John Rabe

Still looking for Thanksgiving Dinner Ideas? John Rabe asks the best chefs in LA.

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:29:03 -0800

I’ve begun an Off-Ramp web page featuring interviews with foodies like Providence owner/chef Michael Cimarusti and LA Times food editor Russ Parsons. They give us some great Thanksgiving food ideas, and reminisce about their best and worst Thanksgivings. Dinner Party Download also weighs in with memories and mischief.

I've also added a recipe for Pigtails and Sauerkraut, which is apparently big in Baltimore.

Check it out and add your own Thanksgiving thoughts, recipes, and memories.

Check out John's weekly show Off-Ramp!

There's Something About Mary (Poppins)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:51:06 -0800

Team KPCC had a great time at “Mary Poppins” at the Ahmanson Theatre Sunday night. It’s the national tour production of the classic film.

I brought my recorder along, spoke with co-director and choreographer Matthew Bourne and some of the cast members, and hung out at the after-party long enough to hear the songwriters, new and old, gather around the piano for an English music hall-type rendition of "Jolly Holiday" and "Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious.”

That’s all in this Off-Ramp web-only special, which includes a lot of stuff there just won’t be room for on the air.

KPCC’s Steve Julian interviewed Ashley Brown, who plays Mary, and he tells me that q+a will probably air on this Friday’s Morning Edition.

Check out John's weekly show Off-Ramp!

(Photo: Ashley Brown as Mary Poppins. Credit: Disney/CML/JOAN MARCUS.)

Rabe Movie: Geffen Contemporary Tour

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:27:30 -0800

Christopher Knight of the LA Times writes about the exhibits at MOCA on Grand and at the Geffen Contemporary.

Check out John's weekly show Off-Ramp!

Tickets still available for “Los Angeles: Portrait of a City” Taschen book party/LA Conservancy benefit

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:38:29 -0800

This photo, taken in 1940, shows an insanely detailed model of downtown Los Angeles, a WPA project that was displayed at the Museum of Natural History. The photo is one of hundreds in a new Taschen book called “Los Angeles: Portrait of a City,” which local historian Chris Nichols calls “without a doubt the most comprehensive visual history of L.A. ever attempted."

There are so many photos, picked with such care, that FOO (Friend of Off-Ramp) Gary Leonard was ecstatic to have just one of his photos chosen for the book.

The photo is also symbolic of the work the LA Conservancy does for the city, hence, the gala fundraiser Thursday for the Conservancy that’s serving as the book’s coming out party. Tickets are still available, and it’ll be worth cramming yourself into your tux and/or gownless evening strap. Diane Keaton, Benedikt Taschen, Gary Leonard (will he wear a bow tie with his photog’s vest?), and I will be there. Why not you?

From Taschen:
Rise and Sprawl: How Los Angeles Came To Be

A pictorial history of the City of Angels

From the first known photograph taken in Los Angeles to its most recent sweeping vistas, this photographic tribute to the City of Angels provides a fascinating journey through the city's cultural, political, industrial, and sociological history. It traces the city's development from the 1880s' real estate boom, through the early days of Hollywood and the urban sprawl of the late 20th century, right up to the present day. With over 500 images, L.A. is shown emerging from a desert wasteland to become a vast palm-studded urban metropolis.

Events that made world news—including two Olympics, Bobby Kennedy's assassination, and the Rodney King riots—reveal a city of many dimensions. The entertainment capital of the world, Hollywood, and its celebrities are showcased along with many other notable residents, personalities, architects, artists, and musicians. The city's pop cultural movements, its music, surfing, health food fads, gangs, and hot rods are included, as are its notorious crimes and criminals. This book depicts Los Angeles in all its glory and grit, via hundreds of freshly discovered images including those of Julius Shulman, Garry Winogrand, William Claxton and many other superb photographers, culled from major historical archives, museums, private collectors, and universities. These are given context and resonance through essays by renowned California historian Kevin Starr and Los Angeles literature expert David L. Ulin.

About the editor:
Cultural anthropologist and graphic design historian Jim Heimann is Executive Editor for TASCHEN America, and author of numerous books on architecture, pop culture, and the history of the West Coast, Los Angeles, and Hollywood. His unrivaled private collection of ephemera has been featured in museum exhibitions around the world and dozens of books.

About the contributing authors:
Kevin Starr holds a PhD from Harvard University and is Professor of History at the University of Southern California. His many articles and books have won him a Guggenheim Fellowship, Gold and Silver Medals of the Commonwealth Club, the Centennial Medal from Harvard, and the Humanities Medal from the National Endowment of the Humanities.

David L. Ulin is the books editor of the Los Angeles Times. He is the author of "The Myth of Solid Ground: Earthquakes, Prediction, and the Fault Line Between Reason and Faith," and the editor of "Another City: Writing from Los Angeles" and "Writing Los Angeles: A Literary Anthology." He has written for The Atlantic Monthly, The Nation, and The New York Times Book Review.

Check out John's weekly show Off-Ramp!

Before (1953) and After (2003) at Taylor Yard

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:00:00 -0800

Yesterday, we played one of one of my favorite LA History games. Feed a random word into the LA Public Library photo archive website.

The word was “romance,” and I came up with a lovely old shot from Taylor Yards, evoking the romance of steam trains.

Photograph caption dated April 18, 1953 reads, "This is the Southern Pacific's old roundhouse near the Los Angeles River. It's a far cry from Dieselville, which is a sprawling yard. In the roundhouse, locomotives are stacked in stalls like silver stallions. On the turntable is the Dinky, a snub-nosed beetle on an engine which pushes the "biggies” hither and yon. “There still is romance in steam,” said one veteran railroader." (Herald-Examiner/LAPL)

So, what’s happened to the roundhouse?

Back in 2003, I was shooting pictures by the LA River and went on to the railroad property and found the answer. Look carefully and you can see many of the same elements in the photos I took almost exactly fifty years after the “Herald-Examiner” shot now archived in the public library.

From what I saw on a recent recent bike ride, I think all the superstructure is gone. (For scrap?) But the hole is still there.

Find some “before” shots yourself at the LAPL site, then take some “after” shots and let us know about it in the comments section below.

Check out John's weekly show Off-Ramp!

Play the LA Public Library Photo Archive Game

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:00:00 -0800

It’s time again to play one of my favorite LA History games. Feed a random word into the LA Public Library photo archive website. It’s like door-knocking – you never know what you’ll come up with and it’s a great way to get an unfiltered breadth of local history.

Today’s word is “romance.” Here’s a sample of the couple dozen shots that come up, along with the captions listed on the site.

Romance 1 -- 1958:

Hours after Johnny's death someone broke into his apartment. Letters which were published in the Herald-Examiner five days after Johnny's death were among the items stolen. This telegram was found folded inside one of the letters to Stompanato. The postal mark apparently is Danish, but the message is romance in any language. These letters later proved damaging to Lana (Turner)'s reputation. (Herald-Examiner/LAPL)

Romance 2 -- 1953:

Photograph caption dated April 18, 1953 reads, "This is the Southern Pacific's old roundhouse near the Los Angeles River. It's a far cry from Dieselville, which is a sprawling yard. In the roundhouse, locomotives are stacked in stalls like silver stallions. On the turntable is the Dinky, a snubnosed beetle on an engine which pushes the 'biggies” hither and yon. “There still is romance in steam,” said one veteran railroader." (Herald-Examiner/LAPL)

(To see what’s happened to this roundhouse, come back tomorrow for shots from my personal photo collection.)

Romance 3 – 1936:

The set of the film "Last of the Pagans," on location in the South Seas, on March 12, 1936. Mala, Eskimo screen hero, and Lotus Long are the lovers in this Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer romance of native life in the Marquesan Islands, directed by Richard Thorpe. The two principals were aided by a native cast. (Clarence Sinclair Bull/ Herald-Examiner/LAPL)

Romance 4- 1931:

Center is a gilded throne chair bedecked with blossoms for Aimee Semple McPherson at Angelus Temple. At her right will sit her son, Rolf McPherson, "prime minister" of the temple "royal family." A her left, Roberta, the "crown princess" and Mr. Smythe will occupy a love seat beneath a bridal arch. Two temple figures not expected to be present were Mrs. Minnie Kennedy, Mrs. McPherson's estranged mother, and Lorna de Smith, whose romance with Rolf recently had been reported ended, as of May 16, 1931. (Herald-Examiner/LAPL)

Romance 5 – 1927:

Here we see the beginning of the end of the Venice waterways of romance as motor trucks dump cargoes of dirt into the first lagoon to be filled. In 1904, Abbott Kinney completed the canals as part of a dream to transplant a bit of old Venice to California and imported Venetian gondolas with costumed gondoliers. But his Venice grew into modern ways, and now the routes of the canals are vitally needed for traffic. Photo dated: November 15, 1927. (Herald-Examiner/LAPL)

Try the game yourself and let us know what you come up with in the comments section below.

Check out John's weekly show Off-Ramp!

Why e-mail blasts are a ripoff

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:12:08 -0800

I think some people are getting ripped off when they hire a service to solicit business through them via e-mail blasts. Take this e-mail I received Friday, reproduced verbatim below. I wrote back to Eric, telling him his prices look fair, but ... I live in Los Angeles.

-----
Snow Removal

Thanks so much for allowing us to give you this great opportunity to take advantage of our low snow removal rates. Below is our time & material costs for Snow Removal Services this Winter.

I also wanted to tell you a little about who we are and how we operate.

I've personally been providing snow removal services since 1963. We are committed to maintaining the price levels that we have had for the past 10 years. We also never charge travel time as some of our competitors do. We utilize approximately 500 snow plow trucks, 330 sidewalk shovelers, 59 salt/sand trucks, 52 skid steers, 28 loaders and 24 dump trucks/dump trailers.

We are also excited about implementing a "Crew Tracker" software this season which will create a more "real time" approach and accuracy to billing. As an added bonus, we provide Weather Works services to all of our clients, which provides emailed up-to-date weather reports from the actual zip code of each site, not from the airports. They also provide detailed storm overviews and accumulation totals from certified meteorologists. This helps take the guess work out of all your potential storms.

Once we receive a signed agreement our process starts by walking every inch of your site, mapping out traffic patterns, curbs, fire hydrants, and other hazards that might not be so evident under a foot of snow. When a storm is imminent, we're on the job 24/7, monitoring meteorological data and standing by with the necessary equipment and manpower to handle anything Mother Nature can throw at us.

We are also offering to waive the $50.00 minimum charge to all new clients that sign with us during the month of November.

Per Hour 4x4 Driver/Truck with Plow/Spreader - $95.00
Per Hour Driver/Bobcat - $125.00
Per Hour Driver/Skid Loader - $125.00
Per Hour Driver/3 cu yd Loader - $195.00
Per Hour Hand Laborer - $35.00
Per Hour Laborer with Snow Blower - $45.00
Per Hour Driver/Quad-ATV with Plow or Walk Behind Snow Pusher - $55.00
Per Ton (Ice Control) Bulk Rock Salt - 125.00
Per Ton (ICE CONTROL) Bulk Sand - $99.00
Per 50lbs (Ice Control) Bagged Rock Salt - $15.00
Per 50lbs (Ice Control) Bagged Calcium Chloride - $25.00
Per Hour Driver/Dump Truck - $120.00
Per Hour Driver/Tractor with Loader - $195.00

We look forward to working together with you and continuing a mutually beneficial relationship between our companies. In the meantime, should you need or want any additional assistance please feel free to contact me at ericsmith927@gmail.com .

Sincerely,
Eric Smith
Account Manager
Superior Snow Removal
-----
My brother James in Fargo writes, "Sounds like some decent prices...but I want the snow moved outta my way, not spread around like peanut butter!"

My nephew in Pocatello writes that Eric sounds like a pro and he'd hire him.

So would I, but I'm a little short on snow. Maybe KPCC engineer Dale Hoppert, a denizen of Mt. Baldy Village, would care to weigh in.

Junk ... or Art?

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:27:06 -0800

If there's a label on it, does that make it art? And who is Suzanne Ferreira and why is she dumping her art on my sidewalk? Leave your comments below.

(Check out John's weekly show Off-Ramp!)

Lou Dobbs Leaves CNN; Editing Paris Review a “Lifelong Dream.”

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:45:51 -0800

When the news came the other day that Peter Gourevitch was leaving the esteemed Paris Review, we thought nothing of it. Now, with Lou Dobbs' surprise exit from CNN , it all seems as clear as a George Plimpton essay.

Just read Dobb’s farewell speech:

"Over the past six months, it's become increasingly clear that strong winds of change have begun buffeting this country and affecting all of us," Dobbs said early in the program. "Some leaders in media, politics and business have been urging me to go beyond my role here at CNN and to engage in constructive problem-solving, as well as to contribute positively to a better understanding of the great issues of our day, and to continue to do so in the most honest and direct language possible."

How could it be clearer?! He said he’s being urged to “go beyond” and “engage in constructive problem solving.” What would be more likely to lead to international rapprochement of the big issues of the day – of the millennium – than for him to take the reins of the world's -- and perhaps the universe's -- premiere intellectual journal? And what language is more "honest and direct" than French?! When they say "non," they mean it, and heck, the French didn't even have a "w" until about twenty years ago.

“It’s hard,” Dobbs went on, shedding a tear that glistened in the harsh studio lights, “because Peter (Gourevitch) is a dear friend, and, let’s face it, my French is not what it should be. "Comme d’habitude.* The Dobbster will just have to buy a copy of Rosetta Stone and get to work. I'll be the young farm boy and the world will be my Italian model. This voice will not be silenced!”

When, though an open studio mike, a production assistant was heard to tell Dobbs that if he moved to France, Dobbbs would technically be an immigrant, Dobbs replied, "No, I won't. I'm a citizen of the world." He later added that he loves the French horn, and doesn't care if Richard Dreyfus did have an affair.

Dobbs’ replacement will be named Thursday. Is it too much to hope that Mr. Gourevitch will take over Lou’s empty chair? Some are already saying it’s a done deal. Watch this space.

(Check out John's weekly show Off-Ramp!)

*That’s French for “as usual.” –Ed.

A Few Veterans Day Photos from John Rabe

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:49:02 -0800

A few years ago, some folks remade what had been a nasty little triangle at Cypress and Pepper in Cypress Park, my neighborhood, into a beautiful little park dedicated to MIA’s. The flag – US and MIA – are kept flying and of course are at half-staff right now after the shootings at Fort Hood.

The park is always clean of trash, the flowerbeds weeded, and memorials placed and cared for.

Ever read “Peanuts” around Veterans Day and wonder who Bill Mauldin was? Mauldin was a cartoonist who portrayed the lives of the infantry in this book.

Mauldin won some enemies among the brass for his candid observations, but he won a million fans among the fighting men and women.

My copy of Up Front (a first edition) was owned by one Thomas M. Williams of Fletcher Avenue in South Pasadena. If anyone know who this was, please leave a note in the comments section below.

The Rockin’ Rock Inn – An Oasis Just An Hour (or so) Away

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:44:44 -0800

Some people at Sunday’s birthday party – who have lived in Los Angeles all their lives – had never been to the Rock Inn, let alone Lake Hughes. So I feel better that it’s only taken me about ten years to find it.

Lake Hughes is on the northern edge of the Angeles National Forest, about midway between the 5 and the 14. The air is clear and – for you transplants from the Midwest and Northeast -- the leaves are turning.

There’s a lot of indoor and outdoor space, a full bar and full menu (Wednesday’s food special is all you can eat spaghetti, served by the Lakes Town Council, and dancing and live music Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The address is 17539 Elizabeth Lake Rd Lake Hughes, CA 93532

Many of the customers are bikers – it’s a beautiful drive/ride – but it’s a pretty mixed crowd. Sunday it included a bunch of workers from The Painted Turtle, one of the Adler+Newman camps for seriously ill children, celebrating after a long week. The handsome young man who came over to our table to say hello explained that people are always saying “no” to these kids, and when they come to the camp, they get to hear “yes.”

Check out John's weekly show Off-Ramp!

(Photo: courtesy Suzette Cincuenta.)

Off-Ramp to Mark Sayre Fire Anniversary

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:17:36 -0800

This weekend, Off-Ramp joins many others in marking the one year anniversary of the devastating Sayre fire, which decimated the Oakridge Mobile Home Park in Sylmar.

The team that produced The Ashes of Oakridge -- KPCC’s Frank Stoltze, Queena Kim, and Jackson Musker, plus videographer Tanya Miller – return to the park to see how the residents and the park are doing.

(Image courtesy KPCC’s Frank Stoltze.)

From Mystery Fork to Mystery Tree – Off-Ramp® Calls for Sleuthing

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:57:38 -0800

Attention Off-Ramp's Semi-Pro Mendicants!

The attention generated by the Fork In The Road art prank inspired an e-mail from listener Jane O'Neal, who has her own mystery* she needs help solving.

Hi Mr.Rabe

I once met you at my friend Mimi Pond’s house. She was kind enough to give me your e-mail after I told her about the mysterious art "tree" that has appeared in the little triangle park at Prospect and Hollywood Blvd.

View Larger Map

I heard your program tonight about the "fork in the road" and thought that maybe you could solve the mystery of the strange little "tree" that is hung with lanterns that glow.

My partner, Pat Smith, is the landscape architect who redid the little park recently and she has no clue where the "tree" came from.

Anyway you should take a look at the "tree". It has a sign on it that offers no clues.

Thanks and I really enjoy your program. Keep it up.

-- Jane O’Neal

So, do any of you have any answers? I've asked Off-Ramp literary commentator Marc Haefele to translate the sign's Latin, which might give us a start.

Check out John's weekly show Off-Ramp!

*Of course it's possible I'm being pranked by Ms. O'Neal, but I'm game, and I'm sure she'll share the proceeds from any reality show that springs from this.

(Photos: Jane O’Neal.)

Two Lucky Off-Ramp® Listeners Win “Incarnadine,” RH Greene’s Dracula Memoir

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:35:35 -0800

Author RH Greene (above, in tuxedo) graciously warmly inscribed two paperback copies of "Incarnadine, the True Memoirs of Dracula" for our crassly promotional purposes.

More than sixty Off-Ramp newsletter subscribers responded to the Off-Ramp newsletter’s book giveaway Friday. The winners are …

…Kimberly Choi of Riverside and Weston Thompson of Claremont…

Congratulations! Enjoy the book. Those two are exceedingly fast on the mouse and won only by seconds.

To the other sixty who didn’t win … why not buy it from Amazon, where KPCC gets a share of the proceeds?

We don’t do giveaways all the time – they wouldn’t be special then, would they? – but when we do, it’s cool stuff, which is just another reason to sign up for the Off-Ramp newsletter.

Meantime, lots of nice comments are coming in on RH Greene’s Off-Ramp commentary about his twin Tommy, who died before the book was published. We were proud RH chose to share the story with Off-Ramp.

Check out John's weekly show Off-Ramp!

(Photo: Margot Gerber for Off-Ramp.)

Art Pranksters Stealthily Erect Giant Fork In Road in Pasadena Saturday Morning

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:00:27 -0800

I got an email this weekend from occasional Off-Ramp contributor Donna Barnes-Roberts. She writes:

Dear John,

I don't know if you were in Pasadena when there was a building in Old Town with the legend:

"My People are People of the Dessert,” said T.E. Lawrence picking up his fork.

Well, some slightly wacky people up in the unincorporated township called Altadena felt a certain lack in their souls after that mural fell to progress oh so many years ago, and, Saturday morning at about 9:30, erected an 18-foot fork at the fork in the road where Pasadena Ave. divides into two one-way streets. If you go north on Pasadena Ave., from Glenarm, you will see it at the … fork in the road.

And see it before some bureaucrat takes it down -- though it is built sturdily and set in over 400 pounds of concrete. One of the participants was anticipating arrest, though he just turned 75, and didn't actually build it. However, he certainly had a twinkle in his eye when he mentioned “arrest".

The whole thing was a kind of birthday present for Pasadena. In fact, there was a party, and t-shirts were handed out.

This is officially the LARGEST fork in the road, according to one of the participants. Really.

-- Donna

UPDATE RECEIVED TUESDAY: "After doing some additional research, I now know that this is only the largest fork in the road west of the Mississippi. There is a 31-foot metal fork at a fork in the road in New York State. The pranksters are only mildly deflated. Even pranksters need an occasional reality check."

Donna Barnes-Roberts is a painter who teaches the delicate art of water color. She sent the photos above. I’ll post the video as soon as they send it to the YouTube.

UPDATE WEDNESDAY: Pasadena Star-News notices the fork, does some digging, reveals prankster. Best line in story: “It remains to be seen if the city will get the joke.”

Check out John's weekly show Off-Ramp!

New LAPD Chief, Mugging Reporters, and Mike Flags

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:36:15 -0800

Some of my photos from the news conference at which Charlie Beck was introduced as the Mayor's pick to head the LAPD, succeeding Wm. Bratton.

There's A New Chief in Town from Off Ramp on Vimeo.

Slideshow produced by Jackson Musker.

Check out John's weekly show Off-Ramp!

Bleeding Through – New Play About the Fabric of LA

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:03:04 -0800

Big thanks to Jerry Sullivan of LA Garment & Citizen for tipping us to a new play at Shakespeare Festival/LA, 1238 W. 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026. It’s called "Bleeding Through," and it’s an About…Productions production that digs into the history of Angelino Heights.

It’s not exactly a play. I think they used the word “experiential.” You walk into the theatre, and are met by a narrator who has befriended a widow who lives in a big old house in Angelino Heights, the neighborhood near downtown where Gloria Swanson used to live. He’s trying to figure out her history, which is intertwined with the history of the freeways, Latinos, corruption, the Red Line … in other words, it’s an LA story.

After he briefs you, you sit at tables in the audience as the actors move about you. During intermission, you can go on stage and poke around – looking for clues and further immersing yourself in the recent history of the area. Jerry’s wife Lorna and I did a reading of the “speeding ticket” scene from the "Double Indemnity" screenplay left out for us to see. Jerry ate the gummi bears in a covered dish. He says he's going to go see it again and, during intermission, look for clues to solve the mystery...

Even if you don’t care about the plot, it’s fun just to let the story and characters wash over you – you feel like you’re back in the LA of the 1920s to 1940s.

Check out John's weekly show Off-Ramp!

(Photo: Victorian house at 1344 Carroll Avenue in Angelino Heights built about 1895. Photo dated: Feb. 16, 1979. Credit: Chris Gulker/LA Public Library Herald-Examiner Collection.)

Halloween Tips from LA County Public Health

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:55:20 -0800

News release received today:

LOS ANGELES – Halloween night can be a fun opportunity for children and parents to show off creative costumes, spend time with friends at parties, and participate in the traditional trick-or-treat outing for candy and other goodies. But can also be an opportunity for germs, such as the flu virus, to spread.

“The H1N1 flu is affecting residents throughout Los Angeles County,” said Jonathan E. Harker, MD, MPH, Director of Public Health and Health Officer. “By practicing good hygiene and these healthy habits, you can avoid being tricked into passing out germs along with your treats.”

• Wash your hands before handling or eating candy.
• If you are sick, don’t hand out candy.
• If you or your child are sick, don’t go out trick-or-treating or to parties. Consider staying home and watching a scary movie.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue. If you do not have a tissue, do the “Dracula” and cover your nose and mouth with your arm.
• Bring any human brains up to an internal temperature of 250-degrees Fahrenheit before serving them to zombies.
• Clean the blade on the giant swinging pendulum thoroughly with alcohol, and make sure the retaining straps do not cut off your victim’s circulation.
• If you build a house out of candy to attract children, consider using reduced-sugar snacks to lessen the chance of juvenile diabetes.

(Check out John's weekly show Off-Ramp!)

AVOID WILD MUSHROOMS, CDPH WARNS

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:32:04 -0800

News release sent today:

SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health (CDPH), today reminded Californians that collecting and eating wild mushrooms can cause serious illness and even death.

In California, eating wild mushrooms has caused multiple illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths. According to the California Poison Control System (CPCS), 894 cases of mushroom ingestion were reported statewide in 2008. Among those cases:

• 499 were children under six years of age and usually involved eating a small amount of a mushroom the child found growing in a backyard;
• 358 individuals were treated at a health care facility;
• 72 had a moderate health effect, such as diarrhea severe enough to require intravenous fluids;
• 17 were admitted to the intensive care unit;
• Five had a major health outcome, such as liver failure leading to coma, liver transplant or renal failure requiring dialysis;
• One died.

The deaths have been linked to the varieties Amanita ocreata, or “destroying angel,” and Amanita phalloides, or “death cap.” These mushrooms grow in some parts of California year-round, but are most commonly found during fall, late winter or spring.

Eating poisonous mushrooms can cause abdominal pain, cramping, vomiting, diarrhea, liver damage and death. Individuals who develop any of these symptoms after eating wild mushrooms should seek medical attention. Individuals with symptoms, or their treating health care providers, should immediately contact CPCS at 1-800-222-1222.

(Check out John's weekly show Off-Ramp!)

John Rabe’s Long Weekend in West Texas

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:14:27 -0800

I spent the weekend in the border area between the Hill Country and West Texas, at a ranch in a little town called Segovia, and in San Antonio … Mostly eating, looking at the pecan trees and a nearby river, and hanging out with family. (The place belongs to my sister-in-law’s sister and brother-in-law.)
Tuesday, before they dropped me at the San Antonio airport (where security allowed me to pass through with a whole can of Ro-Tel diced tomatoes and chiles), we stopped at the historic Menger Bar, where Teddy Roosevelt convened his Rough Riders. I was obviously musing on that chapter of history when my brother Karl took this shot.

Here’s a common sign in Texas – this one tacked to a parking garage.

And here’s a little video from the banks of the river that runs behind the ranch house; it's a spoof on David Attenborough.

My sister Clare also brought a bunch of my dad’s photos of Soupy Sales, a couple of which I’ll post next week.

(Check out John's weekly show Off-Ramp!)