Peace

It might be easy to dismiss the failed effort of Bob Hope Airport officials for nighttime restrictions as a waste of money and resources, but then, it was a battle of necessity. Regardless of the chances a curfew had with the Federal Aviation Administration, it was the job of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority to try, and try it did, like no other airport has. The closely watched application was denied, but it wasn’t all for naught. We now know that avenue has been exhausted, and that other paths to noise relief must be pursued.

Regarding John F. Cabrera’s Nov. 13 letter, “Don’t like noise? Then move,” moving legislation to impose a curfew on night time flights should be of the utmost importance. My pursuit of happiness is a guarantee of my constitutional rights. They are being hijacked. The airport started off small, and should remain small. Originally, United Airport opened Memorial Day weekend 1930. In 1940, Lockheed purchased the airport as it built war planes that rolled off the assembly lines.

President Obama last week was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for his ?extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.? The decision to award Obama the Nobel Peace Prize has been met with mixed reaction, from support to skepticism. What do you think? Do you believe Obama deserved to be awarded the prize? ? It is clear that since assuming the presidency, President Obama has boldly attempted to bring about peace in various troubled areas of the world.

In his Oct. 14 community commentary “Turkey-Armenia talks cause for celebration,” Gerry Rankin makes a couple of astute observations. He states that “Armenia may be strong in heart, but it is relatively weak in economic and military power, and potential adversaries surround it on every side” and that “peace is everybody’s business.” To his latter point, he is correct that peace is everybody’s business. But the question must be asked, “At what cost?

Micheline E. Abounassar is hoping to spread peace and love around the world with her paintings — starting with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. A copy of her oil painting, “The Savior,” which depicts Jesus Christ, is on her website. Religious officials in Jerusalem saw it there and contacted the Glendale artist. “They liked it so much and thought is was a great gift for His Holiness,” Abounassar said, who goes by Micha. “And Pope Benedict has a book about Jesus of Nazareth and his spokesman thought my painting depicted the one in his book.

Crescenta Valley Station personnel took part in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department 32nd Annual Memorial Torch Relay Run that began on Friday and ended on Sunday. “It was a 315 mile relay that went to all landlocked sheriff stations,” said Capt. David Silversparre. “We were responsible for four legs on Sunday [of the relay], a little over 25 miles.” The captain ran with 12 members of the CV Station. “And seven members of the Los Feliz Flyers [running club]

Swine flu, the economy, wars and rumors of wars ? it?s no surprise we?re a heavily medicated society. OK, maybe not all of us, but the point is, we live busy lives with very little time to relax or secure a little peace of mind. That?s why, when I attended the Glendale Noon Concerts Wednesday, I was pleasantly surprised not just by the music and the environment, but because I found my peace of mind. The concert started promptly at 12:10 p.m. in the First Baptist Church of Glendale.

Demonstrators took turns lying on an inflatable mattress at the corner of Honolulu Avenue and Ocean View Boulevard on Friday while others passed out daisies and sang songs of peace in commemoration of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s 40th anniversary Bed-In for peace. Lennon and Ono staged a bed-in in 1969 at a hotel during their honeymoon and allowed cameras to photograph them in bed while they promoted peace and protested the Vietnam War. Forty years later, the members of the Montrose Peace Vigil tried to re-create the couple’s demonstration, but they decided to take it to the streets of their town for a couple of hours.

All eyes turned heavenward on Thursday, March 12 as religious and civic leaders attended the 46th Annual Glendale Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast at the Glendale Civic Auditorium. Celebrating the diversity in faiths practiced in the Glendale and foothills areas, the breakfast featured prayers in several languages by representatives of different religions. Dr. Michael Escalante of the Glendale Unified School District emceed the early morning event that featured music by Rosemont Middle School’s string ensemble and the presentation of colors by Crescenta Valley High School’s JROTC.

What is holiness? An easy answer is that it means to be set apart unto God. Those who profess faith are to be set apart from sin, and set aside for God’s intended will and use of our lives. We understand as Christians that we can strive to be holy, but only God fully attains that position. Setting ourselves aside for God’s intended use may sound a bit daunting or even scary as we perhaps think of letting go of things we enjoy doing. But as one who has lived a life in the entertainment business and then turned to fully serve God, I know that there is a peace that can only be found in intimate relationship with God — walking toward holiness and living in deep faith.