While I've been away, the Native Intelligence contributors have been doing what they do best:

4-ever X-mas
Perpetual Christmas has come to Los Angeles supermarkets, leap-frogging right over that silly feast-based holiday, what's it called? But It's corporate Christmas, the one with no soul. Read Veronique de Turenne's post.

Paint it punk
Reading Janet Fitch’s exquisite new novel Paint It Black took her hurtling back to L.A.’s punk scene and gritty places like Madame Wong’s and Al’s Bar that she frequented in the early 1980s. Punk wasn’t just music, it was an aesthetic that embraced photography, clothes and alternative journalism (the early days of the LA Weekly and the Reader) when everyone seemed to bleed talent. Read Denise Hamilton's post.

Finessing the mess at the Times
When the Tribune Company tossed editor Dean Baquet from the building this week, it left nothing but upheaval at the place where he once worked. Still, after reading a New York Times story, he's dreaming of bigger things: Wolinsky. Geffen. Merina. Maybe even a comeback at his old paper. Read Victor Merina's post.

Bruce Colen was my friend
They were the only two occupants of their apartment building who subscribed. That meant two copies of the New York Times and one Los Angeles Times. It took some time to realize they were robbing each other on alternating days of the week. Not long before his friend moved away, he finally learned details about Colen's accomplishments as a writer. Read TJ Sullivan's post.

Photo: Veronique de Turenne