GELFAND’S WORLD - This is the example of why every European country ought to be a member of NATO.

GELFAND’S WORLD - According to state law, I'm supposed to get two hours of training in ethics every two years if I am to remain on my neighborhood council board.

GELFAND’S WORLD - There was an era when the United States and the USSR were bitter rivals in the Olympic games.

GELFAND’S WORLD - I was going to write about the Super Bowl or about Ukraine. So I think I'll write about both and maybe a few words about Rick Caruso's candidacy.

GELFAND’S WORLD - It's an election year. Everybody is either looking forward to November 8 or dreading it, but here in California, we will be having primary elections in just a few months.

GELFAND’S WORLD - When it comes to the argument over global warming, a recent book called The Story of More, written by a scientist by the name of Hope Jahren, is worthy of discussion.

GELFAND’S WORLD - The Los Angeles neighborhood council system consists of 99 separate councils which are created by act of the City Charter to advise the government and oversee its actions.

GELFAND’S WORLD - One popularly used comment is "there oughta be a law" and following that, "I should write a book. " 

GELFAND’S WORLD - It's been a long two years and it seems like this month has been a replay of last January.

GELFAND’S WORLD - You've got to wonder what those Capitol rioters were thinking.

GELFAND’s WORLD - For all of us, I offer the following New Year's toast: "To 2022, may it bring 2023." It's not supposed to be clever or sarcastic, it's just a hopeful bit I developed for myself back when we were always in danger of being blown to bits by a nuclear holocaust. Anyway, that will be my toast. For most of us, it will be true. 

GELFAND’S WORLD - The problem with end-of-year columns is that they can be pretty redundant.

GELFAND’S WORLD  - Back when the late Martin Bernheimer was the music critic for the L.A. Times, he used to do a year-end story that summarized the previous twelve months with a long string of adjectives.

GELFAND'S WORLD - It was a weekend of ironic juxtapositions, at least for me. Perhaps you will indulge me a brief moment of explanation. 

GELFAND’S WORLD - It's curious that the actions by the government of the City of Los Angeles in 2021 led to the violent 2025 border clashes between the San Fernando Valley Neighborhood Council Alliance and the Coalition of East Hollywood Neighborhoods.

GELFAND’S WORLD - It was the monthly meeting of the emergency preparedness alliance. We were chatting away about everything and nothing, as if we were in an Isaac Asimov short story.

GELFAND’S WORLD - This is being written on the 58th anniversary of the murder of John F. Kennedy.

GELFAND’S WORLD - Call this Chapter One.  If you were going to write a book about the homelessness situation, the one thing you would ultimately conclude is that all sides are wrong.

GELFAND’S WORLD - "Four little words -- 'do your own research' -- are hurting the U.S. pandemic response CNN's chief media correspondent Brian Stelter said on 'Reliable Sources' Sunday."  

GELFAND’S WORLD - I told the publisher of CityWatch that I wouldn't be doing a column for Thursday because I was going to the LA Opera to hear Wagner's Tannhauser, and it wouldn't be over until 11:30 at night. So unless Tannhauser was that good, you wouldn't be hearing from me. 

GELFAND’S WORLD - I'm going to start this a little differently than usual. I'm simply going to quote the law.