Why So Stormy?

A storm swept over Los Angeles this weekend, and apparently is here to stay awhile longer. The rainy weekend was not a warm welcome for Spring, but that is very typical of Southern California weather, lately at least. The weather this winter was like a roller coaster, sometimes I forgot what season we were even in. Now, it is supposed to rain again starting today, but the question is why?

The unpredictable weather of Southern California is becoming a phenomenon, and Los Angeles is not the place to go for pleasant weather anymore. Why is this happening? Some say global warming, which could be possible since the weather is strange everywhere, not just in L.A. We have had so much rain over the past year, and the showers over the weekend were at a record high. The rain and wind caused new mudslides in Malibu that had to be cleaned up immediately so residents could drive places. It will likely snow on the Grapevine and will have to be closed temporarily.

The storm brings a sense of fear and wonder because of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The weather affects many aspects of our lives, as seen earlier this week with the power outage at LMU. After the raging storm of the weekend, I saw branches and trees all over the streets. Literally, I saw about three trees that were fallen over in a short drive. Power and traffic are the two main things impacted by storms, but mood and the way you dress are smaller factors to consider as well. No one really wants to do anything or leave the house on a dark, rainy day, which leads me to believe that this weather is no good for productivity. Not to mention, if it's raining one day and not raining the next and then raining again--how do you know what to wear?

--Claire Ensey

photo credit: MSN News

You Can't Hide Behind the Palm Tree

IF you're from Los Angeles, the image of the palm tree is both completely alluring and cliché. However, the palm tree in fact isn’t a tree at all; it’s actually more closely related to the grass species. This large lawn tossing, this giant grass tree, embodies the city in more ways than we’d ever stopped to consider. Standing erect, shallow roots intact, the palm tree towers over residential areas snubbing its nose (in this case fronds) at those beneath it. Painfully slender, this enormous shoot of grass stands erect and above the frumpy oak and average maple. Its larger than life quality has fully become the personality of LA. But, I think its done so in all the wrong ways.

Assuming that the palm “tree” represents the shallow nature of Los Angeles, we’d have to agree that Los Angeles is superficial in the first place. I’d have to agree: people cut each other off in traffic, give each other the finger, neighbors shoot each other over colors or street corners, and “industry” divas will rip out even the most expensive extensions for the allure of fame. We live in a city where “please” and “thank you” are rarities, and the only apologies ever uttered are “Sorry, I’m not sorry.” We don’t interact with our neighbors, we shut our doors and lock the deadbolt because we fear our neighbors. Just yesterday a student at Gardena High School critically injured two of his classmates when a gun in his backpack accidentally went off in class. Reporters scornfully ask whether the high school freshman will be tried as an adult, why the school didn’t have metal detectors, and what the chances are of survival for the two injured. However, did anyone stop to ask why the student felt the need to bring the gun to school in the first place?

Interestingly enough, we cannot find salvation under a palm tree; the leaves are dwarfed in comparison to the trunk. You can even say the tree is slender enough that you can’t hide behind it either. Maybe this image gives us more than what we originally would have thought. We can’t hide from our superficial notions, our traffic, or our lack of humanity for one another. And maybe so many people come to Los Angeles because they want a place to hide.

--Hailey Hanann

photo: "Little Palms, Mid-Town"
credit: L.G.