In other news, the "climate change" phenomenon has hit the Coachella Valley hard this week, with average high temps up almost 15 degrees above only two weeks ago... more later. I am hoping Mr. Bush and the UN will be able to intervene soon, before my car interior becomes a solar oven...

But that's not the reason I'm blogging this time around.

On to the funny, funny punchline:

Neighborhood stops Palm Springs food bank from moving nearby

June 15, 2007 10:25 AM By Nathan Baca, "Newschannel 3"

Some Palm Springs residents have successfully shut down the opening of a food bank for the poor in their neighborhood.

The Palm Springs city council agreed with residents of the San Rafael Drive neighborhood, and told the Well in the Desert it couldn't move there.

The food bank charity currently operates for the poor and homeless in downtown Palm Springs.

Strained relations with the downtown merchants group led the charity to look for another location.

But residents near San Rafael Drive believed that a food bank would attract criminals to their neighborhood.

"we're afraid that if people have packages out just at random in the area, it would increase crime and increase people that are on drugs," says one resident who lives near san rafael drive. "so, we would prefer it to stay where it is."

Main Street Merchants leader Joy Meredith tells NewsChannel 3 that everything should work out with the Well in the Desert remaining downtown.

One nice thing about television news stories: one can quote the entire item, verbatim, because they are so short and use little words.

I am as sympathetic with the "N.I.M.B.Y."* phenomena as much as the next fellow — maybe even more so, as I actually have a zoning-deviant apartment building — you guessed it — on the other side of my backyard fence. The alley-way behind my house is littered with used mattresses and other detritus. One can almost imagine me, in the near future, leaning over the transom of my kids' backyard fort, screaming, "NOT IN MY BACKYARD! PUT YOUR TRASH IN THE DUMPSTER!"

But that's a story for another day.

Let's point out the really funny bit in the article above. Have you spotted it yet, dear Coachella Valley readers?

Yes! It's the neighborhood around San Rafael Drive worried about attracting a criminal element to their neighborhood by moving a homeless food distribution center there. I will certainly agree with said residents that staking out a food source for the homeless ("bums") on San Rafael would attract some unfortunates looking to get back on their feet, some transients, some mentally deranged, some drug-addled, and even some active violent criminals to the area. But, among the homeless, violent criminals tend to prey on them rather than those with resources.

Where is San Rafael Drive, you ask?

PALM SPRINGS - Four teenagers accused of violently beating to death a 66-year-old security guard in Palm Springs were charged with murder Thursday.

Jamar Thomas, 18, of Palm Springs; Darius Lee, 18, of Banning; and two 17-year-old juveniles are in custody without bail on suspicion of attacking Bower Security guard Wallace Brown last weekend.

Brown was taken off life support Wednesday after tests showed he was brain dead, his employer and prosecutors said. His is the second murder in Palm Springs this year.

The four pleaded not guilty Thursday to the murder charges, which include specifications for gang activity and because the victim was more than 65 years old.

Police say the teens are associated with the Gateway Posse Crips, which has been around for about three generations. Police say its 30 members are active in Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City and the Banning pass. The gang is blamed for past drug deals, violence and robberies.

Here's a little map of the territory:

Map of [488-497] W Las Vegas Rd Palm Springs, CA 92262, US

San Rafael Drive is less than a half-mile south of the Gateway Estates. I should think those folk would welcome a different sort of criminal element into their neighborhood. Perhaps the drug-addled homeless would displace the hard-core violent gang members infesting the area.