Skip to main content

The Fault(s) in our State

California.  Land of dreams. Sunshine, Sand and Surf.  Add a smattering of palms to date - eat em or just have one under its shade, and all the botox money can buy to help the stars shine in Hollywood.

Land of innovations from putting a computer in your pocket to having a chariot show up on demand and drive without a driver, to finding any piece of information with a voice command, it is everything a marketing postcard might have and then some.

Majestic vistas from close to 15,000 feet to hundreds of feet below in a deathly valley in a matter of minutes, snow in season to waves year round.  Can it get any better?

It could get worse.  From our politics to our reality check of unintended consequences to the homeless crisis and crap on the street we have of course many faults.  Bribing colleges for admissions (that sent some stars to temporarily set) to cutting off recycling stations; poor infrastructure coupled with gross mismanagement of capex are all but pages in the sad saga of California's populace.

Then we have our Hayward and San Andreas.  Faults that is.

Recent rumblings from down under (as in the magma under the crust) when a magnitude (approx) 5 quake rattled parts of northern California woke its denizens to the reality of 30 years ago to the day.

Back in Oct 1989 the so named Loma Prieta quake took down freeways and broke buildings.  It also took lives.  Since history is fleeting, the calm decades that followed led to a sense of complacency in the crowds (some 40 million strong) across the state.  It takes but a gentle 5 pointer to remind us of looking hard at ourselves and see the fault in our stars.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Of Jims and Johns

Here is another essay on the subject of first names. As in birth names. Or names provided to an offspring at birth. While the developed world tends to shy away from the exotic like Refrigerator or Coca Cola for their new production there is a plethora of Jims and Johns and Bobs or Robs. Speaking of which I do not think there is a categoric decision point at the time of birth if a child will be hereafter called as Bob. I mean have not yet met a toddler called Bob or Rob for that matter. At some point though the parental instinct to mouth out multiple syllables runs out and they switch from calling the crawler Robert to simply Robbie to Rob. Now speaking of - it is strange that the name sounds like something you would not want Rob to do - i.e. Rob anyone. Then why call someone that? After all Rob Peter to Pay Paul is not exactly a maxim to live a young life? Is it? Perhaps Peter or Paul might want to have a say in it? Then there is this matter of going to the John. Why degrad...
2 comments
Read more

But What If We're Wrong?

I attempted to read this book by author Chuck Klosterman backward to forward but it started hurting my brain so I decided to stop and do it like any other publication in the English language.  Start from page 1 and move to the right. Witty, caustic and thought provoking this is a book you want to read if you believe that the status quo might, just might be wrong. At times bordering on being contrarian about most things around us it tries to zero in on the notion of what makes anything believable and certain in our minds.  The fact that there is a fact itself is ironic.  Something analogous to the idea that you can never predict the future because there is no future. Many books and movies have tried to play on this concept - best that I recollect (I think I am) was 'The Truman Show'.  This book by Klosterman attempts to provoke the reader to at least contemplate that what they think they know may be wrong. He uses examples like concept of gravity, and how it ...
2 comments
Read more

Presumptive Society

Today's world is hyper connected.  I am not so sure what it means but you hear it a lot.  It is probably hyper but not sure how connected it is.  Sugar (fermented or not) is available in many ways than before and so getting hyper is easy.  It is probably more a threat than cocaine since it is sold legally. And what is this connected stuff?  Most people I encounter seem disconnected from reality.  So going back to this assumption that we are connected there are subtle and no so subtle instances of how brands and companies and middle men try to portray someone - A linkedin profile for somebody working for X years at a place advertises to the connected network that so and so is CELEBRATING X years @ Such and Such Inc. Do we know if (s)he is celebrating or cringing?  Perhaps a better way to portray will be - So and So LASTED X years @ such & such inc. Then it exhorts the readership to go ahead and congratulate them for this lasting effe...
2 comments
Read more