The One About The Subway to the Sea

I’m back.  I know I should do this more regularly rather than in fits and starts, but with a relatively new job (more about this in later posts) two small kids, things fall by the wayside sometimes.

Anyway, I took my kids on the new Metro Expo Line extension (also referred to as the Subway to the Sea) to Santa Monica on May 21, the first Saturday it was in operation.  I’m glad it exists, but it definitely has some kinks to work out. Here they are:

It’s Not a Subway

It is above ground light rail, with certain segments right at street- level.  These street-level segments are particularly slow, because there are people and cars in close proximity to the train.  The “Subway to the Sea” was originally supposed to be the Metro Purple Line, but there are no actual plans to extend the Purple Line to Santa Monica.  At this point, only the Expo goes there.

Parking

This is ironic.  We almost couldn’t use public transportation because there was no PARKING at the Culver City station.  And I heard that the parking situation there is only going to get worse because a hotel is going to be built where the parking lot is now.  Luckily, I don’t have any confirmation of that at this point.

Will post again soon.

Immigration Legal Assistance Project Offers Citizenship Guidance

A graduate of Tulane Law School, Alan Randall Steinberg also possesses a bachelor’s degree in government from Franklin Marshall College. In addition to the duties he performed as a principal at The Valence Group, Inc., Alan Randall Steinberg also has volunteered at the Immigration Legal Assistance Project.

Providing assistance to low-income Los Angeles citizens, the Immigration Legal Assistance Project is sponsored by the Los Angeles County Bar Association. The organization serves approximately 7,500 individuals each year and offers legal guidance as well as translation and notary services. For its most recent event, dubbed Law Day, the Project hosted an immigration fair that reached an estimated 100 individuals. Local residents seeking information on US citizenship had access to volunteers trained in immigration legal consultation.

Open to the public, the Project staffs qualified volunteers who commit a day of service weekly for 12-week cycles. Accepting volunteers ranging from law students to attorneys, the Immigration Legal Assistance Project provides educational training in US citizenship and immigration law. Additionally, volunteers learn the proper procedures for executing work permits, green card applications, and travel permits, among other applicable immigration documents.

Picture of Jerry Smith

How Come Jerry Smith Isn’t In the Hall of Fame?

Good question.  He had 60 receiving touchdowns, a record that stood for 27 years until Shannon Sharpe broke it in 2004.  According to Fox Sports, Smith also had 421 catches for 5,496 yards – more receptions than three of the eight tight ends already in the Hall of Fame.  He also has more receiving yards than three Hall of Famers at that position.

Could it be because he was gay?  According to the Fox article, if it wasn’t due to direct discrimination, his sexual orientation still had an impact. After all, he played in era when homosexuality was much less accepted than it is now, and lived in constant fear of being discovered.  As a result, he assiduously shied away from publicity, and perhaps was not on the minds of many of those on the Selection Committee.  I’m not sure I buy that, but the amount of publicity a great player receives should not matter.  His stats speak for themselves.  

Click here to watch a trailer for NFL Network’s A Football Life – Jerry Smith.  Be warned – it is sad.  If a three-minute trailer is tear-jerking, just imagine watching it for an hour.