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Off-Ramp®

Off-Ramp for June 20, 2009

John Rabe
Sincere Imports souvenir shop in Chinatown, Los Angeles.
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June 20, 2009|2 comments

NOTE FROM JOHN RABE:

Welcome to Off-Ramp, the best* local public affairs show in the nation, with beautiful lacquered memories of Southern California ... at very reasonable prices.

This week Garrison Keillor muses about another force of nature, Jesse "The Body Politic" Ventura; Brian Watt has third-row seats (from the back) at the Coliseum for the Lakers rally; and we explore the controversy over OCMA's sale of 18 California Impressionist paintings. If you break it, you buy it.


(*2009 PRNDI Awards)

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The Orange County Museum of Art is getting heat for selling 18 California Impressionist paintings, as reported by the LA Times' Christopher Knight (L) and Mike Boehm.


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Cyberfrequencies talks to Tony Award winning lyricist Brian Yorkey who's been twittering his musical Next To Normal. Molly Peterson asks Yorkey how and why he put his musical on Twitter.


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Former OCMA guard Kevin Ferguson had a close personal relationship with at least one of the paintings OCMA sold in March, William Wendt's "Spring in the Canyon," which he says was a balm for older museum-goers after viewing the more challenging modern art pieces. (Image credit: Laguna Art Museum)


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To mark Juneteenth, when many black Americans celebrate freedom from slavery and reflect on the ongoing civil rights struggle, LA Times columnist Hector Tobar says the city's Latinos ought to do some reflecting of their own.


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Off-Ramp commentator Chris Ames dislikes the Santa Ana residents who are trying to keep trash scavengers out of their trash cans.


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Off-Ramp's John Rabe continues his conversation with Garrison Keillor. This time, they talk about former Minnesota Governor and professional wrestler Jesse Ventura, and the origins of "A Prairie Home Companion," which turns 35 in July.


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On Wednesday, KPCC's Brian Watt and 99,999 other people filled the LA Coliseum to thank the Lakers for winning the NBA Championship.


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Ilsa Setziol, the award-winning former KPCC enviroporter, is generally mild-mannered. But certain things in her lawn-filled city drive her crazy.


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Visitors flocked to the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens to see a Corpse Flower bloom for the first time in years. KPCC's Shirley Jahad went to check out the stinky flower and spoke to the Huntington's Lisa Blackburn.


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Commentator Jeff Girod is fed up with nosy people who ask him and his wife, "When are you going to have a baby?"


Mary Presby
4 months, 2 weeks ago

kpcc spoke of a short story contest hosted, I believe, in tandem with the "New Yorker," but I can find no further information as to how to submit material. Would appreciate additional information. Thank you.

John Rabe
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Hi, Mary.

In his Off-Ramp interview (above) Garrison Keillor talked about writing for The New Yorker and how his piece on Richard Nixon at the Grand Ole Opry inspired him to start A Prairie Home Companion 35 years ago.

But I can't find anything about a contest involving short stories, KPCC, and The New Yorker. I'll check with smarter people and get back to you.

Meantime, speaking of contests, am I the only one continually frustrated by The New Yorker's lame cartoon caption contest? The winners are never as funny as they should be, and not nearly as funny as MY entries, which they must somehow be losing in the mail, because I never win. My best caption involved a penguin and a bathrobe. How could that NOT win?

-- John

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