Mimi Pollack

This is not a political story, but rather a human interest one. It is my recollections of the weekend I spent with Jeb and Columba Bush, and why he impressed me.

In October 1981, my ex-husband, Carlos, and I traveled from Mexico City to Miami. We were with a group from the Mexican ministry of tourism who had been invited to visit Miami and create a touristic exchange. Carlos wrote travel articles for a newspaper called El Universal. I was a last minute addition as I convinced a friend of mine from the newsroom in Televisa to run a promotional ad on Miami, so I had an excuse to tag along with Carlos on this “all expenses paid” trip.

Jeb and Columba Bush were part of the welcoming committee as was Columba’s sister, Lucy and her husband. Lucy was married to Jeb’s best friend since they were students at the Phillips Academy Andover, so the four of them were very close. Lucy also seemed like the more practical sister, and Columba’s rock, as Columba was the more fragile and emotional one. Both were very nice and friendly.

We arrived late on Thursday. The next day, the welcoming committee gave us a tour of Miami and in the late afternoon, we went on a yacht where much “merriment” ensued. The group from Mexico, like many government officials, liked to party hard, and there was much drinking and “carrying on”.

This is where Jeb, Columba, Carlos, and I made more of a connection as none of us were into heavy partying, so the four of us made plans to go on a double date the next day. We went out for a casual dinner and to see the movie, “Chariots of Fire”. They came to pick us up and we spent a very enjoyable evening together.

Jeb was completely fluent in Spanish, and he and I had some lively discussions. Today, I am more middle of the road in my politics, and like to look at all sides of an issue [both left and right] before taking sides, but back then, I was a very vocal liberal. Jeb did not mind at all my blunt questions and although we were on different sides of the fence on many issues, we shared a sense of humor, and there were no bad feelings.

He was also interested in the fact that Carlos and I were Jewish, and although he had not converted to Catholicism yet, I remember we discussed both religions.

The next day, they took us on a personal tour of Miami, and invited us over to their house for dinner. We spent the evening with them, their kids, and Lucy and her husband.

I don’t know if Jeb would make a good president of the United States, but that weekend, I had a very favorable impression of him. He was a gracious host and was able to intelligently discuss many topics. He would listen to opposite points of view and consider them carefully before making a response. He was bilingual and bicultural and comfortable in both an American and Mexican environment.

His wife, Columba was very shy at the time, struggling with her duties as his wife, and had ended up drinking a little too much Friday evening on the yacht. However, he was supportive of her despite these difficulties. I liked that he was such an understanding and devoted husband.

We continued to stay in touch for several years after that, and exchanged small gifts and Christmas cards. I still have a candle they sent me.

This was all a long time ago, and I’m sure many things have changed. However, no matter what his views or politics are today, he still must have the same human decency.

The United States has become a very polarized country as both those on the right and left can’t seem to find any common ground. Some of my own friends can’t understand why I am middle of the road and like to look at both sides of an issue, or why I have both hardcore liberals and conservatives in my life.

For me, it is about building bridges, and this was one weekend in my life that I was able to build a bridge. Although we are no longer in touch, and I don’t always agree with his politics, I spent a lovely weekend in Miami, and came away with a very favorable view of Jeb Bush.

Sacha Boutros is an old soul. This award winning San Diego jazz singer channels bygone eras naturally. She has been listening to records, and singing along, since she was a child. Her love of music came early, and on every birthday, she would always ask for a piano and eventually took piano lessons.

She favors the rhythms of the past in both English and Spanish slipping easily from a standard of the 1940’s or 1950’s to a Sinatra tune, to a romantic song by Los Panchos.

Boutros is trilingual as she grew up in an international home with a Mexican mother and a Lebanese/French father. She sings in English, Spanish, French, Hebrew, and Yiddish. Her face reflects her Sephardic roots. She has performed with Klezmer master, Yale Strom.

She was athletic in her youth, excelling in soccer, and received a soccer scholarship to USD. She graduated with a major in International Business and Marketing. After graduation, she decided to try a career in music, and she has been tirelessly pursuing her dream ever since, even taking opera classes to hone her 4 ½ octave voice.

She has also put her degree to good use as she does all her own promoting and marketing. She is her own business manager, making all the arrangements down to the last detail. She combines her artistic side with business acumen.

Boutros has released three CD’s, including 2013’s “NY After Dark”. Her latest project is Sacha’s Supper Club working together with the historical Lafayette Hotel. This hotel is the perfect venue for a show evoking an elegant time from the past. The plan is for it to be a monthly event.

Boutros came up with the idea of Sacha’s Supper Club as a throwback to the nightclubs of the 1940’s and 1950’s where men and women dressed up and danced, and a night out was a special occasion. She decided on the Lafayette Hotel after attending an awards ceremony there in the Mississippi Room. She found it to be the ideal setting and set about organizing the event.

The first Sacha’s Supper Club was in May and it was a sold out show. The second show will be on Thursday, June 11^th.  The theme for June will be Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack. Each month Boutros will also invite a guest artist. For the month of June, it will be handsome crooner Jonathan Karrant.

The goal is for people to relive the feeling of days gone by. The dress code calls for “elegant attire”, not California casual, and men will be required to wear a jacket. Boutros would eventually like to take Sacha’s Supper Club on the road.

Boutros’ other project is an upcoming CD of old time Cuban music, called “Havana After Dark”. Her goal is to break into the Latin American market, and gain new fans on both sides of the border. With her talent and determination, no doubt she will.

• For more information on Sacha Boutros, visit her website at www.simplysacha.com
• To purchase tickets, go to http://www.sachassupperclubjune.bpt.me

Many of us lead mundane lives, but not Roy Toft. This amiable, 53 year old Ramona wildlife photographer has had enough adventures for many lifetimes!  Originally, his major was wildlife biology at Polytechnic State University, but a camera, a Canon AE1, given as a graduation gift by his father, changed the course of his life. Photography became his passion and his degree in biology came in handy!

However, a fledgling photographer needs to build up a reputation, and after he graduated, Toft came back to San Diego and began to work at the Wild Animal Park. During his college years, he had worked there as a volunteer, so it was a good training ground. Toft managed the bird show which later took him to Hawaii.

During that time, he constantly took pictures and honed his craft. He began to sell these pictures to stock agencies which he continues to this day. His pictures have appeared in National Geographic and Audubon Magazines. His pictures have also been featured in Zoonooz.

In 1991, he met famous National Geographic photographer, Michael [Nick] Nichols who had come to the Wild Animal Park to do a story on new zoos. Nichols took Toft under his wing and Toft worked as his assistant on this assignment.

As an up and coming photographer, he was lucky to have a very supportive wife with a successful career to help him support his dream. Roy and Robin Toft have been happily married for 25 years.

In 1993, Toft wrote Nichols asking for advice. Because their previous collaboration had been so successful, Nichols asked him to join him and work together on a global tiger story which turned out to be one of the last epic pieces in the National Geographic magazine. They worked together from 1994 to 1996, travelling to India three times to document the plight of the tigers. This 30 page story came out in December 1997.

During their time in India, Toft did unique work in that he set up all the remote cameras, which at the time, was a new concept. This enabled him to capture pictures of tigers that others had not before. It also provided him with invaluable field experience.

Since 2000, Toft has dedicated himself to working on passion projects, such as documenting toucans in Central and South America, the endemic animals of Cozumel, or pumas in Chile, to name a few. In 2007, he traveled to London to receive an award from the BBC at the Natural History Museum.

In addition, he has been guiding photographic tours to various parts of the world. Leading expeditions has been a good fit for him. First, he has always had a teaching bent and even went back to school to get his teaching credential. Second, he had already made many local connections from his previous expeditions. Third, he is a known and published photographer. Finally, his easy going nature has made it easy to handle many different situations.

He started his own website to announce his trips and post pictures from previous trips. As of now, he offers six to eight trips a year. In March, he goes to Africa, usually Botswana. In July, he goes to Brazil and Alaska in August. In December, he goes to Costa Rica. He leads his clients on photographic adventures they will not soon forget.

Finally, when he is not traveling, Toft is content to stay at home, with his two dogs, Tundra and Beau, on his 40 acres in Ramona, photographing the wildlife in his own back yard. His latest project has been setting up remote cameras and documenting a gray fox in her den and the playful antics of her five kits.

For more information or to see some of his stunning pictures, check out his website at www.toftphoto.com

As a child in Mexico City in the 1960’s, I remember my older siblings listening to Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass’s album, “The Lonely Bull”, and I thought he was a handsome, musical, Mexican bullfighter. I loved his distinctive trumpet and signature sound. That signature sound could later be heard in various commercials, the Dating Game, and the movie, Casino Royale.

Then, as a young teen, Sergio Mendes and Brasil’66’s first album came out. The lead singer was Lani Hall, Herb Alpert’s future wife. I marveled at her voice and sang along to “Mas Que Nada”. She sang in Portuguese and English.

Years passed and as an adult, I listened to Hall’s music as a successful Latin American recording artist from the late 1970’s to the early 1990’s, singing in Spanish. She also performed duets with many famous Latin American singers, such as Jose Feliciano, Roberto Carlos, and Jose Jose. She won a Grammy in 1985 for best Latin Pop Performance for the song, “Es Facil Amar’, on which Alpert also played trumpet.

I also discovered that she was an American who sang phonetically in Spanish and Portuguese. As a language teacher, I respected her dedication in achieving perfect pronunciation and feeling in those two languages that she did not speak. I admire that the LA born Alpert and Chicago born Hall [both are Jewish] have had such a cross-cultural appeal and influence.

Herb Alpert was not only a talented musician, but also a savvy businessman who co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. They discovered Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66, and that group went on to be the opening act for the Tijuana Brass. A&M Records produced albums for Chris Montes, Cat Stevens, and the Carpenters, to name a few.

All of this was on my mind when I finally saw them live in concert at The Belly Up on Thursday evening. The intimate setting of The Belly Up was good fit for them and Alpert mentioned that he had wanted to perform there for awhile. The show was a medley of Alpert’s old hits and a few songs from his most recent album, “In the Mood”, along with Hall’s hits from her days with Sergio Mendes.

They opened with Hall singing a rousing rendition of “O Pato”. Other songs included “Mas Que Nada”, “One Note Samba”, “Fly Me to the Moon”, “Putting on the Ritz”, “Chattanooga Choo Choo”, “The Lonely Bull”, and “This Guy’s in Love with you”.

They had an easy presence on stage and I was struck by Alpert’s sweetness and humor. They were accompanied by three great musicians, including an exceptional piano player and singer, San Diego’s own Bill Cantos, Hussain Jiffry [from Sri Lanka] on bass, and a wild Michael Shapiro on drums.

In between songs, Alpert bantered with the audience and gave one of the reasons for his success over the years, “I have been very lucky, but I have also always had my antennas up”. At the age of 80, he is still passionate about his art as is Hall which is why they continue to tour and make music.

I am sure it also helped that the audience was loud and appreciative, and gave them several standing ovations.
Finally, it was nice to see how this married couple of 41 years continues to inspire each and not just rest on their laurels. Besides the music, they also paint, do charity work, and Hall has written her first book, “Emotional memoirs”.

Full Disclosure: I met Abbie Hoffman at a party in Mexico City when he was hiding out there as Barry Freed. He had had a nose job, but I knew who he was as I had been following his antics since 1968 and had read his books. We hit it off immediately and spent the whole evening on a sofa chatting away. He was hysterically funny, smart and very flirtatious. He still had his rebel, radical side, but it had also softened. I never saw him again, but that evening will stay with me forever.

Several years later, I met Jerry Rubin in New York City and what a contrast! He had not only become a capitalist, he was also arrogant and mean.

All this was going through my head when I went to see the play, “Steal Heaven”, starring the talented Herbert Siguenza who also co-directed with Todd Salovey for the San Diego REP.

Siguenza really captures Abbie Hoffman’s Jewsihness, his way of talking, his humor and kindness, his lunacy and his poignancy. There is no doubt that Hoffman was a tortured soul.

However, I think Hoffman would have been proud of this play and how it conveys him. This play honors Hoffman’s influence on the radical movement of the 1960’s, and it also suggests how he could have influenced this generation, something the disillusioned Hoffman never had a chance to do before ending his own life in 1989.

The premise of the play is Hoffman is now in heaven and like the St. Peter for radicals. The time is July 4^th, 2017 and one of the last young radicals has been shot and is now in the hospital as she hovers between worlds. The question is will she wake up out of her coma or not? It all depends on if Hoffman deems her worthy to go back and truly be the radical who has enough heart and wisdom to lead the other radicals. To this end, he puts her through a series of tests.

Summer Spiro, who plays Trish the radical, is a force to be reckoned with. At first, I found her too abrasive, but she grows on you and her talent shines through. The girl can move and dance. She can also sing and at the end, she performers a rousing and inspiring rap song.

The third actor, Mark Pinter, was also quite good playing multiple roles, including George Burns as “God”, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, a very fitting John Lennon, and a hilarious Julia Childs.

The music was perfect! Each song, from Cat Steven’s, “Why Do the Children Play”, to Emerson, Lake, and Palmer’s, “From the Beginning”, perfectly captures the feeling each scene is trying to convey.

This is a play that makes you think and question. One moment that particularly resonated with me is when Siguenza says that, “It became un-American to question the government or authority after 9/11.” I could truly see Hoffman saying something like that.

All in all, this is a fitting tribute to Hoffman, the radical baby boomers of the past, and a call to the new generation who has it on their shoulders to change the world for the better.

What is a holistic mitzvah? A mitzvah that serves humans, animals and the environment. That is the vision of Ecolife and Bill Toone.

For Toone, it is finding a holistic approach of service and conservation, and as the executive director of Ecolife, he has this non-profit foundation behind him.

His first step is with aquaponics. Aquaponics is the science of raising vegetables and fish in a closed re-circulating system or as Ecolife states, “Aquaponics is essentially aquaculture merged with agriculture to form a semi-closed system of nitrogen exchange. An aquaponic farm is a self-contained ecosystem whereby water is cycled between fish tanks or ponds and a vegetable growing area. The fish waste provides rich nutrients for crops, which in turn remove the nitrogenous waste, making the water clean and habitable for the fish.  It’s an elegant innovation of symbiosis harnessing the power of the nitrogen cycle.  It provides near zero environmental impacts, removing the need for fertilizers and chemicals from the agricultural process since fish waste acts as a natural fertilizer for the crops. In addition, it provides fresh fish and vegetables for human consumption, thus reducing the need to import food from other areas and countries. The widespread use of aquaponics could greatly reduce fuel consumption associated with food transportation and fertilizers – thereby reducing significantly the communities’ carbon footprint.”

It uses 10% of the land and water required for traditional agriculture. For Ecolife, it is the way of the future to conserve land and water resources.

To this end, Ecolife has developed a desktop system for various K-12 schools to reach the” future farmers”, and they have also implemented curriculum. They offer package deals to the schools.

Ecolife sometimes teams up with other non-profits. For 15 months, Aviva Paley did a fellowship with the Leichtag foundation and the Jewish Food Justice program. She served as an educational programs manager and did outreach to over 330 classrooms. She primarily focused on aquaponics education. For Aviva, it was all about Tikkun olam or “humanity’s shared responsibility to heal, repair and transform the world” which fits in well with Ecolife’s vision.

Toone, himself, has led an unusual life starting from the time he was a little boy. On a trip to the San Diego zoo, he was so captivated by the aviary and all the birds that he decided to go back one day and work there.

After receiving a master’s degree in avian science from UC Davis, he returned to work at the zoo where he was also one of the leaders in the successful California condor conservation program which helped the birds’ population increase from just 22 to over 400. He worked at the zoo for over 35 years.

He continued this conservation work and began travelling to remote regions of the world, but for him a turning point came after a tragedy in Madagascar.  Many of the conservation agencies focused on one thing only and that focus was either on helping the people or the animals and environment.

Toone wanted to find a way to close the gap, and the Ecolife conservation was founded in 2003 as a community based organization to serve both humans and nature in a holistic and beneficial way. Their mission is the conservation of land, animals, and people.

All over the world, there is a loss of habitat and species extinction. Slowly, Ecolife wants to make inroads to begin to combat that by working with local populations.

In Michoacán, Mexico, Toone is working with the Mazahua and Purechepan Indians. The Mazahua were cutting down forest trees for wood, the same trees where the monarch butterflies lived in their yearly migration to Mexico. As the trees decreased, so did the population of the butterflies. In addition, the smoke related illnesses were increasing. Ecolife found a solution and has introduced a special kind of Patsari stove that uses less wood, so fewer trees are cut down. In addition, the stove also produces less smoke which is better for the local people. This is a holistic approach that benefits the local population and helps to maintain the butterfly population, which in turn, helps tourism in the area.

As in Mexico, Ecolife has been working with the Batwa pigmies in Uganda who were evicted from the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest where they had lived for thousands of years. The forest is also home to the famous Bwindi mountain gorillas and other precious wildlife. The Batwa became landless peasants and “conservation refugees”.  However, they still relied on the wood of the forest for their cooking. This depletion of the trees not only affected the mountain gorillas and other wildlife, but the exposure to smoke caused serious health issues for the people. To remedy this problem, Ecolife has introduced the Massai stove, which like the Patsari stove uses less wood and produces less smoke. The installation of the stoves will not only improve the quality of life for both the Batwa and Baskiga populations, but also help protect the Bwindi mountain gorillas which are a huge draw for Uganda’s ecotourism industry.

Twice a year, Ecolife offers guided tours to México in the spring and Uganda in the fall. Toone leads these expeditions which are both recreational and educational. These tours also help to make people more conscious of the work Ecolife is doing. The next expedition to Mexico will be from February 15^th to February 22nd.

Ecolife also offers “do it yourself” aquaponics kits that can be purchased for $250 through Amazon, but the best bet is to take one of the classes they offer.  There are upcoming “Intro to Aquaponics” workshops on January 17^th, February 28^th, and March 28^th. The workshops cost $40 per person and $30 for students and teachers. Call 760-740-1346 to register or go to their website. www.ecolifeconservation.org.

Finally, the charismatic Toone has not only dedicated his life to various forms of conservation, his future vision is to share his holistic approach for many others to follow, so the mitzvah may continue.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines Humane as “being marked by compassion, sympathy, or consideration for humans or animals”. This is a good description of Dr. Gary Weitzman, president and CEO of the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA, The Escondido Humane Society, and co-host of The Animal House.  Giving back to society and helping animals in need has been Dr. Gary Weitzman stated mission in life.

Weitzman came to the San Diego in May 2012. Since then, he has brought his energy and vision to unify and strengthen all of San Diego County’s animal shelters.

On July 1, 2014, the SDHS and SPCA merged with the Escondido Humane Society with Weitzman remaining as president and CEO, and Sally Costello [former executive director of the Escondido branch] becoming Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. They also work closely with the East County Animal Rescue. Together, they want to rescue and give a second chance to as many animals as possible.

Weitzman is spearheading what he calls «The Treatable Pet Initiative». The goal is to save the life of every adoptable animal in San Diego Animal Welfare Coalition (SDAWC) shelters by targeting four key areas:

1. Spaying and neutering being offered to the community targeting those who otherwise might not be able to afford it.
2. Transporting animals from shelters that don’t have the space or resources to care for additional animals.
3. Increasing the number of incoming admissions and outgoing adoptions to impact more animals and help more people in the community.
4. Reaching more animals by pledging to do everything possible to keep animals in their homes by providing veterinary care, vaccination clinics, and needed pet supplies.

Weitzman hopes this will be a community initiative with collaboration and the support of donors. The final goal is «Getting to Zero», where no healthy animal is euthanized.

Weitzman, 54, grew up in Boston. From the time he was a child, he knew he wanted to be a vet and assist others. Although he loved animals, he could not convince his parents to get a dog until he was 16. Ironically, the dog, a chow mix, became his mother’s faithful companion.

Weitzman received a B.A. in Biology and English from Colby College, an M.A. in Public Health from Boston University’s School of Public Health, and completed his formal education with a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Tufts University.   While in Veterinarian school, at age 25, he got his second pet dog, a greyhound.  Not only did he love that breed, he wanted to give back after having worked on 80 greyhound cadavers while in training.

He joined the Air Force in 1993 where he put his Public Health degree to use as he was in charge of food safety, workplace safety, and nuclear safety. He was stationed in both Texas and Washington, D.C.  After being relocated to Wyoming for duty, he began to moonlight at an emergency vet clinic in Boulder, Colorado, to which he would drive on weekends. This allowed him to combine both of his passions. The Air Force then sent him to work with the army where he managed a breast cancer research program. He served very actively for four years, and spent another five years in the Air Force reserve.

In 1997, he moved to northern California taking over a practice of a companion animal hospital in Burlingame. He worked there until 2003 when he was hired as the president and CEO of The Washington Animal Rescue League in Washington, DC.

The next chapter in his life as president of the Washington Animal Rescue League was a successful one. During his tenure there, he guided the organization into becoming a national resource for disaster and puppy mill rescues as well as leading a large, urban, homeless animal rehabilitation and adoption center through a period of unprecedented growth. Weitzman stated that he felt satisfied with all that he accomplished during the years he spent there, but he had a longing to return to California, and in May 2012, he accepted when the position at the San Diego Humane Society was offered to him.

Weitzman says he really enjoys his new life in San Diego. He feels that this is one of the best cities in terms of lifestyle. He lives here with his two beloved rescue dogs, Jake, a three legged, very expressive German shepherd, and Betty, a calm and sweet pit bull mix. He also believes that as the president of one of the largest shelters in the nation, they have the tools be a role model for others and lead the way in making a difference.

Finally, Weitzman is the co-host of The Animal House on KPBS (89.5). He answers people who call in asking questions about their pets. The show airs locally on KPBS on Saturday mornings at 5:00 AM and Sunday evenings at 7:00 PM. In addition, he has co-authored a book with Aline Alexander Newman called, “How to Speak Dog” for National Geographic. Their next book, «How to Speak Cat» is coming out in January 2015.  «I am never going to retire», Weitzman declares. “I have too much to do and give back to the world».