Los Angeles is a city of cars. You have probably heard that but it really is true. This is world where the car is king and mass transit is looked down upon. There are some vague attempts at making transportation more acceptable. One of those thing is car pool lanes on the freeway. The thing is in LA two people in a car are considered a carpool. I don't know about where you live but in past aka reality, the places I've lived 3 was the minimum for being seen as a carpool. San Francisco, well actually Oakland has a carpool culture that inspires and encourages carpooling. At corners near the Bay Bridge you can pick up either a third or a duet to get you over the bridge faster. This practice has been so popular that the carpool lanes are equally as crowded.
People in LA are up in arms ( great phrase isn't it "Up in arms") over the idea of the three people requirement. Come on 2 people is a carpool! That's like saying one potato chip is enough. This is a city that once had an amazing mass transit system dismantled by big business car, oil and tire companies. Its a new world now and mass transit is the responsible and reasonable way to go. Not everyone in this city is a celebrity and they have to face that fact. Take a bus or a train damnit. You never know who you will meet! "Is that that guy from Glee?"
Justin Beiber was pulled over for reckless driving on the 101 in Studio City. He was driving his Fisker Karma at a very high speed on a very busy LA freeway at 10:45am. It has been reported that he was driving at speeds nearing 100 mile per hour. Little Mr. Beiber claims he was being chased by paparazzi. He was trying to elude the tabloid photographers. Granted he is young but has he never heard of Princess Diana? Not only was he weaving through traffic endangering himself and his brand but he was endangering the public. Not his public but the general public. The biggest crime itself may well be the car Justin was driving. It is a shiny chrome $100,000 automobile. You want to be left alone Justin try driving a less conspicuous vehicle, perhaps a Prius or maybe as you are in LA a Mercedes coupe.
A call to 911 was placed by LA City Councilman Dennis Zine who was on the road and witnessed the Beib racing through Studio City. Oddly Dennis Zine recently proposed a local ordinance against aggressive paparazzi.
The Magliozzi brothers Ray and Tom have announced they are going to retire their popular NPR show "Car Talk". There will be no more news from Dewey, Cheatem & Howe, no more phone calls for help to the brothers who made automobile chat palatable and amusing. "Car Talk" was started 25 years ago in Boston and has become a national staple on NPR. The two brothers with their thick New England accents made talking about cars fun and informative with their infectious laughs. They proved that public radio wasn't just for egg heads it could be a place a gear head could have a laugh. They had a short lived television show that for one reason or another didn't catch on. They had the faces for radio it seems. So long Ray and Tom, thanks for the laughs and the advice.
