Parts of Los Angeles are turning into mini-Mogadishus, according to the L.A. Times.

L.A.'s hot zones are tiny, intensely dangerous areas where nothing works, where law has broken down and mainstream institutions simply fail. Places where mail carriers and meter readers balk when the bullets fly. Where paramedics and firefighters are hesitant to enter because of the crossfire. Where police officers go in only heavily reinforced or with helicopters; in the LAPD's South Bureau there was an 80% increase in sniper fire on police in 2004, according to a report by LAPD Chief William Bratton.

Via Fark, the comments are not really in the Christmas spirit.

There's a lot of seasonal blasphemy going on at b3ta, this one is artikel 147 as well, but only when read carefully...

once upon a time....

'Shift yer ass Joseph!
I'm about ready to pop'
                \
  
  (^-^)     nn  (^o^)
   | |\  __/..\  | | 
   | | \(-     \(_ |___
   | |   """"\    U    \
   / \        ||""""""||\
  /   \       ||      ||
__________________________
XXXX in the stable... XXXX

              'aar, halo
'push Mary!'   emerging
   (^-^)       sideways!'
    | |      __ 
    |U|=O:/\/  \_(-_-)
    |_|  //\________/
__________________________
XXXXXXXX P O P ! XXXXXXXXX
    ____
   (____)  'Jesus Christ!'
   //  \\       \   \
  //^__^\\    
  ||\WW/||     (^o^) (^o^)
   /    \       | |   | |
   U|  |U
     UU      
__________________________
X meanwhile out in space X

 *        *      \ /\ /
  *   *       *  -=  =-
       ___       / \/ \
 == __/___\__
== ( o  o  o )  'i can smell
    """""""""     a Jesus... 
  *    *      *   Attack!!!'
___________________________
XXX back in the stable XXXX

 _n_    _n_    'curse you
(o o)  (o o)  - Jesus!'
 ZAP!   ZAP!
   \     |         'Ho ho ho!
    \    |  ____    No laser
==   *___* (____)   beams can 
    / _  \ //  \\   penetrate
== | /_\  //^__^\\  my Jesus
    \__/__||\WW/||  shell!'
== (__________/
___________________________
the aliens give chase on foot
  ___
 /   \ 'aah, foiled by
 \0 0/  His slimey trail!'
  \o/     | 
  -\-    ___   _______@y
   |\_  /   \         /  
   \    \0_0/___/_   /
_____________\____________
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

'Darth      'Jesus! I have
Vader?!      something to
what you      tell you...'
doin here?'     \   ___
        \          /___\
         ____     //o_o\\
  ___   (____)    |_/#\_|
 / _  \ //  \\     |[ ]|\
| /_\  //^__^\\    | _ |_\
 \__/__||\WW/||    |/ \|
(__________/       U   U
__________________________
XXX to be continued... XXX

ASCII art by monkeymonty

As I understand it, there is a new movie sub-genre: urban intersections. If En la ciudad (In the City) is a true representative of this sub-genre, then I like it. It is a film about a group of thirty-somethings finding and losing love and affection, against the backdrop of the magnificent city of Barcelona. Not Gaudi's Barcelona, although the Sagrada Família can be glimpsed from the balcony of one of their appartments, more the Barcelona of breakfast with churros and chocolate in the local bar, lunch in a fancy new joint and dinner in an old place far in the Eixample.

Of the men I liked Tomas most. He is a recently divorced music teacher who is having a fling with his 16-year-old student Ana. Of the women Irene, who should be happy with her loving husband and child, and her job at the museum, but who isn't, because she longs for the love of Eva. But all the others were kind of huggable as well, which gives an impression of the quality of the acting.