Three little words: Commencement speaker Richard Moore...

Three little words: Commencement speaker Richard Moore figured it had all been said by the time his turn came. Nearly a dozen speakers had preceded Moore at the graduation ceremonies for Santa Monica’s Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences.

So Moore, president of Santa Monica College, walked to the dais, looked out at the spectators and intoned:

“Feelings. Adventures. Ideas.”

End of speech.

He received a standing ovation.

Five more words: In its length, if not its substance, Moore’s address recalls one of the most famous speeches in L.A. history. The latter was given in 1913 by William Mulholland, the head of L.A.’s water department, on the day that the 233-mile Owens Valley Aqueduct opened.

“The engineers at the top of the hill turned the wheels that would allow the water to flow down the cascade and on to the San Fernando Reservoir,” one author wrote. “Amid the sounds of a brass band, the cheering crowd, and the firing of cannons, the water rushed down the cascade.”

And Mulholland delivered this dedication speech:

“There it is--take it.”

Shocking sign: Mark Godding, who commutes from Orange County to L.A. on Amtrak, noticed a trash bin on his train that seemed to dare passengers to try it.

Alice’s restaurant: The bar for “Lou Grant,” the old TV series about the fictional L.A. Tribune, was modeled after the Redwood, a downtown saloon on 2nd Street. Lou Grant’s bar even had a red phone connecting it to the Tribune--the same setup the Redwood has with the nearby L.A. Times.

In real life, the Redwood has been frequented by actors, athletes, judges and newspeople. But one of the most colorful of the bar’s characters has been waitress Alice Broude, owner of some 150 sets of exotic earrings.

When friends threw her a party at the Redwood to celebrate her 40th anniversary there, Broude served as both guest of honor and waitress.

“What do you think,” she said, “I’m gonna sit on a bar stool?”

L.A., the pace-setter: At least 15 people were injured in downtown Boston the other night when concert-goers went on a rampage after police stopped a free, but rowdy, outdoor show. One spectator, Mike Martin, 19, told reporters: “The emcee on stage said: ‘This isn’t L.A., don’t be like L.A.’ ”

List of the day: Some of the entries submitted so far in the city slogan contest of 4-year-old Santa Clarita, L.A.’s northern neighbor:

* “Santa Clarita: A Great Place to Attend Meetings.”

* “The City Where Volunteerism Runs Rampant.”

* “What’s Good for Newhall Land (and Farming Co.) Is Good for Santa

Clarita.”

* “City of the Golden Dream.”

* “Land of the Golden Dweeb.”

No doubt someone else will come up with: “This Isn’t L.A.”

miscelLAny:

Great moments in L.A. history: Twenty-seven years ago this week, the City Council banned the playing of bongo drums after 10 p.m. in Venice.