La Crisis: Lunch at New Happy Family Restaurant

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You know what I hate about vegetarian/vegan restaurants? They’re expensive. For some stupid reason, the fact that you want a meatless option triggers a gouging response where they are allowed to shake you down for extra change. Yeah, maybe its a specialty, but it ain’t that special anymore. I’ll get into that some other time, I’m not here to fix this issue at the moment. Instead I want to point you towards a place that takes a different approach, providing delicious veggie food at reasonable prices. And as you’ll soon see, sometimes incredibly reasonable prices! Click ahead  if you want to see why I think you should take a lunch break over in the charming city of Rosemead.

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A Clash! (or If You Think You’re A Chicano You Are One)

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The arbitrary guidelines be damned! If you think you’re a chican@ then you are one! Since not everyone these days wants to be one then can we say that Chicanismo (for lack of a better term) is a choice! Not a death sentence! At one point it was a choice, a banner to waved (or now a T-Shirt to wear). But now if you fall somewhere on the dead Left, then the assumption is that you are a Chicano through-and-through. One must wade through many proto-typical Chican@s to find someone that is playful with the term.
[Oh to be playful again! To understand that all is play, and that the work part is something that happens in your mind not reality.]
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Catching up with Council Member Huizar

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It’s no secret that the blog has managed to garner attention in the last year or so that it’s been around. I’m one of the many people covering BH events and that in itself has gotten me attention from others as well, case in point 14th District Council Member Jose Huizar. He reads the blog and through the help of my good friend WC connecting me with Rick Coca, who’s Director of Communication, I got some time in with the councilmen, who’s district also covers Downtown, Eagle Rock, El Sereno, Garvanza, Glassell Park, Hermon, Highland Park and Mount Washington, to talk about what’s going down in the hood. But since I don’t live in those parts of town, so I focused my questions more on BH because that is where I live and it’s where a lot of action is taking place. Continue reading

sunburst

Hills of NorthEast LA,

Burgeoning now with verdant colors,

Pot-marked by teetering homes,

The feral are yet left in you.

Where I chased centipedes,

And fled youthful folly.

Meeting the sky in defiance,

Pushing the hawks into infinity.

My Thai is better than yours

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Some friends come to visit us these weekend, they came from Chi Town, so being the good friend that I am, I took them out for dinner. When I was in Chicago visiting them, they took me to a Thai Cuisine place, claiming that it was the best Thai place on earth. I have to admit that it was pretty damn good, but nothing compares to Chuan Chim.

You can bring your own beer/wine with you, so we brought some Negra Modelo with us. The Thai tea is awesome, I’ve had it in many places, but their version is by far the best.

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Corazon del pueblo poetry nights

CORAZON DEL PUEBLO presents…
Flowers of Fire: Poesia de Lucha y Amor

Join Boyle Heights Bards:
BUS STOP PROPHET, KRISTY LOVICH & JOHN CARLOS DE LUNA
for a FREE Bi-Monthly Poetry, Performance, & Open Mic Event

January 13th
8:00pm-Midnight
Early Sign-Ups for Open Mic: 7:30pm-8:00pm

@ Corazon del Pueblo
2003 E. 1st St.
Los Angeles 90033

JANUARY 13th
Featured Poets:
Matt Sedillo
John Carlos de Luna
Luluminous

Featured Musician:
Calix Reneau

JANUARY 27th
Featured Poets:
Abel Salas
Christy Ramirez
Dora Magaña

Featured Musicians:
City Terrace’s own Original Rock Sons
I.A.M.U.
Willie Herron lll (Los Illegals)
Sid Medina (The Brat)

FLOWERS OF FIRE scheduled for January 13th & 27th
EVERY 2ND & 4TH WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH @ CORAZON DEL PUEBLO

que pinche craigslist ni que nada

Jacket for Sale

Why bother going to crowded malls, or ebaying. The east side has a new and innovative way of shopping. Well, maybe not new, but definitely a unique way of buying/selling goods from the street. Spotted this at the corner of 1st and Soto. I bid those damn westsiders don’t know bout this system 😉

L.A. Gang Tour ~ Empowerment through story

“We started these problems and it’s going to take us to fix them.” Alfred Lomas of L.A. Gang Tours

Due to some technical difficulties with technology, I’m writing this post through my iPhone, so be patient of minor flaws. More than usual anyway. Thanks to Wendy Carrillo, I was able to attend the L.A. Gang Tour media presentation today to get a better feel for it, which is starting next week. For most of the day I’ve been chewing on the fat of the tour over all and what I want to write and say about it and what is being questioned back and forth. Is this ok? Is it poor people watching? Does the tour suck? Etc.

Before I get into any of that, I wanna share where I’m coming from. I’m an adoptive son of Boyle Heights, but like a promiscuous lover, I’ve been around. A lot of the spots that are in the tour, I spent time there as a kid. Looking out the window crossing Alameda into South Central and Compton took me back to days of future past when I saw those same sights in the back seat of my parents car. I was back in the hood after being gone for so long.

All those memories came back in a rush and I was all smiles. I know what’s up here. I know the tour guide knows his stuff and he’s not selling any bullshit to sensationalize it. This allowed me the opportunity to really listen to what he’s saying. What he wants to accomplish with the tour, what the future may bring and how this is the first step in more monumental actions. Everyone is hung up with the safari/fish bowl aspect of the tour and not listening to his hopes, ideals, vision and most importantly his motivation, which he does through Jesus and the Dream Center. If you want details about how this happened, read DJ’s post or the Times article.

“It’s never about strategies or building funds. It’s always about the people. It’s always about the lives that are being touched. It’s about the individuals who are willing to stand up in these communities.” Lomas

The way I see it, this tour is no different than this very blog that is a tool, a device that allows us to tell our own stories the way we see fit from our individual perspectives. To empower ourselves through our stories, using them and sharing them with others. Fostering ideas and dialogue amongst ourselves, rather than letting others tell our stories in ways that don’t even come close to how it really is. This is what I see this tour doing. They’re former bangers and they know how fucked up the system is, but not only that, they decided to take action.

They want to create sustainability within their own city, not relying on outside help. Creating jobs for kids and most importantly a path to end the cycles that keep snatching others into the La Vida Loca. This is the conclusion I made half way through the tour when we stopped at a church to hear a pastor describe the challenges presented to our communities. The changes in people and him personally learning Spanish and adapting his parish to help folks from the Latino/a community. To bring them in rather than exclude them.

If you wanna know what the tour is about, go and find out for yourself. Because I was part of the media preview, some of the things I saw and heard were catered for media. The tour will be unique to itself. You can call it fucked up and a safari all you want, but that’s not what this tour is about. And if you’re nesio, then fuck off. This tour is about people sharing their stories, history and personal narrative to create positive change in their communities because it takes our own to fix our own.

The winner is…

Will Campbell is the Everyday in LA winner. His name was chosen by our blindfolded judge who’s identity cannot be revealed but who has no bias towards any answeree.

Please contact me to make arrangements for the delivery of your previously owned black rolling office chair.

Tomorrow starts another round of photos and questions for a large jar of homemade marmalade.