Spring has returned to the hellhole with kids playing classical music, hipsters playing charlie brown piano, hula hoop people out, and puppies and babies reappearing in large numbers. And I'm going to continue with my theme of topic free diaries.
Join me on the flip.
Geography
In his diary today aaraujo wonders what happened to infrastructure. The brief answer is that we've moved to a totally disposable model.
From bucolic bliss to 'gated ghetto':
When the development opened in 2006, buyers were drawn to the area by advertising describing it as a "gated lakeshore community." Now, many in Hemet call Willowalk the "gated ghetto," said John Occhi, a local real estate agent.
Aside from its many environmental problems and cultural vapidity, car-suburbia is simply not robust. The buildings are crap and there's not much social infrastructure either. My beloved hellhole has gone from one of the great cities, to a crack infested free fire zone, to a nice place to live again. This Willowalk place won't.
Unlike Willowalk, LA is looking to take a leadership role in bringing America into the 20th century.
How Feasible is Antonio Villaraigosa's 30/10 Gambit for Los Angeles Transit?:
Forget that old cliché about Los Angeles. It’s not the old highway-obsessed metropolis it used to be. In fact, as L.A. matures, it’s densifying, shedding its abhorrence towards public transportation.
I recently took the Metro from LAX to K-Town, and it was cheap, but the circuitous route made it a little slow. On the other hand, it traverses lots of places in the ouvre of Tupac, so it's good to see that not only Westwood professors and Sliver Lake hipsters get cool transit.
LA may turn into a city yet.
Meta
In which I prove myself unable to break the cycle of Jane Hamsher. There's been a lot of back and forth about FDL's various PAC. A few comments on the topic:
(A) FDL seems to be fully complying with every law. There's nothing financially sketchy.
(B) The FDL business model is to collect money to generate more FDL to collect more money. An analogy, if you'll allow one: the PAC's and think tanks, including FDL, are like the derivatives markets of politics: lots of money changes hands, but nothing is actually done. On the other hand, all this action casts a shadow on the world of people who are doing stuff: candidates need an outraged/agitated public and issues to grab on to.
(C) My general opinion is that, continuing my analogy, giving to PACs is for deeply bankrolled experts. As a small donor and outsider I give to candidates or local organizations that do things directly. Your mileage may vary.
Food
Do some people eat large rocks? In citisven's diary, retrograde commented:
When someone finds out that I, my wife and our two children have managed just fine without a car (in fact I'd say it's a significantly better overall quality of life) since 2008, the almost automatic response is: "How do you guys get around now?"
I give the obvious reply: "Walking, cycling, bus."
About seven times out of ten there's a pause for a few seconds, then a followup question - asked almost with a tone that implies it cannot possibly have the same answer: "So, how do you get groceries home?"
I often get the same thing. Jamie Oliver is so hosed.
Religion
Happy Passover to my fellow members of the Tribe!