Though Greenland has been home-ruled since 1979, on 21 June 2009, the Danish government made steps toward granting Greenland full independence. In a 2008 referendum, 76% of the 58,000 residents of the sparsely populated island voted for self-rule and the Danish government has been handing over control of services to the local government and making symbolic … Continue reading Greenland –> Naalakkersuisut – and Inuit cinema and music
INTRODUCTION Before the Spanish invasion of the region, what’s now California enjoyed the highest human population density north of what is today Mexico. Today, Los Angeles is home to more people of Native ancestry than any other metropolitan area in the US, a population which includes peoples indigenous to Southern California as well as people … Continue reading No Enclave — Chumash Los Angeles
When people find out that I’m vegetarian, about half of them ask me whether or not I eat seafood. I usually reply that I do, as I eat sea vegetables. Most are confused by this response for several reasons. Firstly, they’re used to meeting self-described vegetarians who aren’t actually vegetarians as they make exceptions for … Continue reading The Brightwell Guide to Sea Vegetables
Los Angeles is often characterized as a city in which one simply cannot exist without a car. And yet, as the millions of Angelenos who bicycle, take public transit, or walk will tell you, driving a car is no way to get to know the city. Since Los Angeles County is even larger than the … Continue reading Urban Rambles — Exploring the area along Hoover and Virgil with Marvin
I will not make the argument that Columbus‘s arrival in the New World was insignificant merely because he was an absolutely awful person or because he didn’t actually discover anything (which he himself maintained, claiming until his death that he’d merely found a different route to Asia). But think about this before you dismiss — … Continue reading Happy Discovery Day — Real Geographic Discoveries of the Modern Age
“Si hortum in bibliotheca habes, deerit nihil.” “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” ― Cicero, Letters to His Friends, Vol 2: Books 7-12 Pandora Internet Radio is an amazing service. Since joining in 2008, it has introduced me to more great music than the AM/FM radio, my friends, … Continue reading As Not Heard on Pandora — After fourteen years, the best music streaming site is still deeply flawed
WHO WOULD FLOAT ME TO MY ISLAND DREAM? — THE CHANNEL ISLANDS On planet Earth there are at least two archipelagos known as “The Channel Islands.” Frankly, I’d be somewhat surprised if there aren’t more. One is located in an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates France and the UK known in English as “The … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — A Channel Islands Primer
ROWLAND HEIGHTS Little Taipei is a nickname for Rowland Heights, an unincorporated community in the San Gabriel Valley. Rowland Heights is a community neighbored by City of Industry to the north, Diamond Bar to the northeast, Chino Hills to the east, unincorporated Orange County to the south, La Habra Heights to the southwest, and Hacienda Heights … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Rowland Heights, Los Angeles’s Little Taipei
Eric Brightwell 