The Real San Pedran

Issues

http://rneighborhoodsare1.org/
The source for all things related to Ponte Vista and the fight to stop the mega development from overwhelming the already overburdened vital San Pedro/Rancho Palos Verdes corridor. Some good links to the blogosphere.

http://www.pontevista.blogspot.com/
Resident gadfly Mark Wells is the go-to guy in the battle to thwart Ponte Vista.  It doesn’t hurt that he knows how to write.

http://www.pontevista.com/
You can accuse me of not being fairminded.  Just keep in mind this site exists for one purpose only–to sell Ponte Vista.  So read everything here with a grain of salt. 

People

http://www.sportswalkwaterfront.com/
Ever wonder who’s on the Sportswalk and what they did to get there?

http://barrymcguire.com/
One of San Pedro’s favorite sons who hit it big in the music biz, hit rock bottom and finally found lasting success.  A great story from one of the icons of the early `60s.

http://markmckenzie.org/
Quiet and unassuming San Pedran Mark McKenzie has put together an impressive Hollywood music career.  Check it out.

http://pandauprojects.com/
San Pedran Scott Anger is a talented multimedia journalist.  See for yourself.

History

http://www.mysanpedro.org/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PD7oDQ2Q98
I don’t know who this Todd Titterud is, but he’s doing some nice work with his Web site.  Great photography, and his links to “The Romance of the Ranchos” on Old Time Radio is priceless.  The video of old Beacon Street is a great silent documentary of a bygone era.

http://vimeo.com/25152402
“Notorious: The Infamous History of the Port of Los Angeles” is a must-see documentary by writer/producer/director Marie Hegwood.  Features San Pedro’s own  Joe McKinzie, Art Bartlett, Art Almeida and Ann Sanford, among others.

http://www.laokay.com/San-Pedro-Victorians-in-Los-Angeles-California.htm#San-Pedro
http://www.laokay.com/Misc-San-Pedro-in-Los-Angeles-California.htm
http://www.laokay.com/The-Churches-of-San-Pedro-in-Los-Angeles-California.htm
http://www.laokay.com/The-Gun-Batteries-of-San-Pedro-in-Los-Angeles-California.htm
We have photographer John R. Kielbasa to thank for these sites, chock-full of photos of historic homes and other sites in San Pedro along with short histories of each site. Too much good stuff. 

http://rootsweb.ancestry.com/~casbcgs/HarborVwCem.html
Ever wonder who’s buried at Harbor View Memorial Cemetery?  Thanks to the hard-working people of the South Bay Cities Genealogical Society, you can now visit the quaint little cemetery and read all the headstones without leaving home.  Great site for San Pedro history buffs.

http://sanpedrobayhistoricalsociety.com/
It took awhile, but historical society site finally gives viewers a reason to visit.

http://railwaypreservation.com/SanPedro.htm
Some great photos and postcards showing the history of the Pacific Electric Red Cars in San Pedro.

Pedro blogs

http://sanpedrobxb.com/
How can I not mention a San Pedro blog that actually has pictures of me on it?  The work of Townee Tours’ Romee Romero.

http://devojane.blogspot.com/
Phillips Ginder’s interesting site on San Pedro’s many roles in film.  Hasn’t been updated in more than a year, but I still give it two thumbs up.

Misc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1gqnXJ6Af8
Hip-hop/photographic homage to San Pedro that, if you just listen to the words, nearly everyone can relate to.  Truly a state of mind.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Pedro,_California
About what you expect from a Wikipedia site.  Exhaustive yet entirely subjective view of San Pedro from climate to media.

http://randomlengthsnews.com/
I’ve listed this site only because if you can get through all of the hard-left political propaganda and conspiracy-theory ranting worthy of the ”X-Files,” there is an occasional personal interest story worth reading.  Too much exposure to this site may cause brain damage, however.

http://handclasp.org/Welcome.html
Check out this site to learn about an organization that is making a difference in the lives of impoverished Thais.  Its American roots are in San Pedro, and local churches continue to play an important role in its ministry.

http://www.cleansanpedro.org/index.htm
San Pedro’s a better place thanks to groups like this.  A great grass-roots success story.

http://www.portoflosangeles.org/
Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the harbor–past, present and future.  The history section is exceptional, with some great archival video.

http://www.pmanet.org/
Lots of interesting data about the employer group that affects a huge chunk of San Pedro’s population.

Happenings

http://pedrocalendar.com/
Whew! Kristina Smith’s comprehensive list of San Pedro events, along with a bunch of good links, puts the chamber to shame.  The place to visit to find out what’s happening in town.

http://www.sanpedrochamber.com/
Typical chamber site.  Nice but rather limited interactive map of local businesses.

http://dalmatianamerican.com/
http://www.croatianculture.org/portal/
San Pedro’s most ubiquitous ethnic group has two sites to keep you up-to-date on all things Croatian.  Can I buy a vowel, Pat?

Places

http://www.pacificbattleship.com/
Beautiful site dedicated to San Pedro’s newest and biggest attraction.

http://www.lanevictory.org/index.php
If you haven’t visited this WWII-era Victory ship or taken a cruise on it, the only question is:  Why not?

http://www.cabrillomarineaquarium.org/
Do you remember when all we had was John Olguin and his collection of tidepool specimens in canning jars?

http://lamaritimemuseum.org/
The former ferry building is a San Pedro landmark, and the museum inside is first rate.

http://ftmac.org/
Web site devoted to one of San Pedro’s finest and least publicized attractions comes fully loaded. Museum director Steve Nelson deserves a medal for what he’s accomplished on a shoestring budget.

http://www.grandvision.org/
Everything you ever wanted to know about the Warner Grand Theater, the grande dame of San Pedro.

http://www.sanpedro.com/
Directed more toward tourists, but a nice compilation of links.  Worth checking out just to find out who has the cheapest gas in town.

Personal favorites
(a politically correct-free zone)

Music videos (not what you’d expect)

http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=WDG7PPNX
“The Parent Rap” became an instant classic.  Who can’t relate to this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=oXvJ8UquYoo&vq=large
Proverbs says a merry heart doeth good like medicine.  Here’s a dose of merriment guaranteed to put a smile on your face and maybe even a spring in your step. 

http://www.youtube.com/embed/XlyCLbt3Thk?rel=0
Strangely beautiful, almost hypnotic video.  It’s called animusic.   Who knew?

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Pwe-pA6TaZk&feature=player_embedded
This is about as “feel good” as a music video can get.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuVs5G5C5tE
Now you know what our soldiers in combat zones do with their free time.  What a kick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR-A4QFHZBA
Billy Joel’s classic “We Didn’t Start the Fire” visualized with iconic images from years baby-boomers like myself can’t forget.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gzg1qL6b4uk
Lots of touching stuff on YouTube about 9-11, but this may be my favorite.  Keep the tissue handy.

http://www.andiesisle.com/creation/magnificent.html
Breathtaking video that goes so well with the music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpoudLoc8sY&feature=related
Just one question:  Have you forgotten?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz3CPzdCDws
It helps if you’re a fan of old-time musicals, Rita Hayworth and the Bee-Gees, but regardless, this should bring a smile to your face.

Information

http://www.wimp.com/countriesyears/
200 years of the world’s economic history in four minutes.  Not bad.

http://www.pagetutor.com/trillion/index.html
Use this site the next time you get into a discussion on the national debt.

http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash/
Very cooooool, but this is why newspapers as we used to know them no longer exist.  A special bonus can be found on the left side of Germany, where Stars & Stripes pops up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU
Nothing funny about this.  I’m sure birth-control advocates from the `60s never imagined consequences of this nature.  Scary stuff.

http://www.poodwaddle.com/clocks/worldclock/
An odd but fascinating little Web site, especially if you’re into numbers.

http://www.infoplease.com/year/1951.html
Find out everything (well, almost everything) about any year you want without buying one of those silly greeting cards.  This link sends you to my birth year.  Wow, I’m old.

http://www.animatedatlas.com/movie.html
Entertaining 10-minute refresher course on the evolution of the United States, from 13 colonies to Hawaii and Alaska.  You’ve probably forgotten a lot of this from your school days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngsKzdKNAmo
Yes, I’m a big believer in the 2^ndAmendment, and here’s why.

http://ncc-1776.org/tle2011/tle610-20110313-09.html
This first came to me in 2008, and with gasoline at $4 a gallon, remains more relevant than ever.  If we’d drilled then…

http://www.methodshop.com/picts/500-facts/index.shtml
Impress your friends with this mountain of trivia.  And, yes, people who do this sort of thing need to get a life.

http://www.snopes.com/photos/politics/restarea.asp
All I can say is, I think we need a bigger fence.

http://web2.airmail.net/danb1/usrecords.htm
Did I tell you I love statistics?

http://fp1.centurytel.net/jakdun/Perspectives.htm
This site truly does put things in perspective.

http://htwins.net/scale2/scale2.swf?bordercolor=white
All I can say is, WOW.  Thought of putting this under inspirational.  Takes the above site one step further.

http://www.prageruniversity.com/
Can’t recommend this site enough, even if you’ve been to university.  Or especially if you’ve been to university.

http://www.flashbynight.com/test/
Are you “Smart or Stoopid?”  I love tests like this.  Don’t ask how I did.

Military

http://stg.do/91qb
A great story told by a magician with a deck of cards.

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/48131-uss-mississippi-bb-41-1924-turret-explosion/
Great site about one of the biggest events in the history of San Pedro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70Ikj1hZDnw&feature=related
Moving memorial to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFVQKLjLXgM
Yes, it’s just a well-disguised Ford commercial, but I’m a sucker for anything that honors the military.

http://soldierwall.com/wall.php
Great way to pay tribute to our men and women in uniform.  Thanks to Tony Maes for sending me links like this one.

http://www.winkmartindale.com/thoughts-n-things/page146.html
Yes, there was a day when screen heroes were heroes in real life, too.  How times have changed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctVI5baftFo&feature=related
Touching tribute to the American soldier in picture and song.

http://www.hopetohealing.com/veterans/vsubmit/troopabuse/0troopabuse.htm
This site speaks for itself.

http://www.youtube.com/v/qWcDIMrd6eE
Lots of great WWII footage out there, but this color film of Iwo Jima battle is rare.  Semper Fi.

www.rafa-ncb.org/images/MilitarySecrets.pps
Some beautiful aviation photography with pithy commentary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlpn9acf16k&feature=gv
As the son of a WWII veteran, veterans have a special place in my heart.  Keep a hankie handy for this one.

Inspirational

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6rgkCUstaE
This story should inspire everyone who sees it.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/OvN1jTkzXbY?rel=0
If you didn’t like President Reagan, skip this, but if you think he was the greatest president of our generation, you’ll love this.

http://sagebrushpatriot.com/america.htm
John Wayne recites “America, Why I Love Her.” ‘Nuff said.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo
Powerful testimony by dying 47-year-old professor Randy Pausch.  It’s long but worth every minute.  Must-see whether you’re seriously ill or in perfect health.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-8PBx7isoM
The rare riveting public service message.  It will give you goosebumps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVcoQcdjrsA
I’m not ashamed.  I still cry when I hear “God Bless the U.S.A.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYI_aOyCn9Y
If only there really was a magic stethoscope.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=fKyljukBE70
Amazing doesn’t even begin to describe this high-tech look at life from conception to birth.  May be the best argument against atheism you’ll ever see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrCvMTGs2u8
OK, I love this little girl.  Check out all of the videos on this link.  What a story, and what a gift.  If she doesn’t make you cry, you need a heart transplant.

http://www.flickspire.com/m/LifeSecrets/MakeADifference
This is for all of you teachers out there, who, like my wife, give so much of themselves and receive so little in return.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=KcuDdPo0WZk
Beautifully photographed video of fantasy flight from sea to shining sea.  We do living in a beautiful country.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUOQ_yPW_0s
Award-winning wildlife video shot in the Rocky Mountains.  Gorgeous.

Animals

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=fER-WhFUzoA
Only a dog could make a lottery commercial such great entertainment.  Inspired work.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/EBYPlcSD490?rel=0
I’m no Greenpeace wacko, but I dare you not to be moved by this true-life “Free Willy” story.  Certainly appropriate for San Pedro, which we all know is a whale of a town.   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_BLSHl3EXU
Inspiring video of the 2006 rescue of 200 horses in the Netherlands with stirring Vangelis soundtrack.  What can I say?  I love horses.

http://www.betweenthekids.com/2012/01/black-tailed-deer-boat-rescue/
This is a truly, dare I say it, endearing story.  No shame here—I saw Bambi as a little kid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ypd9q-Js5E
I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for the Lone Star State. 

http://www.forwardon.com/view.php?e=Id12bdb5d56c6008dd
A great selection of animal photos sure to brighten your day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Yfbchq0xQmQ&vq=medium#t=
This is long but worth every minute of it.  Endearing fable of dog and dolphin (from the 1997 movie “Zeus and Roxanne”) enhanced by romantic soundtrack by legendary Greek singer Demis Roussos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=oOZF4vTAF2M&vq=medium
This could have gone under inspirational, but it’s also the story of the bald eagle Challenger told through patriotic ballad written and sung by James Rogers.  Try not to cry.

http://www.dogwork.com/prybrme8/
I could post a thousand sites featuring dogs, but there’s something special about dogs that pray before meals.

Humor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6mbW-jMtrY&feature=player_detailpage
If laughter is indeed the best medicine, then this “golden oldie” should cure just about anything.

http://www.jest.com/embed/153248/brooklyn-italian-spelling-bee
Nobody can make fun of Italians like other Italians.  This is hilarious.  Thank you, Tony DeGirolamo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XjUFYxSxDk&feature=related
Mark Gungor’s “Tale of Two Brains” became an immediate “classic,” and if you’re married, you’ll see why.  Hilarious and so true.  Should be mandatory viewing for all couples planning to get married.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVkZZsS-66c
Gut-busting skit from a 1968 “Tonight Show,” when Johnny Carson ruled the airwaves.  This is true nostalgia, from a time many of us remember when comedians could make us laugh without being base or vulgar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXgoJ0f5EsQ
Anita Renfroe gives the William Tell Overture new meaning.  Parents and children alike can relate.

http://www.thespasms.com/
And this is what anesthesiologists do in their free time.  Very disturbing…and clever.

http://www.timhawkins.net/video.html
This guy is a genius.  “The Government Can” is so pithy it hurts.

http://stevebridges.com/
Incredible impersonations.  Pokes fun at people we admire without being mean-spirited.  Sadly, Steve died in March 2012 at age 48.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDPASHeUUQQ
Fasten your seat belt for this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X4tqi7d83M
Hey, you think I can’t laugh at Italians?  Fugiddaboutit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBz_5YszE8M
I don’t even drink soda, but I’m old enough to get a kick out of this commercial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMiC9CKi6Xw
Who’d guess that a cigarette commercial could be this entertaining?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt7FDTpzGvo
There’s a reason they say don’t mess with Texas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAunc4oI7fE
Headlines like these would never have gotten past the copy desks where I worked.  Put sound on mute.

http://help.lockergnome.com/general/SCHOOL-1957-2007–ftopict53404.html
Humorous but biting look at how common sense has been eradicated from our public schools.

http://loriborgman.com/the-death-of-common-sense.php
This goes hand-in-hand with the previous link.   There are several versions out there, but this is the original.

http://www.jokelibrary.net/education/after_m/sci1-holes.html
The things you learn on the Internet.

http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=4587348
Couldn’t find this outside of a blog, but it’s worth reading.  And I’m sure you can add a few more truths yourself.

http://www.bouldertherapist.com/html/humor/WordPlays/lexophiles.htm
You don’t have to be a lexophile like me to enjoy this, but it helps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpVhn9ErzDA&feature=endscreen&NR=1
This guy is really funny.  Check out his other videos.

http://www.flixxy.com/awesome-people-and-amazing-animals.htm
A real hodge-podge of videos that in most cases will make you smile, but be sure to watch it to the end…the laughing baby is too cute.

http://popcorn-hot-popcorn.blogspot.com/2009/05/letters-to-god-through-child-eye.html
Sure to make you smile.  Leave it to kids to ask the really important questions in life.

Art

http://www.youtube.com/user/brusspup?feature=watch
I’m a big fan of illusions, and these are truly amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmm-0-Rdxo8&feature=related
Self-taught child prodigy Akiane was subject of this 2007 CNN segment that should inspire even the most cynical among us.

http://oddstuffmagazine.com/extraordinary-art-on-pencil-tips-by-dalton-ghetti.html
Unbelievable what this artist can do with a lead pencil.  Amazing stuff.

http://www.beautifullife.info/art-works/unbelievable-pencil-art/
While were at it, look at these pictures:  Photos or sketches?  I’m impressed, and I’m a dog guy.

http://www.dirtycarart.com/
You have to see this guy’s art to believe it.  Check out his gallery–and you’ll never look at a dirty car the same way again.