Justin's Newsletter: November 2022
Justin's Newsletter: November 2022
Vol. 2, Issue 11
What’s Up With Me:
I’ve been nominated for two Los Angeles Press Club National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards! The judges “evaluated close to 1,700 entries to find the best, most impactful arts and entertainment reporting the nation has to offer.” Both nominations are for my story in LAist about Paradise Springs: “The Hedonistic History of Paradise Springs, Where Early Hollywood Went Wild.” The 15th annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards ceremony takes place December 4. Wish me luck!
I was interviewed for a new, 12-episode LAist Studios podcast series about early JPL history called “LA Made: Blood, Sweat, & Rockets.” The first episode is out now. Read more about it here.
My story about one of the world’s newest micronations, Slowjamastan, is out now in Alta Journal. I traveled to Vegas to attend MicroCon, a conference for the micronational community, as part of my reporting on this story, which is well worth the read.
I’ve written a two-part series in Pasadena Now on Dr. Frank Malina, a co-founder and the second director of JPL. He and his controversial partner Jack Parsons played key roles in the development of the U.S. rocketry program. August was the 81st anniversary of their rocket tests in the Arroyo Seco that led to the establishment of JPL, changed the course of World War II, and created a whole new scientific field: rocket science. Malina—who was born last month in 1912 and died this month in 1981—was posthumously awarded a Medal for Merit by the president of the Czech Republic on Oct. 28. Read Part 1 of my series on Malina here (pardon the formatting issues; I’m told they’re being worked on).
Two new “NewsRap Local” episodes have been released since the last newsletter. The October episode was a special election episode featuring a discussion on rent control and other local election issues with tenants’ rights activist Ryan Bell and Pasadena Chamber of Commerce CEO Paul Little. The November episode features a conversation with LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger on the LA County Sheriff race and other important issues facing the county.
Check out the second episode of my new podcast with Brad Steele called "Dadding," featuring our reflections on fatherhood and the ups and downs of child-rearing. On our minds this time: screen time. Available on Apple Podcasts.
Thank you as always to the Pasadena Media Foundation for their support! Support them!
Stories to Keep an Eye On:
International: The World Cup is underway in Qatar, of all places. Qatar was the first host nation in history to lose its opening game, to Ecuador 2-0. The USA is back in the tournament, so that will be fun to watch (or not—can we get the U.S. women’s team to play for us instead?). This tournament location is the epitome of FIFA’s corruption in the 2010s. Qatar has no quality football program to speak of, they had to reschedule the tournament to the late fall instead of summer because it gets so bloody hot, they had to build stadiums with essentially slave labor, they’ve banned beer sales, they have not relaxed their anti-LGBTQ rules, and they’ve made no strides in terms of human rights. Good times! Still, I’ll be watching. It is the World Cup, after all. At least it’s not in Russia—oh, right. Next time, though, in 2026: U.S., Canada, and Mexico!
National: Well, that midterm election sure was a shocker. To be honest, I had a feeling it was going to be better for Democrats than literally everyone else was saying it would be. The polls have just been so off in recent elections, things just weren’t adding up. With Democratic control of the Senate assured, Republicans don’t have to vote for Herschel Walker in Georgia just because they want Republican control. He has absolutely no business being anywhere near the Senate floor. On the House side, it will be interesting to see if Kevin McCarthy will be able to pull off his campaign for Speaker with such a narrow margin of control. That margin will hopefully tamp down the craziest of the crazies who want to impeach Biden and investigate ridiculous issues. But probably not. Even if they do, that will benefit whichever Democrat runs for president in 2024. It will also be very interesting to see if Trump makes it all the way to the nomination, if he gets the nomination, and of course if he wins again, especially considering all of the legitimate investigations going on into his criminal behavior. What a time to be alive.
California: LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva went down in flames, losing his re-election to former Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna, who immediately pledged to be more transparent and fair. When Villanueva beat Sheriff Jim McDonnell four years ago, it was the first time in 104 years that an incumbent sheriff lost re-election. Now Villanueva has cut that record down to four years. Can’t say I’m surprised, what with his attacks on the press, the supervisors, the civilian oversight commission, the inspector general, vaccine requirements, and his lack of action on deputy gangs.
Local: Pasadena voters have passed Measure H, the rent control charter amendment! The new law will limit rent increases to 75 percent of the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for multifamily rental units built before February 1, 1995, prohibit evictions from rental units except for just cause based on 11 specified criteria including nonpayment of rent and breach of lease, create a citywide rental registry, and create an independent rental housing board appointed by the city council to oversee and adopt rules and regulations. Measure H goes into effect 10 days after the Council adopts the election results by resolution, then the city will have 30 days to post the rental board positions. Something was certainly needed to make Pasadena a more affordable place to live, and a majority of Pasadenans knew that (shocker: a majority of Pasadenans are renters!).
Great Reads
Here are some recommendations for great books I’ve read recently:
The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021—Peter Baker and Susan Glasser
There are a lot of Trump books out there—and I’ve read most of them—but this is by far the best, even better than Maggie Haberman’s recent Confidence Man. While quite long, it is well worth the read, especially in light of Trump’s recent announcement on his campaign to avoid jail—I mean, run for president. This book paints a vivid picture of Trump’s chaotic White House during his first (and only so far) term, and includes many, many details that even I, an avid Trumpworld watcher, didn’t know about.
The Real James Bond: A True Story of Identity Theft, Avian Intrigue, and Ian Fleming—Jim Wright
This is an excellent book about the ornithologist/birdwatcher/author whose real name Ian Fleming stole for his fictional spy, James Bond. When Fleming was writing his first Bond book, Casino Royale, in 1952 in Jamaica, he saw Bond’s Birds of the West Indies field guide on his bookshelf and thought the bland name fit his spy perfectly. The book includes lots of historical photos on high-quality, glossy textbook pages, and explores whether Bond was a spy himself, as several of his classmates and colleagues at the American History Museum ended up working for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)—the forerunner to the CIA—during World War II. Bond spoke several languages and had extensive government contacts throughout the West Indies. The man is as interesting as the fictional Bond and his creator, Fleming.
More About the MEMAH Board of Directors
Dr. Brecken and Martin Armstrong: “The newest additions to the MEMAH board are a wife-husband team, Dr. Brecken and Martin Armstrong. Coming to health from the very different avenues of traditional western medicine and alternative medicine respectively, Brecken and Martin met and married, in part, due to their equal passions to live and help others live their best, healthiest lives. They are honored to join MEMAH’s movement for health advocacy and to use their own specialized sets of skills to affect positive change in the greater Pasadena community. Brecken went to Yale University and the University of Oxford. After her father had a successful battle with cancer, she altered her professional direction and moved on to UCLA Medical School (now David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA), getting her MD in 2005. She chose her specialty of Emergency Medicine because she was dedicated to providing high-quality, equitable healthcare to the disenfranchised of Los Angeles who, most often, find their only source of care in the Emergency Department. Her residency training was completed at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (formally Harbor General Hospital) in Southwestern Los Angeles. She went on to become an attending partner physician in Emergency Medicine at Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center, the busiest ED in the state of California. Brecken went from being the physician to the patient when she was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma at the age of 29. She successfully completed six rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant at City of Hope. In the years since her diagnosis, she was guided by Martin and a thorough study of the medical literature to a plant-based lifestyle. She has now been cancer-free for 15 years which she attributes to her positive lifestyle modifications. Brecken is now studying to become a board-certified Lifestyle Medicine physician so that she can help her patients not only get through their emergencies but also lead them to true health and longevity. Martin was an avionics specialist in the Air Force working on F-15s in Germany. He was then a hardware/software and production quality engineer for Honeywell, Inc. in the Military Avionics Division. He was also a chef and nanny in Beverly Hills, ran an addiction recovery center, hosted a radio show, and managed an international company representing eco-friendly cleaning and agricultural products. He eventually became an internationally trained professional massage therapist, treating physical imbalances of the body and helping his clients achieve their best health. With more than 40 years in practice and more than 50,000 hours of hands-on experience, he works with professional athletes, entertainers, and the business elite world-wide. Dr. and Mr. Armstrong are excited to share their combined passions for enhancing health and longevity through natural lifestyle modifications. They hope to contribute their education, experience, and excitement to empower the public in how lifestyle changes improve the quality and duration of life.”
Learn more at meneducatingmen.org.
Spotlight on My Past Stories
As the World Cup gets underway in Qatar, here’s a look at some of my soccer stories in Pasadena Weekly over the years:
And read all of my journalism here.