Keep up with everything going on at the web site.
Occupy Wall Street
3
Monthly Archives: September 2011
First Day of Fall, Right on Schedule
The beginning of the best time of the year to be in Los Angeles. The tourists go back to their local malls, the starlets migrate West to begin the season of bitterness and disillusionment. And I’m ready for some champurado and elotes, the pan dulce kind.
Enjoy the season!
La Beauté Est Dans Larue: Hello, My Name Is… WTF?
Plaza Botero, MedellÃn, Antioquia, Colombia
The Little Machin
The “Little Machin” of the Eastside bringing raspados, frutas and candy-coated fun to your neighborhood. Like everything else in Boyle Heights, a rainbow runs through it.
Memorial for Gilbert “Magu” Lujan
Artist Vibiana Aparicio stands in front of the altar for Magu created by his family.
This afternoon a community memorial service and life celebration was held at the East Los Angeles Civic Center for artist Gilbert Magu Lujan. Emceed by Richard Montoya of Culture Clash, with ceremonial nahuatl dance and music led by Martin Espino, a poignant opening by curator and art historian Tere Romo, a touching letter to Magu written and read by muralist Wayne Healy, a special “Haiku for Magu” by Ruben Guevara, filmmaker Jesus Trevino‘s observation of Magu as the spark that invoked a new art movement, as well as numerous other friendship, family and historical moments were publicly made today.
Guests added momentos to the altar "Tree of Life" for Magu.
La Beauté Est Dans Larue: I Know What You Are But What Am I?
Barrio de la Candelaria, Bogotá, Colombia
Randoms Weekend Art Run Down
It’s been a good while since I’ve done one of these. Come to think of it, I haven’t really posted anything all summer. (I was too busy doing an internship) Well I’m slowly making my way back to bloggertitlan now that I have some extra time here and there. With that being said, there’s a ton of great art shows and events happening this weekend that are worth a mention and a glance of your eyes. A lot of them people are already going to, but a little friendly reminder here and there doesn’t hurt. Continue reading
New Bike Lanes on 1st Street
Since early Saturday morning, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation has been putting in new bike lanes in Boyle Heights. The lanes are 1.6 miles long and start at Boyle Ave and finish off at Lorena. Not a bad start, but Boyle Heights still needs more lanes. The 7th street bike project will add more bike lanes in the future, but what Boyle Heights needs is lanes on Chavez. That would be the ultimate commitment in making BH bike friendly. Joe Linton has a write up and a map of the route here tambien. With more and more bike riders taking to the streets, I’m glad the city is, slowly but surely, meeting the demand for safer roads. Even with the new lane, riders still gotta be cautious because there are some crazy drivers in BH, believe you me. Hopefully folks will now ride down 1st street vs Chavez.
Happy Labor Day!
International Ladies Garment Workers Union, Spanish Speaking Branch. Los Angeles, 1933.
While the history of Labor Day is a sketchy one, it was meant to replace the more radical anarcho/commie tinged May Day, it is at least the one day people pay homage to the working class of the good ol’ USA. Except there’s not much ‘good’ around here anymore and – are you working class if you don’t have a job?
This photo is from a 1933 Labor Day parade in Downtown Los Angeles possibly near Olvera Street. It was common for many Mexicans of early Los Angeles to adopt Spanish style clothing when celebrating holidays. It was a fashion thing I think, maybe too much Ramona and Fiesta on their mind. Eighty or so years later and we’ve ditched the ruffles for huipiles.
The Best Part Of The Suburbs Are The Toilets
Beneath the average American City exterior the suburbs try to present, I know for a fact that all the worst things in the world come from these disconnected living environments: Rent-To-Own, Automatic Sensor Faucets, Baseball, Individual Retirement Accounts, The Grilled Cheese Truck, “I have to use some vacation hours or I will lose them”, Plastic Mole Jars, Self-Checkout Cashiers. I bet all of these modern evils have been thought up in some suburban kitchen or den, by some equally evil people. Yeah, it has to be true.
But I do like getting invited to the pool parties. Today I found out that these bastard suburbanites also enjoy some outstanding tinkle stations.
¡Bravo¡ LoLa ¡Bravo¡: The Day I Met Silvia
el municipio Silvia, Cauca, Colombia
Jesus Pleads
Moses had his 10 commandments on some wifi tablets (or so I’ve heard) but here are the modern supplications of Mural Jesus set in cinder blocks, and they total 11!
1. NO DRUGS
2. NO DRUG DEALERS
3. NO LOITERING (BOO!)
4. NO WEAPONS
5. NO LOITERING! (uh dude, yer repeating yerself)
6. NO DEFICATING! (he might mean defecating)
7. NO URINATING!
8. NO TIRAR BASURA! (don’t litter)
9. NO ORINAR! (don’t urinate while speaking Spanish)
10. NO DEFECAR! (keep your feces out of here, while grunting in Spanish)
11. NO PARKING! (unless you’re with a movie shoot, then you can park anywhere)
I walk by this sacred area quite often, but it wasn’t until Mr. Desmadre guided us through here for his recent Sunday outing that I noticed these holy signs, an eleven point plan to spiritual enlightenment. I try to live up to the pleadings of Chuy but eventually the dirty sins overcome my soul and have their way. I’m gonna litter right now!
I don’t think I’m the only one that succumbs to their nature. Click ahead to see what I mean.
Actually, don’t click ahead, you will not like what you see.
You better not be eating either, and don’t you blame me for nothing.