Sahra Sulaiman

"Stah-LEEN," he enunciated for me, reaching up and tapping the cardboard cutout of a soccer shirt hanging over the cash register. His back to me, he ambled intensely around the workspace looking for a bike part. "Keep talking," he said with an urgent wave of his hand. "I'm listening."

"Most people DO realize that Flaming Hot Cheetos are not a good meal on a daily basis, three times a day," said Clare Fox, Strategic Initiatives Coordinator at the Los Angeles Food Policy Council (LAFPC).

Riding down Crenshaw Blvd. yesterday, I was surprised to see every single tree had a flyer attached to it.

One of the great things about the rise in riding events in South L.A. and the surrounding areas is that they are starting to take on the feel of a family reunion for me.

It's going to be hot this weekend.

When election seasons heat up, politicians are often quick to assure constituents that they represent Main Street, not Wall Street. But they way they conceptualize of "Main Street" has very little relation to an actual urban Main Street, such as ours. Wouldn't you love to see Mitt Romney getting a bacon-wrapped hot dog from a street vendor? Or stopping in a 99-cent store in the heart of South L.A.? Or Obama popping into the soul food place that bears his tagged-up visage? Where are those photo ops?

"Only a nobody walks in L.A." blared at me as I strolled into the grocery store.

It's been hot lately.

Have you ever stood in front of a piece of public art and thought your experience would be all the awesomer if you had some context for the work? Or maybe you passed by a public artwork every day and it didn't register with you until someone engaged you on questions of its value and meaning?

Yesterday, the Peace, Love, and Family Ride rolled through South L.A., ably led by the Real Rydaz.