Surviving 3rd Grade by Cooper

When I walked in late after 9:00 a.m., it was the second day. I had missed the first. I had no idea where I was going that day. I was lonely and scared. I didn't know how I would survive.

I made lots of allies like Miles, Solomon, and Nikolai. In time, I had perfected my skills at stuff like multiplication and reading. I got better at writing complete stories, and, finally, long division. 

I think my situation in 4th grade will be a lot like my situation in 3rd grade, but I'll still work more on my survival skills and I'll have my allies to help me survive.

I think I'm ready to pilot my plane to the 4th grade.

Me, too.

No parade unless Lakers pay

Can the City of L.A. really afford to pay $1 million for 1/2 of a victory parade to fete the Lakers? The mayor says to forgo this opportunity is "untenable," but laying off teachers and city workers, cutting essential services - that he can live with.

Is Villaraigosa completely tone deaf? Is he aware of the hungry teachers camped out at the school district headquarters? They're on day 20 of their strike. What about the student walk-outs. (He's famous for participating in such an action, when he was a student at Roosevelt High.) These stories are all over the paper and easy to find on YouTube.

Earlier on Sunday, the mayor covered himself in a rainbow flag and rode in West Hollywood's annual gay pride parade - traditionally, one of the most creative occasions in our fair metropolis - a veritable celebration of crepe paper and extra large cheerleader uniforms. (Think about what the girls of Christopher Street West could do with a million bucks!)

Ironically, about a week before His Honor vowed to "put the [gay marriage] issue back on the ballot," protesters gathered at Hollywood Forever cemetery to voice their discontent about cuts in the fight against HIV/AIDS, estimated to be $80 million, state-wide. Villaraigosa wasn't even there. Will he miss the $2 million Laker parade? No way, Kobe.

We have real needs in this community - gay, straight, kids, the elderly, fighting crime, saving our schools, zero waste, creating jobs. I think turning away from our citizens is "untenable." Will we sleep any easier in our beds if we have a parade?

And why can't the Lakers pay for the whole thing? Why quibble about money at a time like this, when to be magnanimous would go so far in solidifying the devotion of fans throughout this city? People are nuts about their Lakers, with the flags and the outfits, the car rocking and the bonfires.

They should take a page out of David Cooley's book, a WeHo cafe owner who donated $5,000 to the Fairfax High School band instead of spending the money to build a float for Gay Pride. The Laker victory parade will cover a two-mile route through some of the most distressed neighborhoods in this city. Pay for your own parade, Jerry, Kobe, Phil.

Sign the petition saying NO to an LA-paid parade.

Call the Lakers' senior VP of business operations and marketing, Tim Harris, (310) 426-6000.