Fund drive learns power of recycling
Apparently, KPCC’s fundraising appeals are pretty persuasive. Rob Risko, the public station’s membership assistant, reports that he received a contribution from a homeless man who said, “I listen to your station at the mission sometimes. Here is $20 I got from selling cans to help your funds ... A.J.”
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Unreal estate: Today’s column showings (see accompanying):
* A Bel-Air estate with what Kate O’Connor of Culver City calls “one of the most ‘open floor’ plans I’ve seen. And you can’t argue with their claim of ‘natural light.’ ”
* A 3,500-square-foot property with a strangely spelled item in the bathroom, submitted by Robert Ogg of Granada Hills.
* A home with some ceilings that might prompt the new owner to invest in some room fresheners, submitted by Mary Steinberg of Marina del Rey.
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Attention, shoppers! If you’ve still got to buy something for dear old dad on this, his day, you’ll find no shortage of possibilities. However, one dispenser that I spotted has been emptied (see photo).
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Alibi pedalers: Awhile back I wrote about a guy on the Hermosa Beach pier who attempted to ride off with someone else’s bicycle and, when apprehended, said: “I thought it was a community bike.”
Well, the Goleta Valley Voice wrote about another bicycle thief who gave this explanation when he was nabbed: “I’m just trying it out.” Problem was, he didn’t take it from a bicycle shop but from a bicycle rack in front of a restaurant.
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Translation: You may recall the “Non-Stop Parking” sign photographed in Prague by Joyce Brown of Palos Verdes Estates.
I commented that folks there must lead a fast-paced life if they don’t even slow down when they park a car.
Well, Ed Schoch of Westchester set me straight on what the phrase really means. “While traveling around Hungary and what was then Czechoslovakia 15 years ago,” he said, “I discovered that ‘Non-Stop’ means open 24 hours.”
Which I guess also makes sense.
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I beg your pardon! Charles Jenner of Los Alamitos was tuned in to a closed-caption news broadcast before President Bush’s recent overseas trip when he read this statement: “President Bush is headed to Europe to meet with foreign ladies before the G-8 summit.”
Added Jenner: “I do hope they meant foreign ‘leaders.’ ”
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Food for thought: One of the questions on the final exam given by a local college professor was: “Please define journalism.” The answer from one student: “Soup of the day.”
Explained the prof: “During the class, I have used the French word jour for ‘day’ to help define ‘journalism,’ but I guess the student was a little anxious during the test.”
At least for newspapers, I’d still prefer ‘soup of the day’ over ‘fish wrap.’ ”
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MisceLAny: The San Fernando Valley Folklore Society (snopes.com) says that more phone calls are made on Mother’s Day than any other holiday. But Father’s Day is the biggest holiday in a subcategory: for collect phone calls.
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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATIMES, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A. 90012 and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.