All You Need Is Love L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan has made no secret of his opposition to secession, taking every opportunity to make his case against the breakup of the city. But his arguments took a somewhat different tack when he recently addressed the Southland Regional Association of Realtors. This time, along with his usual pleas for reconciliation, he offered a little positive reinforcement, praising Valley leaders for helping turn around the economy of all Los Angeles. Then, after urging the audience to “stay with your family and make your family better,” the mayor got downright mushy. “I love you,” he said. “Stay with us. Have a great future.” Reading the Signs Ask almost any commercial real estate broker in the Valley and they’ll tell you business has slowed considerably over the past six months. At some offices, the constant ringing of phones has given way to long periods of silence, and staff members are settling into slower routines. One broker even caught the receptionist at his office reading a book. “She’s about halfway through it,” the broker said. “I told her when she buys ‘War and Peace,’ I’m going to quit.” Progress, Schmogress Valley business leaders speaking at the recent Summit of Education about the importance of technology in classrooms could have used an equipment upgrade themselves. Instead of using a clicker or PowerPoint program during their presentations, speakers were reduced to telling an assistant to flip the transparencies on an outdated overhead projector. Willard R. Daggett, president of the International Center for Leadership in Education, apparently didn’t pick up on that irony while talking about the need for schools to invest in technology. But he did take a swipe at educators for being slow to pick up on the usefulness of the overhead projectors. “It took schools only 20 years to get (the projectors) from the bowling alley to the classroom,” he joked. The focus of the conference at Universal Studios was keeping education on the cutting edge of technology through business partnerships. Maybe local businesses also need to consider a partnership with Microsoft. Could Mickey Be Next? The U.S. Postal Service has high hopes for its new Daffy Duck stamp, which debuted last week at a ceremony in Hollywood. Already, 427 million stamps have been printed the highest single printing ever of a postage stamp. Too bad for Warner Bros. that it won’t receive any royalties. “Nobody gets royalties from a government entity,” said Postal Service spokesman Dave Mazer. Wonder if that explains why Mickey Mouse arguably the most popular of all cartoon characters has yet to appear on a stamp? Word is that postal officials once talked with Walt Disney Co. about putting Mickey on a stamp but the discussions went nowhere. That’s not surprising, given Disney’s reputation for fiercely controlling its trademark characters. Maybe Disney should reconsider. “It’s an honor and privilege (to be) on a stamp,” Mazer said. Party Time At first glance, the recent Spring Internet World ’99 at the L.A. Convention Center looked more like a carnival than a hard-core tech event. Product demonstrations were called “performances.” Martinis, fruit smoothies and espresso drinks were offered at some company booths. There were even raffles with high-end prizes like Palm Pilots, Nintendo game systems, a 1999 Harley-Davidson “Fat Boy” motorcycle, and drum roll please a Porsche Boxster. Crowds of people swamped the booths that offered the prizes, throwing business cards into fish bowls and boxes and then walking away. “Who knows and who cares what these guys make?” said one contest hopeful. “I just want that sweet car.”