history

The Eastsider LA: “Life’s last journey on a street car named Descanso” (via @MetroLibrary):

Railway fan and Angeleno Heights resident Kevin Kuzma was checking out a railroad preservation forum when he came across a recent photo of the Descanso, a 101-year-old Los Angeles street car built to transport mourners as well as the deceased to burial services.

CarFree.us: “By the Numbers: My Financial and Environmental Impact of Commuting by Bicycle” (via @bikecommutenews):

I knew I was benefiting myself and the environment by commuting without a car, but to see the real impact is very amazing. These numbers don’t take into account the savings because of improved emotional and physical well being I am getting because of the exercise. They also don’t take into account the benefit to my community from interacting with my neighbors and fellow commuters. These numbers don’t measure the impact of the 40,000 people every year who’s lives are cut short because of car crashes.

LA Times: “Women pilots from World War II to be honored”:

The groundbreaking Women Airforce Service Pilots were buried without military honors and long denied benefits. But now they’ll receive the Congressional Gold Medal.

This being January 19th, a certain ritual would have been performed at the grave of Edgar Allan Poe, as has been done every January 19th since 1949. In a Baltimore cemetery, a mysterious man appears sometime after midnight and leaves behind on Poe’s grave three roses and a half-bottle of cognac.

This year, however, the Poe Toaster did not show up. The reason is unknown.

Last year marked the 200th anniversary of Poe’s birth, not to mention the 60th of the ritual, so some speculate it was a fitting time to end it.

“Everybody has their theories about what happened,” [Poe House Curator Jeff] Jerome said. “Somebody said, ‘Maybe he just has the flu.’” Or perhaps he had car trouble.”[…]

Cognac and roses are usually put on display at the birthday celebration for Poe scheduled on the weekend following Jan. 19, but this year that’s not an option.

The curator was surprised that there was no indication that the toaster would be nevermore. “You would have thought he would have left a note saying it’s over,” Jerome said, since the toaster has left notes at the grave site before.

The curator is committed to coming back for a couple more years to make sure the Toaster ritual is in fact over. If it is, that will be a sad thing, but with all the brouhaha recently (“…in 2006 several people proceeded to break into the cemetery in an unsuccessful attempt to accost and identify him.” - Wikipedia), perhaps it’s better to let this lovely, romantic ritual go.

Dear MPAA:

Upon inserting a DVD into my player last night, I discovered that someone under your sway has decided to use clips from Casablanca with anti-DVD pirating propaganda “jokes” splattered over them like primate feces on the walls of a monkey’s cage. Another viewer has been good enough to upload it to YouTube for our edification.

Due to the fact that you are a faceless bureaucracy with Orwellian aspirations, me leading a crowd in the singing of “La Marseillaise” would be lost on you. Therefore, I will figure out some other form of protest. Like not buying any more of your crappy DVDs.

However, I feel compelled to warn you guys that if there is karma in this universe, you guys are really, really screwed.

Adieu!

The San Bernardino County Museum is putting on Train Days this coming weekend. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.

If you love trains, this is the day to be at the Museum! Check out real train artifacts and play special train games with us! Visit the circus, operate a locomotive, and design your own railroad logo! Watch as model trains and trolleys steam past country scenery or zoom through the cities!

That’s four exclamation points, so you know it’s going to rock! ;D

It’s the regular museum admission prices: $8 for adults, $6 for senior or military, $5 for students with ID, and $4 for kids 5-12. You can get a family museum admission for one year when you join the Museum Association for $40, by the way. Great deal, as they often have cool events.

I’m hoping to be there, elbowing children out of the way for a better view of the train layouts. ;D

Download PDF flyer.

Dan Buettner, writer for National Geographic, and a team studied communities around the world where a higher percentage of people lived to older ages, even into their 100s. In this TED video, Dan describes three communities they found where folks both grow older and grow older better. He refers to the talk as “How to Live Past 100+”, but really it’s about how to better your chances of a longer, healthier life — more years and better ones.

At the end, he outlines the nine common elements they distilled from studying the Nuoro Province in Sardinia, Okinawa, and Loma Linda, right down the road here in Southern California.

The big do’s:

1. Move Naturally — physical activity every day, but not in gyms.
2. Right Outlook — downshifting intensity during the day, sense of purpose.
3. Eat Wisely — wine, plants (legumes, nuts, leafy greens), some meat, but don’t overeat.
4. Connect — belong in your family, friends, tribe.

Fascinating talk. I was worried it was going to be a bit snake oily, but it wound up being quite interesting.