I suppose that it’s not the case that this is actually the greatest thing I’ve ever seen, but it does feel like it.
Those of us who have lived in other parts of the nation and world are familiar with something called a “subway map” — a stylized and abstracted conceptual map of how various subway lines fit together. Well, some artist guy from Boston who’s never even been to LA (of which, from the perspective of Boston, we are part) decided that the LA freeways could use a similar treatment. Whether you’re interested in hitting the road or not, the result is breathtaking.
This. Is. Awesome.
You can find the record of artist Peter Dunn’s (highly successful) Kickstarter campaign for his project here. (It’s probably too late to get in on his generous offer to his backers, but you can write him and see! Get me one too. As a gift.) If you want to see the original, scrollable, map in all of its glory — and with legible legends that are very much worth reading — you can click on the monster-sized PNG file here. (Warning: monster-sized means “huge.”)
While you’re looking at that this weekend, you can also read the story of the popular American drink of the 19th century that took the world by storm and what the CDC would like you to know about zombies. [PDF]
Speaking of “hitting the road,” I am. (Yes, I will be submitting that to this year’s local blog awards for “Best Segue.”) August will be a “semi-vacation” month for me, because I’m suddenly inundated with clients and I need to ratchet down my commitment to this blog while I move along their cases. Vern may, if he wishes, eliminate half of the image of my comp ad for the duration — and dock my non-pay.
This doesn’t mean that I won’t be writing at all, so those of you inclined to celebrate should cut it out. I have stories to do on Poseidon, on a developing but relatively unknown scandal in Anaheim, and on my down time I’m going to try to be queuing up each week’s Weekend Open Threads ahead of time. It does mean that, at least through Labor Day, I’ll be writing much less. (I will still be deleting those comments that scream out for it, though, just because it helps me relax.)
More critically, to use the word “critical” in a sense in which it should probably not be used, it means that I’m not going to be engaging in the Managing Editor (that’s essentially what I am here) function of making sure that something is appearing here pretty much every day to pique your interest and stoke your conversation.
My replacement in that function for the next month? Well — how about you?
Several of our commenters should be writing for this blog; more people on our blogroll with blogs that rarely update should be posting material here. We have a pretty fair-sized (and inordinately intelligent and erudite) readership, a nice eclectic bent, and (quite seriously) the best commenters around — thanks in part to our mercilessly making fun of and driving off the ass-bites that infest the comments sections of most local publications. So — how’s about it?
This is, as you may have gathered by now, your Weekend Open Thread. Talk about what’s written above or anything else you’d like, within broad bounds of decency and decorum. This week’s Dearthwatch will appear below as an unlabeled update, sometime later today. Or so. (Hey, I’m on vacation! Semi-vacation, anyway.)
Dearthwatch Recap: Weird, weird, weird week. Look at the HB Independent! Whoosh! That’s what a hometown riot will do for you, I guess! Good week for print media south of the Puente Hills; not so good otherwise. The big story seems to be that the OC Register continues the bounce back that began last week. Tell me, subscribers — are they finally loosening up the rules a little? Putting some little workarounds in the firewall? If not, good for them that they’ve stanched the bleeding! If so, good for us that they’ve relaxed the embargo!
“We have a pretty fair-sized (and inordinately intelligent and erudite) readership, a nice eclectic bent, and (quite seriously) the best commenters around — thanks in part to our mercilessly making fun of and driving off the ass-bites that infest the comments sections of most local publications.”
Yeah …. well I’m one ass-bite that inhabits this blasted blog – and I ain’t goin’ anywhere!
“Mostly harmless.”
Speaking of “mostly harmless” — the week’s Dearthwatch is now up!
Greedy, over-priced, Time Warner cable is in dispute with greedy, crappy programming CBS…as a result, subscribers will not get to watch regurgitated Showtime and TMC movies, and reruns on CBS. I am a subscriber and while these two greedy corporations duke it out, I plan to catch up on reading and maybe throw my two cents in more often to cover Greg’s slot… by the way… did my name come up in the Anaheim scandal????
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/08/02/cbs-dropped-by-time-warner-cable-in-ny-la-dallas-over-fee-dispute/
MAP – 21 This is the Poison Pill of all Highway Expansions. Requiring that the HOV Lanes starting in Seal Beach will now become Toll Lanes because the State allows Hybrid Vehicles in those same lanes and further requires that HOV lanes now will require three people or more……..is sizeably ridiculous.
greg,
thanks for the compliment. i try to be as erudite as possible, which is why i shop at garys and neimans.
country song of the week, “she left me for jesus”
That’s pronounced “Hey Zeus” in this case, right?
i thought that was a beatles song
“O C deputy charged with pepper spraying teen’s pizza.”
The pizza was apparently threatening the officer.
http://touch.latimes.com/#section/600/article/p2p-76893651/
My guess, then, is that it was sausage and jalapeño.
I’m thinking that he believed it was a UC Davis student in need of lesson on respect.
Does anyone not understand why kids run from the cops?
Cannabis to be legalized in Uruguay:
“Uruguay’s proposed law would break new ground by legalizing the entire business, from cultivation to consumption, across the whole country. If the bill becomes law, Uruguayans will be allowed to cultivate up to six cannabis plants per household, or join cooperatives licensed to grow up to 99 plants each. Private firms will be allowed to grow weed too, but only to sell to the government, which will sell it to customers through pharmacies. Each person will be allowed to buy up to 40g (1.4oz) per month, enough to fuel most habits. Minors will be excluded, and driving under the influence will remain a crime. Foreigners thinking of booking a holiday to Uruguay should be warned that only Uruguayan citizens will be eligible to use the pharmacies.”
http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2013/08/economist-explains-1
A straight line from history suggests Obama needs his approval rating in the 70’s
for Dems to win back House in 2014 pic.twitter.com/vvsDlpL0zt
Right. In the same way unemployment needed to be under 7% for Obama to win re-election.
With the current crop of crazies controlling the House, there’s no telling whether or not the old paradigms will hold true.
47% of workers are full time… the labor numbers count anyone who works at least one week a month as part of their stats… it’s rigged… http://www.examiner.com/article/only-47-of-americans-are-working-full-time
uh – no, the meme was under 8% for BHO to win – which he just barely eked out before the election due to the phony BLS unemployment numbers.
I think we’ll both need to stand corrected, Skally (although you were further off). The meme was that nobody had ever been re-elected since FDR with unemployment over 7.2%. My original point stands.
http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/05/no-president-since-fdr-has-won-re-election-with-unemployment-over-7-2-is-president-obama-doomed/
Blogs sometimes get credit for what they do:
“Many credit the blog What Is It Like to Be a Woman in Philosophy?, which in 2010 began posting anonymous stories of harassment, with helping to highlight the issue. “Just about every woman you talk to in philosophy has experienced first- or secondhand some form of sexual harassment that is egregious,” said Gideon Rosen, a philosopher at Princeton. “It’s not just one or two striking anecdotes.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/03/arts/colin-mcginn-philosopher-to-leave-his-post.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0&ref=general&src=mv
Pisco Times:
I’ve been told that my Compadres de OC club is not an original idea. There is already one, although this one is a very elitist, a gentlemen club. It is composed of the liberal spin-master Chmielewski and the local McCarthy gun-for-hire Cunnigham. In one of the discussions about Anaheim in the LOC, Chmielewski chastised my buddies Jason and Gustavo, and left Cunnigham get away with his chingaderas. I was so pissed that for the first time ever I commented in the LOC. Chmielewski is such a spin-master that tried to convince me that Brandman is willing to listen…and he was going to ask him why he had appointed the anti-immigrant Edinger to the CAC committee. I am still waiting.
I wish that Duane and Ernie, our Inspector Clouseau and Pink Panther team, would’ve warned me. I kept asking them to investigate the allegations that Cunnigham is paid by the Chamber of Commerce. Duane was so busy investigating my buddy Rusty that Jason finally did, which took valuable time away from PRA filings… Rusty’s work got kind of vindicated by Gustavo in his good interview in the Voice of OC, when he mentioned that groups like Somos Anaheim should be included in the civil rights struggle. Now we are talking!
You see Gregorio, we latinos are getting our act together. In the meantime, Duane should be doing Vern’s advanced investigation research, so Vern will not get duped by the politicos again, like SQS dangerous Poisedon vote.
PS Gregorio, there are no worms in the Pisco.
Worms, beetles, caterpillars — whatever they are, use them only in moderation.
Yes, Dan does truly like him some Jordan. I suspect that at some level he recognizes, though, that until Jordan feels towards Pringle the way that most Democrats do, blandishments aren’t going to cut it. But, maybe not — they’re on the money side of the party and we’re not, which surely affects one’s perspective.
More proof that we are getting our act together, our friends at the Weekly posted two insightful pieces on the anniversary of the riots:
GSR did a radio interview:
https://soundcloud.com/sojournertruthradio/sojournertruthradio-7-25-13-1
Josue Rivas posted a video on the demonstration: http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2013/08/video_statewide_march_against.php
I was researching for an article I am writing and stumbled on to this trash… http://jewishfaces.com/
This White Supremacist group was advertising their website on OC craigslist: http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/rnr/3976012302.html
“For the uninitiated: “Jewishness” is first and foremost a race. A Jew can be a member of any religion and still be Jewish.
Jews are one of the most racially aware groups. White Europeans (Gentiles) are now one of the least racially aware groups.
Jews have a very strong ethnic group solidarity, and network together as a race, just as Whites once did.
The purpose of this website is to help Whites become more racially and culturally aware.”
*** I believe this ignorant behavior shows the problem we still face today, (hate speech is hate speech whether it’s directed to Blacks, LBGT, Hispanics or others) and it appears they qualify for non-profit status.
The purpose of their non-profit???? Sell hate.
Wow! This is an obnoxious website.