Victor Caballero
This blog is written by Victor Caballero. I write about a wide variety of topics ranging from music to community events to energy.

Get ready for a massive tomato shortage.

Skirball Cultural Center presents

MAKING FACES

Playful Portraits of People You Know by Hanoch Piven

March 10–July 18, 2010

Free admission

Israeli artist makes witty caricatures from everyday objects

Left: Albert Einstein, published in The Atlantic Monthly, 1998; light bulb, cables, gears, and gouache on paper.

Right: Madonna. published in Ma’ariv, Israel, 2008;

Hamsa, toy nun, Star of David, Kabbalah string, spiked bracelets, and gouache on paper.

LOS ANGELES—Israeli illustrator Hanoch Piven (b. 1963) has made “drawing with objects” his specialty. Known worldwide for his ingenious caricatures, Piven depicts celebrities in collages that are at once affectionate, irreverent, and incisive. From March 10 through July 18, 2010, the Skirball Cultural Center presents Piven’s artistry in Making Faces: Playful Portraits of People You Know by Hanoch Piven; admission to the exhibition is free. Featuring cultural icons such as Sigmund Freud, Michael Jackson, President Barack Obama, and Madonna, the exhibition will highlight six original collages—including a never-before-seen portrait of Arnold Schwarzenegger—as well as sixteen large-scale photographs of Piven’s most memorable portraits. In addition, Piven will give a public lecture and lead art workshops for adults and children in the early days of the exhibition.

Making Faces showcases Piven’s playful perspective on celebrity and popular culture. Using common everyday objects, Piven evokes a subject’s facial characteristics, personality quirks, and even

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biography. He requires few objects to do so: Albert Einstein is instantly recognized by his electrical-wire mop of hair, Barbra Streisand by her microphone nose. Piven’s choice of items makes for not only humorous but keen commentary on his subjects’ lives. Richard Nixon’s head is a child’s tape player; Homer Simpson has donuts for eyes and a trash-can mouth. Charles Darwin’s passion for the life sciences is captured in his portrait, with feathers representing his signature beard, sea shells standing in for eyes, and a wind-up monkey toy acting as his nose.

Piven describes how he developed his portrait technique: “I started working in this style in the fall of 1990, after Saddam Hussein conquered Kuwait and shortly before the Gulf War began. I happened to drop a box of matches on top of my painting of Saddam, which made me realize that the matches not only made a perfect mustache, but also represented how Saddam was about to light the world on fire.”

Piven teaches his easy-to-learn collage style around the world in workshops for adults and children. He explains, “I teach ‘non-artists’ to draw with objects. The technique allows them to overcome past artistic frustrations by making the process playful and redefining what ‘drawing’ can be.”

The Skirball will give visitors various opportunities to learn from and experience the artist’s techniques hands-on. On Thursday evening, March 11, the artist will discuss his unique methodology in an illustrated lecture entitled “Hanoch Piven—I Make Faces.” The artist will offer family-friendly workshops on Sunday, March 14, and a one-day adult course on Sunday, March 21.

Piven will make several additional appearances in Southern California in a tour supported by the Consulate General of Israel, Los Angeles. In addition to the Skirball, Piven is expected to visit ArtPower! at University of California, San Diego (Monday, March 8); Art Center College of Design, Pasadena (Thursday, March 11); and MATI – Israeli Cultural Center, in collaboration with Israeli House and the Consulate General of Israel (Saturday, March 13).

About the Artist

Born in Uruguay and now based in Barcelona and Tel Aviv, Hanoch Piven has been making his distinctive collage caricatures since 1990. They have appeared on the covers of major publications on both sides of the Atlantic, including Time, Newsweek, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, The Times (London), The Guardian and Israel’s Ha’aretz and Ma’ariv. His work is in the permanent collection of the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. A recipient of the prestigious Gold Medal from the New York Society of Illustrators in 1994, Piven has published six children books in the

United States, notably: What Presidents Are Made Of, selected by Time as one of the Ten Best Children’s Books of 2004; What Athletes Are Made Of (2006); and My Dog Is as Smelly as Dirty Socks (2007). FACES by Hanoch Piven: 78 Portraits from Madonna to the Pope was published in the U.S. in 2002.

Over the last several years, Piven has led dozens of creative art workshops all over the world. He has worked with populations ranging from infant cancer patients in hospitals to street kids in Guatemala

City. In 2008, Piven’s first television program, Superstuff, was created for the Israeli pre-school channel HOP. That same year, Piven created twenty chapters for the award-winning Catalan TV

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program Una Ma de Contes (A Handful of Stories), whose goal is to encourage children to look at the world with fresh eyes.

More information on Hanoch Piven is available at www.pivenworld.com and on his blog, www.drawger.com/piven/.

Related Programs at the Skirball

The Skirball will present the following exhibition-related programs:

• HANOCH PIVEN—I MAKE FACES

Thursday, March 11, 7:30 p.m.

$12 General; $10 Skirball Members; $6 Full-Time Students

Celebrating the opening of the exhibition, Hanoch Piven gives a lively illustrated lecture about his one-of-a-kind art and his notable career.

• FACE TIME WITH HANOCH PIVEN

Making Portraits with Everyday Objects

Sunday, March 14, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. or 2:30–3:30 p.m.

$15 General; $10 Children 2–12

$10 Skirball Member Adult; $8 Skirball Member Child

Ages 4 and up; children must be accompanied by an adult

Limited space; advance registration recommended

Hanoch Piven leads families on a tour of Making Faces, then teaches participants how to use repurposed materials to create their own Piven-inspired works of art.

• MAKING FACES

Playful Portraits Art Workshop

Sunday, March 21, 2:00–4:00 p.m.

$25 General; $20 Skirball Members; $15 Full-Time Students

Limited space; advance registration required

In this one-day workshop designed especially for adults, Hanoch Piven dmonstrates the relationship between everyday objects and people’s personalities.

For more information about these programs, including ticketing and registration, visit www.skirball.org.

THE EXHIBITION IS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF ISRAEL, LOS ANGELES.

Visiting the Skirball

The Skirball Cultural Center is located at 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049 (exit 405 Freeway at Skirball Ctr Dr). Parking is free. The Skirball is also accessible by Metro Rapid Bus 761. Museum hours: Tuesday–Friday 12:00–5:00 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; closed Mondays and holidays, including March 30 and May 19. Admission to Making Faces: Playful Portraits of People You Know by Hanoch Piven is free to the public. Admission to all other exhibitions: $10 General; $7 Seniors, Full-Time Students, and Children over 12; $5 Children 2–12. Exhibitions are always free to Skirball Members and Children under 2, and to all visitors on Thursdays.

The Skirball is also home to Zeidler’s Café, which serves innovative California cuisine in an elegant setting, and Audrey’s Museum Store which sells books, contemporary art, music, jewelry, and more.

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About the Skirball

The Skirball Cultural Center is dedicated to exploring the connections between 4,000 years of Jewish heritage and the vitality of American democratic ideals. It welcomes and seeks to inspire people of every ethnic and cultural identity. Guided by our respective memories and experiences, together we aspire to build a society in which all of us can feel at home. The Skirball Cultural Center achieves its mission through educational programs that explore literary, visual, and performing arts from around the world; through the display and interpretation of its permanent collections and changing exhibitions; through an interactive family destination inspired by the Noah’s Ark story; and through outreach to the community.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 4, 2010

Media Contacts:

Katie Klapper, (323) 874-9667, katie@katieklapper.com

Mia Cariño, (310) 440-4544, communications@skirball.org

Is Tiger Woods returning? When

If you are in the food business and in particular natural food products, then you are probably attending the Natural Products Expo in Anaheim 2010 which started yesterday.

What are some of the most anticipated products?

Are there some products not to be missed?

Will there be some new trends established at this expo?

These are some of the questions we are looking to answer as we attend and browse and discuss the hundreds of products being displayed and sampled this year.

Congratulations to all the companies attending the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim this year.

It was interesting to shop at Costco and see prices marked down on soon to be expiring perishable food items. For instance a chicken lasagna dish was discounted to $6 from probably $10 or more.

A container of salsa was discounted to $2 from $5 or so.

Good discounts and way for Costco to clear items out.

This was my first time seeing this and it was a welcome day to my shopping experience.

Costco just came out with their new coupon book and there are some pretty good deals in there, from food to household items.

Don’t miss out if you are a Costco member.

Paramore takes the 2010 Honda Civic Tour Full-Throttle on the
Hottest Coast-to-Coast “Green” Tour

Paramore’s Customized Honda Civic Si Coupe to be Won by Lucky Fan

(NEW YORK, NY) March 11, 2010 — Paramore jump-starts the hottest music scene this summer as the
headliner for the 2010 Honda Civic Tour. American Honda Motor Co., Inc. announced the participation
of the 2008 and 2009 Grammy-nominated band today. The tour will kick off July 23 in Raleigh, NC and
visit 31 U.S. cities and one Canadian city.
Over the past decade, the Honda Civic Tour has provided nearly two million fans with an exclusive,
interactive concert experience with up close and personal access to their favorite bands. Honda Civic
Tour continues this commitment in 2010 by supporting extraordinary musical artists Paramore. The
band will take the stage with the infectious material off their gold certified third album, brand new eyes,
the studio follow-up to 2007’s RIOT! (which has sold over two million copies worldwide). brand new
eyes brings driving, fist-pumping anthems to truly stun fans on this year’s 2010 Honda Civic Tour.
Joining Paramore on tour are Tegan and Sara, the hugely popular singer-songwriter sisters who released
their sixth studio album, Sainthood, in 2009. Other amazing supporting artists will be announced at a
later date. Members of Paramore’s fan club will have access to an exclusive pre-sale March 22, with
advance tickets also available March 23 on www.HondaCivicTour.com. The general on-sale date is
March 27, beginning at 10 a.m. (check your local listings). As always on the Honda Civic Tour, tickets will
be priced for maximum affordability for all fans. Become a fan today and register for pre-sale info and
codes, as well as tour updates, at www.Facebook.com/HondaCivicTour.
“We’re so stoked to be a part of the 2010 Honda Civic tour. It’s a big deal to have our name at the top of
that bill. Not only does Honda bring great bands and their fans together every year to rock, but they’re
really carrying the banner and helping to make concerts environmentally friendly,” said Paramore lead
singer Hayley Williams. “We’re looking forward to rocking out GREEN with you this summer. See you at
the show!”
Beyond sensational live music, Honda Civic Tour is also deploying an exciting environmental action plan.
Partnering with Reverb (a leader in the “greening” of concert tours), the 2010 Honda Civic Tour will
again be a green tour, with onsite concert innovations to help green the music industry and reach its
millions of fans by promoting simple actions. Details at www.HondaCivicTour.com.

The 2010 Honda Civic Tour featuring Paramore aims to encourage fans that it’s easy to be green. A
portion of every ticket purchased will be donated into an eco-fund designated for sustainability efforts.
Being green can’t get any easier than buying a ticket to the 2010 Honda Civic Tour.
Continuing with the Honda Civic Tour tradition, Paramore has customized and autographed their very
own one-of-a-kind Honda Civic Si Coupe, which will travel with them on the 2010 tour. Honda Civic Tour
gives fans the unique opportunity to go beyond the typical tour experience with the chance to win this
one-of-a-kind Paramore Honda Civic Si Coupe. Please visit www.Facebook.com/HondaCivicTour to
become a fan and receive updates with more information on the sweepstakes opening soon.
Paramore’s acclaimed third album, brand new eyes, features two Top 10 Modern Rock hits, “Ignorance”
and “Brick By Boring Brick.” The collection was among 2009’s biggest popular and critical successes,
debuting at #2 on the Billboard 200 and coming in as the “Album of the Year” in Alternative Press’
“Readers Poll ’09,” as well as the #2 favorite on the magazine’s own “Best Albums of 2009” tally. The
New York Times’ Jon Caramanica placed “brand new eyes’ on his 2009 Top 10, praising it for “choruses
(that) roll up like tidal waves.” SPIN magazine counted brand new eyes among its “40 Best Albums of
2009,” noting that Paramore have “entered the rarified world of rock that matters.” Further honors
keep piling up, with Paramore recently being declared “Favorite Rock Band” at the 2010 People’s Choice
Awards and “Best International Band” at the NME Awards.
Past Honda Civic Tour headliners include The Black Eyed Peas, Fall Out Boy, Blink-182, Everclear,
Incubus, Good Charlotte and New Found Glory, Dashboard Confessional, Maroon 5 and, most recently,
Panic at the Disco.
Produced by Marketing Factory, the Honda Civic Tour brings innovation and environmental
consciousness to the masses by combining the hottest in automotive technology with the hottest in
music.
Visit the official Honda Civic Tour website at www.hondacivictour.com or paramore.net for more
information.
About Honda Civic
The Honda Civic meets the needs of a diverse audience with economical and fun-to-drive performance
in a wide variety of choices and styles. Offering five distinct models, the lineup includes the
technologically advanced Civic Sedan and Coupe models, a Civic Hybrid, a high-performance Civic Si and
a dedicated natural gas-powered Civic GX. All Civics were recently enhanced inside and out for the 2009
model year with new exterior styling, colors and increased availability of tech-friendly features. The
Civic’s reputation for durability, quality and reliability helps it stand apart from the crowd.
About Reverb
Reverb is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2004 by environmentalist Lauren Sullivan and
her musician husband, Adam Gardner of Guster. Reverb provides turn-key greening programs for artists’
tours while conducting grassroots outreach and education with music fans everywhere. Reverb’s
greening program is generously funded with tour proceeds.

Media Contacts:
Rogers & Cowan, Honda Civic Tour
Fran Curtis / Caitlin McNamara / Lauren Wilsman
212-445-8423 / 212-445-8232 / 212-445-8486

fcurtis@rogersandcowan.com / cmcnamara@rogersandcowan.com / lwilsman@rogersandcowan.com

Paramore
Christina Kotsamanidis
212.707.2241

Christina.Kotsamanidis@atlanticrecords.com

American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
Christina Ra
310.795.8584

christina_ra@ahm.honda.com

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Pedestrian Safety Campaign.

Drivers need to pay attention as police officers are going to be enforcing South Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Parking Tickets

Apparently there is a big

40,000 parking ticjets

12% are broken

If the meter says FAIL you should be able to park there.

Different districts have different methods.

1/2

40% of complaints deemed valid

citations can be

pull and and the meter says fail, call the hotline to report the trouble 877.

Los Angeles Meters and Parking

Hydra Dumps 15,000 Affiliates

Hydra Affiliate Network Terminates Thousands of Affiliates

American Idol Michael Lynche – Michael Lynch (Maxwell’s “This Woman’s Work”)

Nomar Garciaparra rejoined the Red Sox for one day and then retired,

Wine of the Day: Chronic Cellars: Sofa King Bueno 2008
from Paso Robles

2008 Sofa King Bueno

66% Syrah
12% Petite Sirah
11% Grenache
11% Mourvedre

Juicy fruits, bing cherries and ripe blackberries followed up by notes of toasted vanilla, cinnamon spice and clove. Consistent flavor, well-integrated fruit and delicate tannins. Mouth-filling and seductive with no hard edges – a Rhône blend with a bit of sass!

This is a blend:
66% syrah
12% Petite Sirah
11% Grenache
11% Mourvedre
Wishes come in one hand. Chronic in the other

Chronic Cellars
(805) 237-7848
www.chroniccellars.com

Chronic Cellars Tasting Room
2020 Nacimiento Lake Drive
Paso Robles, CA 93446

Tasting Room Hours:
Thursday – Monday 11:30am-5:30pm

Phone:  805-237-7848
Fax: 805-237-7532

Looking for some alternatives to Norton AntiVirus?

Here’s a few:
Virus, Spyware & Malware Protection | Microsoft Security Essentials
Microsoft Security Essentials provides real-time protection for your home PC that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software

http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

Another option is from AVG:

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0Basic antivirus and antispyware protection for Windows available to download for free. Limited features, no support, for private and non-commercial use only. http://free.avg.com/us-en/download
or download direct here:

$10 for $20 Worth of Coffee, Smoothies, Pastries, and more from Javatinis Coffee
Get it now

David (Javatinis Coffee Founder)

* Fresh roasted coffee
* Many varieties
* Two locations
* Pastries, smoothies, and more

During WWII, American soldiers developed acute Javanitis disorder, characterzied by their inability to really wake up before their morning cup of coffee and raging moonlit parties. For $10, today’s Groupon gets you $20 worth of fresh roasted coffee and unroasted pastries at Javatinis Coffee. There’s no need to use this deal all at once; Javatinis will provide you with a voucher for any unused portion to be redeemed at any later date before the six month expiration, at either their Laguna Hills or Costa Mesa stores.

Top notch Arabica beans arrive green at Javatinis, each pack mule still wet from its long journey over sea. With 11 blends of African, Latin American, and Asian beans, you can have a different cup of liquid alchemy for almost every day of week (12 oz. bags start at $11). Javatinis allows you to choose your roast level, picking from nine stages of increasingly deadly heat, with the final roast level applied by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

The whole fresh roasting process takes less than 15 minutes, during which you can nibble on a huge Cornerstone muffin ($2.25) or scone ($2.25), or wait to dunk a croissant ($1.25) into your cup while using free WiFi. Find out how Javatinis baristas stay so effervescent by trying their titular drink creation–two espresso shots mixed with ice, vanilla, and cream, strained into a martini glass ($3.25). Keep it simple with a small coffee ($1.60) or latte ($2.95). For a potion less perking, look no further than their smoothies with crushed fresh fruit and green tea ($4.25).

Norwalk Home Invasion 7 Year Old Boy Calls 911

A home in Norwalk was the scene of a home invasion robbery. The parents and 7 year old boy where home.

When the robbers broke in they took the parents hostage. The 7 year old boy grabbed the phone and called 911 locked in the bathroom. Telling the operator what was going on in the home.
Once the robbers found out what was going on, they broke the door open to the bathroom, and found out and ran away.

Can gum chewing cause wrinkles? Reports are coming out that chewing gun could lead to wrinkles.
You would think that chewing gum would strengthen the gum and tissue, but apparently it breaks down the tissue. Also if you have fillings and other work to your teeth, it could lead to problems with the work.
We understand that the gum chewing must be habitual, so we are talking at least a pack a day and the way some people chew gum, hard or soft.

Breaking News Corey Haim has passed away. Apparently an accidental drug overdose.

Corey Haim was 38 years old. Apparently taken to St Joseph Hospital in Burbank, CA but did not make it. Apparently passing at 4am. March 10, 2010.

Corey Haim was living at the Oakwood apartments with his mother in the Burbank/Hollywood area off of Barham. He was taken from his apartment where the drug overdose apparently took place.

Quoted as saying that he battled drugs and drinking, crack and cocaine.

Taking upwards of 10 valiums at a time.

The Lost Boys
Licensed to Drive
The Tube Cories

Filed for Bankruptcy
Full page in Variety

Corey Haim -
Corey Ian Haim (born December 23, 1971) is a Canadian actor, known for a 1980s Hollywood career as a teen idol. He starred or co-starred in a number of
Early life and career – Late 1980s – 1990s – 2000s
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corey_Haim

Corey Haim’s Official Website
Corey Haim’s Official Website contains news about The Two Coreys’ new TV Show, photos, biography, filmography, and upcoming appearances of Corey Haim.
www.coreyhaim.us