secure. He then enlisted the help of the male lifeguards to effortlessly transport the little guy into the back of the truck.

The young malnourished seal was miles away from his northern California home, according to the rescue worker - but he thought he could be saved. He assured us the animal would be in good hands at the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro, a hospital for ill, injured and orphaned marine mammals that focuses on the treatment and release of rescued California sea lions, northern elephant seals, harbor seals and northern fur seals.

A happy ending to the story of the "Seal Who Strayed Too Far."

Microsoft's Vision of the Future (Parody)

The future looks pretty $%#!in good, and Microsoft is making it a reality. Can't wait for the day in-flight Twitter access is available for only $45. Talk about advanced technology.

I'm in La La Love

About a year ago, a friend turned me on to Rue La La, an exclusive, invite-only online shopping experience. Only available to members, emails are sent daily with links to the latest online "boutique" - each more fabulous than the next. Forget the end-of-season blowout sales, this is way better. 

Cynthia Vincent one day. Dior the next. Nanette Lepore, La Perla and Cole Haan. Everything from accessories, to handbags to suits and dresses are marked down, usually more than 50 percent off retail. AND once you're in, if you refer a friend and they sign up, you receive a discount off your future purchases. 

You should join. Seriously. It's as good as it sounds. Here's a special invitation link exclusively for WOS readers: http://www.ruelala.com/invite/westsepulveda

Down and Out

The jobless rate continues to rise across the country, with the three biggest jumps in unemployment occurring in California.  El Centro has a 25.1 percent jobless rate - the highest in the nation - followed closely by Merced and Yuba with rates of 20.4 percent, and 19.5 percent, respectively.

The national unemployment rate reached a quarter-century high, in March - hitting 8.5 percent. The recession has been the main catalyst. Reports now claim that the Swine Flu may also be to blame for current and future economic woes, as movie theaters and other public attractions close; and flights are canceled, due to the potential spread of the virus. So far 91 cases have been reported in 10 states. 

According to the CDC, most people will not have immunity to this new virus strain (H1N1) and, as it continues to spread, more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths are expected in the coming days and weeks.

The CDC offers tips to stay flu-free: 

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

• Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
• If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

Wagging the Hog 

It all seems serious enough, but I can't help wonder: is this a real threat, or media hype? Will the Swine Flu decimate entire communities, killing 40 million people like the Spanish Flu in 1918?  Or is this a campaign to launch a new vaccine to combat the H1N1 strain, which is expected to be tested and released in the coming months? Certainly companies like Roche, Glaxosmithkline and Solvay Biologicals know what time it is.  Currently Tamiflu (Roche's antiviral drug) is being shipped en masse to areas where the outbreak has occurred all over the world. 

Here's a thought: does the U.S. government need us to stay put for awhile for some reason - i.e. recommending we limit travel unless it's necessary - so they can upload their new big brother GPS software that will keep tabs on all Americans going in/out of the country moving forward?  

Or quite simply: is this natural selection at work in our modern-day world?

What's scarier than a pandemic? You tell me.

Make Mine a Double Cheeseburger

Here's a new trend in restaurants across the country, particularly in Los Angeles: high-end dining establishments are going back to basics - cheap food and drinks - in order to stay afloat in today's economy.

Some restaurants are even reportedly "ripping out dining room tables in order to make more bar space," an area in which they've seen increased demand. I find this trend interesting, as many upscale L.A. restaurants for years have included "comfort" food - mainstays like french fries, mac-n-cheese, sliders and the like - as part of their menu; and have convinced diners to pay a premium for them. Now, these items are all part of the "bar menu?"

Come on. What's next? Instead of bread before a meal, offering bite-sized crackers under the guise of "appetizer?" No thanks.

Take a Dive

I've recently re-discovered and developed a deep appreciation for the Redondo Beach Pier. Just a stone's throw from the homogenous South Bay communities of Manhattan and Hermosa Beach, the Redondo Pier is a world all its own. It's a place where a variety of cultures, cuisines and customs fuse together.  Perhaps more importantly, it's home to some of the best dive bars in the city. Here's a sampling:

Naja's Place - hundreds of beers on tap, live music

Old Tony's - for an amazing 180 degree view of the Pacific and a proper drink (ask for the house special: the Firechief) 

Kilkenny's Irish Pub - lotsa' beers on tap. 40 plasma screens - great for sporting events

Starboard Attitude - three words: karaoke AND beer pong. 

The bars are all located within walking distance of one another, so there's no need for a car. They're nestled right on the water, so the views are spectacular. They have friendly, knowledgeable service staff, and sometimes the nightly entertainment's not bad either. This is L.A., after all. Even the amateur performers are good. 

I'm not suggesting taking a first date here, but when you want to kick back with good friends - it doesn't get any better than this.