So Much Poultry, So Little Time

...ood! But we may need to hippify the uniforms a bit . . . -When the economy hits the skids people start thinking about keeping chickens. I spoke to the editor of the always informative Backyard Poultry Magazine about this phenomena. She said that she tries to tell people that you should keep chickens in good times and bad (amen!), but that when the economy tanks Backyard Poultry’s circulation soars. We predict Ben Bernanke will put together a coop...

Read…

Protected Bike Lanes

...time to begin the conversation in this country about fully protected bike lanes like they have in Europe. Far too many bikes languish in the garage because our cities feel like a game of Frogger. Right hooks–what happens when a distracted motorist turns right and hits a cyclist going straight–are one of the main objections to protected bike lanes. This proposal from the George Mason University 2014 Cameron Rian Hays Outside the Box Competition ad...

Read…

On Living in Los Angeles Without a Car: A Debate

...an ride defensively, etc. etc., but I’ve also seen what happens when a car hits an unprotected human body. That sort of damage is not abstract. It’s not a call to the insurance company and a tow to the body shop. It’s a complete re-writing of your life script–if you’re lucky. And since the rise of the smart phone and ubiquitous texting, I also see that nobody is paying any attention when they drive. It’s worse out there than it has ever been. Spen...

Read…

Binge on Opera for Free

...Ring Cycle along with Tristan und Isolda, Parsifal and few other Wagner’s hits. Does the story of a magical ring that holds terrible powers and needs to be returned to nature sound like a familiar plot? Parsifal Wagner’s Parsifal streams on Sunday the 11th in a striking production the Met did in 2013. Towards the end of the first act is my favorite part, the ringing of the eerie bells of the grail castle, a sound effect for which Wagner construct...

Read…