People and Events

The man who calls himself “a dangerous leader for dangerous times” fully expects to be the candidate when his National Nihilist Party holds its presidential nominating convention next week.

Elisha Shapiro, 34, is the guy who organized the Nihilist Olympics here in 1984, offering such events as a housework decathlon and a freeway relay race as alternatives to the traditional games that got so much attention.

He says the Nihilist Party platform includes proposals to move the nation’s capital to Los Angeles, to establish a national holiday called “100-Mile-an-Hour Day” and to trade governments one month a year with the Soviet Union, El Salvador and other countries.

What America needs, Shapiro has decided, is a President “who’s not afraid of making reckless changes.”

Asked how many delegates he expects at the Aug. 12 convention that begins with cocktails and caucusing at 8 p.m. in the Church in Ocean Park, Shapiro replied, “Gee, I don’t know. Maybe between 100 and 300--the same people who participated in the Nihilist Olympics.”

The convention credentials committee will be a pushover, Shapiro indicated. “Anyone with six bucks can be a delegate.”

Shapiro said he expects to get a fair number of votes in November, but conceded, “I’m not sure about winning.”

It wasn’t that Douglas McMahon was overwhelmed when he saw a collage at a garage sale in the Glendale area. It was just sort of a red arrow, was all. But the price was only a dollar, so he bought it. When he got it home, he found a sticker on the back identifying it as the work of artist Robert Courtright.

There was also the name of a Manhattan art gallery. McMahon made an inquiry and has been told by the gallery that its insured worth is $4,500. He was, the 27-year-old photographer admits, “incredibly happy” to learn that.

McMahon said he probably won’t keep it.

As part of its IMAGE (Innovative Methods of Attracting Good Educators) project, the Los Angeles County Office of Education plans to start running ads on the Goodyear Blimp. If enrollment increases continue, recruiters feel, the county will need 20,000 teachers by 1996.

One proposed message:

If You Can Read This Blimp, Thank a Teacher.

The black garter belt business has surged lately, say the folks who run a well-known outlet for that sort of thing. They attribute the upswing to the movie “Bull Durham,” in which the baseball Annie portrayed by actress Susan Sarandon wears such an item during one steamy scene. She also persuades the rookie pitching phenom played by Tim Robbins to wear one under his uniform for good luck.

“There’s no other way to explain the sudden jump,” said Ellen Appel of Frederick’s of Hollywood. The firm says its garter-belt sales--mostly in black--have gone up 15% in recent weeks. It’s not the first time, Appel added. Sales of bustiers nearly tripled the week in which Ann-Margret wore two bustiers, one black and one white (not simultaneously), in “The Two Mrs. Grenvilles” on television.

What’s a bustier?

That corset-like thing that Madonna wears. You know.

A reporter had a little trouble Monday asking the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency about constant criticism that it is frequently unavailable to members of the public wishing to lodge complaints. Dialing the CRA public number during normal business hours, he heard the following recorded message:

“You have reached the office of the Community Redevelopment Agency of the city of Los Angeles. Our offices are closed now. However, we may be reached during our working hours, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.”

A second call during those working hours Monday brought him a busy signal.

A third brought him another recorded message: “Thank you for calling. Please call again.”

He did, during the early afternoon, getting the original message once more.