You've got questions, I've got answers
Whenever my mom and I are out on a an adventure or just going grocery shopping, we invariably cross something we want more information about. I do this on my own too, but I'm enabled further with my mom present. We are codependent knowledge seekers.
Earlier this month, we were heading down to Los Angeles for the Animal Rights conference. Here are three questions we had with their prospective answers plus the conversation that inspired them.
Question: What is the Congress Created Dust Bowl?
Marji: Crap, Congress created a dust bowl right in the middle of my state.
Mom: Huh?
MJ: I keep seeing these signs along the highway saying Congress Created Dust Bowl and there's a lot of dust and tumbleweeds and CONGRESS CREATED IT! What does it mean?
M: I don't know, add it to the list.
MJ: I am driving.
M: And that is my problem how?
Answer: Turns out the federal Congress has decided that no one in the center of our state deserves water. It has to do with the delta and smelt. Yes, fish. Maybe some mammals too. I'm not entirely adverse to protecting other species, I'm generally for it. It just seems a bit cruel to take one of the largest agricultural areas and, in the span of like a day, take away 90% of their water. It was hard to find any other source except conservative bloggers, but I did find this website Poverty and Hunger which could very well be a front for a conservative evil but it has some factual information. Here's the legislation that turned the central valley of california back into it's normal form called a desert. Also, a story about one town along Hwy 5 suffering - the comments alone amaze me. If these folks were white poor people, I doubt we'd be reading such nasty commentary but because they're latino and *might* be undocumented, well then they DESERVE THEIR POVERTY.
Question: What is the population of Los Angeles?
Marji: Crap, when will this crappy central valley ever end? I mean, thank goodness for the bay area and los angeles because otherwise we'd be one big crappy state of conservative crappyness. This whole center portion is all CONGRESS CREATED DUST BOWL this and GINORMOUS CATTLE FEEDLOT that, where is my people at?
Mom: Yeah, but isn't southern california pretty conservative?
MJ: Yeah, but there's L.A. right and it has like four million people, right?
M: Four million people? Are you serious?
MJ: Maybe six million?
M: We need to add this to the list because either I have been seriously underestimating Los Angeles's population or you're crazy.
MJ: Could be both.
M: True.
Answer: Los Angeles city has a population of 3.8 million, which means I win at life. Los Angeles County has a population of 9.8 million.
Question: How do they transport market tomatoes?
Marji: Wow, look at all those tomatoes! They're like a kajillion of them in that truck which is *pauses* called THE GAZELLE! Since when can a 20,000 lb truck be called a gazelle? Anyway, I don't think I'd want to eat those tomatoes.
Mom: I don't think those are tomatoes they sell in stores. Those are probably shipped in containers.
MJ: NOOOOO! YOU ARE WRONG!!!!
M: Um. Add it to the list, because I'm pretty sure I'm right. Those tomatoes are probably for canning or pasta sauce, not for sale in supermarkets.
MJ: YOU ARE WRONG!!!!!!
Answer: I'm so wrong. Sun-dried tomatoes, sliced tomatoes, pasta tomatoes are all shipped in gondolas. Which I had to look up because when I think gondola, I generally think THIS, although I would probably pick a different gondola than THIS one. Turns out there are gondolas that look like this which look nothing like the tomato trucks we saw. Market tomatoes, on the other hand, are crated and carefully shipped. I WAS SO WRONG HOW WILL I SURVIVE?!?
There you have it.
Earlier this month, we were heading down to Los Angeles for the Animal Rights conference. Here are three questions we had with their prospective answers plus the conversation that inspired them.
Question: What is the Congress Created Dust Bowl?
Marji: Crap, Congress created a dust bowl right in the middle of my state.
Mom: Huh?
MJ: I keep seeing these signs along the highway saying Congress Created Dust Bowl and there's a lot of dust and tumbleweeds and CONGRESS CREATED IT! What does it mean?
M: I don't know, add it to the list.
MJ: I am driving.
M: And that is my problem how?
Answer: Turns out the federal Congress has decided that no one in the center of our state deserves water. It has to do with the delta and smelt. Yes, fish. Maybe some mammals too. I'm not entirely adverse to protecting other species, I'm generally for it. It just seems a bit cruel to take one of the largest agricultural areas and, in the span of like a day, take away 90% of their water. It was hard to find any other source except conservative bloggers, but I did find this website Poverty and Hunger which could very well be a front for a conservative evil but it has some factual information. Here's the legislation that turned the central valley of california back into it's normal form called a desert. Also, a story about one town along Hwy 5 suffering - the comments alone amaze me. If these folks were white poor people, I doubt we'd be reading such nasty commentary but because they're latino and *might* be undocumented, well then they DESERVE THEIR POVERTY.
Question: What is the population of Los Angeles?
Marji: Crap, when will this crappy central valley ever end? I mean, thank goodness for the bay area and los angeles because otherwise we'd be one big crappy state of conservative crappyness. This whole center portion is all CONGRESS CREATED DUST BOWL this and GINORMOUS CATTLE FEEDLOT that, where is my people at?
Mom: Yeah, but isn't southern california pretty conservative?
MJ: Yeah, but there's L.A. right and it has like four million people, right?
M: Four million people? Are you serious?
MJ: Maybe six million?
M: We need to add this to the list because either I have been seriously underestimating Los Angeles's population or you're crazy.
MJ: Could be both.
M: True.
Answer: Los Angeles city has a population of 3.8 million, which means I win at life. Los Angeles County has a population of 9.8 million.
Question: How do they transport market tomatoes?
Marji: Wow, look at all those tomatoes! They're like a kajillion of them in that truck which is *pauses* called THE GAZELLE! Since when can a 20,000 lb truck be called a gazelle? Anyway, I don't think I'd want to eat those tomatoes.
Mom: I don't think those are tomatoes they sell in stores. Those are probably shipped in containers.
MJ: NOOOOO! YOU ARE WRONG!!!!
M: Um. Add it to the list, because I'm pretty sure I'm right. Those tomatoes are probably for canning or pasta sauce, not for sale in supermarkets.
MJ: YOU ARE WRONG!!!!!!
Answer: I'm so wrong. Sun-dried tomatoes, sliced tomatoes, pasta tomatoes are all shipped in gondolas. Which I had to look up because when I think gondola, I generally think THIS, although I would probably pick a different gondola than THIS one. Turns out there are gondolas that look like this which look nothing like the tomato trucks we saw. Market tomatoes, on the other hand, are crated and carefully shipped. I WAS SO WRONG HOW WILL I SURVIVE?!?
There you have it.