International Day of Peace

I celebrated the International Day of Peace by volunteering at Hostelling International - Santa Monica. We cooked food representing 6 or 7 countries. We had taquitos from Mexico, pancakes from Korea, and hot wings from the U.S. We dined on Jerk chicken from Jamaica and quiche from France.

I met local people and people from afar. We ate non-hybrid avocado with the skin and drank wine from a box. 

I joined a volunteer group called One Brick.

One Brick brings volunteers together to support other non-profit organizations by adopting an innovative twist to the volunteer experience: we create a friendly and social atmosphere around volunteering, and after each volunteer event, we invite volunteers to gather at a local restaurant or cafe where they can get to know one another in a relaxed social setting.Our 'commitment-free volunteering' allows you to choose when you volunteer, rather than having to make commitments for a certain number of volunteer hours, or agree to be available every week at a specific time.
Volunteering made easy!

I found One Brick through meetup.com. Meetup.com has been a great resource for finding anything and everything. Whatever you are into, you can find it on Meetup.com. New to town? Fitness fanatic? Hiker? Wine tasting? Traveling? You name it, they've got it. If they don't, make your own group!

Peace and I'll see you around on the volunteer or meetup circuit!



by Michelle Brown

James "Whitey" Bulger says "You suck!"

"You suck!" hurled James "Whitey" Bulger in a Boston Federal courtroom. Former Winter Hill Gang associate Kevin Weeks spewed back, "Fuck you, ok." To which Bulger responded with a hearty, "Fuck you, too."

Whew! Where is the love? Apparently there is no more love between these two mobsters. Gangsters. Made men.

Cameras are not allowed inside federal court so today's word spread via social media. That's right! Journalists attending the racketeering trial feed the public's F.O.M.O. (Fear Of Missing Out.) through social media. Twitter. It's a little much for me because there's no escaping conventional preoccupation as it's often happening right in my own backyard.

While I dine with clients at swanky restaurants (Season's 52) in Santa Monica, the FBI is capturing one of America's Most Wanted. James "Whitey" Bulger was arrested June 22, 2011 and is charged with participating in 19 murders and other crimes including extortion and weapons charges. The octogenarian has pleaded not guilty.

Raised in a South Boston housing project, James "Whitey" Bulger became the most wanted fugitive of his generation. This riveting story is rich with intrigue and was penned by award-winning Boston Globe reporters Kevin Cullen and Shelley Murphy. From teenage thievery to bank robberies and a string of brutal murders, this unforgettable narrative follows the astonishing career and epic manhunt for Whitey Bulger—a gangster whose life was more sensational than fiction.

Get your copy today. WHITEY BULGER: America's Most Wanted Gangster and the Manhunt That Bought Him to Justice