Nature

Four seasoned artists present their work at Glendale’s Brand Library Art Gallery, coalescing into their theme the notion of Inside/Out. That concept examines the duality between organic and manufactured, nature and technology, flora and fauna, the results of which turn into interesting comparisons, both literal and figurative, in their pieces. Diane McLeod’s intaglio prints with applied color depict interaction between man and animal, both real and conceived. Laura Larson’s sculptures and sculptural installations marry the organic with the manufactured — pine needles arranged vertically on a plywood base look a little like a reduced-scale model of a ripened crop circle.

Four artists who interpret nature in their works are exhibiting this month at the Boddy House Gallery tucked on a hill overlooking Descanso Gardens. Watercolorist Vicki Thomas is showing landscapes, fairies and children at play in gardens, along with her favorite florals. A highlight from the collection is the series, "Afternoon Tea," which, she said, offers colorful floral bouquets with teacups and teapots. The scenes are reminiscent of those moments when one steals away to sit and contemplate, she said.

Bethune Theatredanse is celebrating the company’s 30th anniversary in a new city with a tip of the hat to nature. “Silent Roar” was inspired by the marine environmental artist who goes by one name, Wyland, said Artistic Director Zina Bethune, who wrote, directed and choreographed the production coming Feb. 5 to 7 to Glendale Community College Theatre. The performance relays the plight of whales as they travel from Alaska to Baja California with the help of original music, graphics, film and other digital elements, she said.

Marshall Allen LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE -- Finding wellness through an awareness of nature will be the purpose of an upcoming Descanso Gardens workshop. The workshop will take place from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16 at Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Dr., La Canada Flintridge. Instructor Julie Cade Bon -- who offers fitness walks and yoga classes Mondays and Wednesdays at the Gardens -- will teach the class how an awareness of nature can help relieve stress.

Slabs of lumber, used to grow succulent plants, lay in the center of the Glendale Community College Art Gallery floor, welcoming visitors to the latest exhibit “Let the Trees Decide.” The instillation created by Sung Tae Kim, a Los Angeles-based farmer, was inspired by the excess of material left behind during the housing boom, she said. “I wanted to give them a second life, and ideally the roots will grow into the wood form and continue to grow,” Kim said.

Ray Shelton's latest diatribe on Aug. 13 against the "Religion of Environmentalism" raises several provocative points. Unfortunately, as with all of his previous rantings, they serve mainly to emphasize the one between his ears. His is obviously the environmental sensitivity of those who believe that trees cause air pollution (they give off hydrocarbons as well as oxygen). It's natural that he would focus on the ravings of the environmental extremists.

'NATURE IN ALL HER GLORY' I was shooting a soccer game at Occidental College. Though I always look for the unexpected, as I turned around and gazed at the sky during half time, I realized that we were going to have an extraordinary sunset. Although there are times here and there throughout the year when a sunset may be a treat for the eyes, I could feel this one, the colors were so vivid and alive. By the time the game had ended, I turned around and took my last shot. I could see as far as Century City and points beyond.

Young people ages 8 to 12 will discover the fascinating world of nature through the Junior Park Ranger program hosted by the City of Glendale Parks, Recreation & Community Services Department/Park Ranger Section. The program will meet on Sundays from 2 to 3 p.m. beginning Oct. 1 at Deukmejian Wilderness Park Ranger Station, at 3429 Markridge Road in La Crescenta. There is a $50 material fee per child. Participants will complete a series of nature courses and outdoor activities in a variety of natural science and cultural related subjects including mammals, reptiles, birds, insects, plants, native cultures, ecology and geography.

The topic of Will Rogers' column of Feb. 13 involves my direct testimony by my sworn deposition of a confidential nature to the California Commission on Judicial Performance. I cannot and will not break my oath or word in trying to defend myself as a candidate for office while this investigation continues. Apart from the nature of the investigation, Judge Jim Simpson -- a good friend and good man -- has had his reputation attacked by allegations smeared with newsprint.

Some of Los Angeles County's top public officials urged residents to spend more time enjoying local natural areas during Saturday's annual Arbor Day celebration in La Crescenta. More than 100 people gathered at Two Strike Park on Rosemont Avenue for a program celebrating the various wooded open-space areas in the foothills and efforts to care for them. "We are in the paradise part of the County of Los Angeles right here, with these fabulous trees," said keynote speaker Sheriff Lee Baca, who encouraged locals to develop "an athletic mind and body" by taking time out of busy schedules to walk, jog or run under bountiful canopies.

The odor of natural gas wafting across Central Glendale prompted multiple evacuations Wednesday morning as firefighters worked to determine the source. The Glendale police department and City Hall complex, as well as the Los Angeles County Superior Courthouse on Broadway, were temporarily evacuated as a precaution. Reports of a “strong odor” of natural gas were reported from the 200 to 800 blocks of North Brand Boulevard, and east to the City Hall complex on Broadway and Isabel Street, city spokesman Tom Lorenz said.

Final arguments have been filed in a second legal battle between Glendale and Charter Communications, which is alleging that the city is illegally using company-owned fiber optic strands and laundering access fees for purposes that violate state law. In closing arguments, filed in briefs with the court last week, Charter contends that it never agreed to allow the city to use the fiber optics at no charge, even after its local franchise obligation to...

It's a long way from the comforts of Burbank to the wilds of the remote Ivory Coast in Africa, and Don Hahn, executive producer of Disneynature's new film, “Chimpanzee,” laughs at the comparison. “Luckily for me, I got to stay home and sit in warm edit suites right here in Burbank looking at this amazing footage our filmmakers shot,” says the congenial producer. It wasn't that he preferred to be an armchair traveler, it's also a matter of practicality. “Chimpanzee” follows the story of an amazing and very lucky infant chimpanzee named Oscar and his family group.

For 10 years, I was a vegetarian. Then I got pregnant. Suddenly my true carnivorous nature took over, and I never looked back. But I still have a place in my heart for plant-based vittles. If you feel the same way, pay a visit to Grassroots Natural Market & Kitchen in South Pasadena. Grassroots is not strictly vegetarian. They serve hormone-free chicken, turkey, pork and eggs. But what makes this place so special is the alarming variety of non-animal proteins that grace their buffet.

Glendale has received $300,000 from an air pollution control agency to purchase 10 new natural-gas-powered vehicles for the Public Works Department. The natural-gas vehicles emit less toxins and particulates into the air than their diesel and unleaded gasoline counterparts, according to a city report. The Public Works Department is in the process of replacing a significant portion of its diesel and unleaded gasoline fleet. The South Coast Air Quality Management District grant will help Glendale follow up with a sweeping policy that calls for the reduction of greenhouse gases created by city activities.

As more women reject chemical-laden beauty products with dense ingredient lists and opt instead for natural products, Emily Lape would like to provide them with a place to go. Lape, 28, in September launched Crow Perfume, a line of six water-based fragrances free of alcohol, phthalates and parabens. A year in the making, her online business was fueled in part because of Lape's itchy red arm rashes, an allergic reaction she attributed to the alcohol in her perfume. Although she said she's always had sensitive skin, her rashes led her to avoid certain perfumes and lotions.

Nelissa Boodaghyan, 10, wrapped bits of tinfoil around her fingers before picking up a regurgitated owl pellet the size of a chicken wing. “I am not a nature lover,” she conceded sheepishly. But finding her improvised finger protectors too cumbersome, she flicked them off and got to work. Nearby, her Jefferson Elementary School classmates did the same, finding in the crusty masses remnants of rodent skulls, mole vertebrae and bird legs. “I found teeth,” someone called out. The pellet dissection was one feature in “Walk on the Wild Side,” a hands-on learning experience at Deukmejian Wilderness Park in La Crescenta to complement the fourth-grade science curriculum.

In the community room of Que Tu Linda Boutique and Body ’N Soul Studio in La Crescenta, students took a seat in a circle, wrapped their legs around djembe drums and prepared to play. Students of actor and motivational speaker Gerald C. Rivers make a lot more than noise when beating their djembe drums. During the six-week class in the community room of Que Tu Linda Boutique and Body ’N Soul Studio in La Crescenta, students leave with more than experience with just the West African drum, he said.

I was immensely pleased to read in a recent Glendale News-Press column that someone was motivated to criticize in writing the parking meters on Brand Boulevard (“Unclassified Info: Turning against the tyranny of the meters,” March 22). I’m sure a lot of people don’t like them, but with everything else going on, they simply haven’t been able to muster the energy to complain about one more irritating inconvenience. Yet Gary Huerta did a beautiful job of it. As far as I’m concerned, the city might as well have painted all the curbs red on Brand Boulevard.