BREAKING NEWS!

Breaking News!! Breaking News!! OK, I'm not exactly sure what's going on, but I guarantee you that right now somewhere in southern California there is something "captivating" happening. With so many people from so many cultures all thrown together in California, there is always bound to be something unusual happening. And the local news stations are sure to be there to bring us live coverage. Fleets of helicopters are hovering over LA at this very moment just waiting to swarm to the next incident ... a high speed car chase, a raging wild fire, a massive pot bust ... there's sure to be something to warrant a media frenzy. If not, we'll get excited over just about anything. I can't even begin to recount all the bizarre stories that I've seen reported on the local news, including a toe-sucking predator, cell-phone heists, and canine hit men.

Something incredible has happened!

It's unbelievable how often the local news casts cut away to cover live "Breaking News." People are intrigued by real-time misfortune and disaster observed at a safe distance, and I didn't realize how captivating it can be until I moved to California. Once, for example, I sat down for lunch and watched half an hour of live footage of nothing but a helicopter circling a wild fire. The only interruption of this phenomenal coverage was a cut away so that viewers could keep an eye on a fascinating car chase and police standoff in progress. Or how about the time a mysterious man on a motorcycle cruised the streets of LA for hours with the cops following him, waving casually to pedestrians while ignoring the flashing lights and sirens behind him. Yes, this is the Southern California that brought us OJ and the "White Ford Bronco."

Typical Californian driver
(photo as found on Flickr)

Perhaps at this point you may be thinking ... "Is California safe?" My friend, the world is not safe. But I am a rational man of probability and statistics, and with over 37 million people living in California, I estimate my chances of being a victim of something reaching "Breaking News" proportions as being "very slim." And besides, southern California is home to places like Irvine, one of the safest cities in the U.S. You'd better have your game on when you enter this town. With Singaporean like zeal, Irvine cracks down on all things "unsightly" including abandoned shopping carts, jaywalkers, late model cars, and poor people. The appearance of imperfection is outlawed. I roll more cautiously in Irvine as I worry that my '93 Accord may lack the mandatory shine and sparkle leading to heavy fines and possible deportation to Santa Ana. It's always refreshing to arrive back home in the LBC ... sometimes a little color in life is worth the extra risk of bodily harm. Yeah ... that's one thing I love about southern California ... it's certainly a "colorful" place. And so I leave you with a link to a local news station's web page ... dedicated to SoCal car chase footage.

Rolling free in the LBC

Cold in California?

Whenever I talk with people about my move to the west coast, the question inevitably arises ... "So, why did you move to California?" The first assumption is always work ... hmmmm ... hard to have a convincing argument there when my boss is 3000 miles out of state. But the next topic is invariably the great California weather. No matter how much I try to explain the complexities of my decision to pack up and head west, people always get stuck on the weather thing. No one dares verbalize such accusations, but the slight smile says it all ... "Yeah, you know you just went for the warmth and sunshine." Come on people! Am I so petty to base my life decisions on fine weather? ... Of course I am! Who wouldn't flee to paradise in the face of blistering cold east coast winters. Logging on to weather.com recently, I was moved to spontaneous "hallelujahs" upon seeing that Washington DC was only 20 degrees ... southern California was in the mid 80's.

Californian's do winter sports too.

Often those unacquainted with the subtleties of California weather make grandiose statements about how they could never live in a place without four seasons. If by "four seasons" you mean the potential to experience miserable weather, you can keep your four seasons. But what's the truth about SoCal weather? Is it really always perfect temperatures and cloudless skies? Absolutely ... it's just hard to tell sometimes through the smog. No, no ... the smog's really not that bad ... and the weather's not always what you would expect either. Clouds and fog frequently roll in off the ocean during parts of the year, and temperatures can cool off pretty quickly in the evenings with the absence of moisture in the atmosphere to trap in the heat. Visitors may be surprised to find that many houses and apartments contain heaters but no AC. And if you drive a few hours east to the valley, mountain, or desert areas, and you can sometimes see a 40 degree temperature swing. But in general, the weather stays pretty moderate year round, as can be seen by checking out average temperatures and precipitation in Long Beach. Californians have nothing to complain about ... or do they????

Current Conditions: Long Beach

Ironically, Californians are notorious complainers when it comes to the weather. "It's so hot today" ... "It's so cold today" ... "It's so dry today" ... "I heard a thunder today" And as soon as you move here, you start to get sucked into the mindset. Once ... and I am not making this up ... a viewer called in to the local news station to report a "thunder" in Anaheim ... not a severe lightning crashing torrential downpour put-the-fear-of-God-in-you thunder storm, but a single clap of thunder. It is completely understandable if you think Californians are a bunch of pansies.

Is that a cloud in the sky?

Although the weather in Southern California is generally quite nice, there are some interesting phenomena that the casual observer should be aware of. They have special names like June Gloom, Santa Ana Winds, and the Marine Layer. To fit in with the locals, you should casually slide a few of these terms into your conversations ... and then whine about how cold it was last night. But after all of this, you will go out and see the tourists running around half naked and diving in the frigid Pacific waters, and then you realize that good weather is a relative concept.

SoCal Segregated Diversity

Southern California prides itself on its diversity. And it's true ... no other place in the U.S. contains such a mix of cultures. Ethnic communities give SoCal a unique flavor where you can experience the world just a short drive from home. But it's also no secret that southern California is one of the most racially divisive areas in the country. Visions of Rodney King (see picture, left) or scenes from the movie "Crash" come to mind. As Los Angeles developed into a melting pot of ethnic communities, competing economic interests and ingrained prejudices led to rising racial tensions. With such a diverse range of people living in close proximity, it's no surprise that racism rears it's head all too frequently. Long Beach is a prime example.

Do an internet search on "racism in Long Beach, CA" and you will probably come across a variety of articles and discussions about a current court case. On Haloween night 2006, three white girls were severely beaten by a group of black teens in an apparent racially motivated attack. (NPR report) Accounts of the event differ dramatically, but the accused attackers are now standing trial for the crime. Racial tensions are high in this potentially explosive situation. The case is unusual in that the alleged "hate crime" was perpetrated by the minority, and ethnic and community leaders have been slow to respond. Read the online discussions, and you will see underlying prejudices being revealed. Attempts at unity have been initiated, but many people are skeptical. (Press-Telegram Report)

Interestingly, on January 5th, a new movie opened that deals with racial tensions in Long Beach. "Freedom Writers" is a Hollywood account of a true story ... a story of a Long Beach teacher who stood up against racial hatred in a local high school and made a real difference in the lives of her troubled students. The movie reflects a situation that continues on today. In Long Beach, there are several ethnic minority communities ... the African American community, the Hispanic community, and the Cambodian community. Gang violence among and between communities is a very real problem. Racial and class tension may be hidden at times, but it is always simmering below the surface as the recent court case has revealed.

How long will we allow the violence to continue? SoCal is a microcosm of the world at large, and the issues of racial misunderstanding, prejudice, and hate are prevalent around the globe ... wherever cultures collide. The heart of man naturally tends toward mistrust and fear of those who are different. But who will stand for reconciliation? Who will make the sacrifice necessary for real progress? Leaders argue and debate, task forces are organized, and money thrown at the problem of racism ... but who is willing to love their neighbor as themselves? Racial reconciliation must move beyond words into tangible and sacrificial action.

The Ubiquitous Walnut

I live a block from Walnut Avenue. And in Southern California, this tells you ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about where I live. With all the oddities of life in Southern California, perhaps the most bizarre phenomenon I've encountered so far is the abundance of Walnut streets. Name reuse proliferates among SoCal streets, but the king of them all is the Walnut. Each and every town and district pays homage to the almighty Walnut. In fact, there is even a whole city named Walnut. Upon further investigation, I found that the city of Walnut was founded on a piece of land known as ... the Ranch of the Walnut Trees. Although my mind runs wild imagining such a ranch, I still cannot understand the infatuation with the Walnut that has continued on to this very day.

But this now leads me to a general commentary on SoCal streets. There's just a few things that visitors need to know about southern California roadways:

1. It's a "freeway" not an "interstate."
2. Speeding :) ... Crossing the double lines into the Carpool Lane :(
3. Beware the street sweeper.
4. When referring to roads, always use the prefix "the."
   ("Follow THE 405 freeway to THE ubiquitous Walnut.")
5. 3 times past in less than 4 hours is cruising.

That's not cruising ... that's just finding a parking space.

The road system really is just a huge grid, and once you know the main roads, it's virtually impossible to get lost in southern California. And anyway, just keep driving ... Walnut Street is just ahead.