Doin' The Shamrock Shake!

Did you feel it? You may or may not have! A magnitude 4.7 4.4 earthquake rocked our world this morning at 6:25 a.m., centered in Westwood Encino, the largest quake felt in Southern California since the 1994 Northridge 2008 Chino Hills temblor.

The Militant was in his Compound, sleeping in his bed, and woke up at around 6-something a.m., realizing he'd slept through the night with the lights on and having forgotten to brush his teeth. So he brushed, shut the lights off, and went back to sleep, lying there as the morning sun was lighting up the sky, when he felt a brief but definitely noticeable shaking, which lasted but a few seconds.

The Militant, instinctively ready to waken up his trusted portable computing center (a.k.a. his lappytop) and scour Twitter for the initial magnitude and epicenter location, stopped himself short for a brief while before tweeting, "The Militant felt that." See, we've had a bunch of sub-4.0 quakes over the past few years, and The Militant hadn't even felt a single one. But he felt he could say more about today's tremor.

Then he realized today was St. Paddy's Day and quickly thought of any witty connections with the quake. Quake. Shake. Shamrock. YES!!!!  Consider it The Luck of The Irish (even though The Militant may or may not have any Celtic heritage of any percentage), but in the span of all but four minutes after el temblorito, he decided to tweet thus:

LOS ANGELES -- YOU CAN CALL THAT ONE A "SHAMROCK SHAKE." #StPatricksDay #Earthquake #YesTheMilitantFeltIt
— Militant Angeleno (@militantangleno) March 17, 2014

And the rest was history. #ShamrockShake it was. Top O'The Mornin' To You!

Though the day was mostly associated with KTLA's Chris Schauble and Megan Henderson ducking and covering (as every Los Angeles area native is taught in school -- one of the few things the LAUSD actually teaches you), media outlets everywhere went with the #ShamrockShake moniker for this morning's seismic event. Even KABC's most excellent Marc Brown mentioned not only the #ShamrockShake, but credited The Militant by name on the air!

Whoever named it the #ShamrockShake wins Twitter. You may now collect your prize.
— Marc Brown (@ABC7Marc) March 17, 2014

@militantangleno Not sure, but if I do i will give you the credit. Well-played, militant.
— Marc Brown (@ABC7Marc) March 17, 2014

It was aired on the 5 p.m. Eyewitness News newscast, which The Militant unfortunately missed, but others bore witness to the historic mention:

@militantangleno @ABC7 I believe the exact wording was "a twitter user who goes by the name of Militant Angeleno..." coined the term.
— Ted Rogers (@bikinginla) March 18, 2014

The Militant made his mark on society today. The world will never be the same. He also didn't feel any of the subsequent aftershocks. A 4.4. ain't no big deal, but he did feel that one. The Militant normally jokes that "No earthquake under a 5.0 is worth mentioning," but he may or may not have to lower that threshold. Where were you when you felt today's #ShamrockShake?

Happy New Year...HERE'S THE PARTY!

Three hundred and sixty-six days ago, The Militant wandered the streets of Downtown Los Angeles in search of a place to celebrate the end of 2012 and the start of 2013. He opted for Grand Park, which opened that summer to much fanfare, and waited for the big celebration to happen.

But it didn't happen.

He challenged the Grand Park Grand-Poobahs to plan a New Year's Eve celebration a year later or else. So when he wandered onto the park one early December noon, he saw a cryptic poster that read, "NYE LA," which either meant A Certain Science Guy Named Bill was either going to do a lecture, or a dance routine (or both), or that The Militant's year-long wish had finally come true.

Time to update the business cards: The Militant Angeleno: Blogger. Historian...Prophet.

2013 was an interesting year of contrasts. It was, in some ways, a dark year, which began with the loss of the great Huell Howser. Then a rogue cop went on a murder spree and was hunted down. And a young man opened fire on a local college campus. And another young man opened fire in an airport terminal. And little rain did fall. The year also brought a change in the guard at City Hall, the return of Echo Park's namesake recreational space, the beginning of the rebirth of the Los Angeles River, a CicLAvia to the sea (which still wasn't long enough in terms of hours...), and with that, a sense of the city's urban maturity establishing its influence. And with that...

It's finally time to par-tay.

BOOM! No more empty wasteland!

The Militant already felt it when he hopped on board his (M) Red or Purple Line train, which was still before the 9 p.m. freebie fare gate unlocking unlatching period -- The Militant didn't want to get there too late. On board the train, people were already feeling festive, some wore party hats, while others started whooping on the train even before it had even pulled into Downtown. A few folks got out at 7th/Metro Center, partaking in the private parties at L.A. Live and the 7th Street corridor. A few folks got off at Pershing Square. But the train unloaded once it hit Civic Center.

The Militant got disoriented or a second, surrounded by chain link fencing once he got up to street level, but soon found out we all had to walk north to Temple and make a U-turn through Hill Street  to the proper entrances. Once in, the bevy of mobile gourmet vending vehicles and their associated lines made it known that Los Angeles is still the undisputed food truck capital of the universe.

Already people felt relaxed and excited, if not for the promise of renewal from the change of the calendar, then for the opportunity to finally gather in a public space to usher in MMXIV with thousands of other Angelenos. A group of people were gathered at the Court of Flags to watch the NYC Times Square Ball Drop projected on the Hall of Records building at 9 p.m., something that would usually annoy The Militant, but the mood in the cold winter air was so upbeat, he didn't care.  Later, the same wall projected a list of Los Angeles County cities (and Los Angeles City  communities), which made The Militant smile. He also ran into a few Operatives along the way, who joined him at various times, checking out the main stage below City Hall, the "L.A." photo-op letter balloons, the rather creative "2014" hanging sphere structure and watching grown adults traipse onto the Arthur Will Memorial Fountain's water court for a change.

As The Moment Of Truth approached, the crowd headed towards City Hall for the highly-anticipated 3D display show, projected on the west face of our city's 1928 municipal center (Were the crumbling, twisted images of City Hall a political statement of some sort? Makes ya wonder...). When the crowd counted down to one, The Militant made a conscious decision to not make any video recording of it, but rather savor it with his own eyes (Surely at least 12,000 of you recorded and uploaded your own countdown videos on to YouTube, right?). And then all of Los Angeles counted down to Twenty Fourteen.

And it was wonderful.

Well, mostly. Not to nitpick at all, but the Biggest Moment Of The Night was a tiny bit anticlimactic - ya feelin' The Militant? No, it wasn't a dud, and everything went off without a hitch, but, eh, still, there was something...missing. So with that:

12 WAYS FOR THE GRAND PARK NEW YEAR'S EVE COUNTDOWN TO IMPROVE FOR 2015 (Yes, how BuzzFeedish, but The Militant has to go there):

1. The 3-D projection was awesome! Everyone was enthralled with it, but we all sort of got lost in the visuals for a while and...OH BTW WE GOT 10 SECONDS LEFT TO GO FOR THE YEAR. That kinda came up suddenly on us. Next time, either start counting down early, or give us a visual/audible crescendo that leads us to the main count.

2. Eh, change the font on the time clock. Looks like an oversized cellphone or something.

3. For everyone west of Broadway, we could hardly hear anything. We heard the countdown, people screamed, "Happy New Year!" and we kinda heard...nothing. Judging from people's videos, apparently a band played "Auld Lang Syne" after midnight. But The Militant, standing in the Court of Flags, didn't hear nothin'. Maybe put some additional speakers there, and in the other sections of the park.

4. Consider expanding the Party Zone to 1st Street. Then we'll have our OWN "Times Square." Los Angeles Times Mirror Square, that is.

5. Obviously give us different visuals next year. But keep the multilingual "Happy New Year" greetings. That was a nice touch, and no other city in the world can really pull that off.

6. Push the stage up to the City Hall steps and use Spring Street as part of the Party Zone.

7. FIREWORKS. Come on. At the stroke of midnight, we expect to start the new year off with a literal BANG. Your Fourth of July celebration proved that even a small-scale pyrotechnic display can be effective. Don't wuss out on us. Go for the gusto! Let's see fireworks shoot out of the north and south wings of City Hall! Let's see some sparklers shoot out of the Tom Bradley Tower! It doesn't have to last too long. Come on! You can do it!

8. Um, what happened to the Charles Lindbergh Beacon? You know, that big white spotlight that rotates around the top of City Hall starting at Christmas and on to New Year's? WHY was it not illuminated last night? Why wasn't it illuminated during this holiday season? Why was it not even turned on once since Eric Garcetti became mayor? Hmmm? THE MILITANT WANTS ANSWERS!

Leaving the Lindbergh Beacon off during the holiday season makes Huell Howser's angel cry.

9. FIREWORKS, again. For emphasis.

10. As soon as midnight came, EVERYONE headed for the exits. Subway stations were packed, and traffic jams came up on nearby streets. How about an event that goes on until 1 or 2 a.m. that allows people a window of time for people to leave?

11. Please alert the Little Tokyo bars and restaurants that you have a celebration on New Year's Eve. There were several mass exoduses of hungry revelers leaving Grand Park, heading east on 1st Street, only to discover a paltry number of restaurants were open and that they would have to get their first meal of 2014 elsewhere. Tsk, tsk.

12. Did The Militant already mention FIREWORKS?

Okay, he's finished with the list.

But in all seriousness, thank you and congratulations Music Center, County of Los Angeles and all at Grand Park for putting on the central, public New Year's Eve celebration that Los Angeles has been asking for decades, and the time was right to make it happen. The Militant looks forward to returning in 364 days, and he hopes you address all of his recommendations in some way. The Militant gives a virtual high-five to all 20 to 30-thousand Angelenos (It's like an entire Staples Center crowd emptied into one place) who came down to be a part of history. And best of all, everyone was happy. Remember, Grand Park is not just a public space. It is a magical energy field. The New Year's celebration can and will only get better with time.

And speaking of large public celebrations at Grand Park, here's one random sign-carrying dude at last night's party who hopes to return to our magical energy field come late October or early November, if you know what The Militant is talking' about...

Happy New Year, and Stay Militant in da Twenny-One-Fo'!

Happy New Year...Where's The Party?

Uh, like, where IS everybody?

Where did you spend your last moments of 2012? At a house party? At a bar? Freezing your ass off on Colorado Boulevard?

The Militant was all set to have a festive New Year's Eve in Downtown Los Angeles last night. After all, there were a plethora of NYE activities in DTLA. He set out at 9 p.m. to take advantage of the free Metro fares until 2 a.m.. Then, he went out to Angels Flight for a couple of one-cent rides for its 111th Birthday, and ended up as the last rider of the year (for two out of the last three years!).

He then walked due north along Hill Street to Grand Park. As you may or may not know, it opened last Summer to much fanfare and soon became a popular gathering spot for CicLAvias, concerts and even election night observing.

So surely they'd have a big New Year's Eve celebration where Angelenos can finally count down the last seconds of the year. Right? RIGHT?

Welp, The Militant got there at about 10:30 p.m. and found the place...empty.

He first thought it was just a classic case of Angelenos showing up late. But as it turned into 11 p.m., he started to get worried. Shouldn't there be like a program or something? Maybe it was a poorly-publicized event. But even then there would be a few people hanging around....there was nada.

Maybe it was a smaller event at another part of the park! He walked due west and went to the court of flags plaza thingy. Maybe they were all there!

Is this some sort of bizarro 'Twilight Zone' episode or what?

Nope.

Okay, maybe it was by the Arthur J. Will Memorial Fountain. Like the fountain would turn all sorts of funky colors at the stroke of midnight and it would shoot out silly string or marshmallows or free tamales or something...

(Notice how the Comic Sans font actually looks good when used in the proper context)

Damn. Whatup with that?!

It was like 11:30 already and The Militant walked over to the bar by The Alexandria Hotel, where he got frisked and was treated to some really awful douchey rap songs from 2005-2008. At the stroke of midnight we were forced to watch a 3-hour old broadcast of an illuminated ball drop some 3,000 miles away. Whoop, whoop.

Okay, folks. Every New Year's Eve we get the same old thing. Time Square Tape Delay, or if we're online, we get shown a slideshow of various cities around the world ushering in the new year, which usually involves an assload of pyrotechnics shooting out from some of its most famous landmarks (Hmmm...imagine if the Hollywood Sign did that. Hey, why the big frown Mr. LAFD Fire Chief?).

So here's the deal. Grand Park Peoples, County Supes and Erryone In Between: In 364 days, please give us Angelenos a public New Year's Eve celebration we so long deserve. And make some fireworks shoot out of City Hall (That...would...be...Bad...Ass). Okay, okay, scratch the City Hall fireworks, we all know the City won't have the budget for that. But give us something on 12/31/13.

Pwetty Pweeze?

If not, The Militant will have his OWN New Year's Eve celebration at Grand Park, AND YOU'RE ALL INVITED!

Happy New Year, and Stay Militant in da Twenny-One-Tray!

Dia de los Muertos 2012: The Militant Visits the Dead at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Everyone knows Los Angeles is home of some of the most famous people alive, but it's also home to the most famous people in the afterlife! For the past few years on this date, The Militant has made it a tradition to pay his respects to some famous (and infamous) Angelenos who make this City their eternal resting place.

Back in 2010, The Militant made a visit to Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver city. Last year, he visited Inglewood Park Cemetery, walking along through dimly-lit mausoleums just to bring you a blog post.

This year, he takes you to Hollywood.

Though it's popularly known as a hipster outdoor movie palace, or a place to see concerts, Hollywood Forever Cemetery, originally Hollywood Memorial Park, is one of Los Angeles' most historic and storied graveyards. It was founded in 1899 by early Angeleno developers Isaac Lankershim and Isaac N. Van Nuys (yes, those guys...Interestingly they were interred at the Eastside's Evergreen Cemetery).

It was then sold to Jules Roth, a known felon and racist, who forbade Gone With The Wind actress Hattie McDaniel from being buried there, as per her wishes. In the 1980s, Roth sold the front lawn properties of the cemetery fronting Santa Monica Blvd to a minimall developer to settle taxes. Local girl and Go-Gos singer Belinda Carlisle once called it "The worst thing to happen to Hollywood." The shady-ass old mofo finally croaked in 1998, prompting the sale of the cemetery to the Missouri-based Cassity Brothers for $375,000, and re-named and re-marketed the memorial park as "Hollywood Forever."

Its proximity not only to Hollywood, but to Paramount Studios helped make it a final production wrap for some of Hollywood's elite, such as filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille, but it's also the resting place of historical Angelenos, most notably Col. Griffith J. Griffith, who donated Griffith Park to the City in 1896. Early Hollywood pioneers Cornelius Cole, Hobart Whitley and Harvey Wilcox are also interred here, as well as Los Angeles Times founder Harrison Gray Otis (a.k.a. The Pointing Guy at MacArthur Park).

Griffith Griffith's grave.

Greatest. Epitaph. Evar.

Valentino.

Johnny Ramone rocks on for all eternity here.

There's also long-standing legends that the cemetery may or may not be haunted.  Guess you'll have to find out for yourself...Happy Dia de los Muertos from Hollywood!

Happy (West) Hollyween!

Last year, The Militant, dressed in full camo garb, went out in public for what may or may not be the first time during the Halloween festivities on Hollywood Blvd. But for several years, THE party has been a couple miles west, along Santa Monica Blvd for West Hollywood's annual Halloween Parade, where hundreds of thousands of folks turn the street from Doheny to La Cienega into a huge public space for the costumed.

This was the Militant's first time, mainly kept away by the traffic snarls. He was considering riding his bike there, but the cold weather was sort of a deterrent as well. But this time he rode an unspecified Metro Local bus west and walked a few blocks to the festivities. Easy as pie, and no need for parking hassles!

There were concerts on a few stages, oodles of food trucks, and restaurants and bars along the street that bled into the mayhem. This year there were suprisingly lots of Pokemon-related costumes, a good number of Dedmau5es (or is that Dedmic3?), astronauts (must be Endeavour-mania), the usual ghouls and superheroes, Star Wars, Gangnam Style and sexy maids (in both hot chick and drag varieties).

The Militant had a fun time, though someone asked him, "Are you the Taliban?" The Militant didn't know how to answer that question. Perhaps it was a golden opportunity to educate someone about his blog. The Militant just let is pass, though it kinda bothered him a bit.

Go Go Power Ranger!

What did the Tardis say to the Robot? Oh never mind.

Omit Romney, heh heh.

Wonder if Omit Romney tried to convince this guy.

This guy may or may not be dressed as a Metro bus driver.

Dedmic3!

Dunno what tis is supposed to be, but it's kinda cool.

Fool Somebody!

The Militant normally puts on some really creative April Fool's gags on This Here Blog on this day. In 2008, he turned his blog into the "Extremist New Yorker" blog. In 2010, he may or may not have revealed his true identity as Indian-Indonesian-American blogger Alfred Mahanta. And last year, he posted a special video message and took off his mysterious bandana mask in front of the whole world.

This year, The Militant...well...may or may not have run out of ideas (he may or may not be saving the best for last...).

BUT...instead of giving you an expected gag post, he is about to empower you and give you a chance to prank Los Angeles!

Here's how to do it!

1. The above picture is a scan of a Standard-Issue Los Angeles parking ticket!

2. Click on the image, and save the image by right-clicking it (Save Image As...).

3. Feed your printer with a sheet of white card stock and print out the image!

4. Cut out the image, which measures 8.64" x 4.25".

5. On the blank side, you can write a personalized message, or something like "APRIL FOOLS, SUCKAAA!!!!!!!!!1"

6. Place on someone's windshield (Uh, make sure there parked on the street or in a City-owned parking lot...it doesn't work if their car is in the garage...) and enjoy!

You may print out as many "Parking Tickets" as you want!

Have fun, everybody!

A Balian Points Of Light

For those of you still trying to get your Holiday Spirit on, get on up to Altadena. It's not only home to the famous Christmas Tree Lane on Santa Rosa Avenue, but it's also home of one of the biggest light displays in town.

The famous Balian mansion on Mendocino Lane near Allen Avenue, has been lighting up their house every Christmastime since 1955. The Armenian American family built an empire out of selling ice cream in 1949 and today is the largest supplier of ice cream to the LAUSD and other school districts (those of you who went to LAUSD schools know what's up).

The Militant would have linked to their website in the above paragraph, but...they don't have one.

The Militant checked it out recently and was floored. Yeah, it's bright, but surprisingly not as tacky as you'd think (seriously, there have been some real awful ones around town). It's also an equal-opportunity Christmas display, with religious figures of The Nativity, Three Wise Men and angels on one side, and secular wintery figures of Santa Claus, snowmen and sleighs on the other. Naturally, it's a tourist attraction - The Militant counted about two dozen people, mostly families, posing for pictures or taking videos.

It's relatively easy to get to - just take Allen Avenue north, keep going, keep going, keep going...after you pass New York Drive and the school on the right side, make a right on Mendocino. YOU CAN'T MISS IT, LOL. It's also transit-accesible - take the (M) Gold Line to the Sierra Madre Villa Station, and take Metro Local 264 (why you can't take a single bus from the Allen Station (the 686 stops there, but only takes you to New York Dr.)...that's Metro Logic). You can ride your bike, of course, from the Allen Station.

A Nativity scene with the Three Wise Men...

...and just a couple yards away, another set of Three Wise Men. That's gonna be awkward when they arrive.

Jolly Old St. Nick appears to be setting a brush fire!

Families pose for pictures at Altadena's biggest tourist attraction.

Dia de los Muertos 2011: The Militant Visits The Dead at Inglewood Park Cemetery

Today is Dia de los Muertos, or Day of The Dead. No, not the Grateful Dead, but it is a day where people show their gratefulness for their deceased loved ones. And though it's a holiday practiced by the Mexican community, here in multicultural Los Angeles, it's starting to grow into more than just a Mexican thang.

Last year, The Militant paid homage to some great Angelenos by visiting their gravesites at Culver city's Holy Cross Cemetery. Earlier this week, The Militant paid a visit to Inglewood Park Cemetery, just a few miles south.

At a sprawling 340 acres nestled between Centinela Park in the north and The (formerly Fabulous) Forum to the south, Inglewood Park Cemetery was founded back in 1905 by a group of businessmen who saw the need for memorial park space in the the Centinela Valley area (The City of Inglewood wasn't incorporated until three years later). The first people laid to rest there were the original settlers of that area and other places in the South Bay. There was once a Los Angeles Railway Yellow Car line along Florence Avenue (now part of the proposed Metro Crenshaw/LAX Light Rail Line) which ran special funeral cars to the cemetery.

Inglewood Park also boasts having the most interments of any cemetery in Southern California, so it's quite a significant and historic resting place for many in the Southland.

A number of Los Angeles mayors have their final resting place here, beginning with John Bryson, who held a short mayoral term in 1888-1889. The controversial Frank L. Shaw, who was elected in 1933 and was the first American city mayor ever recalled from office five years later (due to police misconduct and corrupt mishandling of city funds), is buried here, as is his popular reformist successor, Fletcher Bowron, mayor from 1938 to 1953.

But the most recent, and most famous Los Angeles mayor, interred here is Tom Bradley, mayor from 1973 to 1993, the City's first African American mayor and the civic leader who gave us a skyline, a subway, an Olympics and the internationally diverse metropolis we know today.

Other elected officials resting here are U.S. Congressman Julian Dixon, whose efforts to federally-fund our Metro Rail system got his name immortalized at the 7th Street/Metro Center station. Also, County Supervisor and local political patriarch Kenneth Hahn (whose name is also immortalized in a Metro Station, for creating the Blue Line) is buried here.

Another famous African American who shaped Los Angeles and is buried at Inglewood Park is architect Paul Revere Williams, who designed The LAX Theme Building, The MLK General Hospital in Willowbrook, Hollywood's Hotel Knickerbocker and several stars' homes during his noteworthy career.

Several figures in the music world are buried here at Inglewood Park, most notably Ray Charles, who is buried in the large Mausoleum of the Golden West (under his full name, Ray Charles Robinson). Unlike Mayor Bradley, who rests just a few feet from the entrance of his mausoleum, the legendary blues and soul singer (and former Baldwin Hills resident) is interred deep within several halls from the entrance. Yes, the Militant walked through dimly-lit mausoleum corridors -- alone -- just to bring you a picture of his resting place (note the music treble clef in his name plate and the coins resting at the base).

Songstress Ella Fitzgerald is another music legend laid to rest here, but The Militant was unable to locate her tomb. 

There's another person from the entertainment world buried here, but you'd never know by looking at his name.

The name "William B. Thomas" may or may not be familiar to you, but his most famous character would make it all clear. For he was "Buckwheat," the character that Thomas, a native Angeleno, played for several years as a child actor in Hal Roach's Our Gang (a.k.a. The Little Rascals) film shorts from the 1930s-1940s. The most well-known of the black characters on that show, the racial integration - and equal treatment - of the cast back then was groundbreaking. Roach was inspired to create Our Gang after seeing an integrated group of kids play together in the Echo Park area. Only in Los Angeles! Although, Thomas' WWII credentials on his epitaph are inaccurate: Though he did serve in the U.S. Army, he was only 14 when World War II ended. He did serve during the Korean War era though.

Lastly, The Militant brings you two famous Angeleno attorneys who are eternally tied together in many ways at Inglewood Park:

Lawyer Johnnie Cochran, most famous for being the lead attorney in the O.J. Simpson murder trial, and has represented everyone from former Black Panther Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt to 1992 Riots beating victim Reginald Denny, rests in the Manchester Garden Mausoleum in the southern side of the cemetery. And on the eastern side of the park forever rests his "Dream Team" defense partner...

Robert Kardashian, a native Angeleno attorney, businessman and patriarch of...well...you know.

Speaking of which, unlike the tombs of the former mayor, the famous architect, the legendary musician and his Simpson trial partner...there are no flowers on his grave. Gee, with all those rich and famous kids of his, you'd think they'd even bother to remember their dad? You know, the guy who provided them with  their wealthy lifestyle and the family name they wear like a brand? America tries to keep up with The Kardashians, but The Kardashians apparently don't bother to keep up with remembering their own father.

But this mysterious, anonymous Angeleno blogger did, as with the other legendary Angelenos who are laid to rest here at Inglewood Park Cemetery. So take a moment today to honor, in whatever way you wish, the Angelenos, whether rich or poor, famous or personally known, who have contributed in any way to your life in this city and love for this city and are no longer with us. Have a great Dia de los Muertos, y'allz.

Vlogstyle Episode 10: Happy Hollyween!

The Militant doesn't show himself in public very much, but he did take the (M) Red Line to Hollywood on Halloween Night to join the thousands who walk the boulevard annually (sans silly-string). Although the LAPD's foot traffic management is kinda wonky, it's a place for costume-wearing pedestrians to see and be seen. Enjoy another Militant Angeleno Vlogstyle video!

Ringin' In 2011: From Last To First

Let's face it, the Militant was a bad Militant in 2010. Not "bad" in the naughty sense (he wishes he were, believe the Militant), but "bad" as in not very prolific. With a paltry less than 70 posts for the entire year, he humbly apologizes to his readers (all 9 of you) for not being a very active Militant in twenty-ten. He didn't even think doing a year-end Militant Year-In-Review post was even worth his time, or yours. Meh. Whatevers.

[The Militant bows his head in shame]

So now we're here in a new year, it's time to reset, look forward and start anew. So here goes, 2011, lets do this!

The Militant spent his last few hours of 2010 doing what a Militant usually does, and used Metro's free New Year's Eve rides as reason enough to leave The Militant Compound in his unspecified Central Los Angeles neighborhood and ring in 2011 in Downtown Los Angeles.

Bundled to the hilt in layers so much that none of his camo fatigues underneath were visible, he boarded his Red Line train to Downtown and saw some hyped-up Wisconsin fans, decked in red, in town for The Rose Bowl game (Sorry, kids).

They were wearing shorts.

Of course, with 9-degree temps back in Madison, surely a 40-something night in Los Angeles for them is like 9/27/2010 for us or something.

He got off at Pershing Square and soon headed for Angels Flight Railway, which was celebrating its 109th birthday on Friday, its first anniversary since re-opening in March of last year. They celebrated with one-cent rides, commemorative tickets and free prizes at Grand Central Market (dang, missed that one...). As he looked at the clock, it was nearing 10, so he made it up, dropped his penny, and with 10 minutes to go until the funicular closed, intended to be the last Angels Flight rider of 2010.

One car came up, with three ladies inside, who were told by the operator that it was the last ride. He was willing to let them ride back down for the final ride. "Not so fast!" said the Militant, who dropped his penny, and chivalrous dude he is, told the women, "Ladies first..." Muhaha.

So we all rode down together on the final Angels Flight ride of 2010. And the Militant was the last to leave Olivet at approximately 10 p.m. so hark! The Militant Angeleno was the final Angels Flight rider of 2010!

The Militant chatted with the ladies, dropped some of his Militant knowledge on the Flight's history and later found themselves partying it up together at an unspecified bar in Downtown Los Angeles to ring in the New Year! Whatup!

At around 11:59 a.m. the TV screens there showed the three-hour-old ABC television broadcast of New Year's Rockin' Eve (this practice needs to stop, Pacific Standard Time people...even the musical performances were taped sometime in November). But behold, it was no longer 2010 but now Twenty Eleven.

Afterward, the Militant and his new operatives all took a stroll through Downtown to see various sights bedecked for the Holidays, such as Pershing Square. We passed total strangers on the street and all of us wished each other, "Happy New Year!" How cool was that?

The Militant headed back to the compound via Metro, which was no longer free, but was running a 24-hour schedule for the night (Too bad the "Next Train" displays were not functioning after-hours - booo!). On Red Line car #543, it sure looked (and smelled) like New Year's:
Later in the day, the Militant decided to take his first bike ride of 2010. And like any major holiday in Los Angeles, the streets were pleasantly quiet. He probably passed no more than two dozen cars on his route. It was almost like CicLAvia - he didn't have to wait three months and nine days for it!

As the first sunset of 2011 approached and back-lit the high-flying cirrus clouds in the cool winter sky, the Militant looked back on a great day, with a new year, new friends and new adventures to come. Where will the Militant be taking you the next 365 days? Stay tuned...and STAY MILITANT!

Deck The Halls With Boughs Of Hollywood

Hollywood and Christmas seem to go hand-in-hand. Not only are there countless motion pictures over the years (like this one, this one and maybe even this one), blockbuster theatrical releases and a post-Thanksgiving weekend parade to kick off the season, but its very name is a reference to the holiday as well.

Those of you who know your local history know that Hollywood started as its own town, independent of Los Angeles, founded in the 1870s and incorporated in 1903. Unlike many local towns and communities named after places in the so-called "Back East" such as Beverly Hills (Beverly Farms, MA) and Wilmington (Wilmington, DE), Hollywood was named after a local, a native even.

The hills above Tinseltown are populated with numerous native bushes known as the Toyon a.k.a. California Holly a.k.a. Christmas Berry a.k.a. Heteromeles arbutifolia a.k.a. Hollywood Plant. Those of you who hike up Griffith Park's many trails have seen them - they have oblong dark green leaves with jagged edges, and in the fall grow clusters of tiny red berries (edible but not very tasty, for humans at least). The word "Toyon" is referred to many times in the Griffith Park area (Toyon Canyon). Yes, Hollywood was named after this very plant.

Around a century ago, Angelenos used to pick Toyon off of the hills for use as Christmas decorations. Eventually this practice became so widespread and noticeably depleted a number of the bushes that a 1920 California state law made it illegal to pick Toyon from public lands.

Thanks to that law, Toyon is plentiful in the Santa Monica Mountains today, where you can easily see them on any hiking trail, or on the road up to the Observatory. Of course this law is still in effect, but many local nurseries sell Toyon for you to grow if you want to revive the old Angeleno holiday tradition. Next time you spot one of these indigenous plants, think about how it's entrenched in history (and how the East Coast-based media hegemony has purposely corrupted its name to stand for all that is materialistic, vacuous and superficial). Militant Christmas, everyone!

Dia De Los Muertos 2010: The Militant Visits The Dead

Today, as you may or may not know, is Dia De Los Muertos. The Militant has written about people, places and events in Los Angeles, so the Militant figured he'd commemorate the day by visiting the dead.

The Militant was near the Westside on Monday, and happened upon a memorial park by the west end of the Baldwin Hills in Culver City. It was Holy Cross Cemetery, a 71-year old, 200-acre memorial park with sweeping vistas of the South Bay and the Pacific Ocean.

After some Militant research, he discovered that there are quite a few well known Angelenos who have made this their final resting place.

Upon entering the grounds and driving up the hill where a replica of Michelangelo's Pieta sculpture stands, and right under a tree to the right of it, the Militant spotted the headstone of a very beloved figure in Los Angeles sports and one of the greatest play-by-play announcers who have ever lived:
Yes, the great Chick Hearn lies here.

Up the road towards the north, not far from the front entrance of the cemetery's main chapel/mausoleum, lies another legendary Los Angeles sports figure, a man who helped expand professional sports to the West:
Former Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley, the man who brought a bunch of bums from Brooklyn and painted an entire city blue make his eternal home base here (The Militant won't say whether he heard the sound of somebody turning over underground in light of what has happened over the past year, or the horrific, unspeakable event that was to occur on Monday night). Being the great blue-bleeding Dodger fan that the Militant is, he can't thank Mr. O'Malley enough for his favorite team. But the Militant is also forever grateful for Mr. O'Malley's pioneering vision and initiative in making professional sports not only possible in this City, but in the entire western United States.

Another pioneer, this time in the world of motion pictures rests several yards to the east:
Though his epitaph reads, "Beloved King of Comedy," for the Militant, and this entire motion picture industry, he is known for so much more. Nearly a hundred years ago, he founded the Keystone Pictures Co. studios in Edendale (now part of Echo Park), which was the first motion picture sound stage in the world and the genesis of the film industry in Los Angeles.

Speaking of movies, Holy Cross is also the final resting place of countless legends of the silver screen. Located in the Grotto area (just a few yards south of Chick Hearn's grave, towards the entrance) are the gravesites of:
Actor and crooner Bing Crosby; and just a few yards north, on the right side of the Grotto near the curb:
Legendary actress Rita Hayworth.

More contemporary Hollywood figures spend their final repose here, including John Candy and Ricardo Montalban, though the Militant had a hard time trying to locate their gravesites.

Being this the time of the year that it is, there were many of the living making visits to their own stars in their lives here, leaving flowers, mementos or just spending a quiet moment with their loved ones.

One section of the cemetery was somewhat more decorated than the rest of the grounds, with many families standing over headstones, praying or paying respects. A look at the birth and death dates of the stones indicated that those buried in this section were mostly young children, who, for whatever reason, never had a chance to even enjoy a fraction of the lives that we have enjoyed. The Militant felt a little guilty being here, not knowing anyone buried here very closely (most of the Militant's own beloved who passed are buried in an unspecified land far, far away).

Whether or not you observe religious or cultural traditions, the Militant hopes that all of you living Angels in this City just take even a moment to remember your own beloved ones who are now no more in this life. However big or small, their legacy lives on as long as they are remembered.

Oingo Boingo: A Los Angeles Halloween Music Tradition

Transplants, the Los Angeles experts that they are, love saying that this City has no traditions. Wrongo. Los Angeles does have them, you just don't know what they are. But some traditions, long enjoyed by the locals, are no longer around. perhaps the most well-known tradition was the annual Oingo Boingo Halloween concert. Now if you're really new to Los Angeles, or are under 25 years old, or both, you might be saying, "Oingo What?"

The Militant will explain.

Years before Danny Elfman became exclusively known as a film score composer, he was the lead singer of a rock band called Oingo Boingo. Started in the early '70s with his brother Richard and some UCLA friends, they were originally called The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, an eclectic theatrical-music act spanning various genres and eras. In the late '70s, the band gravitated towards a more modern rock, ska and new wave sound and shortened the name to its now-well-known suffix.

The band was signed to A&M records and were local staples on the new wave-formatted KROQ 106.7 FM, and got national exposure via MTV. Songs like "Only A Lad," "Who Do You Want To Be" and "Little Girls" were some of their biggest hits. But they hit the big time through their theme song from the 1985 movie Weird Science and had other hits like "Just Another Day" and "Dead Man's Party."

Even in the midst of their mainstream success and world tours, they would always find the time to come back home to Los Angeles come late October and play their annual Halloween concert, which took place at various venues such as The Palace (now The Avalon Hollywood), Irvine Meadows (now Verizon) Ampitheatre and the Universal (now Gibson) Ampitheatre (See, our venues are still around, they just change their names...), where they played their final Halloween concert - and final concert ever - in 1995.

The heir apparent to Oingo Boingo is the performance art-rock band The Mutaytor, which includes former Oingo Boingo bass player John Avila, who does annual Halloween concerts with a "Danny Elfman-approved" tribute band and sometimes other Oingo Boingo alums such as drummer Johnny Vatos Hernandez and guitarist Steve Bartek. Elfman unfortunately does not participate due to suffering from irreversible hearing loss and avoids loud amplified concert settings.

But Oingo Boingo's music legacy lives on as one of Los Angeles' most influential and original bands, and, along with Elvira, Mistress Of The Dark, (No) Silly String on Hollywood Boulevard, West Hollywood's Halloween Costume Carnival and Knotts Scary Farm, it will always be one of this area's own Halloween traditions. Happy Halloween!

Putting the 'MA' In Mardi Gras

Today is Fat Tuesday - Mardi Gras, and no doubt the home of the World Champion New Orleans Saints have an even bigger fete this year.

Tonight, the Militant will be going to a private Mardi Gras party at the house of an operative of Louisiana heritage!

No doubt, the focus is on New Orleans today. But being the Militant Angeleno (as opposed to the Militant New Orleanian), he's gonna take you from "L.A." to "La." - and back.

The Militant has been to New Orleans before (the photo above was taken by the Militant during his visit there), during an unspecified year in the last decade. As usual when he travels, he likes to immerse himself in the destination city's culture, and also learn about its people, urban life, infrastructure and layout - and usually compares and contrasts between the destination city and his own.

Believe it or not, though the tiny Crescent City is vastly different than the ginormous City of Angels, there are a few things shared in common between them (yes, aside from Reggie Bush).

Both cities were founded by a river, have a "Mid-City" district, are important coastal port cities and are multicultural cities that have spawned fusion cuisines. Both cities have a huge Catholic influence. Interstate 10 runs through both The Big Easy and The Big Orange. And singer/songwriter Randy Newman has written songs about both cities - he grew up in both of them.

But here's something interesting the Militant discovered: Both Los Angeles and New Orleans have streets named "Rampart" and "Carondelet" that are not only parallel to each other but just a couple blocks apart, with both Ramparts located to the northwest of the Carondelets. Both pairs of streets in both cities run in a diagonal direction, from the southwest o the northeast. In New Orleans, the streets are located in the Downtown area, in Los Angeles, they are located in the Historic Filipinotown and Westlake districts.

Perhaps it was intentional -- in what is now Historic Filipinotown, just behind the former Rampart Police Station (which was on Benton Way and not Rampart Blvd), lies Hyans St, which was the first block in Los Angeles where African Americans were able to own their own property.
Being that most African Americans who settled in Los Angeles in the late 1800s-early 1900s came from places like Louisiana and Texas (and prior to World War II, they settled in places like Mid City and Jefferson Park), they probably not only brought the names of places familiar to them, but familiar architecture as well.

Along Hyans St, Benton Way and Council St in the aforementioned block, a few "shotgun" houses (pictured left) can be seen, and are hardly found anywhere else in Los Angeles. These narrow houses, designed without a shared interior hallway, are a familiar sight in the South, particularly in Louisiana. Their name derives from the fact that one can fire (in a straight line) a shotgun from the backyard to the front yard, provided all the doors of the house are open.

But enough of the history lesson for now, it's time to party! laist.com recently listed places where one can get their Mardi Gras on this week.

But the Militant is also familiar with some other places that will garon-tee you a lil bit of dat N'awlins flava:

Harold & Belle's - this Jefferson Park restaurant serves up some of the finest Creole cuisine in Los Angeles for over 40 years. The Militant celebrated his birthday with some of his closest operatives a few years ago and everyone was both happy and extremely full. The menu is a bit on the pricey side, but it's more than worth it considering the portions they give you. The Militant ordered the fried catfish, and well, had enough fried catfish to last him until lunch the next day. The desserts are divine as well, do try their bread pudding. 2920 West Jefferson Blvd, (323) 735-9023

La Louisianne - another fine-dining Creole restaurant, located just over the Baldwin Hills near Inglewood. The gumbo is spectacular. Drop by at night and check out the live jazz, blues and soul music entertainmenr. 5812 Overhill Dr (at Slauson), (323) 293-5073.

New Orelans Fish Market - Not a restaurant, but if you're into doing your own cooking, check out this store in Jefferson Park for your ingredients and seafood needs. One of the Militant's operatives, who's a damn good cook, goes here for his crawfish supply all the time. 2212 West Vernon Avenue (at Arlington), (323) 296-3817

And while you're at it, you can groove to the sound of the Los Angeles-based, New Orleans style brass band Critical Brass!

Laissez les bon temps rouler! Where y'at?!