From the Desert to the Sea - Well, it seems that before he hit the big time, Benjamin Mackenzie, The OC-star and Russell Crowe-lookalike, was Benjamin Schenkkan of Austin, TX. I guess he should never forget that they can replace him in an instant with Chad Michael Murray.

And speaking of our friends in Chino and the rest of the Inland Empire, the LA Times is reporting on a survey showing that Riverside is suffering from a lack of upscale retail outlets. The story quotes a study saying that Riverside "has more households earning more than $75,000 than Newport Beach, Glendale, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley and Mission Viejo." I am highly dubious about this fact, unless they're talking about total numbers of households, not percentages.

On the flip side of the coin is another study about retail viability in Southern California, but this one was commissioned by Wal-Mart. The findings indicate that not only will new Wal-Mart supercenters in Southern California create jobs, but the lower prices enjoyed by consumers will translate to another $524 dollars a year of disposable income for families. I suppose that's doing little to assuage the fears of the executives of grocery stores currently plagued by strikes and lockout.