Last week I attended the festive opening of the Guibord Center at St. John's Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles. Founded by the Rev. Dr. Gwynne Guibord, former Officer of Ecumenical and Interreligious Concerns for The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, the center's mission is "to bring people together, to challenge assumptions, unleash The Holy and affirm the faith that transforms the world."

Now, I have been to lots of interfaith programs that brought people together, challenged assumptions and affirmed faith. What got my attention was "unleash The Holy." That and the tag line that follows the center's name in its literature: "Religion Inside Out." These were hints that an aspect of religion that had been virtually absent in interfaith gatherings -- in Western religion in general, truth be told -- was being affirmed. I refer to the inner experience of the Divine that has, historically, been associated with mysticism but is really the beating heart of every spiritual tradition.

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I think everyone, both men and women, struggle with understanding and appreciating the value of themselves when it comes to their careers or their relationships. However, I feel women struggle with this at a much deeper level.

I remember at the beginning of 2010, The Economist had on the cover a picture of Rosie the Riveter. It was symbolizing the fact that, for the first time ever, women had surpassed the 50% threshold becoming the majority of the workforce in the US. Was that something to celebrate? Absolutely. However, it really is only significant with regards to numbers and percentages, but not for equality in terms of salary or numerous other issues such as maternity leave, women in top leadership positions, and the like. I feel what we need to work on, not just on a societal level, but on an individual level as well, is understanding, acknowledging, appreciating, and educating women about the value of themselves in every society and community worldwide.

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From a pair of vino enthusiasts who fell in love with the wine-making experience but couldn't stand the hassle of constantly heading out of the city to partake in it, BK's a true oenophile's wet dream -- a massive former nightclub that's being stocked with wine making equipment & a head winemaker to assist amateurs who want to stick their nose in the process of making something they can stick their nose in to. From "crushing the grapes to bottling the wine," customers'll be lead through the whole shebang, starting with a pre-harvest tasting of the upcoming seasons varietals, including "complex, robust" Cali/NY Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay, which can produce everything from a bright & crisp profile that "tips its hat to the old world", to the "butter and oak" flavors typical of the California style, whose other bouquet notes include budget crises and obnoxiously consistent weather. Clients will do everything from sort, de-stem and crush their fruit, to barrel their mixture in oak, to fill/cork/cap the bottles and slap 'em with a label, which, after all the time you've spent with your wine, better be more than "it's complicated."

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If anything should convince us that judicial elections should be ended, it is the current attempt in several states to oust judges for unpopular decisions. (NY Times 9/25/10) In Iowa the executive director of the National Organization of Marriage, which spent $230,000 on television advertising to oust three judges who allowed same-sex marriages, said "he hoped the judges' ouster would help prevent similar rulings elsewhere by making judges around the nation aware that their jobs are on the line". It is difficult to imagine a more chilling threat to the existence of an independent judiciary. It is a blatant attempt to intimidate judges.

Judges, even those who are elected, are not representatives of the people who have elected them. Their duty and oath is to follow existing state law and state and federal constitutions even when to do so runs contrary to the will of the majority. The judiciary is not American Idol; and judges should not be treated as contestants. Nor should they be ousted for rendering decisions that some segment of the public opposes. Every decision will have its supporters and detractors. The appellate process, not the election process, is meant to correct errors in judgment.

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