Santa Monica Daily Press, December 25, 2008

INSIDE SCOOP

COMMENTARY

FOOD

NEW LAWS FOR THE NEW YEAR PAGE 3 YAHOO’S LASTING LEGACY PAGE 5 BAKING UP MEMORIES PAGE 7

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2008

Visit us online at smdp.com

Volume 7 Issue 347

Santa Monica Daily Press MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Since 2001: A news odyssey

THE FEELING THE SPIRIT ISSUE

HOLIDAY IN LIGHTS Residents put on a show

BY BRANDON WISE PAGE 10

Man eats world: Culinary tourist dines around the globe — in L.A.

BY RAQUEL MARIA DILLON Associated Press Writer

DOWNTOWN Noah Galuten spent the past three months eating his way around the world — all within a day’s drive of his Santa Monica apartment.

The 25-year-old playwright was broke and unemployed when he decided to eat cuisine from a different country every day and write about it on his Web site, Man Bites World.

Galuten figured he could stomach 60 tra-

ditional dishes from a different country on consecutive days until he ran out of options and was sated. But the project took him further than he ever imagined, stamping his culinary passport with food from 102 cultures by his final bite of Slovakian poppy seed cake more than three months later.

That he could cross so many borders so close to home is both a testament to Los Angeles’ cultural melting pot and the help he got from strangers who invited him into their homes to share traditional meals.

“If there’s anywhere you should be more inclusive, it’s eating,” he said.

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The final feast — plum brandy, roasted chestnuts, sheep milk feta with paprika and caraway, homemade gnocchi, and a traditional Christmas soup — was home-cooked

by Peter Simon, a Slovakian immigrant who offered his homeland’s best.

The end tasted both bitter and sweet: the adventure was over, but he was relieved because it had been exhausting — and expensive.

The international gnoshing left Galuten with $4,000 in credit card debt, which he hopes to erase by writing a book about his experiences.

His girlfriend, Jackie

Honikman, 25, a Web designer who covered his rent and other costs gained about 15 pounds dining with him.

In the early days, the couple mapped out meals a month in advance, anticipating which restaurants would be closed Mondays and when certain specials would be served.

Despite calling ahead to make sure restaurants were open and hadn’t changed menus, there were near disasters.

A restaurant formerly known as Macau Street promised authentic street food, but SEE WORLD PAGE 12

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Readers Five Generations of Family Jewelers wishes Happy Holidays to your family and all of its generations

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2008

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Merry Christmas!

The Daily Press would like to remind everyone to please celebrate responsibly.

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For more information on any of the events listed, log on to smdp.com and click the “Events” tab for the given day’s calendar.

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2008

3

New year brings new laws

BY ROB LAWRENCE Special to the Daily Press

SACRAMENTO Those who prefer texting instead of talking will soon be forced to park before pressing send.

Beginning Jan. 1, writing, sending or reading text messages while driving will be illegal. Anyone caught doing so could face a $20 fine for the first offense, and $50 for each subsequent offense. With the addition of penalty assessments, fines can be more than triple the base amount.

The no-texting law is just one of several new laws going into effect in 2009.

Here is a partial list of those new laws, compiled from various sources including the California Chamber of Commerce, the California Department of Motor Vehicles and the State Waste Management Board, all of which had laws for 2009 listed on their Web sites: ■ DUI probation license suspension: A change in the driving under the influence (DUI) law creates a new authority for DMV

to administratively suspend the driver’s license for one year under a zero tolerance standard. The new law authorizes law enforcement to issue a notice of suspension and impound the vehicle of a person who is driving with a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.01 percent or greater while on court-ordered post-DUI probation.

■ Unlicensed car dealers: Law enforcement officers can impound vehicles that are being sold by unlicensed car dealers.

■ Counterfeit clean air stickers: This new law will make it a crime to forge, counterfeit, or falsify a clean air sticker. These stickers are currently issued by the DMV to certain low emission vehicles and permit vehicles with these stickers to be driven in the car pool lane.

■ Smog check: AB 2241 limits the issuance of temporary operating permits to those individuals whose vehicles have yet to pass a smog check. The law calls for a $50 fee for one 60-day temporary operating permit only if the vehicle has been tested at a smog station and failed. The $50 fee will be waived for owners accepted into the Bureau of

Automotive Repair Consumer Assistance Program (CAP).

“This new law ensures that vehicles on our highways are properly registered and maintained,” said DMV Director George Valverde. “We also support efforts to reduce emissions which keep Californians healthy.”

■ New plates: A new “Gold Star Family” special interest license will be available to family members of individuals killed in the line of duty while serving in the Armed Forces during wartime or military operations.

■ Motorcycle definition: This new law changes the definition of a motorcycle, deleting the existing weight limitation of 1500 pounds. It also removes a separate definition for electrically-powered vehicles. This change in law will also allow drivers of fully-enclosed 3-wheeled motor vehicles to use the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes.

■ Temporary employees: Wages for employees of temporary service employers shall be paid weekly or daily if the term lasts less than 90 days.

■ Family and medical leave: Families who have members who are active in the military are eligible up to 12 weeks of leave if they meet the “qualifying exigencies: short notice deployment, attendance at official military events or activities, arranging or providing childcare, attending school or daycare meetings, handling financial and legal matters, and rest and recuperation visits when the soldier is on leave.”

■ Computer nerds: Computer professionals’ hourly rate for 2009 is increased from $36 to $37.94.

A statement issued by the chamber urged California businesses to get in the know.

“When the clock strikes midnight on Dec. 31, certain California laws — in name only — will magically transform into fullblown, enforceable laws. Make sure you understand your responsibilities under the new and recently-new laws and regulations that will impact how you run your business in 2009.” news@smdp.com

Man killed by police was murder suspect

BY RAQUEL MARIA DILLON Associated Press Writer

SHARING THE WEALTH

Brandon Wise brandonw@smdp.com Peet's Coffee & Tea regular Stephen Godchaux hands Nadia Kukor a $20 donation on Wednesday during the 23rd Annual Holiday Donations Program at the Montana Avenue location. Each donation will be matched by Peet's and given to the Santa Monica Alternative Schoolhouse (SMASH).

LOS ANGELES A man fatally shot by police after a two-hour standoff as he held his 7year-old son hostage in a suburban restaurant was a suspect wanted for the 2004 murder of his girlfriend, authorities said Wednesday.

The man killed was 38-year-old Manuel Benitez, the Los Angeles County Sheriff ’s Department said in a statement.

Authorities had been seeking Benitez since the slaying of Stephanie Spears in Hawthorne more than four years ago.

Benitez had a then-3-year-old son with Spears, and the child had not been seen since the mother was beaten to death with a dumbbell, according to his fugitive profile on the FBI Web site. The Web site said Benitez may have been traveling with the son, Benjamin.

The FBI Web site said Benitez, who was featured on the television show “America’s Most Wanted” earlier this year, had been a child actor who went by the name Mark SEE MURDER PAGE 12

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OpinionCommentary 4

A newspaper with issues

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2008

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

PUBLISHER

The Rand Stand

Send comments to editor@smdp.com

Dr. Leonard Peikoff

Grateful for a good deed Editor:

Move over, Los Angeles, Santa Monica has angels, too! At least that is what one family thinks of yours truly and Mr. S. of Santa Monica. A few weeks ago, Mr. S. and I attended a meeting in the evening at City Hall.

It was late, and Mr. S. accompanied me to my car where we chatted for a little while. Suddenly, a 14-year-old girl, surrounded by a family of five, and a teenage boy approached us, asking if we could spare $1 so that she could call her father in Oregon to have him wire money to this desperate looking family.

After I handed her the dollar, everyone began talking at once. We learned that they were newcomers to California from Portland, having settled down in Yucca Valley. On that tragic day, they had decided in the morning to visit beautiful Santa Monica, the town they heard so much about, to go to the beach and have fun.

Because there were seven of them, they came in two cars, which they parked near the beach. All went as planned, all had a great time, but when they returned to their cars just after the sun set for the night, they noticed that the mother’s car had been burglarized, and her purse and other items were gone. She purposefully left her purse in the car out of fear that it might disappear on the beach.

They went to the police station. The police were unable to help. At 8:30 p.m., this hungry family from Yucca Valley, without money and credit cards, with just the plain clothes on their shivering bodies, was literally left in the dark. The 6-year old, the youngest of the bunch, clinging to his mother, now very quiet, looked at me when I heard his unspoken words, “please help us.”

When I asked him whether he was hungry, he nodded in reply.

Turning to Mr. S. I asked, “do you have any money on you; I just have some loose change left?” Mr. S. replied, “yes, why don’t we all go to McDonald’s. It’s just around the corner.” The nine of us drove to McDonald’s, where Mr. S. let everyone order what he or she wanted and picked up the entire tab. He even paid for seconds.

However, this was not the end of this family’s dilemma. They needed gasoline for their two cars in order to drive back to Yucca Valley, but there were no credit cards. They were in mom’s purse, and the purse was gone! I offered to pay for the gas. After we had finished a memorable meal, the entire caravan drove from McDonald’s to the closest gas station on Lincoln Boulevard, where we filled up mom’s car and dad’s car with my credit card. This is pretty much the story. Not quite! The little girl, whose name I don’t even know, put her arms around me and said, “You are truly an angel.”

I said to her, “then Mr. S. is an angel, too,” and she agreed.

Obviously, we can’t all be Mother Teresa, but we can all live in that spirit. In our own ways, we can all learn to give, especially during this time of year. Let me tell you, it is an awful good feeling to be called an angel.

Monika Bialas Santa Monica

Ross Furukawa ross@smdp.com

Send comments to editor@smdp.com

EDITOR IN CHIEF Kevin Herrera

Taking the Christ out of Christmas

MANAGING EDITOR

CHRISTMAS

daniela@smdp.com

IN

AMERICA

IS

AN

exuberant display of human ingenuity, capitalist productivity, and the enjoyment of life.

Yet all of these are castigated as “materialistic.” The real meaning of the holiday, we are told, is assorted Nativity tales and altruist injunctions (e.g., love thy neighbor) that no one takes seriously.

In fact, Christmas as we celebrate it today is a 19th century American invention. The freedom and prosperity of post Civil War America created the happiest nation in history. The result was the desire to celebrate, to revel in the goods and pleasures of life on earth. Christmas (which was not a federal holiday until 1870) became the leading American outlet for this feeling.

Historically, people have always celebrated the winter solstice as the time when the days begin to lengthen, indicating the earth’s return to life. Ancient Romans feasted and reveled during the festival of Saturnalia. Early Christians condemned these Roman celebrations — they were waiting for the end of the world and had only scorn for earthly pleasures.

By the fourth century the pagans were worshipping the god of the sun on Dec. 25, and the Christians came to a decision: if you can’t stop ‘em, join ‘em. They claimed (contrary to known fact) that the date was Jesus’ birthday, and usurped the solstice holiday for their church.

Even after the Christians stole Christmas, they were ambivalent about it. The holiday was inherently a pro-life festival of earthly renewal, but the Christians preached renunciation, sacrifice, and concern for the next world, not this one. As Cotton Mather, an 18th century clergyman, put it: “Can you in your consciences think that our Holy Savior is honored by mirth? … Shall it be said that at the birth of our Savior … we take time … to do actions that have much more of hell than of heaven in them?”

Then came the major developments of 19th century capitalism: industrialization, urbanization, the triumph of science — all of it leading to easy transportation, efficient mail delivery, the widespread publishing of books and magazines, new inventions making life comfortable and exciting, and the rise of entrepreneurs who understood that the way to make a profit was to produce something good and sell it to a mass market.

For the first time, the giving of gifts became a major feature of Christmas. Early Christians denounced gift-giving as a Roman practice, and Puritans called it dia-

bolical. But Americans were not to be deterred. Thanks to capitalism, there was enough wealth to make gifts possible, a great productive apparatus to advertise them and make them available cheaply, and a country so content that men wanted to reach out to their friends and express their enjoyment of life. The whole country took with glee to giving gifts on an unprecedented scale.

Santa Claus is a thoroughly American invention. There was a St. Nicholas long ago and a feeble holiday connected with him (on Dec. 5). In 1822, an American named Clement Clarke Moore wrote a poem about a visit from St. Nick. It was Moore (and a few other New Yorkers) who invented St. Nick’s physical appearance and personality, came up with the idea that Santa travels on Christmas Eve in a sleigh pulled by reindeer, comes down the chimney, stuffs toys in the kids’ stockings, then goes back to the North Pole.

Of course, the Puritans denounced Santa as the anti-Christ, because he pushed Jesus to the background. Furthermore, Santa implicitly rejected the whole Christian ethics. He did not denounce the rich and demand that they give everything to the poor; on the contrary, he gave gifts to rich and poor children alike. Nor is Santa a champion of Christian mercy or unconditional love. On the contrary, he is for justice — Santa gives only to good children, not to bad ones.

All the best customs of Christmas, from carols to trees to spectacular decorations, have their root in pagan ideas and practices.

These customs were greatly amplified by American culture, as the product of reason, science, business, worldliness, and egoism, i.e., the pursuit of happiness.

America’s tragedy is that its intellectual leaders have typically tried to replace happiness with guilt by insisting that the spiritual meaning of Christmas is religion and self-sacrifice for Tiny Tim or his equivalent. But the spiritual must start with recognizing reality. Life requires reason, selfishness,capitalism; that is what Christmas should celebrate — and really, underneath all the pretense, that is what it does celebrate. It is time to take the Christ out of Christmas, and turn the holiday into a guiltlessly egoistic, pro-reason, this-worldly, commercial celebration.

Dr. Leonard Peikoff is the foremost authority on Objectivism, the philosophy of Ayn Rand. The Ayn Rand Center is a division of the Ayn Rand Institute and promotes the philosophy of Ayn Rand, author of “Atlas Shrugged” and “The Fountainhead.”

editor@smdp.com

Daniel Archuleta

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OPINIONS EXPRESSED are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the Santa Monica Daily Press staff. Guest editorials from residents are encouraged, as are letters to the editor. Letters will be published on a space-available basis. It is our intention to publish all letters we receive, except those that are libelous or are unsigned. Preference will be given to those that are e-mailed to editor@smdp.com. All letters must include the author’s name and telephone number for purposes of verification. Letters also may be mailed to our offices located at 410 Broadway, Suite B, Santa Monica, 90401, or faxed to (310) 576-9913. All letters and guest editorials are subject to editing for space and content.

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2008

MY DENTIST TELLS Yahoo’s contribution THE WORST JOKES! Meredith Pro Tem

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laying off 1,500 staffers in an effort to reduce expenses by $400 million annually. Not known is if the brain trust behind the content for the Featured box on the site’s home page will remain employed.

With the main story rotating every half hour or so, the Featured box is often times relevant — other times, not so much. A celebrity news story (generally just a link to another site) usually hits the Yahoo home page on average about a week or so after pretty much every other entertainment magazine, TV show and Web site on the planet has reported it, produced a follow-up and then moved on to something else.

Sometimes, however, the Yahoo home page lags way more than a week in its gossip reports. Like its scoop last week that the adopted daughter of one of the sons of gazillionaire investor Warren Buffett was disinherited (in September 2006) because she participated in a documentary about the offspring of the world’s wealthiest 1 percent — “Richest man’s cut-off kin.” (The story said that Buffett did pay for the education of his estranged adopted granddaughter and she now lives on $40,000 a year. Cry me a river, the kin of Bernard Madoff are undoubtedly saying.)

What it lacks in breaking Hollywood news though, Yahoo more than makes up for in the romance department. With all due respect to Dr. Ruth, Dr. Phil and Wilt Chamberlain, Yahoo has emerged as the foremost expert in all things amore. The site nurtures relationships from beginning to end — or at least from middle to end.

While Yahoo starts off some days with features like, “Wallet-friendly ideas for special date nights,” often times the tone takes a dark turn just hours later with links to stories like, “The top reasons women cheat” or “Warning signs of cheating husbands.”

“Breakup warning signs,” “What to say to your partner once you decide the relationship has run its course,” “Advice on ending your relationship for good,” and then “How to say it’s finally over,” are usually not far behind. There’s little doubt that all parties should have moved on once “Rules for dating after a breakup” pops up in the Featured box. The root of all relationship problems though, according to Yahoo? “Romantic comedies may be ruining your love life.”

Some days Yahoo watches out for America’s collective waistline with features warning of “Calorie and fat-filled foods at

the mall,” “Top five unhealthiest fast food meals” or “The top five cheapest — but least healthy — fast food choices.”

And while they’re quick to point out the problem, the Yahoo solution isn’t always optimal. A few times a month they run a “Seven simple dinner recipes for the week” feature. However, at last check, “Brown Sugar Meatloaf,” “Smothered Chicken” and “All-in-One Spaghetti Frittata” weren’t listed on the meal plans of Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig or The Zone.

There’s little that Yahoo loves more than a list — especially one that includes any of Yahoo’s pet topics such as sports trivia, anything that includes some or all of the 50 states, cleanliness, the weather, and jobs that no one ever seems to have, want or get.

Recent list highlights include: “The most expensive license plates in America,” “The most and least admired professions,” “The five dirtiest foods,”“Public surfaces that have the most germs,” “Best states for new careers,” “10 stimulus boomtowns,” “30 the NFL will love” (any of whom can perhaps replace those on yet another list: “NFL’s biggest divas”), “Deadliest natural disasters,” “Five high-paying green jobs” and “Most popular sports jerseys.”

Yahoo also enjoys posting a good old fashioned we’re-guessing-you’re-bored-ifyou’re-staring-this-long-at-our-site-sohere’s-a completely-useless-but-marginallytime-consuming-feature-story. Like “How 1900’s predictions fared (way to get that story done just under a decade later),” or “’Cool’ reason for most yawning,” “Secrets fingerprints reveal,” “Explore myths that blood type affects personality,” “Hear an aquarium of fish make music.”

Finally, the only thing Yahoo covets more than a list and useless feature is a viral video. “’Jingle Cats’ return [who knew they had left?]: Singing felines belt out favorite Christmas carols in the ‘universal language’ of meows” was a highlight this past week. So was “Braids of steel: Watch this young woman attempt to pull an empty bus attached to her hair.” And who among us will ever forget, “Watch a cute kitty gobble up broccoli.” An instant classic, for sure.

Here’s hoping that despite the layoffs, Yahoo will continue to find a way to keep its finger on the nation’s pulse with just one click.

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Food 6

A newspaper with issues

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2008

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BERLIN The vibe at Germany’s first carbonneutral restaurant is more hip than hippie.

Minimalism is the mantra at Foodorama, with its cobalt-gray walls, soft lighting and single stem daisies perched atop gleaming blond maple tables, all nestled among the boutiques and stately balconies in Berlin’s fashionable west Kreuzberg district.

Corporations such as Dell and Google have embraced the carbon-neutral ethos, but with rare exceptions — such as Billy Kwong in Australia and Britain’s Bordeaux Quay — restaurants have been slow to follow.

Not Foodorama, which was dreamed up

by German branding agency Lab One to sell environmentalism to foodies.

For every ton of carbon dioxide produced by the all-organic cafe, its owners say they will buy carbon certificates for a Kyoto-standard wind park in Karnataka, India.

The restaurant, which opened in September and seats 100 inside (and another 120 outside) marks a departure from Lab One’s typical projects, which entail creating promotional material for clients such as rock bands and movie studios.

Agency director Ozan Sinan says Lab One is composed of “hedonistic people who asked each other what can we do besides our core business? We are afraid of what’s happening in the world. We want to start something ourselves.”

The menu is a combined effort to be both pure and break the rules, says Sinan, resulting in selections such as yakitori schnitzel and a gourmet version of the Berlin classic currywurst, with herb mayonnaise and homemade ketchup.

The novelty can take some getting used to.

When one diner protested that she had not received the tomato soup she’d ordered, server Ramona Weihmann says she gently pointed out that the steaming white broth was made from heirloom white tomatoes.

Though Sinan’s childhood meals bore little resemblance to Foodorama’s posh cuisine, his mother’s economical, seasonal

cooking neverless shares much philosophical ground with Foodorama’s offerings.

“Many of the things we try to do here — conserve energy, eat local, reduce waste — are the things that I learned from my parents,” he says. “I was raised with a natural sense for conservation precisely because it wasn’t a luxury environment.”

Lab One worked with Climate Partner, a Munich-based environmental consulting firm, to devise a checklist of eco-friendly measures in creating Foodorama. These included using bio gas, derived from agricultural byproducts and produced in gas plants outside Berlin, and zero-emission electricity, created from renewable energy sources.

In both cases, Foodorama pays extra for the green alternatives. Other strategies, such as insisting employees bike or take public transportation to work, and investing in state-of-the-art insulation, also shrank emission estimates.

Climate Partner project manager Kai Gilhorn said he and his colleagues even calculated the amount of emissions required to produce each dish on the menu, and briefly considered putting the figures on the menus.

“But that might make people feel guilty for ordering beef instead of vegetables, which may not be what the restaurant wants,” he says.

Despite the global financial crisis, Sinan believes the restaurant still can make a profit, even after the emission certificates are purchased at as much as $3,000 a year.

Though some bottles of organic French wines run around $120, most items on the Foodorama menu cost about $16, considered steep for the neighborhood but a bargain relative to many gourmet eateries.

And already rave reviews are coming in.

Tipp, a popular biweekly city guide, recently raved about Foodorama’s roast veal and said its chocolate mousse was “swoon-inducing.”

Bernd Mueller, 64, munching on a salad, gave a more measured response, calling the food good but not exceptional.

“Organic tastes different. I cook about 90 percent organic at home, and there aren’t that many other organic restaurants in Berlin,” said the retired lawyer who lives around the corner.

In the spirit: Baking with the Bible

BY MARIA NOEL GROVES For The Associated Press

Spoons and bowls and baking pans and... a Bible?

Most modern bakers probably don’t associate The Good Book with pulling together a batch of their favorite treats, but during the late 1800s some Christians began using scripture as a code for turning recipes into riddles.

“This was a cutsie way of letting people know that they knew their Bible. If you knew it off the top of your head, you felt proud of yourself,” says Joan Houston Hall, chief editor of the “Dictionary of American Regional English.”

Recipes for so-called scripture cake fell out of popularity by the mid-1900s, but recently have enjoyed a revival among faithbased youth groups and parents looking to use the kitchen as another conduit to faith.

“Since I teach Hebrew School one of the beauties of these recipes is that they are great

way to force my students to read/translate and interpret the Hebrew Bible,” says Michael Twitty, culinary historian and teacher at Temple Beth Ami religious school in Rockville, Md. “This year I’m teaching Torah to the seventh graders again, and it makes it fun for them because otherwise they would have no interest whatsoever in picking up the world’s best- seller,” Recipes can be found online on sites such as MormonChic.com and at numerous recipe sites. Some youth ministry groups even set up races between groups to see who can decipher and bake the ingredients first.

“It is very fun to do,” says Evelyn Birge Vitz, author of faith-based cookbook “A Continual Feast.” She enjoys not only the riddle of making the cake, but also comparing recipes to find different passages that refer to the same ingredients.

Scripture recipes call for ingredients by citing passages from the Bible; the cook has to sort out which ingredient each passage refers to.

Food Visit us online at smdp.com

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2008

Simple Real Food Amanda Cushman

Send comments to editor@smdp.com

Baking brings back the fondest of memories I HAVE REALLY BEEN ENJOYING THE CHILLY WINTER

weather we have been having as of late, and especially like how timely it is so close to the holidays.

When I was a small child my family (who celebrate Christmas) had a tradition of making cookies for the holiday and some of them would go on the tree and others would be enjoyed by all who visited, along with our family.

We had old fashioned German recipes from my grandmother that were classic rolled dough cookies that needed to be cut into shapes and then decorated. So this was an all day affair. It was a great feeling to have it cold and snowy outside ( I grew up in Connecticut) and warm and cozy inside with the smell of baking cookies, flour all over your apron and different color icings and decorations to have fun with. We got very creative and quite professional over the years and had gorgeous gingerbread people, Christmas trees, stars, Santas and diamond shapes with edible glitter. We would let them dry and then string them up for the tree or put out a Bishops Hats Makes 3 dozen Ingredients 1/2 cup unsalted butter 2 cups all purpose flour 1/2 cup plus 3 tbs. sugar Pinch of salt Zest of one orange 1 large egg Jam: apricot or raspberry Procedure 1. Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter until blended. Mix in sugar, salt, zest and blend thoroughly.

Stir in egg and blend into a dough. Chill in refrigerator for two hours.

2. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough out onto lightly floured surface until 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 3 inch circles. Put 1/2 teaspoon jam into center of each circle. Brush edges with water. Lift in three places and pinch together. Bake on un-greased baking sheets for 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Cool on a rack and store in an airtight container.

Gingerbread People Makes about 4 dozen Ingredients 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger 1 tsp. ground cloves 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. cardamom Pinch salt 1/2 cup unsalted butter 3/4 cup sugar 1 large egg 3/4 cup molasses 2 tsp. orange zest Procedure 1. Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

2. Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the egg, molasses and orange zest and beat well.

3. Add dry ingredients to wet and combine into a soft dough.

Form dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Chill overnight.

4. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough out on

big plate for the table and keep it stocked throughout the holiday season.

It was a special bonding activity (except back then it wasn’t called that) for parents and kids as well as for any friend or relative staying with us or stopping by.

This year I made a few of the recipes once more in a Christmas cookie class and enjoyed the process once again.

We purchased all the cookie cutters, decorative toppings and pastry bags for icing at Surfas in Culver city.

Here are a few of my favorites that can be enjoyed by young and old. I wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy Hannukah. Enjoy!

Amanda Cushman is a culinary educator who has cooked professionally for 25 years. She teaches privately for groups of two to 20 students. She has developed hundreds of recipes for cookbooks as well as food magazines and Web sites. She can be reached amandascooking@gmail.com.

lightly floured work surface and cut out cookies into various shapes.

5. Bake on greased baking sheets for 8 to 10 minutes. * Dough keeps for one week.

Vanilla Cookies Makes 2 dozen cookies Ingredients 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 2/3 cup vegetable shortening 2/3 cup sugar 2 large eggs 1/2 tsp. vanilla Procedure 1. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Combine the shortening, eggs, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whip until fluffy. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and beat until smooth.

2. Divide the dough into two equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball, then flatten the balls into disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (The dough can be prepared up to three days ahead.) Let it soften slightly at room temperature before continuing.

3. Position a rack in the upper third of an oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Butter two large baking sheets. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out a dough disk 1/4 inch thick. Using cookie cutters, cut out desired shapes.

Transfer the cutouts to the prepared baking sheets.

Gather up and re-roll the scraps and cut out more cookies.

4. Bake until the cookies are golden on the edges, about eight minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks and let cool completely.

Icing Ingredients 2 1/3 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar 2 egg whites Procedure 1. Combine the icing ingredients in a large bowl and beat until stiff. Separate the icing into small bowls and add food coloring to each one. Decorate the cookies as desired with icing and decorations such as red hots, silver beads and red and green sprinkles. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

7

8

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2008

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

YOUR GUIDE TO DINING IN

Santa Monica, Brentwood, West LA and Venice Beach lievable jukebox. Once you visit you'll want to anchor!

MONTANA AVE

17th St Cafe 1610 Montana Ave.

FOR INQUIRIES ON P R E M I U M L I S T I N G S ,OR A D V E R T I S I N G ON THESE PAGES, CALL [310] 458-7737 Visit us online at smdp.com

Andrew’s Cheese Shop 728 Montana Ave.

(310) 453-2771 (310) 393-3308

BABALU Excellent Carribean dining featuring a fresh menu focusing on seafood, burgers, salads and world famous homemade desserts. Open daily from 11:30 to 10pm. Wine and beer menu, take out available.

1002 Montana Ave

(310) 395-2500

Blue Plate 1415 Montana Ave. Cafe Dana 1211 Montana Ave. Cafe Montana 1534 Montana Ave Di Dio's Italian Ices 1305 Montana Ave.

(310) 260-8878 (310) 394-0815 (310) 829-3990 (310) 393-2788 (310) 394-6705 (310) 393-2337 (310) 458-4880 (310) 393-7716 (310) 394-2070 (310) 394-8888 (310) 829-0093 (323) 330-8010 (310) 576-6616 (310) 393-1467 (310) 395-6619 (310) 838-4900 (310) 393-2944 (310) 393-0035 (310) 458-1562 (310) 395-6619

The Duck Blind 1102 Montana Ave. Father's Office 1018 Montana Ave. Il Dolce Cafe 1023 Montana Ave #B Le Marmiton 1327 Montana Ave Locanda Portofino 1110 Montana Ave. Louise's Trattoria 1008 Montana Ave. Marmalade 710 Montana Ave. Montana Restaurant & Lounge 1323 Montana Blvd.

Patty's Gourmet Take & Bake Pizza 625 Montana Ave. Pradeeps 1405 Montana Ave. Ristorante Vincenzo 714 Montana Ave. Rosti 931 Montana Ave. Spumoni 713 Montana Ave. Sushi Sho 1303 Montana Ave. Via Dolce 1627 Montana Ave. Vincenzo Ristorante 714 Montana Ave.

MID-CITY Akbar Cuisine Of India 2627 Wilshire Blvd Back On Broadway 2024 Broadway Bergamot Cafe 2525 Michigan Ave. # A3 Big Jos 1955 Broadway Bistro Of Santa Monica Santa Monica Blvd

(310) 586-7469 (310) 453-8919 (310) 828-4001 (310) 828-3191 (310) 453-5442

BISTRO 31 Bistro 31, the culinary student-run restaurant of The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Los Angeles, offers an incredible dining experience at a reasonable price. Students prepare sumptuous international cuisine and deliver it in an elegant setting. Lunch and dinner.

2900 31st St

(310) 314-6057

Bizou Garden 2450 Colorado Ave. #1050 Bread And Porridge 2315 Wilshire Blvd Buon Giorno Caffe 1431 Santa Monica Bl Cafe L'etoile D'or 2311 Santa Monica Blvd Chandni Vegetarian 1909 Wilshire Blvd Coogie's Cafe 2906 Santa Monica Blvd The Corner Cafe 28th St. #121 The Cutting Board 1260 15th St. #105

(310) 472-6020 (310) 453-4941 (310) 260-0073 (310) 315-4375 (310) 828-7060 (310) 829-7871 (310) 452-2905 (310) 434-9924

DAGWOODS Pizza lovers love DAGWOODS for its real hand tossed authentic NY Style Pizza.

Others come for the delicious Italian food: custom made calzones, 100% semolina pasta dishes, giant subs and zesty salads and side dishes. Whatever you choose, it comes at great prices with friendly service. Free Delivery.

820 Wilshire Blvd.

(310) 899-3030

Daily Grill 2501 Colorado Ave. #b-190 Drago Restaurant 2628 Wilshire Blvd Dragon Palace 2832 Santa Monica Blvd El Cholo 1025 Wilshire Blvd Fromins 1832 Wilshire Blvd House Of Billiards 1901 Wilshire Blvd I H O P 1920 Santa Monica Blvd Casa Escobar 2500 Wilshire Blvd

(310) 309-2170 (310) 828-1585 (310) 829-1462 (310) 899-1106 (310) 829-5443 (310) 828-9203 (310) 829-9100 (310) 828-1315

IZZYS DELI Where the stars meet the locals. Izzys features 10.95 dinners nightly. Since 1970, Izzys has been serving hungry locals the world famous Reuben sandwich and generous omeletes for generations.

P rivate e Sushi i Chef Fulll sushii barr setup $4.99 - CAL + Miso +Salad $5.99 - CAL or Spicy Tuna + Miso + Salad + Coke

Buy 2 rolls, get 1 free 11a.m. - 3 p.m. only

1433 Wilshire Blvd

(310) 394-1131

J P's Bar & Grill 1101 Wilshire Blvd Kaido Japense Cuisine 2834 Santa Monica Blvd Kay 'N Dave's 262 26th St. L A Farm Ltd 3000 Olympic Blvd Lee's Chinese Food 1610 Santa Monica Blvd The Lincoln 2460 Wilshire Bl Lucys Lunchbox 710 Wilshire Bl #100 Maya Japanese Food 2840 Santa Monica Blvd Manhattan Bagel 2216 Wilshire Blvd Nawab Of India 1621 Wilshire Bl Networks Cafe 2700 Colorado Ave. #190 Noma Restaurant 2031 Wilshire Blvd Norms Santa Monica 1601 Lincoln Blvd O' Briens 2226 Wilshire Blvd Our Cafe 2104 Wilshire Bl Overunder 1333 Santa Monica Blvd Pacific Dining Car 2700 Wilshire Blvd Pot & Pan Thai Food 2315 Santa Monica Blvd Santa Monica Pizza 1318 Wilshire Blvd The Shack Restaurant 2518 Wilshire Blvd The Slice 915 Wilshire Blvd Sizzler 2025 Wilshire Blvd Snug Harbor 2323 Wilshire Blvd Sunshine Cafe & Grill 2021 Santa Monica Blvd Sushi King 1330 Wilshire Blvd Tacos Por Favor 1406 Olympic Blvd Taqueria Chihuahua 1909 Lincoln Bl Tazzina 1620 Wilshire Blvd Thai Dishes 111 Santa Monica Blvd Toi On Wilshire 1120 Wilshire Blvd Wilshire Restaurant 2454 Wilshire Blvd

(310) 394-7660 (310) 828-7582 (818) 782-6196 (310) 449-4007 (310) 828-5304 (310) 828-2217 (818) 762-6267 (310) 453-2612 (310) 828-3228 (310) 829-1106 (310) 315-0502 (310) 453-4848 (310) 395-6310 (310) 829-5303 (310) 828-5313 (310) 899-0076 (310) 453-4000 (818) 439-7083 (310) 393-4554 (310) 449-1171 (310) 453-2367 (310) 453-3250 (310) 828-2991 (310) 449-7777 (310) 395-0120 (310) 392-5768 (310) 874-2057 (310) 413-4270 (310) 394-6189 (310) 394-7804 (310) 586-1707

DOWNTOWN

3 on Fourth 1432 4th St. #A Abode Restaurant 1541 Ocean Av #150 B O A 101 Santa Monica Bl Baja Buds 1315 Third Street Promenade Bangkok West 606 Santa Monica Blvd

(310) 395-6765 (310) 394-3463 (323) 655-3372 (310) 393-6060 (310) 395-9658

BENIHANA Traditional Japanese teppanyaki room. Sushi appetizers. Open Daily. Please call for specific hours.

1447 4th St.

(310) 260-1423

Bookmark Cafe 601 Santa Monica Bl Bravo Cucina 1319 Third Street Promenade

(310) 587-2665 (310) 394-0374

BRITANNIA PUB Britannia Pub has been a favorite for years for locals and visitors alike. This English pub has a traditonal charm with a Californian flair. A cozy inviting atmosphere makes this a great place to relax and meet new people. Our friendly staff provides you with excellent service for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner or Cocktails. We also offer live music, karaoke, pool and an unbe-

318 Santa Monica Blvd.

(310) 458-5350

Broadway Deli 1457 Third Street Promenade Brunos Italian Rest Deli 1652 Ocean Ave. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co 301 SM Pier Buca Di Beppo 1442 2nd St. The Cafe 445 Pacific Coast Hwy Cafe Crepe 1460 Third Street Promenade Cafe Paradiso 2408 Wilshire Blvd Cafe Presto 2425 Colorado Ave. #107 B Cafe Sol 2425 Colorado Ave. California Chicken Cafe 2401 Wilshire Blvd California Crisp 13 Santa Monica Place California Pizza Kitchen 214 Wilshire Blvd Callahans Restaurant 1213 Wilshire Blvd Capo 1810 Ocean Ave. Carousel Cafe 1601 Ocean Front Walk Chez Jay 1657 Ocean Ave. Comfort Cafe 420 Broadway Cora's Coffee Shoppe L P 1802 Ocean Ave. Crepes Company Inc 213 Arizona Ave. Dennys Restaurant 1645 1560 Lincoln Blvd Fast Taco 2901 Ocean Park Blvd #115 Fritto Misto 601 Colorado Ave.

(310) 451-0616 (310) 395-5589 (310) 393-0458 (310) 587-0771 (310) 393-8282 (310) 576-0499 (818) 427-1796 (310) 829-7757 (310) 829-0031 (310) 453-0477 (310) 394-3800 (310) 393-9335 (310) 394-6210 (310) 394-5550 (310) 451-4277 (310) 395-1241 (310) 395-6252 (310) 434-2468 (310) 801-0670 (714) 251-5409 (310) 664-8722 (310) 458-2828

FUNNEL MILL The Funnel Mill features imported, organic coffee and teas from around the world. If you eat McDonalds, drink two buck Chuck, and think Starbucks is gourmet, this place is not for you.

Discover what coffee and tea should really taste like to the discerning palate. Try our traditional tea ceremony to truly appreciate the flavors of the East. www.funnelmill.com 930 Broadway Suite A

(310) 597-4395

Gate Of India 115 Santa Monica Blvd Gaucho Grill 1251 Third Street Promenade Georges Bistro 1321 Third Street Hedwigs Cafe 1509 4th St.

(310) 656-1665 (323) 468-0220 (310) 451-8823 (310) 394-3956

THE HIDEOUT The Hideout is Santa Monica's best lounge! We pay attention to details, so you don't have to. Whether you want to come alone, as a couple, with a group of friends, or throw an unforgettable party, we've got you covered!

112 W. Channel Road

(310) 429-1851

Hot Dog On A Stick 1633 Ocean Front Walk

(760) 930-0456

HOUSTON'S Upscale steak and seafood. Live jazz on thursdays upstairs lounge. Full bar, open 11:00 to 11pm daily. Reservations suggested.

202 Wilshire Blvd

(602) 553-2111

I Cugini Restaurant 1501 Ocean Ave.

(310) 451-4595

IL FORNAIO In the tradition of Italy's trattorias, the sight, sounds and aromas of authentic Italian cuisine are recreated everyday at Il Fornaio.

Mornings bring crisp crusted bread hot from the oven accompanied by the scent of fresh brewed espresso. During lunch and dinner, pastas and flavorful sauces simmer while meats and vegetables roast over hot coals.

1551 Ocean Ave.

(415) 945-0500

Infuzion Cafe 1149 3rd St. #100 Interactive Cafe 215 Broadway Ipanema Cafe 150 Santa Monica Place Ivy At The Shore 1535 Ocean Ave. Jinkys Cafe 1447 2nd St. Jiraffe Restaurant 504 Santa Monica Blvd

(310) 393-9985 (310) 395-5009 (310) 838-8586 (310) 278-2908 (818) 981-2250 (310) 917-6671

JOHNNY ROCKETS Every Johnny Rockets restaurant boasts an all-American look and feel with great tasting food including juicy hamburgers, classic sandwiches and hand-dipped shakes and malts. Come in and see for yourself why Johnny Rockets is the place Where the Good Times Roll!TM” 1322 Third Street

(949) 643-6100

Kaiten Restaurant 1456 Third Street La Botte, Inc. 620 Santa Monica Blvd #A La Salsa #44 1401 Third Street Promenade La Serenata 1416 4th St. Le Merigot Hotel 1740 Ocean Ave. Leonidas 331 Santa Monica Blvd Light House Buffet 201 Arizona Ave. The Lobster 1602 Ocean Ave. Locanda Del Lago 231 Arizona Ave. Loews Santa Monica 1700 Ocean Ave. Manchu Wok 11 Santa Monica Pl Mariasol 401 Santa Monica Pier Michaels 1147 3rd St. Musha Restaurant 424 Wilshire Blvd Newsroom Santa Monica Inc 530 Wilshire Ocean Avenue Seafood 1401 Ocean Ave. Ocean Cafe 100 Wilshire Blvd #B1-10

(310) 451-8080 (310) 576-3072 (310) 587-0755 (310) 204-5360 (310) 395-9700 (310) 417-8851 (310) 451-2076 (310) 458-9294 (310) 451-3525 (310) 458-6700 (310) 458-3558 (213) 626-5554 (310) 395-7911 (310) 576-6330 (310) 451-9444 (310) 437-8824 (310) 260-6010

THE ORCHID Asian fusian at it’s best. This Thai restauraunt blends eastern spices and traditional Thai ingredients to make a unique and special dining experience, just a block from the ocean.

119-121 Broadway

(310) 801-5240

P F Chang's China Bistro 326 Wilshire Blvd Panera Bread 501 Wilshire Bl Perrys Pizz 930 Ocean Front Walk Perrys Pizza 2600 Ocean Front Walk Perrys Pizza 1200 Ocean Front Walk Perrys Pizza 2400 Ocean Front Walk Promenade Cafe 321 Santa Monica Bl R A W 609 Broadway Real Food Daily 514 Santa Monica Blvd Renees Court Yard 522 Wilshire Blvd Rustic Canyon 1119 Wilshire Blvd

(310) 395-1912 (714) 241-7705 (310) 372-3138 (310) 372-3138 (310) 458-3975 (310) 372-3138 (213) 700-2373 (310) 451-4148 (310) 393-0804 (310) 451-9341 (310) 560-7787

RUSTY’S SURF RANCH Rusty's Surf Ranch on the Santa Monica Pier is a multi-use facility, featuring the best in live music, dancing and awardwinning cuisine in a California beach environment. With an extensive collection of historic surfboards and memorabilia, Rusty's pays homage to the "Surfing '60s", the Golden Era of California Surf Culture. Rusty's lunch and dinner cuisine are consistent award winners, but great meals share the stage with great music at Rusty's when the Dining Room stage welcomes live music and dancing with top area bands and national acts. Rusty's is available for Special Events during normal operations or as a restricted facility for Private Parties. Rusty's Surf Ranch is a perfect reminder of a simpler time in California's beachfront history, with good food in a casual environment, live music and FUN. Open daily at noon. Happy Hour 4-7p.m.

256 Santa Monica Pier

Scarboni 312 Wilshire Bl

(310)393-PIERS (310) 704-8079

westside

SONNY MCLEAN’S A true bit of Boston on the west coast. A haven for all Boston Sport fans and the west coast home of Red Sox Nation West with an excellent menu offering including fried calms, bellies and all, lobster rolls and great clam chowda’.

2615 Wilshire Blvd.

(310) 449-1811

Stefano's 1310 Third Street Promenade Sunset Bar & Grill 1240 Third Street Sushi Mon 401 Santa Monica Blvd Sushi Roku Santa Monica 1401 Ocean Av Sushi Shogun 1315 Third Street Sushi Teri Express 1551 Ocean Ave. #130 B

(310) 216-7716 (310) 393-3959 (310) 576-7011 (310) 655-3372 (213) 500-4989 (310) 394-2189

SWINGERS The local diner, serving traditional diner fare with a southern california twist. Open 24 hours, the crowd in Swingers will change from late night clubbers to early morning coffee drinkers around 4am.

802 Broadway

(323) 656-6136

Tandoor Cafe 395 Santa Monica Place #009 Tastie16 Santa Monica Place Thai Dishes Restaurant 1910 Wilshire Blvd Tokyo Kitchen 15 Santa Monica Pl T's Thai 1215 4th St. Tudor House 1403 2nd St. Victoria Pizzeria 1607 Ocean Front Walk Villa Italian Specialties 8 Santa Monica Pl Wahoo's Fish Taco 418 Wilshire Blvd Whist 1819 Ocean Av Yangtze 1333 Third Street Promenade Yankee Doodles 1410 Third Street Ye Olde Kings Head 116 Santa Monica Blvd

(310) 435-3845 (310) 770-6745 (310) 828-5634 (310) 451-5385 (310) 395-4106 (310) 451-8470 (310) 394-6863 (310) 451-3031 (949) 222-0670 (310) 260-7509 (310)260-1994 (310)394-4632 (310)451-1402 (310)451-1402

PICO/SUNSET PARK 310 Lounge & Bistro 3321 Pico Blvd.

Abbots Pizza Company 1811 Pico Blvd Acapulco Restaurant 3360 Ocean Park Blvd.

Air Conditioned 2819 Pico Blvd Ameci Pizza Pasta 2218 Lincoln Bl B B Q Garden 1707 Pico Blvd.

The Bread Factory Inc 1900 Pico Bl Buddha Boba 1701 Pico Bl Bud's Famous Deli & Desserts 2727 Ocean Park Blvd.

Cafe Bolivar 1741 Ocean Park Blvd.

Campos Mexican Food Inc 2008 Pico Blvd Classic Pizza 2624 Pico Blvd The Counter 2901 Ocean Park Bl #102 The Daily Pint 2310 Pico Blvd El Indio 2526 Pico Blvd El Pollo Loco Restaurant 1906 Lincoln Blvd El Torito 3360 Ocean Park Blvd.

El Texate 316 Pico Blvd.

Fresh & Natural Cafe 1900 Pico Blvd Ocean Park Pizza 2819 1/2 Ocean Park Blvd Georges Burgers 3101 Lincoln Blvd Gilbert's El Indio Mexican Food 2526 Pico Blvd.

Hotel Casa Del Mar Restaurant 1910 Ocean Way The Hump 3221 Donald Douglas Loop South The Hungry Pocket 1715 Pico Blvd Il Forno Caffe & Pizzeria 2901 Ocean Park Blvd Josie Restaurant 2424 Pico Blvd La Playita 3306 Lincoln Blvd Lazy Daisy Inc 2300 Pico Blvd Le Pain Du Jour 828 Pico Blvd #2 Mandarin Food Service 2618 Pico Bl Michael D'S Cafe 234 Pico Blvd Miyako 2829 Ocean Park Blvd

(310) 453-1331 (310) 314-2777 (310) 450-8665 (310) 829-3700 (310) 314-0090 (310) 450-6494 (310) 434-4653 (626) 674-8882 (310) 450-6860 (310) 581-2344 (310) 450-4477 (310) 399-0452 (310) 399-8383 (310) 450-7631 (310) 450-8057 (310) 392-9800 (310) 450-8665 (310) 399-1115 (310) 392-0516 (310) 450-9949 (310) 452-0445 (310) 450-8057 (310) 581-5533 (310) 390-3177 (310) 458-5335 (310) 450-1241 (310) 581-4201 (310) 452-0090 (310) 450-9011 (310) 399-4870 (310) 396-9559 (310) 452-8737 (310) 396-5588

THE OP CAFE A Small Neighborhood Place With A Family Feel – Serving Breakfast and Lunch Daily. The Freshest Foods, Friendly Service At Unbelievable Prices! So when you want to be treated like family and enjoy some delicious food –The OP CAFÉ is the PLACE!!

3117 Ocean Park Blvd

(310) 452-5720

One Pico Restaurant One Pico Blvd.

Panchos Tacos 2920 Lincoln Blvd Pedals Cafe One Pico Blvd.

Raes Restaurant 2901 Pico Blvd Santa Monica Bar and Grill 3321Pico Blvd Santinos 3021 Lincoln Blvd Sheraton Delfina 530 Pico Blvd The Slice 1622 Ocean Park Spitfire Grill 3300 Airport Ave. Star Of Siam 3133 Lincoln Blvd Subway 2901 Ocean Park Blvd Sunset Grill 1701 Ocean Park Blvd Tandoor India 2622 Pico Bl Tom's No 1 Pico 2350 Pico Blvd.

Typhoon 3221 Donald Douglas Loop UnUrban Coffeehouse 3301 Pico Blvd.

Valentino Restaurant 3115 Pico Blvd

(310) 587-1717 (310) 452-2970 (310) 587-1707 (310) 820-1416 (310) 453-5001 (310) 779-1210 (310) 399-9344 (310) 453-2367 (310) 397-3455 (310) 396-9511 (310) 396-3004 (310) 450-7546 (310) 581-9964 (310) 396-4481 (310) 390-6565 (310) 315-0056 (310) 829-4313

RICHIE PALMER’S PIZZERIA Owned and operated by Richie Palmer, founder of the worldfamous Mulberry Street Pizzeria in Beverly Hills. Palmer says he had to open in Santa Monica so all the people here would stop calling Beverly Hills for delivery. Same great pizza and Italian food.

1355 Ocean Ave

(310) 255-1111

Vitos 2807 Ocean Park Blvd Windows Restaurant 530 Pico Blvd.

Yongs Cafe 3020 Nebraska Ave. Yuni Sushi 1928 Lincoln Blvd Zabies 3003 Ocean Park Blvd

(310) 450-4999 (310) 399-9344 (310) 828-4775 (310) 396-4039 (310) 392-9036

MAIN STREET Amelia's 2645 Main St. Bravo Pizzaria & Deli 2400 Main St. Chinois On Main 2709 Main St. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Ocean Park Blvd.

Creative Sushi 2518 Main St. Dhaba Cuisine Of India 2104 Main St. Elvira's Cha Cha Chicken 1906 Ocean Ave. The Enterprise Fish Co 174 Kinney St. Euphoria Loves RAWvolution 2301 Main St. Finn McCools Irish Pub & Restaurant 2700 Main St. Goudas & Vines 2000 Main Street Groundwork Coffee Co. 2908 Main St. The Galley 2442 Main St. Holy Guacamole 2906 Main St. It's All Good Bakery 2629 Main St. Joes Main Street Diner 2917 Main St. La Vecchia Cucina 2654 Main St Library Alehouse 2911 Main St. Lula Cocina Mexicana 2720 Main St. Main Street Bagels 2905 Main St. Malia 2424 Main St. Manchego 2510 Main Street Mani's Bakery & Cafe 2507 Main St. O'Briens Irish Pub Oar House 2941 Main St.

(310) 396-9095 (310) 392-7466 (310) 392-3038 (310) 396-6706 (310) 396-2711 (310) 399-9452 (310) 581-1684 (310) 392-8366 (310) 392-9501 (310) 452-1734 (310) 450-6739 (310) 930-3910 (310) 452-1934 (310) 314-4850 (310) 260-0233 (310) 392-5804 (310) 399-7979 (310) 314-4855 (310) 392-5711 (310) 392-6373 (310) 396-4122 (310) 450-3900 (310) 396-7700 (310) 396-4725

OCEAN PARK OMELETTE PARLOR The best breakfast in town, featuring locally grown vegetables from the Farmers Markets. Sinc 1962, the Omelete Parlor has been a staple for Santa Monica locals. 6:30 am to 2pm daily.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2008

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

2732 Main St.

(310) 399-7892

Oyako 2915 Main St. Panini Garden 2715 Main St Rick's Tavern 2907 Main St Schatzi On Main 3110 Main St Shoop's Delicatessen 2400 Main St Sparky's Fine Frozen Yogurt 3110 Main St. #12 Urth Caffe 2327 Main St. Via Veneto 3009 Main St. The Victorian Baker Cafe 2640 Main St. Wildflour 2807 Main St. World Café 2640 Main St. Yose Restaurant 2435 Main St.

(310) 581-3525 (310) 399-9939 (310) 392-2772 (310) 399-4800 (310) 452-1019 (310) 399-4513 (310) 749-8879 (310) 399-1843 (310) 392-4956 (310) 452-7739 (310) 392-1661 (310) 255-0680

VENICE 26 Beach Restaurant 3100 Washington Blvd.

Abbot's Habit 1401 Abbot Kinney Blvd Abbot's Pizza Co 1407 Abbot Kinney Blvd Agra Indian Kitchen 2553 Lincoln Blvd.

Axe 1009 Abbot Kinney Blvd.

Azteca Restaurant 835 Sunset Ave. Baby Blues BBQ 444 Lincoln Blvd.

Beechwood 822 W. Washington Blvd.

Benice 1715 Pacific Ave. Big Daddy and Sons 1425 Ocean Front Walk The Brig 1515 Abbot Kinney Blvd.

The Brick House Cafe 826 Hampton Dr. Cafe 50's 838 Lincoln Blvd.

Casablanca Restaurant 220 Lincoln Blvd.

Chaya 110 Navy St. China Beach Bistro 2024 Pacific Ave. Danny's Deli 23 Windward Ave. French Market Cafe 2321 Abbot Kinney Blvd.

Great Western Steak & Hoagie Company 1720 Lincoln Blvd.

Hal's Bar & Grill 1349 Abbot Kinney Blvd.

Hama 213 Windward Ave. James Beach 60 N. Venice Blvd.

Joe's Restaurant 1023 Abbot Kinney Blvd.

La Cabana Restaurant 738 Rose Ave. La Meditrina 1029 Abbot Kinney Blvd.

Lands End Restaurant 323 Ocean Front Walk Lilly's French Cafe & Bar 1031 Abbot Kinney Blvd.

(310) 823-7526 (310) 399-1171 (310) 396-7334 (310) 396-8749 (310) 664-9787 (310) 396-6576 (310) 396-7675 (310) 448-8884 (310) 396-9938 (310) 508-2793 (310) 399-7537 (310) 581-1639 (310) 399-1955 (310) 392-5751 (310) 396-1179 (310) 823-4646 (310) 566-5610 (310) 577-9775 (310) 450-4545 (310) 396-3105 (310) 396-8783 (310) 823-5396 (310) 399-5811 (310) 392-6161 (310) 396-5000 (310) 392-3997 (310) 314-0004

LINCOLN FINE WINES Now open in Venice. We offer the Best Selection of Wines on the Westside. We have warehouse pricing with friendly service.

Come by and let us find the perfect wine for the perfect occasion! Open 10-8pm and Sun. 11-6pm.

727 Lincoln Blvd.

(310) 392-7816

Maos Kitchen 1512 Pacific Ave. Piccolo Ristorante 5 Dudley Ave. Primitivo Wine Bistro 1025 Abbot Kinney Blvd.

Rose Cafe 220 Rose Ave. Shima 1432 Abbot Kinney Blvd.

Siam Best Restaurant 2533 Lincoln Blvd.

Stroh’s Gourmet 1239 Abbot Kinney Blvd.

Szechwan Restaurant 2905 Washington Blvd.

Uncle Darrow's 2560 S Lincoln Blvd.

Wabi-Sabi 1635 Abbot Kinney Blvd.

Wacky Wok 2805 Abbot Kinney Blvd.

(310) 581-8305 (310) 314-3222 (310) 396-5353 (310) 399-0711 (310) 314-0882 (310) 827-8977 (310) 450-5119 (310) 821-6256 (310) 306-4862 (310) 314-2229 (310) 822-7373

MARINA DEL REY Beachside Cafe 4175 Admiralty Way C & O Cucina 3016 Washington Blvd.

Cafe Del Rey 4451 Admiralty Way California Pizza Kitchen 3345 Fiji Way Casa Escobar 14160 Palawan Way Chart House 13950 Panay Way The Cheesecake Factor 4142 Via Marina Chin Chin 13455 Maxella Ave Ste 266 Chipotle Mexican Grill 4718 Admiralty Way Harbor House Restaurant 4211 Admiralty Way Islands 404 Washington Blvd Jer-ne at The Ritz-Carlton 4375 Admiralty Way Kaya Sushi 13400 Washington Blvd.

Kifune Restaurant 405 Washington Blvd Le Marmiton 4724 Admiralty Way Mercedes Grille 14 Washington Blvd Mermaids-Juice Java & More 14045 Panay Way Rainbow Acres Natural Foods 4756 Admiralty Way Sapori Ristorante 13723 Fiji Way Tony P's 4445 Admiralty Way Tsuji No Hana 4714 Lincoln Blvd The Warehouse Restaurant 4499 Admiralty Way

(310) 821-5313 (310) 301-7278 (310) 823-6395 (310) 301-1563 (310) 822-2199 (310) 822-4144 (310) 306-3344 (310) 823-9999 (310) 821-0059 (310) 577-4555 (310) 822-3939 (310) 823-1700 (310) 577-1143 (310) 822-1595 (310) 773-3560 (310) 827-6209 (310) 306-3883 (310) 823-5373 (310) 821-1740 (310) 823-4534 (310) 827-1433 (310) 823-5451

BRENTWOOD Barney's Hamburgers 11660 San Vicente Blvd.

Chez Mimi Restaurant 246 26th St Chin Chin 11740 San Vicente Blvd.

Coral Tree Cafe 11645 San Vicente Blvd.

Harvest Restaurant 13018 San Vicente Blvd.

Literati II 12081 Wilshire Blvd.

Enzo and Angela 11701 Wilshire Blvd.

Trattoria Amici 2538 San Vicente Blvd

(310) 447-6000 (310) 393-0558 (310) 826-2525 (310) 979-8733 (310) 458-6050 (310) 479-3400 (310) 477-3880 (310) 826-4888

WEST LA Anna's Italian Restaurant 10929 Pico Blvd.

Aphrodisiac 10351 Santa Monica Blvd.

The Apple Pan 10801 W. Pico Blvd.

Awash Restaurant 5990 Pico Blvd.

Bombay Cafe 12021 W. Pico Blvd.

Carmine's II Caffe 10463 Santa Monica Blvd.

Colony Cafe 10937 W. Pico Blvd.

En Sushi 11651 Santa Monica Blvd.

DiVita's 11916 Wilshire Blvd.

Feast From the East 1949 Westwood Blvd.

Gaby’s Mediterranean 10445 Venice Blvd.

(310) 474-0102 (310) 470-0792 (310) 475-3585 (323) 939-3233 (310) 473-3388 (310) 441-4706 (310) 470-8909 (310) 477-1551 (310) 478-0286 (310) 475-0400 (310) 559-1808

HAMLET RESTAURANT Hamlet Restaurant & Bar offers a wide selection of fresh fare and an expanded wine list. Dishes such as the California Market Salad, Spice Crusted Ahi, Southern Crab Cakes and Grilled Chicken Caprese Sandwich are just a few of their new menu additions!

2927 S. Sepulveda Blvd.

(310) 478-1546

Il Grano 11359 Santa Monica Blvd.

John O'Groats 10516 Pico Blvd.

Kay 'n Dave's Cantina 10543 Pico Blvd.

Melanee Thai Restaurant 9562 Pico Blvd.

Ramayani 1777 Westwood Blvd.

Shanghai Diamond Garden 9401 Pico Blvd.

Sisley Restaurant 10800 Pico Blvd.

Sushi Masu 1911 Westwood Blvd.

Torafuku Restaurant 10914 W. Pico Blvd.

Upstairs 2 2311 Cotner Ave. Versailles Restaurant 10319 Venice Blvd.

Wakasan 1929 Westwood Blvd.

The Wine House 2311 Cotner Ave.

(310) 477-7886 (310) 204-0692 (310) 446-8808 (310) 273-4066 (310) 477-3315 (310) 553-0998 (310) 446-3030 (310) 446-4368 (310) 289-0392 (310) 231-0316 (310) 558-3168 (310) 446-4368 (310) 479-3731

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Local

r with issues

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2008

Photos by Brandon Wise brandonw@smdp.com

HOLIDAY IN LIGHTS

Along with trimming the tree, decorating one’s home for the holidays is a tradition to cherish. Some neighbors go all out, entering informal contests to see if they can keep up with the Joneses. This makes for some elaborate displays, enticing many families to hop in their cars and take drives around the city, hunting for the most memorable sights. The Daily Press did just that. Here’s a sample of holiday cheer provided by residents.

11

Local 12

A newspaper with issues

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2008

Local man has taste for culture

LOVE YOUR HAIR 1/2 OFF 1ST HAIRCUT

FROM WORLD PAGE 1

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Culver City, CA 90230

new owners were cooking Hong Kong cuisine, which he had already crossed off his list.

As the clock ticked toward midnight and the project threatened to end in Monterey Park, Galuten scrambled and found a place that served Macau-style pork shank.

Purists may argue that Macau isn’t a sovereign nation, but Galuten didn’t make such distinctions. He ate food from Palestine, Tibet, Puerto Rico and both Koreas.

The project became a moveable feast joined by old friends and strangers who became dining companions and then friends, often with the help of ample amounts of ethnically appropriate alcohol. It often included Michael Gross, Galuten’s college friend who goes by the nom de blog Mr. Meatball and documents dishes with digital photos.

Meals ranged from a bad experience at a Samoan restaurant to a fabulous one when Pascal Olhats, the chef at Tradition by Pascal in Newport Beach, served a seven-course French meal with wine pairings for free.

“He’s so passionate,” Olhats said. “He

Suspect had aliases FROM MURDER PAGE 3 Everett, one of several Benitez aliases listed in the sheriff ’s department statement.

The boy suffered a gunshot wound to the thigh in Tuesday’s standoff but was expected to survive, said sheriff ’s Lt. Liam Gallagher.

He was listed in stable condition Wednesday at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Adelaida De La Cerda said.

Benitez was declared dead at the Chinese restaurant in an El Monte strip mall after police threw a flash-bang grenade inside then exchanged gunfire with him, Gallagher said.

Gallagher would not say who shot the boy.

Police said Benitez, who wore a camouflage jacket and had two handguns, took the boy into a back room of the restaurant where he held him hostage.

The sheriff ’s statement said Benitez also went by the names Mike Evers and Manuel Velasco. It said detectives are seeking the public’s help in finding his mother, Elizabeth Velasco, who authorities believed he may have been traveling with.

Benitez was charged with murder and a California warrant was issued for his arrest

doesn’t just like food, he likes people. He’s very curious and gentle. That’s why he’s always welcome in all the ethnic restaurants he goes to.”

One of Galuten’s favorite finds came through a chain of e-mails that led him to a Ghanaian market named Nana and Naa International Cuisine in Inglewood.

The cook eyed the two men suspiciously until they said they liked spicy food.

“That was the magic password,” he said.

She filleted and fried fish in a back kitchen and served up a delicious okra stew with steamed cassava dough in the courtyard under a tarp roof.

“There was no menu, no prices, but it was a priceless experience and delicious,” he said.

Most of the central African nations, plus Kazakhstan, Wales, and others remain uncharted by Galuten, who waited until a traditional Thanksgiving dinner to knock his home country from the list with turkey and the classic fixings.

When the experiment came to a close this month after he failed to find Somalian food, his cravings returned him to his own roots, where he was comforted by a childhood favorite — turkey Bolognese cooked by his mom. in May 2005, the FBI Web site said. A federal warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution was issued in March 2006. The FBI had offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

As child actor Mark Everett, Benitez had small parts in the television shows “Highway to Heaven” and “Trapper John, MD,” and the movies “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” and “Stand and Deliver,” according to the FBI and The Internet Movie Database Web site.

El Monte police Detective Ralph Batres said the standoff began after a police officer noticed a man take a boy off the sidewalk and head to the restaurant. Benitez ignored the officer’s orders to stop and barricaded himself inside, Batres said.

Police closed nearby streets and shoppers were evacuated from neighboring stores as dozens of police officers and other emergency crews surrounded the restaurant.

One employee of a nearby Mexican restaurant said Benitez had the boy in a headlock and held a gun to his head as he sought a place to hold him.

Gallagher said Benitez told police during negotiations that he was going to shoot police and harm the child. Police later found Benitez had a semiautomatic pistol and a revolver.

El Monte is a city of about 116,000 people 13 miles east of Los Angeles.

National Visit us online at smdp.com

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2008

Stocks advance in light, Christmas Eve trading

BY MADLEN READ AP Business Writer

NEW YORK Wall Street rose modestly in light holiday trading Wednesday after the government released downbeat, but unsurprising, readings on rising U.S. joblessness and declining consumer spending.

The swelling rate of unemployment has been particularly worrisome to investors.

The more people lose their jobs, or fear they will lose their jobs, the more they close their wallets. And consumer spending accounts for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic activity.

But Wall Street’s reaction to Wednesday’s economic data was a shrug. Investors have largely been factoring in bad numbers for the fourth quarter as Americans adjusted to the slumping economy, and as banks and automakers scrambled for funding from the U.S. government to stay afloat.

“We’ve got to get through this year — it’s been crazy — and just start over,” said Stephen Carl, principal and head of equity trading at The Williams Capital Group.

His wish list for 2009: “I hope more shoes don’t drop in January, and I really hope that come March that the (government bailout) money is able to do what the people giving the money expect. I hope the automakers don’t need anymore; I hope the plan comes to fruition.”

The Labor Department said initial applications for unemployment benefits rose more than anticipated to a seasonally adjusted 586,000 last week. That was the highest level since November 1982, though the work force has grown by about half since then.

Other reports were gloomy, but less grim than anticipated.

The Commerce Department said consumer spending dropped 0.6 percent in November — the

fifth straight monthly drop — and durable goods orders fell 1 percent in November.

Floor traders, as they do every year on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, gathered for a moment at the New York Stock Exchange to sing “Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie.” The song is about waiting for the rain to end, and the Big Board tradition has roots going back to the Great Depression.

Wednesday’s stock moves were considered largely inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. Trading volumes were extremely low ahead of Christmas, and the markets closed early Wednesday at 1 p.m.

Eastern time. And with only four trading days left in 2008, most buying and selling appeared to be investors trying to dress up their portfolios after a year of unprecedented market turmoil.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 48.99, or 0.58 percent, to 8,468.48, after falling for five straight sessions. The bluechip index is well off its November lows, but is still down for the typically strong month of December.

Broader stock indicators also gained. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures rose 4.99, or 0.58 percent, to 868.15, and the Nasdaq composite index rose 3.36, or 0.22 percent, to 1,524.90.

Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by about 3 to 2 on the New York Stock Exchange, where consolidated volume amounted to 1.4 billion shares.

Bond prices, like stocks, were little changed. The yield on the benchmark 10year Treasury note rose modestly to 2.19 percent from 2.18 percent late Tuesday.

The dollar was mixed against other major currencies. Gold prices rose.

Light, sweet crude for February delivery fell $3.63 to settle at $35.35 a barrel on the New York Mercantiles Exchange.

More snow, ice vexes travelers

BY SOPHIA TAREEN Associated Press Writer

CHICAGO Hundreds of holiday travelers spent the night in the nation’s second busiest airport and some of them faced the prospect Wednesday of doing it again on Christmas Eve as airports across the country recovered from a barrage of snow and ice storms.

Conditions improved Wednesday but highways were still dangerously slippery in some areas.

More snow fell in the Midwest, where the National Weather Service said up to 4 inches was possible in Chicago. The Northwest faced more snow and sleet, with up to 20 inches possible in the Cascade range in Washington, and icy, wet weather spread over the Northeast.

At least 20 highway deaths had been blamed on the weather.

About 500 travelers had to spend the night at Chicago’s O’Hare International, the nation’s second busiest airport, after stormy weather canceled more than 500 flights Tuesday, said Chicago Aviation Department spokeswoman Karen Pride. Some slept on cots, some on the floor or across waitingroom seats, and at least some face the prospect of spending Christmas Eve at O’Hare.

Newlyweds Tommy and Siobhan Costello were at O’Hare on Wednesday gearing up to

spend their second night stranded in an airport hotel en route to their honeymoon in San Diego. They arrived from their native Ireland on Tuesday, but the weather disruptions meant earliest flight out they could get was Thursday.

“This was supposed to be a pit stop,” said Siobhan Costello, 30. “But there’s nothing you can do.”

At O’Hare’s American Airlines terminal, Paul Fustini waited with a bag of food for his daughter Sara, who was trying to get home to Orlando, Fla. Her flight was canceled Tuesday and she finally got a flight for Thursday afternoon.

“She wishes I would have brought a toothbrush,” Fustini said.

More than 100 flights were canceled at O’Hare on Wednesday. On Tuesday, cancellations totaled more than 500.

The New York metro area’s Kennedy and Newark airports reported arrival delays of up to 3 hours, the Federal Aviation Administration reported.

“The airlines are dealing with nothing but unhappy customers,” said Mike Conway, spokesman for Detroit’s Metropolitan Airport, where delays were reported in departures and arrivals because of conditions elsewhere in the country.

The weather service posted winter storm warnings and advisories for large parts of the West, plus parts of the Midwest and the Northeast.

13

Sports 14

A newspaper with issues

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2008 NFL

Singletary grows into role

BY GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer

SURF CONDITIONS

WATER TEMP: 56°

SWELL FORECAST ( 5-8 FT ) Wind swell should build, but conditions will likely be trashed as weather lingers. Size would be around waist to maybe chest high at west facing breaks as NW wind swell increases. By noon, west facing breaks could see size running a foot or two overhead.

LONG RANGE SYNOPSIS THIS

STORM SHOULD TAPER OFF

TIDE FORECAST

FOR

CHRISTMAS DAY,

TODAY

IN

BUT RAIN IS STILL HIGHLY LIKELY THEN.

SANTA MONICA

SANTA CLARA Mike Singletary has been a remarkable short-term solution to the San Francisco 49ers’ woes. With each passing week, the interim coach is looking more like the long-term fix as well.

When the 49ers (6-9) began preparations Wednesday for their season finale against Washington, Singletary acknowledged meeting with the team’s top officials about his future earlier in the week. According to the Sacramento Bee, Singletary laid out a plan for the 49ers that wowed the club’s leadership, which could announce Singletary’s appointment to the full-time job early next week.

“I will just say this: I don’t interpret anything as ... really good or really bad,” said Singletary, whose club has won four of its last six. “I think the most important thing is that I just continue to stay focused. After it’s all said and done, we can look back at how positive things are, and our direction or whatever, and we can fully pay attention to it.”

Because Singletary is the NFL’s seventh current black head coach, the 49ers wouldn’t be required under the Rooney Rule to hold additional interviews after the season before promoting an interim coach. John and Jed York haven’t responded to requests for comment on Singletary’s situation, but the unpopular owners undoubtedly have noticed the 49ers’ improved play along with

the groundswell of Bay Area fan support for the Hall of Fame linebacker.

Singletary’s players certainly are in their coach’s corner.

“The way guys have responded to him and played for him says a lot,” said quarterback Shaun Hill, who’s 4-3 as a starter with one of the NFL’s best passer ratings since Singletary promoted him. “Those decisions aren’t up to us, but we feel like we can turn the corner with what we have.”

Singletary took over for Mike Nolan on Oct. 20, one day after San Francisco dropped to 2-5 with a loss at the Giants. The 49ers then lost the first two games of Singletary’s tenure before the current surge, led by Hill’s cool passing and a once-awful defense that has allowed fewer than 17 points in five of the last six games.

With a victory over Washington in Sunday’s finale, the Niners could finish 7-9 to match their best record during six consecutive losing seasons since John York fired coach Steve Mariucci following a secondround playoff defeat.

If Singletary returns, most believe he’ll have to find a new offensive coordinator — San Francisco’s seventh new face at the job in seven years.

Mike Martz, hired in January by Nolan in an effort to revitalize the NFL’s worst offense in two of the previous three seasons, has breathed life into San Francisco’s effort. But the former St. Louis head coach runs a passfirst scheme that doesn’t seem to fit Singletary’s belief in a run-oriented attack.

NFL

Family and philanthropy up next for Holmgren

BY GREGG BELL AP Sports Writer

SEATTLE Mike Holmgren is happily leaving the job he’s loved and mastered for the last 17 years in the NFL. The reason is on the second floor of the Pike Market Medical Clinic.

His wife, Kathy, a registered nurse who specializes is treating diabetes, is ending a checkup with a patient, a small, older man with bright eyes for whom English is a second language. For the last two years Kathy has volunteered at the clinic, which welcomes poor people off the streets of downtown Seattle.

She’s done foot care, made home visits and seen whoever comes through the door.

She’s also traveled to Africa and Romania and Mexico while volunteering for a medical outreach team.

“I know who the real star of the family is,” said her husband, the exiting coach of the Seattle Seahawks who earns about $7.5 million per year, has led teams to three Super Bowls, and is the league’s winningest active coach. “And it’s not me.”

Holmgren’s move away from football is for Kathy. He married her in 1970, the year he graduated from Southern California and went to the training camps of the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Jets as a quarterback. She’s been waiting and coping while Holmgren has coached football every year since 1971, when he was a history teacher running the freshman team at Lincoln High School in his native San Francisco.

“There couldn’t be a better person to give to,” he said.

Before Holmgren’s final game on Sunday, Kathy had reluctantly raised the “12th Man” flag, Seattle’s in-stadium salute to its fans, immediately before kickoff. It was the first time in 15 years she’s watched one of his games in its entirety in person.

“She can’t stay at the game because she cares too much,” the coach said. “She said she had to be there for this last one. It was all very, very special.”

As special as the charitable work the Holmgrens have done for decades.

Among the checks the coach writes to Africa is one for $20,000 each year to provide food for children attending a primary school in Rwanda. More than 500,000 people were killed in 100 days during a mass genocide in the country in 1994. He’s been told his money feeds the entire school for a year.

He is also putting the leader of the school through medical school there.

A few days before Christmas, Holmgren has just finished a lunchtime appearance ringing bells in the Seattle rain outside a department store for the Salvation Army’s annual holiday campaign. The man with 173 career wins, 10th all-time entering his final game with Seattle on Sunday at Arizona, walks unnoticed through the alley entrance of the clinic moments before a frail, elderly man huddles there to roll a marijuana joint.

Kathy is gently talking with her patient as her towering husband walks slowly up wooden stairs to the second floor.

“Trying to surprise her — for the first time, after 38 years of marriage,” Holmgren says, chuckling.

Movie TimesHoroscope Visit us online at smdp.com

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2008

15

MOVIE TIMES Aero Theatre 1328 Montana Ave. (323) 466-FILM Call theater for information.

AMC Loews Broadway 4 1441 Third Street Promenade (310) 458-1506 Milk (R) 2hrs 08min 10:40 a.m., 1:30, 4:30, 7:30, 10:30 Quantum of Solace (PG-13) 1hr 46min 5:40, 8:15, 10:45 Bedtime Stories (PG) 1hr 35min 10:15 a.m., 12:35, 3:05, 5:35, 8:05, 10:35 Bolt (PG) 1hr 36min 10:30 a.m., 12:55, 3:15

AMC 7 Santa Monica 1310 Third St. (310) 289-4262 Bedtime Stories (PG) 1hr 35min 11:00am, 1:40, 4:20, 7:00, 9:30

Button (PG-13) 2hrs 48min 11:15am, 2:50, 6:30, 10:10

Slumdog Millionaire (R) 2hr 1min 1:10, 4:10, 7:10, 10:00

The Tale of Despereaux (G) 11:25am, 2:00, 4:30, 7:15, 9:40

Mann's Criterion Theatre 1313 Third St. (310) 395-1599

Bolt in Disney Digital 3D (PG) 1hr 36min 11:40, 2:10, 4:50, 7:20, 9:40 The Day the Earth Stood Still (PG-13) 1hr 50min 11:50am, 2:35, 5:15, 7:55, 10:30 Yes Man (PG-13) 1hr 44min 1:35am, 2:10, 4:50, 7:25, 10:00 Frost/Nixon (R) 2hrs 02min 10:45am, 1:50, 4:40, 7:45, 10:40

Seven Pounds (PG-13) 1hr 58min 11:00am, 2:00, 5:00, 7:50, 10:40 Gran Torino (R) 11:20am, 2:10, 4:50, 7:40, 9:00, 10:20 Twilight (PG-13) 2hrs 1:20, 4:20, 7:20 Four Christmases (PG-13) 1hr 22min Digital Projection 1:20, 6:40

Laemmle’s Monica Fourplex 1332 Second St. (310) 394-9741 Doubt (PG-13) 1hr 44min 12:00, 2:40, 5:10, 7:45, 10:15

Marley & Me (PG) 2hrs Digital Projection 1:30, 4:30, 7:30, 10:30

Last Chance Harvey (PG-13) 1hr 39min 12:00, 2:30, 5:00, 7:30, 10:00

Marley & Me (PG) 2 hrs 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, 11:45

The Reader (R) 2hrs 02min 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 9:55

The Curious Case of Benjamin

Valkyrie (PG-13) 2hrs 10:40am, 1:30, 4:20, 7:10, 10:00, 12:30am

For more information, e-mail news@smdp.com

Help an older relative relax, Pisces ARIES (March 21-April 19)

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

★★★★★ Put your best foot forward. If you can, empathize and walk in another’s shoes. Share more of the universal quality of the holiday. A child or loved one might have difficulty separating the gifts from the spiritual meaning.

Tonight: Make a call to a friend at a distance.

★★★★★ Communicate what is on your mind. Be willing to share and help others who simply don’t handle stress as well as you. A child or loved one delights you with a thoughtful gesture. Let the good feelings flow. Tonight: If you are tired, allow yourself to act tired. No more show.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

★★★★★ Recognize what could happen if you maintain the intensity with a key friend or loved one. Though on some level you might be fearful, you’ll discover that you just might want this type of closeness. Tonight: Better as a duo than solo.

★★★ Walk away from the concept of spending and presents. Loosen up and share the more spiritual and caring aspects of the holiday. You might join in with friends or children to help out a family in need.

Tonight: Recognize how much you have to offer.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

★★★★★ Defer if you want. Let someone else steal the stage. Somehow you will get a lot of pleasure if you allow this person to swirl around you expressing his or her feelings and joy. Think of yourself as along for the ride.

Tonight: You could go till the wee hours.

★★★★★ Trying to stop you could take a major effort, like putting out a foot and making you trip! Enjoy your high energy. Take time for those who simply are not in the same head space. Know that anything is possible. Tonight: Say yes to a friendly offer.

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

★★★★ Consider yourself the conduit this holiday as you help others draw the most out of their Christmas. You’ll discover how close you feel to a loved one as a result of this generous sharing.

Tonight: Know that the world is your oyster.

★★★ Be willing to not be ecstatic, but simply mellow. Remember that the expectation of Christmas being perfect every year is not likely. Honor your needs, but not at the expense of someone else’s happiness. Tonight: Curl up with a good book.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

★★★★★ You might want to let the responsibilities defer to someone else and be a kid again.

Whether caroling or going out to visit with friends, you seem uplifted and extremely content. Tonight: Enjoy every moment.

★★★★★ Friends seem to be romping around you. Enjoy the happiness and fun spirit.

Recognize what is happening with a friend, and help ease this person’s day. Don’t even try to control your expenses today; you need what you need. Tonight: Where the action is.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) ★★★ Stay close to home and relax with those close to you. Invite friends and family over to share in some last-minute fun chores. Share eggnog or whatever your family’s tradition might be. A partner could be a bit off. Indulge him or her. Tonight: In the thick of events.

Happy birthday

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) ★★★★ Step up to the plate, realizing your limits and needs. Others will respond if you stay sensitive to their needs as well. Toss away being controlling and demanding. A partner could be difficult or tense. Tonight: Help an older relative relax.

JACQUELINE BIGAR’S STARS The stars show the kind of day you’ll have: ★★★★★Dynamic ★★ So-So ★★★★ Positive ★ Difficult ★★★ Average

There is a very special quality to your next year. You finally feel an easing up financially and emotionally. You might not realize how much you do offer, but you will be given feedback that will help you understand. If you are single, you will meet someone, perhaps simply going to the bank. Give this person plenty of time to reveal his or her true colors. Many people you meet this year could have a hidden agenda. If you are attached, the two of you would benefit from frequent romantic getaways. Soon you will be acting like newlyweds! SAGITTARIUS demonstrates their feelings more often than not.

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Comics & Stuff 16

A newspaper with issues

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2008

Girls and Sports

Sudoku

By Justin Borus and Andrew Feinstein

Fill in the blank cells using numbers 1 to 9. Each number can appear only once in each row, column, and 3x3 block. Use logic and process of elimination to solve the puzzle. The difficulty level ranges from ★ (easiest) to ★★★★★ (hardest).

The Meaning of Lila

By John Forgetta & L.A. Rose

King Features Syndicate

GETTING STARTED There are many strategies to solving Sudoku. One way to begin is to examine each 3x3 grid and figure out which numbers are missing. Then, based on the other numbers in the row and column of each blank cell, find which of the missing numbers will work. Eliminating numbers will eventually lead you to the answer.

The Other Coast

By Adrian Raeside

SOLUTIONS TO YESTERDAY’S PUZZLE

Garfield

Your ad could run here!

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Call us today at (310) 458-7737

ODDS OF A CHILD BEING IN A FATAL AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT: 1 in 23,000

ODDS OF A CHILD BEING DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM: 1 in 166

To learn the signs of autism, visit autismspeaks.org

Dog eat Doug

By Jim Davis

By Brian Anderson

Comics & Stuff Visit us online at smdp.com

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2008

17

NEWS OF THE WEIRD BY

MYSTERY PHOTO

Rachel Dardashti news@smdp.com The first person who can correctly identify where this image was captured gets a pat on the back from the Santa Monica Daily Press. Send answers to editor@smdp.com.

Strange Brew

By John Deering

CHUCK

SHEPARD

■ When Arien O'Connell posted the fastest time in October's Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco, she expected of course to be declared the winner, but the shoe company apparently had promised a group of elite runners (to attract them to enter the race) that one of them would be the "winner," and consequently, first place went to a woman who ran 11 minutes behind O'Connell. After a storm of complaints, Nike reluctantly settled on calling both women "winners" and said next year it would scrap the two-tier system.

■ In November, the Swedish national newspaper Expressen revealed a 30-person bestiality ring operating out of a farm in southern Sweden, but the 45year-old man who allegedly headed the group said his members were always respectful of animals: "Any of the times I did anything with (the dog), she was the one who backed into me and provoked it. She was in heat and made herself available. ... There were also times later when she didn't want to and then I backed out immediately."

■ In 1983, convicted South Carolina murderer Michael Godwin, then 22, succeeded in getting an appeals court to reduce his death-by-electricchair sentence to one of life in prison at the Central Correctional Institution in Columbia, S.C. Six years later, in March 1989, while sitting naked on a metal toilet and attempting to fix earphones that were connected to a television set, Godwin bit into a wire and was electrocuted.

TODAY IN HISTORY

Speed Bump

By Dave Coverly

Gen. George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River for a surprise attack against Hessian forces at Trenton, N.J. "Silent Night," written by Franz Gruber and Father Joseph Mohr, was performed for the first time, at the Church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria.

Hirohito became emperor of Japan, succeeding his father, Emperor Yoshihito. (Hirohito was formally enthroned almost two years later.) during World War II, Japan announced the surrender of the British-Canadian garrison at Hong Kong. comedian W.C. Fields died in Pasadena, Calif., at age 66. comedian Sir Charles Chaplin died in Switzerland at age 88.

1776 1818

1926 1941

1946 1977 WORD UP!

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l a c h r y m o s e \LAK-ruh-mohs\, adjective : 1. Generating or shedding tears; given to shedding tears; suffused with tears; tearful.

2. Causing or tending to cause tears.

18

A newspaper with issues

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2008

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HOWARD MANAGEMENT GROUP (310) 869-7901

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Employment GENERAL OFFICE/BOOKKEEPER POSITION available in pleasant Santa Monica office various bookkeeping, and general office duties (310)587-1113 CASHIER POSITION for gas station.

Immediate positions available. Customer service. Call for more information. (310)451-2355, (310)498-7910 EMAIL PROCESSORS NEEDED! $15.00-$25.00 per Email Income Potential Easy! No Experience Necessary. Genuine Home Based Opportunity. Start Immediately and Make Extra Cash Online! Visit: www.EasyEmailJob.com

PART-TIME OR FULL-TIME Driver. Must have own car, need to be familiar with L.A. have Ca. driver’s license, English speaking. Can earn up to $100/ a day.

Submit resume to bsberkowitz@aol.com PART-TIME SALES POSITION-Retail hardware/lumber store in Santa Monica.

Contact Erik (310)395-0956.

PART-TIME SALES position. Our attorney service is looking for referrals to law firms. Referrals result in ongoing commissions. Submit resume to bsberkowitz@aol.com

Help Wanted $$$HELP WANTED$$$ Earn Extra income assembling CD cases from Home. CALL OUR LIVE OPERATORS NOW! No experience necessary.

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No Experience Required / NOW HIRING! Green Card O.K. Call 1-800-913-4384 x 53 ASSEMBLE MAGNETS & CRAFTS FROM HOME! Year-round Work! Excellent Pay! No Experience! Top US Company! Glue Gun, Painting, Jewelry & More!

TOLL FREE 1-866-844-5091, CODE 5 *** Not available in MD*** DATA ENTRY PROCESSORS NEEDED! Earn $3,500 - $5,000 Weekly Working from Home! Guaranteed Paychecks! No Experience Necessary! Positions Available Today! Register Online Now! www.DataPositions.com Government Jobs - $12-$48/hr Paid Training, full benefits. Call for information on current hiring positions in Homeland Security. Wildlife, Clerical and professional.

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For Sale

GIVE OF YOURSELF American Cancer Society Discovery Shop needs volunteer sales help. You can contribute by spending 4 hours per week Thurs., Fri., or Sat.assisting in our up-scale resale shop in Santa Monica. Conact Terry or Shaunnah at (310) 458-4490.

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FREE HBO, Showtime, Starz!

130 HD Channels!

FREE DVR/HD! No Start Up Costs!

Local Installers!

1-800-973-9044

Customer service/sales position/on site coordinator at lawfirm in Santa Monica.

Prior experience in lawfirm preferred.Salary negotiable. Contact bsberkowitz@aol.com.

“DIRECTV Satellite TV: Save $23/month for one year plus 3 Free months of HBO, Starz and Showtime! Call Expert Satellite 1-866-926-2066 (credit card required)”

Auto Donations DONATE A CAR – HELP CHILDREN FIGHTING DIABETES. Fast, Free Towing. Call 7 days/week.

Non-runners OK. Deductible. Call Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation 1-800-578-0408 Donate A Car Today To Help Children And Their Families Suffering From Cancer. Free Towing. Tax Deductible. Children’s Cancer Fund of America, Inc. www.ccfoa.org 1-800-469-8593

Computers FREE NINTENDO WII!!

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Instruction GUITAR LESSONS with Lou Allen. Classical or plectrum. Your home or mine. Call 310-828-2151.

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CALL TODAY FOR SPECIAL MONTHLY RATES! There is no more convincing medium than a DAILY local newspaper.

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WLA, LARGE 3+2. OCEAN VIEW, top of hill, prv drvwy, 3 patios/backyard, gated, no pets. Redeco $2550/mo 310-390-4610.

1248 11TH st. unit I, 3bdrm/1 1/2bath, stove, carpet, blinds, laundry, parking, no pets.on site manager $2550/mo $500 off move in (310)393-6322 www.jkwproperties.com 615 1/2 MIDVALE lower Bachelor, no kitchen, sink, fridge,hot plate,, ceiling fan, carpet, street parking, no pets $895/mo (310)578-7512 wwwjkwproperties.com BRAND NEW one bedroom/ 1 bath for rent in SM ,hardwood floors, stove, refrig,.brand new appliances call Shaun $1700 (310)849-3500

458-7737

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Starting at $1,800/MO Beautiful Montana Gardens

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LARGE SM SINGLE CAR GARAGE or storage easy access, electircity $200/mo OBO (310)729-5367

1234 11th Street # 8 1bdrm/1bath $1795 835 Pacific #6 Single $1275 All Utilities Included 1334 Euclid St, #8 1bdrm/1bath $1395 We are offering aggressive move-in specials PLEASE Visit our website for complete listings at: www.howardmanagement.com rentals@howardmanagement.com L.A. GROVE area 428 N Orange Grove unit 103 1+1 stove, fridge, blinds, hardwood floors, on-site laundry no pets $1250/mo $300 off move-in (310) 578-7512 jkwproperties.com L.A. GROVE area 431 1/2 Genesse 2+1 stove, fridge, blinds, hardwood & tilefloors, seperate tub on-site laundry garage parking no pets $1875/mo $500 off move-in (310) 578-7512 jkwproperties.com Mar Vista $2300.00 2Bdrms, 2 Baths W / Loft Stove, Refrig, Dshwshr, Wshr/Dryr, Gated Parking, NO PETS 4077 Inglewood Blvd, # 4, 5, Call for Appt.

(310)780-3354 MAR VISTA 12450 Culver Blvd. Unit 206 & 208 1bdrm/1bath, gated parking, intercom entry, stove, fridge, utilities included, laundry, parking, no pets. $1195/mo $400 off move-in on site manager (888)414-7778 www.jkwproperties.com MAR VISTA 12610 CASWELL ave.unit 7, 1bdrm/1ba $1175/mo.upper, stove, fridge, carpet, blinds, parking,laundry, no pets.$200 off move-in (310)578-7512 www.jkwproperties.com SANTA MONICA $1750/mo. 19th Street near SM Blvd., spacious 2bd/1bath, upper. Large private patio, new carpets, stove, refrigerator, dishwasher, laundry, parking, small building call for Info (310)828-4481.

Santa Monica $1995 2 Bdrms, 1Bath , NO pets, stove, refrigerator, parking 1935 Cloverfield Blvd., #15 Open daily for viewing 9am-7pm. Additional info in unit manager in unit #19

WLA 1457 WESTGATE UNIT 13 1+1 stove, refrigerator, dishwasher, carpet, blinds, hardwood floors, laundry, fireplace kitchen w/ceramic tile garage parking intercom no pets, $1350 (310)578-7512 jkwproperties.com

Houses For Rent 3 BR 2 BA $450/mo!

Buy Foreclosure! Stop Renting!

(5% Down 20 Years @ 8.5% APR) For Listings 800-272-9416 WLA 2577 Armacost Ave, 2bdrm/ 1 bath stove dishwasher microwave carpet central AC/heat 2 car garage front & backyard pet ok with deposit $2695 (310)578-7512 www.jkwproperties.com

Commercial Lease PRIME RENTAL 1430 Lincoln Blvd Close to Promenade 1700 square feet Call Charles (310)995-5136

Real Estate

Santa Monica/ West LA $1395.00 to $2150.00 1Bdrm, 2 Bdrms 2 Bdrms W/ Lofts See manager at 2535 Kansas Ave #101 for list of vacancies Santa Monica/ West LA $1395.00 to $2150.00 1Bdrm, 2Bdrms 2 Bdrms W/ Lofts NO pets. See manager at 1935 Cloverfield blvd. #15 for list of vacancies SINGLE 12746 Pacific Ave. unit 2 Lower stove, fridge, dishwasher, wall ac, carpet, blinds, laundry, pation, intercom entry, restricted parking, no pets. $1000.

(310)578-7512 www.jkwproperties.com

1020 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica

WLA, UNOBSTRUCTED OCEAN VIEW. 2+2, hilltop upper front. Priv drvwy, large sundeck, cat ok. Newly redeco, $2150.00. 310-390-4610.

Run your personals here!

Call us today at (310) 458-7737

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING CONDITIONS: REGULAR RATE: $5.50 a day. Ads over 15 words add 20¢ per word per day. Ad must run a minimum of twelve consecutive days. PREMIUMS: First two words caps no charge. Bold words, italics, centered lines, etc. cost extra.

Please call for rates. TYPOS: Check your ad the first day of publication. Sorry, we do not issue credit after an ad has run more than once.

DEADLINES: 3:00 p.m. prior the day of publication except for Monday’s paper when the deadline is Friday at 2:30 p.m. PAYMENT: All private party ads must be pre-paid. We accept checks, credit cards, and of course cash. CORRESPONDENCE: To place your ad call our offices 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, (310) 458-7737; send a check or money order with ad copy to The Santa Monica Daily Press, P.O. Box 1380, Santa Monica, CA 90406 or stop in at our office located at 410 Broadway, Suite B, Santa Monica. OTHER RATES: For information about the professional services directory or classified display ads, please call our office at (310) 458-7737.

HOURS MONDAY - FRIDAY 9:00am - 5:00pm

LOCATION 410 Broadway, Suite B, Santa Monica, CA 90401

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2008

GET RID OF YOUR ROLLERBLADES. Sell your sports equipment to someone who will actually use it.

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Houses for Sale 3BR 2BA Only $43,500!

Buy Foreclosure!

Call for Listings 800-279-1604 Homes from $10,000!

1-4 Bedrooms Available!

Foreclosures, VA’s, HUD’s & More!

Call for Listings and Details 800-815-4493

Storage Space FIRST MONTH FREE SM garage for storage secure and lock 1934 18th st. $225 month (310)490-9326

Vehicles for sale 2002 Honda Accord Only $1,600!

Buy Police Impounds!

Many Makes Available!

For Listings 800-671-1134 Hondas from $500! Buy Police Impounds! Hondas/Toyotas/Jeeps and More! Call for Listings 800-591-0328 $500! Police Impounds!

Hondas / Chevys / Jeeps & More!

Cars from $500!

For Listings 800-773-2204

Bookkeeping Services QUICKBOOKS BOOKKEEPING service, personal or businesses. Online version available. Call 310 977-7935

458-7737

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Services

DBAS

Martin’s Professional Services

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAMES STATEMENT FILE NO. 20081959697 FIRST FILING. The following person(s) is (are) doing business as AXIA IT CONSULTING, 1450 MIDVALE AVE, #109, LOS ANGELES, CA 90024, COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES. The full name of registrant(s) is/are : SOL EUN, 1450 MIDVALE AVE, #109, LOS ANGELES, CA 90024 This Business is being conducted by, an individual. Signed: Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the fictitious name or names listed herein.. /s/: SOL EUN This statement was filed with the County Clerk of LOS ANGELES County on 11/5/2008. NOTICE: THIS FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT EXPIRES FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED PRIOR TO THAT DATE. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name statement in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see Section 14411et seq.,Business and Professions Code). SANTA MONICA DAILY PRESS to publish 12/4/2008, 12/11/2008, 12/18/2008, 12/25/2008

Quality European Workman All Manors of Home Repairs From painting to electrical

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19

Classifieds

$ 50 5 per day. Up to 15 words, 20 cents each additional word.

Life is short — Why make it shorter

John J. McGrail, C.Ht. Certified Hypnotherapist (310)) 235-2883 www.hypnotherapylosangeles.com

Legal Services Services TRAINED PROFESSIONAL SINGER Will sing at all parties, churches, women’s clubs, and all occasions.Jolson, Sinatra, Tony Bennett, popular songs, and will have a sing along.

Lots of fun. Holiday Parties! Call Gabe 310-392-6501

Lou Ferrigno Jr Certified Private Fitness Trainer

Considering Filing for Bankruptcy?

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— Sabbath Observed—

Massage

310.278.5380

EXQUISITE, INTUITIVE, strong and tender relaxing body work by mature European.

Very Professional, Sonja (310) 397-0433.

Lic# 804884 Fully Insured

ODDS OF A CHILD BECOMING A ODDS OF A CHILD PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE: BEING DIAGNOSED 1 in 16,000 WITH AUTISM: 1 in 166

The Handy Hatts Painting and Decorating Co.

SINCE 1967 RESIDENTIAL/COMMERCIAL SPECIALISTS IN ALL DAMAGE REPAIR “EXPERT IN GREEN CONCEPTS” Free estimates, great referrals

FULL SERVICE HANDYMAN FROM A TO Z Call Brian @ (310) 927-5120 (310) 915-7907

To learn the signs of autism, visit autismspeaks.org

LIC# 888736 “HOME SWEET HOME”

HOURS MONDAY - FRIDAY 9:00am - 5:00pm

LOCATION 410 Broadway, Suite B, Santa Monica, CA 90401

20

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2008

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