Bombay Beach was once a vibrant resort town on the Salton Sea until agricultural pollution, drought, and toxic air led to its demise. Today, an art movement and emerging community hope to bring it back. In this Noema essay, writer Johanna Hoffman and photographer Tao Ruspoli show how a town in ruins is experiencing a […]
Community
Caught Between New Tech Money and a Growing Homelessness Crisis, Restaurants on One Street in Venice, California, Are Trying to Keep Its Identity Alive
“There were an estimated 1,900 unhoused people living in Venice, and Rose Avenue was the nexus of that community.”
Leap of Faith
“The men call up to Sofiane, telling him that he and his brother have to jump. Guelord shouts that the younger boy needs to go first. Sofiane should throw him down.”
Photographing the Collective Experience of Self-Isolation
“The photographer hopes his brief visits…can help break the oppressive monotony of a seemingly endless day, stretching on without distractions from the outside world.”
Some Inland California History Begins with an Orange
Even as California’s Inland Empire loses its citrus industry to urbanization, urbanites can still keep social ties by planting fruit trees in their yards.
Is the Weekly Shop Good For You?
Trudging to the grocery store to laden up with milk and toilet roll may seem like a chore, but does it improve your health?
The Adaptation of Language Evolution
Language has always changed, but the introduction of technology means it is adapting in ways we have never experienced before.
The Man Who’s Going to Save Your Neighborhood Grocery Store
American food supplies are increasingly channeled through a handful of big companies: Amazon, Walmart, FreshDirect, Blue Apron. What do we lose when local supermarkets go under? A lot — and Kevin Kelley wants to stop that.
The Beautiful Politics of the Backyard Barter System
“My farm connects me to the world, the ground, its air, its water, its fauna, and people. In an introvert-kind-of-way. Which is to say, my-kind-of-way.”
A Wealth of Perspective for a Free Ride, Now and Again
“Over the months, spending time with these more seasoned humans offers a perspective that is grounding, calming.”
