{"id":1001,"date":"2010-01-06T03:01:06","date_gmt":"2010-01-06T03:01:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2010\/01\/only-in-california.html"},"modified":"2010-01-06T03:01:06","modified_gmt":"2010-01-06T03:01:06","slug":"only-in-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/01\/only-in-california.html","title":{"rendered":"Only in . . . California?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that, upon occasion, I pause to marvel at the wonders of Texas. My “Only in Texas” series often includes tasty tidbits from the Boerne Star<\/em>, my local newspaper. Well, while I was in California over Christmas vacation, my mother urged me to do an “Only in California” post featuring some excerpts from her local paper, the Glendale News-Press<\/em>.
\nThe main story in the December 29, 2009 edition of the News-Press<\/em> had this headline: “Report shows more pedestrian collisions.”\u00a0<\/a> This does not mean that pedestrians are walking into each other. Rather, the report shows more pedestrian-car collisions. That’s bad news for Glendale, especially since the Police Department has been making a major effort to get people to be safer when they walk the streets.
\nIn 2008, Glendale was the eighth-worst city in California in terms of pedestrian-related vehicle collisions. But things got much worse in 2009. This was in spite of a pedestrian-safety training workshop taught in May 2009 by UC Berkeley’s Traffic Safety Center. As one who grew up in Glendale but managed not to be hit by a car while walking around, I must wonder what’s happening with my home town.
\nI think the problem may be tri-fold brochures. That’s right, tri-fold brochures<\/em>. Note the large print subtitle to the pedestrian collisions article: “Police plan to increase public’s awareness of how to stay safe when walking with tri-fold brochures.” Apparently, pedestrians in Glendale are so focused on reading their brochures that they walk out into the streets without looking left and right. I’m glad the police are planning to help people learn to stay safe when walking with those dangerous brochures.
\nA paragraph in the article explains further what’s going on with those dangerous brochures: “Officers will distribute tri-fold brochures that include tips on walking safely in a variety of languages at super-markets, retirement homes and other public facilities. . . .” How, exactly, does one walk safely in a variety of languages? I don’t even know how to walk safely in one language!
\nI fear that the Glendale News-Press<\/em> may be walking dangerously in the English language. The paper seems to be encountering grammatical collisions, especially ones known as misplaced modifiers. But the pedestrian article also contained another curious turn of phrase: “Even if pedestrians have the right away, they must pay attention to their surroundings.” When I last checked, pedestrians in California have the right-of-way<\/a>. Oh well, maybe the New-Press<\/em> editor was out on Christmas vacation.
\nThere are some great things about California, apart from curiosities in the local newspapers. Consider, for example, the sunset on January 1, 2010 as my family and I sat on the tarmac of the Bob Hope Airport in our airplane. Oops. We weren’t sitting on the tarmac, but in the plane that was sitting on the tarmac. Sorry.
\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that, upon occasion, I pause to marvel at the wonders of Texas. My “Only in Texas” series often includes tasty tidbits from the Boerne Star, my local newspaper. Well, while I was in California over Christmas vacation, my mother urged me to do…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-california"],"yoast_head":"\nOnly in . . . California? - Mark D. 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Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1001","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1001"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1001\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1001"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1001"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1001"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}