In a statement to The Post, a spokesperson for NBCUniversal claimed the tree work is simply an annual ritual at this time of year. “We understand that the safety tree trimming of the Ficus trees we did on Barham Blvd. has created unintended challenges for demonstrators, that was not our intention. In partnership with licensed arborists, we have pruned these trees annually at this time of year to ensure that the canopies are light ahead of the high wind season,” they wrote. “We support the WGA and SAG’s right to demonstrate and are working to provide some shade coverage. We continue to openly communicate with the labor leaders on-site to work together during this time.”
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If those trees were pollarded annually, the cut areas would NOT look like that. There would be big knobs of old growth at the trimming sites. Not seeing any of that here. The way those trees were topped (not pollarded, which is a very careful process that has to begin when the tree is immature) is excellent way to kill them due to loss of hydration, open sites to infection and parasitism during the best time of year for both, lack of nutrition due to so little greenery and new budding growth being left, sunburn and other exposure damage, and a myriad of other possibilities. Plus, if they were topped annually, they would not have the lovely drooping branches seen in the other picture but would have tons of vertical suckers instead.
This is what an annually pollarded mature tree should look like:
If this was done by the city, the public works arborists should be protesting in front of city hall and screaming their heads off right now. I’m not hearing about that, so… Tree law!
The Studios: *speak*
Botanists and other Tree Experts:
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Update and confirmation of Imminent Tree Law:
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He mentions later in the thread that not only do they not trim the trees annually, they’re trimmed at best once every 18 years. Supposed to be every five, and only in dormancy, which even my layman’s ass knows about tree trimming.
And yes, Universal can probably eat the fine. But it’s gonna be a whopper even if the trees survive (which is as mentioned kinda unlikely), California is a triple damage state for tree law, and it may increase dramatically if there were nesting birds in the trees.
All this to be a Captain Planet filler villain to some writers. And yes, it’s currently just the writers officially picketing there; SAG-AFTRA recommended against it for petty bullshit like this and the suddenly necessary sidewalk construction.
I asked my dad— a retired arborist—about TREE LAW and he just kinda blinked and said (i paraphrase because Dad Tangents, amirite?):
“Worst and best case I ever saw was a guy who was caught in the act of cutting down a C&C tree by two Department of Urban Forestry supervisors while they were randomly driving around on a Saturday. Not only did he have to deal with the cops showing up and months of paperwork and bureaucracy, but he also had to pay the fines AND cover the cost of the tree removal + stumping + buying a new tree + planting the new tree + wages for the regular crew plus the extra workers they needed to get the jobs done. That tree ended up costing him upwards of $35K, and that was over 20 years ago.”
So yeah, respect Tree Law or pay out the bootyhole.
i honestly dont think cas even comprehended the fact that dean said morning sunshine. his mind was busy with something so he was expecting a good morning cas or something so he didn’t even hear dean call him sunshine. would’ve been funny if he realized that while he was driving or something
“We’ve talked about this,” Dean tells Cas, who is maintaining a stony silence. “That’s not how cars work, Cas. I mean, where would I be if I just left Baby on the side of the road every time she was out of gas? It’s like leaving a dog on the side of the road cause you didn’t want to pick up after it.”
“Dogs are alive,” Cas says, continuing to stare straight ahead.
“Yeah, well, so’s Baby.”
“You do not have to do this.” The gas can sloshes slightly in the trunk. “I will simply obtain a new car.”
“You don’t need a new car, Cas, you just need to learn what to do in an emergency.”
“You do not have to do this,” Cas repeats, voice heavy.
“Well, what if something happens, huh? What if you get hurt and I’m not there? You stand a better chance in a car than you do just walking around the meatsuit.”
“Nothing is going to be able to hurt me, Dean.”
“You’re damn right it’s not, not after I show you how to gas up your car when we’re on the road.” They come to a fork in the road. “Is it left or right, Cas?” Dean looks at Cas, whose jaw is set. “Cas.”
“Left,” Cas finally grates out.
“Thank you! Is it so hard to be helpful?” Cas doesn’t say anything. “Y’know, you can quit being such a baby about this any time, you…”
Dean trails off, stopping the car dead. He looks at Cas, who continues to stare out the windshield.
Dean climbs out of the car to stare at Cas’ car, fully wrapped around a telephone pole. He approaches it and sees the only non crumpled part of the front of the car is roughly Cas shaped, a hole tore out the side for him to have gotten out of. There is absolutely no way to salvage it. Dean turns back to the Impala to see Cas has gotten out of it and is watching them, face set and maybe a little forlorn. Dean, currently out of words, gestures expansively at the car.
“I see it,” Cas answers.
Dean tries to verbalize his thoughts.
“Why?” Is all he can manage.
“Why which?”
Dean feels like he’s about to have a stroke. “Why any of it? Why did you let me take you out here when you knew it was like that?”
“I didn’t know how to get out of the lie.”
Dean looks back at the car. It’s completely totaled. It’s beyond totaled. Cas’ pimpmobile is in Car Heaven, partying it up with sexy lady cars and voluptuous Vespas.
“What happened, man?” He finally asks. Cas watches him for a moment. “Cas, I’m serious, something could’ve happened to you-“
Cas strides up to him, pushes him against the slim part of the pole that is not bedeviled with car, and plants one on him like he was born to do it. Like it’s his fucking job. Dean flails for a moment before his brain gets with the program, fisting a hand in Cas’ coat and resting the other on the back of his neck.
And then, just as abruptly, Cas pulls back. Dean and Cas stare at each other, Cas looking vaguely constipated, before suddenly he vanishes, leaving Dean alone with a wrecked car, a carton of gas in his trunk, and blanket fucking confusion.
“What the fuck?” Dean hollers and, somewhat predictably, nobody responds.
Being a sex-positive personally-sex-repulsed ace is weird cuz like reading about sex? Awesome. Writing about sex? Not much more intolerable than writing about anything else. Sex is good. Sex is normal. Sex is only as important as you let/want it to be. Kinks are natural expressions of sexuality. Sexual purity is a scam. Bodies are nothing to be ashamed of. Sex work is no more exploitative than any other kind of labor. If you touch me I will throw up on you.
not with a bang but with a yelp (1.4k) in-character yelp reviews of all the motels team free will have stayed at. sounds simple but had me wheezing
My Week (?k) Sam gets TFW 2.0 to take up bullet journalling. These are their journals! (I put ?k because it’s all images but just go look!!! all the doodles and the different handwriting!!! it’s amazing!)
AmITheAssholeNatural (35k spread over 9 works but also probably a chunk of that is the formatting) TFW use r/AITA to solve their problems, to varying success. the second one in the series has kevin as the OP! also the formatting is insane, it looks just like reddit but it’s all css! You can read them out of order but they’re all so funny
Also, since most of these are epistolary, I have to rec your Dean Daily (11k) for anyone out there who hasn’t read it yet. It’s absolutely goddamn hilarious. Fells’ Dean is so so stupid and I love him so much <3
“I don’t know what I expected,” she continued. “Maybe if it had only been about sex…” she paused, glancing around the room. Dean ducked out of view, just in time. When Daphne spoke again, her voice was lowered, “But even then, I don’t think it would have worked. Between you and me, he’s not as good at it as Castiel was.” What. The. Fuck? — In which Dean sets out to prove that he’s better at sex than Castiel, all the while insisting that he’s straight. Really.
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