Straight Outta Boring

Compton Is an Icon of the West Coast Ghetto, But That May Be One of the Greatest Marketing Tricks of Our Time

Don’t believe all the hype around Straight Outta Compton.

Reading about the new hit movie about the groundbreaking rap group N.W.A., you might think the biggest problem facing Compton is its unfair and outdated reputation for the violence and gangs that were the subjects of N.W.A.’s music. But today, Compton may have a bigger problem: the reality that it’s boring.

The Compton depicted in the film, which topped the box office in its debut week, is scarily entertaining—a mix of menace and schemes and murder. In this, it fits decades …

By Joe Mathews | August 20, 2015

Technology Can Quench California’s Thirst

To Take on the Drought, We Need to Change the Way We Relate to Water

by Paul Bisceglio | August 19, 2015

As their state continues to crawl through an extended period of drought, Californians are increasingly coming to terms with the fact that the water shortage isn’t ending anytime soon—and looking …

Southern California’s Reservoirs Are Fuller Than You Think

It's Hard to Watch Boats Glide Over a 40-Billion-Gallon Lake and Feel Despair

By Steve Hymon | August 17, 2015

On a recent trip to Wyoming, I was talking to one of the locals about the drought back home in Southern California. She had heard that it was so bad …

Six Ways We Can Keep the World From Drying Up

As Water Disappears, These New Techniques Will Help Us Stave Off Perpetual Drought

August 14, 2015

Early last year, Californians, already deep in their state’s drought panic, confronted a depressing statistic. Governor Jerry Brown had called for cities and towns to voluntarily cut down on water …

The Daunting Task of Reimagining ‘Anne of Green Gables’

As a Kid, Writer Andi Teran Fell in Love With Anne Shirley, so She Created a Similar Young Hero for Contemporary California

By Andi Teran | August 10, 2015

“Because when you are imagining, you might as well imagine something worth while.” Anne Shirley, Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery

There were many moments throughout …

I Found Home in a Pumpkin Pie Milkshake

After Moving to L.A. From a Small Town, I Craved a Familiar Place

By Dominique Resendez | August 5, 2015

When I left Watsonville (pop. 52,000) in the fall of 2012 to attend Occidental College in Los Angeles, I expected to cry at the absence of family and friends. But …

Thinking L.A.