I just lost my mind a little bit. I'm sure you'll understand why:

The Garden. The fourteen-acre community garden at 41st and Alameda in South Central Los Angeles is the largest of its kind in the United States. Started as a form of healing after the devastating L.A. riots in 1992, the South Central Farmers have since created a miracle in one of the country’s most blighted neighborhoods. Growing their own food. Feeding their families. Creating a community.

But now, bulldozers are poised to level their 14-acre oasis.

The Garden follows the plight of the farmers, from the tilled soil of this urban farm to the polished marble of City Hall. Mostly immigrants from Latin America, from countries where they feared for their lives if they were to speak out, we watch them organize, fight back, and demand answers:

Why was the land sold to a wealthy developer for millions less than fair-market value? Why was the transaction done in a closed-door session of the LA City Council? Why has it never been made public?

And the powers-that-be have the same response: “The garden is wonderful, but there is nothing more we can do.”

If everyone told you nothing more could be done, would you give up?

Action Alert. They are still fighting this battle, it seems.

I wasn't a great moviegoer in 2007, and I have yet to catch up with many of the Oscar-nominated films.

In fact, I've seen only six. And, frankly, the two "biggest" left me feeling a little chilly.

Few very well-made movies have made less of a lasting impression on me than No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood.

I don't demand a happy ending, but I do like, y'know, character arcs and just a little more understanding of the human condition along with my popcorn. Rich cinematography, bravura acting, and the muted-if-epic presence of directors whose work I've absolutely loved before don't, for me, make up for a deficit of storytelling and meaning.

I really don't know about, nor care about, whatever movies have been nominated this year. Two words why the Oscars mean nothing to my Netflix queue: "Gladiator" and "Casablanca." Anyway, I was surfing around my usual news list, and I came across this. Scroll up and down the number brackets for other photos (bottom). Interesting, innit? I mean- how does this "summation" of "who's who" at the Oscars Red Carpet walk compare to what you've seen in the US media? Hint: how many blondes are there at my link? I don't know who these people are, but I find it an interesting gallery, as I'm sure if I went to CNN or ABC, few if any of these people would've made the "best dressed on the red carpet walk" photo montage.

I, for one, welcome our new Han masters. They may be racist, but at least they're willing to admit that brown is often pretty.