As any good student of L.A. history can tell you, following the Northridge quake the Santa Monica freeway was rebuilt in less than three months. Of course I am not wishing for an earthquake, mudslide or fire.

The jury is still out as to whether mega churches are good for our society or not. As a culture, we have learned that bigger isn't always better. Either way, mega churches, with their vast outreach, do have responsibilities to their communities, state and nation.

'Hustling' was more than just a song and dance in L.A.'s working class neighborhoods. It was also a way of life, and hustling was a term commonly used to describe doing whatever it took to bring in additional income.

The end-of-year deluge is not getting me down. Instead, I see the storms, which have blanketed the East in snow and LA in rain, as more evidence of our need to build the subway.

Director Gregory Everett didn't know his father growing up. But he did know that he had been a Black Panther.