all things californian

"Do you feel lucky, do ya?"

California has always been dubbed the land of opportunity and the land of the ever-changing demographic landscape.  But based on statistics, Californian’s aren’t feeling as lucky as they once have.  According to the 2000 Census of the 33,871,648 people living in California, 50.2% were born here; which is a 9% decrease from the 1990 Census which shows a population of 29,760,021.  Plainly stated, in 1990 there were less people, but the greater majority was native to the state.  So why is there a drop in native population?  You can look at the situation two ways.  First, takes into consideration a possible increase in immigration to the state during the decade between censuses.  With this consideration, one could presume that the overall population rose and included more immigrants, which caused a mathematical shift decreasing the percentage of natives to non-natives.  The alternative approach is to consider that those born and raised in California have decided to move on to greener pastures.  I think that it is a combination of both theories that can be attributed to the decrease can be attributed to both.  What does this transient citizenship say about the stability of California? 

As a state, California has always been in perpetual movement.  First settled by the Native Americans and Mexicans it was then taken over by Europeans who recently immigrated to America seeking bigger and better.  California is the promise land!  So why are people still coming and going and what does this say about the state’s stability?  Determined to hold its own through those who believe in the dream and those who don’t, California and its citizens have always posted propaganda to not only attract newcomers, but to reinforce their own belief in the dream.  Today’s slogan for California is “Find Yourself Here” but that certainly isn’t the first or last of the state’s catch phrases used to entice strangers.  In music, movies print and radio, California is typically portrayed as the sunshine state.  With television being at the height of its popularity, advertising for the state has had a significant focus on commercials.  To ensure a constant stream of citizen replenishment, California advertises its positive attributes with its “Everyday in California is a lucky day” commercial.  To keep the dream alive, the campaign was designed to parallel average citizens with major Hollywood icons, as if to make the famous life more attainable.  The commercial is structured so that every other shot shows a mega star, and then a “normal” person, and each says trite phrases like, “We inspire”, “We pop”, “We believe in Nirvana”.  To further illustrate what California is capable of providing you, the different celebrities and non-celebrities are golfing, or skateboarding, running out of Disneyland and standing in front of a Nascar track.  So the viewer takes a look at the beautiful beach that Mr. and Mrs. Governator are walking on and says, “Yeah, that’s what I want” and answers Clint Eastwood’s question of “Do you feel lucky, do ya?” with “Well no, I don’t feel lucky under 6 feet of snow here in South Dakota in January, but boy if I were in California, I would be the luckiest person on earth!”.  And for those who live in California and are watching the campaign, it may actually serve as a wakeup call for what they don’t have. 

For the millions of people who immigrate here each year in hopes of “getting lucky” there are obviously just as many who have been here their whole lives and cannot afford to go to Disneyland.  Fed up with an intolerable cost of living coupled with poor benefits and mediocre wages they leave California and move to the Midwest or the East Coast in hopes of not having to work so hard to get by.  Their $60,000 a year job will afford them a home ownership, a new car, and maybe even vacation time to California. 

Free Paris

I can remember the joy I felt less than a month ago when I read those words that were destined to shake the world of pop culture for what could be at least four months (hey, in pop culture that's a lifetime), that Paris Hilton is sentenced to jail for 45 days. Gasp! The princess of Hollywood, who is known for breaking the law on a semi-casual basis, will actually have to atone for something she has done!?!? It was almost too shocking to be true, and as it turns out probably is. Paris, and her incredible league of lawyers and publicists, have started to fight the decision reigned down by Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer. From a petition set up on her Myspace, to plans of an appeal with the most expensive DUI lawyer in California the Hilton family is doing everything they can to keep Paris out of bars.
The sad thing is, there is little to no chance Paris will ever see the inside of a cell. Young rich Hollywood has never been apologetic about it's actions and it always gets away. It seems in California, if you throw enough money at any problem, it tends to go away. Most likely a pardon will come down from the Governator, with the Hilton family bankrolling Ah-nold's next campaign. It was a nice dream though, perhaps a little time in the pen would have taught Paris to be at least a little less annoying.
So, what does this mean for California? Will our image of perfection in fame be tarnished forever? Probably not. In fact, I doubt if anyone will take the punishment of Paris Hilton personally, except of course Paris. California will continue to be flooded by the loads of narcissistic fashionistas that it always has been, who will probably only be richer and more beautiful/plastic/stupid. By then they will own the city, and probably the country, so all that can be done is prepare.

She's definitely innocent....

Behemoth Blockbusters (The Death of Cinema)

This summer, more than ever, it is evident that production companies are vying for the position of biggest opening ever, and the battleground of California is often where this battle is won. It has been known that if a movie does well commercially in California, it can be expected to do well in the rest of the country and world. So who are the major players in the battle of the blockbusters? With the finale of two of the biggest trilogies ever coming out and marketing campaigns out of control, it's impossible not to get swept up in the mix, but are these power packed blockbusters improving or destroying the film industry? From the look of what is to come this summer, the prevalent attitude of profitability over quality or quantity may leave us a cinematic wasteland.
Production costs on the blockbusters coming out this summer are almost unheard of, Spider-man 3 is rumored to have cost up to five hundred million dollars). And if you have seen the movie, you can tell were it was advantageous for the production, with a great deal of the money going towards incredible computer animation. The story, however, was lacking even in comparison to earlier releases in the series. Yet, that fact did little to hurt the movie's opening weekend, which ended up grossing over four hundred million world wide. Where can the blame be placed? The best place to look for the answers is right here in California. In Hollywood in the past directors were praised for putting out low budget, artistic and meaning full pictures, yet today all of the focus is on how much money your movie makes. The people to really blame are the viewers, who don't seem to care about the quality of the movie. In theaters today, people don't look for any surprises. We don't mind that an installment of a series is mediocre, as long as it has the familiar feel we had come to know and love. Comic book movies have made a fortune on this fact, regurgitating the stories of comics and placing them on the big screen. The art of movie making is to make something original, and tell a story in a way that you feel a connection to a world you would not ordinarily experience and these big budget blockbusters are destroying the field. For the price of one Spider-man or Pirates of the Caribbean, you could make eight smaller budget movies, and I'd have to say at least one of them would be better made then the blockbuster, if only California would realize that beauty doesn't have to be skin deep. Then perhaps the movies with the most beautiful content would be more highly recognized.

Hollywood as a culture…and an obsession

What is culture? Culture is defined as the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group. Sociologically speaking, culture is the system of meaning and behavior that defines the way of life for a given group; it can be either material or nonmaterial. Culture tells us which behaviors are acceptable; what is right or wrong, good or bad…it can also suggest what is beautiful or ugly.

Hollywood is home of the rich and fabulous – movie stars, athletes, musicians, and now those who are “famous for being famous.” Celebrities have had a major impact on California ’s culture as well as the rest of the world. They influence fashion, language and life style. There are countless websites that show you how to dress like your favorite celebrity.

Many Californians’ are consumed with celebrity life, especially the impressionable youth. Dreams of becoming a doctor, lawyer, or teacher are replaced with aspirations of being an actor, dancer, or musician…or all three! More importantly, the constant bombardment with images of beautiful bodies can lead to body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), which a reported 1 in 50 girls suffer from and 10% of boys. There will always be beautiful people in this world and unfortunately those beautiful people are treated better, respected more and become the paradigm of our culture.

Jimmy Carter said "whatever starts in California, unfortunately has an inclination to spread." If California is such an infulential state, shouldn't it set the standard for more important matters?

Student who works or Worker who studies?

There is an increasing number of working students in California. I am a student and an employee. Both roles are equally important for different reasons. One part serves as a means toward obtaining a better job; the other helps provide the essentials for surviving so that I may live to someday work at this “better job.” But there tends to be conflict between both roles. By limiting my work hours to accommodate class schedules means less money - for rent, food and other monthly bills – while increasing work hours can affect performance in school. Working a full time job and going to school at night was extremely difficult for me. The experience proved to be very unproductive since I ended up dropping my classes by the middle of the semester. This is often the case for many full time employed students. This year I am working part time and going to school full time during the day. I’m doing better in my classes, but now I find myself living paycheck to paycheck… How do we Californian’s balance work and our studies? And between work and school, when is there ever time to enjoy the greatness of this state or live the proverbial “California Dream?”

Too Much Force

As you I am sure have seen or heard on the news how LA policy use too much force in the march of May 1st!! Well I personally have seen in the news and the horrible things that were done to everybody that was at the rally. To see this in California  specially in Los Angeles well its crazy specially since we are in the 21st century sure violence is something that unfortunately exist but hey why do police take advantage of there positions? or the authority that they have? People in California, and not just in California but in all the other states should fell secure and that the police is there to help and prevent fights and not start them off like they did on May firs. What really hit me was that when i saw, that someone was on the floor trying to get up and someone went back to help the policy would hit both of these people when all thy were trying to do was leave and get out of there way.  Because no one should fell that the authority that Police men have is being use for bad and not for good. People being hut more then once when they are at the floor and they cannot even stand up. I just hope that the LA mayor  Antonio Villaraigosa takes actions towards the police who did this, to men, women, children! Who where expressing themselves and had the right to do it. Why was this done to  them in the first place? What other action should the police had taken? So many questions, I just hope that there are answers to all of these.

Is minimum wage too low or is cost of living too high?

Millions of Californians make up a group called the working poor. Over one million workers in

California are earning at or near the minimum wage rate. Currently that rate is $7.50 an hour and the poverty line for a family of two is $13,200 per year. This poverty line does not take into account the high cost of living in California.

• The average rent for a 1 bedroom/1 bathroom apartment in this state is around $900/month.
• A person making minimum wage at 40 hours a week would gross $1,200/month – after taxes is that’s about $970.00/month.
  • That only leaves $70.00 for groceries and utilities?
• According to the California Labor Federation, it is estimated that a full-time, full-year single adult needs to earn $12.44 per hour to cover the cost of basic necessities.

So…you’ll need a roommate

• The average rent for a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom (more convenient for two renters) has increased to about 1,500/month.
• If we were two double the income, it would be around $1,940.00/month.
  • That is equivalent to $220/month per person, barely enough for food and utilities.

These figures don’t include car payments, car insurance, health insurance…and phone bills!!!

Consider this…

How is it possible that we live in a state with largest economy in the United States, yet live in a state with a poverty threshold that is higher than that of the National average? It is probably because we live in one of the most expensive states in the country. 

The low minimum wage rate and the high cost of living discredit the California dream of the easy life.

Apartment Recycling Opportunities

Almost half of California’s population lives in apartment homes. Living in an apartment complex reduces chances of recycling and makes it an inconvenience for those who want to recycle. Making recycling available to everyone, especially Californians can help. We are living for today, but the future generations will have to pay for our consequences. Common knowledge tells us t hat there is a growing importance of recycling. The Earth is being depleted to fast for the Earth to carry on a healthy balance and our natural resources are being consumed at faster rates than before.

Many changes in our society have contributed to the increasing amount of waste. Population growth results in more waste. Changes in our lifestyle, consumption of more and more fast food, which produces…more waste! Recycling reduces the need for raw materials; it also uses less energy, therefore preserving natural resources for the future. When will recycling be available to everyone in California? Are we going to wait until there is no more space for our waste?

RECYCLING BINS NEEDED for All Apartment Buildings in the State of California not just in Some Cities.

Golden State's Got Color

California is rich in culture. Everyone and anyone wants to live here. The sun never sets on the golden state, or so we choose to believe...

"You know the difference between basketball games played in California and those played in Utah?
Games in the Golden State got color."- Nezumi Kozo. "Think about it... Watch any highlight from a series game in Utah and from just looking at all the white guys it becomes quite comical in nature."

When watching one of the game highlights my friend commented on one the background shots, he's like, "Wheres all the Mexicans? Or any Blacks? Too many White fools~haha."

Watching the Golden State/ Utah games made me realize that California's got color. Never had I previously realized how culturally diverse California is. The Utah Jazz fans were predominately white, with a few minorities spotted here and there in the crowd. When you watch a game played in California however, the crowd looks like a bag of M&M's, mixed with every color of the rainbow.

Butt Rock

Makeup, lipstick and leather -- believe it or not, we're talking about dudes.  Circa 1980, Sunset Strip brought about a paradigm shift not only in rock & roll, but to machismo actualization in California and beyond.  Night clubs like the Whiskey-A-Go-Go and the Viper Room brought about the L.A. glam scene.  Inundated with cheap liquor, lots of hookers and an abundance of blow, budding rock stars of this era lived hard and fast, creating fashion that would define entire generations long before metrosexual was even a word.  Blending the asthetics of David Bowie and Queen with the hard rock blues sounds of Led Zepplin and Black Sabbath, these bands would revolutionize the way music is delivered, make heavy metal mainstream, and become the boy bands of the 1980s.

Many of the most noteworthy bands of the decade came from California.  Indeed, the California metal scene represents a significant divergence from contemporary acts of the punk-influenced New Wave of British Heavy Metal.  In terms of theme and style, bands like King Diamond and Iron Maiden played to disaffected youth by creating paganistic lyrics and glamorizing masculine aggression; by contrast bands like Motley Crue and Poison played to disaffected youth by glorifying sex, drugs and debauchery.  This contrast shows the widespread appeal of the California dream of easy living in addition to the apparent ease of fame and fortune.

Guns N Roses is often cited as the last great L.A. rock band.  Their debut Appetite for Destruction is one of the best-selling albums of all time, generating three top ten hits: "Welcome to the Jungle", "Sweet Child o' Mine", and "Paradise City".  In and among themselves, these songs represent many of the paradoxes of California living, lending themselves to both the debauchery in which they live and a reflection on the effects of such a lifestyle.  All things considered, this album is an appropriate swan song for the California "sex, drugs and rock & roll" lifestyle.

Butt rock in all its myriad forms would stick around until the early 1990s when grunge and hip hop would displace it as pop music.  Looking back now, we can see the impact that the L.A. dream of hookers and blow has had on the world: California's culture truly is potent and lasting, yet fickle at the same time.