Brutal LA Heat
I grew up with heat and humidity in Houston, so most days I don’t complain. But today’s heat across Los Angeles and southern California is extreme. It’s 115 degrees Fahrenheit in downtown LA! Check out this map for more: Check…
Salvo
Troubling Handling of International Issues at USC
According to an article in the Daily Trojan (the college paper at the University of Southern California), last week 2 representatives of a pro-Israel group were removed from an open meeting at the request of organizations petitioning for California’s divestment…
Eating Right for Exercise
For the athletically minded, Active.com presents a nice primer on the fundamentals of nutrition for proper energy during workouts. Sometimes we forget that proper nutrition isn’t just for serious professional athletes. Worth a read if you hit the gym, the…
A Practical “Survival Kit” for Grown-Ups
Or: “29 Things to Buy or Do (So You Don’t Have to Call Your Parents) When You’re Sick” The by-line of this article from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston says it all. A creative, spunky, and…
Air Force One over Sepulveda
For all the traffic disruptions that President Obama’s visit to LA caused about two weeks ago, one of the cooler redeeming mementos of his visit I’ve come across is this shot of Air Force One landing at LAX (click on…
A Vintage L.A. Crime Novel in Real Life
Headlines from today’s L.A. Times include the story of mummified remains of two babies found in a trunk in the basement of an apartment complex in mid-city. Grim–yet also fascinating, considering the remains are perhaps 80 years old. They were…
Gorky Retrospective at MOCA
For those of you in LA/visiting LA soon, I highly recommend checking out the Arshile Gorky retrospective at MOCA (the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art). The museum has put together a great collection of beautiful and compelling pieces. Until…
Orhan Pamuk’s Nobel Lecture
Having just finished “Other Colors: Essays and a Story,” a collection of essays by Nobel Prize recipient Orhan Pamuk, it seems like a good time to recommend his work. Pamuk, who lives and works in Istanbul, features Turkey and his home…
“Wonder City of the West”
Since my previous post on the history of Los Angeles rail, I’ve become even more fascinated with the history of the city. A bit of digging around online led me to this installation of James A. Fitzpatrick’s Traveltalks: I…
Past & Future of LA’s Rail to the Beach
In the 20th century (you know–way back in the day…) Los Angeles had the greatest urban rail system in the world. Now a city famous for its congestion and traffic is trying to regain some of the glory of old…