I've Got Your Pasadena Weekend

I know it's only Tuesday but calendars fill up. Listen, don't worry about it. I have your weekend planned for you.

Friday the 26th: Wine tasting and silent auction benefiting the Be The Match Foundation, the national bone marrow registry. They'll be tasting wines from some of California's top vineyards. There will also be a "pole dance" the likes of which I'm told Pasadena's never seen before, and that's all I'm saying about it.

Saturday the 27th: hike the Lower Arroyo with Tim Martinez, who knows everything about the native flora here except the Latin names. Tim's talk about plant uses was one of the highlights of last spring's Hahamongna Walkabout. Join him and you'll learn fun stuff like "the best" plant in southern California or what to mix with tequila as a topical for aching muscles.

Sunday the 28th: treat yourself to an ice cream social sponsored by the League of Women Voters, celebrating the anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote. It's only $5, you need reservations and there's still plenty of time to make them. It's being held at Hillmont House, one of Pasadena's most beautiful Victorian homes.

Then I'll see you back here on Zen Monday and you can tell me how much fun you had.

Self-Government

The League of Women Voters, Pasadena Area is sponsoring a free public forum tomorrow called Access to Impact: Using Open Government to Create Change. The keynote speaker is a woman named Hedab Tarifi, who was raised in Kuwait and who, according to the press release I read, "knows what it is like to live under a tyranny and closed government." The information goes on to say she "relishes the transparency of government in a democracy. But she also knows citizens need to know how to access information and put it to work to improve their communities."

A panel of experts from media, libraries and government will discuss the challenges and dangers of information gathering.

I put off posting about this because I didn't have the right photo. This is, after all, a photo blog. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and I thought I should have a photo of a government building--no, a library--no, a school--no, a courthouse--no--

Then I realized we're talking about transparency in government here. We're talking about democracy and freedom. We're talking about a lack of tyranny and there I was, running around tyrannizing myself. So I banished the little despot and set myself free to post any damn picture I wanted to.

"Access to Impact: Using Open Government to Create Change" is scheduled for Saturday, March 6, from 8:30 a.m. to noon at Neighborhood Church, 301 N. Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena. The forum is free. An RSVP is requested at 626-798-0965 or lwvpasocialpolicy@gmail.com

Spanish translation will be provided.

Monica Hubbard updates: "Thanks, Petrea. If people call the League office by noon today 626-798-0965 they can get their RSVP in. Or e-mail lwvpasocialpolicy@gmail.com. Should be an interesting morning. "