Category Archives: Personal

Personal

Crawford Canyon Park Now Open in North Tustin!

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell
OC Parks opened Crawford Canyon Park with a ribbon-cutting today. Nestled where Newport Boulevard meets Crawford Canyon Road in North Tustin, the new 2.5-acre park was planned with the community’s voice in mind and officially unveiled for families, walkers, and neighbors to enjoy. Two nature-themed playgrounds, exercise stations, picnic tables, a quarter-mile paved loop, ADA parking, and improved sidewalks make it easy to stroll over and spend an afternoon. Supervisor Donald P. Wagner called it an inviting, walkable space for making memories, and judging by the kids testing swings and neighbors trading smiles, that’s exactly what it’s already doing.

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Personal

Will Rogers State Historic Park Welcomes Visitors for the First Time After Palisades Fire

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell
Will Rogers State Historic Park reopened to the public today after a ten-month closure following the Palisades Fire. More than 1,000 visitors — some who walked in from the surrounding neighborhood and others who extended L.A. trips to be there — spent the day on guided hikes, history walks, and leisurely picnics on the open lawns.
 
Families enjoyed the Inspiration Loop Trail, polo demonstrations on the surprisingly intact field, and volunteers and staff walked visitors through what the fire took and what the recovery has already achieved. The Will Rogers Ranch Foundation kept spirits high with complimentary coffee and ice cream, the Santa Monica Mountains Fund covered parking, and the California State Parks Foundation handed out giveaway items — small comforts that made the day feel like homecoming.

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Inspiration, Questions and Answers, Writing

Question: When a writer presents their manuscript to an editor or a publisher, what prevents them from just stealing the work and publishing the book under their own names?

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Answer: Professionalism. An editor or publisher will only ever get one chance to “steal” someone’s work. After that they’re out of business, sued into oblivion, and Chernobyl when it comes to ever being employable ever again. The only writer who is worried about an editor or publisher stealing their manuscript is the noob who doesn’t understand that their work isn’t worth stealing. The amateur. The wannabe too scared to break in who is looking for a reason – any reason – to ensure they remain anonymous and unpublished.

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California, National Forests, Personal

Some National Forests Temporarily Closed For Public Safety Finally Reopen!

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

The U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region has taken three national forests off the regional closure order that came into force as wildfires spread throughout California due to the incredibly inept forest management (or lack thereof) of the California state government. Inyo, Sequoia, and Sierra National Forests were removed from the list.

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California, General, Jeep

Why do California drivers rarely give signal when changing lanes?

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

This question was posed to me, and the answer is pretty simple: People in California very often do use their turn signals.

In California, though, the turn signal is a challenge. It has nothing to do with being inconsiderate or laziness. It’s a peacock showing colors, or a baboon showing it’s big colorful butt. It’s an aggressive challenge to the person in the next lane: “go ahead, try to stop me.” The driver in the next lane can either submit to the dominance displayed by the signaling driver, or issue a formal challenge in the form of acceleration.

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