Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- The future site of a Walmart 1301 North Victory Place in the Empire Center Burbank

 Burbank is getting a Walmart with dirt cheap prices, questionable labor practices, and the retailer’s notorious Black Friday culture. Last month at the Empire Center, the future home of Burbank’s Walmart, the giant retailer held a promotional event boasting about the benefits its store will bring to the community. However, Burbank residents must realize that the retailer’s massive advertising campaigns, concerned mainly with profits, are going to attract some of those crazed Black Friday shoppers to the new Walmart in B-town.

Violence erupted at several Walmarts across the country yesterday and Thanksgiving night. One of the ugliest incidents occurred at the store in Porter Ranch. In a Los Angeles Times report, witnesses described a scene of chaos, mayhem, and a pepper spray attack by a woman police say was “competitive shopping.” 

The discount king did not release an official comment about the violence, but in a Times’ article Walmart spokesman, Greg Rossiter, referred to it as “… a few unfortunate incidents.” A brush-off to a Black Friday company culture that has fueled violence, which has resulted in injuries and one tragic death.

Three years ago, in an exclusive report, I wrote about this Black Friday culture and the first hand experiences of a former Walmart employee. In part 1, the ex-employee described how he was almost trampled by out of control Black Friday shoppers and in part 2, he recounts a disturbing incident where an announcement by a Walmart manager sent an anxious Black Friday crowd into a frenzy.

By the way, did you hear Bloomingdale’s is opening a store in nearby Glendale? And Burbank is getting a Walmart — wonderful.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. There are countless things that we feel that we lack and want but there also a countless number of things to be thankful for. Of those things family is what’s most important and what we are most thankful for.

Family is what I am most thankful for but what allows my family and me to live day in and day out is actually you my customer.

When I think about all of the blessings I have received over the years, none of those things would be possible without my customers.

So many things that I am thankful for and so many of the things that I put my hope in, they would not be possible without my customers, and for that I am very thankful during this season of Thanksgiving.

As often as we regularly use the words “thank you,” it seems that those words seem to pale in significance to the gratitude I have toward my customers.

Please enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with your families and if the table cloth gets dirty during your Thanksgiving dinner, you can always bring them to us to be cleaned.

As a token of sincere gratitude and thanks, if you bring your table cloth in on Friday the 25th, we will clean it for free.

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Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website here.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

Have you ever heard anyone say ‘burning fall/autumn?’
That is the name given to this time of year in Korea.
It’s in reference to the red color of the leaves around this time.

Fall isn’t a time of melancholy as some might say, it is a burning red time of year. Burning is often used to describe passion.

Passion is what makes every day worth the while.

When I dry clean your clothes, I hope that I look at it as though I am clothing you with passion. I hope with your freshly cleaned clothes, that you would live out each day with a burning passion for all you do.

I hope that this week, everyone would overflow with passion.

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Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website  here.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

I want to share a story with you.  A long time ago, an old man sat underneath the shade of a tree near the entrance of a village.  A traveler walked toward the village and noticed the old man.

He asked him, “How are the people in this village?” The old man asked the traveler, “How are the people in the village you’re from?” The traveler replied, “The people in the village that I’m from are no good and I don’t like being around them. They weren’t the kind of people I want to live around.”  The old man then said, “The people in this town are the same way.”

A few days later, another traveler came walking toward the town and noticed the same old man sitting under the shade. He asked the old man, “How are the people of this village?” The old man asked the traveler the same question he asked the other traveler.

The traveler replied, “The village that I’m from is great! The people are nice and a overall pleasure to be around. I love living there.” The old man then replied, “The people in this town are the same way.”

November is the month of Thanksgiving.

I would like to thank each and every one of my customers for being the kind of people I want to be around.

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Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website  here.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

Tomorrow is the last day of October and it is also Halloween!
Do you celebrate Halloween? Some people do and others don’t, and that’s ok. People hold different kinds of customs and traditions based on their culture and beliefs.

Families like mine that consist of first and second generation immigrants often find it necessary to mix the customs and cultures of both their native land and of the United States. Sometimes we clash with our children due to different customs and values. This reminds me of the film, “Fiddler on the Roof.”

In that case, the customs of the parents had to give way to the customs of the children. Throughout the passage of time, traditions and customs often change.

Only 10 years ago it was customary to wear suits to work and dress up for church. Nowadays it’s common for people to go to work and church dressed casually. That change in particular caused the dry cleaning industry to take a bit of a hit with a decrease in business, but what can you do? We come to work dressed casually too.

Customs and traditions change, but there are still some things that never change. The goodness of love and being thankful will always be there no matter what.

We are going into the month of November.
I hope that this month would be full of love and reasons to be thankful.

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Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website  here.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

Have you ever heard of a species of bird called the goldcrest? It is a very tiny bird about the size of your thumb. Goldcrests are birds that can withstand very harsh winter climates.

Animals have different methods of winter survival.
Bears hibernate and migratory birds fly south for the winter.
Goldcrests also have their own special way of withstanding the cold.

First of all, they build their nests in a way that helps keep out cold air. At night, they huddle together to make collective body heat. During the day, they are always on the move searching for food, which also helps maintain body heat.

The way that goldcrests are so active in the day, it seems that they also have an ability to go on because of a passion for life.

Last week, a customer shared with me how times are difficult for him these days. It’s no surprise though as many of us are also periodically going through some tough times, especially during this economy.

Though, no matter how difficult things become, I hope that we all can get through those times with a strong passion for life. It’s important to have passion for everything we do. It makes everything worth it.

With the warmth of your patronage, we will be sure to do our job with passion, here at our cleaners.

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Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website  here.

Photo: Chuck Kennedy/White House -- President Obama and the First Family viewed the MLK National Memorial before the official dedication in Washington DC October 16, 2011

The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial has been open since last August, but the official dedication was delayed until today by the fury of Hurricane Irene during the summer. A crowd estimated to be around 30,000 gathered on the National Mall to witness the historic event.

Remarks by President Obama at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Dedication

The National Mall
Washington, D.C.

For this day, we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s return to the National Mall.  In this place, he will stand for all time, among monuments to those who fathered this nation and those who defended it; a black preacher with no official rank or title who somehow gave voice to our deepest dreams and our most lasting ideals, a man who stirred our conscience and thereby helped make our union more perfect.

And Dr. King would be the first to remind us that this memorial is not for him alone.  The movement of which he was a part depended on an entire generation of leaders.  Many are here today, and for their service and their sacrifice, we owe them our everlasting gratitude.  This is a monument to your collective achievement.  (Applause.)

Some giants of the civil rights movement –- like Rosa Parks and Dorothy Height, Benjamin Hooks, Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth –- they’ve been taken from us these past few years.  This monument attests to their strength and their courage, and while we miss them dearly, we know they rest in a better place. 

And finally, there are the multitudes of men and women whose names never appear in the history books –- those who marched and those who sang, those who sat in and those who stood firm, those who organized and those who mobilized –- all those men and women who through countless acts of quiet heroism helped bring about changes few thought were even possible. “By the thousands,” said Dr. King, “faceless, anonymous, relentless young people, black and white…have taken our whole nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the founding fathers in the formulation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.”  To those men and women, to those foot soldiers for justice, know that this monument is yours, as well.

Nearly half a century has passed since that historic March on Washington, a day when thousands upon thousands gathered for jobs and for freedom.  That is what our schoolchildren remember best when they think of Dr. King -– his booming voice across this Mall, calling on America to make freedom a reality for all of God’s children, prophesying of a day when the jangling discord of our nation would be transformed into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.

It is right that we honor that march, that we lift up Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech –- for without that shining moment, without Dr. King’s glorious words, we might not have had the courage to come as far as we have.  Because of that hopeful vision, because of Dr. King’s moral imagination, barricades began to fall and bigotry began to fade.  New doors of opportunity swung open for an entire generation.  Yes, laws changed, but hearts and minds changed, as well. 

Look at the faces here around you, and you see an America that is more fair and more free and more just than the one Dr. King addressed that day.  We are right to savor that slow but certain progress -– progress that’s expressed itself in a million ways, large and small, across this nation every single day, as people of all colors and creeds live together, and work together, and fight alongside one another, and learn together, and build together, and love one another.

So it is right for us to celebrate today Dr. King’s dream and his vision of unity.  And yet it is also important on this day to remind ourselves that such progress did not come easily; that Dr. King’s faith was hard-won; that it sprung out of a harsh reality and some bitter disappointments.

It is right for us to celebrate Dr. King’s marvelous oratory, but it is worth remembering that progress did not come from words alone.  Progress was hard.  Progress was purchased through enduring the smack of billy clubs and the blast of fire hoses.  It was bought with days in jail cells and nights of bomb threats.  For every victory during the height of the civil rights movement, there were setbacks and there were defeats. 

We forget now, but during his life, Dr. King wasn’t always considered a unifying figure.  Even after rising to prominence, even after winning the Nobel Peace Prize, Dr. King was vilified by many, denounced as a rabble rouser and an agitator, a communist and a radical.  He was even attacked by his own people, by those who felt he was going too fast or those who felt he was going too slow; by those who felt he shouldn’t meddle in issues like the Vietnam War or the rights of union workers.  We know from his own testimony the doubts and the pain this caused him, and that the controversy that would swirl around his actions would last until the fateful day he died.

I raise all this because nearly 50 years after the March on Washington, our work, Dr. King’s work, is not yet complete.  We gather here at a moment of great challenge and great change.  In the first decade of this new century, we have been tested by war and by tragedy; by an economic crisis and its aftermath that has left millions out of work, and poverty on the rise, and millions more just struggling to get by.  Indeed, even before this crisis struck, we had endured a decade of rising inequality and stagnant wages.  In too many troubled neighborhoods across the country, the conditions of our poorest citizens appear little changed from what existed 50 years ago -– neighborhoods with underfunded schools and broken-down slums, inadequate health care, constant violence, neighborhoods in which too many young people grow up with little hope and few prospects for the future.

Our work is not done.  And so on this day, in which we celebrate a man and a movement that did so much for this country, let us draw strength from those earlier struggles.  First and foremost, let us remember that change has never been quick.  Change has never been simple, or without controversy.  Change depends on persistence.  Change requires determination.  It took a full decade before the moral guidance of Brown v. Board of Education was translated into the enforcement measures of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, but those 10 long years did not lead Dr. King to give up.  He kept on pushing, he kept on speaking, he kept on marching until change finally came.  (Applause.)

Read the full text of the president’s remarks on the whitehouse.gov website. More photos and video of the president’s speech here on the White House blog .

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

 A Korean proverb says that people from long ago are never wrong. This is to say that the things they have said had come from experience after experience and they’ve had a lot of time to think about what they say.

The Korean word for autumn is Gah-Eul. Gah-Eul means to cut off. The origin comes from how fruits from the summer were cut off from their plants and reaped.

I was better off a long time ago.
I was prettier a long time ago.
I was smarter a long time ago. Etc.

These are things people often say or think about.
It doesn’t even have to be a long time ago, sometimes we might feel this way about today compared to just yesterday.

However, autumn is a time to ‘cut off’ some thoughts of the past. You have to be able to cut off some things from the past in order to make new good things about today and the future. That is why it is a blessing to be able to cut off some memories during autumn.

Autumn is a time you can take a lot of time to think about things and take inventory of the things in your life and organize them. And most importantly, it is a time to give thanks. I hope that this week will give you many reasons to be thankful.

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Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website here.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

It seems that some of my customers really like geese.
I noticed that some of them like goose designs on their shirts or pants.

Today I would like to share with you a story about geese.
In Korea, there is a title called ‘goose dad.’ This isn’t talking about the leader in a flock of geese flying in V formation.

It’s a title given to dads who send their children and wives to the United States or Canada so the children can learn English. The goose dads stays back in Korea to make money to send to his family. They only see their families about once or twice a year. This why they are goose dads, because they fly back and forth like geese do when they migrate between seasons.

However, I don’t think that’s a proper title for these dads.

Geese are migratory birds, yes. However, when they travel long distances, they don’t travel alone, they travel in groups.

No matter how difficult circumstances are, I think it is of the utmost importance for families to stay together, kind of like how geese stay together when they travel.

I hope that even though some people might be physically away from family and loved ones, I hope that each and every one of us would be together with those we love in spirit.

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Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website here.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Garden Guru Emilio "Elmo" Telles

 A couple weeks ago I had a class at work, which was about winter vegetable seed planting. Unfortunately, with that hot spell we had I talked those in attendance into waiting a bit for cooler temperatures — then start seed planting.

Seed planting the winter veggies is pretty cool and easy.

First thing is, stay away from such summer veggies like peppers, tomatoes, summer squash, etc. Now is the time to start cool season stuff like, lettuce, carrots, cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and so on. If you are hard-set on getting tomatoes and peppers into the cool season, get them in one-gallon planters or larger starters at your nursery. With our “mild” winters you should have some luck with a “first frost” crop.You will find starter winter veggies in your nurseries now, but don’t go to crazy and start a bumper crop with the seedlings, because we still have the October warm days that might ruin the fun.

Still starting the winter seeds now is a good idea.  Here’s the deal.

Start the seeds in little Dixie cups, egg cartons, in a cool dry place. Don’t set them in full sun yet! Not too dark a shade, so a bright shady is best. Use a seed starter potting mix. Seed starter is lighter than regular potting soil. If you want to use potting soil don’t keep the soil too moist.

I like to use a spray bottle so you don’t wash the seeds away. Keep the soil slightly moist, but not saturating wet.

Always read the seed packet to see how many seeds and depth to use in each starter soil.

When the seeds sprout at about 2-3 inches then get them in the soil or a larger pot.  Also, get them acclimated to the sun little by little.

I think I’ve covered everything you need to know for successful winter seed planting of veggies, but feel free to post any questions.

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Emilio “Elmo” Telles is a garden expert at Armstrong Garden Center  5816 San Fernando Road, Glendale  91202.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

The day time is a little shorter now than it was a week or two ago. This past Friday, the day time and night time were of equal lengths. In Korea, this is called chu-boon, while in America it is the autumnal equinox. It is now officially the fall season.

This reminds me of a Korean song that talks about writing letters during the fall. In the age of email, Facebook, and smart phones, not as many people actually hand write letters anymore. It’s even been in the media that the U.S. Postal Service has been losing business.

Today, I wanted to talk about letters. A long time ago, a man was a long way from his wife on a trip involving his work or business. He was away for quite a while and he began to miss his wife. So, he wrote her a letter. However, he accidentally mailed her a blank sheet of paper instead of the letter he had writte.

Upon receiving the blank sheet of paper in the mail from her husband, the wife thought to herself, “he must be so broken up inside from being away from me for so long, that he couldn’t even come up with any words to say to me in a letter.”

I don’t know if this is a true or made up story, but it’s pretty funny nonetheless.

Whether it’s to see how someone has been doing, or to send pleasant greetings, I wish more people could appreciate the genuineness and significance of a good old fashioned hand written letter.

I hope you enjoy your start to the season of fall!

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Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website here.

No Wal-Mart forces take the fight to City Hall

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- The former site of The Great Indoors at 1301 North Victory Place in the Empire Center Burbank

 In the past few days, a number of media reports have come out about Wal-Mart finally fessing up to plans to move into the site once occupied by The Great Indoors, at the Empire Center over on North Victory Place. Wal-Mart owns the site now — but anti-Wal-Mart forces in B-town aren’t giving up the fight just yet.

The No Wal-Mart on Facebook group has organized a rally for today, on the steps of Burbank City Hall at 5:30 p.m. The small but vocal group is being joined by the politically savvy Burbank Democratic Club, which has urged its members to support the rally and speak out against Wal-Mart at the city council meeting at 6 p.m.

At last Tuesday’s city council meeting, Deputy City Manager Joy Forbes revealed Wal-Mart executives “… want to do a community forum… ” at the site sometime in mid-to-late-October. Well, the site is more appropriate for a P.R. event than a community forum to hear the concerns of  residents.

Clearly, these Wal-Mart suits aren’t really taking the community very seriously. They’re reportedly considering options like including a restaurant or nail salon in that 120,000 square foot building. Hey, there are already plenty of restaurants in the Empire Center and a lot of nail salons in Burbank. I guess the Wal-Mart bigwigs do not need to be very creative, when most of their customers only care about how many cheap products they can stuff into a shopping cart. That location at the Empire Center needs some imagination. Wal-Mart needs to add something different to the mix of  restaurants and retail.  However, that kind of  progressive thinking may be beyond the comprehension of the Wal-Mart executives.

A new Burbank Police Commissioner

The city council majority snubbed former Chair of the Burbank Police Commission, Bob Frutos, once again last Tuesday. Right after Frutos lost a close run-off for a city council seat against Emily Gabel-Luddy — the CCM refused to re-appoint him to his seat on the police commission.

Recently, Frutos tossed his hat in the ring for the commission seat vacated by Jim Etter, who moved on to the Los Angeles County Fish and Game Commission. Frutos got only two votes, Dr. David Gordon and Gary Bric. The CCM voted for former Paramount executive, Tom Bruehl, who has been kicking around in local political circles for a while.

But the CCM is not rid of Frutos just yet. A few weeks back, each council member made an appointment to the Citizens’ Charter Committee. This group will decide if changes are necessary for the city charter, which could open the door for a charter review committee to be set up.

Here’s how the appointments went down: Dr. Gordon named Bob Frutos, Gary Bric — Jackie Waltman, Emily Gabel-Luddy — Carolyn Jackson, Dave Golonski — Lee Wochner, and Mayor Jess Talamantes appointed Victor Georgino.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

It seems like it wasn’t that long ago when the flowers were blooming and now the leaves are about to get ready to fall.

All the seasons have their own colors. Winter is white, spring is pink, summer is blue, and autumn is brown, and each of the colors of the seasons is beautiful.

People are all different colors, too. It is these colors that make up the world, and it is beautiful.

In the Korean language, there is a word pronounced like “math” and another word pronounced like “muht”. “Maht” means taste and “muht ” means beauty. I think it’s possible that both words come from the same origins.

People have different kinds of tastes. People have different ideas of beauty. I think in a way, what is beautiful to one person could also be beautiful to someone else, if the other person can search for the beauty in it even though it isn’t something they normally think is beautiful.

In other words, to be able to recognize and respect different view points.

It is now the fall season. I hope that everyone can experience their maht and their muht this week.

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Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website here.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

 Tomorrow is a big holiday in Korea.

It is called Chu-Seok , and it is the Korean equivalent of America’s Thanksgiving.

In Korea, it is a five day long celebration.

During Chu-Seok, the first harvests of grains and fruits are prepared and it is day where Koreans give thanks to their ancestors. The seasons in Korea are similar to how it is in the Northeastern United States.

So in terms of the weather and seasons, it’s a little hard to prepare the first harvests.

Why do they do it so early?

In Korea, July and August is when they get their monsoon season, typhoons, and sometimes periods of drought. So when September comes around, the weather gets so much calmer and nicer, so it’s ideal for first harvests.

Still, it is a little too early for a full harvest.

However, considering that the summer months are so harsh, the fall season is welcomed because of its much calmer weather, which gives people reason to be thankful. That is why Chu-Seok is celebrated during this time.

Our American Thanksgiving is still another two months away, but there are always reasons to be thankful no matter what time of year it is.

So in the spirit of Korean Thanksgiving, Chu-Seok, I would like to give many thanks to all of my customers and readers.

I hope that this week will give you many reasons to be thankful.

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Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website here.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
Saturday September 10, 2011

This weekend, we’re coming together, as one nation, to mark the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks.  We’re remembering the lives we lost—nearly 3,000 innocent men, women and children.  We’re reaffirming our commitment to always keep faith with their families.  

We’re honoring the heroism of first responders who risked their lives—and gave their lives—to save others.  And we’re giving thanks to all who serve on our behalf, especially our troops and military families—our extraordinary 9/11 Generation.

At the same time, even as we reflect on a difficult decade, we must look forward, to the future we will build together.  That includes staying strong and confident in the face of any threat.  And thanks to the tireless efforts of our military personnel and our intelligence, law enforcement and homeland security professionals—there should be no doubt.  Today, America is stronger and al Qaeda is on the path to defeat.

We’ve taken the fight to al Qaeda like never before.  Over the past two and a half years, more senior al Qaeda leaders have been eliminated than at any time since 9/11.  And thanks to the remarkable courage and precision of our forces, we finally delivered justice to Osama bin Laden.

We’ve strengthened the partnerships and tools we need to prevail in this war against al Qaeda—working closer with allies and partners; reforming intelligence to better detect and disrupt plots; investing in our Special Forces so terrorists have no safe haven.

We’re constantly working to improve the security of our homeland as well—at our airports, ports and borders; enhancing aviation security and screening; increasing support for our first responders; and working closer than ever with states, cities and communities.

A decade after 9/11, it’s clear for all the world to see—the terrorists who attacked us that September morning are no match for the character of our people, the resilience of our nation, or the endurance of our values.

They wanted to terrorize us, but, as Americans, we refuse to live in fear.  Yes we face a determined foe, and make no mistake—they will keep trying to hit us again.  But as we are showing again this weekend, we remain vigilant.  We’re doing everything in our power to protect our people.  And no matter what comes our way, as a resilient nation, we will carry on.

They wanted to draw us in to endless wars, sapping our strength and confidence as a nation.  But even as we put relentless pressure on al Qaeda, we’re ending the war in Iraq and beginning to bring our troops home from Afghanistan.  Because after a hard decade of war, it is time for nation building here at home.

They wanted to deprive us of the unity that defines us as a people.  But we will not succumb to division or suspicion. We are Americans, and we are stronger and safer when we stay true to the values, freedoms and diversity that make us unique among nations.

And they wanted to undermine our place in the world.  But a decade later, we’ve shown that America doesn’t hunker down and hide behind walls of mistrust.  We’ve forged new partnerships with nations around the world to meet the global challenges that no nation can face alone.  And across the Middle East and North Africa a new generation of citizens is showing that the future belongs to those that want to build, not destroy.

Ten years ago, ordinary Americans showed us the true meaning of courage when they rushed up those stairwells, into those flames, into that cockpit.  In the decade since, a new generation has stepped forward to serve and keep us safe.  In their memory, in their name, we will never waver.  We will protect the country we love and pass it safer, stronger and more prosperous to the next generation.

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Transcript and video of President Obama’s address on the White House Blog.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Burbank Water and Power General Manager Ron Davis had to defend the new smart meters at last Tuesday's Burbank City Council meeting August 30, 2011

A lot of complaints and grumbling about, and verbal attacks on, the new smart meters in Burbank.  Officials at Burbank Water and Power are raving about the new water and electric meters — but many of the residents aren’t buying the hype. Some of the public suspicion, disapproval, and down right hostility for the meters was heard during public comments at last Tuesday’s Burbank City Council meeting on August 30. 

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G --An electric smart meter in Burbank

Most of the carping is about the electric smart meter and its environmental, health, and privacy issues. BWP honcho, Ron Davis, stepped to the podium at last Tuesday’s city council meeting and proclaimed the ”.. meters are incredibly safe..” and “… do not pose a health concern…”

In terms of privacy, Davis says the meters “..do not broadcast inside the home”… instead “..broadcast out to a data reader.”  Well, that may be the ultimate plan, but right now the newly installed electric meters are not communication with the outside data reader, according to my source at the BWP.

I’m told the new meters are working, but meter reader personnel have to go out to homes and businesses and collect the data — just like they did before the Smart Grid Program started. Installation of the smart meters began in June and is expected to be finished by the end of the year. However, the system will most likely not be fully operational until sometime in 2012.

Davis says that so far “…51 people …” have asked that their smart meter installation be “… put on hold.” He admits that part of the problem with convincing the public to get on board with the new system is a matter of trust. Well, it’s hard to trust Davis and his BWP top executives who have jacked up our utility rates, while pocketing salary raises and hefty bonuses. That sort of conduct does not build trust.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

It is now September and it is Labor Day weekend.

It’s just about the end of summer and the beginning of fall.

Labor Day was meant for people who work. It is a way for people to be grateful for and find joy in their work by having a well deserved break from work.

You hear about a lot of people who are without and can’t find work these days. You also hear about self-employed people and/or small business owners like myself who get little to no business for periods of time. I have heard this about others and I have also personally experienced it myself.

On Labor Day weekend, I find myself thinking about work a lot.

It really isn’t just a means to put food on the table to survive.

In the book, “The Gospel of the Redman: A Way of Life,” Ernest Thompson Seton says that we should love our lives and that we should find all things in our life beautiful. The book also says to be happy in your personal strength and beauty.

Work certainly takes up a large portion of our daily lives. Don’t get me wrong, family and loved ones always come first, but it’s important to love what you do, especially when it takes up so much of your time. Also, it is the very fact that we work that allows us to enjoy a nice day off of work like Labor Day.

For me, if cleaning and pressing your clothing can help you find beauty and happiness in your life, I will be a happy this Labor Day.

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Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website  here.

Photo: FLLewis. Media City G -- Burbank reusable centennial bag

I noticed it soon after the big party of the century to celebrate Burbank’s centennial back on July 8. Whenever I took my colorful Burbank centennial reusable bag out in public — someone would comment on it.  “What a cool bag!” is what a checker at the Trader Joe’s on East Alameda Avenue in Burbank said as she carefully arranged my groceries in that bag.  I get versions of that compliment the most.

On another occasion, a Burbank shopper pointed out that she has one just like it — but is not using it– thinking it will become a collector’s item.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Burbank then and now snapshots on side two of the centennial reusable bag

At the Be-Boppin’ in the Park on Magnolia Boulevard earlier this month, I picked up a second centennial bag — but I had to buy a $5 coffee mug at the Burbank booth to get it. At the party of the century, the bags were handed out free. I’m told the city ordered 15-thousand or so and the supply has dwindled.

What city officials should do is re-order say 50-or-60 or a 100- thousand of these reusable bags and give them to Burbank residents as a way to encourage the ‘bring your own bag’ mindset. That would most likely flood the city with the centennial bags — putting the skids on the collectible notion. However, it’s a much more positive way to nudge folks to help protect the environment  — than the proposed extreme ban on plastic bags at checkout stands in grocery stores or charging customers money for paper bags.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

There’s a proverb that says that having clear and sunny days all the time creates deserts.

Of course everybody wishes to have bright and happy days all the time, but if every single day was like that, we could forget what happiness is.

It is natural for there to be rain, snow, wind, thunder, and lightning on some days and for other days to be clear and sunny.

It is the human condition to be happy sometimes and sad other times. There are times we laugh and there also times we cry. This is all normal.

In order for a tree to produce a bright red and ripe apple, the tree has to go through the cold winter, sunshine, rain, and withstand sometimes harsh winds. All of those things are necessary.

These life conditions are similar to what I experience as a dry cleaner. There are times when I am happy and there are times when things are difficult.

Sometimes customers bring in clothes with stains that are easy to get rid of, other stains are a little more difficult to clean, and still there are other stains that won’t go away no matter how hard I try. There are days when there are a lot customers and there are days where there are very little.

If we could take all these things, good and bad, and decide that we are still going to be happy, I think we could make every day a happy day no matter what.

It is now towards the end of August. The summer is almost over.

I hope that you can enjoy every day as a happy day in the month of September!

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Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website  here.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

Do you like the word ‘new’?

Usually, when something is new, it is good.

Whether it’s a new item or new thought, it often makes people feel good to have new things.

A lot of areas in the United States have the word ‘new’ attached to them, like New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and New Orleans. The first settlers of those territories identified those lands as new and good.

However, it isn’t just new things that are good.

There are old things that are good too. For example, it’s always nice to see old friends.

I admire many people from old times such as Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Old clothes can be good, too.

Sure sometimes if you’ve been wearing an item of clothing for a long time, you might get tired of it. However, if there was an item of clothing you have that you really like but haven’t worn in a really long time, finding it and wearing it again could be nicer than buying new clothes.

New is good, but it can be better to find things that we’ve had all along but have neglected for a long time.

Whether it’s old shoes, an old watch, or an old friend, I hope you’d be able to appreciate them by finding new meaning and new hope in them this week.

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Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website  here.