Julius Shulman RIP ... Biking to Tennessee ... Take the TemperaTour ... Father Boyle on Homeboy Industries ... CyberFrequencies on Kindergarten bloggers
Shulman, 98, Left Mark on Architectural History
Julius Shulman, renowned photographer of Modernist architecture and dean of LA's photographers, died on Wednesday at the age of 98. John spoke to Shulman in 2005 at his 95th birthday party at the Getty, where his archives are now housed. (Photo of Shulman and Rabe by Gary Leonard.)
Appreciating Walter Cronkite
(Note from John Rabe: I posted this earlier this week, before news reached us Friday that Cronkite passed away.)
I stumbled acros an eye-opening video before I learned that Walter Cronkite, anchor of the CBS Evening News from 1962 to 1981, is dying of cerebrovascular disease, according to his family. The video tells you everything you need to know about Cronkite ... (MORE INSIDE)
I grew up watching Walter Cronkite's evening news broadcasts with my family. I clearly remember the endless counting of the days of the Iran hostage crisis. I remember thinking of him as solid and respected. I learned later about his taking a stand against Vietnam, and came -- slowly -- to understand and appreciate his strengths as reporter and anchor as I learned -- slowly -- to be a reporter and anchor.
But I was too young to remember seeing this newscast, from January of 1973.
In the clip, Cronkite takes a call ON THE AIR from Lyndon Johnson's press aide, who tells him that the former President has just died.
Imagine one of the current crop of anchors being able to handle a scene like this. Imagine one of today's networks going with a story that was coming in like this, with no graphics or sound. But really, what more do you need to tell the story?
Note how Cronkite holds up a finger to tell us to hang on a second. It was all he needed to do. He knew the audience would immediately know that if Walter Cronkite was on the phone when they could see him, he wasn't taking a call from his wife. It was something we should wait for. And since it was Cronkite, we waited.
(PS: Note, too, the stylish cufflinks and watch. And KPCC's Frank Stoltze heard the typewriters in the background. Was someone really typing, or was it their job to make it sound more like a newsroom?)
CyberFrequencies
This Week on CyberFrequencies: Kids on the Web.
Rug-rats Olo and Lola tells us about iCarly, the #1 kid’s show on TV. And a mom tells us why she’s not keen on kids on the Web.
A Kindergarten teacher tells us why she blogs with her 5-year-old students (Wait, do they even know how to read?)
To see A VIDEO of the new iCarly tribute show go to CyberFrequencies
Homeboy Industries v. Recession
LA's Homeboy Industries, which gets gang members out of gangs by giving them jobs, has taken some big funding hits. In a very frank interview, Homeboy's founder, Father Greg Boyle, told KPCC's Frank Stoltze he may have to kiss goodbye a huge amount of funding the state owes Homeboy. He also calls out the city and county for using Homeboy's services -- like tattoo removal -- without paying for them. He told Frank he's worried Homeboy may have to cut back on some of its services if it can't raise more money.
The interview we've posted here is the long version of the interview that's airing on Off-Ramp this weekend. The second item is Frank's interview with Homeboy success stories David Gomez (in the hat) and Brian Moon.
We're on Twitter
The five members of Team Off-Ramp are now Tweeting. Follow Us and John Rabe, Queena Kim, Jackson Musker, Andrea Domanick, and Kevin Ferguson will be your eyes and ears in Southern California.
The Off-Ramp TemperaTour - Parts 1-5
In 2007, during a nasty heat wave, two prominent weather experts -- Bob Patzert and Steve LaDochy -- drove around with John and took Southern California's temperature, exploring the region's trends, microclimates, and weather controversies along the way.
We asked JPL's Bill Patzert to bring us up to date on what he and Steve have been up to in the two years since we did the TemperaTour. Here's what he sent:
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIANS GET WARM FUTURE
Since their temperature taking tour in September of 2007. Bill, Steve and their students continue to slice and dice California temperature data. Last year they published a attention grabbing scientific paper, "Heat Waves in Southern California: Are They Becoming More Frequent and Longer Lasting?' No mystery here, the answer is an unequivocal 'Yes'.
The summer 2008 in Southern California went down in the books as cooler than normal, and the thermometer in downtown Los Angeles topped 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 degrees Celsius) just once in July, August and the first two-thirds of September, but don't expect last summer's respite from the usual blistering heat to continue in the years to come. The long-term forecast calls for increased numbers of scorching days and longer, more frequent heat waves.
Analyzing one hundred years of daily temperature data in Los Angeles, they found that the number of extreme heat days (above 90 degrees Fahrenheit or 32.2 degrees Celsius in downtown Los Angeles) has increased sharply over the past century. A century ago, the region averaged about two such days a year; today the average is more than 25. In addition, the duration of heat waves (two or more extreme heat days in a row) has also soared, from two-day events a century ago to one- to two-week events today.
"We found an astonishing trend - a dramatic increase in the number of heat waves per year," says Arbi Tamrazian, one of authors of the study, and a senior at the University of California, Berkeley.
The team forecasts that in coming decades, we can expect 10- to 14-day heat waves to become the norm. And because these will be hotter heat waves, they will be more threatening to public health.
"The bottom line is that we're definitely going to be living in a warmer Southern California," says study co-author Bill Patzert, a JPL climatologist and oceanographer. "Summers as we now know them are likely to begin in May and continue into the fall. What we call 'scorcher' days today will be normal tomorrow. Our snow pack will be less, our fire seasons will be longer, and unhealthy air alerts will be a summer staple.
"We'll still get the occasional cool year like last year," Patzert continued, "but the trend is still towards more extreme heat days and longer heat waves."
So what's behind this long-term warming trend? Patzert says global warming due to increasing greenhouse gases is responsible for some of the overall heating observed in Los Angeles and the rest of California. Most of the increase in heat days and length of heat waves, however, is due to a phenomenon called the "urban heat island effect."
Heat island-induced heat waves are a growing concern for urban and suburban dwellers worldwide. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, studies around the world have shown that this effect makes urban areas from 2 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit (1 to 6 degrees Celsius) warmer than their surrounding rural areas. Patzert says this effect is steadily warming Southern California, though more modestly than some larger urban areas around the world.
"Dramatic urbanization has resulted in an extreme makeover for Southern California, with more homes, lawns, shopping centers, traffic, freeways and agriculture, all absorbing and retaining solar radiation, making our megalopolis warmer," Patzert said.
These trends may capture the attention of utility companies and public health officials. "We'll be using more power and water to stay cool," says study co-author Steve LaDochy of California State University, Los Angeles. "Extreme heat, both day and night, will become more and more dangerous, even deadly."
(Click over to the left, under WEB RESOURCES, for more info.)
The Off-Ramp TemperaTour - Parts 6-10
From the Mountains to the Beaches, more with John, Bill, and Steve.
COUNTY ISSUES HEAT ADVISORY FOR THIS WEEKEND.
Heat Advisory: Stay Safe in Hot Temperatures
Triple-digit temperatures expected in portions of the county this weekend
LOS ANGELES – High temperatures are forecasted for this weekend throughout Los Angeles County, particularly affecting the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys. Los Angeles County Health Officer and Public Health Director, Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, would like to remind everyone that precautions should be taken, especially by those people sensitive to the heat.
“While people don’t need to be told it’s hot outside, they do need to be reminded how to take care of themselves, children, the elderly, and their pets when the weather gets hotter,” said Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, Director of Public Health and Health Officer. “When temperatures are high, prolonged sun exposure may cause dehydration, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.
“Never leave children, elderly people, or pets unattended in closed vehicles, even with the windows ‘cracked,’ because temperatures inside can quickly rise to life-threatening levels.”
If you plan to be outdoors, take precautions to protect yourself from the heat. Symptoms of dehydration and heat cramps include dizziness, fatigue, faintness, headaches, muscle cramps, and increased thirst. Individuals with these symptoms should be moved to a cooler, shaded place and given water or sport drinks. More severe symptoms such as diminished judgment, disorientation, pale and clammy skin, a rapid and weak pulse, and/or fast and shallow breathing may indicate heat exhaustion or impending heat stroke and requires immediate medical attention.
Several tips for beating the heat include:
-- Wear light, loose-fitting clothing.
-- Drink water or electrolyte-replacing sports drinks often (do not wait until you are thirsty), and avoid drinking alcohol.
-- Offer help to those in your neighborhood with limited access to air conditioning and transportation, such as seniors or those who are ill. Check on them frequently or take them to a location with air conditioning.
-- During peak heat hours stay in an air-conditioned area. If you don’t have access to air conditioning in your home, visit public facilities such as shopping malls, parks, and libraries to stay cool.
-- Avoid unnecessary exertion, such as vigorous exercise during peak sun hours, if you are outside or in a non-air conditioned building.
-- Stay out of the sun if you do not need to be in it. When in the sun, wear a hat, preferably with a wide brim, and loose-fitting clothing with long sleeves and pants to protect yourself from sun damage.
Route 66 the Hard Way
Shine, a South Korean native who lives and works in Tennessee, is biking back home, and it taking Route 66 as far as he can. He started Monday, July 13th, in Santa Monica. He hasn't told his parents -- they'd think he's crazy, he says -- and his girlfriend back in Tennessee already thinks he's crazy. Read on for new photos and an update from Shine...
AN UPDATE FROM SHINE!:
John received this message and photos (below) from the intrepid South Korean cyclist Friday, at 2PM:
I arrived in Las Vegas 2 days ago. I'll leave here tomorrow or Monday.
I'm gonna visit Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon.
I think there is so FANTASTIC place.
Here are some pics.
Can you make more news for me? I want to say " I LOVE YOU Heeya." She is my girl friend.
:)
thank you.
Shine, whose hometown is Daegu, South Korea, hadn't heard of the great song Route 66. But he'd have to play it backwards anyway for it to work for him.
ROUTE 66
(Bobby Troup)
Well if you ever plan to motor west
Just take my way, that's the highway that's the best
Get your kicks on Route 66
Well it winds from Chicago to L.A.
More than 2000 miles all the way
Get your kicks on Route 66
Well it goes from St. Louis, Joplin Missouri
Oklahoma City looks oh so pretty
You'll see Amarillo and Gallup, New Mexico
Flagstaff, Arizona don't forget Winona
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino
Would you get hip to this kindly tip
And go take that California trip
Get your kicks on Route 66
Mishna Wolff is Down With That
Humorist Mishna Wolff, who is white, says she grew up in an all-black neighborhood and her father, who is also white, like her, thought he was black. Brendan Newnam, of Dinner Party Download, talks with Wolff about her new memoir, "I'm Down."