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[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Associated Press"
]
| 2016-08-30T16:49:52 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fworld%2Fla-fg-palestinians-abuse-human-rights-watch-20160830-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c5ab42/turbine/la-fg-palestinians-abuse-human-rights-watch-20160830-snap | en | null | Palestinian authorities abuse journalists and activists, rights group says | null | null | www.latimes.com | Palestinian authorities are silencing dissent by cracking down on free speech and abusing local journalists and activists critical of their policies, a leading international human rights group said Tuesday.
Human Rights Watch said both the Western-backed Palestinian Authority led by President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank and its rival, the ruling Islamic militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, are “arresting, abusing, and criminally charging journalists and activists who express peaceful criticism of the authorities.”
In 2007, Hamas ousted Abbas' Fatah forces from Gaza in bloody street battles, leaving the Palestinians divided between two governments. Attempts at reconciliation have repeatedly failed, and both Hamas and the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority have periodically launched crackdowns against their rivals in efforts to consolidate power.
“The Palestinian governments in both Gaza and the West Bank are arresting and even physically abusing activists and journalists who express criticism on important public issues,” said Sari Bashi, the Israel and Palestine country director at Human Rights Watch.
Human Rights Watch said that in the West Bank, Palestinian forces arrested activists and musicians who “ridiculed Palestinian security forces” and “accused the government of corruption” in statements posted on Facebook or in graffiti and rap songs.
Caption 90 seconds: 4 stories you can't miss Huma Abedin leaves her husband, Anthony Weiner, Apple owes Ireland big, Brock Turner is released, and the 4 Aurora movie massacre survivors owe Cinemark lawyer fees. Huma Abedin leaves her husband, Anthony Weiner, Apple owes Ireland big, Brock Turner is released, and the 4 Aurora movie massacre survivors owe Cinemark lawyer fees. Caption Kim Jong Un executes using anti-aircraft gun South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported Kim Jong Un had two North Korean officials executed with an anti-aircraft gun in early August. South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported Kim Jong Un had two North Korean officials executed with an anti-aircraft gun in early August.
In Gaza, the rights group said an activist who criticized Hamas for “failing to protect a man with a mental disability” was detained and intimidated by the militant group, as was a journalist who “posted a photograph of a woman looking for food in a garbage bin.”
The New York-based rights group said that in the incidents of abuse, “activists and journalists said that security officers beat or kicked them, deprived them of sleep and proper food, hosed them with cold and then hot water, and made them maintain uncomfortable positions for long hours.”
Tarik Abu Zaid, a journalist with the Hamas-allied Al Aqsa TV station, said he has been arrested by the Palestinian Authority three times, most recently in March, and held for a month each time.
“For the first week, the investigation was friendly,” he said. “But by the end of the first week, they started using several ways of physical and psychological torture to make me confess to charges that I didn't do.” He said he was forced to stand and prevented from sleeping for three days and beaten in the genitals by an interrogator.
Jamal Dajani, spokesman for the West Bank government, said any such incidents were “isolated” and did not reflect official government policy. He said in some cases, journalists were arrested under defamation laws.
“These incidents have nothing to do with freedom of the press,” he said. “The government is working on creating a better environment for press freedom. We believe in and support the freedom of speech and the right for journalists to operate freely in Palestine.”
In Gaza, Hamas' Interior Ministry said it had a “full commitment” to freedom of expression and that Hamas holds no prisoners for their political or journalistic activities.
“What appears in the Human Rights Watch report has large mistakes and it contradicts the actual situation in Gaza,” Hamas said.
ALSO
Why Iran is desperate for U.S. passenger planes, but can't have them
'We thought things would get better': A year after the nuclear deal, Iranians await economic recovery
To understand life in rural South Sudan, talk to this man about his cattle | http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-palestinians-abuse-human-rights-watch-20160830-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/c44a896f7bce281ac3b4824b262df6ddf03a01893f9dadbe66f48b650b7acfa9.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Adam Tschorn"
]
| 2016-08-29T04:49:35 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Ffashion%2Fla-ig-2016-vma-trends-20160828-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c3afdb/turbine/la-ig-2016-vma-trends-20160828-snap | en | null | The 2016 VMA arrivals: fantasy frocks, cause awareness, and the shirt gets kicked to the curb | null | null | www.latimes.com | The arrivals at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night seemed to have something for everybody — except the dress-shirt industry.
There were over-the-top fantastical ensembles like the ones worn by early arrivals Beyonce and daughter Blue Ivy, the former as an angel-winged ice queen in a strong-shouldered, see-through pale green and metallic fall 2016 couture gown by Maison Francesco Scognamiglio, the latter in full princess mode complete with a tulle skirt, tiara and pair of peach-colored kicks on her feet.
Beyonce in Francesco Scognamiglio and daughter Blue Ivy arrive at the 2016 VMAs. Chris Pizzello / Invision / AP left Larry Busacca / Getty Images center Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images right Beyonce in Francesco Scognamiglio and daughter Blue Ivy arrive at the 2016 VMAs. Beyonce in Francesco Scognamiglio and daughter Blue Ivy arrive at the 2016 VMAs. (Chris Pizzello / Invision / AP left Larry Busacca / Getty Images center Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images right)
As in past years, there was plenty of bared skin to be seen though decidedly not in the familiar configurations. Britney Spears was a perfect example of that, she of the eternally bared midriff wore what might have passed for a run-of-the-mill black, one-shouldered, side-zip cocktail dress with an asymmetrical hem — but for the narrow triangle of exposed flesh running diagonally from right shoulder to left hip in the Julien Macdonald number she wore — and Nicki Minaj managed to somehow be both covered up and over-exposed thanks to a cobalt blue fishtail-hemmed Bao Tranchi gown that hugged her curves like a kid on Christmas but left little to the imagination thanks to sheer side panels, cutouts over the hips and decolletage criss-crossed in more straps and ties than a Cirque du Soleil safety harness.
Among those in sheer or skin-baring looks were, from left, Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj and Kim Kardashian West Evan Agostini / Invision / AP Among those in sheer or skin-baring looks were, from left, Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj and Kim Kardashian West Among those in sheer or skin-baring looks were, from left, Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj and Kim Kardashian West (Evan Agostini / Invision / AP)
Skin wasn’t all that got exposure either, several celebrities took the opportunity in front of millions of impressionable eyeballs to make political statements or highlight causes near and dear to their hearts. Among those were Lance Bass, who hit the white carpet wearing a turquoise-colored bomber jacket designed by Rey Ortiz with the words “Love Trumps Hate” in black appliqued letters across the back, and Beyonce, who posed on the white carpet with mothers whose children were victims of gun violence — the same women who had also appeared in her “Lemonade” visual album holding photos of their deceased sons.
Lance Bass wears a jacket by Rey Ortiz with the slogan "Love Trumps Hate" across the back. Chris Pizzello / Invision / AP Lance Bass wears a jacket by Rey Ortiz with the slogan "Love Trumps Hate" across the back. Lance Bass wears a jacket by Rey Ortiz with the slogan "Love Trumps Hate" across the back. (Chris Pizzello / Invision / AP)
Actress Holland Roden wasn’t wearing her cause as much as sharing it via social media; she turned out in a white jumpsuit and floor-length cape by Kayat shortly after sharing news (and the #squadless hashtag) of an anti-smoking video she’d done with the Truth Orange organization.
If there was one takeaway trend — for both men and women — at this year’s VMAs, it was the noticeable wearing of jackets and blazers with little or nothing underneath. Among the men going sans dress shirt were designer Jeremy Scott who wore a suit from his spring 2017 Moschino collection, best new artist nominee Desiigner who showed up in a smartly tailored salmon-colored suit (provenance unknown — but rumored to be Maison Martin Margiela) with a four-button notch lapel jacket layered over nothing but his tattooed torso.
The shirtless-but-jacketed bunch included, from left, Amber Rose, Desiigner and Cassie. From left, Jason Szenes / EPA, Evan Agostini / Invision / AP and Jamie McCarthy / Getty The shirtless-but-jacketed bunch included, from left, Amber Rose, Desiigner and Cassie. The shirtless-but-jacketed bunch included, from left, Amber Rose, Desiigner and Cassie. (From left, Jason Szenes / EPA, Evan Agostini / Invision / AP and Jamie McCarthy / Getty)
On the women’s side, standouts of the jacketed-but-shirtless contingent included Amber Rose in a black Tom Ford suit with wide-legged pants and a double-breasted peak-lapel jacket worn over a lacy black bra and Cassie (she of the highlighter-colored hair) who went one better in the exposure category by wearing a gray, double-breasted jacket with nothing at all underneath.
But credit for the most memorable shirtless-yet-jacket-wearing moment of the VMA arrivals would have to be the arrival of the very pregnant Laura Perlongo, who arrived on the arm of boyfriend Nev Schulman (star of MTV’s "Catfish") in an olive-colored, zip-front varsity jacket accessorized with nothing more than necklaces with two silver links of chain that criss-crossed her chest.
Love it or hate it, style-wise we’re pretty sure it’s the red-carpet baby bump to which generations of future ones will be judged.
For more musings on all things fashion and style, follow me @ARTschorn. | http://www.latimes.com/fashion/la-ig-2016-vma-trends-20160828-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/fe65e2ae0cf625ca129fbd5424dd1425906b8043374019fd6e62c67cfeaa65e1.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Jennifer Weil"
]
| 2016-08-26T18:51:25 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Ffashion%2Fla-ig-jared-leto-gucci-20160826-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c0863c/turbine/la-ig-jared-leto-gucci-20160826-snap | en | null | Jared Leto stars in new Gucci fragrance ad campaign | null | null | www.latimes.com | Sexy sells — especially to Millennials — and so Gucci is refreshing its fragrance master brand Gucci Guilty with steamy new advertising.
Starring Jared Leto along with models Julia Hafstrom and Vera Van Erp, the film campaign was shot by Glen Luchford in a baroque Venetian palazzo. It unfurls as a series of dreamy flashbacks as the trio explores each other and their environs in a highly sensual — and sexual — fashion over the span of one night.
“The creative thinking and the campaign are very much in the territory of Alessandro,” said Gucci president and chief executive officer Marco Bizzarri, referring to the fashion label’s creative director Alessandro Michele, who started in the post in January 2015.
The executive said he spies “a huge potential that is still untapped” for the Italian brand’s fragrance business. “We have to develop properly and coherently the product category.”
Introduced in 2010, Gucci Guilty targets a young, social-networking consumer. Its original provocative ad starring Evan Rachel Wood and Chris Evans helped catapult the women’s and men’s scents into the top-five rankings in most markets where they were launched.
“It was very impactful advertising,” asserted Luis Miguel Gonzalez Sebastiani, global director of Gucci Beauty at Procter & Gamble, Gucci’s fragrance licensee. “We were bringing a concept which was extremely relevant for the audience at the time — for the younger audience — which was a bit of sex on display, trying to break some of the taboos of society at the time.”
Today, Gucci Guilty remains for Gucci its biggest fragrance seller with the widest geographic reach. Its key markets are the U.S., Asia, the U.K., global travel retail and the Middle East, where it ranks in the top 10 to 15.
Most recently Gucci Bamboo was introduced, which brought new users to the portfolio, according to Gonzalez Sebastiani. Since its launch, Gucci Guilty has not had new advertising, just refreshers using edits of the materials with the same actors.
A decision was taken to parlay the changes Michele and Bizzarri were making to Gucci on the fashion side to the fragrance realm. In tandem, consumers had evolved.
“If you walk along the street, in any city or metropolis of the world, you realize there’s a kind of marvelous anarchy that characterizes youth, but also people of all ages,” stated Michele, who orchestrated the campaign, opting to set it in Venice, home to the oldest carnival and scene of pleasure-seeking in Europe during the 18th century.
Gonzalez Sebastiani characterized Millennials, people aged 18 to 34, as nonconformists.
“They are ready to break conventions. They want to express their individuality, and when they indulge in any type of pleasure, they don’t do it with guilt,” he said. “The campaign focuses on emancipated sexuality.”
Executives at P&G, including Chris Simmons, its art director, worked with Michele and his creative team on the spot, which industry sources estimate cost $6 million to conceive.
Given its Millennial target, digital is the main vector for the Gucci Guilty campaign. The Instagram hashtag #GuiltyNotGuilty was created for it. And during the spot’s shooting in December, Leto commandeered Gucci’s Snapchat, posting videos and photos of what was happening behind the scenes.
“That got spread around the world, instantly,” Gonzalez Sebastiani said. “We had more than 400 million impressions.”
The campaign will break worldwide in September, with the first teasing slated on social networks for the end of August. The film ad, coming in various lengths, will appear online as well as on TV and in movie theaters.
“This is not just an advertising campaign, it’s a movement. And in order for us to create this movement and maintain an ongoing conversation, we have a lot of material that we’re planning to continue revealing as the campaign develops in the next years,” Gonzalez Sebastiani said.
It is estimated that the new Gucci Guilty ad could directly touch more than 30 percent of fragrance consumers and spur high-double-digit sales growth for the Gucci Guilty franchise in its core markets.
The campaign will also have a sizable in-store presence.
“Now it’s time to reignite the pillar,” Gonzalez Sebastiani said.
For Leto, working on Gucci Guilty’s movie was an exceptional experience.
“I am friends with Alessandro,” he said, following the Gucci men’s ready-to-wear show in Milan in June. “This was like shooting a little film with friends.”
Leto called Venice “a magical place” that’s transporting. “It’s a city that really shouldn’t exist, a city on water. So the place in and of itself is a bit of a dream. [The filming] felt like it belonged in Venice. It stoked our imagination, and it was a really fun and creative project.”
Leto described Snapchat as “a unique way to share your work and parts of your life with other people. There is something about the ephemerality of the application that allows you to be a little less precious, a little more spontaneous about what you choose to share and how you share it. So I really like that.”
He was about to head to Japan to shoot a film called “The Outsider,” and was working on finishing his fifth album.
“It’s going to be good,” he said. “It’s going to be great.” | http://www.latimes.com/fashion/la-ig-jared-leto-gucci-20160826-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/df87df6b0af9b4cb6551799b6142402717387748362ef46e903b299d7f79d53e.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-28T02:49:37 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fla-sp-live-updates-rams-broncos-rams-0-broncos-0-but-the-offense-1472347347-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Rams 0, Broncos 0, but the offense makes some strides | null | null | www.latimes.com | The Rams opened up their second possesion with another run by running back Benny Cunningham.
Then quarterback Case Keenum hit Kenny Britt on a crossing route for a 19-yard gain. Cunningham went right back to work, this time with more success, with a five-yard run before Keenum got another pass-catcher involved.
Tight end Lance Kendricks caught a floater and went 15-yards for another first down and L.A.'s first trip into Denver territory. But that's where the drive would stall.
Cunningham had a short run, but then Keenum had two straight incomplete passes before the Rams punted. | http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-live-updates-rams-broncos-rams-0-broncos-0-but-the-offense-1472347347-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/9f76334bbcc99d12957ffdd4b009acc3801d25cd713f9055327ebdd838f2e5a3.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Jesse Dougherty"
]
| 2016-08-27T04:48:48 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fsportsnow%2Fla-sp-asics-volleyball-20160826-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c0f546/turbine/la-sp-asics-volleyball-20160826-snap | en | null | USC volleyball players have Olympic dreams at Long Beach Grand Slam | null | null | www.latimes.com | Kelly Claes and Sara Hughes’ day didn’t end with a celebration, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t full of them.
The USC pair advanced to the round of 16 at the Long Beach Grand Slam on Friday, the farthest they’ve made it in a pro beach volleyball World Tour event. They did so by diving as often as they could, playing well above the net and screaming after every point they won. Then they ran into Brazilians Larissa Franca and Talita Antunes, one of the world’s best teams, and exited their first Grand Slam wearing frustrated smiles.
“We came here to play the world’s top competition,” said Hughes, a 21-year-old USC senior. “We always learn a lot whenever we play, and I think we learned a lot here.”
The brackets took shape Friday, with four pairs making the women’s semifinals and eight duos playing into the quarterfinals on the men’s side. Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross, the top U.S. women’s team coming off a bronze medal in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, will face Germans Julie Sude and Chantal Laboureur in a semifinal Saturday. Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena, the top U.S. men’s team and seeded first, will square off with Spain’s Pablo Herrera and Adrian Gavira in a quarterfinal.
Claes and Hughes — Orange County natives and back-to-back collegiate national champions — were looking for experience to build on for their final season at USC. They finished ninth out of 32 teams, and quickly pointed out an extra benefit.
“We got to skip classes, which wasn’t so bad,” Claes, 20, said through laughter. “I mean it was just syllabus week, so I think we’ll be able to catch up.”
This provided an accurate portrait of Claes and Hughes: Laser-focused on the sand, relentlessly goofy off it.
Photos from the Asics Long Beach Grand Slam beach volleyball tournament.
After beating Switzerland’s Tanja Huberli and Nina Betschart on Friday morning, they repeatedly interrupted each other while discussing the win and their future. Claes jokingly apologized for how hard her high-fives can get. Hughes insisted they showcase one of their many handshakes. They said that if the “Cupid Shuffle” came on the loudspeaker they’d both start dancing on the sand.
And no, it wouldn’t matter if a point was going on.
“In between passes,” Hughes assured, stone-faced. “Trust me.”
But they don’t actually mess around once a match starts.
The 6-foot-2 Claes uses her height to thrive at the net. Hughes, 5 feet 10 with trampoline-like leaping ability, throws her body around the court while playing defense.
Then there are the celebrations after each point. Claes yells, loudly and often. Hughes is more likely to furrow her brow, raise one fist in the air and sternly say “Let’s go” to her partner. When they beat Huberli and Betschart, they hopped around the court like two kids playing in a sandbox.
Underneath the accolades and Olympic ambition, that’s exactly what they are.
“We play better when we’re having fun,” Hughes said. “So that’s the way to go.”
Their week and summer ended with the straight-set loss to Franca and Antunes, a match that was always going to be a tall task for the 28th-seeded team.
Claes and Hughes aren’t shy about their goal of one day playing in the Olympics. They saw this tournament as a small step toward that. They recorded all the Rio matches and plan to watch them on repeat in the coming months. And then there’s the necklaces Claes’ mother gave them this past Valentine’s Day.
Hughes doesn’t wear hers during matches because the chain bothers her when she dives. Claes never takes hers off. Either way, the “Tokyo 2020” engraving on the tiny gold plates is the simplest way to explain where they want to go.
“That’s it,” Claes said, holding up her necklace. “That’s all it is.”
[email protected]
Follow Jesse Dougherty on Twitter @dougherty_jesse | http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-asics-volleyball-20160826-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/ec76abd776d04f5953bf6c0e4e022f30e19695ac41d3e9930124fba8047bf201.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-31T12:50:04 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnewsletters%2Fla-me-todays-headlines-20160831-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Today: Will Trump Build Bridges or Get Him to Pay for the Wall? Secret Lovers and a Novel Detailing the 'Perfect Crime.' | null | null | www.latimes.com | I'm Davan Maharaj, editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Times. Here are some story lines I don't want you to miss today.
TOP STORIES
Will Trump Build Bridges or Get Him to Pay for the Wall?
Donald Trump is meeting with the president of Mexico today (surprise!), just hours before he will give a big speech on immigration. Should the line “Remember to actually vote” be included? An analysis of the USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times Daybreak tracking poll reveals that there is a bloc of disaffected voters large enough to potentially swing the election Trump’s way. Getting them to turn out, though, could be the hard part.
More Politics
-- About 30 Hillary Clinton emails that may be related to the Benghazi attack were recovered during the FBI's recently closed investigation, according to the State Department.
-- Can Trump win over black voters? Ask Barry Goldwater.
Secret Lovers and a Novel Detailing the ‘Perfect Crime’
Jill Easter self-published a novel about “a patient woman with a formidable intelligence” who was consumed with revenge. Irvine police found it in her master bedroom. The book would prove to be a fascinating read for detectives as they investigated whether Jill and her husband, Kent, had planted drugs in a PTA mom’s car — and as legal wrangling over the couple’s phone records dragged on. It turns out, writing novels wasn’t the only thing Jill had going on the side. Read Chapter 3 of Christopher Goffard’s gripping six-part series, “Framed.”
The End of Islamic State’s Chief Agitator
Islamic State is losing territory in its heartland straddling Syria and Iraq. Now it appears to have lost perhaps the most visible architect of its war against the West. The terrorist group announced the death of Abu Muhammad Adnani, who not only was involved in operational strategy but also articulated a message that lone wolves and Islamic State’s most lethally trained operatives listened to.
An Unlikely Voice for Zimbabwe’s Masses
It started with a four-minute video: “This flag. This beautiful flag. They tell me that the green is for the vegetation and for the crops. I don’t see any crops in my country,” Baptist pastor Evan Mawarire says to the camera as he holds the flag of Zimbabwe. With that, a protest movement against 92-year-old President Robert Mugabe’s rule was born — and Mawarire was forced to flee.
Chris Brown Fought the Law. Guess Who Won.
An hours-long standoff. An Instagram rant. The hum of news choppers. A strange scene unfolded at Chris Brown’s home in Tarzana after a woman accused him of pointing a gun at her. As police stood outside, waiting for a search warrant to enter, Brown took his case to social media, railing against authorities and saying he was being unfairly portrayed as a villain. Later, police took him into custody.
CALIFORNIA
-- Authorities found the remains of five people after a suspicious fire at an adult-care facility for the developmentally disabled in Temecula.
-- California may soon end the statute of limitations for prosecuting rape and other felony sex crimes.
-- L.A. will spend more than $200 million to settle a federal lawsuit alleging that the city failed to provide enough apartments for people with disabilities.
-- Hey, whatever happened to …? Steve Lopez catches up with three people he’s profiled over the years.
NATION-WORLD
-- The Obama administration is urging lawmakers to approve $1 billion for opioid treatment.
-- At least 78 homicides and more than 400 people shot: This month has been Chicago's most violent in 20 years.
-- Texas’ attorney general has sued a county that tried to ban guns from its courthouse.
-- Israel and the United Nations traded harsh words over the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
-- Is the man who ruled Uzbekistan with an iron fist for 25 years dead or dying?
Caption 90 seconds: 4 stories you can't miss Huma Abedin leaves her husband, Anthony Weiner, Apple owes Ireland big, Brock Turner is released, and the 4 Aurora movie massacre survivors owe Cinemark lawyer fees. Huma Abedin leaves her husband, Anthony Weiner, Apple owes Ireland big, Brock Turner is released, and the 4 Aurora movie massacre survivors owe Cinemark lawyer fees. Caption Kim Jong Un executes using anti-aircraft gun South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported Kim Jong Un had two North Korean officials executed with an anti-aircraft gun in early August. South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported Kim Jong Un had two North Korean officials executed with an anti-aircraft gun in early August.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- The mind-boggling calculus of what constitutes a No. 1 album today.
-- Some thoughts on grieving those we did not know but loved, such as Gene Wilder, Prince, David Bowie, Harper Lee and so many more.
-- The summer of our discontent: When movie franchise overload killed originality.
-- Read, watch or both? Here are eight movies based on books coming in September. | http://www.latimes.com/newsletters/la-me-todays-headlines-20160831-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/a07920f36ae87243b3f096c6184666aa37bc3d95333301182170316e048f5bd0.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Associated Press"
]
| 2016-08-26T14:50:47 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fworld%2Fmexico-americas%2Fla-fg-miners-bolivia-killing-20160826-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c046ae/turbine/la-fg-miners-bolivia-killing-20160826-snap | en | null | Striking miners kill deputy minister in Bolivia, officials say | null | null | www.latimes.com | Striking miners in Bolivia armed with dynamite seized highways in a protest over mining laws and then kidnapped, possibly tortured and beat to death the county's deputy interior minister in a killing President Evo Morales characterized Friday as a "political conspiracy," officials say.
Deputy Minister Rodolfo Llanes had traveled Thursday to the scene of the violent protests in western Bolivia in an effort to negotiate with the strikers.
Instead, Illanes was "savagely beaten" to death by miners, Defense Minister Reymi Ferreira told Red Uno television, his voice breaking.
Government Minister Carlos Romero called it a "cowardly and brutal killing" and asked that the body of Illanes, whose formal title is vice minister of the interior regime, be turned over to authorities.
Earlier, Romero had said that Illanes had been kidnapped and possibly tortured, but wasn't able to confirm reports that he had been killed by the striking informal, or artisan, miners, who are demanding the right to associate with private companies, among other issues.
"This is a political conspiracy," Morales said at a news conference Friday. Calling for three days of official mourning, he criticized the "cowardly attitude" of the protesters and insisted that his government had "always been open" to negotiation.
The fatal beating came after the killings of two protesters in clashes with police, deaths that likely fueled the tensions.
Illanes had gone to Panduro, 80 miles south of La Paz, to open a dialogue with the striking miners, who have blockaded a highway there since Monday. Thousands of passengers and vehicles are stranded on roads blocked by the strikers.
Officials say he was taken hostage by the miners on Thursday morning. At midday, Illanes said on his Twitter account: "My health is fine, my family can be calm." There are reports that he had heart problems.
Bolivia's informal miners number about 100,000 and work in self-managed cooperatives. They want to be able to associate with private companies, but are currently prohibited from doing so. The government argues that if they associate with multinational companies, they will no longer be cooperatives.
The National Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Bolivia, strong allies of Morales when metal prices were high, was organized in the 1980s amid growing unemployment in the sector that followed the closure of state mines.
Federation members went on an indefinite protest after negotiations over the mining legislation failed.
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Meet the Nightcrawlers of Manila: A night on the front lines of the Philippines' war on drugs
Rio's Olympic legacy: too few public projects, often in well-off areas | http://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-miners-bolivia-killing-20160826-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/abba0dc1ebc92bfe0a01a4b927747ed6652687b5b2244da266abcb6e2493b8f8.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Chuck Schilken"
]
| 2016-08-29T20:49:48 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fnfl%2Fla-sp-chargers-joey-bosa-20160829-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c48abe/turbine/la-sp-chargers-joey-bosa-20160829-snap | en | null | Chargers finally sign top draft pick Joey Bosa | null | null | www.latimes.com | Joey Bosa, the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL draft this year, signed with the San Diego Chargers on Monday, according to multiple media reports.
The deal is fully guaranteed for four years and $25.8 million, with a $17 million signing bonus, NFL.com is reporting.
Last week, the Chargers took their contract dispute with Bosa public, saying in a statement they would pull their “best offer” off the table since the rookie defensive end has missed too much time during training camp and preseason to be effective all 16 games this season.
It may be no coincidence that the deal came the day after the Chargers’ poor defensive performance during a 23-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. | http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-chargers-joey-bosa-20160829-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/2f73650dcf06e001673293bd9067f157f72e7dedbc0ed0b479426a1308e809db.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-29T22:49:53 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnation%2Fpolitics%2Ftrailguide%2Fla-na-trailguide-updates-flotus-returning-to-the-1472507021-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | FLOTUS returning to Southern California | null | null | www.latimes.com | Abedin announced the end of her marriage after new sexually charged photos of Weiner surfaced.
Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin splits from husband Anthony Weiner after latest sexting scandal
aide Donald Trump's latest ad borrows phrase from Democrat John Edwards
latest ad borrows phrase from Democrat Skeptics question Trump's claims that he will stop "inner-city crime"
Skeptics question claims that he will stop "inner-city crime" Trump promises a "major" immigration speech, but will his policy bring any changes?
Trump front and center One Texas congressional race has put | http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-trailguide-updates-flotus-returning-to-the-1472507021-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/f1d952fba4dba9654703f2afe1d6745ded93632e287790d32a52ab2d12e1d62b.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Gerrick D. Kennedy"
]
| 2016-08-28T06:49:08 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fmusic%2Fla-et-kamaiyah-fyffest-20160827-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c26b64/turbine/la-et-kamaiyah-fyffest-20160827-snap | en | null | Kamaiyah delivers on rap buzz on FYF's opening day | null | null | www.latimes.com | Kamaiyah was among the early standouts of day one of FYF Fest on Saturday.
The rising Oakland rapper, during a tight, bounce-heavy 30-minute set, controlled FYF’s so-called “club” stage.
Flanked by towering banana plants, hanging foliage and disco balls (the decor offered an appropriately beachy club vibe) Kamaiyah moved a packed tent with an eclectic and energetic mix of wistful ’90s-inspired hip-hop and R&B that made her debut mixtape, "A Good Night in the Ghetto," one of the buzziest rap releases of the year.
"I see y'all a little turnt right now ... Who been drinking tonight," she said with a wink, seemingly pleased with the sea of sweaty, grinding bodies that she achieved early on with the irresistible foot-stomper "Mo Money Mo Problems."
As anyone who’s ever been to a club rap show knows, there are frustrating pitfalls that often mark the experience — the bass is too loud, for instance, or the vocal tracks drown out whatever is coming live into the microphone.
Kamaiyah wasn't entirely immune to those issues Saturday, her most high-profile showing in the Southland since her mixtape arrived via the Internet earlier this year with its brash raps and its swaggering, assured and effortless flow. The opening chunk of songs was bogged down by glitchy audio and her vocal often found itself lost amid the backing tracks.
It could have easily deterred the young rookie, especially at a festival showing where the logistics of outdoor performance can test even a seasoned performer.
Kamaiyah quickly got things under control, however, with minimal interruption to the club vibe that had been created. Her catchy, laid-back jams played a huge part, but her charismatic, approachable onstage presence did the rest.
Once Kamaiyah found her groove — during a banger with a title that's unprintable here but delivers a punchy counter to the many macho players’ anthems that routinely dominate rap radio — she delivered on the hype that's been lobbed upon her until it was time to clear the tent.
Caption The Comedy Comedy Festival in Little Tokyo The comedy festival running Thursday through Sunday in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo neighborhood is an Asian American comedy fest with a bill of more than 100 comics of Asian descent. You probably wouldn't know that from the name of the event: the Comedy Comedy Festival. The comedy festival running Thursday through Sunday in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo neighborhood is an Asian American comedy fest with a bill of more than 100 comics of Asian descent. You probably wouldn't know that from the name of the event: the Comedy Comedy Festival. Caption Director Andrew Ahn on his new film, 'Spa Night' Actor Joe Seo and director Andrew Ahn discuss what inspired the new film "Spa Night." Actor Joe Seo and director Andrew Ahn discuss what inspired the new film "Spa Night."
For more music news follow me on Twitter:@GerrickKennedy | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-kamaiyah-fyffest-20160827-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/7b6cd95f4934e78bf3541cda36daa08e63da32b597d8ba332811885817985654.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Christie D'Zurilla"
]
| 2016-08-29T22:49:54 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fgossip%2Fla-et-mg-guy-pearce-baby-carice-van-houten-20160829-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c4b94a/turbine/la-et-mg-guy-pearce-baby-carice-van-houten-20160829-snap | en | null | Guy Pearce and Carice van Houten welcome a baby boy, say they plan to 'keep him' | null | null | www.latimes.com | Guy Pearce and Carice van Houten are now parents, The Times has confirmed — and their first-time baby announcement is equal parts cute and quirky.
“A cute little package arrived and told us his name's Monte Pearce,” the “Memento” actor tweeted Monday. “We think we're gonna keep him. Placenta smoothie anyone?”
Aww! And, um, eww …
“Both Carice and Monte are doing very well,” said a rep for Van Houten, the Dutch actress who plays Melisandre on “Game of Thrones.” The baby was born last week, though they’re keeping the exact birth date “L.A. Confidential” for now.
Cute fact: When the couple announced in March that they were expecting a child, they were already anticipating some “shadowbaby” jokes. “GoT” fans will understand why.
Aussie actor Pearce, 48, and Van Houten, who turns 40 next week, worked together in 2015 on the western thriller "Brimstone.”
They sparked relationship rumors early this year when they were photographed grocery shopping together in Los Angeles, E! News reported. The romance apparently started about a year after Pearce’s January 2014 split with Kate Mestitz, his high school sweetheart, following 18 years of marriage.
Follow Christie D’Zurilla on Twitter @theCDZ.
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Teyana Taylor is the star of Kanye West's 'Fade' video — and a whole lot more | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-guy-pearce-baby-carice-van-houten-20160829-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/a75b146389c584429005b5a8343cc03c9343db7cedf6169564907e56a2598a8b.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Associated Press"
]
| 2016-08-30T14:50:03 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fbusiness%2Fla-fi-markets-20160830-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c5904d/turbine/la-fi-markets-20160830-snap | en | null | Stocks edge down; Hershey plunges after Mondelez loses interest | null | null | www.latimes.com | U.S. stocks were slightly lower in early trading Tuesday in what looks to be another quiet day as the summer wanes. Hershey plunged after the company walked away from a merger proposal, and Apple slipped after the company was hit with a large tax bill in Europe.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 40 points, or 0.2%, to 18,462 as of 10:12 a.m. Eastern. The Standard & Poor's 500 index slipped 2 points, or 0.1%, to 2,177 and the Nasdaq composite edged down 4 points, or 0.1%, to 5,228.
DEAL'S OFF: Hershey fell $12.46, or 11%, to $99.21 after snack food company Mondelez International said it was walking away from its proposal to buy Hershey for roughly $25 billion. Mondelez, which makes Oreo cookies and other snack foods, initially proposed to buy Hershey earlier this summer, but Hershey is a notoriously difficult company to propose mergers with since the majority of the shares are controlled by a nonprofit organization.
TAXMAN COMETH: Apple fell 85 cents, or 0.8%, to $105.95 after the European Union ruled that the company has to pay $14.5 billion in back taxes to Ireland. Apple and Ireland said they would appeal the decision.
UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT: United Continental rose $2.50, or 5%, to $49.45 after the company announced it was hiring a former American Airlines executive, Scott Kirby, to become United's new president and take over the day-to-day operations.
ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude oil was little changed at $46.93 a barrel. Brent crude, used to price oil internationally, fell 20 cents to $49.25 a barrel.
JOBS: Investors are awaiting the Labor Department's monthly jobs survey, due out Friday, for signs on whether the U.S. economy remains on solid footing. Economists expect employers to have added 182,500 jobs in August and that the unemployment rate fell slightly to 4.8%.
BONDS AND CURRENCIES: Bond prices were mostly unchanged. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note held steady at 1.56%. The dollar rose to 102.78 yen from 101.98 yen late Monday. The euro slipped to $1.1142 from $1.1187.
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UPDATES:
7:40 a.m.: This article was updated with more recent prices and additional details.
This article was originally published at 7 a.m. | http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-markets-20160830-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/f9c1dbb6114b49ff96d1fbce685a5ae741e0884dc96eba222feaded32810ea79.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Rick Schultz"
]
| 2016-08-26T22:49:11 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Farts%2Fla-et-cm-cinematic-sounds-review-20160821-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c0b42f/turbine/la-et-cm-cinematic-sounds-review-20160821-snap | en | null | Bowl concert plays as an elegy to James Horner, and an ode to composers of movie music | null | null | www.latimes.com | One thread running through conductor Bramwell Tovey's program with the Los Angeles Philharmonic on Thursday night was how composers working in the film industry sometimes suffer from lack of recognition as "serious" composers.
Bernard Herrmann biographer Steven C. Smith called it his "demon." Leonard Bernstein lamented that audiences would always know him for "West Side Story" rather than for more profound works, like his Symphony No. 1 "Jeremiah." And the late James Horner's mentor, Paul Chihara, said in a phone interview before the concert that "Jamie always wanted to become a classical composer."
Horner, the composer whose 1998 Oscar-winning "Titanic" score and song "My Heart Will Go On" made up the bestselling soundtrack of all time, got his wish Thursday. The centerpiece for Tovey's Hollywood Bowl concert was the U.S. premiere of "Pas de Deux," Horner's major new double concerto.
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Horner is also known for such scores as “Legends of the Fall," "Braveheart," "A Beautiful Mind" and "Avatar." An audience member at the Bowl cited Horner's 1992 score for the comedic caper film "Sneakers" as a favorite.
Caption The Comedy Comedy Festival in Little Tokyo The comedy festival running Thursday through Sunday in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo neighborhood is an Asian American comedy fest with a bill of more than 100 comics of Asian descent. You probably wouldn't know that from the name of the event: the Comedy Comedy Festival. The comedy festival running Thursday through Sunday in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo neighborhood is an Asian American comedy fest with a bill of more than 100 comics of Asian descent. You probably wouldn't know that from the name of the event: the Comedy Comedy Festival. Caption Director Andrew Ahn on his new film, 'Spa Night' Actor Joe Seo and director Andrew Ahn discuss what inspired the new film "Spa Night." Actor Joe Seo and director Andrew Ahn discuss what inspired the new film "Spa Night."
Commissioned by the young Norwegian duo of violinist Mari Samuelsen and her brother, cellist Hakon Samuelsen, who were making their Philharmonic debuts, "Pas de Deux" marks Horner's penultimate concert work. Horner died at 61 when the small plane he was piloting in June 2015 crashed in northern Ventura County.
The Bowl concert became a celebration of the legacy of four great masters, with "Pas de Deux" joined by selections from three classic film scores: Herrmann's "Scène d'Amour" from "Vertigo," Bernstein's Symphonic Suite from "On the Waterfront" and George Gershwin's "Shall We Dance: Finale and Coda."
All four works showed, as Tovey said by email before the concert, "the extraordinary way each composer straddled the so-called movie music/concert music divide."
Horner doubtless would have been thrilled to see how enthusiastically the Bowl audience received "Pas de Deux," which was given a spellbinding rendition by Tovey, the Samuelsens and the L.A. Phil. Performed live, the nearly half-hour and continuous three-movement score came off as even more moving than the Norwegian duo's account with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic led by Vasily Petrenko on their 2015 debut disc for Mercury Classics.
Personal, lyrical and emotionally involving, "Pas de Deux" is not, as Tovey pointed out in his opening remarks, pictorial in a soundtrack-ready way. Alternately dreamy, poetic and bracing, the score was a kind of musical depiction of one of Horner's passions. "It always seems to be flying," Tovey told the audience. "Airborne."
It certainly was a gorgeously rhapsodic ride. Unlike Brahms' famous double concerto, the violin and cello in Horner's piece don't challenge the orchestra or, for that matter, each other in a combative dialogue. Instead, the composer ingeniously weaves their rich, glowing sonorities into the sumptuous orchestral fabric. Seeing a performance helped, because Mari and Hakon's quiet cadenzas conveyed intimate dances, pas de deux, for the two solo instruments. Their physical movements and intensity of concentration became part of the dance.
Effective minimalist figures added touches of color in the strings and piano, and the horns conveyed an elegiac quality. At times, the score felt like an elegy to Horner himself. (Incidentally, Horner's final concert piece, "Collage," an ethereal concerto for four horns, is due from Mercury Classics in the fall.)
Is it any wonder why composers working in the film industry turn to the concert hall? Herrmann called composing his 1941 Symphony a "Roman holiday."
Even Gershwin, whose "Rhapsody in Blue" is a perennial in the concert hall, had to deal with the studio staff orchestrators of his era. He discovered, as biographer Edward Jablonski noted, that even Fred Astaire had more say in the orchestration of one of his best scores, "Shall We Dance," than Gershwin did.
Before beginning Bernstein's powerful Symphonic Suite from "On the Waterfront," Tovey noted it was the composer's birthday (he would have been 98), an observation that gave his powerful account an extra poignancy. The fine solo contributions included Dan Higgins on alto sax and Denis Bouriakov on flute.
Raynor Carroll gave a brief but memorable turn on xylophone. (Carroll, who joined the L.A. Phil in 1983, is retiring as principal percussionist. His final performances with the orchestra are on Sept. 2 and 3 in "John Williams: Maestro of the Movies," conducted by Williams and David Newman.)
The concert Thursday began with an exquisitely lovelorn rendering of Herrmann's "Scène d'Amour" from "Vertigo," all sighing strings.
Tovey, a first-rate Gershwin pianist, transformed the Phil into a big band for that composer's "Shall We Dance: Finale and Coda." He joked that people think the five saxophonists employed for the upbeat score are there "for musical reasons, but it's just social," eliciting a faux look of consternation from Higgins. The performance was, as Astaire might have said, swell.
Follow The Times’ arts team @culturemonster.
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'Exterminating Angel,' the most important opera of the year | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-cinematic-sounds-review-20160821-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/ccf1ed6b0cc9f66e8712b379f1953c127193168082a32fc50a1ee823f1d9a5c0.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Times Staff",
"Wire Reports"
]
| 2016-08-29T16:49:54 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fbusiness%2Ftechnology%2Fla-fi-tn-mark-zuckerberg-pope-francis-20160829-snap-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c45247/turbine/la-fi-tn-mark-zuckerberg-pope-francis-20160829-snap | en | null | Mark Zuckerberg visits Pope Francis at home | null | null | www.latimes.com | Pope Francis met with Facebook Inc. founder and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg and Zuckerberg's wife, Priscilla Chan, at the Vatican on Monday.
One topic of discussion at the meeting was “how to use communication technologies to alleviate poverty, encourage a culture of encounter, and make a message of hope arrive, especially to those most in need,” Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said.
The atmosphere appeared informal, with the chat taking place in the Santa Marta residence, the guest house in Vatican City where the pope lives.
“We gave him a model of Aquila, our solar-powered aircraft that will beam Internet connectivity to places that don't have it,” Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post. “And we shared our work with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to help people around the world.”
The couple launched the initiative in December, saying at the time that the organization would fund nonprofit organizations, make private investments and participate in policy debates, initially focusing on personalized learning, curing disease, connecting people and building communities.
Zuckerberg’s efforts to provide free Internet access have met with some resistance, however. In February, regulators in India rejected his pet project, a no-cost mobile app for emerging economies called Free Basics — a sort of Internet for beginners — saying that it discriminated against other Internet sites.
Also on Monday, Zuckerberg and Chan met with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. Zuckerberg then held an hourlong Q&A session in Rome, which was streamed online via Facebook Live.
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Energy storage is taking on a greater role in the power grid. But how big can it get? | http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-mark-zuckerberg-pope-francis-20160829-snap-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/617a10ac4da753bc8e96c0bb1a76ff45fc60381cfef70dd0ab7b94b574eae6bc.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Gustavo Arellano"
]
| 2016-08-29T18:49:49 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fopinion%2Fop-ed%2Fla-oe-arellano-juan-gabriel-20160829-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c46e14/turbine/la-oe-arellano-juan-gabriel-20160829-snap | en | null | As a boy, I was taught to ridicule JuanGa. As an adult, I revered him | null | null | www.latimes.com | It’s 1992, and I’m hating on my mom’s newest CD: a synth-heavy recording by Mexican girl group Pandora called “…Con Amor Eterno” (“With Eternal Love”). She plays it every Saturday morning while doing morning chores, blasting it from Kenwood speakers and making my teenage life miserable. I don’t mind the tight harmonies of the trio, or even the overwrought music and lyrics of love and lament. What I can’t stand is the man who wrote their tunes: Juan Gabriel.
He was a superstar at that point, having recently become the first-ever popular singer to perform at Mexico’s prestigious Palacio de Bellas Artes. And he was also something no Mexican father wanted their son to become: flamboyant, a queen — and unapologetic. His nickname — JuanGa — was a slur in my Latino-majority school in Anaheim, used against any boy perceived to be gay. So I grimaced every time my mom pressed play, putting on headphones to lose myself in NWA, the Supremes — anything manlier than JuanGa.
Flash forward to Sunday, when I learned that Juan Gabriel passed away of a heart attack at age 66 in Santa Monica. I immediately searched YouTube for the opening song to “…Con Amor Eterno”: “Con tu Amor” (“With Your Love”). It’s my go-to JuanGa song, because it makes me cry, a combination of shame at my ignorant past and wonder for the song. As I heard its timpani-like bass, tinny keyboards and tinkling chimes — hey, it was recorded in the 1990s — the tears flowed freely.
[Juan Gabriel] redefined masculinity as only a sequins-and-silk-loving man could.
Mexican boys are taught to ridicule Juan Gabriel; Mexican men learn to respect the legend. My evolution regarding the man born Alberto Aguilera Valadez is a uniquely Mexican story shared by millions that mainstream cultural critics will strain to explain in the coming weeks. But he’s going down in Mexican history as one of its most influential citizens. He redefined masculinity as only a sequins-and-silk-loving man could. And he did it while creating a magnificent 45-year career, recording hits as recently as May, when his chintzy but heartfelt cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” went viral across Latin America — a fitting finale.
Artistically, Juan Gabriel belongs to a Latin American genre of singer-songwriters who wrote a country’s songbook a la Cole Porter or Irving Berlin. But none of the Tin Pan Alley generation ever became famous for performing, the way Juan Gabriel did. To find America’s JuanGa, you’d have to start by partaking in that most Mexican of pastimes: mestizaje. Take the indefatigable showmanship of James Brown, the cult of Elvis, Liberace’s camp, Elton John’s flair, Judy Garland’s on-stage command, Bruce Springsteen’s mastery of folk and pop themes, the diva tendencies of Streisand, the chameleonic talent of David Bowie or Prince — and mash it all up into something that makes sense. And that’s only an imperfect start.
Juan Gabriel fans at mortuary As news of Juan Gabriel’s death spread, fans gathered Monday at the Malinow and Silverman Mortuary in Los Angeles to pay tribute to the singer. As news of Juan Gabriel’s death spread, fans gathered Monday at the Malinow and Silverman Mortuary in Los Angeles to pay tribute to the singer. See more videos
Juan Gabriel’s songs smashed the staid Mexican music industry. He seamlessly glided across genres — ranchera, banda, tropical music, pop — and even combined them. He’d sneak in the conjunto norteño accordions of his beloved Juarez during mariachi songs, predating by decades the current trend in Mexican regional music of putting tubas and squeezeboxes together. His lyrics forsook the fatalism of ranchera for the promise of love. He sang for survivors, for people who threw themselves to the world and fell, only to get up again in the hope that true love would come one day to save them.
“Con tu Amor” put it best:, “Gracias a ti/no ciento tristezas/ni dolor/Hoy soy muy feliz” ("Thanks to you/I don't feel sadness/nor pain/Today, I'm very happy").
But JuanGa’s truest legacy is not his music, it’s what he represented: Personal freedom. Although he refused to answer questions about his sexuality, he was the one celebrity Mexico allowed to live as even somewhat gay. Juan Gabriel fought back the haters with his smile and sharp tongue, never apologizing for who he was. And that pride created an opening for young gay men and women to find courage — perhaps even come out. That’s not all. Women living under the tyranny of machismo found that the only time they could go out on the town was for one of his concerts, their husbands not bothering to attend because what straight man admitted to liking JuanGa?
Eventually, however, even the machos caught up to JuanGa’s genius. On Facebook, guys are openly admitted to weeping about Juan Gabriel’s death, speaking of him in the same breath as Vicente Fernandez, the ur-hombre of Mexican music who nevertheless recorded many JuanGa hits. He himself tweeted out: "How the passing of Juan Gabriel weighs on me. A great artist and an excellent human being.”
Even before his death, JuanGa had become a part of everyday Mexican life. Whenever a JuanGa song plays at a family party, everyone chants along. And his “Amor Eterno” (“Eternal Love”), a song dedicated to his late mother, has now become a staple of memorial services for men and women alike, JuanGa’s ballad literally serving as a soundtrack to a loved one’s life as photos of the dearly departed flash across a screen.
And now he is gone. May Mexico keep his lessons alive — and may the United States learn them.
Gustavo Arellano is editor of OC Weekly, author of the syndicated column, ¡Ask a Mexican! and the book “Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America.”
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook | http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-arellano-juan-gabriel-20160829-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/56288fac5e628ad2c21de7345b07f8305e628adac1b3308e21993dbce7059e01.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-29T02:49:43 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fla-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-2016-vma-s-no-dress-shirt-required-1472432041-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c38b04/turbine/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-2016-vma-s-no-dress-shirt-required-1472432041 | en | null | 2016 VMAs: No dress-shirt required | null | null | www.latimes.com | A hallmark of the rock 'n' roll approach to dressing up is to wear a suit jacket or blazer but jettison the dress shirt traditionally worn underneath. Or simply wearing a shirt (and no jacket) and declining to button it all.
Based on the arrivals so far tonight it seems to be a look that won't be going away anytime soon. Among those we've spotted sporting the jacket-layered-over-bare-skin look so far: Jeremy Scott (shown above at far left in a multi-colored Moschino suit of his own making); Britney Spears' arm candy for the night, G-Eazy (in a red silk western shirt that clearly has buttons that aren't being used); and Cassie, who wore a gray double-breasted blazer with six gold buttons that are spending the night unemployed.
The biggest surprise was the very pregnant girlfriend of MTV "Catfish" star Nev Schulman. Laura Perlongo arrived in only a necklace and jacket. | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-2016-vma-s-no-dress-shirt-required-1472432041-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/b64dbb5c3f4ff3510ce28a71eacf55f490c41c5ab7bddc57c398a4b91ee240c0.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Zach Helfand"
]
| 2016-08-30T04:49:46 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fusc%2Fla-sp-chuma-edoga-start-20160829-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c4ff92/turbine/la-sp-chuma-edoga-start-20160829-snap | en | null | Chuma Edoga to start at left tackle for USC, with Chad Wheeler injured | null | null | www.latimes.com | Chuma Edoga will start at left tackle for USC against Alabama on Saturday, Coach Clay Helton announced on Monday on the Trojans Live radio show.
The announcement means Chad Wheeler, the usual starter who has been hobbled by plantar fasciitis, is unlikely to play significant time against the Crimson Tide.
It also means the blindside of USC’s new starting quarterback, Max Browne, will be protected by a sophomore. Helton has expressed confidence in Edoga, but he has little experience compared to Wheeler. Edoga played as a reserve linemen last season and started two games at right tackle, against Utah and Wisconsin.
Wheeler, a senior, is USC's most experienced lineman, with 34 starts. He has missed the majority of the preseason with the foot injury.
"He hasn't really practiced in now 3 ½ weeks,” Helton said. “So we're going to end up going with Chuma at the left tackle position to start off with. We're going to evaluate Chad throughout the week to see if he can progress into helping us with a couple series.”
Edoga will be tested early. On a team loaded with talent, Alabama's best player could be defensive end Jonathan Allen, who recorded 12 sacks last season, all against power-conference teams.
USC has experimented with shifted right tackle Zach Banner, considered USC’s most talented lineman, to the left side. Banner has dropped weight during the off-season, and says he weighs less than the 360 pounds he is listed at. Still, foot speed could be an issue were he to play left tackle.
Ultimately, Helton opted against it.
“We’d like to keep Zach in a stationary point,” Helton said on Saturday.
[email protected]
Twitter: @zhelfand | http://www.latimes.com/sports/usc/la-sp-chuma-edoga-start-20160829-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/1f9eef7e73026b067c265a9423d92fe5a40535f427f0f6e50d20579cbe4b581d.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Associated Press"
]
| 2016-08-31T14:50:13 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fbusiness%2Fla-fi-markets-20160831-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c6e2a3/turbine/la-fi-markets-20160831-snap | en | null | Stocks open slightly lower; H&R Block shares drop | null | null | www.latimes.com | Stocks are opening slightly lower on Wall Street as a thin batch of earnings gave investors little to get excited about.
Tax preparation company H&R Block dropped almost 8% in early trading Wednesday after reporting revenue that fell short of analysts' estimates, and distiller Brown-Forman, which makes Jack Daniel’s and Woodford Reserve, fell 5% after its own results also came up short of forecasts.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 41 points, or 0.2%, to 18,412.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 4 points, or 0.2%, to 2,171. The Nasdaq composite fell 12 points, or 0.3%, to 5,210.
Bond prices didn't move much. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note held steady at 1.57%.
ALSO
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Hawaiian Gardens bets on $90-million investment to overhaul casino
Strawberry grower that demanded kickbacks from Mexican workers is fined $2.4 million | http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-markets-20160831-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/90f547b67b42a05791fea377734616a055ebf7cb8137ec6ffa95d1d792b20dd2.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Patrick Mcgreevy"
]
| 2016-08-30T22:49:55 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fpolitics%2Fla-pol-sac-pot-taxes-20160830-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c4ec0b/turbine/la-pol-sac-pot-taxes-20160830-snap | en | null | Lawmakers offer tax amnesty to pot shops but also threaten to withhold their licenses to operate | null | null | www.latimes.com | Estimating that two-thirds of the medical marijuana stores in California have failed to pay sales taxes, state officials on Tuesday took a carrot-and-stick approach to persuade pot shops to pay the $106 million owed.
With the state preparing to license medical marijuana shops in 2018, the Assembly sent Gov. Jerry Brown a bill Tuesday that would establish a tax amnesty program to help bring scofflaws into compliance with the law.
The measure would allow medical cannabis sellers to temporarily avoid a penalty of 25% to 50% on late taxes but would block the issuance of new state licenses to any continuing violators.
Assemblyman Mike Gipson (D-Carson), who introduced the bill, said many medical cannabis shops have not registered with the state and paid taxes for fear of criminal prosecution because marijuana remains an illegal substance under federal law.
“You have a lot of businesses that would like to come out of the shadows and do the right thing,” Gipson said.
Voters legalized the medical use of marijuana in California two decades ago; the state has some 2,500 dispensaries.
A recent court decision said federal officials could not spend money to prosecute people who comply with state medical pot laws.
Getting businesses to comply with tax laws is also important because a measure on the November ballot in California would legalize the recreational use of marijuana, potentially resulting in many more businesses opening to sell cannabis.
But the main development that led to the amnesty proposal is a new regulatory scheme approved last year for the state to issue licenses to medical cannabis dispensaries starting in 2018.
“Now that California has officially taken steps to establish a regulatory framework for cannabis, we have an opportunity to engage these businesses to ensure they pay their dues,” Gipson told his colleagues, who approved the amnesty program on a 46-to-13 vote.
The state Board of Equalization, which collects taxes, estimated the 66% rate of non-payment of taxes based on the experience of other states, including Colorado, officials said.
The six-month amnesty period would run from July 1, 2017, through Dec. 31, 2017, and apply to tax liabilities due before Jan. 1, 2015.
Last year’s approval of a state regulatory system requiring pot shops to get state licenses may be enough to persuade businesses “that previously operated underground” to “comply with state tax and regulatory laws,” David J. Gau, the executive director of the board, wrote to lawmakers.
Industry officials, including Nate Bradley, executive director of the California Cannabis Industry Assn., welcomed the amnesty offer.
"Due to the lack a legal framework and access to basic banking, paying taxes has been extremely challenging for our the medical cannabis industry,” Bradley said. “The tax amnesty program proposed in Assembly Member Gipson's bill will help existing medical cannabis operators more easily transition from operating in an unregulated, gray market to a regulated one."
Updates from Sacramento »
Brown was also sent a bill that allows state licenses to be issued to 135 pot dispensaries authorized in Los Angeles when voters approved Measure D in 2013.
State law requires those applying for state licenses to have a license from the city, but the L.A. ballot measure did not provide a city license so special eligibility was needed through legislation, according to Assemblyman Reggie Jones Sawyer (D-Los Angeles).
[email protected]
Follow @mcgreevy99 on Twitter
ALSO
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Proposed initiative would allow recreational use of marijuana | http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-pot-taxes-20160830-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/1187760bf374b5b179f2c27bde6053d9be672ac1a3044c9294a3854685ddfcea.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Eric Sondheimer"
]
| 2016-08-27T06:48:53 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fhighschool%2Fla-sp-chaminade-oaks-christian-20160826-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c129c2/turbine/la-sp-chaminade-oaks-christian-20160826-snap | en | null | The future arrives when Oaks Christian beats Chaminade in a thriller | null | null | www.latimes.com | Those marketing geniuses at Nike, Adidas and Under Armour should have dropped by Westlake Village on Friday night for the football opener between host Oaks Christian and West Hills Chaminade and fought it out to be the sponsor for what could have been called “The Future Bowl.”
No. 12-ranked Oaks Christian started nine sophomores. No. 6-ranked Chaminade started nine juniors. In another year, they’ll have teams and players hyped as being among the best in the nation. And what a game it produced in terms of offensive firepower and fan excitement. No lead was ever considered safe.
In the end, Oaks Christian came away with a 65-55 victory in a game that had video-game like qualities.
Brandon LaBrie, one of the few seniors in Oaks Christian’s starting lineup, scored four touchdowns and rushed for 123 yards. Quarterback Matt Corral passed for 419 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. He also ran for a touchdown.
Brevin White of Chaminade passed for 317 yards and three touchdowns. Michael Wilson caught seven passes for 200 yards.
“Every time we had the ball, we thought we had to score,” Oaks Christian Coach Jim Benkert said.
By halftime, Corral, a USC commit who’s only a junior, had passed for 298 yards and two touchdowns to give Oaks Christian a 30-21 advantage. He also ran for 52 yards.
Standout running back T.J. Pledger scored two first-half touchdowns for Chaminade but struggled with cramps. Chaminade hurt itself with too many penalties — nine. Wilson caught passes of 55 and 44 yards from White. But the Eagles also struggled with protecting White, something Coach Ed Croson knew could be an issue. Oaks Christian finished with eight sacks.
“We have a good group of young players,” he said. “Last year was tough to get through and now hopefully we enjoy the benefits. The whole thing is how fast does the offensive line develop.”
It was an insane third quarter. Oaks Christian appeared ready to pull away at the outset, getting a blocked punt, with Bo Calvert scoring the touchdown for a 37-21 lead. Then came the stunning play of the night as White scrambled 83 yards for a touchdown, and suddenly Chaminade had momentum.
“I was going to run off the sideline and try to tackle him,” Benkert said.
Oaks Christian wins shootout Lions defeat Chaminade, 65-55 Lions defeat Chaminade, 65-55 See more videos
White rarely runs with the ball, but after running for his life at times, he just took over and never stopped running until he reached the end zone. By the end of the quarter, it was Oaks Christian 51, Chaminade 49. Among the touchdowns in the quarter were a 56-yard screen pass to LaBrie; Chaminade’s Isaiah Richardson catching a 50-yard TD pass from White; a TD run by LaBrie; and TD runs by Chaminade’s Pledger and Andrew Van Buren.
Oaks Christian finally got a little breathing room in the fourth quarter. Corral had a four-yard touchdown run and Zach Charbonnet added a four-yard touchdown run.
[email protected]
Twitter: @latsondheimer | http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/la-sp-chaminade-oaks-christian-20160826-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/b080b679f31cc012ca6f83611a00696c01c059408ebb6cb416cac129daf44e70.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Associated Press"
]
| 2016-08-30T18:50:00 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fworld%2Fla-fg-islamic-state-spokesman-killed-20160830-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Islamic State spokesman killed in Aleppo, group's news agency says | null | null | www.latimes.com | Islamic State says its spokesman has been "martyred" in northern Syria.
The Islamic State-run Aamaq news agency said Tuesday that Abu Muhammed al-Adnani was "martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo," without providing further details.
Islamic State has released several audio files online in which Adnani, a senior leader in the group, delivers fiery sermons urging followers to carry out attacks.
The extremist group has suffered a string of defeats in recent weeks, including in Syria's northern Aleppo province, where Turkish troops and allied Syrian rebels drove it out of the border town of Jarablus last week.
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Apple must pay $14.5 billion in back taxes to Ireland, the EU says
Juan Gabriel was Mexico's gay icon — but he never spoke of his sexuality | http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-islamic-state-spokesman-killed-20160830-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/83b4af275048496875b1e47d724861155bf4e22696c574d5afd437fa31efe4cc.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Associated Press"
]
| 2016-08-29T10:49:38 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fworld%2Fla-fg-yemen-suicide-attack-20160829-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Suicide attack kills 45 pro-government troops in Yemen | null | null | www.latimes.com | A suicide attacker set off a massive car bomb in Yemen's southern city of Aden on Monday, killing at least 45 pro-government troops who had been preparing to travel to Saudi Arabia to fight Houthi rebels in Yemen's north, officials said.
The men were at a staging area near two schools and a mosque where they were registering to join the expedition. The Saudis hope to train up to 5,000 fighters and deploy them to the Saudi cities of Najran and Jizan, near the border, Yemeni security officials said. Over 60 wounded were being taken to three area hospitals, they added.
Aid group Doctors Without Borders reported on social media that their hospital in Aden had received 45 dead, while the Yemeni officials earlier put the figure at 25 but said it was likely to rise. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to brief journalists.
Yemen is embroiled in a civil war pitting the internationally recognized government and a Saudi-led coalition against the Shiite rebels, who are allied with army units loyal to a former president. The fighting has allowed al-Qaida and an Islamic State affiliate in Yemen to expand their reach, particularly in the country's south.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing.
The U.N. and rights groups estimate at least 9,000 people have been killed since fighting escalated in March 2015 with the start of Saudi-led airstrikes targeting the Houthis and their allies. Some 3 million people have been displaced inside the country, the Arab world's poorest. | http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-yemen-suicide-attack-20160829-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/0ca6ea46b632f2a867f38c0d38b630a6c45f11a42c26c00c3cd43554b20c53c3.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-29T02:49:50 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fla-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-nick-cannon-turns-out-to-the-vmas-1472432965-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c39196/turbine/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-nick-cannon-turns-out-to-the-vmas-1472432965 | en | null | Nick Cannon turns out to the VMAs looking ....freshly showered? | null | null | www.latimes.com | MTV's VMAs are here! But we may as well call them the Beyonce awards with how many awards she's nominated for. That would be a whopping 11. Adele comes in next with seven nominations. Drake, Kanye West and Justin Bieber are also vying for the top prize. Rihanna will receive the Vanguard Award, the VMAs' most prestigious award, which has previously been given to Michael Jackson, Madonna, and David Bowie. And while we're talking about flashback artists: Britney Spears is performing! Stay with us as we report all of the play-by-plays. | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-nick-cannon-turns-out-to-the-vmas-1472432965-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/9d774f0b74b1c1cc7a69a7c4c507ed5af0f11bba221fff8ea7df6c8ce8412899.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Robin Abcarian"
]
| 2016-08-28T16:49:11 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Flocal%2Fabcarian%2Fla-me-abcarian-minorities-marijuana-20160828-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c0e023/turbine/la-me-abcarian-minorities-marijuana-20160828-snap | en | null | Latinos hold the key to pot legalization, but will people of color share in its economic riches? | null | null | www.latimes.com | The town hall meeting, in a cavernous garage on an industrial side street in Gardena, was billed as an opportunity to learn about cannabis from some of the industry’s experts.
I assumed there would be strong arguments made in favor of Proposition 64, the November ballot initiative to legalize marijuana for adult recreational use.
But it hardly seemed necessary. From what I could tell, most of those in the room were already on board. Some had recently started businesses or were contemplating how to get a piece of what assuredly is going to be a huge economic pie if Proposition 64 passes.
One of the evening’s sponsors, the California Minority Alliance, was founded specifically to ensure that revenues from the legal marijuana industry make their way to the communities that have suffered most under the government’s failed anti-drug policies.
“White people are getting ready to make this happen,” said panelist Felicia Carbajal, a cannabis educator and activist. “If we don’t participate with them, we are not going to reap the benefits, and we are the people most affected by the war on drugs.”
Virgil Grant, who owned six Los Angeles-area cannabis dispensaries and spent six years in federal prison for conspiring to sell pot, was just as blunt: “African Americans spend a lot of money on cannabis. Get a stake in this business, not just as a consumer, but as an owner/operator. This is not about smoking weed. It’s much bigger than that. This is a billion-dollar industry.”
You could practically see the imaginations of the 75 or so people in that room ignite.
::
Of course, there won’t be much to dream about if Proposition 64 fails.
And while I have been cavalier about predicting its passage, I am acutely aware that success is not a sure thing. There is plenty of resistance to legalization among a key group of voters who could make or break it.
“Latinos in California are a large enough voting bloc that they can swing anything,” said UC Davis political sociologist Mindy Romero. “It comes down to turnout.”
In the 2012 general election, for example, Latinos represented nearly 27% of eligible California voters but were responsible for only 19% of the ballots cast.
Romero and other experts anticipate a healthier November turnout by Latinos, galvanized by antipathy toward GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump and, to a lesser extent, the opportunity to cast a vote for Rep. Loretta Sanchez, who is vying with California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris for Barbara Boxer’s U.S. Senate seat.
But the Latino vote is not monolithic. And when it comes to marijuana, it presents something of a conundrum.
Younger Latinos — millennials — tend to favor legalization. But they also tend to vote in fewer numbers than their elders. And though the gap between those for and against legalizing has narrowed, an overall majority of Latinos still oppose it.
Which is why Gabriel Guzman, who runs the Monterey-area pot delivery service Namaste Wellness, describes the Latino electorate as a “waking giant.”
“There’s sort of a fear in educating Latinos about cannabis,” said Guzman, who last year founded an educational nonprofit that co-sponsored the town hall. “They don’t know what direction the waking giant will go.”
“The polling shows there is work to be done,” said Michael Bustamante, a “Yes on 64” spokesman, adding that “a very aggressive digital social media campaign” was planned to launch after Labor Day.
He wouldn’t say exactly how, but he vowed to “help educate some of the older Latinos on this.”
It may be an uphill battle.
“Older Latinos especially remember that the Spanish equivalent for ‘wino’ is a ‘marijuano’ — a loser, a bad person, a bum,” said political consultant Roger Salazar, who worked against legalization in 2010 when it appeared on the ballot as Proposition 19. This time around, he is neutral. “But if enough outreach is done, they are persuadable. Without outreach, they will not change. Skeptical voters are ‘No’ voters.”
::
So how do you go about persuading the skeptics?
First, it seems, they must be convinced that marijuana is legitimately useful.
“Every one of us grew up rubbing something on our arm or elbow that was some kind of herbal medicine,” Guzman said. “It’s part of our history. When we come at Latinos, we never say, ‘Smoke a joint or take a hit off a bong.’ We talk about topicals.”
Gina Koba, a 37-year-old Rowland Heights respiratory therapist, was deeply resistant to pot until her cousin was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia.
Nothing helped his pain.
At the time, she worked in a medical lab and decided — after much research — to make him a topical spray loaded with THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that also may have some anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. She said his pain was eased. Later, she said, her father smoked marijuana to help his terminal cancer pain.
I met Koba on Thursday at the town hall. She was sitting at a table with her line of topical cannabis products, Mere Relief, which she markets for arthritis, tension headaches and joint pain. In compliance with state law, her company is a nonprofit collective. Her website is bilingual.
For a while, she said, she kept her interest in cannabis a secret from her extended family. They are traditional, conservative Latinos who have associated marijuana with crime and addiction and “too many things that have caused hardship in our community.”
Yet even Koba, who has thrown herself into the brave new world of cannabis, is ambivalent about legalization. “I will be damned if my son gets high,” she told me. “But once he is a good, active citizen and earns his stripes in the world, then he should be able to enjoy it.”
In Gardena, cannabis experts and activists discuss legalization. From left, cannabis educator Felicia Carbajal, Latinos for Cannabis founder Gabriel Guzman, attorney Marc Wasserman, California Minority Alliance co-founder Virgil Grant; and Donnie Anderson of the NAACP Robin Abcarian/Los Angeles Times In Gardena, cannabis experts and activists discuss legalization. From left, cannabis educator Felicia Carbajal, Latinos for Cannabis founder Gabriel Guzman, attorney Marc Wasserman, California Minority Alliance co-founder Virgil Grant; and Donnie Anderson of the NAACP In Gardena, cannabis experts and activists discuss legalization. From left, cannabis educator Felicia Carbajal, Latinos for Cannabis founder Gabriel Guzman, attorney Marc Wasserman, California Minority Alliance co-founder Virgil Grant; and Donnie Anderson of the NAACP (Robin Abcarian/Los Angeles Times)
More columns »
[email protected] | http://www.latimes.com/local/abcarian/la-me-abcarian-minorities-marijuana-20160828-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/a5f25313178c307e7b5e6bf3200508c904125972eb2404355155f17b0ee9aed6.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Kevin Baxter"
]
| 2016-08-28T20:49:20 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fsoccer%2Fla-sp-soccer-baxter-20160828-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c33ef5/turbine/la-sp-soccer-baxter-20160828-snap | en | null | Americans Gyasi Zardes, Clint Dempsey to miss crucial World Cup qualifiers | null | null | www.latimes.com | The U.S. may not have its best players on the field going into a crucial pair of World Cup qualifiers, with the first against St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Friday.
With a victory in that game and another win Sept. 6 against Trinidad & Tobago in Jacksonville, Fla., the U.S. would guarantee itself a berth in the final, hexagonal round of regional World Cup qualifiers. But a loss in either game would leave its chances in doubt.
The U.S. will enter Friday’s game second in its four-team group, trailing Trinidad & Tobago by three points and leading third-place Guatemala by one. Only the top two teams in each group advance to the next round.
However, the U.S. will be without forwards Clint Dempsey and Gyasi Zardes. Dempsey, who plays for the Seattle Sounders, was unavailable for the selection because of an irregular heartbeat while Zardes was injured in the Galaxy’s scoreless draw with Vancouver on Saturday.
Back on the roster is Toronto forward Jozy Altidore, who missed June’s Copa America with a hamstring strain. Altidore, one of just four players selected to the 26-man squad who did not participate in the Copa America, has scored five goals in his last six games with Toronto.
“We definitely think that the group that got fourth in the Copa America deserves a certain priority going on to the next World Cup qualifiers because they did tremendously well in the Copa America," U.S. Coach Juergen Klinsmann said in a statement. "This is a big stage, and they deserve to come back and confirm what they did in the tournament in these upcoming, very important World Cup qualifiers.
“We are preparing for these two games very seriously, with a lot of urgency because we want to finish off our group in first place if possible, and this group of players gets the chance to do that."
Among those called back into camp are forward Bobby Wood and defenders Fabian Johnson and John Brooks, who are playing in the German Bundesliga, and goalkeepers Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids) and Brad Guzan (England’s Middlesbrough,)
Also coming back to the team is former Galaxy defender Omar Gonzalez of Mexico’s Pachuca and Seattle’s Jordan Morris. Neither was called up for the Copa America although Gonzalez played in the last round of World Cup qualifiers in the spring.
The team began gathering Sunday in Florida. Klinsmann will have to trim three players from the roster before Friday. Michael Bradley (yellow card accumulation) and Michael Orozco (red card from Copa third-place game) are suspended for the first game.
The roster
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Middlesbrough), Ethan Horvath (Molde FC),Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids)
Defenders: Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), John Brooks (Hertha BSC), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Monchengladbach), Michael Orozco (Club Tijuana), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle United)
Midfielders: Paul Arriola (Club Tijuana), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Jermaine Jones (Colorado Rapids), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund), Caleb Stanko (FC Vaduz), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC), Rubio Rubin (FC Utrecht), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Bobby Wood (Hamburg SV) | http://www.latimes.com/sports/soccer/la-sp-soccer-baxter-20160828-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/35ae7a97c528bfd3fb317fb053f898e12c61c94b800614dcdb64cb0e7dc933eb.json |
[
"Daily Pilot",
"Daily Pilot Staff"
]
| 2016-08-27T00:51:21 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsocal%2Fdaily-pilot%2Fnews%2Ftn-dpt-me-biz-news-20160826-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-565ccc20/turbine/tn-dpt-me-fb-logos-20151117-002/600 | en | null | Biz News: UFC Gym announces new facility in Costa Mesa | null | null | www.latimes.com | UFC Gym announces new facility in Costa Mesa
UFC Gym announced that it is opening a new 18,000-square-foot facility in Costa Mesa with the help of UFC's middleweight champion, Michael Bisping, and featherweight Cub Swanson.
The gym at 2860 Harbor Blvd. replaces a Mitsubishi dealership that closed and moved to another site along Harbor.
UFC also is opening a preview enrollment center at 2790 Harbor Blvd., Unit 118.
The gym plans to offer strength training, cardio machines, battle ropes, agility ladders, a bag room, an outdoor training arena and a Brazilian jiu-jitsu studio.
"We're excited to partner with Michael and Cub, who are both amazing athletes that embody everything that UFC Gym stands for," UFC Gym President Adam Sedlack said in a statement. "Costa Mesa is a great community, and we couldn't be more thrilled for its residents to visit this gym and hopefully join the UFC Gym family."
Elyse Walker store comes to Newport
Elyse Walker is expanding from its Pacific Palisades storefront with a second boutique store in Newport Beach's Lido Marina Village.
The 12,000-square-foot store offers hairstyling and designer clothing accessories, jewelry, footwear and more, with a focus on beach lifestyles.
Lido Marina Village is at 3434 Via Lido.
Brazilian steakhouse opens in Irvine
A Texas-based Brazilian steakhouse chain has opened its first California restaurant in Irvine.
Texas de Brazil Churrascaria is in the Market Place, 13772 Jamboree Road. It is open for dinner nightly.
The restaurant describes itself as blending Brazilian culture with the "generous hospitality of Texas."
Costa Mesa's Primo announces 1 million downloads
Costa Mesa-based Primo Connect announced that its beta version app, which provides free international calls and text messages, has been downloaded more than 1 million times since launching in March.
The app, commonly used by people working or living abroad to connect with family back home, is available for Android and iOS and is being used in more than 50 countries.
The app is slated to be available on additional operating systems later this year.
Newport's Lifescapes finishes Santa Ana apartment project
Lifescapes International, a Newport Beach-based landscape architectural firm, said it has completed its project on a 264-unit luxury apartment complex in Santa Ana developed by Lyon Living, also based in Newport Beach.
Lifescapes designed Nineteen01's main entrance, exterior perimeter, pool, spa, cabanas, courtyard and gardens, according to a news release.
The complex is at 1901 E. First St.
Lombard Medical to leave Irvine
Irvine-based Lombard Medical has eliminated its U.S. sales force and will shift its commercial operations to the United Kingdom, where it already has an administrative and manufacturing presence, according to MedCity News.
Lombard, a medical technology company, blamed its "Americexit" on a U.S. Food and Drug Administration decision that would have required Lombard to perform a 50-patient investigation device exemption for its new IntelliFlex technology.
MedCity also reported poor U.S. sales for Lombard, whose latest stock price is about $1 a share.
Verizon Wireless Pacific market gets new president
Verizon Wireless has appointed Jonathan LeCompte as president of its Pacific market, based in Irvine.
LeCompte will lead all business functions across the seven-state market, including California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, northern Nevada and northern Idaho, according to a news release.
Yogurtland hires two executives
Irvine-based Yogurtland has named John Wayne Carlson as vice president of development and Chad Bailey as senior director of marketing.
"We're eager to welcome John and Chad to Yogurtland during this exhilarating time of expansion and growth," Phillip Chang, Yogurtland founder and chief executive, said in a statement. "They both have the extensive backgrounds needed to build on our growth trajectory and will make valuable contributions to our creativity and success."
Carlson has held a variety of development and operations positions with Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Dunkin' Brands, according to a news release.
Bailey most recently was chief marketing officer of Robeks Juice.
LendingQB names new vice president
LendingQB, a Costa Mesa-based provider of technology solutions for the mortgage industry, has named Rob Pommier as vice president of national sales.
"Rob has the experience we were looking for to help grow our organization," Binh Dang, LendingQB president, said in a statement. "With his background and understanding of the mortgage banking industry, we believe Rob can effectively communicate our Lean Lending solution to lenders." | http://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-dpt-me-biz-news-20160826-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/87b32f60f80c749156aeba982d22cdf8aff052ca677d96aa750074b080eb5e38.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Marc Olson"
]
| 2016-08-27T08:48:45 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Flocal%2Flanow%2Fla-me-ln-tustin-boy-20160826-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c13a15/turbine/la-me-ln-tustin-boy-20160826-snap | en | null | Boy, 12, fatally struck by pickup in Tustin | null | null | www.latimes.com | A 12-year-old boy was fatally struck by a pickup in Tustin on Friday night, police said.
The accident occurred about 8 p.m. near the intersection of Jamboree Road and Champion Way, said Tustin Police Sgt. Andy Birozy.
The injured boy was taken to a hospital, where he died.
The driver, an adult male, was cooperating with police, said Birozy. He added that drugs and alcohol were not involved, nor was speed.
[email protected]
Follow @molson21 on Twitter
ALSO
Police badge deflects bullet in shootout, gunman dies in fiery crash
Murder charge filed against motorist accused of driving with dead pedestrian lodged in car
Facing threats, albino sisters granted asylum to attend school in Southern California | http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-tustin-boy-20160826-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/d9d472d5055ae4842233ab2d5a8b351b42badd4c1ae14d48cbce3390cc5025f8.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Molly Hennessy-Fiske",
"Ariadne Venegas"
]
| 2016-08-30T02:49:57 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fworld%2Fmexico-americas%2Fla-fg-juan-gabriel-mexico-20160829-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c4e147/turbine/la-fg-juan-gabriel-mexico-20160829-snap | en | null | Mexico mourns Juan Gabriel, the singer known as 'El Divo de Juarez' | null | null | www.latimes.com | Popular Mexican singer Juan Gabriel was known as “El Divo de Juarez,” and as news of his death spread Monday, more than 100 people gathered to mourn outside the block-long mansion that was his home in this border town — one of several he purchased in a city where his mother had once worked as a housekeeper.
They played songs they had come to know as their own: “La Frontera” and “Juarez Es Numero Uno.”
“I grew up hearing him. All my family and I followed him through his career and he was very beloved by us,” Estela Vejar, a 46-year-old Juarez resident, said as she lit a candle and left a balloon outside the fence.
The scene was one of several across Mexico as ardent fans commemorated the passing of the 66-year-old balladeer, who died in Santa Monica on Sunday just hours before he was set to perform to a sold-out crowd just across the border from here, in El Paso.
In Mexico City’s Garibaldi Square, a gathering place for mariachi, the bands played along as fans flocked to a statue of the singer and sang Juan Gabriel’s lyrics: “Love eternal and unforgettable.”
Alejandro Diaz, a musician for decades and a regular in the square, said a day doesn’t pass without a customer requesting Juan Gabriel, or “JuanGa.”
“He united people, it didn't matter if they were people with lots of money or humble ones,” he said. “Everyone sings his songs and dances to the rhythm of 'Noa Noa,’ or cries with one of his songs.”
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto paused during a tour of the state of Sinaloa to note the passing of “a great artist, recognized here and outside our borders … a man who in his lyrics, in his music, in his performances without a doubt projected the essence of the Mexican people.”
Ciudad Juarez, where Juan Gabriel launched his singing career at the iconic El Noa Noa bar, was once the murder capital of the world, plagued by cartel violence that in recent years has abated.
The singer had been remodeling his Spanish-tiled manse and had intended to live there, a relative said.
Instead, the sprawling house became a memorial where fans affixed flowers and signs to the ornate green gate saying, “The hour has arrived to say goodbye,” and “Rest in peace our Juan Gabriel.”
Vejar and her family last saw Gabriel perform at a free concert in Juarez last year that drew more than 138,000. “I didn’t want to waste another day and not come and honor him,” she said, her voice breaking as her daughter gave her a hug.
The street outside the house had been closed to traffic as mariachis and banda musicians played Juan Gabriel’s songs on horns, drums and accordion. Vendors also descended, selling flowers, photos and CDs.
Flower vendor Cruz Gonzalez, 44, recalled seeing Juan Gabriel perform at El Noa Noa when she was a teenager.
Standing nearby was Rosaura Diaz, 56, who was collecting money to hire mariachis to perform. Diaz said Gabriel was the only singer who could make her cry. He had special meaning for her beleaguered hometown, she said.
“He came to the city supporting it when the violence was heavy,” Diaz said. “And he never doubted his beloved city that helped him become a star.”
The youngest of 10 children, Juan Gabriel was placed in an orphanage at the age of 4, and went to work at 14 selling food on the streets to help his family. Later, he sang at local bars, including El Noa Noa on Avenida Juarez, which he would immortalize in song.
Locals normally did not linger in front of Juan Gabriel’s home, said Norma Angelica Guillermo, a resident of El Paso who has often traveled to Juarez. “We respect his house, it’s just part of the neighborhood. You see his house and say ‘Oh, that’s our El Divo, El Divo de Juarez.’”
Juan Gabriel built an orphanage in town, and started a music school. He appeared at the dedications of the local stadium, and last year at the unveiling of an enormous mural at the center of the renovated downtown.
Guillermo, 38, recalled growing up in El Segundo Barrio, a poor El Paso neighborhood along the river within sight of Juarez.
“Going to school, you would hear his songs coming from the houses. Saturday morning was cleaning to his songs,” she said. “He has a music for every generation.”
Last year, Guillermo—who works as a security specialist at a nearby NASA facility—took her mother to see Juan Gabriel at the University of Texas at El Paso arena, where he shouted to those from Juarez.
She also bought tickets for her mother and aunt to attend Sunday’s sold-out concert in El Paso. They only learned of the singer’s death when they pulled up to the arena. There, they joined some of the other 9,000 fans who had planned to attend, who instead found themselves singing “Siempre Estas en Mi Mente” (Always On My Mind).
Mourning with them at the arena was Lazaro Megret, the concert’s promoter, who had known Juan Gabriel for more than 25 years. Gabriel’s son and crew were already in town for the concert, he said. “They told us that he already sent the luggage to be put in his car to go to the airport.”
Megret recalled Gabriel as well-read, articulate and friendly. On tours, he said, “We used to go to dinner, telling stories back and forth — a great personality.”
Juarez Mayor Javier Gonzalez Mocken who said the singer’s death was a “great loss that will be deeply felt in this border town.” He called Juan Gabriel “one of Ciudad Juarez's most brilliant sons, and the greatest Mexican composer that the country has produced over the last decades.”
Juan Gabriel's nephew Ricardo Donacio Aguilera takes care of the star's house in Ciudad Juarez. Julian Cardona / For The Times Juan Gabriel's nephew Ricardo Donacio Aguilera takes care of the star's house in Ciudad Juarez. Juan Gabriel's nephew Ricardo Donacio Aguilera takes care of the star's house in Ciudad Juarez. (Julian Cardona / For The Times)
Juan Gabriel’s 56-year-old nephew, Ricardo Donacio Aguilera, who grew up with the singer and has been taking care of his house. It was Juan Gabriel’s favorite place to stay when he performed in the area, he said. It reminded him of the early days of his career, and he felt safe there.
“There are photographs from important artists that he sang with. He has a big photo of [Mexican actress and singer] Maria Felix, which he took good care of, personal belongings that he left here,” Donacio Aguilera said.
The residence will probably become a museum, he added.
Guillermo said she hasn’t gone to Juarez much lately because of security concerns, but hopes to go with relatives this weekend “so we can pay our respects … just to feel a little closer to him.”
“He lived our life. So it’s hard,” she said, starting to cry. “He made it, though. He made us all proud.” | http://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-juan-gabriel-mexico-20160829-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/acac2857781a3e9926dcf17b85844b196bc8a611fb38314eb8e0220b8d34e2ab.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Nigel Duara"
]
| 2016-08-30T22:49:59 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnation%2Fla-na-arizona-arpaio-election-20160830-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c5e8c3/turbine/la-na-arizona-arpaio-election-20160830-snap | en | null | Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio has $11.3 million to his opponents' $85,000 - but he's still in for a fight | null | null | www.latimes.com | When the Republican presidential ticket pivoted to focus on illegal immigration this summer, Donald Trump pointed to the man who has come to embody the muscular enforcement approach of the 2000s — massive immigration raids, unremitting warnings about the dangers posed by illegal immigrants and bold public pronouncements about enforcing the rule of law.
But while Joe Arpaio, Maricopa County’s six-term sheriff, has become a national touchstone to hardcore immigration-enforcement advocates, he is increasingly under duress on the homefront.
Arpaio is facing a primary challenge Tuesday that he is expected to win, perhaps even easily. But a general election battle looms against a Democratic Phoenix police officer who came within 6 percentage points of the veteran sheriff in the 2012 election.
Arpaio’s challengers on Tuesday include a retired sheriff’s deputy, the former commander of a sheriff’s posse and Dan Saban, the former police chief of the city of Buckeye, Ariz., and Arpaio’s most serious threat in the primary.
Based on fundraising, their chances appear dim. Combined, all three challengers have raised $85,000. Arpaio has a campaign war chest of $11.3 million.
Arpaio’s message hasn’t changed much since his salad days of corralling groups of Latino drivers as part of immigration sweeps. But he has encountered a county, state and nation in which attitudes toward illegal immigration and immigration in general have softened since his election, but for brief spikes in anti-immigrant sentiment after Sept. 11 and during the recession.
Caption 90 seconds: 4 stories you can't miss Huma Abedin leaves her husband, Anthony Weiner, Apple owes Ireland big, Brock Turner is released, and the 4 Aurora movie massacre survivors owe Cinemark lawyer fees. Huma Abedin leaves her husband, Anthony Weiner, Apple owes Ireland big, Brock Turner is released, and the 4 Aurora movie massacre survivors owe Cinemark lawyer fees. Caption Kim Jong Un executes using anti-aircraft gun South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported Kim Jong Un had two North Korean officials executed with an anti-aircraft gun in early August. South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported Kim Jong Un had two North Korean officials executed with an anti-aircraft gun in early August.
Arpaio’s waning popularity corresponds with his deepening legal problems.
After a protracted eight-year battle that included allegations that Arpaio tried to spy on the federal judge overseeing a civil case alleging that Arpaio profiled Latino drivers on immigration patrols, the 84-year-old sheriff now faces a criminal investigation into his conduct while the case played out.
The judge determined that Arpaio had encouraged his deputies to subject Latino drivers to greater scrutiny during traffic stops than white drivers typically received. The judge ordered the sheriff to put an end to that practice of profiling.
Two years later, the judge found that Arpaio had continued the practice in violation of his order. At a Houston rally in 2014, Arpaio told supporters that he had violated the order “out of spite” and had arrested 500 people.
Arpaio later said in court filings that he had violated the order unknowingly.
The judge, G. Murray Snow, ruled that 19 times, Arpaio intentionally violated his orders to end profiling of Latinos and called Arpaio’s brand of justice “unfair, partial and inequitable.”
The Arizona Republic’s editorial board was direct in its assessment of Arpaio’s fitness for office.
“Joe Arpaio has made a mockery of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office,” the board wrote in a July 30 editorial calling for voters to pick Saban in the primary.
The octogenarian who calls himself “America’s toughest sheriff” likely will survive Tuesday, but poll numbers for his November election indicate that he once again will face a tight race.
An independent poll in Arizona has Democratic challenger Paul Penzone up 3 percentage points on Arpaio. When undecided voters were asked to choose one of the two, they overwhelmingly sided with Penzone.
“It appears that the ‘toughest sheriff’ in America, Joe Arpaio, is in the toughest race of his career,” said Nathan Sproul, managing director of Lincoln Strategy Group, in a message accompanying the July 22 poll results.
“The voters may be saying it’s finally time for a change. He still has plenty of time to right the ship, but needs to define Penzone quickly or it may be too late.”
Follow Nigel Duara on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/nigelduara | http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-arizona-arpaio-election-20160830-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/496519a7a79a853f7fd7f0bf88a319cc36011d9b6c7c275d7579235bcf4759be.json |
[
"La Cañada",
"Carol Cormaci"
]
| 2016-08-26T13:16:02 | null | 2016-08-17T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsocal%2Fla-canada-valley-sun%2Fnews%2Ftn-vsl-me-quickhits-20160817-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57608a9f/turbine/tn-vsl-social-icon/ | en | null | Quick Hits: Tournament a testament | null | null | www.latimes.com | Forty years of disc golf at the Oak Grove Disc Golf Course will be celebrated this weekend with a tournament at the Pasadena course, which was the first of its kind and considered by some enthusiasts to be the "St. Andrews of disc golf."
The two-day, three-round tournament, sanctioned by the Professional Disc Golf Assn., gets underway at 8:30 a.m. Saturday with a shotgun start; finals will be held Sunday, according to the association's website. "Each round will represent the past, present and future of Oak Grove," it states.
In 1976, Ed Headrick patented the Flying Disc Entrapment Device, or disc golf basket, and developed his idea for a disc golf target at Oak Grove Park, which is across the street from La Cañada High School and has been renamed Hahamongna Watershed Park.
For more information about the tournament, including entry fees, visit www.facebook.com/ogdgc.
Golf Classic spots available
Experienced golfers and duffers alike still have time to sign up for a spot in the 33rd annual Crescenta Cañada Golf Classic, which will take place Monday, Aug. 22, at La Cañada Flintridge Country Club.
"We are always looking for golfers and sponsors," said Rick Dinger, one of the popular tournament's organizers. "We are expecting around 72 golfers and a great day is planned."
The tournament is co-sponsored by the Crescenta Valley Sheriff's Support Group and the La Cañada Flintridge Chamber of Commerce and Community Assn.
"This is our second year of partnering with the sheriff's support group for this tournament and we appreciate everyone's support," said Pat Anderson, president and chief executive of the chamber.
Check-in time is 11 a.m., a putting contest will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the shotgun start gets underway at 1 p.m. Dinner and an awards ceremony will follow the afternoon of golf.
"We invite the community to come support the Crescenta Valley Sheriff's Support Group and the LCF Chamber of Commerce as we raise money for a Mobile Command Post and funds to support the Chamber's many community programs," stated Lynn Graves, one of the tournament's organizers, in an email interview on Wednesday.
According to Graves, the player package, which includes green fees, cart, lunch, dinner, awards, tee prizes and contest holds, is $225. For non-golfers or those who can't get away during the day, tickets are available for the 5 p.m. dinner and award banquet for $50 each.
The Caltech Employee Credit Union is the presenting sponsor.
Sign up online at www.golfclassic.afrogs.org. For additional details, call Graves at (818) 371-8842, or email her at [email protected]. | http://www.latimes.com/socal/la-canada-valley-sun/news/tn-vsl-me-quickhits-20160817-story.html | en | 2016-08-17T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/d75c1b284f42b50babb4266665be8365eedfc34da40177d6b44c363eca25da70.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-31T02:50:08 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnation%2Fpolitics%2Ftrailguide%2Fla-na-trailguide-updates-stage-actors-union-makes-historic-1472603671-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c63774/turbine/la-na-trailguide-updates-stage-actors-union-makes-historic-1472603671 | en | null | Stage actors union makes historic endorsement for Clinton | null | null | www.latimes.com | The union representing more than 50,000 stage actors and managers has officially weighed in on one of the biggest shows of the year: the presidential election.
The Actors' Equity Assn. voted Tuesday to endorse Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton — the first time in the group's 103 years of existence that it has taken sides in a presidential race.
Union members were compelled to make their voices heard during an election that union Councilor Francis Jue said was about such issues as “whether people can carry guns into theatres.”
The statement from Actors' Equity reads:
“Our union has historically chosen to remain nonpartisan and above the fray. But at such a critical time in our country’s history, this union does not have that luxury if we hope to protect our members. We have to fight with everything we have for our survival. God forbid we stand passively on the sidelines and watch as some of these people get elected, people who aggressively want to dismantle unions. We will look back at this moment knowing that we could have said something and we chose not to because we were afraid people wouldn’t like it. I don’t think that’s the way a union in 2016 America can afford to operate.”
Clinton took inspiration from Broadway during her Democratic National Convention speech.
“Though we may not live to see the glory, as the song from the musical 'Hamilton' goes, let us gladly join the fight,” she said. | http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-trailguide-updates-stage-actors-union-makes-historic-1472603671-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/c8ce7a4aa47cf4fc9bb266feb61d9f433b9ddb210798cb0014320bbcfdaba806.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-27T20:51:28 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnation%2Fpolitics%2Ftrailguide%2Fla-na-trailguide-updates-watch-donald-trump-speaks-to-1472324485-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Watch: Donald Trump speaks to supporters in Iowa | null | null | www.latimes.com | Donald Trump travels to Iowa, where he'll attend Sen. Joni Ernst's second annual "Roast and Ride," an event that combines motorcycles, food and politics. | http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-trailguide-updates-watch-donald-trump-speaks-to-1472324485-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/4ef19e94b6eaec9ec9e1b6f5ff259b9c30a8af096cff404acf4362082a6626cb.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Christopher Hawthorne",
"Architecture Critic"
]
| 2016-08-27T00:48:54 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Farts%2Fla-et-cm-sandy-hook-school-20160827-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c0b34a/turbine/la-et-cm-sandy-hook-school-20160827-snap | en | null | At Sandy Hook Elementary, a new campus and a new start at site of horror | null | null | www.latimes.com | The Bataclan in Paris. The Century 16 multiplex in Aurora, Colo. The Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino. The campus of Garissa University College in eastern Kenya. A summer camp on the Norwegian island of Utoya.
And maybe most harrowing of all, given the ages of the victims, Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., where 20-year-old Adam Lanza, armed with a semi-automatic rifle and two handguns, killed 20 first-graders, six adults and then himself on Dec. 14, 2012.
As families prepare for the first day of school Monday at the new Sandy Hook School, designed by the New Haven, Conn., firm Svigals + Partners, they find themselves linked to a larger -- and mounting -- set of questions about how to rebuild and commemorate the sites of mass shootings.
Those questions, which in the recent American context began after 13 people were killed at Columbine High School in 1999, are often explicitly architectural. Yet they stand apart from debates about how to preserve a major battlefield or mark the kind of terror attack that brings down skyscrapers. The truth is we have very little idea how to answer them.
On Sept. 11, 2001, there was some horrific connection between the scale of the architecture and the scale of the destruction. The sense that a certain vision of national identity or power had been turned to dust was responsible in part for the way in which we overbuilt in response in Lower Manhattan, carving out two gargantuan reflecting pools to make a memorial and then shadowing it with a mute, blunt (and in economic terms superfluous) office tower, a fist stretched to the symbolic height of 1,776 feet.
Sandy Hook was terror of a different kind. As is the case with many recent mass shootings, whether driven by ideology, mental illness or some other impulse, it took place against the soft-target backdrop of generic, forgettable architecture. The violence was out of all proportion to the setting.
It would have taken an extraordinary architectural achievement to meet the immediate needs of the incoming Sandy Hook students while also grappling in a meaningful way with the larger significance of what happened there.
The new school doesn’t bridge that admittedly huge gap. Working with a $50-million budget, slightly larger than is typical for a campus of this size, what Svigals + Partners have produced is a largely straightforward piece of architecture dressed in bright color and a mixture of cheerful and cloying vernacular touches. The architects had to fight to protect some of their more ambitious design features from the sort of cost-cutting that is all too typical in public-school construction.
Still, there are hints in the Svigals + Partners approach -- especially in the way it deals with the school’s site, carved from a wooded wetland -- of what a more searching, powerful design might have looked like.
After the shooting, Newtown, a city of 27,000 founded in 1705 and located in Connecticut’s Fairfield County, about 70 miles northeast of Manhattan, sent Sandy Hook students to a school in nearby Monroe.
Svigals + Partners won the job of designing the new elementary school, with room for 500 students in preschool through the fourth grade, less than a year after the killings, in the fall of 2013.
The firm has a number of public schools and college buildings on its résumé. It has also designed houses for clients including Garry Trudeau, the cartoonist and a classmate of Barry Svigals, the firm’s founder, in the Yale College class of 1971.
Newtown arranged a series of community meetings to tackle the question of how and where to rebuild. (Later the architects would convene a large separate task force to help guide its design.) The community group settled on three possible plans: repair and reopen the existing campus, a red-brick, vaguely modernist design, wrapped around a grass courtyard, from 1956; build a new school on the same site; or find another location in town.
The first option had few fans: The old building was not energy-efficient, on top of which it would always be an architectural symbol too painful for many residents to confront. The third proved complicated because very few large sites were available nearby.
That left the idea of putting a new school on the old site as the consensus choice. Newtown also decided to locate a memorial to the shooting victims elsewhere in town — and to wait to build it until the new elementary school had opened.
The discussion has been similar at other locations scarred by this kind of violence. The movie theater in Aurora was repaired and reopened under a new name. The Utoya summer camp razed its old buildings and built new ones. The Bataclan is being renovated and is set to reopen this fall.
The finished Sandy Hook School, whose construction costs were paid for by a grant from the state of Connecticut, covers about 87,000 square feet of interior space on two floors. Facing the parking lot it follows a long, curving arc: a shallow U-shaped form. That curve is echoed in the rising and falling roofline of the front facade, an abstraction of nearby hills. The front of the school is clad in two hardwoods, machiche and garapa, and crowned by three gabled forms set back slightly from the front doors.
Students will enter on one of three short footbridges spanning a bioswale (a garden designed to filter rainwater). The bioswale separates the school from the parking lot and also plays a modest defensive role, making it difficult to walk directly up to the windows of the ground-floor classrooms. Though the architects are understandably reluctant to list them, other security features include windows and walls thickened against gunfire. Those measures follow new state guidelines for public schools. On the whole, the design carefully avoids the appearance of an armored campus.
Just inside the entrance is a large central lobby with views through a two-story wall of glass toward an exterior courtyard with a pair of small amphitheaters. The architects refer to the wide hallway along the front of the building as the school’s “Main Street.” Classrooms stacked on two levels fill three long wings, setting off two more courtyards.
The biggest difference between the 1956 Sandy Hook campus and the new one is the extent to which the Svigals + Partners design edges toward and opens itself up to the back of the site.
This orientation gives many of the classrooms views into the trees. It also produces one of the more playful aspects of the new building, a pair of treehouses on the second floor that will be used as breakout spaces where students can read or teachers can meet with small groups. From the treehouses you can look down on the main courtyard as well as on a paved path that runs along the rear of the site. | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-sandy-hook-school-20160827-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/1ecb124fdc1a2f798b25c390b6697c74f40deb41db429d05ee6ea0bc4f3eb09e.json |
[
"Daily Pilot",
"Alexia Fernandez"
]
| 2016-08-30T00:52:04 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsocal%2Fdaily-pilot%2Fnews%2Ftn-dpt-me-escort-service-20160829-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-565ccc20/turbine/tn-dpt-me-fb-logos-20151117-002/600 | en | null | Pair arrested in Newport on suspicion of operating escort service without a permit | null | null | www.latimes.com | A man and woman were arrested outside the Balboa Bay Resort early Friday on suspicion of operating an escort service without a permit, according to Newport Beach police.
The 32-year-old man and 20-year-old woman, both from Los Angeles, were taken into custody after police responded to a call in the 1200 block of West Coast Highway about possible prostitution activity at about 5:30 a.m., said Newport police spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella.
Both arrived at the location together before the woman met with a man privately to offer him a massage, Manzella added.
The two are suspected of municipal code violations, including providing a massage without a permit and operating an escort service without a permit, according to police.
The man appeared to be working as the woman's bodyguard or driver, Manzella said.
Both have posted bail.
These are the first arrests alleging these specific municipal code violations of the year, according to Manzella, who added that there were two previous such incidents in 2015.
[email protected]
Twitter: @alexiafedz | http://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-dpt-me-escort-service-20160829-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/129b9402cf1b8f4e75278cca3bf778fc6662fdac0539966d7f6420938a315f31.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Associated Press"
]
| 2016-08-31T02:50:13 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fmlb%2Fla-sp-baseball-notes-20160830-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c634d4/turbine/la-sp-baseball-notes-20160830-snap | en | null | Indians close to acquiring Crisp | null | null | www.latimes.com | Outfielder Coco Crisp is on the verge of returning to the Cleveland Indians, who have agreed in principle to a trade with the Oakland Athletics, a person familiar with the deal told the Associated Press on Tuesday night. The person spoke on condition of anonymity.
The trade would have to be official by Wednesday for Crisp, 36, to be eligible for the postseason. He spent his first four seasons in the majors with the Indians, who lead the American League Central and have been seeking outfield depth.
Crisp is batting .234 with 11 homers and 47 RBIs in 102 games.
Etc.
Steven Matz (shoulder tightness) is not ready to come off the disabled list, and the New York Mets have scratched the left-hander from his scheduled start Thursday. Mets second baseman Neil Walker (stiff back) was out of the lineup for the third consecutive game. ... Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole, on the DL because of an elbow problem, expressed confidence he’ll return this season after playing catch Tuesday. | http://www.latimes.com/sports/mlb/la-sp-baseball-notes-20160830-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/9c193b136cba3365d98dc5b0f490abf6b092197ede6418c5be94e6ded296102e.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Paresh Dave"
]
| 2016-08-29T16:50:02 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fbusiness%2Ftechnology%2Fla-fi-tn-la-tech-20160829-snap-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | WeHo ad tech company begins $100-million buying spree to launch an online publishing arm | null | null | www.latimes.com | West Hollywood firm Engage:BDR Inc. uses its technology to place ads in front of half a billion people each month. But none of those ads appear on websites it owns.
Though that's common for ad technology companies, Engage Chief Executive Ted Dhanik no longer sees that as a viable strategy. On Monday, the former vice president of fun and strategic marketing at Myspace launched a transformation plan for his 7-year-old company.
Engage announced the first of what's expected to be 12 acquisitions over the next 12 months of online destinations and ad sales forces. It has studied the targets for the last 18 months.
By becoming a media company alongside an ad service, Engage will have access to more data about consumers and can significantly boost revenue, signing more exclusive and broader deals with advertisers. Dhanik described the maneuvers as an aggressive plan to reach $250 million in annual revenue and have at least a third of its 500 million visitors come from websites and apps it owns.
“The idea of direct and exclusive inventory is no longer a concept, it’s a requirement in the market," Dhanik said. “People want exclusivity. This keeps it much more sustainable.”
Engage is starting with a $7.4-million purchase of Mydiveo, a recently launched Hollywood company that features videos of emerging musicians. Dhanik said the deal includes components like performance bonuses, but declined to specify terms. The goal, he said, is for Mydiveo to reach at least 3 million viewers over the next few months through the Web and apps for mobile devices and TVs.
“We loved what we built at Myspace on the music side, and Mydiveo is trying to fill a void that has been left” by Myspace’s downfall, he said.
Altogether, Engage plans to spend more than $100 million in accumulated profit during the buying spree. The self-funded company generates most of its undisclosed revenue today from video ads viewed on smartphones.
The ad industry hasn't seen a consolidation like the one Engage is seeking, but executives who’ve handled similar roll-ups in other industries are advising the company.
Engage is pursuing mostly media companies frequented by mothers clicking over from social media services. Dhanik said acquired companies would have independence and access to both higher-paying advertisers and technology to thwart ad-blocking tools.
Bitium goes with conservative growth strategy
Business software start-up Bitium Inc. received about $6 million in funding from existing investors such as Polaris Partners.
The Santa Monica company's program allows workers to easily log onto applications and for managers to control access. For example, an intern might leave a company knowing its Twitter account password. With Bitium, the intern could access Twitter while there without ever knowing the password. The intern’s access could be revoked at the end of her or his tenure.
“We feel like we’ve built the second wave of identity access and management,” said Chief Executive Scott Kriz.
The funding, which brings total invested capital to about $15 million, should enable Bitium to maintain a hiring pace of about five salespeople per month. It's up to 350 customers, including OpenTable, ad agency GroupM and a large insurance company.
Kriz said he wants to grow the company conservatively, rejecting opportunities to raise larger sums of cash. The company may raise a full round of financing next year and expects to stem losses by then too.
He compared his strategy to that of competitor Okta, a San Francisco start-up valued at more than $1 billion during a $75-million financing last year.
“I have tremendous respect [for Okta], but they either need to go public or they have a limited number of places to sell,” Kriz said. “We want to create a sustainable business we can keep building on. It’s maybe a mentality of being an L.A. company.”
Sneaker re-selling app Goat gets a leg up
A GOAT authentication specialist studies a pair of Adidas NMD "Red Apple," a pair of shoes of which only 200 exist. (GOAT)
GOAT, a mobile app for reselling sneakers, said Monday that it had raised $5 million in a fundraising round led by Matrix Partners.
The Los Angeles company, launched last year under formal name Grubwithus Inc., is tapping into a voracious appetite among sneaker aficionados for premium and limited-edition kicks. GOAT, which stands for greatest of all time, connects sellers and buyers through the app. Like other fashionable online resellers such as TheRealReal and Portero, it has put in place safeguards for ensuring products are authentic.
After a pair of sneakers is purchased, Goat requires a seller to ship the product to its warehouse, where specialists authenticate it. If they are found to be counterfeits, the buyer is issued a refund.
Online reselling is a growing businesses. Luxury goods shop TheRealReal raised $40 million from investors in April, bringing the San Francisco start-up’s lifetime fundraising to more than $120 million.
Goat said it has brought in $12.6 million from investors, including Upfront Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz and First Round Capital.
--Shan Li
Elsewhere on the Web
Santa Monica software testing start-up MindSpark is applying neurodiversity to its workforce, hiring people with autism or related disorders for jobs they are well-equipped to handle, according to Motherboard.
The lead investor in freight-moving tech start-up Cargomatic says though the Venice company is low on cash, it truly has access to “indefinite” investment and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Snapchat has teamed up with a start-up that crowdsources high school football game scores to let attendees apply a digital sticker with live scores to their photos and videos, according to Adweek. A Gatorade ad will be on the sticker.
Snapchat called a patent infringement lawsuit from a Canadian technology company meritless.
DogVacay Founder and Chief Executive Aaron Hirschhorn writes an essay explaining why his Santa Monica start-up shouldn’t be considered a tech company.
The man who sold payment processing software start-up Braintree to Paypal for $800 million three years ago now has a medical company in Venice that’s trying to make implantable chips to restore brain function to people with certain afflictions, according to the Washington Post.
In case you missed it
A key feature on Weedmaps (the Yelp for marijuana) — user reviews of pot businesses — may be tainted by thousands of potentially fraudulent comments, a flaw in the company’s software revealed.
Ride-hailing company Uber announced that it teamed up with automated investor service Betterment to offer its drivers a way to set up retirement accounts through the ride-hailing app.
Coming up
The second annual eSports Conference comes to downtown Los Angeles Sept. 7 and 8, with speakers from top teams, service providers and game makers. On Sept. 8, UCLA plans to show off nine small companies — started by current and former students — that have been incubated at the university over the summer.
[email protected]
Twitter: @peard33 | http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-la-tech-20160829-snap-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/430f4cc25e8d15d9231eeb5bfb308cddf9a2710908c9a6e06ae638976942560b.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-26T22:49:08 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fla-et-mn-toronto-international-film-follow-our-team-in-toronto-1472246313-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Follow our team in Toronto | null | null | www.latimes.com | On Sept. 8, the 40th Toronto International Film Festival will kick off, and with it the annual awards-season derby that will end with the Academy Awards next February. Over the course of 10 days, Times journalists will be on the ground in Canada, bringing us their first impressions of many of the films that will shape the Oscar race, as well as exclusive interviews, videos and photo shoots with their writers, directors and stars. Toronto is where the awards race picture begins to take shape – we'll help bring it into focus. | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-mn-toronto-international-film-follow-our-team-in-toronto-1472246313-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/e72aaf7bde6751e1a80585af77bf9e21b2baf6c5e3390208afb548b28044fc97.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"James Rufus Koren"
]
| 2016-08-28T10:49:15 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fbusiness%2Fla-fi-rand-elliott-20160824-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c076a8/turbine/la-fi-rand-elliott-20160824-snap | en | null | Feds use Rand formula to spot discrimination. The GOP calls it junk science | null | null | www.latimes.com | Marc Elliott, a Rand Corp. statistician who devised a system that guesses someone's race based on their address and last name, at his home in Sacramento. (David Butow / For The Times)
Marc Elliott, a Rand Corp. statistician who devised a system that guesses someone's race based on their address and last name, at his home in Sacramento.
Marc Elliott didn’t know he’d become a player in the financial world until he received an unexpected email from a friend. It read simply, “Did you know you just cost Ally Financial $80 million?” Until that moment nearly three years ago, the Rand Corp. statistician hadn’t known an algorithm he’d devised years earlier for healthcare research had found its way from Rand’s headquarters in Santa Monica to the halls of a powerful financial regulator in Washington, D.C. Or that the agency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, had used his breakthrough formula to underpin racial discrimination allegations against auto lending companies, starting with former General Motors lending arm Ally Financial, which paid $80 million to settle in 2013. “My first reaction was just that it had really moved along,” said Elliott, 49, who has spent much of his nearly 21 years at Rand researching healthcare issues, not finance. “I hadn’t been aware at all.” And it’s gone much further since then. If you have a credit card, a car loan or almost any type of debt other than a mortgage, there’s a chance your name and address have been run through Elliott’s algorithm, a complex formula that crunches data from the Census Bureau. Toyota will compensate black and Asian borrowers to settle bias investigation James Rufus Koren Toyota's financing arm will pay as much as $21.9 million to black and Asian borrowers who paid more for auto loans than whites, settling allegations of discrimination by federal regulators. Toyota Motor Credit Corp. in Torrance had been under investigation by the Department of Justice and the federal... Toyota's financing arm will pay as much as $21.9 million to black and Asian borrowers who paid more for auto loans than whites, settling allegations of discrimination by federal regulators. Toyota Motor Credit Corp. in Torrance had been under investigation by the Department of Justice and the federal... (James Rufus Koren) (James Rufus Koren) But as it has become more widely used, Elliott’s work and the CFPB’s application of it have found their way into the middle of a fight between the federal consumer watchdog and politicians who want to scrap the agency. Some congressional Republicans have gone so far as to call the CFPB’s use of Elliott’s system “junk science.” His algorithm is a tool that estimates the probability that someone is white, black, Asian or Hispanic based only on their address and last name. The CFPB has relied on it to accuse some of the country’s largest auto lenders, including the financing arms of Toyota and Honda, of discrimination. Car dealerships often add an extra bit of interest, called a markup, on top of the rate charged by a lender, ostensibly to pay the dealership for its work arranging the loan. The CFPB, using Elliott’s system to look at tens of thousands of loans, has alleged that dealers charge larger markups to minority borrowers. To Republicans who have fought to limit the agency created in the aftermath of the financial crisis, the algorithm encapsulates how the CFPB has overstepped its bounds, using a novel statistical method to indirectly regulate a class of businesses — car dealers — outside its jurisdiction. To the auto lending industry, it’s a tool used to imply that it allows racist practices, a damning claim that lenders think ought to be backed up with more than a math equation. “You’re using an imperfect tool to result in some pretty serious headlines,” said Scott Pearson, an attorney who represents lending firms. “That’s why they don’t like it. They think it’s unfair.” ‘Unsolvable problem’ Put Elliott in a lineup of bankers and he’d be the obvious outsider — the numbers man and policy wonk with the rumpled shirt and tousled gray hair. Yet he has become a minor figure in modern finance. Since that first settlement with Ally, reached in late 2013, the CFPB has employed Elliott’s system to reach multimillion-dollar settlements with other big auto lenders, most recently a $22-million deal with Toyota Motor Credit announced in February. It is irresponsibly branding companies with the stigma of racial discrimination based on nothing more than junk science. — Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) Soon after the CFPB said it was using the algorithm, lenders and consultants to the finance industry took notice. For instance, Wolters Kluwer Financial Services, a provider of compliance software for lenders, quickly integrated the algorithm into its programs. “For anyone anticipating the possibility that the CFPB will be doing an examination, we use it,” said Stephen Cross, a senior director at Wolters Kluwer. “The fact we can do that is always a selling point to those clients.” Among the firms that employ Elliott’s algorithm to look at whether they might be discriminating are banks that issue credit cards and even some online lending companies. “Big players are absolutely spending time trying to make sure they aren’t going to be found to have violated fair-lending laws,” said Pearson, a partner in the Los Angeles office of law firm Ballard Spahr. Elliott’s algorithm is what’s called a proxy method — a way to figure out something unknown by looking at things that are known. A health insurer, for instance, might want to know if its black patients get the same treatment as white patients, but the insurer might not ask its members to identify themselves by race when signing up for a policy. That very question is what led Rand researchers, 16 years ago, to start developing the system that Elliott would later help refine and complete. Called Bayesian Improved Surname Geocoding, or BISG, Elliott’s system is built on top of two sets of census data: information about the ethnic makeup of individual neighborhoods and a list of last names broken down by how common they are among people of six racial categories. The algorithm combines the data sets to give the probability that someone falls into one of six categories: Asian, Hispanic, black, white, multiracial or American Indian/Alaska Native. It’s complicated but intuitive. If your last name is Rodriguez and you live in a mostly Hispanic neighborhood, there’s an awfully good chance you’re Hispanic. If your name is Smith and you live in a mostly white neighborhood, there’s a good chance you’re white. BISG combines two older, less accurate methods of guessing race: geocoding, which looks only at where someone lives, and surname analysis, which looks only at last names. Both systems have weaknesses that Elliott’s combined method sought to address. Surname analysis works well for Asians and Hispanics, who have more distinctive last names, but it doesn’t work so well for blacks and whites, who share many last names. For geocoding, the opposite is true, doing a better job of distinguishing between blacks and whites, who are more likely to live in heavily black or white neighborhoods, than picking out Asians and Hispanics. Rand researcher Allen Fremont had started using geocoding to look for racial disparities in healthcare starting in 2000, and by 2004 was looking for a more accurate method of estimating patients’ race. A chance encounter with Rand demographer Peter Morrison over lunch led him to the idea of combining surname analysis with geocoding.
Scott Pearson, a partner in the L.A. office of law firm Ballard Spahr who specializes in consumer finance issues, said lenders think the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's use of Elliott's algorithm is unfair. Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times Scott Pearson, a partner in the L.A. office of law firm Ballard Spahr who specializes in consumer finance issues, said lenders think the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's use of Elliott's algorithm is unfair. Scott Pearson, a partner in the L.A. office of law firm Ballard Spahr who specializes in consumer finance issues, said lenders think the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's use of Elliott's algorithm is unfair. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) Fremont and Morrison created their own system, but they needed a hardcore numbers guy who could refine what they were attempting. In 2005, they called in Elliott, one of a team of statisticians at Rand and something of a star within the organization. Elliott devised a system and kept refining it until, in 2009, he, Fremont, Morrison and other Rand researchers published a paper laying out Bayesian Surname Improved Geocoding. “This is the way it goes with Marc and so many people here,” Fremont said. “You pose a perplexing, somewhat unsolvable problem, and they come up with a solution statistically.” ‘Going around a corner’ Elliott seems to relish that type of complex problem, seeing them not as obstacles but as opportunities to learn something new. That’s a constant aim for Elliott, a polymath with wide-ranging interests at work and at home. During his two decades at Rand, he has worked on projects in fields as varied as military labor economics, social psychology and childhood obesity. At home, he cooks, using recipes only as suggestions. He reads anything in sight. He taught himself to play the piano and sings Beatles tunes with his teenage son and daughter. He rarely sits still. “He’s got a lot going on. That’s the way he keeps himself busy and intellectually stimulated,” said his wife, Megan. “We do not do cruises.” As often as he can, Elliott hikes, whether in the Sierras — not far from his home in Sacramento — or wherever his travels take him. “There’s a pleasure in not only being in a beautiful place but also going around a corner and not really knowing what you're going to see,” he said. That curiosity is what led Elliott decades ago to abandon graduate studies in psychology and instead pursue a master’s degree — and later a PhD — in statistics. He’d always been good at math, and even enjoyed it, but statistics, he said, isn’t just about numbers. “There’s inherently some creativity involved,” he said. “The challenge is to take a complex problem in the real world and figure out the parts you can translate into the realm of numbers.” Estimating race and measuring discrimination are just that type of complex problem, and Elliott said lenders are not the first group to balk at his algorithm. Winston Wong, a doctor and executive at Kaiser Permanente who oversees projects aimed at addressing treatment disparities, said the healthcare provider uses BISG regularly, but was initially skeptical. “People asked, ‘How trustworthy is the data?’ ” he recalled. “Are we going to draw conclusions from a model that uses mathematical algorithms to direct where our attention is going to be?” But skeptics, Wong said, were won over once Kaiser’s own studies showed that Elliott’s system was reliably predictive. Still, even for people who think they might have been overcharged for their car loans, the idea of predicting race based on last name and address seems odd. In cases against auto lenders, the bureau has used BISG to determine which customers should be compensated by lenders. Joyce Jefferson, a Compton resident who read about February’s Toyota settlement, thought she might be a victim of discrimination but said she was nevertheless uncomfortable with the process. “It is very weird. How are you going to know these people were overcharged?” she said. Jefferson won’t receive a settlement — though she bought a Toyota, her car loan came from another lender — but her case is still instructive. Given her last name and Compton address, the BISG system estimates that there’s a 97% chance she’s black, which she is. But she hasn’t always lived in Compton. Using two previous addresses, BISG makes a still accurate but much less certain guess. If Jefferson still lived on Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock, BISG would give her a 69% chance of being black and a 20% chance of being white. At a previous address in the high desert city of Apple Valley, BISG would guess there’s a 63% chance that she’s black — and a 27% chance that she’s white. Though the BISG estimate in all three instances indicates that Jefferson is most likely black, she worries that the system will miss others. “I think they’re going to lose a lot of people that were overcharged,” Jefferson said. That’s one of the same arguments raised by Republican members of the House Financial Services Committee. A January report written by GOP committee staff argued that using BISG to determine who should be compensated could result in money intended for minority borrowers ending up in the hands of white borrowers. The Wall Street Journal found at least one such case, reporting last year that a white man in Alabama received a letter indicating he would soon receive a settlement check from Ally Financial. Elliott himself cautions that BISG was designed to look at large groups of people, not to guess the race of individuals. “If you want to know the difference in the percent of people with diabetes among people who are black and people who are white, you can answer that question much more accurately than asking, ‘Is this particular person black or white?’” he said. “That’s an inherently harder question.” CFPB spokesman Sam Gilford said that while agency does use BISG to determine settlements, it also asks consumers to state their ethnicity. Congressional Republicans have other complaints with the application of Elliott’s system. In a statement last year, Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said the bureau is using a flawed analysis to overstep its authority and extract huge settlements from car lenders. “It is irresponsibly branding companies with the stigma of racial discrimination based on nothing more than junk science,” Hensarling said. “Why? To cudgel those companies into enormous monetary settlements without ever having to go to court.” Part of Hensarling’s complaint goes to a larger issue: Republicans’ opposition to discrimination claims based on what’s known as disparate impact — the notion that policies that appear to be colorblind can be discriminatory if they harm minority groups. | http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-rand-elliott-20160824-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/68372418b79ee8838af9d648039247f29de99771763832668bccad586524f022.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Wendy Smith"
]
| 2016-08-29T20:49:53 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fbooks%2Fgreat-reads%2Fla-ca-jc-gene-wilder-memoir-20160829-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c496a2/turbine/la-ca-jc-gene-wilder-memoir-20160829-snap | en | null | Gene Wilder's memoir "Kiss Me Like a Stranger": frank and charming | null | null | www.latimes.com | Gene Wilder, the star of classic films including “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and “Young Frankenstein,” has died at age 83. Here is a 2005 review of his memoir from The Times:
Gene Wilder's frank, charming memoir, "Kiss Me Like a Stranger," is refreshingly free from the two major sins of show-biz autobiographies: self-aggrandizement and score-settling. Oh, he tosses a few zingers at Carol Channing for her diva-like behavior during a summer tour of "The Millionairess," and he isn't terribly nice to his first wife. But none of the stories he tells about others are nearly as embarrassing as his cheerful recollections of the questions he was afraid to ask when buying his first condom ("I mean, exactly when do you put it on and do you ask the woman for help and when do you take it off?"), or of a less-than-torrid extramarital affair ("I guess you could have counted to seven or eight, and then boom.").
Apparently, someone whose most memorable roles have been as neurotic nebbishes doesn't mind sharing humiliating youthful moments, none of which would be out of character for his Leo Bloom in "The Producers" or Dr. Frankenstein (which he pronounced "Frahnkenshteen") in "Young Frankenstein." Seven years of therapy probably helped: Wilder's first chapter begins as he walks nervously into psychiatrist Marjorie Wallis' Manhattan office in 1962, and the sessions with her become a framework for his account of his early life and career. A device that could have been cringe-inducing works remarkably well, with Wallis serving as a blunt Greek chorus ("your marriage stinks") who helps Wilder sort out, in particular, his complicated feelings about his chronically ill mother, whose suffering made him feel guilty about ever being happy.
Add a few years of Stanislavsky-based training and you begin to understand why Wilder's funniest performances exude a whiff of melancholy. "Make it real" was the imperative instilled by Method high priest Lee Strasberg, and Wilder carried it with him into comedy. It's amusing, and revealing, to learn that he used the memory of his shivering little dog for the hilarious scene in "The Producers" when he goes berserk because Zero Mostel has snatched his blue "blankie." You believe Wilder when he confides that he got hired for "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex" because Woody Allen needed "an actor who could believably fall in love with a sheep and play it straight." Details about his second marriage and a difficult relationship with a stepdaughter reveal insecurities and neediness that Wilder, like any good actor, used in his work.
But when it comes to neediness, no one could top Wilder's third wife, comedian Gilda Radner, whose exuberant, exhausting personality dominates the book's three most interesting chapters. Radner was, he writes, "the most generous and compassionate and original person I had ever known." She was also a "clinging baby pulling at my shirt sleeve every minute." It's tough to be honest about a popular star who died prematurely, but Wilder makes palpable both his love and his exasperation as Radner battled ovarian cancer and, like many terminally ill people, vented her pain and rage on those closest to her. When he explodes, "just get off of yourself! I don't know how to help you any more than I'm doing," he's venting not just his own frustration but that of anyone who's ever been in the unbearable situation of watching someone they love die without the well-scripted grace of a Hollywood movie. Wilder's nuanced portrait of Richard Pryor similarly balances the pleasures of working with a comic genius against the aggravation of dealing with a mercurial, often hostile -- and while working on "Stir Crazy," drug-crazed -- individual.
A look back at some of Hollywood legend Gene Wilder's memorable roles.
If this all sounds awfully serious, be assured that Wilder tells plenty of entertaining stories about his work with everyone, including Jerome Robbins, Mike Nichols, Mel Brooks and Zero Mostel.
"Kiss Me Like a Stranger" is as witty a memoir as you're likely to get from a 71-year-old survivor of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. It's also a reflective and well-written meditation on the life of someone who has more on his mind than the next big part or belly laugh.
*
Wendy Smith is the author of "Real Life Drama: The Group Theatre and America, 1931-1940."
::
“Kiss Me Like a Stranger: My Search for Love and Art”
Gene Wilder
St. Martin's Press: 272 pp., $23.95 | http://www.latimes.com/books/great-reads/la-ca-jc-gene-wilder-memoir-20160829-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/322ec375d1ff015eed0274b46ab1553993ccc20237d63648f09d55a568eb8853.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Ralph Vartabedian"
]
| 2016-08-30T02:50:01 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Flocal%2Fcalifornia%2Fla-me-bullet-hearing-20160829-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c4b4d0/turbine/la-me-bullet-hearing-20160829-snap | en | null | High-speed rail critics question the first route segment, which will end in an almond orchard | null | null | www.latimes.com | The state’s plan to build an initial stretch of high-speed rail line, from San Jose to a map point in the midst of Central Valley farmland, came under renewed attack at an oversight hearing Monday.
Republicans on the House rail subcommittee had sought to hold the hearing in the Silicon Valley but ran into Democratic opposition, according to sources familiar with the matter. So the group convened around folding metal tables in a nondescript basement room in a San Francisco federal building.
There is a lot that we are doing that will have immediate benefit. — Dan Richard, chairman of the rail authority
Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock), chairman of the panel, chided the state for lacking a plan to complete the Los Angeles-to-San Francisco bullet train system.
“You could be stuck in a field somewhere between Shafter and Wasco … and … out of money,” Denham said.
The apparent absurdity of the abbreviated route was not lost on supporters.
“It seems odd,” acknowledged Dan Richard, chairman of the rail authority, “to be stopping in the middle of an almond orchard.”
He added, however, that an additional $2.9 billion from the federal government could extend the line to Bakersfield and eventually capture billions of dollars in fare revenue.
The hearing Monday largely reflected the enthusiasm of Democrats and the skepticism of Republicans for the $64-billion project.
“We don’t want something that has no riders, no train, no investor, only to have to wait for decades,” Denham said of the initial route.
Richard, however, told the subcommittee that the project is “going smoothly.” The state’s new business plan, released earlier this year, said the project had enough sources of money from bonds, federal grants and state greenhouse gas fees to build a $21-billion line from San Jose to a point somewhere near the small agricultural town of Wasco, before continuing on with new money to more populated destinations.
Since then, the greenhouse gas fees, raised in so-called cap-and-trade auctions, have fallen flat and the auctions are under a legal challenge by the state’s Chamber of Commerce. The sale of bonds has been delayed by years over tough legal protections built into the 2008 bond act that voters approved.
The current construction, centered on 29 miles in Fresno, has been funded mostly by the federal grants and without state matching funds that will have to be paid later.
But Richard said he had “great confidence” that the cap-and-trade auctions would survive and that ultimately private investors would help the state complete construction, closing what is now a $43.5-billion funding shortfall that would be needed mainly to cross the Tehachapi and San Gabriel mountains.
But even some Democrats are beginning to worry that the project could turn into a train ride to nowhere, with snippets of the route scattered across the state as Bay Area and Los Angeles deal makers siphon off funds.
What if the state ultimately fails to connect the Bay Area to Southern California, asked Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose).
“I don't want my name [or] the governor’s name to be associated with a piece of track that isn't connected to the rest of the state,” she said.
But Richard continued with an answer that provided insight into how the state might justify an isolated segment if the entire system never gets built.
The Central Valley segment, he said, would eliminate 55 grade crossings and provide a dedicated line for Amtrak trains, relieving overburdened freight track.
“There is a lot that we are doing that will have immediate benefit,” he said.
[email protected] | http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-bullet-hearing-20160829-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/6d440a0e163e9610dbc386d1b1ead892e4fcfc7fc02ecd997b9f04cbeb8cd0fe.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"The Times Editorial Board"
]
| 2016-08-26T13:14:11 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fopinion%2Feditorials%2Fla-ed-standardized-tests-20160825-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57bfa34c/turbine/la-ed-standardized-tests-20160825-snap | en | null | California's new standardized tests are flawed, but still important | null | null | www.latimes.com | The modest rise in California’s standardized test scores this year was mildly gratifying but not surprising. Each time a new test is introduced, results look terrible at first. Then, as schools grow more familiar with its expectations and quirks, scores rise for several years. This was only the second year the state has released results for the revamped test, known as the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress.
It’s too early to cheer or moan the state’s progress. But whether you think it’s been good or bad, this much is clear: The tests remain an important part of holding schools accountable and shouldn’t be minimized or dismissed as just a bunch of data. (Are you listening, Gov. Jerry Brown?) The concrete results from the tests force us to see truths we could otherwise avoid — especially now, as other mechanisms of accountability fall by the wayside.
For instance, California has stopped administering its high-school exit exam, which for years set at least some kind of standard for graduation, though a low one. The State Board of Education is at work on what is so far an utterly confusing new way of measuring school performance, color coded and with no clear message for parents or the public about how a school is doing. More than half the elements on the chart reflect a school’s efforts to improve learning rather than its accomplishments. Meanwhile, L.A.’s schools — and those elsewhere — have been boasting about improved graduation rates while relying heavily on often less-than-rigorous online courses and other shortcuts to make their diploma numbers look good.
Yet look at the new test scores for L.A. Unified: Only 29% of students met the standard in math and 39% in English. (Students are tested in grades 3 through 8 and again in 11th grade.) That’s a small improvement over last year, but nowhere near good. What’s more, African American students are both scoring the worst, and improving the least.
The annual testing that obsessed public education for a decade and a half under the Obama and George W. Bush administrations went too far. Standardized tests, which are imperfect measures of learning, somehow became the be-all of a school’s worth. The federal government, and many state ones, punished schools if they failed to improve within narrow parameters and insisted that individual teachers be judged by their students’ scores. Good riddance to those days and welcome to the new emphasis on measuring learning in multiple ways, even though California’s efforts so far in that regard leave a lot to be desired.
The new tests, based on the Common Core curriculum standards, are designed to measure critical thinking in a nuanced way. They might fall short in some ways. But they do measure skills learned and material understood, if not comprehensively. They can’t be hidden underneath social promotion or grade inflation or meaningless diplomas. In today’s tangle of upbeat school talk and colored charts, annual test scores provide a badly needed measure of objective clarity.
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook | http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-standardized-tests-20160825-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/d0f0273ec797fe695ceba56455ad3e77a352bfd2c4fcaa568186e645fde0c702.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Gary Klein"
]
| 2016-08-28T00:49:14 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Frams%2Fla-sp-rams-austin-contract-extension-20160827-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c21a94/turbine/la-sp-rams-austin-contract-extension-20160827-snap | en | null | Rams sign receiver Tavon Austin to four-year contract extension | null | null | www.latimes.com | The Rams have signed receiver Tavon Austin to a four-year contract extension, the team announced Saturday, a few hours before playing the Denver Broncos in their third preseason game.
The deal is worth $42 million, with $30 million guaranteed, according to a report by ESPN. Austin is now under contract through the 2021 season.
Austin, 25, was the eighth pick in the 2013 NFL draft. He is the top receiver for an offense that ranked last in the NFL in total offense and passing offense in 2015.
Last season, the 5-foot-8, 176-pound Austin caught a career-best 52 passes for 473 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed for 434 yards and four touchdowns in 52 carries, and scored on a punt return.
“Tavon has been an integral part of our offense and special teams since we drafted him in 2013,” Rams Coach Jeff Fisher said in a statement. “It is important to our organization to retain players we’ve drafted and invested in, and Tavon is an example of that. We’re excited for him to continue his career with the Rams.”
In May, the Rams picked up the fifth-year options on Austin and linebacker Alec Ogletree, who also was selected in the first round of the 2013 draft.
Austin is the most productive member of a receiving corps that includes veterans Kenny Britt and Brian Quick as well as rookie Pharoh Cooper.
Austin, who played in college at West Virginia, had 40 receptions as a rookie, three for touchdowns. In 2014, he had 31 catches, none for touchdowns. | http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-rams-austin-contract-extension-20160827-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/f7dbebcf91386153472e40926f4cfb8d2edba28b5f1ae5f807fead6139edff93.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-29T04:49:48 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fla-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-fallon-ryan-lochte-1472441553-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c3b370/turbine/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-fallon-ryan-lochte-1472441553 | en | null | Michael Phelps' OMG moment at the VMAs? Jimmy Fallon as Ryan Lochte | null | null | www.latimes.com | Michael Phelps was maybe the happiest guy in the room when Jimmy Fallon took the stage as Ryan Lochte to introduce the nominees for video of the year.
"Oh my God!," Phelps could be seen saying, eyes wide, jaw dropped and cellphone whipped out to capture the moment (check out the video in the first tweet below). "This is awesome!," he said later.
Did you know "Lochte" directed all five videos that were up for the year? Yeah, he did. He said so. But there's no way he could tell the audience which one was best, he said, "Even if there was a gun to my head."
Yup, the audience groaned too. | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-fallon-ryan-lochte-1472441553-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/22c59c2fef0e82dbbdd1872b52561b5abf87af8a0cb0cbc546fba30b3b0f4f9c.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-26T13:14:04 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fopinion%2Freadersreact%2Fla-ol-le-brain-on-drugs-psa-20160825-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57bf6901/turbine/la-ol-le-brain-on-drugs-psa-20160825-snap | en | null | That 'your brain on drugs' PSA? It worked. | null | null | www.latimes.com | To the editor: Neuroscientist Dean Burnett is probably a very bright guy. Unfortunately, he has strayed from his area of expertise. (“Your brain on drugs is not a fried egg,” Opinion, Aug. 22)
The “this is your brain on drugs” public service announcement was created pro bono by a very creative team at a very creative Los Angeles-based ad agency, Keye/Donna/Pearlstein. The “fried egg” commercial is probably the most effective PSA of all time. It had great impact and resulted in heightened awareness of a major social issue.
At the time, I worked for an ad agency with pro bono clients Smokey the Bear and the anti-drug program D.A.R.E. The challenge is not only creating a persuasive communication but a commercial the station managers want to play for free. The competition for free air time is great. There are many good causes but the decision to actually run the spot is made by station management. Creative commercials like “fried egg” deserve more attention.
Sometimes eggheads don’t fully understand or appreciate other disciplines.
Craig Campbell, Laguna Niguel
..
To the editor: Burnett is at great pains to detail drugs’ chemistry and the brain response; but as usual, Shakespeare draws the lesson simply and clearly, a lesson all should know before any sort of intoxication, including alcohol’s.
None of us knows our own potential for addiction’s abuse. In “Othello,” Cassio is persuaded against his better, native judgment to celebrate his military victory with toasts of wine, is inebriated, talks nonsense and is cashiered the next morning.
He laments: “Oh, that men should put an enemy in their mouths to steal away their brains! That we should, with joy, pleasance revel and applause, transform ourselves into beasts!”
Jascha Kessler, Santa Monica
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook | http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-ol-le-brain-on-drugs-psa-20160825-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/78c9ced60b7415cf8f302275561819d7e86a3a6814d9244b7b579acc9c034677.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Paul Thornton"
]
| 2016-08-27T12:49:01 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fopinion%2Freadersreact%2Fla-ol-le-jews-social-justice-mailbag-20160827-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c127bf/turbine/la-ol-le-jews-social-justice-mailbag-20160827-snap | en | null | Jews no longer prioritize social justice? Look at what they're doing in L.A. | null | null | www.latimes.com | To the editor: Most of the few dozen reader responses to Mark Oppenheimer’s op-ed article on Aug. 19 about Jewish ambivalence toward Black Lives Matter took issue with that group’s denunciation of Israel’s actions toward the Palestinians. A few others, some of which were already printed, disagreed with Oppenheimer’s premise: that Jewish communities today have lost their commitment to justice and service.
Additional letters have since trickled in citing examples of service by Jews. Below are two of those letters.
Jennifer Thompson, a professor of Jewish studies at Cal State Northridge, says facts on the ground belie Oppenheimer’s argument:
Los Angeles has a number of nationally recognized rabbis who are leaders in social justice. One does not have to look outside American Jewry to find examples of hands-on solidarity with the poor. Congregation Shearith Israel in Atlanta has operated a homeless shelter in its basement for nearly 30 years, and other synagogues operate shelters as well.
Additionally, Jews are not overwhelmingly wealthy. A 2013 study of New York Jewry, for example, found that one in five Jewish households in that area is poor, and that poverty is growing faster than the Jewish community itself.
I agree that it is valuable and important to be in solidarity with the poor through personal experience with the realities of their lives. I also agree with philosopher Peter Singer, who says that for some people, “effective altruism” can be best accomplished by working in a high-paying profession in order to donate the greatest possible amount of money to support the work of those skilled and educated in helping the poor.
The article ends with, “At the end of the day, we write checks from our affluent enclaves, vote Democratic, and call it a day.” Oppenheimer’s “we” is not the same American or Los Angeles Jewry that I know.
The leadership at L.A.’s Temple Isaiah — Rabbis Zoe Klein, Dara Frimmer, Joel Nickerson and Aimee Gerace; cantor Tifani Coyot; and Honey Kessler Amado, the temple president — cite scripture:
On behalf of our Reform congregation that has a 30-plus year relationship with First AME Church in South Los Angeles and strong commitment to the pursuit of justice, we wish to counter the author’s notion that “there is very little moral ambition, and almost no prophetic vision, among American Jews today.”
Like many Reform Jewish communities, we dedicate a significant portion of our time and resources to educating and training our congregants as to how they can engage in effective direct service, community organizing, philanthropy and activism. The pursuit of justice, as commanded in Deuteronomy 16:20, is as much a part of our Jewish identity and practice as what we eat and how we pray.
We will continue to be morally ambitious and devoted to our vision that we are active partners with God in healing a broken world, making it more just and compassionate.
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook | http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-ol-le-jews-social-justice-mailbag-20160827-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/5b1200d1a0f8e89e07506188f46b846b18a583436582b84e6fb9b23dc8837163.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Randall Roberts"
]
| 2016-08-26T18:50:58 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fmusic%2Fla-et-ms-beach-house-victoria-legrand-20160826-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c084d4/turbine/la-et-ms-beach-house-victoria-legrand-20160826-snap | en | null | Five questions for Victoria Legrand of Beach House | null | null | www.latimes.com | This weekend, the Baltimore duo Beach House arrives in Los Angeles for two performances in support of its most recent work. The pair, which features keyboardist and vocalist Victoria Legrand and multi-instrumentalist Alex Scally, has over the past decade composed a luxurious brand of guitar pop that draws on influences ranging from Brill Building songcraft to ’70s-era Fleetwood Mac to noisy Brit-pop.
Last year, the group released two albums. The first, called “Depression Cherry,” came out in the so-called “traditional” sense: with a release date, both physical and digital copies available for purchase and stream. A few months later, it surprised fans with an entirely different album called “Thank Your Lucky Stars.”
The band is touring in support of both albums and will perform sets at the Theatre at Ace Hotel on Friday, and on Sunday as part of the annual FYF Fest in Exposition Park.
Last week, singer and lyricist Legrand spoke on the phone during a tour stop in Columbia, Mo. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Beach House usually takes its time between albums. What was the thinking behind releasing two of them in such quick succession?
We got back from “Bloom” touring in 2013, and I took a couple months just not doing anything. But then at some point during 2014, in the spring, we started writing again, and we always approach things like that very much in the moment. Once we started, we just kept writing, and we just did what was happening.
SNAP Video Beach House's "The Traveller." Beach House's "The Traveller." See more videos
We finished “Depression Cherry,” but songs kept happening. They were clearly very different than the ones that we had for “Depression Cherry,” so we just kept writing. We found ourselves with the second record.
You didn’t consider these songs as extras from “Depression Cherry”?
We knew that we had two records. But, you know, as the process goes along, you learn more and more about what you’ve actually got at some point, and [in] 2014, we decided that “Depression Cherry” would have the traditional release and that “Thank Your Lucky Stars” did not need a traditional release, and that we didn’t want to have to wait another 10 months to put out these songs, and that we’d want to play them on tour.
We felt that we had the right as artists to do whatever we want. That’s really what it comes down to, is us kind of being fatigued by the system just a little, in terms of the wait as artists. It was never a comment on press or anything like that.
We’ve never intended to be antagonistic. It was purely out of our own impatience and excitement. And then, in the end, fans got excited because there was more songs than expected.
It was never a plan to have it be a double LP or anything like that. We just wanted “Thank Your Lucky Stars” to come out like records would come out when we young. Back in the ’60s and ’70s, bands could just put out — the Beatles, there’s so many bands that would just put out multiple records a year. We just kind of thought, “Well, why can’t we just do that? Why can’t we just put out two records?' And we did it.
SNAP Video Beach House's "Thank Your Lucky Stars" full album embed Beach House's "Thank Your Lucky Stars" full album embed See more videos
We are not the first ones that have done it. It’s not an original idea. But the hardest thing about it was, how could we release the albums but not have it come across as a marketing scheme?
Keeping a secret in this day and age can come across as truly disingenuous and phony and gimmicky, and so to actually keep it a secret and build hype out of that — have nothing about it and then just have it come out, keeping it as simple as possible — was really challenging. But I think that we managed to do that and to retain some sort of innocence about that second record.
Honestly, it’s only been in the last couple days that I’ve really explored “Thank Your Lucky Stars.” I hope you understand, but the volume of music is just overwhelming.
Of course. I come from an era where there was more gestation. People had more time to listen to stuff. Really, it was a matter of it being whatever it was, allowing it to enter the universe as simply as possible, and as purely as possible, and that was about it.
'Thank Your Lucky Stars' was more like a strange little sister that smokes cigarettes and doesn't give a .... — Victoria Legrand, Beach House
We didn’t expect people would get it right away. But in this day and age, people want to get it right away. They want to be the first person to figure it out, to come up with the tagline — whatever the hell the terminology people use in the press. It was really just about its birth into the world.
What do you think the differences are between the works?
The record felt a little more punk and just had a different character than “Depression Cherry,” which had more of a ... maybe you could say regal or elegant or a massive entrance into the universe. “Thank Your Lucky Stars” was more like a strange little sister that smokes cigarettes and doesn’t give a … . Why would she have a grand debutante ball? It doesn’t make any sense. She doesn’t want that.
We are always listening to the music and seeing what it wants, in terms of album art and treatment and everything down to the shows. We’ll never have the same show for an album. The band will go from between two and four members, depending on the record that we make, depending on the music that were making. We are always going to modify things according to what we are making. It’s not something that’s fixed.
The cover of Beach House's "Thank Your Lucky Stars." Sub Pop Records The cover of Beach House's "Thank Your Lucky Stars." The cover of Beach House's "Thank Your Lucky Stars." (Sub Pop Records)
What is that photo on the cover of “Thank Your Lucky Stars”?
That is a family photo from my family, and it is an image that the second I found it spoke to me so intensely and was so immediately connected to “Thank Your Lucky Stars.” I just feel really lucky to have discovered it. It was a picture that one day I found and I just couldn’t believe I’d never seen it.
It related to the femininity of the record. The colors, the textures, the fabrics in it. The diamond chokers. The gaze. I find that there’s a lot of femininity in “Thank Your Lucky Stars” — dare I say feminism. But there are many themes within that album that I felt bounced off artistically with that image.
Caption Why Frank Gehry never showed up to work for Richard Neutra Los Angeles Times Ideas Exchange: The Time’s Christopher Hawthorne in conversation with Frank Gehry at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. In this clip, Gehry talks about why he didn’t end up working for Richard Neutra. Los Angeles Times Ideas Exchange: The Time’s Christopher Hawthorne in conversation with Frank Gehry at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. In this clip, Gehry talks about why he didn’t end up working for Richard Neutra. Caption With the L.A. River, Frank Gehry thinks L.A. won’t need to import as much water, saving a lot of money Los Angeles Times Ideas Exchange: The Time’s Christopher Hawthorne in conversation with Frank Gehry at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. In this clip, Gehry talks about the L.A. River Revitalization project and cost of imported water. Los Angeles Times Ideas Exchange: The Time’s Christopher Hawthorne in conversation with Frank Gehry at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. In this clip, Gehry talks about the L.A. River Revitalization project and cost of imported water.
There’s a lot of terrible music out there. For tips on the stuff that’s not, follow Randall Roberts on Twitter: @liledit | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-beach-house-victoria-legrand-20160826-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/2f7c9017e0ab97e8acf0ae97502d1c5328b6bb207c58a1cf270d35975c51e582.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Kevin Rector"
]
| 2016-08-30T00:49:55 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnation%2Fla-na-baltimore-surveillance-20160829-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Maryland public defender's office calls for immediate suspension of Baltimore police surveillance program | null | null | www.latimes.com | Maryland’s Office of the Public Defender has asked the Baltimore Police Department to stop filming citizens from the sky until the public is briefed on the program and defense attorneys are given access to the footage.
The public defender also wants to know how evidence gathered by the recently disclosed aerial surveillance program has been stored, accessed and used in the prosecution of criminal defendants.
The office said the program should be shelved until there are "in-depth conversations" about how it works, and police should stop analyzing footage unless they have "prior judicial authorization in the form of a search warrant or equivalent court order."
Baltimore Deputy Public Defender Natalie Finegar made those requests in letters delivered Monday to Police Commissioner Kevin Davis and Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby.
"We are requesting that this surveillance program be suspended until such time as public hearings can be held and a clear avenue of discovery and access to data by defense attorneys is established," Finegar wrote to Davis.
She asked Mosby to join the public defender's office in the request that the program be halted until a "clear mechanism" for handling the footage as evidence is established.
Finegar wrote that it is "imperative" that defense attorneys be given access to the footage, which she said could help to exonerate their clients.
T.J. Smith, a police spokesman, said police officials were "in the process of reviewing and responding to" the letter to Davis.
Mosby responded Monday afternoon with two letters of her own — one to Finegar, in which she called her concerns "legitimate," and one to Davis also demanding answers.
Mosby's office has previously said it was made aware of the program only a couple weeks ago.
"Unfortunately, I too just recently became aware of this program and surveillance technique; however, I'd like to assure you of my firm commitment to fulfilling all potential discovery obligations" under the law and the state's procedural rules, Mosby wrote to Finegar.
Mosby asked Davis to send her the dates and times when the surveillance occurred and a list of the criminal cases in which the surveillance footage was used. She also asked that all of the footage "be preserved until further notice."
"It is critical that I be given access to this information immediately as any delay may imperil active criminal prosecutions," Mosby wrote.
Police acknowledged last week that a private donor had paid a private company to conduct aerial surveillance on the department's behalf from a small Cessna airplane flying about 8,000 feet above the city.
Ohio-based Persistent Surveillance Systems has conducted about 300 hours of aerial surveillance since January. Its cameras film about 32 square miles of the city at a time.
Police said last week they were going to continue the program for several more weeks, and then review it to determine whether it is effective in fighting crime. Davis promised "a robust and inclusive community conversation in the event that we conclude it can improve public safety in Baltimore."
Ross McNutt, owner of Persistent Surveillance Systems, has said the resolution of the footage is too low to allow police to identify individuals below. But civil liberties advocates have said the surveillance of huge numbers of law-abiding citizens without warrants violates their rights..
Members of the City Council, who said they were unaware of the program until it was disclosed last week, have said they will hold special hearings to determine why the program was not disclosed.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said she was not aware of the program at its inception, and became aware of it only recently. She has backed the use of the technology since as an innovative step by the police department.
Finegar said the scope of the surveillance is such that the footage could capture vast numbers of alleged crimes, making it discoverable evidence, which must be disclosed to defense attorneys regardless of whether prosecutors plan to use it at trial.
Prosecutors say they are reviewing the use of the surveillance footage in five open criminal cases, but do not know how many other cases it was used in.
McNutt said his analysts have created "investigative briefs" in at least 102 cases.
Only two cases in which the surveillance system was used have been disclosed publicly: one involving the shooting of an elderly couple, and one involving the assault of an off-duty police detective who had been in an accident with a dirt bike. The use of the surveillance program was not disclosed in the statements of probable cause for either of the defendants arrested in those cases, according to a review of the documents.
Finegar's letter to Davis included a list of nine specific requests:
•A list of dates and times that surveillance was conducted.
•That all data gathered under the program be preserved.
•A "clarification" of whether the police department, Persistent Surveillance Systems, or some other entity own the footage.
•The "retention protocol" for the program's data.
•Any "policies, regulations or agreements entered into between the Baltimore City Police Department, Persistent Surveillance Systems or any other private or public entity regarding the establishment or operation of this program."
•Any internal "policies or regulations regarding the establishment or operation of this program."
•Any "training protocols for civilian or police department employees" related to the program.
•Any warrants or court orders "authorizing the analysis of data collected" by the program.
•Any "legal authority" that police or Persistent Surveillance Systems are relying on to operate the program.
Finegar wrote that the public defender's office enjoys an "open and cordial relationship" with police and prosecutors, but the surveillance program "presents huge Fourth Amendment and Due Process implications" for criminal defendants in Baltimore that must be addressed as quickly as possible.
"If we cannot receive this information and be guaranteed of the cessation of this program until such time as it can be conducted openly with full disclosure in place, we must pursue remedies in court in an expedited fashion," Finegar wrote to Davis and Mosby.
In her letter to Mosby, Finegar cited media reports that the footage being collected would be destroyed after a certain period of time, and said the public defender's office would file motions to preserve any evidence collected by the program in all cases in which the alleged crimes occurred while the surveillance plane was operating. | http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-baltimore-surveillance-20160829-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/ad03bd04ce74b2600987771234c88324e8b7e3b01faa9f42c62e92f870f7f2f9.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Jessica Meyers"
]
| 2016-08-29T10:49:33 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fworld%2Fasia%2Fla-fg-china-eating-disorders-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c3a8f3/turbine/la-fg-china-eating-disorders-snap | en | null | China once struggled to feed its people. Now it's seeing a rise in eating disorders | null | null | www.latimes.com | The patients filed into a drab, gray-paneled room, clothes hanging from skeletal frames. One young woman held a plastic bag of cookies. Visitors looked up at the hospital’s faded Chinese New Year decorations and pretended not to notice their entrance.
A mother stood in front of the packed room and described how doctors labeled her daughter’s eating disorder a digestive ailment. A teenager said she was on her fourth stay at the hospital and hoped to stop vomiting after every dinner. A woman begged for help with a child whose bones showed through her skin.
This is the dark side of China’s rising affluence. The support session at a Peking University hospital, one of only a handful with services dedicated to eating disorders, offers a glimpse into an illness nearly unheard of 30 years ago — a complex byproduct of modernization and media.
Treatment options have not kept pace with the disorder, often misdiagnosed and shrouded in stigma. In a country where “Have you eaten?” is a common greeting, experts struggle to understand the life-threatening ailment and determine how a stretched mental health system can ensure adequate care.
“People think if someone is skinny, it means that she is very successful,” said Ning Yaxian, who at 14 started suffering from a self-starvation syndrome commonly known as anorexia. She would make up for it by compulsive binge eating and guilt-induced purging, often associated with bulimia. It gave her a sense of control.
Yaxian’s parents, both doctors in the vibrant southern city of Shenzhen, couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Her grades dropped. She left school.
“The eating disorder patient in China is much more common than people think,” said Yaxian, now 17 and about to repeat her senior year of high school. “It’s very dangerous but no one is stopping them.”
Doctors can’t pinpoint what exactly causes eating disorders. They disagree how much Hollywood and Western influences dictate these behaviors, as opposed to broader effects of industrialization and shifting expectations for women.
When you tell people you have disabilities, you get understanding. But say eating disorder and they say, ‘What?' — He Ye, the screen name of a 27-year-old from Hunan Province
Changes in what is considered an ideal body type, “some of which are coming from the West, are influencing where China is now,” said Kathleen Pike, executive director of the Global Mental Health Program at Columbia University. “But China has its own set of dynamics occurring that results in increasing risk.”
Whereas images of robust, working-class women once signaled achievement, narrow chins and concave waists now do. Diets and plastic surgery are popular; so are laxatives and thinness competitions. This spring, scores of women posted photos on Chinese social media to prove their waists did not protrude from behind a vertical 8.3 x 11.7 inch piece of paper. People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s flagship paper, called it a “fitness challenge.”
Add to this the intense pressure that only children, the legacy of China’s one-child policy, often feel to achieve.
“Are there enough treatment centers? Of course not,” said Li Xueni, director of the Eating Disorder Center’s inpatient unit at Peking University Sixth Hospital, which opened the country’s only closed ward for eating disorders five years ago. “Often after visiting, doctors come to the conclusion that they don’t have the necessary resources to establish another facility at their hospital.”
The new unit, on a locked floor colored in pale blue, treated about 250 patients last year. That’s 10 times the number the entire psychiatric ward assisted just over a decade ago.
The Shanghai Mental Health Center has witnessed its greatest uptick in the past five years. The outpatient clinic last year received nearly 1,000 eating disorder-related visits.
Officials have yet to conduct a widespread investigation, which means the disorders’ true impact remains unknown. A 2013 study among female college students in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, considered one of the best estimates of national rates, found levels comparable to Western countries.
Japan started to document eating disorders in the 1960s, the first Asian country to do so. By the 1990s, cases were popping up in South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong. Patients didn’t always link their behavior to a fear of getting fat, but started to when knowledge of the disease spread.
Demand for mental-health care has grown overall in China, as citizens deal with modern-day anxieties and rates of diagnosis increase. The country in 2012 passed its first mental-health law, and will soon confront issues of an aging society, in particular dementia. Exploding obesity levels also have overshadowed the uptick in eating disorders, which occur more often in young women.
Officials have poured resources into tackling the more visible epidemic of excessive weight gain. But Chinese society still largely views the opposite problem as a personal weakness, something to handle quietly if it is addressed at all.
He Yi recognized the sounds that followed meals in her college dorm, a retching and gagging from the bathroom stall next door. She wasn’t the only one who was regularly purging.
“I lost weight as a way to obliterate my frustrations,” said the 27-year-old native of Hunan, a mountainous southern province, who asked to use her screen name to avoid attention. “What I was looking for was some sense of wholeness.”
When she finally told her mother, she took it as a public indictment of her parenting. He Yi now runs an online eating-disorder information group with about 12,000 subscribers, and just went to the U.S. to study clinical social work.
“When you tell people you have disabilities, you get understanding,” she said. “But say ‘eating disorder’ and they say, ‘What?’”
China has a tangled history with body shape. For centuries, the country prioritized delicate features and bone-crushing foot binding. But the Tang Dynasty favored larger body types. One of its most revered beauties, Yang Guifei, had stomach rolls.
And few focused on body image in the early 1960s, when Chinese leader Mao Tse-tung’s failed attempt to industrialize the country led to widespread starvation. Older generations equate eating with well-being.
“Society’s pursuit of a certain body type or facial feature style is harming the youth a lot,” said Zhang Darong, a medical professor at Peking University and one of the country’s foremost experts on eating disorders. “It’s not necessarily a determining factor, but it’s definitely a contributing factor.”
She also links the spread of the disease to “the culture of personal success.” | http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-china-eating-disorders-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/1f98bf6ab581121f817010ed6d501097323893e10462ad394e0882fc7ef7128d.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-30T16:50:01 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnation%2Fpolitics%2Ftrailguide%2Fla-na-trailguide-updates-when-politics-and-entertainment-1472569767-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | When politics and entertainment collide: Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry joins 'Dancing with the Stars' | null | null | www.latimes.com | Donald Trump tours on the West Coast Tuesday, with a stop in Washington State. Tim Kaine campaigns for Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania.
Marco Rubio, John McCain face pro-Trump challengers in Tuesday's primaries
face pro-Trump challengers in Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin splits from husband Anthony Weiner after latest sexting scandal
aide splits from husband after latest sexting scandal Clinton wonders which of Donald Trump's personalities will appear in the September debates
wonders which of personalities will appear in the September debates Trump's latest ad borrows phrase from Democrat John Edwards | http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-trailguide-updates-when-politics-and-entertainment-1472569767-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/841c43bc510a5bd0ff3332c5ed1be0505c115ced4b29aa1b781a8f637555b774.json |
[
"La Cañada",
"Sara Cardine"
]
| 2016-08-26T13:15:41 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsocal%2Fla-canada-valley-sun%2Fnews%2Ftn-vsl-me-lchs-field-20160824-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57be1cd5/turbine/tn-vsl-me-lchs-field-20160824 | en | null | 'On time and under budget:' School officials celebrate new athletic field at La Cañada High | null | null | www.latimes.com | Last Thursday, just two days after the start of La Cañada Unified school year, district officials and La Cañada High School administrators celebrated the recent completion of an "on time and under budget" track and football field in a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
"Five years ago, we needed to replace our field," LCHS Principal Ian McFeat addressed a small crowd of local dignitaries gathered for the occasion. "And now today it's replaced and it's unbelievable."
McFeat acknowledged the effort of Mark Evans, La Cañada Unified's chief business and operations officer, who spearheaded the $1.3-million effort to replace the football field's badly worn turf and the track surrounding it. The principal also thanked the many groups and associations who convened in a special committee to oversee details as the project progressed.
"It was a project that involved all kinds of community stakeholders," he said. "We even had students on the committee overseeing how things would look and paying attention to every detail — that level of specificity allowed us to come in on time and under budget."
Photo Gallery: School officials celebrate new athletic field at La Cañada High Raul Roa / La Cañada Flintridge La Cañada High School has a new track and field. La Cañada High School has a new track and field. (Raul Roa / La Cañada Flintridge) (Raul Roa / La Cañada Flintridge)
LCUSD Governing Board President David Sagal expressed his gratitude, from a band parent perspective, for the safe, rubberized and heat-resistant surfaces that replaced their old and crumbling predecessors.
"To see the kids marching around with all the divots and the holes while playing a clarinet made me very nervous," he quipped in his remarks.
Beginning the ceremony, Evans stretched yellow ribbon between a water reel irrigation device and a green John Deere utility vehicle. Sagal pulled the ribbon tight as school board Vice President Dan Jeffries did the honors with a giant pair of ceremonial scissors. The tiny crowd cheered its approval.
Evans thanked previous board members for their foresight in squirreling away funds, even during a recession, to help budget for what everyone agreed was a necessity.
"It's a dedication and a commitment to save up and put away for something like this, and it's a hard thing to do," he said.
--
Sara Cardine, [email protected]
Twitter: @SaraCardine | http://www.latimes.com/socal/la-canada-valley-sun/news/tn-vsl-me-lchs-field-20160824-story.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/34ccb3917c50b64ee0e14356754b8adaacbf9eb72b5aa906b900e434765888dc.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Angel Jennings"
]
| 2016-08-29T12:50:12 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Flocal%2Flanow%2Fla-me-black-church-activism-20160801-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57bc6a2f/turbine/la-me-black-church-activism-20160801-snap | en | null | Black Lives Matter gets a cool reception in some black churches known for past activism | null | null | www.latimes.com | For decades, they’ve been catalysts for civil rights activism, occupying an important niche at the center of protests over police misconduct and racial flashpoints in Los Angeles, from the Rodney J. King beating to the murder trial of O.J. Simpson.
But some black churches in Los Angeles, and the traditional African American clergy who lead them, have kept a decided distance from the new breed of activism represented by the Black Lives Matter movement.
Many church leaders have been cool to the brash, in-your-face tactics of Black Lives Matter. Ministers have spoken out forcefully about the way blacks are treated by police, but few have openly supported the group. For their part, Black Lives Matter organizers have turned to street protests and social media to get their message out rather than relying on the pulpit.
The McCarty Memorial Christian Church congregation comes together to embrace a man who recently lost his brother at the hands of police. Harrison Hill / Los Angeles Times The McCarty Memorial Christian Church congregation comes together to embrace a man who recently lost his brother at the hands of police. The McCarty Memorial Christian Church congregation comes together to embrace a man who recently lost his brother at the hands of police. (Harrison Hill / Los Angeles Times)
In many ways, the division is generational. Black Lives Matter is a young movement, while many black churches tend to cater to older parishioners. But there are also political differences.
Pastor J. Edgar Boyd of First African Methodist Episcopal Church — the oldest black congregation in L.A. — said Black Lives Matter “is a tremendous force that is … lacking of the kind of direction that it needs to have.”
He cited protesters who confronted Mayor Eric Garcetti last year at Holman United Methodist Church. More recently, Black Lives Matter protesters staged a sit-in outside City Hall to demand the removal of L.A. Police Chief Charlie Beck.
“The black church, or at least the faith-based community, has not embraced Black Lives Matter because it doesn’t seem to have that central direction where people of responsibility can make the decisions and 99% can follow that,” Boyd said.
James I. Jones Jr., known as the Rev. JJ, heads Gangstas for Christ and is the facilitator of the Watts Gang Task Force. He said he supports the Black Lives Matter movement but disagrees with the L.A. chapter’s mission to fire Beck and remove Matt Johnson as the president of the Police Commission.
”We’ve come a long way,” Jones added. “Right now, in L.A. I would be more concerned with my grandson getting dressed to go to a party and somebody who looks like him from a different area ask him ‘What set you from?’ than worrying about if police are going to kill my grandson.”
Black Lives Matter activists have made Beck a persistent target, holding protests demanding his dismissal. But the chief has retained the support of many veteran African American leaders, including some who have battled with the L.A. Police Department in the past.
Civil rights lawyer Connie Rice, who sued the department multiple times, said the LAPD deserves credit for diversifying its force and treating minority groups better than it did in the past.
“We took paramilitary police and we took them 180 degrees,” said Rice, who worked with Beck to train several LAPD units that patrol low-income communities.
Black Lives Matter formed in 2013 after a jury acquitted George Zimmerman, a Florida man, in the death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin. Protesters channeled their frustration with the verdict into a movement that galvanized millennials.
Rice praised the group for keeping pressure on police and pushing the issue of injustice to the forefront, even though she doesn’t always agree with the comments of some its activists.
“We have a long way to go before most poor neighborhoods see LAPD through the lens of trust and guardianship,” Rice said.
Some experts say this divide extends beyond Los Angeles.
Robin D.G. Kelley, a UCLA history professor, said Black Lives Matter has “taken a conscious stance against what they call ‘respectability politics,’ which is associated with mainstream political organizations and churches. They boldly challenge conservative views on sexuality, embrace LGBTQ communities and don’t care about ruffling feathers.”
Still, some pastors are embracing both Black Lives Matter and the movement’s larger messages.
Under the vaulted ceilings of McCarty Memorial Christian Church in West Adams, Pastor Eddie Anderson offered a spiritual explanation for the recent protests and unrest over police shootings.
Pastor Eddie Anderson speaks to the congregation at McCarty Memorial Christian Church in West Adams. Harrison Hill / Los Angeles Times Pastor Eddie Anderson speaks to the congregation at McCarty Memorial Christian Church in West Adams. Pastor Eddie Anderson speaks to the congregation at McCarty Memorial Christian Church in West Adams. (Harrison Hill / Los Angeles Times)
With the Bible spread before him, Anderson read from the Book of Amos — describing a scene of people chanting angrily in the streets, taking over the town square and grieving for the dead.
“Amos said until justice is established we will be forced, we will be called to wail,” he preached before pivoting from the past into the present. “We will wail and say ‘Si, se puede.’ We will wail and say ‘Black Lives Matter.’ We will wail and say ‘No Justice, No Peace.’”
Anderson said the message of Black Lives Matter spoke to him and, he hoped, would resonate with a church that had fallen on hard times and needed a resurrection.
Last month he invited members of the protest movement to his church. More than 250 filled the pews at McCarty, dwarfing a regular membership that hovered at about 70 people — a far cry from the roughly 1,000 people who flocked to the church in the 1980s.
“Because I’m new,” Anderson said, “it gives me freedom to speak and stand in solidarity with those who may not be the popular choice in power circles, but are doing the work of the people.”
Located in a neighborhood of low-rise buildings, the McCarty Memorial Christian Church looms high atop a hill. When it was built in 1932, The Times wrote it was “one of the finest examples of pure Gothic architecture in America.”
Now, paint flakes the size of loose-leaf paper peel off of the 200-foot tower. Cardboard covers a broken window.
This is the tradition of the black church. — Legrand Clegg, member of Pilgrim Baptist Church
In the 1980s the congregation was so large not everyone could fit in the church at once, said longtime member Winston Chambliss. Now, the church is struggling to stay afloat. To pay the bills, McCarty rents out space to other churches and for movie shoots.
The church has to grow the congregation. Its members, most of them retirement age, are hoping the 26-year-old Anderson is the answer to their prayers.
“The youth is what we need,” Chambliss said. “Hopefully, he can draw them in.”
A month ago, Anderson reached out to members of Black Lives Matter, offering a night of healing at his church. The grainy cellphone videos of two black men killed by police in Minnesota and Louisiana had been circulating online for days, and a massacre in Dallas had left five police officers dead. | http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-black-church-activism-20160801-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/87558020408f7e7de27eb6218b57969309abbf4cfbc7debb3df49898b5f8269d.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-30T20:49:56 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fpolitics%2Fessential%2Fla-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-compromise-struck-on-1472576901-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c5e39e/turbine/la-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-compromise-struck-on-1472576901 | en | null | Compromise struck on Planned Parenthood-backed bill on secret recordings | null | null | www.latimes.com | A deal has been struck on a controversial bill sponsored by Planned Parenthood to create new penalties for distributing illegal recordings in the wake of high-profile secret videos circulated by anti-abortion activists.
The bill, by Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez (D-Echo Park), had sought to create a new crime for distributing video or audio recordings involving a healthcare professional that were taken without a person's consent. In California, it is already illegal to make such recordings without all parties' authorization.
Planned Parenthood argued that adding additional punishment for circulating those recordings was necessary following the controversial videos taped by David Daleiden and other anti-abortion activists that purported to show Planned Parenthood employees illegally trafficking in fetal tissue. The healthcare provider, which has not been found guilty of any wrongdoing, says the videos were manipulated.
"After the video smear campaign last summer, we experienced a ninefold increase in violence against our providers and our health centers," said Beth Parker, chief legal counsel of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California.
"With the Internet and the tremendous wildfire nature in which news can be spread now through social media, we need to have a crime against distribution by those in particular who did the illegal recording," Parker said. "A slap on the hand of a $2,500 fine isn't sufficient."
But the proposal immediately raised alarm among civil liberties activists and press organizations, which argued such a penalty could ensnare journalists who are reporting on secret videos.
After multiple rounds of amendments, the two sides appear to have reached a compromise: The bill will now make clear that members of the media cannot be held liable if they did not participate in the initial illegal recording.
"We took precautions to make sure the press could still do their jobs," Gomez said on Tuesday.
Nikki Moore, legal counsel to the California Newspaper Publishers Assn., said with the anticipated changes — set to be put into the bill Tuesday — her group will move from opposed to neutral on the measure.
"While we find it troubling that this bill potentially criminalizes speech, we realize this bill had political momentum and our immediate concern is to protect newspapers and journalists," Moore said.
Another opponent of the bill, the American Civil Liberties Union, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the changes.
Gomez said he wasn't surprised by the heated back-and-forth surrounding his bill, AB 1671.
"I always knew it'd be difficult to balance the right of privacy and the right of free speech," Gomez said. "I think that is a tension that we've seen in court case after court case and law after law. And we always strive to find that right balance." | http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-compromise-struck-on-1472576901-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/5f033ae3fbd7faf3172df01b6f40b3059a54042128207ae965525f9ac39fd5ef.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-29T00:49:36 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fla-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-key-peele-will-offer-up-play-by-play-1472209263-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c3759b/turbine/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-key-peele-will-offer-up-play-by-play-1472209263 | en | null | Key & Peele will offer up play-by-play commentary on the VMAs | null | null | www.latimes.com | MTV has drafted comedians Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele as play-by-play commentators for the Video Music Awards, and the position is not new to the comedians.
As the promo above indicates, the duo -- as characters Lee (Key) and Morris (Peele) -- took on announcing roles for Squarespace as counterprogramming to the Super Bowl, joining other periphery events like Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl, Hallmark Channel’s Kitten Bowl and National Geographic’s Fish Bowl.
This time taking on the roles of @TheShamester and @LizardSheeple, Key and Peele will serve as the evening's pseudo hosts for the VMAs alongside DJ Khaled, Jay Pharoah and Nicole Byer. | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-key-peele-will-offer-up-play-by-play-1472209263-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/7b04fde0ed0842c53aae2791f128859dda9584e333737794b6957bdfffc05ebc.json |
[
"La Cañada",
"Sara Cardine"
]
| 2016-08-26T13:15:15 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsocal%2Fla-canada-valley-sun%2Fnews%2Ftn-vsl-me-scores-20160824-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57be3ebe/turbine/tn-vsl-me-scores-20160824 | en | null | LCUSD students earn well-above-average marks on Common Core-focused exams | null | null | www.latimes.com | La Cañada Unified students earned top marks in CommonCore-focused standardized tests administered last spring, according to results issued by the state Wednesday, outperforming most other school districts and even improving upon last year's stellar scores.
California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CASSPP) test results released Wednesday by the state Department of Education indicate 88% of LCUSD students met or exceeded state standards in English Language Arts, while 84% met or exceeded the math benchmark.
Those figures are up slightly from last year, which placed 85% of La Cañada students at or above the English standard and 82% in math. But this year's results place La Cañada Unified students well above the state average of 49% proficiency in English and 37% in math.
But while the numeric news is good, mere test results alone are no longer considered the end-all-be-all of students' true academic capabilities in the new age of Common Core standards.
Although the state has not yet fully conceived how it will provide true measure of a school or district's performance, educators do know it will involve several different factors, Lindi Dreibelbis, the district's chief director of assessment, said Tuesday.
"While test scores are still very important, the new system will be very, very different," Dreibelbis said. "We expect it to be a multimeasure system including a variety of things, such as graduation rates, chronic absenteeism, suspension rates (and) parent involvement."
Understanding that — when the district has for years relied on exemplary test scores, in the form of the state-designated Academic Performance Index (API) to bolster its academic reputation — may be a steep learning curve for the LCUSD school community, Dreibelbis acknowledged.
Still, educators are busy breaking down the numbers to tell a story of progress and where improvements may still be made.
During the assessment period, nearly 2,200 La Cañada Unified students in grades 3 through 8, as well as high school juniors, were tested in English and math. The online tests were designed to be interactive and to delve more deeply into problems and questions to determine a student's thought process and understanding of concepts.
In addition to showing school and grade level test scores and proficiency, available online at caaspp.cde.ca.gov, the results are more fine-tuned than in years past, showing how well test takers performed in different achievement areas related to each subject.
For example, 69% of LCUSD students performed "above standard" in their ability to communicate in writing on the English assessment, while 70% performed at the same level when it came to using mathematical rules and ideas.
But only 44% enjoyed similarly high rates in English in understanding spoken information. And while 94% of juniors scored near or above standard in showing and applying problem-solving skill, only 56% of those were found to be "above standard."
Dreibelbis said considering achievement area results and looking not just at percentages, but at the mean scale scores for each school and grade level will be useful in helping communicate where exactly schools, teachers and grade levels might focus their attention and lessons in the future.
The tests also allow number crunchers to compare this year's fourth-grade test results, for example, not only to last year's fourth graders, but to the results they earned the year before as third-graders.
"I think that is the meat of our work," Dreibelbis said. "That gives teachers direction in where there's been tremendous success and where we find areas where we might have room for improvement."
Despite the finer distinctions that can be made, LCUSD students are continuing to rank among the highest in the state, along with other high-performing districts such as San Marino Unified, Alameda County's Piedmont Unified and Palo Alto Unified.
La Cañada students ranked among the top three in the state in all grades except seventh tested for English Language Arts and math. Three of those rankings placed LCUSD in the No. 1 spot for fifth- and eight-grade English and sixth-grade math.
In a statement Wednesday, La Cañada Unified Supt. Wendy Sinnette praised the collective work and contributions of all the district's stakeholders for the recent good news.
"Placing among the highest performing school districts in California is a great accomplishment, and our students should be proud of their significant achievements on this statewide assessment," Sinnette said.
"I am grateful to our teachers and support staff for their dedicated professionalism," the superintendent continued. "Our parents are equal contributors to these stellar outcomes, continually partnering with our schools to strengthen our districtwide commitment to personal growth and academic excellence."
--
Sara Cardine, [email protected]
Twitter: @SaraCardine | http://www.latimes.com/socal/la-canada-valley-sun/news/tn-vsl-me-scores-20160824-story.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/a40a41d81078ad816dc64c2af23135dbbd74d67945545dd1c869805c27540895.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-29T04:49:55 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fla-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-show-highlights-1472437181-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c3a9c4/turbine/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-show-highlights-1472437181 | en | null | Hey, look! Pictures of people onstage who weren't Beyonce | null | null | www.latimes.com | Catch your breath yet after Beyonce's performance? We'd like to take a moment to remind you that other folks actually appeared onstage at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards. Some of them actually performed.
Quick -- refresh your memory with a spin through a few moments that had nothing to do with Queen Bey.
(Britney who?) | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-show-highlights-1472437181-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/d331fb2a71be8993c4eb1bed3d677097799e5dd9af233a96c9f551598a3064f9.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Associated Press"
]
| 2016-08-27T20:51:27 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fbusiness%2Fla-fi-ashley-furniture-layoffs-20160827-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c1f27f/turbine/la-fi-ashley-furniture-layoffs-20160827-snap | en | null | Ashley Furniture slashes production in Inland Empire, lays off 840 workers | null | null | www.latimes.com | A furniture manufacturer is cutting hundreds of jobs in Southern California as it shifts production to plants in North Carolina, Mississippi and Wisconsin.
The San Bernardino County Sun reported Saturday that about 840 workers at an Ashley Furniture HomeStore factory and warehouse in Colton were laid off Friday.
The company says the majority of production at the site east of Los Angeles is going to other U.S. plants to create more efficiency.
It says closing the Colton plants Oct. 25 will help keep the company competitive.
Employees told the newspaper they were notified at a brief meeting that their jobs were being eliminated.
The company said it gave employees 60 days' notice and complied with federal regulations governing layoffs.
A retail store is to remain open.
ALSO
They built towering new cities in China. Now they're trying it in downtown L.A.
California bans ITT tech from accepting new students
How a hot L.A. start-up went bankrupt: Inside the 'stress cage' that was Fuhu | http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ashley-furniture-layoffs-20160827-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/e20fb8f2ac2ecc5633757b31f776d45bced4dfeff267751db4b2774cb4d3de94.json |
[
"David Lauter",
"Kyle Kim",
"Armand Emamdjomeh"
]
| 2016-08-28T14:49:05 | null | 2016-06-07T00:00:00 | A presidential candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win the White House. Most states predictably vote red or blue, but a small handful swing either way and make up the main election battlegrounds. What does it take to win the presidency? | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fprojects%2F2016-presidential-election-map%2F.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-575738eb/turbine/la-g-2016-presidential-election-thumb-20160607/800 | en | null | The race to 270 | null | null | www.latimes.com | The race to 270
A presidential candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win the White House. Most states predictably vote red or blue, but a small handful swing either way and make up the main election battlegrounds. What does it take to win the presidency? | http://www.latimes.com/projects/2016-presidential-election-map/ | en | 2016-06-07T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/2f5ace413378df5e46d08fb901454735bc43d51101f851ac3b6c60e2fa3574bc.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"David Pierson"
]
| 2016-08-26T22:49:00 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fbusiness%2Fla-fi-0825-china-dtla-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c09405/turbine/la-fi-0825-china-dtla-snap | en | null | They built towering new cities in China. Now they're trying it in downtown L.A. | null | null | www.latimes.com | Winston Yan stood atop the largest real estate project of its kind in downtown Los Angeles, a monstrous patchwork of glass and concrete next to the 110 Freeway, and marveled at the bustle of workers, construction vehicles and cranes 38 stories below.
The scope of development in this mixed-use project, called Metropolis, is unprecedented for L.A. but quite familiar to Yan. As an architect and executive for Chinese real estate giant Greenland, he’s witnessed firsthand China’s dramatic urbanization in recent decades.
“It reminds me of what’s happening in Beijing and Shanghai,” said Yan, chief technical officer for Greenland’s U.S. subsidiary. “Now it’s happening here.”
Los Angeles real estate has long attracted foreign investment, be it from Japan, Canada and South Korea. But no one is building from the ground up the way the Chinese are today.
Chinese developers such as Greenland, Oceanwide and Shenzhen Hazens are pouring billions into the neighborhood, adding thousands of new residential units in soaring skyscrapers that will fundamentally change the city’s skyline. Since 2014, Chinese developers have been involved in at least seven of 18 land deals downtown in excess of $19 million, according to real estate firm Transwestern.
“When all these megaprojects are finished, they’re going to have to reshoot the postcard picture of downtown L.A.,” said Mark Tarczynski, executive vice president for Colliers International’s L.A. office.
By investing in Los Angeles, the builders are staking downtown’s revival closer to the Chinese economy. A sizable share of home buyers for the new downtown developments are expected to come from China, where many in the middle and upper class are looking to the perceived safety of foreign real estate to diversify their wealth. That trend has been exacerbated by the uncertainty of China’s slowing economy.
The building boom is something of a showcase for Chinese real estate companies, which are willing to pay a premium to establish themselves as global brands. The foray overseas has also demonstrated the many differences between building in both countries — an experience both sides will need to learn from if the U.S. is to remain a prime destination for Chinese capital.
“The speed is so dramatically different in China,” said Sonnet Hui, executive project director for Shenzhen Hazens, which is building a $700-million mixed-use project across from Staples Center. “There’s a lot of planning and study here, whereas in China it’s just ‘Let’s go, let’s go.’ ”
Before the Chinese landed, things were going nowhere at a 6-acre site on the corner of W. 8th Street and the Harbor Freeway. Plans to develop the parcel, which had been a parking lot, were scuttled by one economic downturn after another.
Then in 2014, Shanghai’s Greenland paid $150 million for the plot and announced plans to build a “city within a city” with about 70,000 square feet of retail space, an 18-story boutique hotel and 1,500 residential units in three condo towers, some with ocean views. They priced properties at $500,000 for the lowest end to $6.9 million for the premier penthouses.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
When completed in 2018, the $1-billion project will require a total of 300,000 tons of concrete and 650,000 square feet of glass, much of it in Greenland’s namesake color.
“They need a certain amount of scale to make it worth their while,” said Laurie Lustig-Bower, executive vice president at CBRE and broker for the Metropolis land deal. “Of course, what we consider large is not relatively large to them coming from China.”
When the chairman of Greenland came to visit Metropolis, it was the first time he didn’t require a car to traverse one of his building sites, an executive told Tony Natsis, a partner at Allen Matkins and chairman of the law firm's real estate practice.
“Their ability to build on this scale is completely child’s play to them.” Natsis said.
Around the same time Greenland bought its site, Oceanwide Holdings, another Chinese real estate giant, paid $174.8 million for a 4.6-acre site across from Staples Center. The Beijing-based builder is in the early stages of another $1-billion mixed-use project, this one with nearly 170,000 square feet of retail space, a luxury hotel and two sleek condo towers that together will offer more than 500 residences.
In a design flourish popular in China, a massive LED screen will wrap the west facing side of Oceanwide Plaza overlooking Figueroa Street. The project is set to open by the end of 2018.
We buy it at the right time and we build right away. — Thomas Feng, Oceanwide Plazaâs chief executive and president
Across the street are plans for an almost equally extravagant mixed-use development on the current Luxe City Center Hotel site. Shenzhen Hazens is proposing razing the hotel for a pair of gleaming condo towers and a W Hotel steps away from the arena.
“Our chairman [Yan Fuer] is a big basketball fan and went to a game at Staples Center and saw the property and said ‘I want that property,’ ” said Hui, the project’s director.
Shenzhen Hazens paid $104 million for the 2.5-acre site. The $925.11 paid per square foot is the highest of any major land purchase in the area since 2014, according to Transwestern.
The next three highest prices per square foot in the last two years also belong to Chinese buyers. The Greenland, Oceanwide and Shenzhen Hazens developments represent three of the four most expensive land deals downtown, and they highlight the Chinese appetite for splashy and ambitious projects.
“The Chinese can come in with a lot of money and execute deals quickly,” said Michael Soto, an analyst for Transwestern.
Other smaller Chinese projects in the works include Shanghai Construction Group’s proposed 35-story condo tower on 4th Street and Broadway, Fulton Street Ventures’ 28-story condo building at 1133 S. Hope Street and City Century’s 37- and 22-story condo towers at 1201 S. Grand Avenue.
Meanwhile, Lifan Group, a motorcycle manufacturer from the Western Chinese metropolis of Chongqing, paid more than $19 million for a former union hall at the intersection of West 7th and Witmer streets. Naturally, it’s for another apartment high-rise. | http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-0825-china-dtla-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/06a496fdbe8f7aa6894010530a6ac4fc694cd90628bd3ab31c16b660448876b7.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Eric Sondheimer"
]
| 2016-08-27T20:51:31 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fhighschool%2Fvarsity-times%2Fla-sp-vi-football-the-bizarre-play-of-the-night-came-in-the-alemany-garfield-game-20160827-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Football: The bizarre play of the night came in the Alemany-Garfield game | null | null | www.latimes.com | It was opening night, so you get some inexperienced players making their varsity debuts. That created what Garfield Coach Lorenzo Hernandez described as one of the most "bizarre" moments he has seen in his team's game against Alemany.
Garfield was in punt formation, and a sophomore player for Alemany's third-string unit was lost on the field. Players on Garfield's sideline are good recruiters.
"Come on our sideline," they told him.
And that's what the Alemany player did in the middle of the punt.
"It was bizarre," Hernandez said. "He was hanging out with our guys."
Alemany Coach James Washington said he's trying to get his young players experience.
As for what happened to the player, Washington said, "He ran today."
For the latest on high school sports, follow @LATSondheimer on Twitter | http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/varsity-times/la-sp-vi-football-the-bizarre-play-of-the-night-came-in-the-alemany-garfield-game-20160827-story.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/bea6c924dd8090aa354ca9589a540f9ee0220d73c5a27845f407720b68282ad4.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Kavita Daswani"
]
| 2016-08-26T14:50:58 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fhealth%2Fla-he-yvette-nicole-brown-5q-20160822-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57bf8b91/turbine/la-he-yvette-nicole-brown-5q-20160822-snap | en | null | Let actress Yvette Nicole Brown inspire you to volunteer | null | null | www.latimes.com | It says a lot about Yvette Nicole Brown that, when asked for the contact details for her reps, she instead scribbled down her own number.
It's that down-to-earth and approachable demeanor that her fans and followers find so relatable, first on the cult hit “Community” and now on “The Odd Couple,” where she stars alongside Matthew Perry and Thomas Lennon.
With her newly launched website, Brown, 45, seeks to be a “champion of kindness”: She is an outspoken proponent of volunteerism and encourages others in the entertainment industry to get involved in causes that benefit humanity at large.
Why is volunteerism so important to you?
A lot of people have been extraordinarily blessed. But it’s not enough to amass wealth for yourself. Life is about giving back, about lending a hand and helping people who need assistance. I can’t imagine a life where you don’t find a way to use what you have to help others.
Caption What did you do on your summer vacation? Took photos, we bet. Share them with us and the world Our annual summer vacation photo issue is almost here. What will you submit for possible inclusion in our Sept. 18 issue? Our annual summer vacation photo issue is almost here. What will you submit for possible inclusion in our Sept. 18 issue? Caption Designers add a personal touch to the decor of the Dorland house A glimpse at the decor of Lloyd Wright's Dorland house in Altadena by designers Miao Miao and Scott Franklin A glimpse at the decor of Lloyd Wright's Dorland house in Altadena by designers Miao Miao and Scott Franklin
Do you think that there should be more of that attitude in Hollywood?
For me, it’s the biggest gift of being in this industry. I’ve always felt that if a spotlight is shining on you, it’s your goal to shine it back on something else. It’s not enough to wear a pretty dress on a red carpet or have your face made up. The question is, “What are you doing to help others? How are you using the recognition you have to serve people?” Otherwise it’s all a waste of time.
What are some of your favorite causes?
I love DonorsChoose.org. Teachers from all over the country present what they need for their students — a reading nook, or maybe winter coats for some of the kids. They put the request up and anyone in America can go on and give $5 or $20 or buy all the winter coats this year. The best thing about it is when you help fund a project, the kids write little thank-you notes, these babies writing, “Thank you for the crayons.” I mean, come on! It’s the best feeling in the world.
You’re also very involved with the Motion Picture & Television Fund, which helps those in the industry who are struggling financially.
The fact that there is this help for anyone who has ever worked in the industry blew my mind. Whenever there is a space of need, they fill it — child care, elder care, food delivery, making the home safe. Whatever I can do to help them, I’m on board.
How do you rally others to follow your example?
I do my best. It’s a personal choice. I’m not married and I don’t have kids so maybe this is my legacy. Everyone has to find that thing for themselves. There are a thousand ways to take part, a place for everyone to fit in. I like to say to people, “I know life is beautiful, you are beautiful, you have money — but what are you doing? Who do you help?” Wouldn’t it be great if, on the red carpet, instead of being asked “What are you wearing?” we are asked “How do you give back?” It might make people think, “Oh my God, I’m not doing anything.” That should become the conversation. I defy anyone to give back and not feel better about it afterward.
[email protected]
ALSO
How Margot Robbie got into superhuman shape for ‘Suicide Squad’
Josh Duhamel says 'I wish that women were more celebrated for being curvy and round'
Olympian Allyson Felix says faith is her fitness fuel | http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-yvette-nicole-brown-5q-20160822-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/f69ed478f997cd3818eadcf2605fa62ac58d670408f1934891d561e36d3659f6.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Associated Press"
]
| 2016-08-26T14:50:45 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fbusiness%2Fla-fi-financial-markets-20160826-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c04961/turbine/la-fi-financial-markets-20160826-snap | en | null | Stocks tick higher on Wall Street | null | null | www.latimes.com | Stocks are opening higher on Wall Street following two days of declines.
A handful of stocks were moving higher early Friday after reporting results that were better than analysts had expected.
Autodesk managed a small profit, beating expectations of a loss, and Pure Storage's loss was far smaller than forecasts.
Materials companies, which have taken heavy losses this week, turned higher. Freeport McMoRan, a copper miner, rose 1.2%.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 48 points, or 0.3%, to 18,498.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index added 5 points, or 0.3%, to 2,178. The Nasdaq composite climbed 11 points, or 0.2%, to 5,224.
Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 1.56%.
Investors around the globe are awaiting a Friday morning speech by U.S. Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen that could offer cues on the timing of the next interest rate hike. | http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-financial-markets-20160826-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/9c41b41518cd5db3c5dab4d5e342cbb4d4dcd7dbf401632505ac027f688a0334.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-30T02:49:50 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fpolitics%2Fessential%2Fla-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-an-effort-to-impose-campaign-donation-1472518073-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c4dd42/turbine/la-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-an-effort-to-impose-campaign-donation-1472518073 | en | null | An effort to impose campaign donation limits on local races is killed by the state Senate | null | null | www.latimes.com | State lawmakers rejected a plan on Monday to place limits on individual campaign donations for city and county offices, races where in some California communities there are no restrictions on the size of a legal donation.
Assembly Bill 2523 was supported by a simple majority of senators, but had been recently amended to require a supermajority vote to actually pass.
The bill would have set the maximum campaign donation in a local campaign at a level equal to those for Assembly and Senate races, currently $4,200. It would have allowed local communities to set lower limits if desired.
Democrats and Republicans disagreed during the Senate floor debate as to whether setting contribution limits would effectively limit the influence of money on local politics. | http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-an-effort-to-impose-campaign-donation-1472518073-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/25d99cf0df129bfc6df9ab9db3c26005ba6e57a728ef7947005ebd7b8541eba5.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Carolina A. Miranda"
]
| 2016-08-29T16:50:03 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Farts%2Fmiranda%2Fla-et-cam-hauser-wirth-schimmel-kim-schoenstadt-20160828-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c370b8/turbine/la-et-cam-hauser-wirth-schimmel-kim-schoenstadt-20160828-snap | en | null | A portrait project draws L.A. female artists to Hauser Wirth & Schimmel for a joyous flash mob | null | null | www.latimes.com | For artist Kim Schoenstadt, it began as a simple idea: Bring together a group of female artists from around Los Angeles for a group portrait — a way of recognizing the presence of women in a field that remains dominated by men.
Little did she know that hundreds of female artists from around the city — including photographer Catherine Opie, light and space artist Helen Pashgian and assemblagist Betye Saar, who showed up accompanied by her daughters, artists Alison and Lezley Saar — would all pile into the courtyard at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel on Sunday at midday for an epic group portrait.
“I’m so thrilled!” exclaimed Schoenstadt in the moments after photographers managed to capture the buoyant crowd on film. “The beautiful thing is that everyone wanted to be accounted for, they wanted to be present.”
The project, titled “Now Be Here,” was inspired by the gallery’s current exhibition, “Revolution in the Making: Abstract Sculpture by Women, 1947-2016,” curated by gallery partner Paul Schimmel and feminist scholar Jenni Sorkin, and examining the often overlooked role of women in the 20th century history of sculpture.
For her tribute, Schoenstadt says she was interested in acknowledging the countless female painters, sculptors, photographers and conceptualists who create work — whether it is acknowledged by art world institutions or not.
“For every artist whose work hangs on the wall,” she says, “there are other artists who just don’t make it into the gallery.”
The project will ultimately reside as an online archive, with information about each of the artists who was present.
Assemblage artist Betye Saar, center, with her daughters, artists Lezley Saar, left, and Alison Saar. Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times Assemblage artist Betye Saar, center, with her daughters, artists Lezley Saar, left, and Alison Saar. Assemblage artist Betye Saar, center, with her daughters, artists Lezley Saar, left, and Alison Saar. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)
Women gather to pose for a group portrait organized by Kim Schoenstadt. The numbers will help identify them in the picture, which will ultimately go online. Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times Women gather to pose for a group portrait organized by Kim Schoenstadt. The numbers will help identify them in the picture, which will ultimately go online. Women gather to pose for a group portrait organized by Kim Schoenstadt. The numbers will help identify them in the picture, which will ultimately go online. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)
While the project, at its heart, addresses difficult issues of female representation in the fine arts, the assembled group of artists couldn’t have been more jubilant when they came together at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel.
Hundreds of laughing, hugging women materialized at the downtown gallery on Sunday morning — like a joyous flash mob. (The organizers did not have a final count of participants on Sunday afternoon.)
“I thought the old guard should be here,” said Betye Saar, 90, who was perched in a seat at one end of the gallery, where a line of younger artists came to pay their respects and snap selfies. “People have told me that I’ve inspired them, so I think I’m doing a good job!” she added with a laugh.
“It’s historic,” said Lezley Saar. “It’s a once in a lifetime kind of thing, to get this many artists together.”
Painter Sandy Rodriguez, left, photographer Isabel Castro and multimedia artist Barbara Carrasco came out to participate in the group portrait. Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times Painter Sandy Rodriguez, left, photographer Isabel Castro and multimedia artist Barbara Carrasco came out to participate in the group portrait. Painter Sandy Rodriguez, left, photographer Isabel Castro and multimedia artist Barbara Carrasco came out to participate in the group portrait. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)
A photographer captures the crowd gathered inside the Hauser Wirth & Schimmel courtyard. Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times A photographer captures the crowd gathered inside the Hauser Wirth & Schimmel courtyard. A photographer captures the crowd gathered inside the Hauser Wirth & Schimmel courtyard. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)
Barbara Carrasco, a multimedia Chicana artist, who caravanned to the shoot with fellow artists Sandy Rodriguez and Isabel Castro, said, “I’m here to show support as a female artist to other female artists — and we have to be present as women of color.”
Lara Schnitger, known for creating humorous ceremonial ensigns crafted from women’s bloomers (she has work featured at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel and in November will lead a feminist-themed performance titled “Suffragette City” at the Hammer Museum) said the whole event was an important “moment of recognition.”
Aandrea Stang, who oversees the education department at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, says that the piece is the sort of action that can help build community between groups of artists who don’t ordinarily come together — old and young, black and white and brown, sculptors and photographers and painters.
With the help of a bullhorn, Stang helped orchestrate the unwieldy shoot from a roof overlooking the courtyard. She said it was moving to look down and see hundreds of female artists, ready to take their places.
“This was,” she says, “a way to bring the show to life.”
Artist Kim Schoenstadt, left, who organized the shoot, with painter Carolyn Castaño. Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times Artist Kim Schoenstadt, left, who organized the shoot, with painter Carolyn Castaño. Artist Kim Schoenstadt, left, who organized the shoot, with painter Carolyn Castaño. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)
The group — which included notable Los Angeles artists such as Catherine Opie and Betye Saar — poses for a portrait. Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times The group — which included notable Los Angeles artists such as Catherine Opie and Betye Saar — poses for a portrait. The group — which included notable Los Angeles artists such as Catherine Opie and Betye Saar — poses for a portrait. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)
Aandrea Stang, head of education at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, helps oversee the group portrait. Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times Aandrea Stang, head of education at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, helps oversee the group portrait. Aandrea Stang, head of education at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, helps oversee the group portrait. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)
The crowd lets loose after the photo is finished. Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times The crowd lets loose after the photo is finished. The crowd lets loose after the photo is finished. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)
The group shoot drew plenty of observers, including this chilled-out pooch. Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times The group shoot drew plenty of observers, including this chilled-out pooch. The group shoot drew plenty of observers, including this chilled-out pooch. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)
“Revolution in the Making: Abstract Sculpture by Women, 1947-2016”
Where: Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, 901 E. 3rd St., downtown Los Angeles
When: Through Sunday
Info: hauserwirthschimmel.com; for more on Kim Schoenstadt’s project, “Now Be Here,” visit kimschoenstadt.com
Caption The Comedy Comedy Festival in Little Tokyo The comedy festival running Thursday through Sunday in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo neighborhood is an Asian American comedy fest with a bill of more than 100 comics of Asian descent. You probably wouldn't know that from the name of the event: the Comedy Comedy Festival. The comedy festival running Thursday through Sunday in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo neighborhood is an Asian American comedy fest with a bill of more than 100 comics of Asian descent. You probably wouldn't know that from the name of the event: the Comedy Comedy Festival. Caption Best Kanye West moments at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards Kanye West did not dissapoint at this years Video Music Awards! From giving Amber Rose a shout-out in the audience to a rambling speech about his own greatness, here are some of his finest moments from the 2016 MTV VMAs. Kanye West did not dissapoint at this years Video Music Awards! From giving Amber Rose a shout-out in the audience to a rambling speech about his own greatness, here are some of his finest moments from the 2016 MTV VMAs.
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Find me on Twitter @cmonstah. | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/miranda/la-et-cam-hauser-wirth-schimmel-kim-schoenstadt-20160828-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/f65cb1aeea1d9d04904263495a755e94aba6cf2769c08c32c3d0d01febd976c4.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Lisa Mascaro"
]
| 2016-08-30T20:50:00 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnation%2Fla-na-pol-trump-black-voters-20160830-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c5e460/turbine/la-na-pol-trump-black-voters-20160830-snap | en | null | Can Donald Trump win over black voters? Ask Barry Goldwater | null | null | www.latimes.com | Donald Trump is heading to Detroit this week to visit a black church and to try to convince African Americans — and really, all voters — that he is not racist.
It may be a tough sell. Some polls, including the Associated Press-GfK survey earlier this summer, suggest that half of Americans view Trump as “racist.” He is seen favorably by only 7% of African Americans, the poll said.
But Trump is determined to improve his standing with minorities. They may be smaller in numbers in some states, but minority turnout can tip the balance in such key places as Florida, Nevada, North Carolina and Georgia.
‘What the hell do you have to lose?” Trump thundered at a recent campaign rally, inviting black Americans to join his campaign.
Trump makes the case that rival Hillary Clinton is just pandering to black voters and that Democrats have not delivered. He paints a grim, if broadly simplified, picture of poverty and jobless rates set stubbornly high in many black communities.
Amplifying that view is conservative televangelist Mark Burns, a Trump ally who aimed a series of tweets at Clinton, including a racially tinged cartoon of her in blackface. Burns later apologized for recirculating it.
Film director Spike Lee told CNN’s Anderson Cooper this week that he doubts Trump will have much success with his outreach to black Americans.
After Trump’s heated rhetoric regarding minorities — his criticism that an American-born judge overseeing the Trump University fraud lawsuits can’t do his job because of his Mexican heritage and his reference to “my African American” in describing a black participant at one rally — it’s a slog, Trump critics say.
“I laugh,” Lee said on CNN. “This is bigger than Donald Trump, and I think Americans are smarter than to go for this okey-doke.”
Here’s the problem for Trump: It’s history.
Before the civil rights battles of the last century, the Republican Party used to win about 30% of the black vote, on average, in presidential elections, according to an analysis by Claremont McKenna College professor John J. Pitney.
But when Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater opposed the landmark civil rights bill during the 1964 campaign, black voters broke away from the GOP.
Ever since, fewer than 6% of African Americans, on average, have voted for Republicans for president.
Trump may not be able to reduce that slide among black Americans.
But his outreach this week may help to soften the sting of his past comments and improve his standing among white voters concerned about his brash language.
In Detroit, Pastor Wayne T. Jackson will welcome Trump to Saturday services at his Great Faith Ministries International. Afterward, Trump will sit for an interview, according to the Detroit News.
Jackson has several questions in mind for the candidate, he told the newspaper.
And he said: “I’m going to ask him that question: Are you a racist?” | http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-pol-trump-black-voters-20160830-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/7183d9424905f3aa796e3dbcf5294d7e049b459e6a3a5c0be722a51057d610b7.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Lorraine Ali"
]
| 2016-08-28T14:49:06 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Ftv%2Fla-ca-st-night-of-muslims-20160818-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57bf611b/turbine/la-ca-st-night-of-muslims-20160818-snap | en | null | How HBO's 'The Night Of' has humanized American Muslim families | null | null | www.latimes.com | The crime and justice drama “The Night Of” that’s become HBO’s newest addictive thriller features an American Muslim character so complex that it’s still anyone’s guess as to whether he’s innocent or guilty of a crime that kicked off the series eight episodes ago
The miniseries, which concludes Sunday, created an unusually layered portrait not only of the lead character, Nasir Khan (played by Riz Ahmed), but also his working-class immigrant family caught up in a legal and moral nightmare.
Caption The Comedy Comedy Festival in Little Tokyo The comedy festival running Thursday through Sunday in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo neighborhood is an Asian American comedy fest with a bill of more than 100 comics of Asian descent. You probably wouldn't know that from the name of the event: the Comedy Comedy Festival. The comedy festival running Thursday through Sunday in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo neighborhood is an Asian American comedy fest with a bill of more than 100 comics of Asian descent. You probably wouldn't know that from the name of the event: the Comedy Comedy Festival. Caption Director Andrew Ahn on his new film, 'Spa Night' Actor Joe Seo and director Andrew Ahn discuss what inspired the new film "Spa Night." Actor Joe Seo and director Andrew Ahn discuss what inspired the new film "Spa Night."
Through subtle and nuanced storytelling, “The Night Of” has done what most every other series featuring American Muslim characters – “Homeland,” “Sleeper Cell,” “Tyrant” -- has not. It’s made Muslims central to a story that has nothing to do with terror or war or Trump, given them depth, and rendered them human.
Khan is a seemingly clean-cut college student who lives a quiet life at home with his Pakistani parents in Queens until the night he takes his father’s cab out for a joy ride. He meets a girl in Manhattan, tries drugs, sleeps with her, then blacks out, only to discover when he wakes up that she’s been brutally stabbed to death.
Charged with murder, Khan’s story becomes a tense odyssey through the justice system, the penal system and the ways in which race and class play out in both.
The series couldn't have come at a more fitting time, given the gross misrepresentation of Muslims on the campaign trail and otherwise.
The series couldn't have come at a more fitting time, given the gross misrepresentation of Muslims on the campaign trail and otherwise.
“Night Of” creators Richard Price and Steven Zaillian began work on the limited series well before Trump made banning new Muslim immigrants a selling point and ignorance about the faith and its followers was revealed en masse at political rallies, on social media and in polls.
And while Islamophobia plays a role here, it's the individual thoughts and actions of Khan, his family and his Jackson Heights neighborhood that make the characters rather than the social commentary central to the show's success.
When a prosecutor dredges up a violent incident involving Khan and another student back in middle school, Khan's answer makes the topical personal:
“I was in fifth grade when the towers came down,” explains Khan about the violent incidents from his past. “I didn’t understand why I was getting beat up, why my little brother was, why my dad got jumped in his cab twice. Pakistani kids, North African kids, any type of Muslim, it was a slaughterhouse. You tried to fight back, it only made it worse.
“I didn’t have a fight with Steve Diaz, I just shoved him down those stairs. Why? Because I just did. I wish I could tell you something else, but I just did it. It was like pushing open a door. You just push it.”
Riz Ahmed as Nasir Khanin HBO series "The Night Of." Craig Blankenhorn / HBO Riz Ahmed as Nasir Khanin HBO series "The Night Of." Riz Ahmed as Nasir Khanin HBO series "The Night Of." (Craig Blankenhorn / HBO)
Khan is the fictional counterpart of Adnan Syed, a real-life young Pakistani American student who was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend in Maryland and became a household name after his case was explored on NPR’s wildly popular podcast, “Serial.”
As with Syed, suspicions about Khan’s culture and faith come to the fore throughout his case. And as with Syed, Khan is denied bail for being an overseas flight risk, despite never knowing any home other than the U.S. "The Night Of" takes many of the same scenarios and personifies the fallout through Khan and his family.
Their world is a slice of New York that has little to do with the high rises of Manhattan or the hipsters of Brooklyn. It’s the outer boroughs where of second-generation kids strive to meet their hard working, immigrant parents expectations. Kahn’s father is a cabbie, part of a sub-culture of Muslims from South Asia and the Middle East. They are today’s version of the Jewish tailors, Irish cops and Italian restaurant workers who once made up Manhattan’s immigrant work force.
When Khan is arrested and becomes a tabloid headline, worlds collide: cabbies are the victims of hate crimes, family incomes are ruined, entire communities are guilty by association. If only TV and Hollywood were always this detail oriented with their Muslim story lines.
If “The Night Of” had not cast a Muslim in the lead, it would likely have been just as expertly crafted and suspenseful. But with the Khans, uncomfortable social truths are exposed about the way we politicize a people with little thought to their reality on the ground .
That's not to say that Khan is the victim here. For all we know, the straight-A student could also be a killer. Like everyone, Muslims are a bundle of contradictions.
It must have been a tricky balancing act, because "The Night Of” doesn’t go too far the other way either, by promoting simplistic positive images to counterbalance all the bad ones in the media. That would compromise the depth of the characterization of Nasir Khan, which is the true landmark achievement of this remarkable series.
------------
“The Night Of”
Where: HBO
When: 9 p.m. Sunday
Rating: TV-MA (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 17)
ALSO:
'The Night Of' sizes up potential for a second season on HBO
As 'The Night Of' signs off, star Bill Camp reflects on the 'subtle beast' of his character
John Turturro shines in 'The Night Of' role that James Gandolfini had begun filming before his death | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-ca-st-night-of-muslims-20160818-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/735e2482340548fd4477c81741ab24f38e1322604c83fb85111c04004c7e7a6e.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Ben Bolch"
]
| 2016-08-28T00:49:11 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fmore%2Fla-sp-pac-12-football-20160827-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c222fd/turbine/la-sp-pac-12-football-20160827-snap | en | null | Pac-12 must meet challenges big, and small, to get a team back to the College Football Playoff | null | null | www.latimes.com | Pac-12 Conference Commissioner Larry Scott recently ticked off a list of national powers, including Alabama, Texas A&M and Notre Dame, as evidence that his conference constituents would take on all comers in an effort to get back into the College Football Playoff.
Sometimes it’s Northwestern that you need to worry about.
A season-opening loss to the unranked Wildcats probably cost Stanford a spot in the four-team playoff last season despite being the Pac-12 champion.
It’s an excellent reminder to every Pac-12 team making refundable reservations in Glendale, Ariz. — site of one national semifinal on Dec. 31 — that title aspirations are every bit as much on the line in Provo, Utah (where UCLA plays Brigham Young on Sept. 17) as they are in Arlington, Texas (where USC meets Alabama on Sept. 3).
One early misstep and a playoff contender like Stanford might be out of luck long before facing Notre Dame in mid-October.
Here’s a look at how the Pac-12 might shake out now thatCalifornia has already said “G’day!” to the season with its opening win over Hawaii on Friday in Sydney:
Top story lines
♦ Will a new champion emerge?
The Pac-12 hasn’t exactly been a variety show in recent years.
The conference champions have been stuck on repeat since 2009, with the list of title winners going Oregon-Oregon-Oregon-Stanford-Stanford-Oregon-Stanford. The media expects the monotony to continue because it picked Stanford to win the conference this season — the first time the media tapped the Cardinal to prevail in the 56-year history of the conference preseason poll.
Maybe there’s a reason distrust of the media seems to be at an all-time high. Stanford and Oregon enter the season with quarterback quandaries and the Ducks lost their top tackler and sack leader from a defense that surrendered 37.5 points per game last season.
Those issues could provide an opening for challengers UCLA, Washington and USC to break through.
♦ Is there any justice for Christian McCaffrey?
Anyone who watched the Rose Bowl remembers the fan in the Stanford hat shouting “Heisman!” five times in two minutes during McCaffrey’s on-field television interview after the game.
He wasn’t being repetitive so much as stating (and re-stating) the obvious: McCaffrey should have won the award instead of being relegated to runner-up, a point underlined by his 368 all-purpose yards in the Rose Bowl led the Cardinal to a resounding 45-16 victory over Iowa.
McCaffrey can run, catch, throw — he completed two passes last season, both for touchdowns — and return kicks unlike anyone else in college football. The only skill left to master is winning votes.
♦ Will Josh Rosen embarrass UCLA?
He’s put a hot tub in his dorm room, worn a hat disparaging Donald Trump while playing a round of golf on one of the presidential candidate’s courses and ripped the NCAA for making millions off amateurs.
What’s next for the outspoken quarterback? The Bruins hope just football.
Rosen could be a dark horse Heisman candidate after leading all true freshmen in passing yardage last season. He also could be a distraction if he continues the juvenile antics.
“As a friend, I have to laugh sometimes, but I also have to talk to him,” UCLA offensive tackle Conor McDermott said at Pac-12 media days. “Some things you just can’t say.”
Top players
♦ Offense
McCaffrey, running back, Stanford: David Shaw recently joked that he would shift some of his coaching responsibilities to his star running back’s workload because of his ability to multitask. Might as well have him perform as the Stanford tree at halftime, too, before returning to lay waste to opposing defenses.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, wide receiver, USC: He stiff-armed a cornerback out of bounds, caught passes with one hand while the other was in a soft cast and made so many slippery moves you wondered if he should go by JukeJuke. The conference’s best receiver could pass Trojans greats Keyshawn Johnson, Mike Williams and Steve Smith on the school’s career reception list before the end of his junior season.
Luke Falk, quarterback, Washington State: He piled up the yards (4,561), touchdowns (38) and even a healthy chunk of victories (nine) as a sophomore. He’s capable of doing a number on Oregon, Stanford and Washington to put the Cougars into the Pac-12 North title mix.
♦ Defense
Budda Baker, safety, Washington: There’s a reason Baker was selected first team All-Pac-12 last season despite making only two interceptions: Opposing quarterbacks avoid throwing the ball into his area code. Those who do often regret it.
Eddie Vanderdoes, end, UCLA: His return from a season-ending torn knee ligament in the 2015 opener could spell the end of the Bruins’ problems stopping the run. No UCLA defensive lineman has made more tackles in a game than Vanderdoes since 1992.
Lowell Lotulelei, tackle, Utah: If it feels like you’ve watched a Lotulelei flying around the field making plays for the Utes for five years now, it’s not your imagination. Lotuelelei’s older brother, Star, starred for Utah for three seasons before becoming a first-round draft pick in the NFL, a career trajectory his sibling could very well emulate.
♦ Newcomer
Oluwole Betiku, defensive end, USC: He’s already pleased Trojans faithful by reneging on a commitment to UCLA and will make them giddy if he becomes the team’s next impact freshman out of Gardena Serra High.
The games
♦ Best during nonconference
USC vs. Alabama, at Arlington, Texas, Sept. 3: Will it be the revenge of Lane Kiffin or the first monumental victory of the Clay Helton era?
UCLA at Texas A&M, Sept. 3: The Bruins should have more than a little familiarity with the Aggies’ offense under new coordinator Noel Mazzone.
Stanford at Notre Dame, Oct. 15: The pluck of the Irish will be tested against McCaffrey and the always physical Cardinal.
♦ Best during conference
Stanford at UCLA, Sept. 24: Is eight enough? The Bruins have lost that many games in a row to their Pac-12 nemesis, last beating the Cardinal in 2008.
Stanford at Washington, Sept. 30: It could be a jolt of a conference opener after the Huskies begin their schedule with Rutgers, Idaho and Portland State. | http://www.latimes.com/sports/more/la-sp-pac-12-football-20160827-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/71ae5342a62a333c6b68fb0768c3b285e890c109553c63b8801bbd45d8895186.json |
[
"La Cañada",
"Andrew J. Campa"
]
| 2016-08-26T13:15:51 | null | 2016-08-16T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsocal%2Fla-canada-valley-sun%2Fsports%2Ftsn-vsl-beasley-s-la-canada-homecoming-hits-snag-20160816-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57b497ab/turbine/tsn-vsl-beasley-s-la-canada-homecoming-hits-snag-20160816 | en | null | Beasley’s La Cañada homecoming hits snag | null | null | www.latimes.com | About the only thing certain in the case of Loyola High football transfer Drake Beasley is that the incoming senior running back is intending and hoping to play his final high school season at La Cañada High.
Whether or not that actually happens remains to be seen.
Beasley started practicing with the Spartans “about a week and a half ago,” according to second-year La Cañada Coach Ryan Zerbel, after leaving Loyola and enrolling at La Cañada on Aug. 8. According to the Los Angeles Times’ Eric Sondheimer, Beasley was last in practice at Loyola on Aug. 2.
Since then, Beasley filed transfer paperwork with the CIF Southern Section office that included an assertion of a valid change of address. Without a change of address, “a student may not be eligible to participate at the varsity level if there is evidence the move was athletically motivated or the student enrolled in that school in whole or part for athletic reasons,” CIF-SS Bylaw 206.C notes.
According to Sondheimer, on Saturday, Loyola High Coach Marvin Sanders confirmed that his school was contesting that Beasley’s transfer was because of “undue influence.”
The CIF-SS website lists Beasley’s status as “under review” for 2016-17, which means the Southern Section will conduct its own independent investigation while La Cañada will also investigate and counter Loyola’s claim.
CIF-SS Bylaw 200 states that, “the principals shall verify the athletic eligibility of a student who has transferred to another school when requested to do so by an administrator from the second school.”
When asked about supposed undue influence, Zerbel, a former middle school principal, chaffed at the idea.
“I can see if we’re some sort of football factory or powerhouse,” said Zerbel, whose team finished 4-6 last season and missed the playoffs for the first time in three years. “I just don’t understand why anyone would think we would go after anyone. That’s not the way it works here.”
Beasley is not new to the La Cañada Flintridge area and starred for the La Cañada Gladiators youth football team, which was then coached by current Spartans varsity assistant coach Jason Sarceda.
The last three years, Beasley has played at Division I Loyola, a member of the formidable Mission League. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound back is coming off a season in which he rushed for 1,647 yards and 17 touchdowns and earned an All-Mission League first-team selection.
Beasley is a Rivals.com three-star recruit and has interest from eight Division I programs, including UCLA and Cal Berkeley.
While acknowledging the obvious added benefit of a player like Beasley, Zerbel contends his team was prepared to start the season long before the transfer walked on campus.
“He’s a special player for sure,” Zerbel said, “but it’s not like we tailored our whole offense around him. We had a blueprint for success before Drake was here and he knows that, too. He knows he’ll be just another player here at La Cañada and he’s fine with that.”
CIF-SS Director of Communications Thom Simmons is out of the office until Thursday and could not be reached for comment in regards to La Cañada or Loyola’s paperwork or the length of the process.
When asked how long he expected it would be before the matter was resolved, Zerbel threw his hands in the air.
“Honestly, I don’t know, I hope quickly,” Zerbel said. “We’d love to have him, but that’s all out of my hands. I don’t want to comment anymore about this until the matter is resolved. We have to be fair to ourselves and to Drake and his family.”
Beasley practiced with La Cañada on Tuesday afternoon on the team’s brand new artificial turf, which is set be christened Thursday morning. The Spartans have a scrimmage Friday at home against San Gabriel at 6:30 p.m. before opening the regular season on Aug. 26 at Hawthorne.
While there’s been talk of distraction from the outside, on the blistering field there’s hardly any.
“Drake is a great guy, he’s a great person,” La Cañada senior running back Tyler Breneman said. “We both do what we do out here. We’re both running backs and I respect what he does so much because I do it.
“It’s hard to go out there being a running back and knowing you’re going to get hit every time. It doesn’t change what I do and I don’t change we what he does. We do what we do.” | http://www.latimes.com/socal/la-canada-valley-sun/sports/tsn-vsl-beasley-s-la-canada-homecoming-hits-snag-20160816-story.html | en | 2016-08-16T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/beca3376415c0dee9f1af162ac5d5f3f66f42670a5501100824fb76ebf34e4b1.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Associated Press"
]
| 2016-08-28T10:49:13 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fworld%2Fla-fg-united-pilots-20160828-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | 2 United pilots suspected of being drunk arrested in Glasgow, Scotland | null | null | www.latimes.com | Police and airline officials say two United Airlines pilots have been arrested for suspected intoxication before they were to fly 141 passengers from Scotland to the United States.
United Airlines officials have confirmed Saturday's arrest of the pilots, aged 45 and 35, at Glasgow Airport. The Police Service of Scotland says both men are expected to be arraigned Monday at a court in Paisley, a Glasgow suburb, to face charges connected to Britain's transport safety laws.
United said Saturday's flight from Glasgow to Newark, N.J., was delayed for 10 hours while the airline sought replacement pilots.
Saturday's arrests come barely a month after two Canadian pilots of an Air Transat plane were arrested at Glasgow Airport and charged with trying to fly while intoxicated.
ALSO
Flights between U.S. and Mexico to soar under bilateral agreement
Delta criticized for deleting same-sex love scene from in-flight movie 'Carol'
The feds use a Rand formula to spot discrimination in lending. The GOP calls it junk science | http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-united-pilots-20160828-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/d7d3c60a074f961223643ddb1d5da03538eca024135770f8f327da266dba08aa.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Rick Anderson"
]
| 2016-08-26T20:49:02 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnation%2Fla-na-fieldworker-shooting-20160822-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c08150/turbine/la-na-fieldworker-shooting-20160822-snap | en | null | Farmworker's fatal shooting shows need for police training, Justice Dept. says | null | null | www.latimes.com | When a migrant farmworker was shot dead by police last year on the streets of this small town in eastern Washington, it widened the political fissures in the agricultural community.
It also caught the attention of the U.S. Department of Justice, which now says the shooting death of Antonio Zambrano-Montes should stand as a blueprint for how far police departments across America still have to go to learn better ways of heading off potentially lethal confrontations.
In an 83-page report on the Feb. 10, 2015, shooting of the 35-year-old orchard worker, the federal government concluded that the shooting underscores the urgent need for additional training and more diverse police forces. In the case of Pasco, Wash., the report said police in the small city also need training on how to deal with the mentally ill.
“It’s a small victory,” Benjamin Crump, one of the attorneys representing Zambrano-Montes’ family, said. The findings, made public Monday, support some of the claims made in a lawsuit brought by the family against the city of Pasco, three officers and the police chief.
Pasco, Wash., police shoot man who threw rocks Cellphone footage of Pasco, Wash., police pursuing and shooting an unarmed man, filmed by Dario Infante Zuniga. Cellphone footage of Pasco, Wash., police pursuing and shooting an unarmed man, filmed by Dario Infante Zuniga. See more videos
Pasco, a city of 68,000 surrounded by orchards and farmlands at the confluence of the Columbia and Snake rivers, is 55% Latino, though its police force doesn’t reflect that. Of the 79 officers in the department, 14 are Latino and only one is female. This month, the city responded to an ACLU lawsuit by conceding that the city’s at-large system for electing council members violates the federal Voting Rights Act and effectively prevents minorities from winning office. Reforms were promised.
Zambrano-Montes’ death exacerbated tensions in the city, leading to street protests and a push for a public coroner’s inquest, a long-delayed hearing that likely won’t unfold until fall.
A Mexican immigrant who was in the country illegally, Zambrano-Montes had a history of mental illness and was high on methamphetamine when he began throwing rocks at police officers from the street. The subsequent scene of him being chased by three officers along a busy street was videotaped by several passersby.
The farmworker was apparently wounded by one of five shots fired at him while he ran. When he stopped, turned, and held out his hands in what Crumb contends was a gesture of surrender, three officers fired a dozen rounds from close range, striking him five times. The DOJ report was not critical of the officers’ decision to fire, other than to say the outcome showed a need for improved training and hiring methods.
Agapita Montes-River leaves the funeral of her son, who was killed by police in 2015. Andrew Jansen / Tri-City Herald Agapita Montes-River leaves the funeral of her son, who was killed by police in 2015. Agapita Montes-River leaves the funeral of her son, who was killed by police in 2015. (Andrew Jansen / Tri-City Herald)
A February review by the American Civil Liberties Union had a more critical take, calling the department’s practices “woefully outdated.”
Pasco police policies, it found, “do not provide guidance about de-escalation nor adequate details to guide officers on when and how to decrease the use of force. Such guidelines are essential to avoid officers responding based on impulse, anger or adrenaline.”
Pasco Police Chief Bob Metzger says his department has already made important changes, including hiring more bilingual officers and improving training procedures. He and other city officials said they would like to implement other changes and move on from the Zambrano-Montes shooting. But obstacles remain, including the inquest and the lawsuit brought by Zambrano-Montes’ mother, father, wife and two children.
Crump, a Florida attorney who is co-counsel with Seattle attorney Charles Herrmann, said the “lack of training, supervision, discipline, the need for sensitivity training — that’s all confirmed in this [DOJ report] and the earlier reviews.”
The suit offers a narrative for how the midday incident played out:
The first officer on the scene was Adrian Alaniz, who reported that Zambrano-Montes appeared to be high on drugs and was clutching a rock in each hand.
“Drop the rocks!” the officer ordered.
Instead, Zambrano-Montes responded by shuffling towards Alaniz, who spoke only rudimentary Spanish. “No, no, mátame, mátame,” he said to the officer. No, no, kill me, kill me. He said the same thing several times.
The suit contends than rather than let the situation cool down, Alaniz and then other arriving officers took aggressive steps, eventually firing a Taser.
Zambrano-Montes, seemingly unaffected, threw another rock. At least two of the three officers — Alaniz, Ryan Flanagan and Adam Wright — fired as the man tossed another rock, the suit claims.
One bullet struck Zambrano-Montes’ arm and lodged in his chest as he turned and ran, the suit alleges. Flanagan fired three shots as Zambrano-Montes ran across a busy intersection, one of the slugs hitting a soda machine at a nearby gas station.
“After trotting several yards bleeding from the wound in his right arm and the bullet in his chest, he turned to surrender while raising both his hands,” the suit says.
The three officers, at close range, standing abreast, fired 12 more rounds, one bullet hitting Zambrano-Montes’ jaw and severing his carotid artery. The officers then handcuffed him, attorneys claim in the suit.
After reviewing the case, and separate from its report, the DOJ said it would not charge any of the officers for their actions. The local Franklin County prosecutor’s office reached the same conclusion.
Spokane’s U.S. Atty. Michael C. Ormsby said the evidence was insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers “acted with the requisite criminal intent, that is, willfully with a bad purpose to violate the law.”
The lawsuit is likely to go to trial in 2017.
Anderson is a special correspondent | http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-fieldworker-shooting-20160822-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/4157d7feaf209faceece8ba40dd3d8796a6df29638e8707fe11cca991effe0cf.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"John Myers"
]
| 2016-08-29T10:49:41 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fpolitics%2Fla-pol-sac-mark-leno-legislature-legacy-20160829-snap-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c258b5/turbine/la-pol-sac-mark-leno-legislature-legacy-20160829-snap | en | null | Even rivals say Mark Leno is one of Sacramento's most accomplished lawmakers. And now, his time is up. | null | null | www.latimes.com | Mark Leno flashes a broad smile when a conversation about his political legacy pivots to an earlier part of his life, when he was a restless young man who abruptly decided to walk away from rabbinical school without any plan for what would come next.
“My friend gave me a T-shirt that year for Hanukkah that said, ‘Rebbe Without A Cause,’” Leno said with a laugh.
To know him is to get the joke: This is a man full of causes, ones for which the Democrat has patiently and passionately advocated during a 14-year career in the California Legislature that’s now coming to a close.
“If there's a theme throughout this, it’s that I fight for the underdog,” Leno said. “Whoever that underdog may be."
Through the years, his causes have often led to substantive change, in part because of what friends and even foes agree is his unmatched perseverance. Leno, the author of 161 laws, rarely gives up.
In almost all of his celebrated achievements — this year’s deal to boost California’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, to require police search warrants to access electronic devices or Internet service providers, more probation services for felons — the fight took years. Some efforts, such as one of the nation’s first efforts at single-payer universal healthcare, may never come to fruition.
Leno is undaunted.
“You just chip away, year after year after year,” he said. “You start getting some cracks in that wall, and then sometimes circumstances change.”
Get the latest news on what's happening in California politics »
Forced out of office by term limits, the state senator who championed an expansion of gay rights, reform of the prison sentencing system and new warnings on flame-retardant chemicals in furniture has no idea what comes next.
With no immediate political office waiting in the wings, Leno, 65, will return this fall to San Francisco and the neighborhood small business he started in 1978.
“I’ve never been kicked out of any place in my life,” he said with a quick laugh. “So this is a new phenomenon.”
Leno is in many ways a throwback to a different era. From his crisp shirts and suits to his devotion to decorum, he stands out in a political environment where the goal is often to dominate rather than legislate. Never one to hide his identity as a gay man and an unabashed liberal, he has won admirers in both parties.
In June, after he presented his final state spending plan as budget chairman, the entire Senate rose for a long and loud ovation. As many Republicans as Democrats praised him.
Leno’s penchant for civility has not faded even when fiercely advocating for a cause that inflames passions under the Capitol dome.
“He’s not afraid to have a fight,” said Democrat Darrell Steinberg, the former president pro tem of the state Senate. “But he has the rare ability to fight while also maintaining a grace about himself, and an intellect to go with it.”
Leno with former Senate leader Darrell Steinberg on the final night of the 2014 legislative session. "He's not afraid to have a fight," said Steinberg. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)
Or as the current Senate leader, Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles), puts it: Leno’s impact on California has been “enormous.”
Perhaps his most consistent battle has been for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Californians. Leno, one of the first two openly gay men elected to the Legislature, wrote laws to expand bans on housing and employment discrimination as well as workplace benefits for transgender employees. And perhaps most visibly, he wrote the 2005 bill to legalize same-sex marriages, a bill former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed.
“There is no legislator in the country who has done more to advance LGBT rights than Mark Leno,” said Geoff Kors, a friend and longtime gay rights advocate who is now a city councilman in Palm Springs.
“Mark’s not the person who plays public hardball politics,” Kors said. “He’s the person who talks one-on-one with everyone to make his case.”
That skill was probably well-honed as a child.
"I was a skinny little kid who could never have won a physical altercation if I had one,” he said. “You learn how to get along with people when you need to."
Leno greets the crowd at the Pistahan Parade in downtown San Francisco on Aug. 13. (David Butow / For The Times)
Leno was born in Milwaukee, Wis., to first-generation Americans, a family of Eastern European Jews who immigrated to the United States in 1915. He left Milwaukee after high school and headed for New York City and the chance to freely live his life as a gay man.
That conflicted with plans to become a rabbi. Leno couldn’t reconcile the chaste world of religious leadership with the liberated nightlife provided by Manhattan in the 1970s. He admits he had “no aspirations” once rabbinical school faded away. And after a series of odd jobs, including a brief stint as an office assistant to singer Art Garfunkel (they coincidentally met on an airplane), his youngest sister suggested he move west to San Francisco.
It was not an easy transition, but he made up for it with enthusiasm. A small loan led him to open a sign-printing store, and the business’ success gave him entry into volunteering in local politics.
John Whitehurst, his campaign manager for legislative races in 2002 and 2008, said the story of Leno’s arrival in San Francisco has uncanny parallels to that of the late Harvey Milk, another gay man who left New York to open a small business in San Francisco and then launched a historic career in politics.
Leno never got to meet Milk before the activist’s assassination in 1978. But he later occupied the same seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and wrote the 2009 law that created an annual Harvey Milk Day in the state. Photos of the slain leader adorn Leno’s office.
“What I attribute to Harvey was a burning desire to break a glass ceiling,” Leno said. “Who he was, and the symbol he has become, was a great motivator.”
Mark’s not the person who plays public hardball politics. He’s the person who talks one-on-one with everyone to make his case. — Geoff Kors, a longtime gay rights advocate, on Sen. Mark Leno's political style
Even so, Leno was a bit of an accidental politician. His community activism helped him catch the eye of Willie Brown, who as San Francisco’s mayor appointed him to a vacant supervisor’s seat in 1998.
He was elected to the Assembly in 2002 and arrived in Sacramento with hopes of leading a powerful legislative committee. His assignment, chair of the Assembly’s public safety committee, included killing crime and punishment bills that Democrats didn’t like. In 2006, he tried instead to reach across the aisle and collaborate on one of those bills.
It came close to costing him his political career.
Leno huddled with Republican lawmakers for weeks with the hope that he could stave off a statewide ballot measure cracking down on sex offenders, believing the Legislature could craft a better version.
But a dispute over punishment for child pornography left him in the uncomfortable position of trying to negotiate an acceptable number of explicit photos on a person’s computer hard drive — a discussion that began only by his worry that an unintentional download could unfairly send someone to prison.
With what he believed to be a bipartisan deal in hand, Leno brought the bill up for a vote. Democrats, trusting his lead, voted yes. Republicans surprised him by refusing to vote. It was a painful lesson.
“Sometimes, it’s not about solving a problem. It’s about making a point,” he said. “It turned out they only wanted to go to the ballot,” a measure that became Proposition 83, known as “Jessica’s Law.”
It then got worse. A press release from the California Republican Party castigated him for approving of “child porn,” and rivals in San Francisco whispered the same messages when he announced he would run against a fellow Democrat, then-state Sen. Carole Migden, in 2008.
Luckily for Leno, his political strengths were too much for Migden. And the Senate seat he won came with perhaps the biggest assignment of all, chairing the powerful budget committee. It put him face-to-face with Schwarzenegger, with whom Leno sparred on several issues.
Even now, the affable Leno rarely passes on an opportunity to excoriate the record of the former governor. Leno often points out Schwarzenegger’s 2003 campaign to rescind the recession-sparked increase in the state’s vehicle license fee. It blew a multibillion-dollar hole in the state budget, and Leno said the ensuing fights with Schwarzenegger and Republicans over budget crises often left him “frustrated and angry and sad.”
But it rarely showed in public, as Leno said he always tries to “choose my words, and choose my actions, as careful as I can.”
Others saw it as an affirmation of character.
"You get what you give,” said Steinberg, “and he gets a lot of respect because he gives a lot of respect."
Through the years, Leno was able to give more of himself to his legislative career than might have others who balanced work with family. It was not by choice. His partner, Douglas Jackson, died of complications from HIV in 1990. Jackson was memorialized in the early years of the national AIDS memorial quilt. A replica of his quilt panel hangs as a poignant reminder in Leno’s San Francisco office.
“People were dying everywhere, so I was not alone in my grief,” Leno said. In the years since, he said he has remained single. “I've had the opportunity to put my entire being into public service.”
Whether that public service continues isn’t clear. Leno admits he doesn’t know what he wants to do next. There have been thoughts of a campaign for mayor of San Francisco, which wouldn’t be until 2019 at the earliest. Others think he would be ideal in Congress, should House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi decide in the near future to retire.
“He’s really a political dragon slayer,” Whitehurst said. “He would be hard to beat.”
Last month, Leno hinted in a San Francisco public radio interview that he might be willing to help lead a 2018 ballot measure campaign to force changes in police accountability laws that failed this summer at the state Capitol. "They cannot do their work without trust from the communities they serve,” he said.
Whatever path he chooses, observers believe Leno will always take the high road in an era where few others seem to follow.
“It’s not partisanship that’s the enemy, it’s temperament,” Steinberg said. Leno “is an example of how you can have fierce disagreements but can combine that with collegial, collaborative politics.”
“No matter who replaces him,” Kors said, “Mark’s departure from the Legislature is going to leave a tremendous gap.”
[email protected]
Follow @johnmyers on Twitter, sign up for our daily Essential Politics newsletter and listen to the weekly California Politics Podcast
ALSO:
Police transparency efforts reach a stalemate at the state Capitol
Lawmakers send Gov. Jerry Brown $171 billion state budget
See which big issues we’re tracking in the final days of the 2016 legislative session | http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-mark-leno-legislature-legacy-20160829-snap-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/d18bedfe84f2155df8e64a39121ee55e90cacb12cef07ab60d1920675d86bcc9.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-26T18:51:21 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fpolitics%2Fessential%2Fla-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-lawmakers-push-school-bus-safety-bill-1472230335-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c076db/turbine/la-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-lawmakers-push-school-bus-safety-bill-1472230335 | en | null | Lawmakers push school bus safety bill after fatality | null | null | www.latimes.com | Nearly a year after a special needs student died in Whittier after being left in a sweltering bus parked with its windows closed, state lawmakers on Friday sent the governor a bill that would require new safety steps for school bus drivers.
Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia) named his bill after Hun Joon “Paul” Lee, 19, a student at Sierra Adult School who could not verbally communicate and needed special care.
"No parent should fear that their child will not return home safely at the end of the day,” Mendoza said. "My hope is that SB 1072 will prevent future tragedies by requiring every school bus in the state to be equipped with a child-safety alarm system.”
The measure requires school buses, youth buses and child care motor vehicles to be equipped by the 2018-19 school year with alert systems that force drivers to manually disarm or scan an alarm at the rear of the bus before exiting the bus.
The bill also requires school districts to improve the training of drivers to avoid students being left on buses alone and requires notification of the Department of Motor Vehicles of some incidents involving students being left behind. | http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-lawmakers-push-school-bus-safety-bill-1472230335-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/7a0a341ddf113d8be77bdd5579857de29675a11426ff5b94d2273b89b51604de.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-29T20:49:49 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnation%2Fpolitics%2Ftrailguide%2Fla-na-trailguide-updates-new-trump-ad-echoes-john-edwards-1472496265-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c488ea/turbine/la-na-trailguide-updates-new-trump-ad-echoes-john-edwards-1472496265 | en | null | Donald Trump's new ad echoes John Edwards' campaigns | null | null | www.latimes.com | Borrowing a phrase made popular by Democrat John Edwards, GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump released a new television ad on Monday called “Two Americas: Economy."
The 30-second spot, set to air in nine key states, paints a dire picture of what would happen to the economy if Hillary Clinton was elected president.
“In Hillary Clinton’s America, the middle class gets crushed. Spending goes up. Taxes go up. Hundreds of thousands of jobs disappear. It’s more of the same — but worse,” the voiceover in the ad says over images of a dour-looking Clinton, sad-eyed families and a shuttered business.
The music then turns upbeat and the images sunny, and the voiceover continues, “In Donald Trump’s America, working families get tax relief. Millions of new jobs created. Wages go up. Small businesses thrive. The American dream achievable. Change that makes America great again.”
The "two Americas” theme was made famous during Edwards’ speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention when he accepted the nomination as John F. Kerry's running mate. Edwards, then a North Carolina senator, used the phrase to describe how the haves and the have-nots have different access to healthcare, education and economic stability.
"We shouldn't have two different economies in America: one for people who are set for life, they know their kids and their grandkids are going to be just fine; and then one for most Americans, people who live paycheck to paycheck," said Edwards, who also frequently used the phrase during his 2008 presidential campaign.
Since then, the phrase has been used in different ways to describe the nation’s divisions, such as the liberal coasts vs. the conservative heartland, or the public vs. the private sector. Trump used the phrase in an immigration ad he released earlier this month. | http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-trailguide-updates-new-trump-ad-echoes-john-edwards-1472496265-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/c27de2d1b4d835953a65ffbdc83ef1a165bb1ed6a9c2e6a02da77d3c0f953de4.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Brittny Mejia"
]
| 2016-08-30T14:50:11 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Flocal%2Flanow%2Fla-me-ln-collision-60-20160830-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Collision closes lanes on westbound 60 Freeway near Riverside | null | null | www.latimes.com | A collision on the westbound 60 Freeway on Monday morning near Riverside is shutting down all lanes.
There were up to eight vehicles involved in the collision, including a big rig that went down an embankment and flipped on its side, said California Highway Patrol Officer Marcelo Llerena.
The number three lane is currently open, to allow people stuck between Rubidoux Boulevard and the collision to get past. The California Department of Transportation is en route to set up a hard closure of all lanes.
Vehicles will be taken off at Rubidoux Boulevard. It will be an estimated two hours before anything can open back up, Llerena said.
For more California news, follow @brittny_mejia
ALSO
LAPD officer charged with stealing police radio, failing to pay for baby stroller
Three sea otters that washed up on California's Central Coast were fatally shot
Family of malnourished boy found dead in Echo Park closet had been reported to social workers six times | http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-collision-60-20160830-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/921b91336d3d96604f6a7bf8fc646815e391743f0277ad1cd7d9c858e2c1cfcd.json |
[
"Daily Pilot",
"Alex Chan"
]
| 2016-08-26T13:16:14 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsocal%2Fdaily-pilot%2Fnews%2Ftn-dpt-me-swun-math-20160825-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57bfbc11/turbine/tn-dpt-me-swun-math-20160825 | en | null | Newport-Mesa parents and teachers urge speedy switch to new math curriculum | null | null | www.latimes.com | A dump truck with a red painted sign reading "Dump Swun now, kids deserve better" sat in the parking lot outside the Newport-Mesa Unified School District board meeting Tuesday evening as parents, teachers and students told district trustees of their frustration with the Swun Math program and urged the board to adopt an alternative curriculum.
Before they spoke, John Drake, the district's director of curriculum and instruction, said the district already was considering a pilot program using different math materials that could start in January. Ideally, he said, a recommendation on which program to use going forward could be given to the board by the end of April.
But parents and teachers said they believe it can be done faster.
District elementary schools began using Swun Math in 2013, and teachers and parents say materials for the curriculum contain typos and other errors.
Newport-Mesa trustees approved an agreement in June with the Cypress-based company to use the curriculum again this school year, though parents urged trustees to look at other options.
Swun Math did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
But last year, program director Carrie Mitchell told the Daily Pilot that when the company finds errors, it posts the corrected material on its website. She added that a 2014 article posted on TheAtlantic.com described Swun Math as a "widely praised program."
This summer, a team of Newport-Mesa parents, teachers and students researched alternative math programs used by other Orange County school districts.
According to team member Erica Roberts, a parent at Mariners Elementary School in Newport Beach, the group supports Go Math!, published by Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Go Math! is one of several programs on a list adopted by the state Board of Education.
Swun Math is not on the list, but a local education agency can use instructional materials that aren't adopted by the state board as long as the materials pass review by a majority of teachers in that subject area, according to the California Department of Education website.
Parents who lined up Tuesday to address the Newport-Mesa board aired several grievances about Swun Math.
Some said they spent hundreds of dollars on math tutors for their children because the students didn't understand Swun Math. Others said their children "think they're bad at math" because they weren't grasping the Swun program.
"The curriculum has always been the problem," said Peter Boyd, who has children attending Newport Heights Elementary School. "We have phenomenal teachers in this community. They're using a faulty tool to instruct our children."
Janet Phillips, a teacher at Mariners Elementary, told the board that she has spent the past three years dedicating professional and personal time to making Swun Math work.
Last year, the district requested that a panel of 11 teachers perform what administrators called "edits" to the materials to fix mistakes.
Roberts said it would make sense for Newport-Mesa's kindergartners through sixth-graders to use Go Math! since it has been vetted for the district's seventh- and eighth-graders.
"Kudos to the board for making this positive change in upper grades," Roberts told the trustees. "And now all we are simply asking you to do is have that same courtesy with the same program by the same curriculum writer for kinder through six. Have continuity."
Referring to the pilot program Drake described, Newport-Mesa spokeswoman Annette Franco said Thursday that "the district is working to develop a timeline and to further refine the process, which is aligned with the state Board of Education guidelines for piloted textbooks and instructional materials."
"This will include teacher committees to collaborate and essentially guide the direction of any future math programs," Franco said. "We have an obligation to successfully prepare students for the changing [educational] environment, which includes significant changes in how we teach and learn mathematics."
Retired teacher Laurie Smith said that after consulting with experienced teachers who have been on math curriculum review committees, she drew up a proposal for the district in which a teacher committee could complete a review of a new elementary school math curriculum by Nov. 1, seek board approval by mid-November and have materials distributed to schools the week of Dec. 19.
The Fullerton School District piloted the Go Math! program last year and will fully implement it in its 17 elementary schools this year.
Sung Chi, the district's program coordinator of educational services, said it took Fullerton eight to 10 weeks to pilot Go Math! and another program, California Math by McGraw-Hill, in the elementary schools and for staff to determine which program to recommend.
"I heard a lot of positive feedback" about Go Math!, Chi said. "But I heard positive feedback with the other program as well.
Go Math! is a mixture of traditional computational problems and word problems, Chi said.
"It's really about having students understand math through real-life situations," he said, "but also by using calculations." | http://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-dpt-me-swun-math-20160825-story.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/594c567ff94343960a6d75043d284b77253d4f676b08bca8141a9d8ca92e6a09.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Dylan Hernandez"
]
| 2016-08-30T04:49:43 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fnfl%2Fla-sp-kaepernick-hernandez-20160829-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c4ea6b/turbine/la-sp-kaepernick-hernandez-20160829-snap | en | null | A well-meaning Colin Kaepernick starts a conversation that, sadly, seems headed nowhere | null | null | www.latimes.com | We already know how this will end. We will talk about Colin Kaepernick’s stand over the next few days, maybe even the next few weeks. Some people might offer insightful opinions. Some people might even be open-minded enough to learn something.
And little will change.
African Americans and other ethnic minorities will continue to be disproportionately subjected to police brutality. The other race-related problems Kaepernick touched on will remain.
Don’t believe me?
Look at the response Kaepernick generated by refusing to stand for the national anthem.
The San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback made a well-meaning, if not downright courageous, gesture to draw attention to the second-class treatment of a significant number of people in this country. You might disagree with how he went about doing that, but what he did worked. He started a nationwide conversation.
Here’s the problem: That conversation feels as if it is headed nowhere.
There was little, if anything, said about poverty. Or education. Or housing discrimination. Or any of the variety of other factors that create the divisions in society Kaepernick wants to erase.
Much of the resulting debate centered on Kaepernick’s method of protest and ignored the issues he raised. When the issues were discussed, they were handled in a depressingly simplistic manner.
Which isn’t surprising. Listen to the political rhetoric of this election cycle. Almost everything is good or bad, black or white. There’s almost nothing in between.
Take the way Kaepernick was criticized for not embracing every aspect of a country that made him a millionaire.
The argument was absurd. Kaepernick has a platform. If anyone can say something and be heard, it is he. People living on the margins of society are ignored. They needed someone to speak for them, so he did.
“I’m in a position where I can do that, and I’m going to do that for people that can’t,” Kaepernick told reporters Sunday.
From the right side of the political spectrum, there was a predictable outcry about how a country that twice elected an African American president couldn’t possibly be racist. Further, it was pointed out, the biracial Kaepernick was adopted and raised by a white family.
Based on the response, you would think Kaepernick had said every white person in this country was racist — except, of course, he never said that. What he said was that he wanted law enforcement and elected officials to be held more accountable.
Then there was Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump saying on a Seattle radio station Monday that Kaepernick should perhaps “find a country that works better for him.” Yes, the classic love-it-or-leave-it line.
There’s a problem with that suggestion, namely that other countries have immigration laws too. An American can’t go to Australia or Japan and declare he or she will live there. Any other country in which you would want to live might well be a country that won’t take you.
It’s also unreasonable to expect a person to move because he or she has problems with certain aspects of a society. Why not stay and try to change things for the better?
As for the fixation many have on Kaepernick’s not standing for the anthem, I’m sorry, but that’s not a real problem. Unlike some of the issues Kaepernick mentioned, that never killed anyone.
Mind you, this idea that Kaepernick’s gesture is disrespectful to our military is completely a matter of interpretation. Kaepernick certainly emphasized that wasn’t his intention.
Maybe when you hear the anthem, you think of our servicemen and women. And maybe that’s why you treat it as solemnly as you do.
But maybe you think the anthem represents something else — we the people, the government, the idea of America.
It’s not as if there aren’t other ways we can pay tribute to our servicemen and women.
You know what I find really disrespectful to our soldiers? How little we pay many of them, the substandard care we often provide them.
If you want to show them respect and make more than what is ultimately an empty gesture, pay them more and improve their benefits.
That would almost certainly require an increase in taxes, but if people cared about our military as much as they say, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind paying them.
But we’re not talking about that. We’re talking about whether someone should stand. And in another week, we’ll probably be talking about something else entirely.
[email protected]
Twitter: @dylanohernandez | http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-kaepernick-hernandez-20160829-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/f862763150e978373d0a9815931f257e5b51fbca8d5711b581978ee60812abe4.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-28T00:49:20 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fla-sp-live-updates-rams-broncos-rams-vs-broncos-uniform-1472343960-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Rams vs. Broncos: Uniform watch | null | null | www.latimes.com | The Rams will play the Broncos today in Denver at Sports Authority Field at 6 p.m. on CBS in their third exhibition game. Quarterback Case Keenum is expected to play at least three or for series against the Broncos with rookie Jared Goff taking over after that. | http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-live-updates-rams-broncos-rams-vs-broncos-uniform-1472343960-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/3dc9301cc52763eca821e6b3849156d2fe3cf55ddbea9d673997a3fca77cdbb9.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Associated Press"
]
| 2016-08-30T06:49:37 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fmore%2Fla-sp-college-football-notes-20160829-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c50f96/turbine/la-sp-college-football-notes-20160829-snap | en | null | Ohio State receiver suspended for season | null | null | www.latimes.com | Ohio State’s depth at wide receiver took a hit when the university announced that Torrance Gibson had been suspended from school for unspecified reasons.
Coach Urban Meyer said the suspension was not related to football, and “I disagree with it.”
The university said Gibson was suspended for the fall semester for violating the student conduct code. Gibson is a redshirt freshman quarterback-turned-receiver.
Etc.
Baylor Coach Jim Grobe said he was waiting for university officials to make their ruling on any discipline for sophomore receiver Ishmael Zamora before deciding what to do from a football perspective. Zamora was cited by police in Waco, Texas, for a misdemeanor charge of molesting an animal after a video surfaced of him beating his dog with a belt this summer.
Grobe said that Zamora wouldn’t play in Friday night’s opener for the 23rd-ranked Bears against Northwestern State if there isn’t a decision from the university by then.
::
No. 25 Florida will have its top receiver available for Saturday’s season opener against Massachusetts. Sophomore Antonio Callaway, suspended much of the spring semester because a fellow student said he sexually assaulted her, has been cleared to play against the Minutemen.
Coach Jim McElwain said Callaway was given the go-ahead Friday. A university hearing officer cleared Callaway of sexual assault on Aug. 12, saying Callaway was not responsible based on a preponderance of evidence. The woman, her attorney and witnesses boycotted the hearing, saying the hearing officer was biased because of his financial contributions to the Gators. The woman had until last Friday to appeal the ruling. | http://www.latimes.com/sports/more/la-sp-college-football-notes-20160829-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/e1d8bf5657489f33b65e1b079af36d96625ee38f4e5dc7f069806a4ce1d5f0c6.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Lindsey Thiry"
]
| 2016-08-28T04:49:32 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fusc%2Fla-sp-usc-football-20160827-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c25b33/turbine/la-sp-usc-football-20160827-snap | en | null | USC football, a week from season opener, has a question mark at left tackle | null | null | www.latimes.com | There’s less than a week until USC plays Alabama in a season opener and Trojans Coach Clay Helton remains uncertain who he will start at left tackle.
Fifth-year senior Chad Wheeler has been slowed or sidelined for nearly three weeks because of plantar fasciitis, an injury to the soft tissue along the bottom of his foot.
Wheeler “tried to go today and had a little pain” Helton said Saturday after the team held a 50-play situational scrimmage, which was closed to the media.
“[He’s] just not quite there yet right now. He’s getting better but at this point in time, not 100%,” Helton said.
Sophomore Chuma Edoga has stepped in at left tackle. Edoga made two starts at right tackle last season when Zach Banner was moved to the left side as a fill-in.
The decision to move Edoga into the left tackle role this fall instead of Banner, a fifth-year senior, was based on Banner’s comfort level on the right side. “We’d like to keep Zach in a stationary point,” Helton said.
Helton will determine on Tuesday who will start against Alabama.
“By that time I’m going to kind of have to say, ‘This is the way we’re going to start’ and see how the week progresses,” Helton said.
He did not rule out the possibility that Wheeler could contribute off the bench if he was healthy.
Redshirt freshman Clayton Johnston and freshman E.J. Price also are listed as backups at the position.
Mock game
The Trojans spent the last two days holding a dress rehearsal in Los Angeles for their opener at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The team spent Friday night holding meetings and a walk-through in a hotel before riding buses to a local field for a scrimmage.
“We tried to make it the most realistic thing as you could, exactly like they’re going to get next week,” Helton said.
The offense and defense ran 40 plays and special teams ran 10 plays, Helton said.
Quarterback Max Browne, who was named the starter last week, took most of the snaps and the remainder went to backup Sam Darnold.
“Max did a nice job from a decision making [standpoint] - he got the ball to the right place and didn’t make a critical error,” Helton said.
Crimson Tide quarterbacks
Alabama Coach Nick Saban has yet to name a starting quarterback and if past competitions are any indication, his decision will remain unknown until the Crimson Tide takes the field.
Saban has been so secretive about the competition that he wouldn’t even reveal to local reporters if he was thinking about playing two quarterbacks.
Fourth-year junior Cooper Bateman, redshirt freshman Blake Barnett and freshman Jalen Hurts are battling for the position.
Bateman was considered the favorite entering camp, but Barnett, a highly-sought recruit from Corona Santiago High, and Hurts also have impressed.
USC’s defense will rely on their own quarterbacks to prepare for a starter with minimal or no college experience.
“We’ve got a good situation because when you look at a Max Browne you kind of think Cooper Bateman, in the aspect of being a pocket passer. Then you’ve got a great athlete and thrower in Sam that could be a Barnett or a Jalen Hurts,” Helton said.
Quick hits
Safety Marvell Tell III (hamstring) should be available to practice this week, Helton said. … USC is not scheduled to practice Sunday or Monday and will begin game-week practices Tuesday.
[email protected]
Twitter: @LindseyThiry | http://www.latimes.com/sports/usc/la-sp-usc-football-20160827-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/55b15645e3768dfb1ff606db0c855ca93d8e93d45fba8c8931e3ab02ab3caeab.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Associated Press"
]
| 2016-08-30T22:50:05 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fbusiness%2Ftechnology%2Fla-fi-tn-beats-apple-lawsuit-20160830-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c5f556/turbine/la-fi-tn-beats-apple-lawsuit-20160830-snap | en | null | Beats wins in case that accused Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine of double-crossing investor | null | null | www.latimes.com | A judge has dismissed the key claims in a lawsuit alleging that headphone maker Beats Electronics duped one of its early partners before negotiating its $3-billion sale to Apple Inc. two years ago.
The summary judgment issued late Monday by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge William Fahey resolves the heart of a case that accused Beats co-founders Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine of double-crossing former partner Noel Lee, founder of video and audio cable maker Monster.
The allegations, made in a lawsuit filed last year, had been scheduled to go to trial next week. Now the trial will be limited to Beats' effort to force Monster to pay its attorney fees and other costs.
Apple declined to comment on the ruling, but Beats has always said Monster's lawsuit was frivolous.
Monster attorney Philip Gregory did not respond to requests for comment.
Lee once held a 5% stake in Beats as part of a partnership between the headphone maker and Monster that ended in 2012. The lawsuit alleged Dre, a former rap singer whose real name is Andre Young, and Iovine, a former record producer, orchestrated a “sham” deal with smartphone maker HTC in 2011 that led to the termination of the Monster alliance.
Caption 90 seconds: 4 stories you can't miss Huma Abedin leaves her husband, Anthony Weiner, Apple owes Ireland big, Brock Turner is released, and the 4 Aurora movie massacre survivors owe Cinemark lawyer fees. Huma Abedin leaves her husband, Anthony Weiner, Apple owes Ireland big, Brock Turner is released, and the 4 Aurora movie massacre survivors owe Cinemark lawyer fees. Caption Kim Jong Un executes using anti-aircraft gun South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported Kim Jong Un had two North Korean officials executed with an anti-aircraft gun in early August. South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported Kim Jong Un had two North Korean officials executed with an anti-aircraft gun in early August.
But Fahey concluded that Beats' actions were allowed under the contracts that Lee and Monster had entered into as sophisticated investors.
The lawsuit alleged Beats' misrepresentations had caused Lee to sell his remaining 1.25% stake for $5.5 million in 2013. That would have been worth more than $30 million had he owned it at the time of Beats’ sale to Apple. Lee's original stake would have landed him roughly $150 million.
Fahey also dismissed Monster's claims alleging misconduct by HTC America and Paul Wachter, a Beats investor and board member.
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Cisco and others slash a combined 1,500 jobs in Silicon Valley | http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-beats-apple-lawsuit-20160830-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/7e380b5b749cff429db82994c30b8e477c34bc05ea124eff9c27d5d323c840f3.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Joshua Emerson Smith"
]
| 2016-08-26T13:16:22 | null | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Flocal%2Flanow%2Fla-me-oceans-cooling-20160823-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57bc9a66/turbine/la-me-oceans-cooling-20160823-snap | en | null | California's ocean waters due for a cooling trend after period of damaging heat, scientists say | null | null | www.latimes.com | As a series of marine heat waves linked to climate change has thrown ocean ecosystems out of whack from Australia to the coast of California, a cooling trend called La Niña has given scientists hope that water temperatures could come back into balance.
But so far, the cooling weather pattern — predicted to follow as a result of last winter’s El Niño — remains squeezed by warmer ocean temperatures along a narrow stretch of the Earth’s equator.
La Niña developing @latimesgraphics La Niña developing La Niña developing (@latimesgraphics) (@latimesgraphics)
That might be good news for California's marine life, if not the drought. Winters, when the state usually has its best chance for substantial rain and snowfall, are often bone-dry during La Niñas. However, the cooling ocean waters also usually boost nutrient-rich conditions that can help sea life that has been suffering of late, including the kelp forests along San Diego County coast.
“La Niña is embedded in this pool of really warm water in the eastern, tropical Pacific,” said Art Miller, head of the ocean and atmosphere section at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. “You can see the cooling right along the equator, but there are these vast spaces of really warm upper-ocean conditions that it’s trying to push its way through.”
La Niña conditions typically peak between December and February, at which point the ocean may have released a significant amount of heat into the atmosphere or redistributed the warmer water around the globe.
That’s hardly guaranteed for this coming winter. The planet is coming off of one of the strongest El Niño periods on record. While the ocean-warming event didn’t deliver the succession of powerful rain and snowstorms many predicted for Southern California, water temperatures in the Pacific are still elevated.
The higher ocean temperatures persist in large part because of a separate series of marine heat events starting in 2013 often referred to as “the blob.” These marine heat waves have been linked to global warming and are credited with wiping out large kelp forests in Australia.
Caption How scientists use satellite data to track poverty in Africa This video explains how satellite imagery and machine learning can be combined to map poverty around the world. This video explains how satellite imagery and machine learning can be combined to map poverty around the world. Caption Watch a time-lapse video of the Perseid meteor shower from Joshua Tree The Perseid meteor shower, which gets its name because it appears to come from the direction of the constellation Perseus, is known for the high number of spectacular meteors on display. The Perseid meteor shower, which gets its name because it appears to come from the direction of the constellation Perseus, is known for the high number of spectacular meteors on display.
“These are really strong anomalies,” Miller said. “They’re far larger and more persistent and spread out over larger areas than we think we’ve ever experienced.”
Kelp forests also have taken a hit up and down the Pacific coast of the United States. Those along Catalina Island off Los Angeles have suffered significant damage in recent years, allowing invasive seaweed species to move into the area.
“Catalina looks quite different than it did several years ago,” said Colleen Wisniewski, regional manager for the Reef Check Foundation. “Kelp prefers areas where it’s cooler and has that nutrient-rich cooler water that’s upwelling. With that warm water blob, that mixing wasn’t happening for the most part.”
Underwater forests in San Diego County have been stressed in recent months, too. “There’s zero kelp canopy, so no kelp is growing to the surface right now — at least from La Jolla to the [U.S.-Mexico] border, which is pretty bad because our kelp forests are usually pretty sturdy,” Wisniewski said.
At the same time, some scientists warn that a full-blown La Niña may not be what California needs. Seven out of the past 10 such events created dry conditions in the southern part of the state, said Bill Patzert, climatologist with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
“El Niño was a dud for Southern California rainfall, so maybe a wannabe or puny La Niña could deliver a much needed wet winter,” he said. “If I sound desperate, I am. A sixth [consecutive] dry year would be punishing.”
Joshua Emerson Smith writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.
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EpiPens' price jumped more than 500%, and lawmakers want to know why | http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-oceans-cooling-20160823-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/a8ab70485518d5ea3daebd6b542a5882980fdb5641196c449cdeddfd2c6c1575.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Daniel Miller"
]
| 2016-08-30T10:49:51 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fenvelope%2Fcotown%2Fla-et-ct-stephen-bannon-donald-trump-hollywood-20160830-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c4e628/turbine/la-et-ct-stephen-bannon-donald-trump-hollywood-20160830-snap | en | null | Inside the Hollywood past of Stephen K. Bannon, Donald Trump's campaign chief | null | null | www.latimes.com | “The Indian Runner” was a Sean Penn-directed drama about the troubled relationship of two brothers, one a small-town sheriff, the other a Vietnam vet turned criminal.
Released in 1991, the film, which cost an estimated $7 million to produce, was a flop, grossing $191,125 in the U.S. and Canada.
That made for an unremarkable outcome in a business where failure is common. Now, however, the movie has become notable for one of the people listed in the credits: Stephen K. Bannon.
“The Indian Runner” was the first film executive produced by Bannon, 62, who is now chief of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Bannon was involved in securing the movie’s financing, which came from Japanese media company NHK Enterprises.
Over the course of more than two decades working in various roles in the media and entertainment industries, Bannon, an ex-Goldman Sachs banker, would go on to produce other films, though it was an undistinguished run that did not generate any box-office triumphs. As a media-focused investment banker, Bannon exhibited savviness, such as when he was able to attain a share of the royalties from “Seinfeld” during negotiations to sell Castle Rock Entertainment in 1993.
See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour »
But for some of the people involved in making “The Indian Runner,” including producer Don Phillips, the film made for an inauspicious start to Bannon’s show business career.
Executive producers often work on the financial side of a movie — as was the case with Bannon on “The Indian Runner.” Even so, Phillips said that Bannon “was hardly around” during the making of the picture.
“Maybe one day he visited [the set],” said Phillips, a veteran filmmaker who was the casting director for “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” among other films. “He had nothing to do with the actual making of the movie, or anything creative.”
Through a spokeswoman, Bannon declined to comment.
After “The Indian Runner,” Bannon had a roughly decade-long tenure in mainstream Hollywood. In 1999, he co-executive produced another film, “Titus,” which starred Anthony Hopkins and counted Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, as an executive producer. It took in a paltry $2 million in the U.S. and Canada, according to data from ComScore. Bannon mostly worked as a deal maker, handling pacts involving Westinghouse, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Polygram.
Former business associates of Bannon described him as smart and shrewd — but sometimes peripheral to the deals that he has been given credit for orchestrating. Nonetheless, Bannon’s work in Hollywood sparked his media career and helped to pave the way for his eventual move into the political realm.
Lionel Chetwynd, who co-founded Friends of Abe, a group for Hollywood conservatives, said it was inaccurate to dismiss Bannon as a “peripheral” Hollywood figure, adding that “anyone who came here who had the guts to get in the pit ... and go try to make something happen” could not fairly be labeled as such.
“I think that Steve Bannon did get a great benefit from Hollywood,” said Chetwynd, a filmmaker whose writing credits include “The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz.” “I’ve felt this guy has a good grasp of what is going on out there.”
Bannon, who resides in Florida, has been at the center of Trump’s presidential campaign since being named its CEO Aug. 17. In recent years, the sharp-elbowed executive has produced documentaries celebrating Sarah Palin and scrutinizing the Occupy Wall Street movement, and has served as executive chairman of Breitbart News, the politically conservative media organization that has championed Trump.
Controversy has swirled around Breitbart, which regularly attacks the Republican establishment and has become a haven for the so-called alt-right, an amorphous collection of anti-establishment activists who’ve largely supported Trump. Media attention has also enveloped Bannon in recent days as details have emerged from domestic violence charges he faced in 1996 in Santa Monica.
The case, involving Bannon’s then-wife, was dismissed when she failed to appear in court.
Bannon’s Hollywood career touched some of the industry's most famous liberals, including Penn. But many who intersected with Bannon refused to talk about him.
Among those who declined to comment were Jerry Seinfeld, “Seinfeld” co-creator Larry David, Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn, producer Rob Reiner, Creative Artists Agency co-founder Michael Ovitz and Penn.
A former naval officer who grew up in Norfolk, Va., Bannon graduated from Harvard Business School in 1983. Soon after, he began working at Goldman Sachs, where, in the late 1980s, he experienced the ups and downs of the financial business.
Bannon left Goldman in 1990 and headed to Los Angeles along with an ex-Goldman colleague, John Talbott. Together they launched investment banking firm Talbott, Bannon & Co. in 1990, opening offices in Beverly Hills, according to state records. They soon lined up $100 million in financing from NHK for a production company headed by Thom Mount, who was developing “The Indian Runner” with Phillips and would go on to executive produce it.
Mount, the former president of Universal Pictures, got to know Bannon well during this period.
“He was constantly telling stories about great warriors of the past, like Attila the Hun, people who had slain empires,” Mount said. “It’s one thing to be interested in the triumphs of military history, it’s another thing to obsess over them. Victory at all costs is a dangerous way to look at the world.”
The NHK deal was finalized in 1991, and funds from it were used to make “The Indian Runner.” However, Mount’s production company never received all of the financing promised by NHK. “The Indian Runner,” which co-starred Viggo Mortensen and David Morse, was the only movie made under the arrangement.
After the NHK deal collapsed, Mount and Bannon parted ways. | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-stephen-bannon-donald-trump-hollywood-20160830-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/6aa1e9995941cced87444893275e95ef706f0bb2cbd0def6977914479c819652.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"The Associated Press"
]
| 2016-08-30T22:50:10 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fpolitics%2Fla-na-pol-30-clinton-emails-20160830-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c5f49e/turbine/la-na-pol-30-clinton-emails-20160830-snap | en | null | State Department says Benghazi emails involving Clinton recovered by FBI | null | null | www.latimes.com | The State Department says about 30 emails that may be related to the 2012 attack on U.S. compounds in Benghazi, Libya, are among the thousands of Hillary Clinton emails recovered during the FBI's recently closed investigation into her use of a private server.
Government lawyers told U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta on Tuesday that an undetermined number of the emails among the 30 were not included in the 55,000 pages previously provided by Clinton. The State Department's lawyer said it would need until the end of September to review the emails and redact potentially classified information before they are released.
Mehta questioned why it would take so long to release so few documents and urged that the process be sped up. He ordered the department to report to him in a week with more details about why the review process would take a full month.
The hearing was held in one of several lawsuits filed by the conservative group Judicial Watch, which has sued over access to government records involving the Democratic presidential nominee. The State Department has said the FBI provided it with about 14,900 emails purported not to have been among those previously released.
Clinton previously had said she withheld and deleted only personal emails not related to her duties as secretary of State. With the November election little more than two months away, Republicans are pressing for the release of as many documents related to Clinton as possible.
In a separate development Tuesday, Judicial Watch submitted 25 questions to Clinton about her 2009 decision to rely on a private server in the basement of her New York home rather than a government email account.
Clinton was ordered earlier this month by U.S. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan to answer the group's questions under oath. The judge's order was only a partial victory for the group, which had sought to depose Clinton in person.
It was not immediately clear from the wording of Sullivan's order whether Clinton must answer the questions before or after the November election. Judicial Watch contends the deadline is Sept. 29.
Clinton lawyer David Kendall did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment about the timing of his client's planned response. A woman who answered the phone at Sullivan's chambers said he was unavailable to provide clarification.
A law enforcement official also told the Associated Press on Tuesday that the FBI is expected to release documents soon related to its investigation, which focused on whether Clinton and her aides mishandled government secrets.
The official, who wasn't authorized to discuss the matter by name and spoke on condition of anonymity, said documents in the case would be made public as the FBI responds to Freedom of Information Act requests. It wasn't immediately clear when the documents would be released or exactly what they would include.
Though he described Clinton's actions as "extremely careless," FBI Director James Comey said his agents found no evidence that anyone intended to break the law and said "no reasonable prosecutor" would have brought a criminal case.
The FBI this month provided Congress portions of its file from the agency's yearlong investigation.
The FBI interviewed Clinton for several hours at FBI headquarters in Washington just days before announcing its decision to close the investigation. The Justice Department accepted the FBI's recommendation.
Caption The ultimate side-by-side convention comparison of Clinton and Trump on the issues An examination of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump's convention acceptance speeches and how they line up on several key issues. Full coverage at latimes.com/conventions. An examination of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump's convention acceptance speeches and how they line up on several key issues. Full coverage at latimes.com/conventions. Caption Protest outside Hillary Clinton's Hollywood fundraiser Protest outside Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's Hollywood fundraiser at the Beverly Hills estate of controversial billionaire Haim Saban. Protest outside Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's Hollywood fundraiser at the Beverly Hills estate of controversial billionaire Haim Saban.
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Inside the Hollywood past of Stephen K. Bannon, Donald Trump's campaign chief | http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-30-clinton-emails-20160830-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/c6948f396774debf5ad1cbb4f2c5756f5ac7a800005ed08e6f6e4c6147ac1b8b.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-29T00:49:35 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fla-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-lance-bass-love-trumps-1472427104-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c38014/turbine/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-lance-bass-love-trumps-1472427104 | en | null | Lance Bass makes a political statement on the the MTV VMAs red carpet | null | null | www.latimes.com | Lance Bass had something to say on the MTV Video Music Awards red carpet on Sunday: "Love trumps hate."
And we're sure the message on his jacket had nothing to do with the presidential election, right?
"The #VMA red carpet has always been a great place to make a statement," the 'NSync alum said on WhoSay and Twitter, thanking designer Rey Ortiz. "Thank you @fashionbyreyortiz for helping me voice mine! #LoveTrumpsHate."
(OK, we know, it almost certainly is election-related: Ortiz has a much more blunt fashion statement against GOP nominee Donald Trump on his Twitter feed, which is @reyortizfashion. But if Bass wore that one on the carpet, no family-friendly publications would have run a photo.) | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-lance-bass-love-trumps-1472427104-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/f29bd678d95f4c9eee8d9b004aee2c8e8ef7ae6ba9ef7926b44f3adc20bccadf.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Houston Mitchell"
]
| 2016-08-26T14:50:49 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fdodgers%2Fla-sp-dodgers-dugout-ellis-20160826-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c05394/turbine/la-sp-dodgers-dugout-ellis-20160826-snap | en | null | Dodgers Dugout: Breaking down the A.J. Ellis trade | null | null | www.latimes.com | Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and I wish A.J. Ellis a fond farewell.
Looking at Game 3 of the Giants series
--The Dodgers lost after nearly being no-hit by Matt Moore. They still have a two-game division lead with the Chicago Cubs coming into town. Now, let’s get on to the more important news from Thursday.
Goodbye, A.J.
The Dodgers traded catcher A.J. Ellis to the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday for catcher Carlos Ruiz. It's a move that surprised many because Ellis is well-liked by his teammates and Clayton Kershaw loved pitching to him. So why did the Dodgers do it? They wanted someone who hit left-handers better than Ellis.
Ruiz has an .830 OPS against left-handers this season, versus Ellis’ .616.
Lifetime, Ellis is hitting .235 with a .740 OPS against lefties, while Ruiz is hitting .275 with an .814 OPS.
So is this a good trade? Before I answer, let’s take a look at another number: What did Kershaw do with each man behind the plate?
In his career, Kershaw has a 1.97 ERA when pitching to Ellis. That’s impressive. What about Yasmani Grandal? When pitching to him, Kershaw had a 1.98 ERA. Sure, he has pitched far more to Ellis than Grandal, but there has been no discernible difference when pitching to either.
Ellis was going to be a free agent after the season and probably would not have been re-signed. Ruiz has a $4.5-million team option for next season, or a $500,000 buyout.
So, looking at the numbers, the trade seems good.
However, if you are a believer in team chemistry, the timing of the deal is horrible. Ellis is loved by his teammates. The Dodgers are playing their best ball of the season the last six weeks (during which, it should be noted, Ellis has not played much). Kershaw loves the guy. Why trade him the day of a key game against the Giants and before a big weekend series with the Cubs?
I’m not a big believer in team chemistry. Lots of teams hated each other and won titles. Lots of teams loved each other and finished last. The Dodgers have put 27 players on the DL, so the clubhouse is basically a revolving door of new players. Trading a seldom-used backup catcher shouldn’t break a team, and if it does, then that team probably wasn’t going to win a World Series anyway.
However, when you have a team that is on a roll, why trade a guy to whom your best player, Kershaw, loves pitching? With Kershaw returning from the disabled list soon (hopefully), why make his recovery a little tougher by trading away his friend, the guy who is on his same wavelength?
Why trade a guy his teammates love, just for Ruiz, who might give them a couple of extra hits down the stretch? Was it worth making players in the clubhouse unhappy or causing them to lose focus as the shock of the trade hit them? Every Dodgers fan could detect a noticeable change in team morale and energy this season. Why take a chance on disrupting that by trading one of the best clubhouse guys?
Grandal is going to get the bulk of playing time down the stretch, so I don’t see how Ruiz’s bat is going to make a huge difference. So, in a lot of ways, this trade is puzzling.
But looking at it from just a stats perspective, it makes sense. And that’s how Andrew Freidman views baseball: totally from a stats perspective. It’s like he’s running the world’s most expensive Fantasy Baseball team, where you don’t need to worry about what the players think because they are just interchangeable numbers with no personality or emotion.
Maybe his way is the right way. Maybe this trade is the key to the Dodgers’ winning the World Series. I hope it is. We’ll find out soon enough.
But one thing I do know: The first time Ellis plays against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium, he deserves a huge standing ovation. As a fan, I will miss him. But I’ll miss him a lot less if Ruiz hits well down the stretch.
The rest of the schedule
HOME (16 games): Aug. 26-28 vs. Chicago Cubs, Sept. 2-4 vs. San Diego, Sept. 5-7 vs. Arizona, Sept. 19-21 vs. San Francisco, Sept. 22-25 vs. Colorado
ROAD (19 games): Aug. 29-31 at Colorado, Sept. 9-11 at Miami, Sept. 12-14 at New York Yankees, Sept. 15-18 at Arizona, Sept. 27-29 at San Diego, Sept 30-Oct. 2 at San Francisco.
Trade update
How the players acquired at the trade deadline are doing:
Josh Reddick: .143 (10 for 70)
Rich Hill: 1-0, 0.00 ERA
Jesse Chavez: 1-0, 4.20 ERA in 11 games
Josh Fields: 1-0, 4.66 ERA in 11 games, currently in the minors
Ask Ross Porter
Former Dodgers announcer Ross Porter will be answering select reader questions for the rest of the season. Email me a question for Ross, and I will pass it on. His latest response:
Dave Pratt asks: Ross, how has the method and criteria for counting home-game attendance for the Dodgers changed over the years?
Ross: Tomorrow afternoon, when they host the Cubs, the Dodgers will surpass the 3-million mark in home attendance for arecord 28th time, including 15 of the past 16 seasons. The Dodgers once more are leading baseball with an averagehome crowd of just over 45,000 this year. Last season, they were No. 1, averaging 46,479, and were the only team to perform before turnouts over 50,000 — reaching that figure on 12 home dates. The smallest Chavez Ravine audience in 2015 was a shade under 38,000.
The franchise reached a high of 3.86 million fans in 2007 and never has drawn below 1.58 million at Dodger Stadium.Dave, National League clubs announced an actual turnstile count through 1992, but now, both leagues define attendance as tickets SOLD, not tickets USED. That is because of revenue sharing. Teams contribute 31% of the revenue they generate into a pool to be redistributed among those franchises that produce the fewest dollars in a season. | http://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/la-sp-dodgers-dugout-ellis-20160826-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/ab0562daac8520c08ead5194de7c5544f62c10e1db91af32321eec1a6c0022f3.json |
[
"La Cañada"
]
| 2016-08-26T13:15:43 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsocal%2Fla-canada-valley-sun%2Fnews%2Ftn-vsl-me-blotter-20160824-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57608a9f/turbine/tn-vsl-social-icon/ | en | null | Crime Report: La Cañada High snack stand burglarized | null | null | www.latimes.com | Aug. 8
Vandalism over $400: 4300 block of Vista Place. On July 19, a man went by to check on a home he co-owns with his brother, which is being renovated after a foreclosure. He entered through a rear sliding-glass door, not remembering if he or his brother had left it unlocked, and found someone had vandalized the property. Deputies observed damage to walls, mirrors and tile work in multiple rooms, reporting they seemed to have been hit with a blunt object. The owner indicated all the flooring needed to be replaced.
Aug. 14
Vandalism: 800 block of La Porte Drive. A man told deputies he'd moved his 2005 BMW 545i to the rear of his property on July 27 due to tree trimming in the area. When he returned to the vehicle that day, he'd noticed a swirl-shaped crack in the windshield. He then saw a 4-inch river rock just under the hood at the base of the windshield. Deputies determined the rock had likely been lobbed over a fence the man shares with a neighbor. When interviewed, the neighbor acknowledged having such rocks on his property, but said he hadn't thrown it. His two sons denied throwing it, but the neighbor said he would speak more with them and with the victim.
Burglary, residence: 3900 block of Chevy Chase Drive. A woman said that while she was traveling, someone entered her home and stole cash and a black purse from a desk drawer in an upstairs bedroom closet.
Burglary, other structure: La Cañada High School, 4463 Oak Grove Drive. A man said two days earlier, he'd left the high school at around 6 p.m., securing the doors to the campus' snack bar. When he returned that day at 4 p.m., he saw the door to the area was opened and had been pried open. Inside, the snack bar was ransacked and several miscellaneous snacks, in addition to a Keurig coffee maker and a black hot dog cooker had been stolen. Two wooden cabinet doors were damaged during the incident.
Aug. 18
Petty theft, unlocked vehicles: 300 block of Santa Inez Way. A man reported that sometime between 8:40 a.m. the day before and 6:30 p.m. that day, someone entered two unlocked vehicles parked under a carport, a 2014 Toyota RAV4 and a 2011 Kia EX (model unspecified), and stole two bags of quarters, two cellphone battery chargers and two Leatherman tool sets from inside the car's glove compartments.
Petty theft, unlocked vehicle: 300 block of Canon De Paraiso. A woman told deputies sometime between 8 p.m. the day before and 7:20 a.m. that day, someone entered her unlocked 2004 Toyota Sienna while it was parked in her driveway and ransacked it, stealing a new platinum ring and a new 14-karat gold bracelet from the center console.
Petty theft: 475 Foothill Blvd. A woman reported someone stole her wallet and checkbook, containing her driver's license and numerous health insurance and access cards, out of her purse while she was shopping at Trader Joe's at around 1:30 p.m. that day. She said while she was in the produce section she had a conversation with a black female approximately 30 years old, about 5 feet 8 and weighing 160 pounds, wearing a dark-colored dress with a gold-print pattern. The woman asked her how to cook Brussels sprouts, which the victim believes may have been a diversionary tactic. She told deputies someone had used her access cards, and that she would provide further account details soon.
Grand theft, unlocked vehicle: 1300 Green Lane. A man reported that sometime between 7 p.m. the day before and 3:45 p.m. that day, someone entered his unlocked 2011 Chevrolet Suburban and stole the vehicle's third-row seating from inside. The victim did not notice the theft until he drove it somewhere else and entered it after a 15-minute absence. Deputies believe the incident most likely occurred at the man's residence.
Aug. 19
Forgery, checks: 5100 block of Castle Road. A woman reported receiving a call on Aug. 12 from a bank representative who said someone had been using checks belonging to her and her husband by forging their signatures. Five checks were paid out between Aug. 5 and 10. The victim recalled ordering checks on June 16 but not ever receiving them.
Aug. 22
Burglary, residence: 4400 block of Belair Drive. A man said he'd arrived at an unoccupied residence being worked on that morning at 7 a.m. and noticed a front perimeter chain-link gate had been separated and its clamp removed. As he entered the property, he noticed the front door he'd left locked two days earlier was wide open. He noticed several tools were missing, including a Hitachi air gun, four saws, a leather tool bet, impact gun and a drill, among other items. Nearby plumbing equipment, valued at about $3,000 remained undisturbed. Deputies believed the suspect(s) entered the home through the rear opening left due to construction. The front door was determined to be the point of exit. The victim said the air gun did have a GPS tracking system, but it required a password he didn't have at the time.
Petty theft: 600 block of Foothill Boulevard. A man was working as a loss prevention officer at an area business at around 2 p.m. when he noticed a white female in her 40s walk to an aisle in the store and begin placing items in her purse. The woman entered and exited the restroom and then left the store without paying. The officer followed her out of the store and recovered four cans of pumpkin, a bottle of antioxidant tea, two sandwiches, a cup of chili and one "party pack." The suspect said she'd just lost her job and didn't have any money. She said she made a mistake and hadn't intended to steal. She then pulled out some cash from her shirt pocket and offered it to the officer, who placed her under citizen's arrest until deputies arrived. | http://www.latimes.com/socal/la-canada-valley-sun/news/tn-vsl-me-blotter-20160824-story.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/a4e368207eb4052cbc883bdd15cc6bfb2781ad3bb24dd2f2790593e5594d3318.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Eric Sondheimer"
]
| 2016-08-29T22:50:02 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fhighschool%2Fvarsity-times%2Fla-sp-vi-football-this-week-s-southern-section-rankings-20160829-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Football: This week's Southern Section rankings | null | null | www.latimes.com | Corona Centennial is No. 1 and Mater Dei No. 2 in this week's Southern Section Division 1 football rankings.
Oaks Christian is No. 1 in Division 2 and La Mirada is No. 1 in Division 3.
Here's the link to complete rankings.
For the latest on high school sports, follow @LATSondheimer on Twitter | http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/varsity-times/la-sp-vi-football-this-week-s-southern-section-rankings-20160829-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/a6a70bdbeb6cfe8aa1228bfc277a600c680ad551266727660b6b6ac93dd096f9.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Chuck Schilken"
]
| 2016-08-26T18:51:18 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fnfl%2Fla-sp-ezekiel-elliott-jerry-jones-20160826-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c07d96/turbine/la-sp-ezekiel-elliott-jerry-jones-20160826-snap | en | null | Jerry Jones isn't happy with Ezekiel Elliott after pot shop video appears online | null | null | www.latimes.com | Dallas rookie Ezekiel Elliott had an impressive first outing Thursday night against Seattle, rushing for 48 yards on seven carries and knocking Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor backward during a 13-yard run.
But the running back drafted No. 4 overall by the Cowboys seemed to be in team owner Jerry Jones’ doghouse following the 27-17 preseason loss for reasons that had nothing to do with football.
TMZ posted a video of someone they said was Elliott browsing (but not buying) at Herban Legends, a marijuana dispensary near Seattle, just hours before the game. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports Jones chose his words very carefully when asked about the video.
“It is, in a way, part of the learning process,” Jones said. “But it’s not good. It’s just not good. It’s just not good.”
Marijuana is legal in Washington but is banned by the NFL. The Cowboys will start the season with three players suspended for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.
In addition, Elliott is under investigation by the Columbus, Ohio, attorney’s office for a domestic abuse allegation that he denies.
Jones realizes that even though Elliott didn’t break any rules on Thursday, the young player needs to be aware that everything he does adds to the public’s perception of him.
“Again, that’s a part of just really getting the big picture here,” Jones said. “No matter if you played at whatever level, there is a picture here of interest. So again, I’m aware of it. I heard the report, and I would know how he is. And he needs to look at that.” | http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-ezekiel-elliott-jerry-jones-20160826-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/eba2c1858cf269428ef8cc378cc04ab4561fdfeeb8ff76316bfb61edc1213898.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Louis Sahagun"
]
| 2016-08-31T10:50:00 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Flocal%2Fcalifornia%2Fla-me-ln-gnatcatcher-genes-20160830-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c61998/turbine/la-me-ln-gnatcatcher-genes-20160830-snap | en | null | Feds say gnatcatcher needs to stay on the endangered list | null | null | www.latimes.com | Federal wildlife authorities on Tuesday said that a review of genetic tests has led them to conclude that the coastal California gnatcatcher is a valid subspecies and therefore worthy of protections that have barred development on tens of thousands of acres of prime Southern California real estate for two decades.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s finding was in response to a 2014 petition filed by the Pacific Legal Foundation on behalf of developers who argued that DNA analysis showed the gnatcatcher was no different from other types of gnatcatchers that are thriving from the Palos Verdes Peninsula to the southern tip of Baja California.
The developers’ petition was based on DNA analysis by a team of scientists led by Robert Zink, a professor of biology at the University of Minnesota and George Barrowclough, associate curator of ornithology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
. . . Many species like the gnatcatcher remain listed even when they are not actually threatened or endangered... — Harold Johnson, spokesman for the Pacific Legal Foundation
Their peer-reviewed conclusion, published in 2013 in the AUK, a scientific journal and official publication of the American Ornithologists’ Union, was that the small songbird, which often resides year-round in patches of sage and beavertail cactus with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, was not a distinct subspecies.
This finding contradicted a century’s worth of work based on evidence of physical differences between the coastal California gnatcatcher and gnatcatchers found elsewhere. The coastal gnatcatcher has less white in its tail feathers, for example. Its call notes are also distinctive: they mew like kittens.
It was Zink’s second such finding about the bird. In 2010, the Pacific Legal Foundation filed a petition based on an earlier DNA analysis of gnatcatcher cells by Zink. The Fish and Wildlife Service turned down that petition but did not dispute the findings, instead suggesting that the petitioners conduct a deeper analysis probing the nucleus of gnatcatcher cells.
Zink’s 2013 analysis did that, and Fish and Wildlife then launched an 18-month review that included a panel of six independent scientists to study the more complete DNA analysis and additional critiques by experts including John E. McCormack, director of the Moore Laboratory of Zoology at Occidental College in Los Angeles.
McCormack concluded that Zink’s genetic data reflected an inadequate sampling of the gnatcatcher’s genome and was not sufficient to overturn research to the contrary.
Jane Hendron, a spokeswoman for Fish and Wildlife, , said the panelists also pointed to weaknesses in the Zink paper including a failure to take into account “a full suite of characteristics.”
Zink could not be reached for comment. But Harold Johnson, a spokesman for the Pacific Legal Foundation, said his organization and its clients were “disappointed” with Fish and Wildlife’s determination.
“The Endangered Species Act requires the best use of the best available scientific evidence and methods, which Dr. Zink’s analysis is,” he said.
As the result of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s interpretation, he said, “many species like the gnatcatcher remain listed even when they are not actually threatened or endangered, diverting government and social resources from more pressing priorities.”
McCormack, however, said that “the agency’s determination was based on new information showing the initial analysis by Zink was not appropriate.”
DNA analysis has undergone revolutionary improvements over the past decade, transforming the once dusty old museum science of taxonomy and revealing so many new species that scientists give them codes until formal names can be assigned.
The advanced technology is revealing immense genetic diversity within species from bacteria to mammals and allowing scientists to understand ecologies and environments in greater detail than ever before.
But Brad Shaffer, an evolutionary biologist at UCLA, noted in an earlier interview that “all those sophisticated maps of genetic composition say nothing about their use in setting ethical conservation policy.”
Making those decisions, he said, “is the realm of regulators and lawmakers in charge of endangered species legislation based on the best available science.”
If Fish and Wildlife had agreed with Zinc, it could have eventually allowed development in about 197,000 acres in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Ventura, Riverside and San Bernardino counties designated as critical habitat for the coastal California gnatcatcher, which became a divisive national symbol when it was listed in 1993.
Today, there are an estimated 2,900 coastal California gnatcatchers left in the United States, federal wildlife authorities said.
[email protected]
@LouisSahagun | http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-ln-gnatcatcher-genes-20160830-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/a197b463c2d61421d80ac021548bf4bab468e625f4504f03014a79055f70d822.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Steve Lopez"
]
| 2016-08-31T12:50:26 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Flocal%2Fcalifornia%2Fla-me-lopez-20160830-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c6bc39/turbine/la-me-lopez-20160830-snap | en | null | Checking in on some of the secrets to life, love and a bright future | null | null | www.latimes.com | One thing I don’t do often enough is let readers in on developments in the lives of people I’ve written about.
Please accept my apologies, as well as today’s penance — three updates.
A few years ago, I wrote about having flat-lined after surgery and got an email from a downtown Los Angeles character who said the same thing had happened to him.
Morrie Markoff, 99 at the time, suggested we grab a cup of coffee to talk about having risen from the dead.
When he was 100, the onetime appliance repairman and sculptor had his first art show.
So what else is new with Morrie?
He and his wife, Betty, just celebrated her 100th birthday. The Markoffs’ son Steve and daughter Judy threw her a bash Saturday at Steve’s home in Pacific Palisades.
Betty told me that she and Morrie have slowed down a bit the last couple of years. But Morrie, at 102, is working on yet another draft of his autobiography. And he’s still a wiseguy. He cracked a joke about trading his wife in on two 50-year-old women. But he knows the day he met Betty was the luckiest day of his life. They’ve been married 77 years.
So what’s the secret to a long life?
Maybe there are no secrets, and maybe nothing is more important than luck and good genes. But Judy suggested her parents’ longevity might have something to do with the fact that they were always engaged in civic affairs and personal pursuits. They were tirelessly curious about the world and too busy to get old.
::
Maurice Prince, just days away from turning 100 and ready to party. Steve Lopez / Los Angeles Times Maurice Prince, just days away from turning 100 and ready to party. Maurice Prince, just days away from turning 100 and ready to party. (Steve Lopez / Los Angeles Times)
Maurice Prince seconds that idea.
I wrote about Prince in 2004, when her Snack ‘N Chat home-cooking restaurant on Pico closed after a 26-year run. Her joint was a hangout for nobodys — and a destination for stars including James Brown and Gladys Knight.
Prince was 87 when she retired. On Sept. 9 she’ll turn 100, and she can’t wait for the party.
“We’re going to dance, eat, sing, do funny jokes,” she said.
Dance?
She’s had her right knee replaced three times, she told me during a visit in her downtown L.A. apartment, but she’s going to try a move or two with the good leg.
It’s all in God’s hands, says Prince, who goes to church every Sunday. And if her health allows it, she’d love to work the polls in November as she has for every election over four decades.
Voting is a sacred act to Prince, whose apartment walls are covered with photos going back to her youth in Arkansas, where her parents were sharecroppers and the Ku Klux Klan struck fear in her heart.
She fled to California in 1940, got to know Count Basie and Duke Ellington while the Central Avenue jazz scene was boiling hot, and outlived three husbands — not all of whom were honorable men, in Prince’s opinion. Especially the one who fell under the spell of another woman.
“The woman told me, ‘He doesn’t love you, he loves me.’ I wanted to put my fist in her face,” Prince says.
But she came up with a better idea.
“I said, ‘You can keep him.’”
Before I left her apartment, I asked Prince if I could take her picture. She fixed her blouse and twisted her torso.
“Let me shake myself up,” she said, “so I look younger.”
::
Speaking of, remember Eduardo Lopez?
He’s the Glendale Community College student who got a $197 ticket for crossing a downtown L.A. intersection against a flashing light in the spring of 2015.
Eduardo Lopez receives a citation from LAPD motor officer Robert Lockhart in January 2015 for stepping into the intersection at Hope and 7th Street downtown after the red flashing hand and countdown timer has begun. Catherine Saillant / Los Angeles Times Eduardo Lopez receives a citation from LAPD motor officer Robert Lockhart in January 2015 for stepping into the intersection at Hope and 7th Street downtown after the red flashing hand and countdown timer has begun. Eduardo Lopez receives a citation from LAPD motor officer Robert Lockhart in January 2015 for stepping into the intersection at Hope and 7th Street downtown after the red flashing hand and countdown timer has begun. (Catherine Saillant / Los Angeles Times)
It was news to Lopez, 22 at the time, and to me, that it’s illegal to step off the curb after the countdown has begun. I thought it was OK to walk if you could make it across before the clock ran out. But the LAPD was on a tear, having written 17,000 pedestrian citations in downtown L.A. over four years.
Why have a countdown at all? The sign should either say “walk” or “don’t walk.” And $197 is a ridiculous cost for an honest mistake. Lots of readers agreed, and sent money to help with the ticket.
As I reported at the time, Lopez was working a graveyard shift loading pallets for an export company near LAX. In the morning he would take the train downtown, where he’d catch a bus, racing to make his first class at Glendale Community College. He later showed me where he lived, and said he and his older brother were scheming to get good enough jobs to move their family of five out of the tiny apartment in a crime-ridden part of South Los Angeles.
For Lopez, that meant hitting the books and hoping his success in soccer might win him a scholarship from a four-year school. He was all-conference as a defender at Glendale.
With the start of the new school year, I decided to see how it all had worked out for Lopez.
“I actually have a wonderful update,” his Glendale coach, Laura Matsumoto, said in an email.
Lopez had scholarship offers from Kansas Wesleyan University and Adams State University in Colorado, she said; he chose the latter.
When I got ahold of Lopez by phone, he told me he had gotten offers from several colleges. And he had liked Adams and the community of Alamosa so much that he decided to forgo the partial scholarship, which would have required him to live on campus. It was cheaper to live off campus and take out a student loan.
Lopez had money left over from readers who wanted to pay his ticket, so he was able to buy his college books and a Greyhound ticket to Colorado. He’s not a starter on the soccer team, he said, but the coach told him he’ll see some playing time if he keeps working as hard as he has.
The small college town is much quieter than his old neighborhood, Lopez said, making it easier to focus.
“No helicopters and police going by all the time,” he said.
He’s carrying a full load, has a campus job lined up for when soccer season ends and is two years away from a degree in finance.
Oh, to be young. Or not so young, but still full of life.
Caption 90 seconds: 4 stories you can't miss Huma Abedin leaves her husband, Anthony Weiner, Apple owes Ireland big, Brock Turner is released, and the 4 Aurora movie massacre survivors owe Cinemark lawyer fees. Huma Abedin leaves her husband, Anthony Weiner, Apple owes Ireland big, Brock Turner is released, and the 4 Aurora movie massacre survivors owe Cinemark lawyer fees. Caption Kim Jong Un executes using anti-aircraft gun South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported Kim Jong Un had two North Korean officials executed with an anti-aircraft gun in early August. South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported Kim Jong Un had two North Korean officials executed with an anti-aircraft gun in early August.
Get more of Steve Lopez's work and follow him on Twitter @LATstevelopez
ALSO
Inspired by accusations against Bill Cosby, California lawmakers move to lift time limits on rape cases | http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-lopez-20160830-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/481da74d0121e45e4dea342a9ba2ed5c8e5059102cebd77431d6fba057bd904b.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-31T12:50:26 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fopinion%2Freadersreact%2Fla-ol-le-voting-20160831-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c5f9b9/turbine/la-ol-le-voting-20160831-snap | en | null | Improve voting - by limiting it? | null | null | www.latimes.com | To the editor: Although I agree that too many poorly informed people vote, the author’s solution is subject to gross abuse. It is easy to imagine, for example, those in government who favor big government altering the test so that more such people get to vote. The system would then perpetuate itself.
( “Can knowledge-based voting fix democracy?” Opinion, Aug. 28)
We need a way to get fewer poorly informed voters. Young people, almost by definition, know less than the more mature. Raise the voting age to, say, 25. Problem solved.
Dwight Filley, La Jolla
::
To the editor: Establishing a political exam to see who’s best qualified to vote is inherently discriminatory and shortsighted. The central premise, “We get better policies with a better informed electorate,” sounds good, but his example that high information voters tend to support free trade is a tip-off to the problem.
Information is not the same as discernment or perspective. Voting the way most politicians, economists, bankers and corporations think we should is not the same as voting how most environmentalists, human rights activists, small-business owners and artists think we should.
In this era of global warming, widespread pollution, resource depletion, growing income and educational disparity, food and health crises and 2nd Amendment conflicts, our democratic process should encourage more participation, not less.
Jack Cooper, Studio City
::
To the editor: The opinion piece outraged and mortified me. His basic ignorance belies his use of big words.
His assertion that “how any one of us votes does not” matter is insulting and inept.
A rich trove of voters arises from millions of people who make their wants and needs known by participating in elections in an effort to make our country a more perfect union.
As for what makes good voters, consider this a definition: the American citizens who care enough about their country to become informed on the issues and show up at their polls and make their voices heard by voting.
Sarah Turitto, Cardiff
::
To the editor: The threat that someone as dangerous, yet as popular, as Donald Trump could be elected president spotlights the big problem inherent in our democratic elections: too many un- or underinformed voters are susceptible to devious emotional appeals and too often vote against their own best economic interests.
Jason Brennan’s call for an epistocracy where a voter would essentially need to show citizenship competency in order to vote would largely solve this problem. Passing a citizenship exam or other such qualifier would be a fair nonpartisan standard and then requiring each eligible voter to vote or face a heavy fine (as in some countries) would assure maximum turnout.
When so much of the electorate fails to vote, we need to upgrade voting standards to coincide with its crucial importance in deciding who will be the leaders of the most powerful country on Earth.
Bob Loos, Silver Lake
::
To the editor: As long as we are fantasizing about radical changes that create a better democracy, here is a modest proposal.
First, extend the term (length) of service office to 10 years. This will automatically cut the cost of running elections and increase their importance.
Next, each successful candidate (with greater than 35% of the vote) serves in a preset proportion to the votes.
Term limits should be abolished. As long as the people want a candidate, they can vote for him/her.
Finally, monetary donations should be accepted only from individuals who can cast a vote. No organizations, corporations, PACs, etc.
James H. Benson, Altadena
::
To the editor: I agree fervently with Brennan’s call for the ascendancy of informed and incentivized voters, but his position is undercut by proposals that are amorphous, nebulous and largely inchoate. (Brennan and other qualified voters will get my meaning.)
Try this: I am remarkably intelligent, broadly conversant in fields ranging from political theory to physics. I am deeply and perpetually informed in all aspects of national and world events.
As a compulsive autodidact, I never quit updating and expanding my knowledge. Why not simplify the creation of an epistocracy by appointing me sole elector?
And the process can be even further condensed: Because I am incapable of lying and am entirely immune to the ordinary temptations that come with power, I am the ideal candidate. I could simply vote for myself.
Stephen Mattson, Los Osos
::
To the editor: As George Orwell wrote in “Animal Farm” :
“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
Boris Buzan, Mission Viejo
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook | http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-ol-le-voting-20160831-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/420478cd7c9e9aa123b81a3f8ea4f566138bbafa24a90d84e9db4f80863dd816.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Mike Digiovanna"
]
| 2016-08-30T04:49:45 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fangels%2Fla-sp-angels-report-20160829-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c4f347/turbine/la-sp-angels-report-20160829-snap | en | null | Los Angeles Angels closer Cam Bedrosian still weighing options, including surgery | null | null | www.latimes.com | Cam Bedrosian will decide in the next few days whether to undergo surgery to remove a blood clot in a small artery near his right armpit or treat the clot with blood-thinning medication and rest.
“We’re going to weigh the options and see what’s best,” said Bedrosian, who was diagnosed with the clot last week after initially going on the disabled list Aug. 9 because of flexor tendonitis in the middle finger of his throwing hand.
Either way, it’s doubtful that Bedrosian, who emerged as the team’s best reliever with a 2-0 record and 1.12 earned-run average in 45 games, will pitch again this season.
Doctors told Bedrosian that surgery, like the one former Angels left-hander Jason Vargas had in 2013, would sideline him for about six weeks.
If Bedrosian could return with medication and rest, it would make little sense to push the hard-throwing 24-year-old with the Angels so far out of contention.
“It’s almost September, and I haven’t thrown in a month,” said Bedrosian, who replaced Huston Street as the club’s closer in early August. “I’m hopeful of pitching again this season, but I’m not sure.”
Utility belt
Johnny Giavotella does not appear to have the arm strength to play left field, shortstop or third base, but Manager Mike Scioscia said the second baseman, designated for assignment Aug. 20 and sent to triple-A after clearing waivers Sunday, listed those positions as ones he’d like Giavotella to become proficient at.
Giavotella, the Angels’ opening-day second baseman in 2015 and 2016, worked extensively with Oakland A’s infield coach Ron Washington last winter to improve his defense this season.
He was solid offensively last season, batting .272 with a .318 on-base percentage, 25 doubles and 49 runs batted in, but he slipped to a .260 average, .287 OBP and 31 RBIs this season.
“This kid worked as hard as anybody to improve his skill set,” Scioscia said. “He’s a great kid … but he needs to be a little more versatile.”
On the mend
Third baseman Yunel Escobar, on the seven-day concussion disabled list since Aug. 20, was cleared to resume baseball activities and probably will be activated Friday in Seattle.
The leadoff batter had a team-leading .320 average with 25 doubles, 58 runs and 34 RBIs when he fouled a bunt attempt into his nose and cheek Aug. 19.
Short hops
The Angels traded outfielder Daniel Nava, who was designated for assignment July 30 and eventually sent to triple-A, and cash considerations to the Kansas City Royals for a player to be named or cash considerations. Nava will report to the Royals' triple-A Omaha club. … Rafael Ortega was recalled from triple-A and inserted into the lineup in left field. Reliever A.J. Achter was optioned to Salt Lake. Since his last demotion June 11, Ortega hit .340 (90 for 265) with 18 doubles, three homers and 23 RBIs at Salt Lake. “We need some fresh legs in the outfield,” Scioscia said. … Garrett Richards, recovering from the stem-cell injection he used to treat a torn elbow ligament, extended his long-toss program from 90 feet to 105 feet. “Everything feels perfect,” the right-hander said. “It’s progressing.”
[email protected]
Twitter: @MikeDiGiovanna | http://www.latimes.com/sports/angels/la-sp-angels-report-20160829-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/af711ba180e78988b7c6fcbd3a53cd77b143497323694a63083b656fe97be8c0.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Jesse Dougherty"
]
| 2016-08-28T02:49:18 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fsportsnow%2Fla-sp-asics-volleyball-20160827-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c248fd/turbine/la-sp-asics-volleyball-20160827-snap | en | null | For April Ross, beach volleyball success is at her service | null | null | www.latimes.com | April Ross is often the first on the sand before matches, and she walks toward the baseline spinning a volleyball in her hands.
With an empty court before her, she’s able to unleash jump serves with abandon. Sometimes they smack into the net. Sometimes they miss long and skip out of the playing area. Usually they fly just over the net, sink with great speed and land right inside the back line.
Then the other three players warm up, the match starts and Ross’ serve takes center stage.
“There’s zero fear or doubt going on in this woman right now,” said Kerri Walsh Jennings, Ross’ partner, after the pair advanced to the finals of the Long Beach Grand Slam on Saturday.
“So she just needs to live in that because it’s really fun to play with and she’s putting on a great show. It’s awesome.”
Walsh Jennings and Ross, the top U.S. women’s team who are coming off a bronze medal in Rio, attracted a capacity crowd for its semifinal win over Germany’s Julie Sude and Chantal Laboureur.
Every seat was filled, fans lined the aisles and a bunch more leaned on the railings along the stadium’s edges. That led to loud a cheer each time the Americans won a point, and an audible gasp each time Ross let loose another punishing serve.
As Walsh Jennings and Ross chase the Grand Slam’s $57,000 first-place prize, Ross’ jump serve has two purposes: Keeping the pair in control, and giving the home crowd something to hang on. They’ll face Spain’s Liliana Fernandez and Elsa Baquerizo in the women’s final Sunday. Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena, the top U.S. men’s team, will face Brazil’s Evandro Guerra and Pedro Solberg in the men’s championship.
“Sometimes I’m suckered in when people are cheering for me serving to go harder and harder and harder,” said Ross, a Costa Mesa native and USC graduate. “But no, I have to stay with what feels right for my serve.”
This week, that’s meant not holding anything back.
A majority of players, including Walsh Jennings, serve from a stationary position. That lets them emphasize placement and getting the ball in play, but rarely leads to the momentum-shifting aces Ross is known for.
Before each serve, the 34-year-old stands five steps behind the court and waits for Walsh Jennings’ behind-the-back sign. She then takes a deep breath, pauses for a moment and walks into a delivery that includes two steps, a quick hop and contact with the spinning ball at the peak of her underhand toss.
Photos from the Asics Long Beach Grand Slam beach volleyball tournament.
Ross’ momentum carries her onto the court as her serve knuckles over the net. If an opponent gets to it, they can’t bump the ball without stumbling backward. If they don’t, Ross and Walsh Jennings are usually left celebrating an easy point.
“I love jump-serving here, the conditions are kind of perfect for it,” Ross said. “And it’s just fun. I’m just throwing it up and going after it.”
Long Beach’s hard surface allows Ross to jump just a bit higher, and the crosswinds off the ocean make it so she’s serving into the wind on both sides of the court. Other than that, she loves serving here because of the success she’s found in recent summers.
Sunday will be the pair’s third straight Long Beach Grand Slam final, and Ross’ serve pushed them to it. She collected back-to-back aces early in the second set against Sude and Laboureur. Then she and Walsh Jennings won three straight points on her serve, and the match ended shortly after.
Just before it did, with Ross ready to step into her routine, a fan made a parting request.
“Unleash the dragon!” he yelled in an abnormally quiet moment.
The crowd laughed, and then gasped one last time.
[email protected]
Twitter: @dougherty_jesse | http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-asics-volleyball-20160827-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/b4d7ae335dbbd48ca2fefb9a6befe6c104553d02cf778dd2ee2b55fa907e347f.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-28T04:49:44 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fla-sp-live-updates-rams-broncos-ronnie-hillman-scores-to-give-broncos-1472353500-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Ronnie Hillman scores to give Broncos 17-9 lead over the Rams | null | null | www.latimes.com | The Broncos are getting a good look at rookie running back Devontae Booker out of Utah.
The 5-foot-11 back had his number called over and over making carries of two, one, two and then five yards before he needed to take a break allowing running back Ronnie Hillman to enter the game and score a touchdown.
Hillman rushed carried the ball three times on his way to a seven-yard touchdown run to give the Broncos a 17-9 lead in the third quarter.
Paxton Lynch got his chances too. His first throw was a 17-yard catch and run by Booker. | http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-live-updates-rams-broncos-ronnie-hillman-scores-to-give-broncos-1472353500-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/22653b8a76d43898adb6f3a04ccdf733f5e191593eadffd5b5897e7388969d12.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-28T16:49:09 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnation%2Fpolitics%2Ftrailguide%2Fla-na-trailguide-updates-trump-campaign-says-it-doesn-t-want-1472399339-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Trump campaign says it doesn't want support from white supremicists | null | null | www.latimes.com | As Donald Trump tries to improve his standing with African Americans and other minority voters, his running-mate said Sunday the campaign doesn't want support from white nationalists.
"We don't want the support of people who think like David Duke," said vice presidential nominee Mike Pence said about the former Ku Klux Klan wizard, whose Louisiana campaign for the U.S. Senate has been emboldened by Trump.
The comments on CNN come after a tough week for Trump who hired a new campaign executive, Stephen Bannon, the former Breitbart News chief associated with elements of the alt-right movement.
A new poll Sunday showed the Republican ticket still capturing just 5% of the black vote despite Trump's attempts to court minorities last week.
"Trump’s outreach to African American voters appears to be falling flat among that demographic," the report said.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Preibus said he didn't know Bannon, but was becoming acquainted with him.
"I go with the flow based on what the campaign wants to do." Preibus said on "Meet the Press" Sunday. "I don't know Steve Bannon, to tell you the truth very well."
Last week, a decades old domestic violence case against Bannon brought more unwanted attention to the campaign stemming from a 911 call involving his now ex-wife at their Santa Monica home. Misdemeanor charges against him were later dropped. | http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-trailguide-updates-trump-campaign-says-it-doesn-t-want-1472399339-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/978f72d038c2da0f0f78cf5f0108ceae35af71100c7251f940d811e48580e44b.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Chuck Schilken"
]
| 2016-08-29T20:49:47 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fnfl%2Fla-sp-cowboys-ezekiel-elliott-20160829-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c483ac/turbine/la-sp-cowboys-ezekiel-elliott-20160829-snap | en | null | Visit to Seattle pot dispensary was 'bad decision,' Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott says | null | null | www.latimes.com | Dallas Cowboys rookie Ezekiel Elliott didn’t break any laws when he visited a legal pot shop before the Cowboys’ preseason game in Seattle on Thursday.
But the running back said Monday, three days after TMZ posted a video of him inside the Herban Legends marijuana dispensary, he now realizes “it was a bad decision.”
“Didn’t really think about it before I went in what the repercussions could have been,” said Elliott, who didn’t purchase anything at the shop. “It wasn’t like I was trying to hide it or anything. I took pictures with people. It wasn’t like I was up to no good.
Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/nfl/dallas-cowboys/cowboys-corner-blog/article98609782.html#storylink=cpy
“I was curious. I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong. I wasn’t breaking any laws or anything. It was a bad decision. It was something I shouldn’t have done. But I know now.”
Elliott made a solid preseason debut for the Cowboys that night, rushing for 48 yards on seven carries and knocking Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor backward during a 13-yard run.
But team owner Jerry Jones wasn’t happy with the young player afterward, saying of Elliott’s activity earlier in the day, “It’s just not good.”
Marijuana is banned by the NFL. The Cowboys will start the season with three players suspended for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. In addition, Elliott is under investigation by the Columbus, Ohio, attorney’s office for a domestic abuse allegation that he denies.
“You definitely got to think of the perception of things before you actually do certain things,” Elliott said. “It may not seem like a big deal to you yourself but there is a bigger picture. It’s definitely a learning experience about the scrutiny. You just got to be careful and not give anyone a chance to say anything.”
Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/nfl/dallas-cowboys/cowboys-corner-blog/article98609782.html#storylink=cpy | http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-cowboys-ezekiel-elliott-20160829-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/a821610f33a52563a7f820aa3ccba7f3e6bf38d3a2ef6a7c8c449b774542d8c7.json |
[
"Daily Pilot"
]
| 2016-08-26T13:16:46 | null | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsocal%2Fdaily-pilot%2Fnews%2Ftn-dpt-me-around-town-20160823-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-565ccc20/turbine/tn-dpt-me-fb-logos-20151117-002/600 | en | null | Around Town: Costa Mesa Historical Society to present adobe celebration | null | null | www.latimes.com | The Costa Mesa Historical Society invites the public to Early California Days, an event that will celebrate 50 years of restoration and preservation of the Diego Sepulveda Adobe at Estancia Park.
Sunday's event will include tours, activities and a keynote speech by state Sen. John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa).
Early California Days will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. at Estancia Park, 1900 Adams Ave. Admission is free.
For more information, visit costamesahistory.org.
Costa Mesa event will benefit cannabis research at UCI
Irvine-based Cultivation Technologies Inc. will present an event called "The End of Opiates" at 7 p.m. Friday at the Avenue of the Arts Hotel in Costa Mesa to benefit cannabinoid and pain research at UC Irvine.
The event will include presentations on subjects such as cannabis therapeutics and opiate addiction.
Tickets are available for a $195 donation per person, or $75 for graduate students with ID.
The hotel is at 3350 Avenue of the Arts. To buy tickets, visit www.eventbrite.com and search for "The End of Opiates."
Volunteers can package meals in Irvine for families worldwide
An all-day event Saturday plans for volunteers to assemble more than 200,000 meals for families who live locally and around the world.
The nonprofit Power of 10 will present the event from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 23 Lake Road, Irvine.
Meals for local families will be distributed by Family Assistance Ministries, based in San Clemente. Meals for families elsewhere will be distributed by Minneapolis-based Harvest Pack, an international food aid organization.
Power of 10 — the philanthropic arm of San Juan Capistrano-based management consulting firm Software Anywhere — has been working with Harvest Pack since 2014 to hold food packaging events in Orange County.
To sign up as a volunteer for Saturday's effort, visit online.harvestpack.org/Powerof10.
----
For the Record: The organizer of the Festival of Children opening-night event in the following item said Aug. 25 that the party is not open to the public.
Kick-off event for Festival of Children set for South Coast Plaza
An opening-night event for the 15th annual Festival of Children is scheduled from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 31 at the Garden Terrace at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.
The month-long Festival of Children is a charity event held every weekend in September. Children of all ages can enjoy live music, dance performances, face painting and animal shows.
The opening event will offer food, drinks and valet parking. To RSVP, call (714) 546-0110.
For a list of festival events, visit festivalofchildren.org.
Documentary being produced with help of Newport Beach attorney
Newport Beach lawyer West Seegmiller is a co-producer of a documentary about Brian Tracy, a professional speaker who talks about topics such as leadership, personal development and time management.
Seegmiller will work with Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Nick Nanton on the documentary, titled "Maximum Achievement: The Brian Tracy Story."
"Before any of today's motivational speakers were ever around, Brian Tracy was the first to hold self-help seminars where he developed audio books and other tools to help inspire tomorrow's leaders," Seegmiller said in a statement. "I'm excitied to be part of the team that will shine a spotlight on Mr. Tracy and chronicle his triumphs and legacy of uplifting people and helping them reach their full potential." | http://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-dpt-me-around-town-20160823-story.html | en | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/dca5797cf51e06f5d20c5669c7a63a998c6dac8ae61f5bc6c75f7ea5028d301b.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Catharine Hamm"
]
| 2016-08-31T14:50:14 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Ftravel%2Fdeals%2Fla-tr-summer-photo-issue-20160830-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c5fc02/turbine/la-tr-summer-photo-issue-20160830-snap | en | null | Time is running out to submit photos for our summer vacation issue | null | null | www.latimes.com | The clock is ticking.
The deadline for submitting your 2016 summer vacation photos for possible inclusion in the Sept. 18 Travel section is Sept. 7.
Before you send us your work, read the guidelines for submitting. There, you’ll also see galleries of previous winners.
We would urge you to read the whole document, but here are some quick highlights:
•Photos must have been taken between Memorial Day and Labor Day of this year.
•You may submit up to 10 photos.
•You may not submit photos if you are a professional photographer.
Caption What did you do on your summer vacation? Took photos, we bet. Share them with us and the world Our annual summer vacation photo issue is almost here. What will you submit for possible inclusion in our Sept. 18 issue? Our annual summer vacation photo issue is almost here. What will you submit for possible inclusion in our Sept. 18 issue? Caption Designers add a personal touch to the decor of the Dorland house A glimpse at the decor of Lloyd Wright's Dorland house in Altadena by designers Miao Miao and Scott Franklin A glimpse at the decor of Lloyd Wright's Dorland house in Altadena by designers Miao Miao and Scott Franklin
•The easiest way to submit a photo is by email to [email protected]. Please use Summer Vacation Photos in the subject line. Files larger than 10MB will bounce back.
•You may also submit via Flickr or through Instagram with the hashtag #latimestravel2016
•Please include your full name and city of residence.
•Describe what’s happening in the photo and where and when it was taken.
•You may not remove elements from your photo. If there’s a tree that appears to be growing out of someone’s head, you can’t erase it.
Editors have already begun sifting through scores of photos and are winnowing down a crowded field. But your photo just may be the one that lands on the cover. You’ll never know unless you share it with us, which also means that we may reproduce your photos in any format.
ALSO:
I tried out 5 cheap airlines this summer. Here’s what I found
Knott’s Berry Farm returns to the fog for Halloween Haunt 2016
Not the usual Las Vegas headliners: Monet and Picasso coming to the Bellagio | http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-tr-summer-photo-issue-20160830-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/6e7d1ddee26989ad4e3da8c671c2cf7f25b1722c4a4a6bae30f819770f1fdbb2.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Associated Press"
]
| 2016-08-27T18:49:05 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Flocal%2Flanow%2Fla-me-max-ritvo-20160827-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Max Ritvo, L.A. poet who chronicled his cancer battle, dies at 25 | null | null | www.latimes.com | Max Ritvo, a poet who chronicled his long battle with cancer in works that were both humorous and searing, has died. He was 25.
Ritvo died Tuesday morning at his home in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles, his mother, Ariella Ritvo-Slifka, said Friday.
Ritvo was diagnosed at 16 with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare cancer that affects bones and soft tissue in children and young adults.
Treatment brought about a remission that permitted Ritvo to finish high school and attend Yale University, where he performed in an improv comedy group. His teachers included Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Louise Gluck.
Ritvo's cancer returned in his senior year, but he completed Yale and this year earned a master's degree from Columbia University.
Ritvo's battle with the disease informed his works. A June poem in the New Yorker discussed an experiment in which cells from his tumors were used in cancer-drug treatment experiments with mice.
"I want my mice to be just like me," Ritvo wrote. "I don't have any children. I named them all Max. First they were Max 1, Max 2, but now they're all just Max. No playing favorites."
Ritvo's first book of poetry, "Four Reincarnations," is scheduled to be published this fall.
In radio and podcast interviews, Ritvo spoke about his suffering. But he rejected any idea that he was a victim of the disease — especially a heroic one.
At their wedding last summer, Ritvo and his wife, Victoria, banned words such as "inspirational" from the speeches, his mother said.
"He was about love and compassion, human and animal rights and about writing and sharing himself with the world," she said. "He didn't want people to see him as an invalid."
Ritvo saw humor not as a coping mechanism but as an intrinsic part of dealing with his illness.
"You know, we imagine in our hysteria that it's disrespectful for the sadness. But when you laugh at something horrible, you're just illuminating a different side of it that was already there and it's not a deflection, it makes it deeper and makes it realer," he said last month in the WNYC Studios podcast "Only Human."
Ritvo also inspired people with his attitude, his wife said.
"Max said 'I love you' to everyone. He hugged everyone. He just wanted there to be more love and laughter," she said.
Ritvo was writing until just days before his death and had told his family that the end would be near when he was no longer able to write.
The day before his death, he told his mother and wife: "I can't write anymore, I can't speak, I can't breathe. … I'm not me. … You guys have to be OK with me going," his mother said.
Earlier this month, Ritvo tweeted a link to poem called "The Final Voicemails," which he said was "about goin’ a bit loopy under quarantine and what Death is."
Its final lines: "Red as earth, red as a dying berry, red as your lips, red as the last thing I saw — and whatever next thing I will see." | http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-max-ritvo-20160827-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/7159aab6adca5d206f6ea885cd0098972ab888cb847cb2424981990c844f28c8.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Alice Walton"
]
| 2016-08-29T12:50:04 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Flocal%2Flanow%2Fla-me-essential-california-20160829-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c385ad/turbine/la-me-essential-california-20160829-snap | en | null | Essential California: Black Lives Matter gets cool reception from some black churches | null | null | www.latimes.com | Good morning. It is Monday, Aug. 29. Steven Gerrard of the L.A. Galaxy just had his first In-N-Out burger. How was it? “Life changing.” Here's what else is happening in the Golden State:
TOP STORIES
Civil rights movement
For decades, African American churches have played a central role in Los Angeles’ civil rights fights, but many preachers have been slow to embrace Black Lives Matter. And the movement’s members have turned to street protests and social media rather than the pulpit to communicate their message. “The black church, or at least the faith-based community, has not embraced Black Lives Matter because it doesn’t seem to have that central direction where people of responsibility can make the decisions and 99% can follow that,” said Pastor J. Edgar Boyd of First AME. Los Angeles Times
Political gifts
L.A. County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey has received more than $10,000 worth of gifts over the last four years from criminal defense attorneys, police unions, prosecutors and business owners, state records show. Lacey declined to comment, but the gifts raise questions of impartiality. Public officials “have extraordinary power to destroy people’s lives. And you want them to act in a disinterested way, not with an eye toward profiting,” said Bruce Green, director of the Louis Stein Center for Law and Ethics at Fordham Law School. Los Angeles Times
Goodbye to baseball
The Bakersfield Blaze is going out of business. There’s a lot of affection for the quirky baseball stadium there, but the team has ranked last in Class A California League attendance for the last 10 years. “To have baseball there that long and then to take it away, what is the city left with?” said Dodgers pitcher Jesse Chavez, who played there in 2005. Los Angeles Times
Readers, we always love hearing from you. You can keep up with Alice and Shelby during the day on Twitter. Follow @TheCityMaven and @ShelbyGrad.
FRAMED: A MYSTERY IN SIX PARTS
The call: Kelli Peters was the perfect PTA mom in the safe, tony town of Irvine. Who would want to do her harm? This is the first chapter in reporter Christopher Goffard’s six-part series titled “Framed.” Los Angeles Times
L.A. AT LARGE
False alarm: Reports of an active shooter sent passengers at multiple Los Angeles International Airport terminals into a panic Sunday night, but authorities confirmed that those reports were false. Flight operations on two runways stopped temporarily because passengers ran onto the restricted airfield. Los Angeles Times
Singer passes: Juan Gabriel, an icon in the Latin music world, died Sunday at the age of 66. "He has passed on to become part of eternity and has left us his legacy through Juan Gabriel, the character created by him for all the music that has been sung and performed all around the world,” according to a statement from his office. Los Angeles Times
What a dump: “Torture.” That’s how San Fernando Valley residents are describing the smell coming from the Sunshine Canyon Landfill. Those comments came Saturday during a South Coast Air Quality Management District hearing on controlling the odor from the dump. “As a result of the odors emanating from the landfill, a considerable number of persons living in the community and attending [its] elementary school have been forced to remain indoors,” said Nick Sanchez, an attorney for the SCAQMD. Daily News
Honoring a legend: Vin Scully is about to begin his final month of broadcasting for the Dodgers, a job he began in 1950. Players, coaches, managers and umpires are paying their respects to the man who has such love and affection for the game. “When you think of the Dodgers, you don’t just think about all the greats that played for the Dodgers, you think of Vin Scully as well,” said Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals. New York Times
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Campaign donations: Donald Trump will be in the Bay Area today for political fundraisers. The GOP presidential nominee will be in Napa Valley and then at an undisclosed location on the Peninsula for a $25,000-a-person event. He’ll be in Tulare County on Tuesday. SFist
Latino voters: Dozens of Latino supporters for Trump rallied in Anaheim on Sunday. “He speaks the language of the heart. He can reach people who have been disenfranchised,” said Marco Gutierrez, a co-founder of Latinos for Trump. Los Angeles Times
Pot futures: Will Latino voters support the legalization of marijuana in California? And if Proposition 64 passes, will people of color share in the new riches? Columnist Robin Abcarian explores the issue. Los Angeles Times | http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-essential-california-20160829-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/0755b8dc3f38febacbf4567a8274178bda283caae2a8de6314f3bf32c453dbd4.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-31T04:49:53 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnation%2Fpolitics%2Ftrailguide%2Fla-na-trailguide-updates-1472608225-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c6574a/turbine/la-na-trailguide-updates-1472608225 | en | null | Sen. John McCain wins primary contest in Arizona | null | null | www.latimes.com | He's served in the Senate for nearly three decades, but never has John McCain faced a reelection like this year.
The reason? Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, who has been a persistent presence in McCain's bid for another term.
On Tuesday, McCain defeated his main challenger in the Republican primary, Kelli Ward, a former state lawmaker and staunch Trump supporter. Based on initial returns, McCain outpaced Ward by double digits, enough for the Associated Press to call the race.
Throughout the primary, Ward consistently assailed McCain for his "tepid" support of Trump, seeking to exacerbate rifts that have developed over the years between the Arizona senator and the party's base, who for the most part are in lockstep with Trump. The tactic by Ward forced McCain to repeatedly field questions about his views on Trump, leaving little discourse about issues that pertained specifically to Arizona.
The relationship between McCain and Trump has been tense.
In recent weeks, McCain, who has said he will support Trump this fall because he’s the party’s nominee, has condemned the billionaire businessman for his public criticism of a family whose son was killed while serving in Iraq.
And last year, shortly after Trump entered the presidential race, he publicly mocked McCain's military service.
"He’s not a war hero.... He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured," Trump said at the time of McCain, who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam for nearly six years.
McCain, whose state has a growing Latino population, now faces Democratic U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick. She’s assailed McCain for his support of Trump, whose comments about some Mexican immigrants being "rapists" could hurt the longtime senator in the increasingly diverse state.
Still, a recent CNN/ORC poll showed McCain up by 13 percentage points in a head-to-head matchup with Kirkpatrick.
On Wednesday, Trump is set to deliver a major immigration speech in Phoenix. As of Tuesday night, McCain was not expected to attend. | http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-trailguide-updates-1472608225-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/c95bb1c8109a1ea45b98b0a4ea2a825109686e28de187d5dd4bdd1018765fac3.json |
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