Los Angeles was growing – FAST. On the back of it something else was growing too, just as fast if not faster – Crime. What wasn’t growing, much to the frustration of the Police Commissioner and much to the delight of certain elements, was the size of the Los Angeles Police Department. Compared to places like New York the ratio of police to citizen was starting to look pitiful. But what made it worse was the budget – something else not growing nearly as fast as required. Not only was the LAPD understaffed it was underpaid with new officers earning less than refuse collectors. It came as no surprise that a significant number of the LAPD was ‘on the take’ and not just the guys on the street. Something needed to be done and someone with the power and the balls to do it needed appointing to the role. That man was William H Parker. Seen by some as a self-obsessed bully and by others as the city’s saviour he was determined to root out corruption and clamp down on the growing crime epidemic sweeping the city. Opposing him was the city’s underground, Organised Crime and the politicians in City Hall. The fight for the soul of the City of Angels was about to begin.
Like most everyone else, I’ve grown up with images of LA from movies and cop shows (some of which are mentioned in this often-fascinating book) but knew little if anything about the reality of the situation. No more! Unsurprisingly, quite a few of what I’d picked up from Noir cinema and shows like Dragnet actually had a reasonably firm basis in reality – most especially when they focused on corruption, police violence and racism and, probably most importantly, political interference. I know it shouldn’t have confused me as much as it did, but I found myself constantly shaking my head over the poor funding the police department received – no matter the real or perceived demands – as well as the demands from the commercial sector that ‘too much policing’ was ‘bad for business’, by which they normally meant gambling of course. With the in-roads made by Organised Crime the amount of money sloshing around – especially in City Hall – was astounding and, no doubt, contributed to the Police Departments underfunding and the slow-walking of modernisation efforts. Again, it was surprising just how long proper training – in Police College rather than ‘on the job’ - took to bed in properly as well as obvious improvements such as radios in patrol cars.
Although not exactly an ‘eye-opener’ this was an interesting and often fascinating look at the inside of the LAPD in its formative years from the 1930’s and into the early 1990’s. I was certainly much more aware of some of the later events talked about here, but I still recognised a scattering of names from the 1940’s and 50’s too. Apparently made into the TV Series ‘Mob City’ (which I don’t think I’ve ever heard of) this is a recommended read for anyone interested in US Organised Crime or the City of Angels herself. More to come on both subjects.
It was a story, or was it? When Peter arrived that night when their parents were at a nearby neighbour's house the children could hardly believe it. But belief took a back seat when Peter flew across the room and promised to teach them all to do likewise. Wendy, the more grown up and more sceptical one, took her time about it but was soon floating across the beds like a gas-filled balloon. The boys, John and Michael, soon joined in the fun and almost before they knew it, they had flown out of the open window. Where next, they asked? Peter smiled and said: Neverland. So, they flew throughout the night to the legendary isle of fun and adventure, an island of deadly Pirates and sly Indians, the place where the Lost Boys lived, and the dread Captain Hook plotted the demise of Peter Pan. It was going to be quite the adventure as long as they remembered the way home...
This was probably the most childish of the children's books I’ve read to date (not having read very much as a child, nor – as far as I can remember – having much read to me). Naturally throughout I was picturing scenes from the 1953 Disney classic and was a little surprised that much I thought of as probable Disneyesque additions were actually in the original text – like the children's ‘nurse’ ‘Nana’ being a large Newfoundland dog (a St Bernard in the movie I think) and the crocodile nemesis of Captain Hook ticking from a swallowed clock. I think what surprised me most was that the supposed ‘hero’ Peter really wasn’t a very pleasant character. Not only was he completely self-obsessed, rude and aggressive he actually spent a great deal of effort manipulating the Lost Boys by disparaging their families – and MOST especially Mothers – in order to keep them in Neverland and under his power. I think part of it was the Peter, being eternally young, couldn’t focus on or remember much about the past (actively avoiding such memories when they did pop up) and because of that simply didn’t (and couldn’t) care about anyone else but himself – because he couldn’t remember any relationship he was part of. Children, and even adults, remember HIM for years or decades after they encountered him, but Peter would forget THEM almost as soon as they were out of his sight. I’m sure that a full psychological profile of Peter Pan would bring up a whole host of syndromes all going back to a DEEP childhood trauma. Not doubt more than a few essays and dissertations have been produced on just such a theme!
Overall, this was a worthwhile read. There is the usual unthinking racism of the age – involving the ‘red’ Indians – and it was surprisingly violent in places (and rather callously so) but I’m going to put that down to the Imperial age it was written in and the target audience of middle-class children it was aimed at. Only Wendy and Peter were the only even partially developed characters with most of the others (although a few did have their moments) and it would’ve been nice to understand more of the Hook/Pan dynamic – over and above the fact that the hook that gave Hook his name was the result of Peter cutting off his hand during a fight. At least two more children’s classics to come later this year.
This was, yet again, not what I was expecting – I'm getting REALLY good at that sort of thing! I was expecting a history of games with talk of why we actually play as adults, how important play is in learning and the cultural impact of how and why we play. Although there was some of that salted throughout this often-fascinating book that wasn’t what it was about. No, it went MUCH further than that.
The main thing I discovered very early on was that the authors definition of ‘play’ was very broad indeed. Sure, it covered games like chess, but it also covered things like shopping, fashion, food spices, music and much more. Each chapter looked at a different aspect of play and each, to be honest, could have easily been expanded into a book of its own. The author had some very interesting ideas about the position of play (as he defined it) and the impact it had on larger society and, in so many words, put it forwards as at least one of the major drivers of human history and culture. Just a few examples will suffice, I think.
Take food. We have evolved an interesting pallet that likes spice, which is kind of odd as some sought after ingredients like hot peppers have evolved as a way for plants to poison creatures that try to eat them. We, contra-wise, seek out such things and enjoy the ‘kick’ of hot sauces. Apparently, the Roman Empire spent a significant amount of its treasure procuring pepper from India and this alone may have contributed to its downfall! Later, during the Crusades and following, the Spice Routes became increasingly problematical and expensive. Looking for easier (and more profitable) ways of importing pepper and other flavoursome spices encouraged the Age of Exploration and the modern connected world we know today.
Take Fashion. As shopping became a more popular pastime it encouraged businesses to both demand more product from their suppliers but also more variety. As standards increased and demand for quality consistent products did likewise the suppliers struggled to maintain output because of a lack of skilled (therefore expensive) workers. To produce a consistent high quality – and fashionable – stock manufacturers resorted to using looms that they could ‘program’ using punch cards which, as we know eventually led to the computer revolution we’re still living through.
Take Music. Humans have played and listened to music from our very earliest days. Some of the oldest human artifacts ever found – in amongst the stone tools – have been musical instruments. But playing music requires talent and such talent is regrettably in limited supply. Today we take access to music – available in an instant – as a given, but this wasn’t always so. Before the phonograph (that’s a record player) and before radio there was something called a ‘player-piano’ which allowed its owner to load a pre-programmed piece on a paper roll and the piano would ‘play’ itself for the entertainment of anyone assembled. This was another route to the computer age.
This comparatively slim volume was chocked full of these interesting links between play and the modern world, and I really liked ‘discovering’ the many pathways and interconnections between apparently pointless or wasteful activities and the much larger and definitely consequential results often decades or centuries later. So, when you’re accused of wasting time at the Mall (and that’s a WHOLE other thread to pull on!), or learning to play a musical instrument, or that you like your food too spicy give them this book to leaf through and explain to them that you’re building the future – just one pair of shoes, one guitar lesson or one jalapeno at a time. A recommended fun, eye-opening read.
