Local Blogger Locks Down, For Now

David Allen writes that the Goddess of Pomona has restricted access to her blog, at least temporarily:

I e-mailed the Goddess to inquire and she said she'd shut the blog down of her own volition due to "anonymous attacks in the comments section of late. Especially after learning the source of the latest comments." She didn't elaborate, but said the attacks have made blogging "not so fun."

"So until I decide what to do, I've put a lock on the blog," she said.

That seems to be the major headache that comes with comments. Who really has the time to monitor them? And who wants to be responsible for someone else's speech? It's difficult enough policing one's self on one of these things. We go back and forth on the matter of comments. For now, though, we are open to your emails, so keep those electronic cards and letters coming.

Claremontian's New Digs - UPDATED

The Claremontian has moved from Wordpress to the social networking site Ning. You can find the new site here. We've updated the link on the sidebar to the left.

The new and improved (see, Tony Witt, we can do that Madison Avenue stuff too!) Claremontian has a number of improved features. Mostly, it operates like a localized Twitter but with more content. You have to register to become a member. It doesn't cost anything, though. The Claremontian also accepts paid advertisements.

The Claremontian belongs to Claremont resident Richard Mancuso [Mancuso's bio updated from the Claremontian, May 13, 8:40pm]:

Richard Mancuso (Founder):

I am a 15 year old local high school student from Claremont, CA. I am a musician, student, blogger, and social media and technology enthusiast who wanted to start a website where you could find everything about Claremont. I originally started a blog called the Claremontian in December of 2008 where you could find news stories and more; however, it wasn't really what I wanted. I wanted more of a fun social network that would allow you to connect with people who live close by. I also wanted users to be able to post almost any content imaginable. This is just what we did with the new website claremontian.com. Right now the company is small, with just my friend and me running the site, but we will hopefully be adding a couple of others as the site begins to grow. You can find my personal blog here. Add me as a friend on the Claremontian. Follow me on Twitter. Friend me on Facebook. Thanks to all those who are participating in the site and for spreading the word! Check back soon for updates.

The Claremontian is offering a live City Council meeting chat tonight at 6:30pm. You can watch the council's video feed and comment if you like.

And, Claremont's goofiest councilmember, Sam Pedroza, is listed as a featured Claremontian member and has his own blog on the site. Sam apparently wanted to display his wisdom in a more wordy venue than Twitter. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, says the ever-changeable Sam.

Quite a contrast, by the way, to Pedroza's soliloquy at a council meeting last October:

New Blog in Town, Sort of

We'd like to give a shout-out to an interesting new blog we came across recently: Original Skrip. Skrip lives on the northeast end of Pomona and is practically a Claremonter.

The blog features sharp graphics and photos, as well as posts about things like gardening, local entertainment, and local history. We've added Original Skrip to our local blog roll and look forward to more from him in the future.

Skrip's blogger profile says:

About Me

Los Angeles native living in the ignored northeastern edge of Pomona for the past 6 years.

Skrip, whose most recent post says he worked in the financial industry and smartly cashed out a year ago, apparently also has a graphic arts background, and he promises to change up his logos regularly. Right after we put this post together, Skrip went and put up a new logo based on Claremont's stork brand citrus label:

Original Skrip Image
(Click to Enlarge)

New Claremont Blogs

The local blogosphere has expanded a little:

The Claremontian is a new blog that has a mix of local news, restaurant reviews, arts and entertainment announcements, and (in the future) music, photographs, and poetry from "Claremontians."

The Claremontian gives this self-description:

About

The “Claremontian” is a brand new blog started by local “Claremontians.” Our mission is to bring the latest information and news about the small town of Claremont located in Southern California, to you. As a bonus we will provide information, including reviews about local stores, shops, and restaurants located in Claremont, California. For small updates on what we are doing, you can follow us on Twitter. Also, if you find any bugs or errors on this website feel free to contact us via the methods listed on the contact page.

* * *

And then there's Life in Claremont, a blog by Claremont resident and music teacher Charlotte, who also has a blog called Motifs in Music. Both offer great personal observations about books, music, and (of course) life in Claremont.

Life in Claremont has been online a while - since last July. Motifs is a recent development.

This Year's Reading

Photo Courtesy of
Wikimedia Commons
David Allen continues on with more literary musings. Allen wrote in his blog that he's kicking off the New Year with another reading project. Last year Allen read and reported on "Moby-Dick."

This year Allen's chosen another Herman Melville work, this one a collection of stories:

You may recall that last New Year's, I decided to begin an ambitious book, "Moby-Dick," a novel that turned out to well repay the hours (and days, and weeks) I devoted to it.

That gave me the idea of starting one long, classic book each Jan. 1, something to lose myself in during the winter months and to constitute a sort of intellectual self-improvement program. What is Jan. 1 for if not for outsized goals?

I was batting around the titles of various complex novels on my shelves, including "Don Quixote" (bought from a sale table at B&N circa 2001, never read) and "Crime and Punishment" (bought after seeing "Match Point," ditto), before deciding to read a shorter classic book: Herman Melville's "Billy Budd and Other Stories."

The collection Allen is tackling includes a number of Melville's short stories, including "Bartleby, the Scrivner" as well as the novella "Benito Cereno."

You can read Allen's post here, and he invites you to pass on your thoughts and to share your own New Year's resolutions. Or not, if you would prefer not to.

Pomona Library News

We're going to need a special blog roll just for Pomona. Ms. Lois, a library specialist over at the Pomona Public Library Children's Room, reminded us that the PPL has a great blog of its own, full of photos, PPL news and other library-related tidbits, including a story of pumpkin pie. It bills itself as the children's library blog, but there are plenty of things written by and for grown ups.

The PPL blog's header gives us some institutional history:

Ms. Clara Webber was the first children's librarian of Pomona Public Library. A long time correspondent with Mrs. Laura Ingalls Wilder, she was instrumental in having the Children's Room named in honor of Mrs. Wilder on May 25, 1950. Today, we house the original hand written manuscript for the novel Little Town on the Prairie. Every February, we host the Laura Ingalls Wilder Sociable in honor of Mrs. Wilder's February 7th birthday.

Lois' pumpkin pie travails reminded me of a throwaway line from Garrison Keillor a couple weeks ago about how the best pumpkin pie you ever tasted isn't much different from the worst.

Keillor, by the way, performed his show live at Bridges Auditorium on the Pomona College campus 23 years ago, before he started doing his Prairie Home Companion road performances in larger venues like the Greek Theatre. Willie Nelson was a special guest performer that long-ago night at Bridges.

We saw PHC live at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium about 8-1/2 years ago. The then-red-hot newgrass band Nickel Creek, headed up by three young people who grew up together in San Diego, performed and sang, among other things, the old timey song "The Fox."

The band's no longer together, but mandolinist Chris Thile struck it really big and pops up on all sorts of records now.

Nickel Creek - The Fox

New Upland Blog

There's a relatively new Upland blog - the first we've heard of for our neighboring city. The site is called All Things Upland. The blogger, Uplander, described his reasons for starting his blog in a December 2nd post:

I wish there was a good daily blog about Upland, CA. I'm creating one in hopes of finding an audience and hopefully someone to do a better, more complete job so I can just read about Upland happenings rather than poorly report on them.

Why am I interested? Well, my wife and I are from here and we have a lot of good memories here. I've seen Blogs from other cities that I've lived in and Upland deserves at least as much.

We're looking forward to hearing more from Uplander about our neighbor to east, and we've updated our local blog roll with All Things Upland.

Pomona Blog Scene

Image Courtesy of the Pomona Public Library

- Click to Enlarge

Pomona possesses what must be the liveliest blogging community in the Inland Empire. We're fans of M-M-M-My Pomona, Goddess of Pomona, and Images of Pomona. Also, Metro Pomona has the scoop on the happenings in downtown Pomona.

A reader sent us three more links to Pomona blogs we've managed to overlook. We're adding these to our local blog roll, so they'll be there in future:

• Pomona's Art Colonists - As the title indicates, this site has news about the downtown Pomona art scene.
  
  
• Blurry Memoirs (A Bartender's Take on Life) - This is a blog by Tibbi, a bartender at dba256 Gallery Winebar.
  
  Meg at M-M-M-My Pomona offered this description of dba256 last month:
  

  In other news (or not-news, really), we headed down to dba256 last night for a drink before supper. We spotted Dave Allen, but he looked deep in conversation, so we didn't bother him. Then who should wander up but our own John Clifford. As the three of us chatted on a couch, a couple of other Pomona Heritage members came by and joined us. The five of us talked so long, Mix Bowl was the only place open when we finally turned our attention to supper.
  
  That, I must say, is the dictionary definition of the "local," English style -- the pub where you stumble in for a drop to cure what ails you and end up meeting half your neighbors. I haven't had a local since they closed the Salty Dog Saloon for my going away party in 1988, putting a sign up on the door saying "We're at Meg's -- if you know where that is, you're invited."
  
  

• Pomona Subterraneo - This blog belongs to Pomona resident Andre Martinez, who describes his efforts thusly:
  

  Pomona Subterraneo is gritty, crass, obnoxious, cerebral, stupid, borracho and many more pretty things.
  
  
  
  

Breaking News: The FC is Back

The FC Blog, which shut down abruptly to an unfortunate and disastrous server crash, is back with a new look. They're still working out a few bugs, but they're back online with news of the San Gabriel Valley.

Sounds as if it may take them a week or so to work out a few bugs, but keep checking in on them. FC Blogger Centinel writes:

We’ll have a lot more about the blog in the days to come, but this week is our soft launch. We’re sneaking back on the web without a whole lot of promotion while we kick the kinks out of this brand spankin’ new design. I’ll be showing off some new features, and testing the functionality of the site, while some of our writers get acquainted with the updated Wordpress and sharpen their knives. Please email me with any complaints (centinel@thefcblog.com) and let’s get the blog back to snuff.

Pomona Photo Blog

Ren, the blogger who also doubles as the photographer for Goddess of Pomona and the Pomona Historical Society, has closed his own blog and has a new one: Images of Pomona.

We've updated our local blog roll accordingly. Below is a sample of Ren's work showing the ongoing restoration of Pomona's Fox Theater by Arteco Partners, the same company that refurbished the Packing House in Claremont's Village West expansion. Arteco is also restoring the Padua Hills Theatre for the City of Claremont.

Photo Courtesy of Ren at Images of Pomona

Insider News

A bit of housekeeping -

The Insider is pleased to announce its staff has grown by one with the addition of our newest voice, moderndulcinea. We look forward to more of MD's wit and unique observations in the future.

And we promise to keep trying to do our best to pound the pavement to bring you the news of Claremont without having to resort to outsourcing our reportage.

To celebrate our expansion, we commissioned a staff photo:

Today's Local Blog News

Some bits and pieces from other local blogs:

Sierra Madre, A View From the Canyon, is live again after a five month layoff. They've got a new site, and we've updated our link.

Also, there's a fairly new Pomona blog called Rens Corner featuring some great photos of Pomona along with bits of Pomona news. Ren describes his blog:

About Me

Besides going out and taking pictures for either the Goddess OF Pomona or the Pomona Historical Society or just for myself of my art, I was thinking why not a blog. phone book of some sort well its here for all you people who lov to blog. surf like me :^) at ren-pomonablog.blogspot.com.

Blogospheric Gleanings

Considering the recent (temporary?) demise of The Foothill Cities blog, we were happy to see that the Goddess of Pomona is back on the air after a month-long silence. Goddess has some observations about her fair city, as well as a plug for mayor of Pomona.

Meanwhile, over at M-M-M-My Pomona, we were beginning to worry about Meg, who'd been quiet for an extended period as well. We're happy to report that Meg, too, is back among the e-living and had a post about her trash pickup that for some reason reminded us of Jean François Millet's "The Gleaners."

M-M-M-My Pomona, by the way, is sporting a new, brighter look. The content remains insightful as ever.

Cookie Mail

The LA Times story on our fearless mayor prompted quite a bit of mail, including this from one reader who noted that the article left out one important point:

The LA Times reporter left out one of the most important facts surrounding this issue. He neglected to report that in confronting the Girl Scouts, Taylor told them that she was the deputy mayor of Claremont, as if that gave her the right to call the police. One more instance of the abuse of power that Taylor and her crew exhibit when dealing with anyone that gets in their way. So sad for Claremont.

By the way, I received the latest issue of Money Magazine yesterday which rated the best cities in the US and lo and behold, Claremont was NOT among the top 100. Maybe they heard about Queen Ellen as well!

Yes, we forgot about that one when we were deconstructing the Times piece. The Courier reported this in their March 15th article on the affair:

Ms. Taylor first asked if the group had a permit from the city to operate at the location, announced that she was deputy Mayor of Claremont and threatened to call the police if the Girl Scouts did not cease operations, [parent Pam] Gavin said.

Say, now that we re-read that first sentence, it does sort of make you wonder if Ellen didn't have a hand or paw or some other appendage in having the Girl Scouts named in that solicitation ordinance after all.

Then there was this from a former Claremonter who found us from somewhat afar:

The Ellen Taylor matter is a nice way to be introduced to you.

I lived in Claremont long ago and still love it.

Any intuitive personality will quickly pick up the lengthy dissembling of Ms. Taylor. The profession of her husband is mentioned, and it is a classic strategy of his profession to attempt to turn the victim into the perpetrator and to turn the perpetrator into the victim—in this matter, the victims into the perpetrators and the perpetrator into the victim. A bit dicey with Girl Scouts and their cookies, but Taylor clearly has been giving it her best shot. Nevertheless, Ms. Taylor doesn’t play the “victim role” very convincingly, and it would take an Oscar-level screenwriter to turn those Girl Scouts into Nightmare on Indian Hill Boulevard!

My sense is that this scenario exactly describes all her language and all her efforts here. Almost instantly she attempts to portray herself as the protector and the savior of these witless young girls and of their equally witless adult guardian, (all present on that spot apparently with permission), which self-serving portrayal clearly was not what brought her rushing from her husband’s office—her own admitted first words reveal this and absolutely convict her!

Basically, every word and every action of this woman after her first sentence has been a self-serving and self-protecting lie. Off with her lying head!

Ah yes, the ol' turn-the-offender-into-a-victim trick that's the nth time Claremont's fallen for that one, straight out of the playbook of former Claremont City Manager Glenn Southard. Amazing how many times that one works in this city of Ph.D's.

We also received this from another erstwhile Claremont resident:

Subject: Your blog reminds us of home

As a Claremont expatriate, I was delighted to discover your blog through a link at professorbainbridge.com.

Thanks for your insights. I’ll be a regular reader!

There were also a couple emails in support of Taylor, and, out of some vestigial sense of fairness, we'll try to post those in a day or two. Keep those cards and letters coming!

Pass the Madelines

"All of those orange and lemon groves brought an incredible and memorable smell to the entire area. That is what I remember about summer nights in Claremont, but that strong but welcome aroma doesn’t exist here anymore, either."
- Sid Robinson, Sid's Side

Last week, David Allen had a post about local blogger Sid Robinson. Move over Marcel Proust, memory and sense tug strongly, even here in the digital world.

Robinson, who is a Claremont High School grad, recently wrote a piece about places and things he'd grown up with that have been demolished or redeveloped beyond recognition:

When the “new” Albertson’s opened on Towne and Foothill, we found ourselves venturing a mile east for some of our shopping. And in the same center sprang up a Value Fair, where you could find pretty much anything. All of those places – gone.

The other grocery store in town was the Stater Bros. on the southeast corner of Foothill and Indian Hill. There were tunnels that went under those streets so pedestrians wouldn’t have to cross in heavy traffic on the way to the old Claremont High School. I can barely remember when that was a campus, but I remember the previous iteration of shops that replaced the classrooms, as well as the Griswolds’ Restaurant. The old gym was known as “the Pavilion” before it became the Candlelight Pavilion, and we had quite a few dances and other events over there.

We've heard the tunnels are still under there someplace, sealed and covered up, though we've never seen proof of that. An occasional reader recently mentioned a taco restaurant at Central and Foothill that was pretty popular among high school aged kids. This would have been around the 1940's and 50's. Anyone ever hear of this place?

David Allen Reviews New Pub

David Allen reviews The Back Abbey, the new Belgian pub on Oberlin Ave. next to the Claremont 5 Laemmle Theatre. Allen thought that at $13 his burger was "possibly the most expensive in the Inland Empire." He was very impressed with the fries, and the beers he could take or leave, though he does tell us he's not a real beer fan.

Like Meg at M-M-M-My Pomona, Allen thought the noise was overwhelming.

Housekeeping

Our apologies to readers using Firefox. The formatting on some of the posts using italics is messed up if you try viewing with Firefox. Internet Explorer does not seem to have this problem. We've contacted Blogger and hope to get the issue addressed.

Back Home in Claremont

Insider Institute: Interior View

(Click to Enlarge)

It's always fun to get away, but it's even better to be back home. These trips through the space-time continuum take a lot out of us, not to mention the wallop we get when the electric bill from using the Insider Institute time machine (seen above) comes in.

We hope those of you who joined us on our trip back to 1984 Lausanne, Switzerland, enjoyed the journey and the art exhibit, and that you, like ourselves, are happy to be back in the land of Claremonters.

As with any trip, there were a few problems. Our hotel accommodations were less than satisfactory, but that's what you get when you try to do things on a budget. Speaking of budget items, the time machine gave us a few problems. We probably should have spent the extra money and upgraded to a model with a more secure passenger compartment. The thing's always giving us trouble, what with rocks, sticks, and the occasional rebar popping up in the cabin as we materialize.

Our intern, Jerry, had a little problem as we arrived back at the Insider Institute, but he should be fine after a few months of relaxing post-op recuperation. Memo to selves: we also need to rethink our healthcare benefits. At any rate, Jerry should be back shortly. He better, or we'll have to find a new intern.

Jerry has our last intern to thank for our time travel problems. His predecessor Beth was the genius who got the idea to find a discount machine after watching the movie "Napoleon Dynamite."

Lesson learned. You definitely get what you pay for:

Foothill Cities = Community Service

John Clifford over at the M-M-M-My Pomona blog has a nice post that pays tribute to the stellar work the Foothill Cities writers have done covering the Sierra Madre fire.

Clifford says:

It must be remembered that bloggers are not being paid to do this. However, the contributors of the FCB have done an very admirable job in giving the community (and the wider community as well) a very good picture of what's going on. This coverage is so much better than any of the local media has given because it is being reported by those who are directly affected.

I salute the contributors at the Foothill Cities Blog. They show that blogging is more than just a bunch of complainers venting at their local governments. They ARE concerned citizens, who like most concerned citizens, rally together in times of trouble.

News aggregators is what most local bloggers are, and the Foothill Cities folks have shown that having all those eyes and ears out there in the community can be valuable during crises.

Housekeeping

The Claremont OTR blog is defunct, so we have deleted that link. Apparently, the students who started the site lost interest. We noticed that no one had posted to the blog in a couple months, and the host site, College On the Record, finally pulled the plug.

Rest in peace, Claremont OTR.