Today’s news chum brings news of three items that are soon-to-be gone:
- If you’ve ever driven by the corner of Sherman Way and Tampa in Reseda, you’ve seen Lorenzen Mortuary across the street from the Jewish Home. According to the Daily News, they are going to have to relocate. The mortuary at 19300 Sherman Way was founded in 1952 by Virginia and Donald Lorenzen (who later served on the Los Angeles City Council). Virginia died in January at age 92; in early 2009, the Los Angeles County Office of the Public Guardian, serving as her trustee and conservator, received court approval to sell her real estate holdings to pay for her care and expenses. They were sold to Robert Hirsch, chairman of the board of the Jewish Home, who then donated the land. The Home plans to build Senior Housing, and so the mortuary has to move.
- You might just have driven by that corner in a Chevy. If you didn’t, someone else did. However, if GM has its way, you won’t be able to say that: GM wants people to stop using the term “Chevy” and go back to the full name, “Chevrolet”. Some dealers even have a “Chevy Jar”, just like a curse jar. I’ve seen responses to this that say they don’t think an American car should have a French name. This is something I think GM will have trouble with—it’s like Anheiser-Busch trying to get folks not to call their swill “Bud”. (hmmm, interesting parallel there: Quality automobile are to Chevys as quality beer is to Bud). In other car news, Cadillac has redesigned their logo again.
- And while in that car, you might have been listening to the radio. Thirty years ago, you might have been turned to KMET listening to Dr. Demento (I know I did in high school). Soon, you won’t be able to do that, at least on the radio. Dr. D is leaving the airwaves after 40 years. He’ll still be streaming a 1 hour show on the Internet. In many ways, though, the nature of novelty records has drastically changed. Nowaday, who makes audio recordings—they are all You-Tube videos.
