Hawthorne, California, a suburb south of Los Angeles, has made a name for itself, bringing into the world "Gorgeous George", the first of many flamboyant pro-wrestlers, and of course the Beach Boys, who brought to the world a soulful sound that is still rocking the airwaves.
Now Hawthorne, California is home to SpaceX, the first private firm to send shuttles into space as a matter of private initiative, and the firm has accomplished this with flair and panache.
Even the federal is so poor that they cannot carry on from one year to the next without intensive bickering and near-default, it is a welcome and optimistic trend that private enterprise carries on, and may indeed one day carry us to the stars.