I finally received my library copy of "Parts per Million: The Poisoning of Beverly Hills High School" by Joy Horowitz and am using my final days of freedom to plow through it. In addition to giving a colorful portrait of the neighborhood next door, it reveals that the cover-up of the carcinogenic effects of the oil wells and power plant in the Beverly Hills High/ Century City area continues to this day.
This is worrisome. I don't live far from that area of town, and according to the extremely vague map found in the book, it appears that there are many more wells located in my neighborhood. Hopefully I'm not paying this exorbitant rent just to give myself thyroid cancer. That would be a bummer, especially in light of my third-rate health insurance plan. Maybe it really is time to cut out for Malibu!
I was reminded of the Todd Haynes film "Safe," in which Julianne Moore plays an affluent San Fernando Valley housewife who develops a severe reaction to toxins in her environment, such as the smell from her child's markers. While at the dry cleaner's during a visit from pesticide control, she suffers a seizure, and she then moves to a New Age compound in the desert. You don't know if she is really being poisoned or has gone batty from boredom.
After seeing the film, my friend and I would always report to one another when we were having a "Safe" moment, such as when stuck behind a dirty tailpipe in traffic (nothing sends me into a violent rage more).
Showing posts with label Beverly Hills High School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beverly Hills High School. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Yoga Freaks*
*not to be confused with "Goa Freaks," one of my favorite books
I've taken classes from some, ahem, interesting yoga teachers while living here, but my latest teacher takes the cake. Last week I thought he was handsome in a Luke Perry sort of way, but this evening he taught class wearing earrings, a shiny necklace, and makeup. He was also sporting baby-smooth legs and a lacy red thong under his shorts.
While waiting for class to begin, I picked up the L.A. Times and read a review of a book called "Parts per Million" about the possible link between numerous cancer cases and the nineteen oil wells at Beverly Hills High School. There's a plant at Century City and another forty wells "near Cedars-Sinai Medical Complex." I'm wondering if they mean the one that is located around the corner from me (there's another complex that is a little further west). If there are oil wells around here, then it's official, I am completely unobservant. The review is here:
http://www.calendarlive.com/books/la-bk-abcarian22jul22125320,0,5526634.story?coll
=cl-books-features
I've taken classes from some, ahem, interesting yoga teachers while living here, but my latest teacher takes the cake. Last week I thought he was handsome in a Luke Perry sort of way, but this evening he taught class wearing earrings, a shiny necklace, and makeup. He was also sporting baby-smooth legs and a lacy red thong under his shorts.
While waiting for class to begin, I picked up the L.A. Times and read a review of a book called "Parts per Million" about the possible link between numerous cancer cases and the nineteen oil wells at Beverly Hills High School. There's a plant at Century City and another forty wells "near Cedars-Sinai Medical Complex." I'm wondering if they mean the one that is located around the corner from me (there's another complex that is a little further west). If there are oil wells around here, then it's official, I am completely unobservant. The review is here:
http://www.calendarlive.com/books/la-bk-abcarian22jul22125320,0,5526634.story?coll
=cl-books-features
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