I have been feeling a lot of anger lately over the many conflicts in the world, the many wars. I have been feeling that unless mankind learns to handle our differences civilly and without violence, we will be our own end. The environment is groaning because of our greedy misuse, and with the factor of war added in, it starts to rapidly decline.

(Written by Lisa A. Trimarchi)

I have never been out of the country. Unfortunately, my fear of flying (well, fear of going down is more like it) has hindered my exploration of the world. About five years ago, I could have traveled with a friend, and a group of other Jewish adults, to the motherland – Israel. For the most part, it was a free ticket because it involved committed studies and group activities.

(Written by Elana Pruitt)

Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is the home of Bollywood star Pooja Batra. Mumbai’s population alone is 13 million. And if you take into account the entire population of India being over 1 billion, one could say that Pooja Batra is a bigger celebrity than any one star here in America. Naturally, Hollywood crosses continents, and most blockbusters are translated into several different languages across the globe. But for the dense population that exists in India, becoming a superstar there really carries a lot of weight. I recently interviewed Pooja Batra in her lovely American home, and got a crash course in Bollywood.

I just had the best haircut ever – from Jeffrey Jagged. Hey, with a name like that, he’s GOT to be a hot stylist! And he is!

Jeffrey Jagged got his start in New York City in the early 90s, styling wigs for some of the colorful downtown “glitterati.” He was also a fashion stylist in the Big Apple, where he rubbed elbows with celebrity stylists Danilo, Rodney Groves, and Oribe.

It’s a time of extreme financial hardship, but the owners of a struggling theater think people will want to escape their woes and buy tickets to be amused and entertained.

We could be talking about today, but it’s actually the premise of the new depression-era musical at the Center Theatre Group’s Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. Based loosely on the 1968 movie, “The Night they Raided Minskys,” and the 1960 book of the same name, the show tells the fictionalized story of real-life impresario Billy Minsky (Christopher Fitzgerald), trying to prevent his burlesque theater from closing down due to the efforts of a hard-nosed politician (George Wendt).

What do Matthew Modine, Annette Bening, and Laurence Fishburne have in common?

You can see them all in person . . . at the Geffen Playhouse!

The Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles has just announced its exciting 2009/2010 season, kicking off with the world premiere of Blair Singer’s Hollywood parody Matthew Modine Saves the Alpacas , starring none other than Matthew Modine himself.

In this amazingly crafted act of illusory showmanship there are seven doves, one parakeet, eight ducks, two geese and about fifty pigeons. There are also five female dancers and one male assistant. No, it isn’t Animal Planet Meets Dancing with the Stars. It’s the Lance Burton Master Magician Show at the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

LuxBus America offers daily, deluxe service to Las Vegas. Based in Orange County, the Las Vegas buses leave from their Anaheim terminal near the Disneyland Resort. If you’re going from Los Angeles, a shuttle picks you up at a nearby hotel and takes you to Anaheim to board their luxury bus. I live about a block away from the Marriot Marina Del Rey, so in the morning I just walked over and the LuxBus Van was waiting for me.

Room (and Bar) with a View . . . The Penn’s View in Philadelphia

Philadelphia used to be thought of as a dull place, and consequently was the butt of jokes for decades. It was so unexciting, in fact, that WC Fields infamously stated, “I once spent a year in Philadelphia; I think it was on a Sunday.”

From offering tips like—”Determine whether you’re shooting a personality or shooting fashion,”—to knowing when to use proper metering to aid tonality of an image, Ash Gupta is indeed a skilled practitioner when it comes to photography. Gupta has shot several celebrities, countless fashion editorials, and magazine covers. Lately you can see his work with some of the biggest icons in the music industry, but with each shoot, whether a celebrity or just a person wanting a beautiful portrait, Gupta always treats each subject with special attention and care.