Catching up on web reading between shifts: An interesting column about suburbs, sprawl, and the American ethos of "Give me convenience or give me death," as Jello Biafra put it. This ties in pretty well with this article (by Andy Serwer, one of the few readable biz journalists out there) about the obscene amount of retail in this country -- "the number of malls is growing faster than the number of babies." Also, "American households owe on average $8,940 on their credit cards, up 173% from 1992, when we had an average outstanding balance of $3,275." Both links via Cyburbia, my favorite source for urban-planning geekery.

Something I've already read, but maybe you haven't: It's nice to see Arnold's crappy behavior towards women finally get some mainstream airplay, but I read this article about it more than a month ago (and probably should have blogged it then). Three cheers for the indie presses. You know the 1977 interview the Governator is in trouble for? Here's a quote from it: Bodybuilders party a lot, and once, in Gold’s — the gym in Venice, California, where all the top guys train — there was a black girl who came out naked. Everybody jumped on her and took her upstairs, where we all got together. Some say this sounds more like gang rape than an orgy and I have to say I agree. (Yes, being naked in a semi-public place full of large men is risky and stupid. No, it's not consent.) I also think it's fair to say bragging about this is worse than lying about an affair with your intern.

Next post, I'll tell you about the LA County Fair.