MetaFilter posts tagged with california

LiveR Than You'll Ever Be

Joe Beese — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:59:33 -0800

40 years ago today, The Rolling Stones played two concerts at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. In the darkness of the audience was a man known to history only as "Dub"... [audio auto-plays] His recording of the later show was in stores by Christmas as LiveR Than You'll Ever Be. Reviewing it in Rolling Stone, Greil Marcus wrote: It is the most exciting record I have heard all year, fully the equal, in its own way, of Let It Bleed, and in some ways better. All qualifications aside, it is the ultimate Rolling Stones album. In addition to its unprecedented audio fidelity, LiveR made history by its influence on the Rolling Stones discography. Demand for the title pressured Decca into releasing an official live album from the tour - though some considered the eventual Get Yer Ya-Yas Out! spoiled by excessive overdubbing. Both the early and late shows can be heard in best-available sound here . And an extensive history of rock bootlegging can be found in Clinton Heylin's Bootleg: The Secret History of the Other Recording Industry. ( previously)

Angelyne: as essential a part of the Hollywood landscape as the garish minimall

filthy light thief — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:10:52 -0800

She's a public mystery, craving attention but shying away from private interviews. She is a human being Andy Warhol would have created, a painter (of) herself. She ran for Hollywood City Council in 2002, joined the much-parodied 2003 California gubernatorial recall election (previously), and most recently tried to become Mayor of Hollywood (archive of her Mayoral site). She is still loved by snark-mongers. She is Angelyne. She is ... A local Hollywood celebrity for her presence on billboards, the "wicked Eve in Hollywood's media-made Garden of Eden," she is can be found in her bright pink Corvette (Hidden Los Angeles previously, Vector Portraits previously). She has been the topic of local articles for a while, the subject of local and foreign TV interest. She's had bit-parts in a few movies and drove Moby around Hollywood. She's inspired song-writers (sample) and mix-tapers. Angelyne once said "I'm the quintessential billboard queen that's supposed to happen. That's why it's so readily and easily accepted. I feel like I've been embedded in the cement of Hollywood for 3,000 years." But where did she come from? Neither her official website nor MySpace page provide much personal information beyond her likes and dislikes (the latter lists her age as 29). An old webzine has an article on her (circa 1998), noting that she came from Idaho, and moved to Los Angeles for fame and fortune, singing with a group that was first know as Black and Blue, then Baby Blue, and a few weeks it was Angelyne. She released four albums (including Driven to Fantasy), and made a music video for the song "I Always Keep A List of All the Guys I Kiss". But none of those endeavors panned out. Her foray into billboards wouldn't have lasted, either, had it not been for the entrepreneurship of Hugo Maisnik. Maisnik, the president of the outdoor advertisement company who Angelyne contacted, signed with her to support her advertising (and her lease of the iconic 'Vette) for a cut of her profits from her fame. According to a 1987 People Magazine article (which listed her age as 28), Maisnik was her manager at the time. (An article later that year listed her age as 29.) Now you can consider yourself armed for The Angelyne Quiz: How Well Do You Know Her?

Hasta la vista, Gertrude Chataway.

goodnewsfortheinsane — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:56:54 -0800

Veto is a four-letter word (google quickview, here's the PDF):.Governor Schwarzenegger of California, at odds with the state legislature but ever the poet, vetoes Assembly Bill 1176 with a nice little acrostic.

Standing on a hill in my mountain of dreams

shakespeherian — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:39:47 -0800

Is California finished?

There are known unknowns

Blazecock Pileon — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:50:48 -0800

"My answer is, I don't know. I don't know." US District Court Judge Vaughn Walker asked Prop 8 supporters to define the nature and extent of damage done by same-sex couples to the institution of marriage, and being unable to get any definitive answer, denied the request from supporters of Prop 8 to throw out Perry v. Schwarzenegger and ordered the case to trial in January 2010.

G-g-g-ghost shark?

darkstar — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:28:11 -0800

A newly identified species of Chimaera is patrolling the waters off of California and Baja California.

California has a new star, the Eastern Pacific black ghostshark. But the newly identified species prefers to stay out of the sun—and the spotlight. And with a club-like sex organ on its forehead, the male ghostshark isn't likely to get any leading man roles.

The Florida Museum of Natural History has better photos of its Australian relative.

University of California Budget Walkout

spitefulcrow — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:16:55 -0800

Thousands of students, faculty, and staff have walked out today in protest of the University of California's budget cuts. Today marks the first day of classes for eight of the ten UC campuses, all of which have been hit hard by budget cuts as a result of the statewide budget crisis, which has resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars of reductions to UC's budget. The cuts are being implemented via pay cuts and forced furloughs for UC faculty and staff, and drastic fee increases have been proposed. UC employees are worried about what is seen as the potential privatization of the nation's largest public university system. Many see the California budget process, hampered by a two-thirds majority requirement and numerous ballot initiatives blocking tax increases, as the source of the problem. Local coverage per campus: Berkeley Los Angeles Davis Santa Barbara Irvine

House Beautiful

vronsky — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 08:33:24 -0800

Maynard L. Parker was an architectural photographer whose work appeared for much of the 20th century in House Beautiful, Architectural Digest, Sunset Magazine and many covers for the Los Angeles Times Sunday magazine, which was then called Home. He photographed many well-known architectural homes, including the work of Richard Neutra and Frank Lloyd Wright. Over 58,000 of those photographs are now available through the Huntington Library. Here are some examples.

Politics 101: Don't Brag About Your Sexploits in Public

zarq — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:35:08 -0800

Conservative Republican California State Assemblyman Michael Duvall (Orange County) didn't realize his mic was live, moments before the start of a legislative hearing this past July. So when the 54-year-old married father of two began describing his ongoing affairs with two different women in very graphic detail for the benefit of a colleague seated next to him, he had no idea that he was being recorded. The story was picked up by KCAL, who cited unnamed sources that said Duvall was describing affairs with two married lobbyists. The problem: The KCAL report also tentatively identified one as a utility company representative. (The OC Weekly story says she works for Sempra Energy.) Duvall is the vice chairman of the California State Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce. Duvall "announced his immediate resignation from the Assembly this afternoon."

Shoutout To All My Eichler Homies

mattdidthat — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 15:05:23 -0800

Eichler homes! Most Eichlers are located in northern California, but you can find a few developments in the southland. People restore and renovate their Eichlers, write magazine articles about them, and take lots of photos of them. Even Mr. Incredible owned an Eichler. But owning an Eichler is not for everyone. Want to buy an Eichler? Join the Eichler Network or tour an open house.

Dark Behind It Rose The Forest

WPW — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:00:42 -0800

Inside America's most dangerous national forest.

A Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight

mattdidthat — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 09:04:12 -0800

Time-lapse video of the Southern California wildfires. Another image of the fires, as seen from space. Google Map.

It's not a tumor

HumuloneRanger — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:56:17 -0800

What do you do when your state's facing an $11 billion shortfall? Hold a garage sale. Jimmy Kimmel's ad for the sale on YouTube NB: "[They] do not accept cash for vehicles."

Schwarzenegger cut ALL state funding for domestic violence programs

Four-Eyed Girl — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 14:44:31 -0800

On Tuesday, July 28, Arnold Schwarzenegger eliminated 100% of California domestic violence shelters' state funding. Ninety-four shelters will be affected, and the cut may lead to domestic violence victims being turned away because of a decrease in the number of staff available, a cut in programs, or shelter closure. StopFamilyViolence.org asks California residents to contact Schwarzenegger and their state legislators and request that the funding be reinstated.

How green was my valley

KokuRyu — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:51:06 -0800

How green was my valley: California's economic meltdown The fields of wheat, cotton and cantaloupe that sustained his family for three generations are gone. The land is a mess of fallow fields, cracked earth and swirling dust. (PDF - By some estimates, 12.8% of the United States' agricultural production (as measured by dollar value) comes from California, and the majority of that is in the Central Valley). However, his particular scene of devastation, Mr. Allen argues, has nothing to do with the credit crisis, the housing crash or the downturn that has California in a vice grip. It has to do with a seven-centimetre-long, semi-translucent, steel blue fish known as the Delta smelt. This is not a story about fish. Rather, it is a story about how efforts to save the fish through a court-ordered water shortage have pushed a region already brought to the brink by recession over the edge... "In the Central Valley regional area, we've got 40,000 unemployed people. General Motors had 30,000 and got a government bailout. We're getting nothing." See also: California v Texas

Their vote counts too

Netzapper — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:48:57 -0800

It's important to remember that everybody in our great republic has an equally important voice. [via Reddit]

Balancing the Budget is just sliders and buttons

filthy light thief — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:32:05 -0800

The current federal and state budget woes have lead many to create their ideal budgets to keep it all in balance, and now you can try your hand at the push and pull of budgets large and larger. You can be a nation-wide budget hero (toggle-able music) at Marketplace for American Media. The LA Times makes the California budget into buttons, where you can add and subtract whole segments of the budget in a quick-and-dirty attempt at making things even out. Next 10 have created a more detailed budgeting system in their California budget simulator and localized Oakland variation. Too much information to handle? Stockton's budget balancing options cover police, fire community service and public works, with sliding scales of money to spend on each.

Feliz Dia Del Trabajador

univac — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:36:14 -0800

Hope withers on the vine. A look at daily life among the produce workers in Mecca, California.

High Speed Trains in California

dhruva — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:04:58 -0800

Getting up to speed : "If it can get started, the California high-speed train would almost certainly be the most expensive single infrastructure project in United States history. Judging by the experiences of Japan and France, both of which have mature high-speed rail systems, it would end the expansion of regional airline traffic as in-state travelers increasingly ride the fast trains. And it would surely slow the growth of highway traffic."

Prop 8 Upheld

CaptApollo — Tue, 26 May 2009 10:07:49 -0800

Proposition 8 Upheld by CA Supreme Court. In crushing blow to marriage equality, the California Supreme Court has affirmed the validity of Proposition 8 today's ruling (PDF). Protests against the decision will be held in 96 cities. The court simultaneously decided that the estimated 18,000 same-sex marriages performed prior to the passage of Prop 8 will remain valid.

Never look a gift park in the mouth.

mudpuppie — Mon, 18 May 2009 14:51:54 -0800

A 28-acre plot of unspoiled Sierra foothill forest is bequeathed to the Auburn (CA) Recreation District. The bequeath came with one condition: That the park be named "Nobel Laureate William B. Shockley And His Wife Emmy L. Shockley Memorial Park." You may remember Nobel winner Shockley as the co-founder of the transistor. Or you may remember his as the so-called Father of Silicon Valley. He also made a splash as one of the only admitted donors to the mythical Nobel sperm bank (real name: Repository for Germinal Choice). Or perhaps you remember that he once advocated offering "financial rewards for the 'genetically disadvantaged' [primarily blacks] if they volunteered for sterilization." The Auburn Recreation District was unaware of Shockley's other infamies, and is unsure now about how to proceed with the donated land.

On the Run from Everything but Each Other

infinitywaltz — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:58:52 -0800

We've covered hobo culture before, both historic and modern, but as the story of Smashley and Stogie reveals, the lifestyle of the railway traveler still exists not only for weekend adventurers but as a means of escape for troubled souls. (via)

If it's got to be clean [energy] , it's got to be Tide

dersins — Thu, 07 May 2009 09:12:49 -0800

The Wave Motors of California. "Still embedded somewhere in the shores of California, buried by more than a century of sand, are lost hydroelectric machines." Further reading.

NIOBY

dersins — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 11:26:03 -0800

In Our Own Backyard: Resisting Nazi Propaganda In Southern California 1933 - 1945, a digital exhibition from the Oviatt Library at Cal State Northridge. "The Nazi Propaganda period, 1933 to 1945, chronicles a crucial twelve years in American history. This exhibit's story about the local threat to American ideals demonstrates how European events reached across the ocean and affected people in Southern California -- in our own backyard." Magazines, pamphlets, newspapers, stickers and more. The site navigation, especially as pertains to the digital materials, leaves a good deal to be desired, but it's still a fascinating look at an aspect of the Depression era most people don't think about. [via, which is in itself one of the best link blogs out there, from (formerly?) Metafilter's Own™ plep ]

Nick Adenhart (1986-2009)

setanor — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 09:20:57 -0800

Four hours after his start against Oakland, his first time beginning the year with a major league team, Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed in a hit and run by a van speeding through a red light.