A n a r c h i c _ U n i v e r s e ®

The City of Los Angeles

Anyone who picked and opened a link this week about "modern" architecture, must have thought of our City of the Angels. Indeed, we have divided our city in sections for sectors of our industry. Some say our city is the most segregated one in the world. I don't know about that What I see is two schools in one  at SAMOHI. I see a diversity of peoples trying to improve their lives as nurses and technicians at UCLA.

Brazil is quite insular. We don't speak the language of the cucarachos, tupamaros, or whatever pejorative we used back in the 70s for South American  students visiting at the Federal Universty, sharing spacious rooms and drafting tables with us. Thus, in Rio, we saw all shades of Afro-Brazilians, Native-Brazilians, and the so-called "white" folks, who are "white" due to economic status.

I believe the USA is more democratic racially, despite the divisions of 'hoods according to ethnicity, "white flight." and other racial problems. Look, we have a black candidate for president!  Think about this, more on it this fascinating topic later. I leave you with the Minister of Culture in Brazil, the Great Gilberto Gil.

A Little Something to Share With You

Maybe a Portuguese collective blog has inspired me to cultivate my love for architecture, design and urbanism. I'm not sure whether its name is Obvious or if it is Uncovering. Whatever it may be, tomorrow is the anniversary of Saint Petersburg, the crown jewel of Russia. I have below two links to the White Nights. Saint Petersburg is the only city to experience a night that never sleeps. Tomorrow is its anniversary. Enjoy the links!

Link  number one: Click

Link number two: Click

Nite-nite, Happy Anniversary, Saint Petersburg!

On the Way to Westwood - Gentrification

We had some problemas one after the other yesterday. Too much stuff.
On the way to UCLA-Westwood Hospital, already running late, we got two flat tires. One was really flat; the other had a nail in it. The cardiologist kindly waited for us. She had impecable mannners.
We had in common Johns Hopkins. I am a CTY scholar, class of 1999. That seems to have gone too, the CTY.  Dr. Michelle  studied at JHU. I am ready for whatever comes to me on Monday morning, PST.

On the way back, calmer, I asked Nicolas where Rhino Records was. We got further and further away from the village. The store we discovered when students at USC is gone. It's on line, though. However, it was a Rhino's decrepit store, peopled by rude vendors,where Nirvana played way back then. Rhino Records had the charm of old libraries, such as USC's Doheny stacks, where one could feel he'd be in the Alien spacecraft. Check out the video, it's the whole show at Rhino's.

Going down Santa Monica Boulevard, I could notice how many older business are goners. There is a lot of construction I hadn't seen before. Traffic jam time starts at four p.m.  What I don't  like about the gentrification process is how all city spaces become alike, with designer label boutiques, chain restaurants, fake-Mexican, fake-southern, just what used to be said about Los Angeles -- The Plastic City. When Nicolas and I went to San Francisco, for a convention, the Union Square area looked just like Beverly Hills. What a drag.

C'est la vie, that's life, click for Aretha and Franky Valli, 1967, we must move on or die! Nite-nite. How about eating French? No pun intended.  

Click to embiggen.