Displaying 1,231 To 1,260 Of 10,917 Comments Yep! AGAIN! The auto industry, Henry Huntington and the Chandlers destroyed our Red Line. They deliberately designed LA to be for the car. But that was before most of us were born, so hardly anyone knows about that. » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 16, 2011 @ 5:20 pm BTW most of the stations are designed to reflect the history of each stop–which I think is so cool. For example, this above-ground one is the Chinatown station: » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 16, 2011 @ 5:07 pm E’Cat–oh boy, now you got me started! It’s not really OT to me because to me MetroRail should serve to unite more of us in this vast area. We wish it were more extensive and it still doesn’t go among the more widely traveled areas–such as along Wilshire Blvd from Downtown to the beach, or even to the LA airport. But those routes are planned and we got some stimulus funds to help. As you can imagine, it’s monumentally expensive. Also, it should run 24 hours but I think it stops at 2am on weekends. Right now, it is still a mostly undiscovered gem–except among the poor and working class who use it extensively. It takes you straight to the front door of where the Lakers play, right to the heart of downtown, right to the heart of Hollywood–I take it almost all the time I go to those places because of parking alone. I think Angelinos aren’t used to public transportation yet, but as gas prices rise and as the routes get more extensive, I bet these light rails will become more and more popular here. » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 16, 2011 @ 5:00 pm Oooh–tres cool, bito! » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 16, 2011 @ 3:52 pm HAH! Pre-natal visions! » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 16, 2011 @ 3:51 pm Thanks, javaz– and I couldn’t agree more! Remember the protests in the 60’s? (You were too young but I bet you remember them second hand.)It took years for things to change–to get out of Vietnam and for Civil Rights legislation to be enacted. It took protests like these over and over, spanning at least 4-5 years as I recall. I think that even as these particular Occupations maybe dwindle, others will take their place. The genie is out of the bottle! » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 16, 2011 @ 3:27 pm Occupy Los Angeles on The International Day of Action Time Magazine: “How Occupy L.A. May Get the City to Go After Banks” Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2097543,00.html#ixzz1bjAsszaq WOOT! » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 24, 2011 @ 12:00 pm AdLib– AMEN! I remember the 60’s, and this feels the same. It started with students and then more students and then older people and then it became a movement with many offshoots. This movement is smarter and addresses the issues for more people worldwide than did the movements of the 60’s. It may slow down and disperse and then re-group; these things don’t advance in a straight line. But every day I feel it’s getting bigger. But as you say, the challenge will be to keep at it. Something tells me people are not going to quit, even after several years. And you know when the MSM spends as much time on something as they have done on OWS, it’s not going away soon. Case in point: MTV’s show “Real Life” (actually a good show!) is starting an OWS series. I love that! It will make it accessible to teenagers, and thus the net group will be ready to “Occupy.” » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 24, 2011 @ 11:03 am VAn Jones at Occupy Los Angeles: “Politics need to adjust to this movement, not the other way around.” » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 23, 2011 @ 10:08 pm A heads up to my fellow Angelinos: Van Jones will be speaking at Occupy Los Angeles at 4pm. If you can get there, that should be great. » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 23, 2011 @ 2:04 pm Thanks, javaz–interesting take! You have a point and I have to think it through–it makes sense on one level. I completely agree about the global nature and anti-nationalism of the corps–they are stateless. But my first reaction is that there are new world markets for the corps to exploit. China is enormous and now has a nascent middle class. India is starting to catch up too. Once we have no more buying power, perhaps they will just move on to better markets. One thing I am sure of: They will set up a society of elites and workers. But you are so right about the historical perspective–this has happened before, and before progress has been victorious. » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 20, 2011 @ 7:50 pm This comment This OWS has me feeling feisty and challenging convention! on AdLib’s superb post, Stop Paying Banks Credit Card Debt, got me impelled to do a mini-rant, but I didn’t want to disrupt that thread. I’m feeling pretty feisty too. In fact I’m feeling downright anarchic. As I read articles for the Daily Planet, I see that there is not one area of our country that is not either under threat from corporatists or christianists, or already ruined by them. What the OWS movement has awakened in me is dangerous to my equanimity, because I now see how meager the tweaks that are available to us are. The protests make me feel as though all the policy and political discussions I have are silly, and irrelevant. They just seem like way too little, if not too late. I cannot think of one aspect of life in the US that is not spoiled to one degree or another: voting rights, the justice system, our political system, our media, the Supreme Court, education, women’s reproductive rights, the rights to our privacy. The so called American Dream is a laughable fiction, and the fact of the OWS movement–while not specifically articulating any of those issues–has begun and has become so widespread has allowed me to kind of take off my blinders and see how fucked up it all is. When I see the police tramping our rights to peaceably assemble to protect the rich, it’s sort of the last straw. Watching the “debates” of the GOP candidates fills me with dread, because the fact that there is a fair chance any of these stupid and malicious people could be elected to any elected office is an outrage. The fact that there are possibly enough like-minded people who are my countrymen to vote for these criminals is unthinkable, but a fact. The other day, Funksands replied to my post with this statement and it is so true: Obama steps up to the “machine” grabs the lever and it falls off in his hand. Machine is still there humming along but Obama is standing there with this lever in his hand that ISN’T WORKING THE MACHINE ANYMORE. It’s fucking broken. So, he and his gang start trying to MacGyver the damn thing trying to make it do ANYTHING useful, trying to make the best of a shitty situation and what does the lazy left do? They stand around SCREAMING at Obama because the lever doesn’t fucking work. He’s moved on, and some of us are still standing around THREE YEARS later looking at the goddamn LEVER still LAYING there on the ground wondering why “Shit is all fucked up and bullshit”. Get started FIXING THE MACHINE!! It’s not about Obama, he’s a temp!! See, I have no complaints about the President of towards those who are still trying to work the machine. In fact, it’s all we CAN do. I am still involved politically and will work hard to get Obama and my local Dems elected. But at the same time, since the OWS demonstrations, I know that this war will go on for decades–this is not something that can be fixed by a couple of elections. The forces of power in the world will not stop, and all we have left is our vote, and whatever influence protests have. I am thrilled to note that the OWS movement has really changed the conversation dramatically in only one month. I’m not discouraged, I’m furious. And I guess I see more clearly than ever that there is a tremendous amount of work to be done. Whew–that feels better! » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 20, 2011 @ 6:44 pm If he had lived, I am certain that Carlin would have been the spokesman of the OWS Movement–and there would be no confusion about what we are all protesting. He actually was, in 2005: “The American Dream” » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 19, 2011 @ 3:16 pm Well, CL–WE were sorry you weren’t with us for our own selfish reasons (I know I can speak for the AdLib family on this.) OK, you need a good talking to from a paragon of guilt Jewish mother. You stood for hours in the Sacramento sun on behalf of union workers (which BTW had none of the cache of the OWS demonstrations but was every bit as important) and yet you find something to berate yourself for–hip pain! Are you Catholic? Because they are the only other group I know as guilt-ridden as my lansmen. Now listen to me: Hot bath, bed and a mindless TV show or novel. THAT’S probably how that fabulous women at the OWS-LA lived to be 90! (OK, probably not–she looks care-worn and of hearty stock who worked every day of those 90 years.) Wuss indeed! Gimme a break. And yes–it will take decades and we cannot give up–eye on the prize! (I think it was I who said it. 🙂 ) » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 16, 2011 @ 8:27 pm Here’s nice coverage for the Los Angeles Times about yesterday. It seems that our message is not so hard to figure out after all–they get it pretty well: “‘We are the 99%,’ L.A. marchers chant at protest” http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-economy-protest-20111016,0,1832793.story » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 16, 2011 @ 3:21 pm AdLib, those video really adds so much to the feeling of the day–just excellent work! I was struck even more by watching the videos how much people were talking to and listening to each other. It was like one of those teach-ins from the 60’s. People were educating and informing each other and sharing why they were there. You said something in your post that I have been trying to say too but couldn’t formulate: And so, OWS not having a focused message is not a deficit as many in Pundit Land declare, it is instead the only way in which such a broad and popular coalition of a majority of Americans can come together. The diversity in causes has divided the energies of the majority (along with many other things), the more serious problems corporate powers cause, the better for them because they splinter the American people amongst causes and dilute their power. YES! That’s it exactly. There may not seem to be a cohesive message but there actually is: Corporate plutocracy SUCKS! It poisons and destroys its host–we 99%. It poisons democracy–we 99%. It poisons capitalism–served by 99%. So of course, just because we enumerate and protest each of the myriad tentacles of this monster, the idiots in the lazy media whine that there is no single message for them to over-simplify and then ridicule. Someone needs to do a Venn diagram of all the issues on all the signs throughout the movement and at the center where all would overlap would be Corporatism. So thank you! » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 16, 2011 @ 3:11 pm Weekend Music Thread – Guilty Pleasures Thanks KT–I love it but don;t know why I should feel guilty, except as I say, I get made fun of. » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 15, 2011 @ 6:26 pm Great theme Funk!! These are the songs my kids mercilessly ridicule me for loving: Numa Numa Song (So embarrassing!) Backstreet Boys: Lady Gaga Bad Romance: Malaguena Salarosa (my current obsession): » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 15, 2011 @ 12:22 pm Agrippa, I just don’t see how the Superdupers will come to an agreement totaling the mandatory $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction. The R’s won’t include any tax increases and the D’s won’t accept cuts without them. In a way, I wouldn’t mind at all if they fail, because as I understand it their failure will make Pentagon cuts mandatory–huge ones. That could lead to the necessary pull out from Af/Pak down the line–who knows? What is so cool about the deal struck by Obama and the Reptilians is that there can be NO cuts to SS, Food Stamps or Medicare. But there would also be huge cuts to domestic programs (not clear on which ones though.) And you’re right that their whole purpose is to get around Congress, which is so strangled by hatred they cannot work together at all. » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 14, 2011 @ 2:35 pm I have thought about the same issue, Caru–the argument that pedophilia is intrinsic to some and therefore no less acceptable than homosexuality. But of course, the correct retort to that is what you said: The difference is that one is consensual. I think certain kinds of sociopathy are also present at birth, e.g. fetal alcohol syndrome. Then there is that behavior which develops among babies given little human contact–they too become sociopaths through no fault of there own. And what about OCD or addictive behavior–there are probably genes contributing to those too. The main point it that homosexuality is in no way a danger to ANYONE. But what IS a danger to all of us is ignorance, bigotry and hate. There might be genes for those as well, but that doesn’t mean we should accept it. » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 14, 2011 @ 1:04 pm Glad you liked it Sue. As I said, it’s really what my experience was like too. And when you get the cops donating clothes, when you get “the army” one your side, the revolution will succeed. There is a Twitter I follow #occupyLA, and almost all day they announce more donations. Today, someone donated dozens of new tents and another person brought cases of water. It does my heart so good! » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 13, 2011 @ 8:07 pm DAMMIT!! I forgot to hit the “Schedule” button last night for the DP. Well, better late than never, I guess. Sorry! (And I finished it early for once yesterday.) Damn. » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 13, 2011 @ 9:39 am So great to be back “home” CL! I really wish I had been able to see you again. 🙁 I hope we get another chance! And thank you so much for the support. » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 12, 2011 @ 9:22 pm Oh, Funk–as if you were EVER uninformed! So sorry I missed that lunch. Rain check? » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 12, 2011 @ 9:21 pm Hi Em! I agree, the AJA is THE story and I think the President is handling it perfectly. Polls show that a big majority of people across the political spectrum like it, when they are told what’s in it. I expect to see Obama talking about it even though it won’t pass. He will educate the voters. My only problem is that he needs ALL Dems to do the same! (And BTW–thanks for your kind words!) » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 12, 2011 @ 9:20 pm Hey my dear! YGM. » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 12, 2011 @ 9:16 pm Thanks, kes! Yes, I understand that all too well. I hope we both get more time to enjoy ourselves here too. » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 12, 2011 @ 12:37 am Patsy–you go girl!! » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 11, 2011 @ 4:01 pm Yep. “Shit is fucked up and bullshit” is my new motto. » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 11, 2011 @ 4:00 pm Thanks KT! This is such a stupid issue and it gives me some measure of comfort to realize that most people know it’s a stupid issue. » Posted By Chernynkaya On October 11, 2011 @ 2:55 pmComments Posted By Chernynkaya
[img]http://greg-vassilakos.com/gold_line/m_chinatown_station.JPG[/img]
Here’s a Twitpic–they don’t upload but it’s worth a click:
http://twitpic.com/74vnoi
Frustrated and angry, their unifying sentiment is that middle-class and poor Americans are being hurt at the hands of greedy corporate profiteers and politicians.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eghuYwJuB0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fndeDfaWCg&ob=av3e
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrO4YZeyl0I&feature=artistob&playnext=1&list=TL2rNg6gl5dHM
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