Tue - May 1, 2007

Is Pot the New Wonder Drug?


An Interview with A Compassionate MD
in our Neighborhood,
or How to Get your Medical
Marijuana Recommendation and
Start Growing your Own Health!

by erica snowlake

Posted at 01:13 PM     Read More  

Large Waves and High Water


Dear Beachhead,

For several years I have been trying to bring attention to the precarious situation of Venice, CA in regard to flooding. While much is made of the story of Abbot Kinney and the canals, little is said about the reason for the canals.

Posted at 01:00 PM     Read More  

In Brief


Bannerless Building

Seen recently on the cover of the Feb. 2007 Beachhead, this development on 1214 Abbot Kinney Blvd. proudly sported a “STOP BUSH” banner, making it the envy of the neighborhood. But shades of shady plumbers, the 20 ft. long banner with 5 ft lettering was stolen within weeks of making its FVB premiere.
Independently funded by local contributions, the banner was taken using the site’s second story scaffolding by a team of thieves who broke into the private construction site after hours.

Posted at 12:17 PM     Read More  

Venetians face drastically increased bus fares


Dear Beachhead,

We come to you in a moment of great urgency, at a time when the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Agency (MTA) plans to dramatically increase bus fares, if we do not come together and stop them. Roger Snoble, the CEO of the MTA, has announced a proposal for major increases in the price of public transportation in Los Angeles.

Posted at 11:21 AM     Read More  

City Council Took Money, Then Voted to Approve Playa Vista; City Attorney Also Implicated


By John Davis

After prevailing in their lawsuit against the Los Angeles City Council and the Playa Vista project, the environmentalist winners have filed legal papers accusing the City Council and its attorney of taking bribes to approve the dangerous development. The city is doing everything in its power to avoid following the order delivered by the California Court of Appeals.

Posted at 10:22 AM     Read More  

Chains of Fools


By Rex Butters

With the familiar logic that fuels corporate strategies, another downtown Venice vacancy has fallen to chain store occupation, as the Quizno sub chain opens an outlet across the street from the Subway sub chain outlet. What crack team of highly paid marketing consultants extensively surveyed the area to determine that Venice needed two generic, flavorless, mass produced sandwich shops, one boasting the ability to toast, within such close proximity to each other? Is there that much overflow?

Posted at 09:23 AM     Read More  

Oh. My. Pure. Goodness! - A Night On The Town


By CJ Gronner

April 24, 2007. If you were so incredibly blessed to be in the house at the Hotel Café this night … you will never, ever forget it (and be careful, because by the end of this, I’m sure some of my profound gratitude will ooze off the page and get all over you). If you weren’t … well, fix yourself a drink and settle in – a long, staggering night like this deserves a long vivid rehashing about it (although bullet points of who played would be more than impressive enough), and I need to try and do it justice. AXIS OF JUSTICE!

Posted at 09:00 AM     Read More  

Driving for Dahlia


By Jim Smith

Can one person stop the war in Iraq? If so, my money is on a 100-pound dynamo named Dahlia Wasfi.
She is one of a small group of speakers that includes Gold Star Mother Cindy Sheehan and former arms inspector Scott Ridder who travel about the country trying to rouse opposition to the war and occupation of Iraq.

Posted at 08:28 AM     Read More  

Lincoln Place: TENT CITY REPORT


By C.V. Beck

Tent City has resumed once a week, Saturdays, 10 to 5 pm, California and Frederick Streets, southwest corner, behind the Ross/Ralphs area in the free speech area. We have snax and chats all day long. Come see us if you want.

Posted at 08:00 AM     Read More  

Military Movie Review: 300 - A Spartan Way to Increase Enlistment


By Karl Abrams

Last month I went to see that new blockbuster, megamillion dollar film, 300. You know, that weird and bloody, mindlessly violent and historically inaccurate Warner Brother’s film about the ancient Spartans fighting a million Persians at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC.

Posted at 07:32 AM     Read More  

An old-fashioned May Day celebration


It began in 1886 when Chicago workers called a strike on May 1st to demand an eight-hour day. Police promptly attacked.

Posted at 07:00 AM     Read More  

Homeland Insecurity


By Glenn Taranto

My home is gone. Everyone has been telling me to “move on,” “let it go” and the ever popular, “This’ll be the best thing that ever happened to you.” I suppose that’s true. There’s nothing I can do about it now. 1101-1107 Venice Boulevard has vanished as if it were never there.

Posted at 06:34 AM     Read More  

Big Brother – and the neighbors – are watching


By Catherine Komp

For $5.99 per month, you can turn a cell phone into a surveillance device and track when your target leaves home, where he or she travels and at what speed. You can even detect how much battery power is left on the phone.

Posted at 06:27 AM     Read More  

Poetry


* JIVE FAUST - By Hal Bogotch
* The Lag - By Jim Smith
* American War - By Simone White
* I still owe her $6,000 - By Rex Butters

Posted at 06:20 AM     Read More  

Downtown Venice News


Two Visions of Historic Windward Avenue

1980 flyer from the Venice Town Council (photo):
The flyer offers “For” and “Against” arguments for the development. The “For” argument says prophetically, “If this project is stopped, some other development will go in there that will not be as good as this, but will really be bad for Venice.

Posted at 06:13 AM     Read More  

Control of the World’s Energy


Dear Beachhead,

Since the beginning of human civilization, man has faced tyranny in many forms. Through out history the common man has had to suffer under the rule of oppressors at the risk of life and freedom for reasons such as religion, right of land, territorial conquest, racial theory and most recently political beliefs. Through out time, never has there been a tyranny with power that was capable of reaching and infecting every corner of the planet. A tyranny that affected not only a single generation, but that could affect every coming generation for as long as we lived on this planet.

Posted at 06:04 AM     Read More  

Astrological Cookery


General Forecast for May 2007

In general, this will be a month of pushing and pulling, of two steps forward and one step back. Just knowing that you have to put in so much more time and the effort is frustrating, but the payoff, when it arrives, will be double. Not only will you have what you wanted, you’ll know how to proceed to make it the best.

Posted at 06:00 AM     Read More  

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