By Debbie Bulloch
I am feeling too tired (or lazy) to write anything, so here are pictures, taken over the last couple of weeks.
Hope you enjoy them! Remember to click on image for a larger view.
From last Saturday...(we got some big waves all the way from New Zealand)
From a couple of weeks back...
These pelicans were flying in formation, like bike riders in a well-organized peloton, drafting off each other. Then, out of nowhere, a goose (or a big duck) showed up and tried to out-fly the pelicans.
From a recent drive around Hollywood...
Godzilla eating time...
The always handsome Johnny Depp, even in black and white. Has anyone seen the movie? How about a review for the blog?
Wipeout!
This tough little Corgi was not about to let his bigger play buddies beat him to the ball. Notice how the other dogs are standing on the bottom while the Corgi's little legs don't reach the bottom.
This looks like a reunion of the pups at BH!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
SUNDAY AFTERNOON MUSIC BREAK
By Debbie Bulloch
The 1960's and 1970's were an amazingly creative time for music.
Here are five of my favorite from those magical years.
What are YOUR favorites? Share them here with us.
Enjoy!
The Zombies – Time of the Season
The Zombies – She’s Not There
Argent – Hold Your Head Your Up!
Godspell – Day by Day
Three Dog Night – Easy to be Hard
The 1960's and 1970's were an amazingly creative time for music.
Here are five of my favorite from those magical years.
What are YOUR favorites? Share them here with us.
Enjoy!
The Zombies – Time of the Season
The Zombies – She’s Not There
Argent – Hold Your Head Your Up!
Godspell – Day by Day
Three Dog Night – Easy to be Hard
SUNDAY MORNING COMICS - JULY 26, 2009
By Debbie Bulloch
Here are today's Sunday Morning Comics. Read them, enjoy them, then log-off and go do something physical!
By the way, today is the last day of the Tour de France. It looks like Team Astana will take First (Contador) and Third (Armstrong) place in the final standings. This is an amazing performance by Team Astana; it is also an incredible performance by 37 year-old Armstrong. Those Texans never give up, never quit!
For Team Astana, this is probably their last moment "in the sun." Armstrong has annocunced that he is putting together a new team. The new team will be sponsored by Radio Shack, a Texas-based electronics company. I guess Team Astana was just not big enough to hold the combined egos of a young Spaniard rider and an "old" Texan champion.
Congratulations to Team Astana, Alberto Contador (Spain), Andy Schleck (Luxemborg), Lance Armstrong (USA) and every rider who participated in the Tour. You have provided the world with three wonderful weeks of pure sports entertaintment.
And don't forget, today is the running of the Edmonton IndyCar Series race. Watch fast cars and fearless drivers run around like guided missiles!
Vroooooooooooooooooooom...vroooooooooooooooom!
(Click on image for larger view.)
There has been a lot of recent talk about President Obama's proposed universal health care program. As the national debate continues, even political cartoonist have joined the discussion.
Here are today's Sunday Morning Comics. Read them, enjoy them, then log-off and go do something physical!
By the way, today is the last day of the Tour de France. It looks like Team Astana will take First (Contador) and Third (Armstrong) place in the final standings. This is an amazing performance by Team Astana; it is also an incredible performance by 37 year-old Armstrong. Those Texans never give up, never quit!
For Team Astana, this is probably their last moment "in the sun." Armstrong has annocunced that he is putting together a new team. The new team will be sponsored by Radio Shack, a Texas-based electronics company. I guess Team Astana was just not big enough to hold the combined egos of a young Spaniard rider and an "old" Texan champion.
Congratulations to Team Astana, Alberto Contador (Spain), Andy Schleck (Luxemborg), Lance Armstrong (USA) and every rider who participated in the Tour. You have provided the world with three wonderful weeks of pure sports entertaintment.
And don't forget, today is the running of the Edmonton IndyCar Series race. Watch fast cars and fearless drivers run around like guided missiles!
Vroooooooooooooooooooom...vroooooooooooooooom!
(Click on image for larger view.)
There has been a lot of recent talk about President Obama's proposed universal health care program. As the national debate continues, even political cartoonist have joined the discussion.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
BIKE RIDING SAFETY - TOUR REPORT
By Debbie Bulloch
I know, I know, lately I have been writing a lot about bikes and bike riding. It is just that this wonderful, warm weather that we are having in Southern California is very conducive to bike riding – or at least to thoughts of riding a bike. Add to that all the recent hoopla about the Tour de France and it is easy to see why bike riding has been so prominent on my mind.
I promise, however, once the Tour is over, and the warm days of summer are replaced by the chilly days of autumn and beyond, I will return the blog to more serious topics. Actually, today I will try to combine seriousness and fun and see how it works.
Yesterday, while on my regular after work bike ride, I came close to hitting a truck (or the truck came close to hitting me, depending on your perspective). I was on the return leg of my ride, fighting a constant headwind, when an idiot driving a pick-up truck turned left right in front of me. This is not the first time that a careless driver has turned left in front of me; this is an occurrence that happens with alarming frequency (the other scenario is the “I-am-in-a-hurry-and-I-am-more-important-than-you” driver who passes on the left only to turn right in front of the bike rider).
What made this particular incident worse was how close the truck was when it turned in front of me; it took all my bike handling skills to avoid hitting the truck and remain upright on my bike.
Yesterday’s near-hit was a reminder of how dangerous riding a bike on the streets can truly be. While researching the topic of bike safety, I came across the website for a group called Ride of Silence. The group sponsors a once-a-year bike ride honoring all the bike riders who have been killed on the road.
The poem below, from the Ride of Silence” website, really hit an emotional chord with me. I now wish to share it with you:
The Ride of Silence...
Tonight we number many but ride as one
In honor of those not with us, friends, mothers, fathers, sisters, sons
With helmets on tight and heads down low,
We ride in silence, cautious and slow
The wheels start spinning in the lead pack
But tonight we ride and no one attacks
The dark sunglasses cover our tears
Remembering those we held so dear
Tonight's ride is to make others aware
The road is there for all to share
To those not with us or by our side,
May God be your partner on your final ride
- Mike Murgas
Ride of Silence Poster
Ride of Silence Riders
I have previously written about another group, “Ghost Bikes” that is also involved in promoting bike safety. (You can find out more about Ghost Bikes by clicking here: Ghost Bikes or here: Ghost Bikes Wiki.
Remember, if you are a bike rider, ride safely and watch out for traffic.
If you are a driver, watch out for bike riders; help them arrive safely to their destination.
By the way, even Tour de France riders are not fully immune from painful and dangerous falls and accidents.
In Stage 16 of the Tour, in the opening kilometers of the descent toward the finish in Bourg Saint Maurice, speeds hovered at around 80 kilometers an hour. On a long, straight stretch German rider Jens Voigt (team Saxo-Bank) crashed when his rear wheel suddenly hit a bump on an uneven section of the road. Voigt’s bike wheeled around from under him, throwing him to the pavement, with the right side of his body and head taking the blow. He slid for about 15 meters before stopping, motionless. Voigt’s face took a big hit, as did his right arm and elbow. According to the Tour’s doctor, Voigt remained unconscious for about 4 minutes.
The three official Tour regulators--those who position themselves behind different groups within the race to monitor the racing--were very critical of Voigt's equipment. "They are using deep-profile carbon wheels and they are just too stiff," said Francois Lemarchand, a one-time teammate to Greg LeMond and now one of the Tour's three regulators. "You combine that with the stiff carbon frames and it is just too rigid. They can't absorb any shock."
On a day of climbing high mountains, most riders want a bike that is as light and as stiff as possible. A light bike is easier to “haul” up a mountain climb. A very stiff bike makes it easier to pedal up a mountain because a stiff frame delivers a greater percentage of the rider’s pedaling effort to the drive train – less flex equals more power. But what makes a bike ideal for climbing does not necessarily make it ideal for a fast descent.
SaxoBank team director Bjarne Riis was little interested in any technical flaws or equipment “malfunctions” and was simply concerned about one of his most devoted riders. "I saw him after the crash and he looked very bad," he said. "It's not nice to lose a rider like this but these are things that happen in a race and you have to accept them. I am just concerned with Jen's health right now."
(Note: The two videos of the crash, previously posted here, have been removed from YouTube by the video owners - accordingly I removed the link. Sorry for the inconvenience.)
I know, I know, lately I have been writing a lot about bikes and bike riding. It is just that this wonderful, warm weather that we are having in Southern California is very conducive to bike riding – or at least to thoughts of riding a bike. Add to that all the recent hoopla about the Tour de France and it is easy to see why bike riding has been so prominent on my mind.
I promise, however, once the Tour is over, and the warm days of summer are replaced by the chilly days of autumn and beyond, I will return the blog to more serious topics. Actually, today I will try to combine seriousness and fun and see how it works.
Yesterday, while on my regular after work bike ride, I came close to hitting a truck (or the truck came close to hitting me, depending on your perspective). I was on the return leg of my ride, fighting a constant headwind, when an idiot driving a pick-up truck turned left right in front of me. This is not the first time that a careless driver has turned left in front of me; this is an occurrence that happens with alarming frequency (the other scenario is the “I-am-in-a-hurry-and-I-am-more-important-than-you” driver who passes on the left only to turn right in front of the bike rider).
What made this particular incident worse was how close the truck was when it turned in front of me; it took all my bike handling skills to avoid hitting the truck and remain upright on my bike.
Yesterday’s near-hit was a reminder of how dangerous riding a bike on the streets can truly be. While researching the topic of bike safety, I came across the website for a group called Ride of Silence. The group sponsors a once-a-year bike ride honoring all the bike riders who have been killed on the road.
The poem below, from the Ride of Silence” website, really hit an emotional chord with me. I now wish to share it with you:
The Ride of Silence...
Tonight we number many but ride as one
In honor of those not with us, friends, mothers, fathers, sisters, sons
With helmets on tight and heads down low,
We ride in silence, cautious and slow
The wheels start spinning in the lead pack
But tonight we ride and no one attacks
The dark sunglasses cover our tears
Remembering those we held so dear
Tonight's ride is to make others aware
The road is there for all to share
To those not with us or by our side,
May God be your partner on your final ride
- Mike Murgas
Ride of Silence Poster
Ride of Silence Riders
I have previously written about another group, “Ghost Bikes” that is also involved in promoting bike safety. (You can find out more about Ghost Bikes by clicking here: Ghost Bikes or here: Ghost Bikes Wiki.
Remember, if you are a bike rider, ride safely and watch out for traffic.
If you are a driver, watch out for bike riders; help them arrive safely to their destination.
By the way, even Tour de France riders are not fully immune from painful and dangerous falls and accidents.
In Stage 16 of the Tour, in the opening kilometers of the descent toward the finish in Bourg Saint Maurice, speeds hovered at around 80 kilometers an hour. On a long, straight stretch German rider Jens Voigt (team Saxo-Bank) crashed when his rear wheel suddenly hit a bump on an uneven section of the road. Voigt’s bike wheeled around from under him, throwing him to the pavement, with the right side of his body and head taking the blow. He slid for about 15 meters before stopping, motionless. Voigt’s face took a big hit, as did his right arm and elbow. According to the Tour’s doctor, Voigt remained unconscious for about 4 minutes.
The three official Tour regulators--those who position themselves behind different groups within the race to monitor the racing--were very critical of Voigt's equipment. "They are using deep-profile carbon wheels and they are just too stiff," said Francois Lemarchand, a one-time teammate to Greg LeMond and now one of the Tour's three regulators. "You combine that with the stiff carbon frames and it is just too rigid. They can't absorb any shock."
On a day of climbing high mountains, most riders want a bike that is as light and as stiff as possible. A light bike is easier to “haul” up a mountain climb. A very stiff bike makes it easier to pedal up a mountain because a stiff frame delivers a greater percentage of the rider’s pedaling effort to the drive train – less flex equals more power. But what makes a bike ideal for climbing does not necessarily make it ideal for a fast descent.
SaxoBank team director Bjarne Riis was little interested in any technical flaws or equipment “malfunctions” and was simply concerned about one of his most devoted riders. "I saw him after the crash and he looked very bad," he said. "It's not nice to lose a rider like this but these are things that happen in a race and you have to accept them. I am just concerned with Jen's health right now."
(Note: The two videos of the crash, previously posted here, have been removed from YouTube by the video owners - accordingly I removed the link. Sorry for the inconvenience.)
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
AGAINST THE WIND
By Debbie Bulloch
Riding a bike is fun. It is a great way to get exercise, it allows the rider to get a better (and often closer) view of the road and surrounding areas and it is a very eco-friendly form of recreation/transportation.
My friend Yucca Gemini likes to tell me that I ride for “sport” whereas she says that she rides for “life.” While it is true that I do not use my bike for commuting to work or to go shopping (as Yucca and millions of her Dutch countrymen do) I also ride for life. Riding keeps me fit, it helps me keep my weight down and bone density up; I have had asthma since I was a little kid and bike riding helps me maintain healthy levels of lung capacity which comes in handy when the inevitable asthma attack hits me.
I went for a bike ride on Sunday and it was a tad windy day down by the Pacific Coast Highway. Sunday’s windy conditions gave me an opportunity to use my new, handy-dandy hand-held anemometer. The La Crosse Technologies Anemometer EA 3010 is a neat little gadget that allows the user to measure current wind speed and temperature. It also allows the user to record average speed, highest speed and wind-chill factor.
Last Sunday was the first time that I had an opportunity to use the anemometer. During my 25 mile ride, I recorded headwinds of almost 23 miles per hour. The average head wind speed during my ride was a little over 10 mph. My own average speed, over the 22 mile course (using my mountain bike) was just over 12 mph.
High headwind speed. Click on image for larger view.
Average wind speed.
With these numbers in hand, I wondered what my “real” speed was, taking into consideration the wind conditions that I had encountered during my ride. Unlike climbing hills, which have definite beginnings and ends, the wind does not. The wind keeps right on whipping your face or sides -- and you never know when it might start up again (or when it might end). Unlike climbing, there is no way to plan for recovery. I just to think that riding hills was the only way to achieve bike Nirvana (otherwise known as a strong heart and a strong pair of legs); lately, however, I’ve come to realize that riding in the wind, much like riding the hills, does (and can) make you stronger.
I am not particularly good with Math and/or Science; in fact I am really lousy at both. But I do want to know more about the science of bike riding, especially as it relates to riding in the wind. After doing some research, this is what I have found.
Overcoming wind resistance (aerodynamic drag) presents the main effort for bicyclists (this is true on a windy day as well as in a calm day). The effort of pushing one’s way through the atmosphere is so limiting that most bicyclists ride in a fairly narrow speed range below 20 mph; this is true regardless of whether racing, touring or shopping.
A headwind will significantly increase pedaling effort and affect cycling performance. Aerodynamic drag is proportional to the square of relative wind-speed. The relationship between effective air speed (ground speed plus head wind speed) and the resistance to pedaling (energy needs to overcome this resistance) is an exponential one. This means that doubling air speed will MORE THAN double the Calories expended per mile traveled. For example, adding a 5 mph headwind to a ground speed of 20 mph has a much greater affect on you total energy requirements per mile than if you are riding at a recreational pace of 10 mph (with the same 5 mph headwind). In other words, assuming a constant headwind, the FASTER you pedal the more effort it requires to move the bike.
Another interesting fact that I learned from my research is that as a rider moves through the air a vacuum is created behind the rider. This vacuum has the effect of “sucking” the rider back. If you watch bike riders in action (or Formula One or NASCAR drivers) you will notice that they get as close as possible to the bike (or car) in front to ride in the front runner’s “slipstream.” This is called drafting and the effect (for the vehicle drafting) is to reduce the effort necessary to move through the wind – thus saving a considerable amount of energy and effort. Of course, this “sucks” for the rider in front; not only is the rider fighting to cut through the wind, but she is also fighting to overcome the vacuum that sucks her back.
No wonder that riding into the wind can be such a pain…in the back!
Are there any secrets to dealing with a headwind? Well, you can try getting the most aerodynamic bike possible, you can try riding in the “tucked in” position and you can try losing some weight (yes, the less you weigh, the easier it is to “move” the bike). But of all the things that a ride can do, nothing beats having a good attitude!
You can't do anything about a headwind, other than staying home and watch TV. So you might as well have a good mental attitude and welcome the wind as an aid to becoming a better rider. Think of it as a form of hill climbing (at slower speeds, each 5 mph of wind speed equals ~1% of grade i.e. a 20-mph headwind would equal a 4% hill). If you look at the wind as a training aid, then it will become a challenge rather than something to hate for part of your ride.
So go out there and ride like the wind!
L'ETAPE de TOUR
Congratulations to Arcabulle Odriscoll. On Monday, July 20, 2009, Arc completed L’Etape de Tour by riding his bike all the way up to Mont Ventoux.
Arc’s time, from the bottom of Mont Ventoux, to the top (at an altitude of approximately 1920 meters) was 2 hours and 50 minutes.
Arc’s numbers were as follows:
Time to the top of Mont Ventoux: 2 hours and 50 minutes
Elevation from bottom to top: 1920 meters (6233 feet). By comparison, Denver Colorado, the Mile High city sits at 5,280 feet (1,609 m) above sea level
Distance to the top of Mont Ventoux: 22 km (13.6 miles) at a gradient of 7.6%
Average speed over the entire course: (17.35 km/hour or about 11 miles/hour)
Participants: Over 9500 riders started the ride, only 7396 finished the ride.
Overall time: 9 hours
Course
Distance: 170 km (105 miles). By comparison, the distance from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara is approximately 98 miles.
Congratulations from your friends at BH on a GREAT ride.
Riding a bike is fun. It is a great way to get exercise, it allows the rider to get a better (and often closer) view of the road and surrounding areas and it is a very eco-friendly form of recreation/transportation.
My friend Yucca Gemini likes to tell me that I ride for “sport” whereas she says that she rides for “life.” While it is true that I do not use my bike for commuting to work or to go shopping (as Yucca and millions of her Dutch countrymen do) I also ride for life. Riding keeps me fit, it helps me keep my weight down and bone density up; I have had asthma since I was a little kid and bike riding helps me maintain healthy levels of lung capacity which comes in handy when the inevitable asthma attack hits me.
I went for a bike ride on Sunday and it was a tad windy day down by the Pacific Coast Highway. Sunday’s windy conditions gave me an opportunity to use my new, handy-dandy hand-held anemometer. The La Crosse Technologies Anemometer EA 3010 is a neat little gadget that allows the user to measure current wind speed and temperature. It also allows the user to record average speed, highest speed and wind-chill factor.
Last Sunday was the first time that I had an opportunity to use the anemometer. During my 25 mile ride, I recorded headwinds of almost 23 miles per hour. The average head wind speed during my ride was a little over 10 mph. My own average speed, over the 22 mile course (using my mountain bike) was just over 12 mph.
High headwind speed. Click on image for larger view.
Average wind speed.
With these numbers in hand, I wondered what my “real” speed was, taking into consideration the wind conditions that I had encountered during my ride. Unlike climbing hills, which have definite beginnings and ends, the wind does not. The wind keeps right on whipping your face or sides -- and you never know when it might start up again (or when it might end). Unlike climbing, there is no way to plan for recovery. I just to think that riding hills was the only way to achieve bike Nirvana (otherwise known as a strong heart and a strong pair of legs); lately, however, I’ve come to realize that riding in the wind, much like riding the hills, does (and can) make you stronger.
I am not particularly good with Math and/or Science; in fact I am really lousy at both. But I do want to know more about the science of bike riding, especially as it relates to riding in the wind. After doing some research, this is what I have found.
Overcoming wind resistance (aerodynamic drag) presents the main effort for bicyclists (this is true on a windy day as well as in a calm day). The effort of pushing one’s way through the atmosphere is so limiting that most bicyclists ride in a fairly narrow speed range below 20 mph; this is true regardless of whether racing, touring or shopping.
A headwind will significantly increase pedaling effort and affect cycling performance. Aerodynamic drag is proportional to the square of relative wind-speed. The relationship between effective air speed (ground speed plus head wind speed) and the resistance to pedaling (energy needs to overcome this resistance) is an exponential one. This means that doubling air speed will MORE THAN double the Calories expended per mile traveled. For example, adding a 5 mph headwind to a ground speed of 20 mph has a much greater affect on you total energy requirements per mile than if you are riding at a recreational pace of 10 mph (with the same 5 mph headwind). In other words, assuming a constant headwind, the FASTER you pedal the more effort it requires to move the bike.
Another interesting fact that I learned from my research is that as a rider moves through the air a vacuum is created behind the rider. This vacuum has the effect of “sucking” the rider back. If you watch bike riders in action (or Formula One or NASCAR drivers) you will notice that they get as close as possible to the bike (or car) in front to ride in the front runner’s “slipstream.” This is called drafting and the effect (for the vehicle drafting) is to reduce the effort necessary to move through the wind – thus saving a considerable amount of energy and effort. Of course, this “sucks” for the rider in front; not only is the rider fighting to cut through the wind, but she is also fighting to overcome the vacuum that sucks her back.
No wonder that riding into the wind can be such a pain…in the back!
Are there any secrets to dealing with a headwind? Well, you can try getting the most aerodynamic bike possible, you can try riding in the “tucked in” position and you can try losing some weight (yes, the less you weigh, the easier it is to “move” the bike). But of all the things that a ride can do, nothing beats having a good attitude!
You can't do anything about a headwind, other than staying home and watch TV. So you might as well have a good mental attitude and welcome the wind as an aid to becoming a better rider. Think of it as a form of hill climbing (at slower speeds, each 5 mph of wind speed equals ~1% of grade i.e. a 20-mph headwind would equal a 4% hill). If you look at the wind as a training aid, then it will become a challenge rather than something to hate for part of your ride.
So go out there and ride like the wind!
L'ETAPE de TOUR
Congratulations to Arcabulle Odriscoll. On Monday, July 20, 2009, Arc completed L’Etape de Tour by riding his bike all the way up to Mont Ventoux.
Arc’s time, from the bottom of Mont Ventoux, to the top (at an altitude of approximately 1920 meters) was 2 hours and 50 minutes.
Arc’s numbers were as follows:
Time to the top of Mont Ventoux: 2 hours and 50 minutes
Elevation from bottom to top: 1920 meters (6233 feet). By comparison, Denver Colorado, the Mile High city sits at 5,280 feet (1,609 m) above sea level
Distance to the top of Mont Ventoux: 22 km (13.6 miles) at a gradient of 7.6%
Average speed over the entire course: (17.35 km/hour or about 11 miles/hour)
Participants: Over 9500 riders started the ride, only 7396 finished the ride.
Overall time: 9 hours
Course
Distance: 170 km (105 miles). By comparison, the distance from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara is approximately 98 miles.
Congratulations from your friends at BH on a GREAT ride.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
SUNDAY COMICS, L'ETAPE de TOUR, ROCK AND ROLL
By Debbie Bulloch
Here are the Sunday Comics. Read them, laugh a little, enjoy them and then....get out and enjoy the day!
(Click on image for larger view)
Remember, tomorrow (Monday July 20) our very own Arcabulle Odriscoll will be riding his bike to the top of Mont Ventoux (elev. 1900 meters). The L'Etape de Tour, where Arc will be riding, is part of the Tour de France. This is one of the toughest mountains for a bike rider; it is steep, it is boiling hot (or freezing cold), dry, windy (hence the name Mont Ventoux), the top looks like a lunar landscape (there are no trees to provide much needed shade and cooling) and just plain brutal. Only crazy bike riders attempt to climb this mountain.
Remember to send Arc well-wishes for a successful climb.
Last night I went to a street fair sponsored by an L.A.based radio station (K-EARTH FM 101.1) that plays all "oldies but goodies." I danced out on the street to the sounds of Shanana, Jan and Dean and, of course, the Beach Boys. I also saw a bunch of cool old cars. I will post pictures and more information later on.
From Back to the Future - I almost expected Marty to pop up!
Gloeing thinks I would look good driving one of these hot rods, what do you all think?
This would make a great surfer wagon it can certainly "haul ass!"
I think Gloeing would love one of these Plymouth Dart rockets!
ET please phone home!
Now I have to get out and ride my bike!
Enjoy!
Here are the Sunday Comics. Read them, laugh a little, enjoy them and then....get out and enjoy the day!
(Click on image for larger view)
Remember, tomorrow (Monday July 20) our very own Arcabulle Odriscoll will be riding his bike to the top of Mont Ventoux (elev. 1900 meters). The L'Etape de Tour, where Arc will be riding, is part of the Tour de France. This is one of the toughest mountains for a bike rider; it is steep, it is boiling hot (or freezing cold), dry, windy (hence the name Mont Ventoux), the top looks like a lunar landscape (there are no trees to provide much needed shade and cooling) and just plain brutal. Only crazy bike riders attempt to climb this mountain.
Remember to send Arc well-wishes for a successful climb.
Last night I went to a street fair sponsored by an L.A.based radio station (K-EARTH FM 101.1) that plays all "oldies but goodies." I danced out on the street to the sounds of Shanana, Jan and Dean and, of course, the Beach Boys. I also saw a bunch of cool old cars. I will post pictures and more information later on.
From Back to the Future - I almost expected Marty to pop up!
Gloeing thinks I would look good driving one of these hot rods, what do you all think?
This would make a great surfer wagon it can certainly "haul ass!"
I think Gloeing would love one of these Plymouth Dart rockets!
ET please phone home!
Now I have to get out and ride my bike!
Enjoy!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
LOS ANGELES, MEANEST CITY TO THE HOMELESS
By Debbie Bulloch
In the past few weeks this blog has turned its focus to subjects such as the Tour de France, Michael Jackson’s music, the charms of California’s Pacific Coast Highway, photography and the birthdays of Canada, the USA and France. In the process, however, we have somewhat strayed from the principal mission of Between Homes and the focus of this blog: advocacy on behalf of the homeless.
I must admit that the temptation of writing about fun subjects, like bike riding and posting photographs of my much beloved Pacific Ocean coast is like a siren call (no pun intended) that beckons to me. But while enjoying all of that Providence has given to us we cannot forget, indeed we must not forget the plight of those who are less fortunate.
The issue of homelessness in the USA and especially in California, the Golden State, was brought back to the forefront by a recent report, jointly published by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty and the National Coalition for the Homeless. In that report, these two advocacy groups ranked Los Angeles as the "meanest" city in the United States. The groups cited a Skid Row police crackdown that has criminalized poverty and homelessness there as one of the principal reasons for L.A.’s bad marks.
(Click on images for a larger view.)
L.A.'s so-called Safer City Initiative was singled out in the groups' report as the most egregious example of policies and practices nationwide that essentially punish people for failing to have a roof over their heads. Other measures that unfairly target the homeless include, making it illegal to sleep, sit or store personal belongings on sidewalks and other public spaces; prohibitions against panhandling or begging; and selective enforcement of petty offenses like jaywalking and loitering.
Such measures are widespread in the face of a deep economic recession and a foreclosure crisis that have increased homelessness over the past two years. The report examined laws and practices in 273 cities across the country. Los Angeles topped the list of the 10 "meanest cities" for what the study called inhumane treatment of the homeless. A previous report, issued in early 2006 before the crackdown began, ranked L.A. as the 18th meanest.
Under the Safer City effort, thousands of L.A.'s most destitute residents have been targeted for harsh police enforcement, routinely receiving tickets for minor infractions such as the failure to obey crossing signals. As a result, the study says, many homeless persons are jailed and end up with a criminal record that makes it more difficult for them to find a job or gain access to housing.
Los Angeles officials have touted their Safer City effort for sharply curbing serious crime in Skid Row, a 50-block downtown area inhabited by the biggest concentration of homeless people in the country. "The city's first priority is to protect our most vulnerable residents from violent crime," said a spokesperson for L.A.’s Mayor. By the way, L.A.’s Mayor has just come back from a vacation trip to Africa where he went to kill innocent animals (I mean big game hunting) and to receive a prize for his “humanitarian efforts” - indeed!
Homeless advocates in Los Angeles, however, say that a promised strategy to ease homelessness there, including new housing and services to go with the Skid Row cleanup, have largely failed to materialize. An estimated 40,000 people live on the streets, in abandoned buildings or in temporary shelters throughout Los Angeles; more than 5,000 of them live in Skid Row. Another 8,000 homeless make their home in that area's short-term residential hotels, or flop houses as they were once called.
Tuesday's report cited a 2007 University of California study that found that L.A. was spending $6 million a year to pay for the 50 extra police officers who patrol Skid Row while budgeting just $5.7 million for homeless services.
By comparison, New York City has a "right to shelter" policy and invests about $200 million a year in housing and other services for the needy, resulting in a homeless population half that of Los Angeles.
The question that comes to mind is: why is the City of Los Angeles, the “City of Angels,” using such harsh measures against the homeless?
The answer is simple; all you have to do is to follow the “money trail.”
Los Angeles’ Skid Row area is the largest “skid row” in the nation. (A “skid row” usually refers to a portion of town where the poor and the homeless concentrate.)
Skid Row has been 100 years in the making, but things are changing and the change is not necessarily good for the homeless. With housing scarce and rents high, there is an effort to “revitalize” the bleak Skid row district bound by Main, Alameda, Third and Seventh Streets.
Even in the current recession, real estate in Downtown L.A. remains hot. Investors and speculators know that the recession will not last forever and they are trying to grab as much land as possible, while prices are still “reasonable.” Every one wants a piece of the action: government agencies are moving in; the Roman Catholic Church recently consecrated a $189 million cathedral; and developers have plans to convert fleabag hotels like the El Dorado and the Frontier into lofts and condominiums where yuppies, and the newly minted gentry, can live and play close to the city’s center. Five thousand yuppie-housing units are in the works. By way of contrast, there are no new housing projects earmarked for the homeless.
Of course, Skid Row and its population remains the biggest obstacle to the developers’ and speculators’ big money dreams. The homeless not only take up valuable real estate, but their very presence “scares away” the yuppies now descending upon Downtown L.A. How utterly “inconvenient” for the homeless to live exactly where developers want to put up their multi-million dollar condominiums?
In order to “clean up” skid row, Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton has instituted sweeps against the so-called quality-of-life criminals who, as the theory goes, will graduate to bigger crimes if left unchecked.
But evicting people from the city’s sidewalks, without giving them beds or other alternatives, is immoral and heartless and mean. Chief Bratton defends the crackdown by stating that, ''Many there (Skid Row) don't want help.'' Then the Chief added, ''They'll take food and free clothes, but they want to live on the streets. While I have compassion, my job is to do something about it.'' One has to wonder whether Chief Bratton has ever slept on a cold, hard sidewalk, or whether he has ever used a broken down shopping cart to push his meager possession from one location to the next, or whether he has slept in the back of a station wagon, holding a young child next to him, hoping and praying that when the morning comes both he and the child are still alive and unharmed.
I am willing to bet you that after only one night on the streets, the Chief would not continue to state that. “…they (the homeless) want to live on the streets.”
As a society we cannot go on turning a blind eye to the less fortunate amongst us. I strongly encourage those of you reading this blog to take action to help ease the suffering of the homeless. I have previously outlined steps that any of us can take to make life a little easier for those who do not have a roof over their heads. Those are steps that we can all safely take. Or, if you are not sure what you can do, please contact your local homeless shelter and ask them how you can help. Don’t let the growing magnitude of the problem paralyze you into inaction.
Here is a list of the top ten “meanest” cities in the USA.
1. Los Angeles, California
2. St. Petersburg, Florida
3. Orlando, Florida
4. Atlanta, Georgia
5. Gainesville, Florida
6. Kalamazoo, Michigan
7. San Francisco, California
8. Honolulu, Hawaii
9. Bradenton, Florida
10. Berkeley, California
(I am surprised to find San Francisco and Berkeley on the list. I had always assumed these two Northern California cities to be very progressive. I guess that shows that when it comes to helping the homeless, many people, including so-called progressive liberals, don’t give a rat’s ass.)
The National Homeless Coalition is a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., that lobbies and advocates for homeless issues across the nation. The list is included in the coalition’s annual report Homes Not Handcuffs that highlights laws in America that criminalize homelessness.
To see the full report, go here: Homes Not Handcuffs
All the images posted in today's article are owned by the various copyright owners who fully reserve all rights to their images.
In the past few weeks this blog has turned its focus to subjects such as the Tour de France, Michael Jackson’s music, the charms of California’s Pacific Coast Highway, photography and the birthdays of Canada, the USA and France. In the process, however, we have somewhat strayed from the principal mission of Between Homes and the focus of this blog: advocacy on behalf of the homeless.
I must admit that the temptation of writing about fun subjects, like bike riding and posting photographs of my much beloved Pacific Ocean coast is like a siren call (no pun intended) that beckons to me. But while enjoying all of that Providence has given to us we cannot forget, indeed we must not forget the plight of those who are less fortunate.
The issue of homelessness in the USA and especially in California, the Golden State, was brought back to the forefront by a recent report, jointly published by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty and the National Coalition for the Homeless. In that report, these two advocacy groups ranked Los Angeles as the "meanest" city in the United States. The groups cited a Skid Row police crackdown that has criminalized poverty and homelessness there as one of the principal reasons for L.A.’s bad marks.
(Click on images for a larger view.)
L.A.'s so-called Safer City Initiative was singled out in the groups' report as the most egregious example of policies and practices nationwide that essentially punish people for failing to have a roof over their heads. Other measures that unfairly target the homeless include, making it illegal to sleep, sit or store personal belongings on sidewalks and other public spaces; prohibitions against panhandling or begging; and selective enforcement of petty offenses like jaywalking and loitering.
Such measures are widespread in the face of a deep economic recession and a foreclosure crisis that have increased homelessness over the past two years. The report examined laws and practices in 273 cities across the country. Los Angeles topped the list of the 10 "meanest cities" for what the study called inhumane treatment of the homeless. A previous report, issued in early 2006 before the crackdown began, ranked L.A. as the 18th meanest.
Under the Safer City effort, thousands of L.A.'s most destitute residents have been targeted for harsh police enforcement, routinely receiving tickets for minor infractions such as the failure to obey crossing signals. As a result, the study says, many homeless persons are jailed and end up with a criminal record that makes it more difficult for them to find a job or gain access to housing.
Los Angeles officials have touted their Safer City effort for sharply curbing serious crime in Skid Row, a 50-block downtown area inhabited by the biggest concentration of homeless people in the country. "The city's first priority is to protect our most vulnerable residents from violent crime," said a spokesperson for L.A.’s Mayor. By the way, L.A.’s Mayor has just come back from a vacation trip to Africa where he went to kill innocent animals (I mean big game hunting) and to receive a prize for his “humanitarian efforts” - indeed!
Homeless advocates in Los Angeles, however, say that a promised strategy to ease homelessness there, including new housing and services to go with the Skid Row cleanup, have largely failed to materialize. An estimated 40,000 people live on the streets, in abandoned buildings or in temporary shelters throughout Los Angeles; more than 5,000 of them live in Skid Row. Another 8,000 homeless make their home in that area's short-term residential hotels, or flop houses as they were once called.
Tuesday's report cited a 2007 University of California study that found that L.A. was spending $6 million a year to pay for the 50 extra police officers who patrol Skid Row while budgeting just $5.7 million for homeless services.
By comparison, New York City has a "right to shelter" policy and invests about $200 million a year in housing and other services for the needy, resulting in a homeless population half that of Los Angeles.
The question that comes to mind is: why is the City of Los Angeles, the “City of Angels,” using such harsh measures against the homeless?
The answer is simple; all you have to do is to follow the “money trail.”
Los Angeles’ Skid Row area is the largest “skid row” in the nation. (A “skid row” usually refers to a portion of town where the poor and the homeless concentrate.)
Skid Row has been 100 years in the making, but things are changing and the change is not necessarily good for the homeless. With housing scarce and rents high, there is an effort to “revitalize” the bleak Skid row district bound by Main, Alameda, Third and Seventh Streets.
Even in the current recession, real estate in Downtown L.A. remains hot. Investors and speculators know that the recession will not last forever and they are trying to grab as much land as possible, while prices are still “reasonable.” Every one wants a piece of the action: government agencies are moving in; the Roman Catholic Church recently consecrated a $189 million cathedral; and developers have plans to convert fleabag hotels like the El Dorado and the Frontier into lofts and condominiums where yuppies, and the newly minted gentry, can live and play close to the city’s center. Five thousand yuppie-housing units are in the works. By way of contrast, there are no new housing projects earmarked for the homeless.
Of course, Skid Row and its population remains the biggest obstacle to the developers’ and speculators’ big money dreams. The homeless not only take up valuable real estate, but their very presence “scares away” the yuppies now descending upon Downtown L.A. How utterly “inconvenient” for the homeless to live exactly where developers want to put up their multi-million dollar condominiums?
In order to “clean up” skid row, Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton has instituted sweeps against the so-called quality-of-life criminals who, as the theory goes, will graduate to bigger crimes if left unchecked.
But evicting people from the city’s sidewalks, without giving them beds or other alternatives, is immoral and heartless and mean. Chief Bratton defends the crackdown by stating that, ''Many there (Skid Row) don't want help.'' Then the Chief added, ''They'll take food and free clothes, but they want to live on the streets. While I have compassion, my job is to do something about it.'' One has to wonder whether Chief Bratton has ever slept on a cold, hard sidewalk, or whether he has ever used a broken down shopping cart to push his meager possession from one location to the next, or whether he has slept in the back of a station wagon, holding a young child next to him, hoping and praying that when the morning comes both he and the child are still alive and unharmed.
I am willing to bet you that after only one night on the streets, the Chief would not continue to state that. “…they (the homeless) want to live on the streets.”
As a society we cannot go on turning a blind eye to the less fortunate amongst us. I strongly encourage those of you reading this blog to take action to help ease the suffering of the homeless. I have previously outlined steps that any of us can take to make life a little easier for those who do not have a roof over their heads. Those are steps that we can all safely take. Or, if you are not sure what you can do, please contact your local homeless shelter and ask them how you can help. Don’t let the growing magnitude of the problem paralyze you into inaction.
Here is a list of the top ten “meanest” cities in the USA.
1. Los Angeles, California
2. St. Petersburg, Florida
3. Orlando, Florida
4. Atlanta, Georgia
5. Gainesville, Florida
6. Kalamazoo, Michigan
7. San Francisco, California
8. Honolulu, Hawaii
9. Bradenton, Florida
10. Berkeley, California
(I am surprised to find San Francisco and Berkeley on the list. I had always assumed these two Northern California cities to be very progressive. I guess that shows that when it comes to helping the homeless, many people, including so-called progressive liberals, don’t give a rat’s ass.)
The National Homeless Coalition is a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., that lobbies and advocates for homeless issues across the nation. The list is included in the coalition’s annual report Homes Not Handcuffs that highlights laws in America that criminalize homelessness.
To see the full report, go here: Homes Not Handcuffs
All the images posted in today's article are owned by the various copyright owners who fully reserve all rights to their images.
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