Tag: california

news

No good deed goes unpunished

Becca

The CA Supreme Court ruled today that a civilian who rescues a injured or endangered person can be sued for nonmedical care.

The decision stems from a case in which a woman pulled a coworker from a crashed car, allegedly aggravating the victim’s vertebrae.

Lisa Torti of Northridge was accused of yanking Alexandra Van Horn like “a ragdoll” from her vehicle after it crashed on Topanga Canyon Blvd. Van Horn was rendered a paraplegic because of her injuries in 2004.

The three dissenting judges, however, argued that the decision would have dire consequences.

“Here, the result is that defendant Torti has no immunity for her bravery in pulling her injured friend from a crashed vehicle, even if she reasonably believed it might be about to explode,” said Justice Marvin R. Baxter for the dissent.

Living in a city where I have heard stories about a man being beat up on the street in broad daylight, while no one tried to help, or people are left in the dark to die, I am very disturbed by this decision.

While Torti may have messed up, this ruling could cause people to avoid helping others in need, regardless of the situation.

news, politics

“We’re all Californians, We’re all equal”

Becca

Voting day is just around the corner, and while our votes for President in California may not be paramount for our non-swinging state, there are several props on the ballot which will have significant effects on our lives. Prop 8 has gotten the most attention, and rightfully so because of the huge impact it will have on the state.

No on prop 8:


 

Please get educated about these props, so you can make informed decisions.

Prop 4, which has been on the ballot before in similar forms, is at risk for passing. Masking as a
parental notification law, it’s another attempt to ban, one demographic at a time. Prop. 4 would amend the state Constitution to require doctors – with limited exceptions – to alert a pregnant minor’s parent or legal guardian at least 48 hours before performing an abortion on the girl.

But this prop could cause serious dangers to teens who feel trapped. Rather than tell their parents, young people will buy Internet drugs to end the pregnancy, they will go to Mexico for an abortion, they will throw themselves down the stairs.

animals

California’s Proposition 2

Becca

In the heat of battle for the next president, there hasn’t been much attention on state proposition this year. Sure Prop 8 has gotten some attention (the banning of gay marriage one), but as I was looking through my voter education ballot yesterday, I stumbled on Prop 2, which I have heard nothing about.

I’m an animal lover, a non-beef eater, and a pet owner, so when I saw Prop 2 I had to write about it. If it passes, farmers won’t be allowed to confine pregnant pigs, calves raised for veal and egg-laying hens from moving.

First of all, I didn’t even KNOW that these animals COULD be confined from moving! They are already abused for their goods, and then they can’t even turn around? That’s crazy. Animals can’t speak for themselves–someone has to help them.

This is what a YES vote would mean:

“Beginning in 2015, state law would prohibit, with certain exceptions, the confinement on a farm of pregnant pigs, calves raised for veal, and egg-laying hens in a manner that does not allow them to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, and fully extend their limbs.”

 

Groups supporting this prop are all animal-friendly, including the Sierra CLub, Humane Society and ASPCA.

Vote YES on Prop 2.

Please spend time getting informed about all the props on this year’s ballot. Some can really change lives.

Here’s  info.

politics

Aaaaahhhhnold Strikes Again

Becca

If I could pick one person to represent California abroad, it would be Arnold. He has such an excellent track record: polite to women, smart about politics, very articulate and has gotten a whole lot done in office….right.

So, seeing as the Austrian-born governor sat down with the German magazine Der Speigel, I am not surprised that he gave some real gems of new quotes.

He doesn’t talk to the Republican Party–because they are crazy (politically). Nevermind that he is a part of that party. What a party pooper.

Of course, he went on to call Sarah Palin a “good looking woman” because, really, to Arnold, every woman running for office should be judged only on her looks. But wait, he also says she is “feisty.” Good. Glad we cleared that up.

Maybe something was lost in translation? Somehow I doubt it.

Lots of people in Los Angeles–dare i say California– have problems with their identity, with consistency of their statements, and with being misogynistic pigs. I just wish we weren’t represented by one.

Uncategorized

Obama Talks Health at Latino Convention

Becca

 

SAN DIEGO, Calif.–During a speech emphasizing his shared values with the Latino community, Barack Obama unveiled another aspect of his health care plan at the annual convention of the National Council of La Raza, the largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States.

Obama announced Sunday that his plan would assist small business owners in providing health benefits for their employees by providing tax credits to employers.

“An idea, by the way, that was championed by my friend Hillary Clinton,” said Obama in front of a crowd of 2,000, many of whom applauded at the mention of Clinton…

see the rest on Huffington Post

 

technology, travel

Terminology of Traffic

Becca

traffic

Today is the day: the first day of the cell-phone ban. I never thought this day would come.

I was raised not to use my cell phone while driving. When I was pulling into my driveway once at the age of 16, my dad caught me talking on the cell phone and threatened to take away my car… ever since then I’ve pretty much avoided the drive-and-chat. Besides, I drive a stick and I lack the hand-hand coordination to drive and shift and talk.

So, I am often annoyed by careless cell phone drivers. And today’s law is OK with me. I took a random poll on my way to work this morning, wondering how many drivers would break the law on day one. On my 45 minute drive, I saw not one “hands-occupied” talker. And I only noticed about 7 blue tooth talkers. Maybe those little ear clips are too hard for me to see. Or maybe they are too cyborg-ish to wear.

My dad has a “hang up and drive” bumper sticker. That’s how important it is to him. I almost called him on my drive to work to celebrate…. but then I remembered… ah, the humor of the world.

So, to celebrate, I thought I would finally introduce my traffic terminology. It is often said that eskimos have hundreds of words for snow… well, I think there are probably about that many for the causes of traffic in LA. So here are a few I’ve come up with during my spare time in the car.

1. Ebb-and-flow: the mysterious slow and speed of the freeways. There’s no reason to it, but you can see the cars ahead of you breaking but the ones ahead of them speeding up. It’s like a slinky, but not as fun.

2. Accidental: There’s an accident. Whether a crane falls on the 405, or it is a fender bender, this really can be the end of the beginning of a good day for anyone.

3. Rubberneck: There’s an accident on the other side of the freeway, which has NOTHING to do with your side, but still causes painful traffic.

4. Rush hour: 7-10 am or 5-8 pm. Really big chunks of your day when EVERYONE is trying to get somewhere.

5. Event-based: Lakers game, Dodgers game, concert at the Hollywood Bowl. I once spent an extra hour in traffic because of a Jay-Z concert. Thanks for that.

6. Construction: Not only is your road closed, but the detour is jam packed. Like the night they closed the 5 when I was trying to get home from the airport at midnight. Not cool.

 

That’s all for now- gotta save some for my book!