5/30/2013 - Beverly Press

Transcription

WWW.BEVERLYPRESS.COM
INSIDE
• Writers protest
pg. 3
• Alleged robbers
arrested, pg. 4
Temps in the
80s, partly
cloudy
Volume 23 No. 22
Serving the West Hollywood, Hancock Park and Wilshire Communities
May 30, 2013
Entertainment shuttle in Among you could be the next Steve Jobs
West Hollywood is a go
n Career Day inspires
n City in the midst of implementing pilot program
By AAron Blevins
As soon as July, the city of West
Hollywood could be operating its
own entertainment shuttle program along Santa Monica
Boulevard that will cater to
patrons of the city’s bustling
nightlife.
Earlier this month, the West
Hollywood City Council approved
an agreement with Symblaze Inc.
to brand and develop graphic and
collateral materials for the program. The shuttle is expected to
run from Robertson Boulevard to
Orange Grove Drive, with nine
stops in between.
“I hope that it works,”
Councilman John Duran said of
the six-month pilot program. “The
whole trick is going to be in the
branding and marketing of the
shuttle.”
Since at least December 2011,
the city has been looking at ways
to bring back its Niteline shuttle,
which was defunded in 1997. In
April, the city council directed
staff members to create the sixmonth pilot program.
Preliminarily, the council plans
to operate two shuttles that would
run east and west on Santa Monica
Boulevard from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m.
on Friday and Saturday nights.
According to city documents, the
shuttle would be free to riders and
would be designed to have — at
most — 15-minute headways
using existing Metro and West
Hollywood City Line stops.
City staff anticipates that the
See Nightlife page 20
It’s ‘bug appetit’ at upgraded
Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
n Discounts given for eating crickets and spiders
By AAron Blevins
Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
served food during a promotional
event last Friday, but true to form,
the offerings were not typical
California cuisine — unless one
counts crickets.
Bug chef David Gordon, the
author of “Eat-a-Bug Cookbook”,
served up some of his finest
recipes that call for servings of
scorpion, cockroach, ant, spider,
termite,
worm,
caterpillar,
grasshopper, dung beetle, wasp
and, of course, cricket.
See Bugs page 21
youngsters to explore
their opportunities
By AAron Blevins
Days in advance of my Career
Day presentation, while I was fretting about what to say to the students
at
Selma
Avenue
Elementary School, my brother,
who works with children frequently, suggested that I stick to
superheroes. I dismissed the idea.
Yet, I am not the most articulate
public speaker, so I struggled to
relay the details of my career to
Amy Genut’s fifth-grade class last
Thursday. Thankfully, she likened
my job to that of Peter Parker, and
naturally, the class perked up.
“So, you might be SpiderMan?” a student asked, and so
began a day of relating my work
to superheroes.
I was among several people to
attend Career Day at the school on
May 23. The other professionals
in attendance were an artist, a
lawyer, a healthcare worker and
future firefighters. We discussed
our careers with three classes
each, and fielded questions from
the inquisitive students.
Knowing that elementary
school students have an innocent
love for being in the newspaper, I
opted to interview students during
my presentation and take photos
photo by Aaron Blevins
Fifth-grade teacher Amy Genut consents to a goofy photo of her class
during Career Day on May 23 at Selma Avenue Elementary School.
of the class — one scholarly and
one goofy.
“I think that it’s a good idea,”
Michael Torres, 10, said of career
day, adding that he wants to be a
pilot. “We’re learning about other
jobs and what we could be.”
Umberto Hernandez, 11,
agreed. He wants to be a professional football player after college.
“It’s cool because other kids can
learn what they want to be,”
Umberto said.
Cristol Escoto said he wanted to
be a soccer player after his schooling is complete. When asked why,
he said, “Because I’m good at it.”
However, he also enjoyed career
day.
“It’s awesome because I get to
See Students page 22
Scouts reverse policy on gay youth
n LGBT scout leaders
still prohibited after
council decision
By edwin folven
With help from Ripley’s general manager Andrea Silverman, Danielle
Kashkooli tries a grasshopper at the museum.
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The Boy Scouts of America’s
National Council voted on May 23
to end its ban on gay scouts, but
will continue its policy of banning
gay scoutmasters. The decision
received a mixed reaction from
leaders in the LGBT community,
with some saying it is a small step
in the right direction, but that it
does not go far enough.
“The Boy Scouts of America
have taken a half-step in the right
direction by lifting the ban on gay
youth, but a half-step does not get
you where you need to go,” West
Hollywood Mayor Abbe Land
said. “This sends a confusing and
unacceptable message to scouts,
and continues discrimination
based on sexual orientation. The
Boy Scouts must take the full step
and allow gay scouts and leaders.
.
(
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photo Tom Wilson
Scoutmaster Tom Wilson, top left, of Troop 13, described the policy
change as a non-issue for his troop.
It is the right and only acceptable
action to take.”
West
Hollywood
City
Councilman John Duran added
&'$# !/
that Boy Scouts of America is far
behind other similar organizations.
“The Girl Scouts have no prohiSee Scouts page 22
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
2 May 30, 2013
Calendar
31 Indie Film
T
he independent film “From The
Head” runs from Friday, May 31
through June 6 at the Arena Cinema in
Hollywood. The film is actor George
Griffith’s debut feature as writer and
director, and follows the story of
Shoes, a bathroom attendant who has
worked for years in a busy Times
Square club. Daily showtimes are at
7:30 and 9:30 p.m.; additional screenings at 5:30 p.m., Sundays. Tickets are
$10. 1625 N. Las Palmas Ave.
(323)306-0676,
www.arenascreen.com.
sciousness in a world where environmental and ethnic diversity are fast
diminishing. Showtimes are at 8 p.m.,
Friday and Saturday; 7 p.m., Sunday.
Tickets are $20. 1125 N. McCadden
Place. (323)860-7300, www.lagaycenter.org/theatre.
Comedy at PLB
E
njoy an evening of laughs and
fun during “Comedy in the Park”
on Saturday, June 1 from 7:30 to 9
p.m. in the Park Labrea Theatre. The
clean and funny stand-up show is presented by Wintershaw Enterprises on
the first Saturday of each month.
General admission is $15. 475 S.
Curson Ave.; enter Park La Brea from
6th or 3rd Streets. (323)549-5470,
www.wintershawenterprises.com.
June
1 Chorale Concert
T
he Angel City Chorale celebrates
two decades of song with special
reunion concerts on Saturday, June 1
and Sunday, June 2, at 7 p.m. at
Wilshire
United
Methodist
Church. Christopher Tin’s “Calling
All Dawns” will be performed, along
with “The Best of ACC”, a program
highlighting crowd-favorite songs
from
the
choir’s
20-year
history. Tickets are $30. 4350
Wilshire Blvd. www.angelcitychorale.org.
Musical Theatre
B
photo courtesy of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz
C
Grammy Award-winning singer Patti Austin takes the stage in a free concert with music students from the Los Angeles Unified School District on
Sunday, June 2 at 2 p.m. at the Roxy Theatre on the Sunset Strip. The
concert is part of the mentorship program held by the LAUSD and
Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. 9009 W. Sunset Blvd. (310)278-9457,
www.theroxyonsunset.com.
International
Festival
p.m. The school choir Pueri Cantores,
the Nova Vocal Ensemble, Inspirare
Vocal Ensemble, the Harana Men’s
Chorus, the Cathedral Jazz Combo,
Bishop Conaty-Our Lady of Loretto
Dance Group, Los Palomos Mariachi
band and many others, will perform.
Audiences can also enjoy food booths,
games, karaoke and more. 617 N.
Arden Blvd. www.cksla.org.
Comedy Benefit
omedians Lisa Landry and
Christopher Porter will keep the
audience in stitches during “Recovery
Through Laughter” on Saturday, June
1 beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the
Alcoholism Center for Women. The
show benefits the center’s recovery
programs. Suggested donation is $25.
1147 S. Alvarado St. (213)381-8515,
[email protected].
L
isten to diverse musical performances and enjoy foods from
around the world at Christ the King
School’s “International Festival” on
Saturday, June 1 from 3 to 9 p.m., and
Sunday, June 2 from 9:30 a.m. to 7
Legal Clinic
V
olunteer attorneys from the
Beverly Hills Bar Association
Barristers will answer legal questions
during a free legal aid clinic on
Saturday, June 1 from 10 a.m. to noon
at the La Cienega Park in Beverly
Hills. Small claims, wills and trusts,
business disputes, consumer law and
landlord-tenant law will be discussed.
8400 Gregory Way. (310)601-2422,
www.bhba.org.
LGBT Theatre
P
laywright Adelina Anthony’s
“The Beasts of Ti” runs Saturday,
June 1 through 16 in the L.A. Gay &
Lesbian Center’s Renberg Theatre.
The play is a satirical and LGBT allegory that explores the contradictions
and pains of coming to political con-
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Arts Festival
F
ans of the arts are invited to
“City Hearts/Kids Say Yes to the
Arts: A Day of Enchantment” on
Saturday, June 1 from 10 a.m. to 2:30
p.m. at the Will Geer Theatricum
Botanicum. The free community
event showcases the work of more
than 200 students from Los Angeles’
inner city communities who participated in City Hearts’ Arts programming in Shakespeare, dance, musical
theatre and photography. 1419 N.
Topanga Canyon Blvd. RSVP
required
to
(310)455-2898,
www.cityhearts.org.
L
earn about Native American
foods during an “American
Indian Culture Family Day” celebration on Sunday, June 2 from 1 to 4
p.m. at the Autry National Center.
The Natwani Coalition, a group of
Hopi organizations committed to sustained farming traditions, will
demonstrate how Hopi meals are
made using a combination of preserved and fresh ingredients. A
demonstration of traditional music
and games will also be held. 4700
Western Heritage Way, in Griffith
Park.
(323)667-2000,
www.theautry.org.
Celtic Fest
C
elebrate all things Celtic during
“Celtic Roots at the Gamble
House” on Sunday, June 2 from 4 to 7
p.m. at the iconic Greene & Greene
Gamble House in Pasadena. Celtic
Violinist Jamie Laval, and the
Pasadena Scottish Pipes & Drums,
will perform. Guests can also enjoy
Highland Dancing, a Celtic food and
marketplace, children’s activities and
tours of the Gamble House. (800)9793370, www.gamblehouse.org.
4 Classical Concert
C
lassical music fans are invited to
a concert by Pacific Serenades
on Tuesday, June 4 at the Faculty
Center at UCLA. The group will perform music by composer Stephen
Cohn, as well as works by Mozart,
Saint-Saëns and Poulenc. 405 N.
Hilgard
Ave.
(213)534-3434,
www.pacser.org.
5 Japanese Arts
L
earn about Japanese Arts at “Art,
Protest, Revolution: Avant-Garde
Madness in 1960s Japan” being held
on Wednesday, June 5 at 7 p.m. at the
Japan Foundation Los Angeles.
UCLA professor William Marotti will
explore the nation’s avant-garde art
and counterculture. RSVP required.
5700
Wilshire
Blvd.
#100.
www.jflalc.org.
BUILDING
BLOCKS
A Rent Stabilization &
Housing Educational Series
&
!
!
roadway musical Star Tammy
Minoff stars as Rosemary in the
world premiere of “Perennial” running
Saturday, June 1 through 29 at the
Sidewalk Studio Theater. The production marks Minoff’s debut as a playwright. She appears in the story of an
aspiring painter and free spirit who
moves to New York City. Advance
tickets are $20. 4150 Riverside Dr.
(800)838-3006,
www.perennial.brownpapertickets.com.
2 Native Foods
City of West Hollywood
!!
June 2013 Seminars
(All Seminars Are Free)
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Understanding the RSO
Hearings and Appeals Process
June 6 (Tue), 7 p.m.
at Plummer Park (Art Room 2)
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For more information or to RSVP, contact Tom Trevor
(323-848-6472) or Laura Schoonover (323-
3 May 30, 2013
‘Fashion Police’ writers are unhappE!
Dukakis receives WOF honors
n Group seeks union
contract during protest
outside E! office
By AAron Blevins
Comedy
writers
for
E!
Entertainment’s “Fashion Police”
turned their talents on their employer last Thursday, when they protested their wages and voiced their
desire for a union contract.
Outside the E! offices at 5750
Wilshire Blvd., the writers, who are
on strike, were joined by representatives of SAG-AFTRA, the
International Brotherhood of
Teamsters
Local
399,
the
Association of Flight Attendants and
the Writers Guild of America
(WGA), West.
Writer Bryan Cook accused E!
and comedian Joan Rivers’ production company, Rugby Productions,
of violating California labor laws by
paying the writers for eight hours of
work regardless of the time they
were on the clock. He presented his
grievances with “E!quations”.
“If you write jokes for eight hours
three days in a row plus attend a
five-hour meeting and then do rewrites for four more hours, how
many hours did you work?
According to E!, that is eight hours,”
Cook said.
WGA employee Robert Disney leads the chants during the “Fashion
Police” writer protest last week.
He said staffers also did not get
paid for meetings, because they were
considered optional. Even though
“Fashion Police” is a top-rated show,
the writers do not get health insurance either, Cook said, adding that
E! executives wouldn’t allow that
for themselves.
“It is now time for the company to
stop stalling and get the ball rolling,”
he said. “They have no excuse not to
start negotiating with the guild for a
LAUSD’s API scores improve
Data released from the
California
Department
of
Education has indicated that 47
percent of schools in the Los
Angeles Unified School District
(LAUSD)
improved
their
Academic Performance Index
(API) base rankings in 2012 over
2011. By contrast, 31 percent of
schools showed a decrease in
2012, and 16 percent remained
the same.
“These numbers are the latest
evidence that a majority of our
students continue to show strong
improvement in this key educational measure,” Superintendent
John Deasy said. “The API base
rates schools in comparison with
all other schools across the state
and similar schools in a range of
categories, including socio-eco-
nomic status, pupil ethnicity and
language classification.
At the LAUSD, the number of
schools in the highest ranking for
both categories increased from
six to 10, the biggest jump in
years, while the schools in the
lowest rank remained unchanged
at 43.
“The marked rise in the highest-ranking schools is a great
achievement for the LAUSD,”
Deasy said.
The API is a single number,
ranging from a low of 200 to a
high of 1,000, which reflects a
school’s or district’s performance based on the results of
statewide testing. The API base
provides a baseline against
which to compare next year’s
API growth.
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union contract.”
Cook said he realizes that in the
grand scheme of things, being a
comedy writer is not as dangerous as
working in a factory or a coal mine.
For instance, comedy writers can’t
get black lung, he said.
“But I hear E! is working on a
way,” Cook added.
WGA vice president Howard
Rodman spoke, saying that the
union had complete support for any
writers who wanted to join.
“The writers who work for
‘Fashion Police’ have a dream,” he
said. “It’s a dream of being able to be
paid fairly for your work. It’s a
dream of being able to make a living
See Writers page 20
Oscar-winning actress Olympia Dukakis on May 24 received the
2,498th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where the “Steel
Magnolias” star accepted the honor in front of family and fellow
actors Diane Ladd (left) and Ed Asner (right). Dukakis has appeared
in several films, such as “Moonstruck”, “Lilith”, “Dad”, “Look Who’s
Talking”, “The Cemetery Club” and “Mr. Holland’s Opus”. On TV, she
has appeared in “Tales of the City”, “Bored to Death” and “Sinatra”,
among others. Dukakis has also worked in theatre, having appeared
in “The Aspern Papers”, “Abraham Cochrane” and “Who’s Who in
Hell”. Her star is located at 6233 Hollywood Blvd.
4 May 30, 2013
Alleged bank robbers LAPD warns about increased burglaries
nabbed in Hollywood
n Incidents rise in
n Suspects accused of robbing Iowa banks
By edwin folven
Two suspects wanted for a bank
robbery in Iowa were arrested in
Hollywood last Friday by officers
with the LAPD/FBI Fugitive Task
Force.
The suspects, identified as
Wayne Palmer, 28, and Hannah
Reisinger, 19, allegedly robbed a
bank in Stuart, Iowa, on May 20.
According
to
investigators,
Reisinger entered the bank and
handed the teller a note demanding
money. Palmer was the alleged
getaway driver.
Det. Anthony Verret, with the
LAPD/FBI Fugitive Task Force,
said authorities received a tip from
detectives with the Stuart Police
Department that the couple was
heading to Los Angeles. They were
reportedly driving a dark sedan
with Pennsylvania license plates.
No information was provided
about how authorities located the
suspects, but detectives learned
they may be a staying at a hotel in
the 6000 block of Franklin Avenue.
Police conducted surveillance at
the location, and arrested Reisinger
and Palmer at approximately 10:30
a.m. on May 24.
“We saw a car that matched the
description, and when the suspects
walked up to the car, we immediately took them into custody,” he
said.
Lt. Marc Reina, with the
LAPD’s Hollywood Division, said
officers from the station provided
See Iowa page 22
Robbery suspect sought
By edwin folven
Investigators
with
the
Hollywood Division are searching for a male suspect who
allegedly robbed a victim on May
10. The unidentified victim
allegedly met the suspect in an
apartment at a complex near the
corner of Western and Russell
avenues, although police did not
disclose the nature of the meeting.
Shortly after the victim and suspect exited the building, the victim discovered that his laptop
computer was missing. He confronted the suspect and saw that
he had the computer inside his
jacket. When the victim tried to
retrieve his property, a struggle
ensued and the suspect stabbed
the victim with an unknown sharp
object. The suspect fled the location on foot. The victim is recovering.
The suspect is described as
being an African American man
approximately 20 to 30 years old.
He is approximately six feet two
inches tall and weighs 170
pounds. The suspect also has a
distinctive bald spot on the left
(
photo courtesy of the LAPD
Officers are seeking this suspect
in relation to a robbery on May
10 in Hollywood.
side of his head. He is considered
armed and dangerous, according
to investigators.
Anyone with information about
the robbery is asked to contact
Det. Eberhardt or Officer
Maxwell, with the Hollywood
Division, at (213)972-2955.
During weekends and off-hours,
call the LAPD’s hotline at
(877)LAPD247.
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Hollywood, Wilshire
divisions
By edwin folven
Investigators from the Los
Angeles Police Department’s
Wilshire and Hollywood divisions have experienced a recent
increase in residential burglaries.
Police are warning residents to
keep windows and doors locked
when they are not at home, particularly during the summer
months.
Officer Brent Hopkins, with
the Wilshire Division Burglary
Unit, said residential burglaries
tend to increase during the summer. He surmised that the problem can be attributed to more
young people being out of
school, and people leaving windows and doors open because of
the hot weather. He said numerous residential burglaries were
reported throughout the Wilshire
area over the Memorial Day
weekend, although police are still
tallying the exact number.
“We did have a spike over the
last weekend, and it was not in
any one particular area,” Hopkins
said. “It was slow in the beginning of last week. There were
five reports by last Thursday.
Many more came in over the
weekend. It is something that is a
concern.”
He said burglars often commit
crimes of opportunity, targeting
locations where they can gain
easy access. He illustrated the
point with the arrests on May 15
of four members of a burglary
crew in the neighborhoods near
Fairfax Avenue, south of
Olympic Boulevard.
Officers responded to a report
of juveniles trying to enter
garages in the area, and arrested
two 16-year-old suspects near
Whitworth Drive and Point View
Street. Officers determined that
they were working with two 18year-old suspects, who were
located and arrested near
Crescent Heights and Pico boule-
vards. Hopkins said the two juveniles were students at Los
Angeles High School. They were
booked for truancy violations
and released to their parents. The
adults, Kenneth Tanner Jr. and
Chord Rocky Chapman, were
taken into custody for burglary
and receiving stolen property.
Investigators found jewelry and
other stolen property in their
vehicle, allegedly from a burglary earlier that day in the 1100
block of Meadowbrook Avenue.
“It illustrates why folks need to
secure their homes,” Hopkins
said. “The place they broke into
was on the second floor of a
duplex. They had to climb on the
roof of a utility closet to go
through an open window. It was
probably ten to fifteen feet off the
ground. These guys were very
determined.”
Lt. Marc Reina, with the
LAPD’s Hollywood Division,
said authorities are also experiencing an uptick in residential
burglaries, particularly in the
See Burglaries page 21
Assault suspects arrested
n Red Line station
fight escalates to
stabbing
By edwin folven
Two people were arrested on
assault charges Tuesday after a
fight occurred at the Metro Red
Line’s Santa Monica/Vermont station.
The assault occurred at approximately 9 p.m. on the passenger
platform. The station was closed
for an unspecified period of time
while authorities conducted an
investigation, according to Lt. L.
Waxman urges
VA cemetery
construction
U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (DCalif.) on May 23 sent a letter to
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
(VA) Eric Shinseki urging the VA
to move expeditiously on the Los
Angeles National Cemetery
columbarium. The VA approved a
plan to construct a columbarium
in 2007.
“I have worked on behalf of
elderly veterans since 2001 to
urge the Department of Veterans
Affairs to construct a columbarium,” Waxman wrote. “It is difficult to understand why the VA has
not made progress on a project
that is clearly needed, has no
opposition, and is supported by
elderly veterans and their families.
“There is a tremendous need for
a columbarium at the Los Angeles
National Cemetery. Los Angeles
County is home to more than
300,000 veterans, which is the
largest number of any county in
the nation. The Los Angeles
National Cemetery has been
closed to burials since 1978 and
the nearest national cemetery is in
Riverside, more than 75 miles
away. Since the closure of the
National Cemetery, my office has
been contacted by numerous family members wishing to have their
lost loved ones interred in a proper National Cemetery in Los
Angeles.”
Waxman also asked the VA to
provide information by June 15
on the timeline for the completion
of the columbarium.
Additionally, Waxman sent a
letter to Shinseki on May 24 urging him to create a pilot program
at the Los Angeles VA Regional
Office (VARO) to fast-track benefits claims for 50 chronically
homeless and terminally ill veterans within a 30 to 45 day timeframe, instead of the 125 day
timeframe proposed by the VA.
“Delays are a particular problem in Los Angeles, which has the
highest homeless veteran population in the nation,” Waxman
wrote. “The VA could use the
pilot program to provide real help
to some of our most desperate
veterans. It could also develop
best practices which, once established and proven to work, could
be used to assist larger numbers of
homeless veterans at the LA
VARO and be implemented at
other VA facilities around the
country.”
To view the letters, visit waxman.house.gov.
Clark, with the Los Angeles
County Sheriff’s Department’s
Transit Service Bureau.
“There was an assault on the
platform. A knife was involved,”
Clark said. “One victim was transported to the hospital for treatment
of minor injuries and released. The
station was later reopened.”
Clark said two suspects were
arrested at the station and booked
for assault, but she had no further
information about their identities or
a motive. The case will be forwarded to the Los Angeles County
District Attorney’s Office, which
will determine later whether formal
assault charges will be filed.
7 May 30, 2013
Earthquake bill moves forward
The
California
Senate
Appropriations Committee has
unanimously approved SB 135, a
bill that would require the development of a comprehensive statewide
earthquake early warning system
in California. The measure now
goes to the Senate floor for consideration.
About 90 percent of the world’s
earthquakes and more than 80 percent of the world’s strongest
quakes occur along the Pacific
Ring of Fire, which includes the
very active San Andreas Fault in
California. For example, on May
23 there was a 5.7 earthquake in
Northern California, an 8.2 earth-
quake in Russia, a 7.4 earthquake
in Tonga and a 6.8 earthquake off
the coast of Chile. Japan, Taiwan,
Mexico, Turkey, Romania, Italy
and China either have or are working on earthquake early warning
systems.
Specifically, SB 135 would
direct the Office of Emergency
Services, in collaboration with the
California Institute of Technology
(Caltech),
the
California
Geological Survey, the University
of California Berkeley, the United
States Geological Survey and others, to develop a comprehensive
statewide earthquake early warning system in California. The ini-
tial cost estimate for the system is
$80 million. California presently has a
demonstration earthquake early
warning system called the
California Integrated Seismic
Network (CISN). SB 135 would
fully develop this system, which
would process data from an array
of sensors throughout the state,
detect the strength and the progression of an earthquake, alert the
public within seconds and provide
up to 60 seconds advanced warning before potentially damaging
ground shaking is felt. The betasystem worked successfully several weeks ago, providing a 30 second warning to seismologists of a
4.7 magnitude temblor centered in
the Riverside County desert.
8 May 30, 2013
‘Fast & Furious 6’ speeds up summer fun
“Fast Five” redeemed a stagnant
franchise, turning these lowbrow
films into something truly entertaining. “Furious 6” (it’s actually
called “Fast & Furious 6” but
“Furious 6” just sounds cooler)
continued a good thing, even if it
doesn’t exceed the incredibly high
standard set by the fifth installment.
Spoiler alert: Letty didn’t die in
the fourth film. Don’t worry, you
discover this rather quickly when
CIA Agent Hobbs (Dwayne “The
Rock” Johnson) locates Dominic
(Vin Diesel) to tell him the good
news. But Hobbs doesn’t want to
arrest anyone; he needs their help.
Luckily, Dom’s current lady, Elena
(Elsa Pataky), doesn’t mind Dom
chasing after a wife he thought
died; in fact, she empathizes since
she lost her husband (remember
that background story in “Fast
Five”?).
So Dom gets the band back
together to find Letty, who’s working alongside Shaw (Luke Evans).
Dom and his best friend, Brian
(Paul Walker), now married to
Dom’s sister, Mia (Jordana
Brewster), with a newborn, will
need plenty of support from their
team — franchise returnees,
Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Han
(Sung Kang), Gisele (Gal Gabot),
and Tej (Ludacris) — to take down
a man of equal criminality who is
twice as vicious. This won’t be a
fair fight. As Shaw points out,
Dom’s central flaw is his commitment to family –– a stark contrast
to a man who discards anyone who
fails him. Fun perk: the film even
ties in the events of “Tokyo Drift”
(the third film with an unrelated
plotline, save the presence of Han’s
characters), setting up a new nemesis for the seventh film (of course
there will be another one –– these
films make a killing at the box
office).
I’m calling it. These films just
might be the James Bonds of the
millennial generation. Let’s do the
math. Both highly exploit women,
though “Fast & Furious” actually
includes more strong female characters alongside the often scantily
clad women at late night street
races. Bond has his gadgets, and all
those “Furious” boys love their
toys (cars, grappling hooks, etc.)
too. We wouldn’t know what NOS
is without Vin and Paul racing in
the dead of night. Lastly, the heists
and big baddies make for very formulaic films that often end in outrageous action sequences, usually
involving expensive cars that question gravity’s hold on Earth.
The real strength of “Furious 6”,
besides the excessive chase
sequences, is the relationship
between the straight-and-narrow
government employee, Hobbs, and
family-man/career criminal Dom.
Will these two learn to trust each
other and join forces to take down
a greater foe? And will they fight
side by side during the film’s climactic showdown? If not, then I’m
out.
I can’t leave out another memorable duel between Hobbs’ assistant, Riley (played by professional
mixed martial arts fighter Gina
Carano) and Letty (played by one
of Hollywood’s toughest action
ladies, Michelle Rodriguez). The
punches feel real as Carano incorporates her MMA vocational training, and Rodriguez channels all the
action roles she’s starred in.
photo courtesy of Universal Pictures
Roman (Tyrese Gibson) takes a death-defying leap in “Fast & Furious 6”.
For all its entertainment value,
director Justin Lin had far more
success with the fifth film, which
set a new standard for what a
fourth sequel can do. Lin’s final
contribution to the film series
(totaling four) ends on an explosive note –– but not as amazing as
it could’ve been. Sure, the action is
wildly unbelievable (at one point,
two characters sort-of fly across
highway bridges and catch each
other), but once you make peace
with the film’s reimagining of the
laws of physics, what’s left is actually not as spectacular as what
came before. It’s far more outlandish, but the character chemistry isn’t quite as strong, the ending feels rather rushed and the
outro just doesn’t top the previous
one. I mean, in “Fast Five” the
crew almost took out Rio, dragging
a bank vault around. Here, it’s just
photo courtesy of Universal Pictures
Brian (Paul Walker), Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Dom (Vin Diesel)
reunite for “Fast & Furious 6”, the latest installment of the blockbuster
franchise.
not as grandiose.
Despite flaws and comparisons
to its immediate predecessor,
“Furious 6” pumps out the popcorn
goods with the same fury as a
street racer’s love of revving an
engine. The jokes are solid and the
cars are fast.
Besides, it stars Vin and The
Rock. What’s not to love?
9 May 30, 2013
Play explores connections with the afterlife
Whether you are a believer or not
in things psychic and generally
unexplained, Dale Griffith Stamos’
latest investigation … er, play …
“One White Crow”, will at least
make you wonder if or why a connection between the living and the
dead does really exist.
Michelle Danner, as television
medium, the justifiably super-sized
Judith Knight, merely by her own
“true belief”, is a force to be reckoned with. She really gives the
impression that she knows more of
life — and afterlife — than the rest
of us. Teresa O’Neill, well played by
a spirited — in the best sense —
and doubting Jane Hadjuk, comes to
her project to profile the
“renowned” television medium for
her “true science” magazine, with a
definite chip on her shoulder. Tess’
“removed” father, a former brilliant
science writer and debunker of any
such phenomenon, is always at
Tess’ shoulder as she attempts to fulfill her assignment.
Unfortunately for the renowned
psychic, Tess’ father’s protégé, Alex
Rimbaud (a suave and convincing
Rob Estes), enlisted by Tess, for protective reasons, is at her side while
she interviews the maybe/maybe not
interpreter of life and afterlife. At
this point, the play is encumbered
somewhat by becoming a situation
comedy/drama that is, in itself, a
paeon to the true believer. Or
maybe, it’s the fault — or the talent
of the players and/or the playwright
— that the audience comes away
from the play not knowing whether
or not, if or maybe, there could be a
possibility of an afterlife phenomenon. Or is it?
Nonetheless, this pleasantly unassuming play is a fine way to spend
an evening, or a Sunday afternoon,
watching and contemplating the
reality and/or believability of unexplained phenomenon. Believe it or
not are the choices here, and it is no
stretch to believe it … or not … and
still come out unscathed, and happy
photo by Sandis Babauskis
Michelle Danner as Judith Knight, Jane Hajduk as Tess O’Neill, and Rob
Estes as Alex Rimbaud provide a convincing performance in “One White
Crow”.
Student filmmakers encouraged
to submit works on immigration
The Los Angeles Unified School
District and the “Cortos Y Fuertes/
Short & Strong” student film competition are seeking entries for
short films created by students
about the immigrants in their lives.
The competition is sponsored by
the
Los Angeles
County
Federation of Labor and UNITE
HERE, a union representing hotel,
hospitality and food service workers. Students are encouraged to
submit films on immigration that
are no longer than three minutes in
length.
Submissions are due by Aug. 16,
and each film will be judged within the filmmaker’s age category of
18 years old and over, 13 to 17
years old, and 13 years old and
under. Former U.S. Secretary of
Labor Hilda Solis and actor and
producer Rosario Dawson will be
among the judges who will select
the most thought and emotion provoking, telling entries. First and
second place winners will be chosen in all three age categories, and
Best Overall and Most Viewed
prizes will be awarded. Winners
will receive cash prizes up to
$2,000. Filmmakers may use video
cameras, digital cameras or cell
phones to create their films. For
information, visit www.shortandstrong.org.
Social media campaign raises
funding for The Trevor Project
The AT&T “LiveProud” campaign, which is supported by
celebrity spokesperson Adam
Lambert, is seeking to raise up to
$50,000 for The Trevor Project,
which operates a hotline for LGBT
youth who feel suicidal and need
support. “Too many lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender and questioning youth
don’t believe they have a voice —
but I want to show them that they
do, and encourage them to live free
and to live proud,” Lambert said.
AT&T will donate at least
$25,000, and Trevor Project supporters can help double the gift by
showing support on social media.
The company will increase its gift
by $1 for each new “like” on
the AT&T Live Proud Facebook
page by June 30 at www.apps.facebook.com/attlgbtq. AT&T will also
add 50 cents to the gift for each person who re-tweets a post
from @ATT, @TrevorProject
or @adamlambert, with the hashtag
#attliveproud,
at
www.twitter.com/att.
Another element of the campaign
is the “LiveProud” contest in which
LGBT adults are asked to submit
either photos or written testimonials
about their proudest moments. Ten
winners, plus one guest each, will be
chosen to attend the “AT&T Live
Proud VIP” experience with
Lambert.
Mad About
MadTheatre
About Theater
b
dl
Sh
by Madeleine Shaner
for the experience. Entirely convincing performances by Hadjuk as
Tess, and Estes as Alex, the protégé
(and is there, or isn’t there a spark
between these two?) keep the audience’s juices flowing pleasantly,
under justly respected director
Deborah Levine.
“One White Crow” is a pleasant
summer charmer that will convince
… or not … that there is more to life
than just being among the living.
The play runs through June 23 at the
Edgemar Center for the Arts
(Second Stage Auditorium), 2437
Main St., Santa Monica. Showtimes
are at 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 5
p.m., Sunday. For information, call
(310)392-7327, or visit www.edgemarcenter.org.
photos by Sandis Babauskis
Rob Estes stars as Alex Rimbaud, and Jane Hajduk appears as Tess
O’Neill, in the play “One White Crow” at the Edgemar Center for the Arts.
10 May 30, 2013
State Assembly approves new
legislation to curb ‘swatting’
State Assemblyman Mike Gatto’s
legislation to criminalize the
increasingly prevalent crime known
as “swatting” was approved by the
California State Assembly on
Tuesday by a 76-0 vote. The bill, AB 47, is the
Assembly’s only pending “swatting” bill to increase criminal penalties. “Swatting” is a prank committed by anonymous individuals who
alert police to a bogus crime, often
prompting a tactical response by
SWAT officers. There have been
more than a dozen recent “swatting”
calls in the last five months, according to Gatto’s office. Public officials, such as Los Angeles Police
Department Chief Charlie Beck,
fear that it’s only a matter of time
before someone is killed as a result
of the false reports. Some of the calls have been
focused on humiliating celebrities
such as Justin Bieber and Rihanna,
but other victims have been targeted
for their political beliefs, including a
political blogger. The prank has also
been perpetrated against non-public
figures in quiet residential neighborhoods.
“Police fear that this potential
deadly prank will become more
prevalent if we do not do something
to elevate swatting to a serious
crime,” Gatto said. “This commonsense legislation will discourage
this dangerous activity and allow
law enforcement to deploy their
officers and precious resources to
real crimes-in-progress.”
Under AB 47, anyone who makes
a “swatting”call would be subject to
a $2,000 fine and a year in jail, and
a significantly increased fine and
jail time if the call results in bodily
harm. The bill further stipulates that
Committee
passes
fracking
moratorium
A bill by Assemblywoman Holly
Mitchell (D-Los Angeles) that
would impose a moratorium on the
practice of fracking in California
has passed the Assembly
Appropriations Committee.
Testifying before the committee,
Mitchell defended the need for the
ban, challenging the notion that
any loss to the state in future oil
revenues could be allowed to outweigh potential costs, in terms of
quality of life and home values,
imposed on those living in the
vicinity of fracturing sites.
“The largest oil field in the state
designated for major use of fracking is in a densely-populated, predominantly minority area of my
district,” she said. “Yet, no one has
proven that it can be done safely
close to so many homes.”
Mitchell had expressed skepticism about the claim that the state
might forgo significant revenues
from an interruption in the
exploitation of fossil fuel fracked
from state lands.
AB 1323 would halt hydraulic
fracturing or “fracking” — the
infusion under high pressure of
chemicals, sand and water underground to release oil or natural gas
— until state regulations specify
conditions for its safe use. The
measure now goes for a full vote on
the floor of the Assembly.
any “swatting” call that results in a
death can be considered manslaughter.
“’Swatting’ is a dangerous prank
that costs local governments and
homeowners thousands of dollars
and takes public-safety resources
away from real emergencies,” he
added. “It is only a matter of time
before someone is struck by an
emergency-response vehicle or a
firearm is accidentally discharged in
a moment of chaos.”
For
information,
visit
www.asm.ca.gov/gatto.
Travel Town volunteers get service award
City Councilmember Tom
LaBonge, 4th District, recently
held a ceremony for the winners
of the President’s Volunteer
Service Award, which was given
to 24 volunteers at Travel Town
in Griffith Park. The President’s
Volunteer Service Award is a
national honor awarded in recognition of volunteer service, and
the Travel Town Museum
Foundation used the award to recognize the achievements of its
volunteers. More than 100 volunteers perform community service
each year on behalf of the organization. For information, visit
www.traveltown.org.
photo courtesy of the 4th District Council Office
11 May 30, 2013
Senator selects marathon Bass calls for stricter laws on human trafficking
runner as Woman of the Year
“If we continue to
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal
(D-Conn.) and U.S. Rep. Karen
Bass (D-Calif.) on May 16 hosted a
forum to discuss how children in
the child welfare and foster care
systems are vulnerable to falling
prey to sex traffickers and to identify tools and best practices to help
communities screen for, and provide services to, victims of child
trafficking.
“The fight against modern-day
slavery often takes on an international focus, but we need to remember that all forms of human trafficking occur every day in the
United States,” said Blumenthal,
co-chair of the Senate Caucus to
End Human Trafficking. “One
aspect of this issue that demands
special attention is the trafficking
of children — a heinous crime that
is often invisible and unknown but
always cruel and brutal. A comprehensive and dedicated effort is
required to meet the needs of our
nation’s most vulnerable youth and
we need to ensure there is effective
think of child
trafficking as only
a problem abroad,
we do so at the
expense of
thousands of
children within our
own borders...”
-Congresswoman Karen Bass
coordination among all of the systems designed to serve the needs of
these children.”
The forum brought together a
host of advocates from the child
welfare and foster care system and
runaway and homeless youth programs. During the event,
Blumenthal and Bass commended
the Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS) for issuing
guidance to child welfare agencies
to help them identify and support
victims of human trafficking, and
emphasized the need for a multidisciplinary collaborative approach to
combat the trafficking of children
and youth.
“The statistics for current or former foster youth who have been
involved with child trafficking is
truly alarming and it’s time for a
wake-up call to combat this problem,” Bass, co-chair of the
Congressional Caucus on Foster
Youth, said. “If we continue to
think of child trafficking as only a
problem abroad, we do so at the
expense of thousands of children
within our own borders who are at
risk of becoming trafficking victims, with foster youth being especially susceptible. We know that
pimps continue to target foster
youth group homes as hubs to
recruit vulnerable girls. This is
unacceptable, and we cannot continue to fail our nation’s children or
ignore these trends.”
Mayor honors local communications company
photo by Jennifer Zivkovic
State Sen. Ted Lieu (D-Los Angeles) recently honored Julie Weiss,
of Santa Monica, as the 2013 Woman of the Year for the 28th Senate
District. Weiss ran 52 marathons in 52 weeks to help fight pancreatic cancer. She raised nearly $200,000 for the Manhattan Beach-based
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. Lieu presented the award to
Weiss during closing ceremonies of PurpleStride Los Angeles, a 5k
run/walk held on May 19 at Exposition Park.
Governor joins call for new ways
to address climate change
Warning that Earth is rapidly
approaching a tipping point at
which human impacts are causing
alarming levels of harm to the
planet, Gov. Jerry Brown on May
23 joined more than 500
researchers and scientists to
release a call to action on climate
change and other global threats to
humanity.
“This is not just about science,
this is about activism,” Brown
said. “This is an important challenge, cause and undertaking. We
can do it, but we have to do a lot
more than we’re doing now.”
Brown and the scientists
released the call to action at the 4th
annual Water, Energy and Smart
Technology
Summit
and
Showcase at NASA Ames
Research Center. A 20-page consensus statement, produced at the
governor’s urging and signed by
more than 500 scientists, translates
key scientific findings from disparate fields into one unified message for policymakers, industry
and the general public. The statement aims to improve the nexus
between scientific research and
( )
political action on climate change.
The call to action identifies five
key threats to the habitable environment that policymakers must
address to avoid the degradation of
humanity’s relative health and
prosperity, along with broad solutions to the challenges outlined:
climate change, extinctions, loss of
ecosystems, pollution, and population growth and consumption.
The full text of the statement
and the list of the over 500 scientists who signed the document are
available at mahb.stanford.edu.
The signatories hail from 44 countries and include two Nobel laureates, 33 members of the U.S.
National Academy of the Sciences
and members of international scientific academies.
The statement’s lead writer is
Anthony Barnosky, a University of
California, Berkeley, professor of
integrative biology. Barnosky was
the lead author of a scientific paper
in 2012 that warned Earth is dangerously close to a tipping point at
which climate change is fundamentally altering the biological
make-up of the planet.
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Los Angeles Mayor Antonio
Villaraigosa has named Zeesman
Communications, located in the
Miracle Mile, as the 2013 Minority
Professional Services Firm of the
Year.
“We are thrilled to receive this
award from the mayor’s office and
the
Minority
Business
Development Agency that recognizes our leadership in brand strategy, marketing and design,”
Zeesman president and CEO
Bonnie Nijst said. “Building a company in Los Angeles, where small
and minority businesses are recognized and valued for their economic contributions, as well as the
excellence they’re known for in
their own industries, is truly a
pleasant and rewarding experience.”
Representatives of Zeesman will
join members of the Mayor’s
Office of Economic & Business
Policy at the annual Minority
Enterprise Development (MED)
Week Conference to be held in
Washington, D.C.
The conference provides minority business enterprises with infor-
mation and access to federal contracting managers, valuable workshops and training sessions.
Zeesman is a marketing and com-
munications company located at
6420 Wilshire Blvd., Ste 1240. For
information, call (323)658-8000, or
visit www.zeesman.com.
photo courtesy of Zeesman Communications
Bonnie Nijst and Arthur Zeesman, of Zeesman Communications, were
honored by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (center) after the company was
named 2013 Minority Professional Services Firm of the Year.
14 May 30, 2013
Police Blotter
The following information was reported to the West Hollywood Sheriff’s
Station and the LAPD’s Wilshire Division between May 22 and May 27,
2013. If you are a victim of a crime, here are the telephone numbers of local
law enforcement agencies; Los Angeles Police Department, Wilshire Division
(213)473-0489 and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department West
Hollywood Station (310)855-8850.
The following crimes occurred in
West Hollywood and the areas
patrolled by the LAPD’s Wilshire
and Hollywood Divisions between
May 22 and May 27, and were
compiled from www.crimemapping.com.
May 22
At 12:45 a.m., an attempted robbery was reported near the corner
of Waring and Sweetzer.
An unknown suspect burglarized a
residence in the 300 block of N.
Vista at 9 a.m.
At 1 p.m., an unknown suspect
committed petty theft in the 8800
block of Beverly.
An unknown suspect committed
petty theft in the 8800 block of
Beverly at 3:30 p.m.
At 6:30 p.m., an unknown suspect
block of W. 3rd.
An unknown suspect stole a vehicle parked near the corner of
Hollywood and Fuller at 10 p.m.
At 11 p.m., an attempted robbery
was reported in the 100 block of N.
Hudson.
Virginia at 8:50 p.m.
May 25
At 7 a.m., an unknown suspect
assaulted a victim in the 1400
block of N. Poinsettia.
An unknown suspect assaulted a
victim in the 7100 block of Sunset
at 2:45 p.m.
committed a grand theft in the 400
block of Robertson.
burglarized a vehicle parked near
the corner of Santa Monica and
Van Ness.
An unknown suspect assaulted a
victim near the corner of Lexington
and Cahuenga at 9:30 p.m.
An unknown suspect committed
petty theft in the 6700 block of W.
3rd at 8 p.m.
At 10:30 p.m., an unknown suspect burglarized a vehicle parked
in the 8100 block of Norton.
physically assaulted a victim in the
1300 block of Crescent Heights.
An unknown suspect robbed a victim in the 6200 block of W. 3rd at
11 p.m.
May 26
May 24
At 1:55 a.m., an unknown suspect
assaulted a victim in the 6300
block of Hollywood.
At 12:45 a.m., an unknown suspect committed petty theft in the
8800 block of Santa Monica.
An unknown suspect was robbed
near the corner of Kilkea and
Melrose at 2:25 a.m.
An unknown suspect committed a
grand theft in the 900 block of
Spaulding at 10 a.m.
committed a burglary in the 1000
block of La Cienega.
burglarized a vehicle parked in the
6900 block of Hollywood.
vehicle parked in the 7600 block of
Beverly at 1 p.m.
A burglary was reported in the 800
block of N. Vista at noon.
assaulted a victim near the corner
of Hauser and 6th.
At noon, an unknown suspect burglarized a vehicle parked in the
8400 block of DeLongpre.
At 4:15 p.m., an attempted robbery
was reported near La Brea and
Olympic.
May 23
committed apetty theft in the 6700
block of Hollywood.
At 12:01 a.m., a vehicle was
reported stolen from the 300 block
of S. Edinburgh.
vehicle in the 800 block of N. Alta
Vista at 1:15 p.m.
An unknown suspect robbed a victim near the corner of Lexington
and Beachwood at 12:30 a.m.
petty theft near the corner of
Orange and Hawthorn at 2:45 p.m.
400 block of S. Hamel.
7600 block of Willoughby.
400 block of Westbourne.
W. 8th at 8:15 a.m.
Oakwood and Orange at 4 p.m.
Fairfax and 3rd at 10:30 a.m.
physically assaulted a victim in the
8500 block of Santa Monica.
block of Santa Monica.
committed a petty theft in the 7600
block of Sunset.
petty theft in the 6700 block of
Hollywood at 11 a.m.
grand theft in the 200 block of S.
Rossmore at 5:40 p.m.
At noon, an unknown suspect burglarized a vehicle parked in the
800 block of S. Hudson.
block of Colgate.
vehicle parked near the corner of
Wilshire and Curson at 3 p.m.
burglary in the 700 block of La
Cienega at 6 p.m.
block of S. Fuller.
block of Fountain.
A suspect assaulted a victim during a domestic violence incident in
the 1300 block of Havenhurst at
6:30 p.m.
Croft at 8:30 p.m.
A suspect assaulted a victim during
a domestic violence incident in the
6600 block of Hollywood at 6:35
p.m.
A vehicle burglary was reported in
the 1100 block of N. La Brea at 8
p.m.
May 27
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Multiple suspects arrested
in Medicare fraud scheme
Numerous Los Angeles-area
residents have been arrested in
connection with seperate criminal
cases that allege they cumulatively submitted more than $22 million in false billings to Medicare. The defendants taken into custody in Los Angeles are charged in
alleged health care fraud cases
that were investigated by the
fedeal Medicare Fraud Task
Force.
One defendant, Dr. Houshang
Pavehzadeh, allegedly billed
Medicare more than $1.7 million
for chiropractic treatments he
never performed. During the
scheme, which ran from 2005
through 2012, he became the second-largest Medicare biller in
California for chiropractic services. In addition to healthcare
fraud, Pavehzadeh is charged with
aggravated identity theft.
Additionally, several defendants affiliated with medical
equipment companies were
charged in separate indictments.
Olufunke Fadojutimi, 41; Ayodeji
Driver sought
for hit & run
Los Angeles Police Department
investigators are asking for the public’s help in locating and identifying the driver of a black sedan who
struck and killed a 53-year-old man
who was crossing the street on May
25.
The incident occurred at approximately 2:40 a.m. as the victim was
crossing Western Avenue near
82nd Street. He was struck by a driver in a black sedan travelling
southbound on Western Avenue.
The driver failed to stop, identify
himself or render aid to the victim
as required by law.
Paramedics pronounced the victim dead at scene. No suspect
description is available. The vehicle
is described as possibly having tinted windows. Anyone with information is asked to call investigators at
(323)421-2500 or (323) 421-2535.
During weekends and off-hours,
call the 24-hour hotline at
(877)LAPD247.
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Temitayo Fatunmbi, 41; and
Maritza Velazquez, 40, were
charged with health care fraud in a
scheme that allegedly revolved
around a company called Lutemi
Medical Supplies. According to
the indictment, Lutemi billed
Medicare more than $8.3 million
in claims, primarily for unnecessary power wheelchairs.
In a separate case, Susanna
Artsruni, 45, and Erasmus Kotey,
76, allegedly commited health care
fraud out of a medical clinic on
Vermont Avenue. Kotey allegedly
prescribed medically unnecessary
medical equipment for Medicare
beneficiaries. Additional defendants include
Yaroslav Proshak, 45; Sharetta
Wallace, 35; and office manager
and biller Sergey Mumjian, 40, of
West Hollywood — who were
charged with submitting more
than $5.9 million in false claims to
Medicare between 2008 and 2011.
The Medicare Fraud Strike Force
has been operating since May
2009.
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15 May 30, 2013
Art fundraiser to benefit Doctors head
to Jordan on
Project Angel Food
Women’s center named
Nonprofit of the Year
medical mission
A medical team of specialized surgeons from Children’s Hospital Los
Angeles (CHLA) will be traveling to
Amman, Jordan on May 30 for a
weeklong medical mission to treat
children with physical deformities.
The surgeons are from the hospital’s Division of Plastic and
Maxillofacial Surgery and the
Division of Pediatric Urology. They
will be working with the Children of
War Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides medical care to
children with physical deformities
that would be otherwise untreatable
in their home country. The CHLA
physicians will also be treating at
least three Syrian civil war refugees.
Of the 76 total cases reviewed thus
far, the doctors expect to perform
surgeries on more than 30 children.
“This mission is a testament to this
group of highly sub-specialized surgeons at Children’s Hospital Los
Angeles and it shows that their passion for what they do extends
beyond U.S. borders into regions
where children that are in desperate
need of their expertise and care,”
said Dr. Henri R. Ford, the hospital’s
vice president and chief of surgery,
who has led humanitarian care missions to his home country of Haiti
after the 2010 earthquake.
In addition to Hammoudeh, Dr.
Mark M. Urata, chief of Division of
Plastic and Maxillofacial Surgery;
Dr. Andre Panossian, director of
Vascular Anomalies Center; and
pediatric urologist, Dr. Andy Chang,
will participate in the medical mission to Jordan.
For
information,
visit
www.chla.org. Art event to benefit Project Angel Food
Project Angel Food, an organization that delivers free and nutritious
meals to individuals with life-threatening illnesses, will host its annual “GET ART” fundraising event from 7 to 10 p.m. on June 1.
The gallery-style event will offer artwork for sale from emerging
and local artists who have donated their work to support meal deliveries for people struggling with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other illnesses.
This year’s event celebrates Andy Warhol’s Silver Factory, featuring many types of art, both pop and not, from photography and paintings to mixed media and sculptures, with pricing accessible to both
beginning and seasoned art collectors.
The evening will include live art experiences, a performance by
electro-pop duo Hi-Fashion with dancers and choreography from
Ryan Heffington, music from DJ Paul V., drink specials and several
fun surprises in keeping with the event’s first-ever theme of Andy
Warhol’s Silver Factory.
The fundraiser will be held at Siren@Orange, 1050 N. Orange
Drive. Admission is $15 and includes two drink tickets. For tickets
and information, visit www.getart.org.
Jewish Federation names Brawerman Fellows
MOCA presents ‘Biophilia
Education Program’
The Museum of Contemporary
Art (MOCA) is collaborating with
the musical artist Björk to present
the first “Biophilia Education
Program” on Sunday, June 2 at the
museum.
“It is very exciting for MOCA to
be able to provide its community of
school children with the opportunity to participate in Björk’s
acclaimed,
multi-disciplinary
‘Biophilia Education Program,’”
MOCA director Jeffrey Deitch
said. “The opportunity to explore
creativity through music, science,
nature and new technology is vital
to the understanding and practice
of contemporary art.”
The “Biophilia Education
Program” aims to inspire children
to explore their own creativity, and
to learn about music, nature and
science through new technologies.
Suitable for children aged 9-14
years, the workshops are based on
Björk’s “Biophilia” app suite of
music and interactive and educational artifacts.
Students learn through hands-on
participation, composition and collaboration, and create new work.
Participants acquire the tools to
develop their musical imagination.
The program provides arts education to children who might otherwise not have access to it, and
engages children with learning difficulties and disabilities.
MOCA is located at 250 S.
Grand Ave. For information, call
(213)626-6222,
or
visit
www.moca.org.
11-,0* )14
photo courtesy of DWC
The Downtown Women’s Center (DWC), a nonprofit organization
that helps women overcome homelessness and poverty in Los
Angeles, has been named California’s Nonprofit of the Year.
The organization received the Governor’s Volunteering and Service
Award during a ceremony hosted by CaliforniaVolunteers, a state entity that manages programs and initiatives to increase volunteering. The
organization was recognized for its ability to engage community volunteers and help end homelessness for women, who continue to be
one of the fastest growing segments of the homeless population. DWC
relies upon community support to provide programs to the 4,300
women who visit the center annually.
“As more and more women become homeless, DWC is fortunate to
have the support of 2,500 volunteers, advocates and friends who
empower our organization to work towards ending homelessness for
women,” DWC CEO Lisa Watson said.
Volunteers provide support by cooking and serving meals, leading
wellness workshops, and by working in “MADE by DWC”, the organization’s social enterprise that provides vocational training for
women. For information, visit www.dwcweb.org.
The Jewish Federation of
Greater Los Angeles (JFS) has
announced its 2013 Brawerman
Fellows. Each of this year’s four
Fellows, select graduating high
school seniors residing in the Los
Angeles area, will receive a
$10,000 annual college scholarship.
The new Fellows are Jason
Block,
Chelsea Rapoport,
Samantha Page and Alyssa Scott.
Block, who is graduating Hart
High School in Santa Clarita, has
been involved with his high
school’s speech and debate team,
the Jewish Federation’s Weinberg
Fellows and Temple Beth Ami. Rapoport is graduating from
Flintridge
Prep
in
La
Cañada/Flintridge and has been
involved with her school’s newspaper, literary magazine, orchestra,
water polo team and Music for the
$4%.(
World club, as well as the
Federation-supported Diller Teen
Fellowship and Adat Ari El.
Page is graduating from North
Hollywood High School and has
been involved with her school’s
Gay-Straight Alliance, Quiz Bowl
Team and the literary magazine, as
well as with the Diller Teen
Fellowship and Temple Kol
Tikvah.
Scott is graduating from Oak
Park High School and was on her
school’s softball team, Idea to
Impact Challenge, BBYO, the
Federation-supported
Sherut
L’Olam, Camp JCA Shalom and
Temple Etz Chaim.
The Fellows were selected based
on their academic strength, financial need and a commitment to
leadership, community service and
Jewish engagement. During their
college careers, the Fellows will
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participate in The Geri & Richard
Brawerman Leadership Institute,
building leadership skills and
deepening their connection to
Jewish life.
The Geri & Richard Brawerman
Leadership Institute was established through a multi-million dollar gift from community leader
Geri Brawerman on behalf of herself and her late husband, Richard.
“We are grateful for Geri’s
visionary gift, and proud to provide
the leadership development and
Jewish identity-building experiences for our Brawerman
Fellows,” JFS president and CEO
Jay Sanderson said. “This is just
one of the ways we are making
sure our community will be in
good hands for our children and
grandchildren.”
For information, email to
[email protected].
,0*.5(; 4
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16 May 30, 2013
Heal the Bay releases beach water quality data
Building on an encouraging
trend, Los Angeles County continues to demonstrate improved summer beach water quality, according
to Heal the Bay’s 23rd annual
Beach Report Card, which the environmental group released on May
23.
Heal the Bay analysts assigned
A-to-F letter grades to 89 beaches
in the county for three reporting
periods in the 2012-2013 report,
based on levels of weekly bacterial
pollution. Some 84 percent of
beaches received A or B grades for
the summer period (April-October
2012), a 2 percent gain from last
year’s report. That figure also
marks an increase of nearly 10 percent from two years ago.
The improvement in L.A. beach
water quality during all three phases of the study’s 2012-13 reporting
period can be attributed to several
factors. Infrastructure improvements aimed at curbing bacterial
pollution have yielded results, but
two years of very low rainfall also
led to improved grades. Rainstorms
greatly increase the amount of
urban runoff, the greatest source of
bacterial pollution at local beaches.
Museum debuts at Tar Pits
photo courtesy of Heal the Bay
Ocean water quality has improved in many locations in L.A. County.
Despite the improvements, Los
Angeles County continues to have
the greatest number of beaches with
poor water quality grades of any
county in the state. During the summer, 8 percent of beaches receive D
or F grades, while that figure rises
to nearly 30 percent in wet weather.
Crossword Puzzle
The county also is home to four
of the 10 beaches listed on Heal the
Bay’s annual “Beach Bummer” list,
which ranks the most polluted
beaches in the state. Avalon Beach
in Catalina once again tops this
year’s list. Cabrillo Beach harborside, Malibu Pier and Redondo
Beach Pier also have the dubious
honor of being named a 2013
California “Beach Bummer”.
Heal the Bay urges beachgoers to
check the latest water quality
grades, based on the latest samples,
each week at www.beachreportcard.org. Before heading to the
shoreline, visitors can also access
the latest grades by downloading
Heal the Bay’s free app for mobile
devices.
The individuals behind the creation of George C. Page Museum at
the La Brea Tar Pits were pictured in a photograph in the April 7, 1977
issue of the Park Labrea News. Willis Fagan (left), the museum’s
architect, was joined by Page, the institute’s benefactor, who is holding a saber-toothed cat skull; Giles W. Mead, director of the Los
Angeles County Museum of Natural History; and Ed N. Harris, president of the natural history museum’s Board of Governors. The Page
Museum has been a major attraction on the Miracle Mile since it
opened in 1977. One Los Angeles-area artist has now found a unique
way to turn the tar into art. For information, see page 6.
CONGREGATION
BAIS NAFTOLI
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1. Lacks
6. Reddish-brown gem
10. Basilica area
14. Exterior
15. Turkish official
16. Get-out-of-jail money
17. High school garb
20. Lose resilience
21. Deep black
22. Farmers’ association
23. Duck down
25. Gaelic tongue
26. Sea eagles
28. Swell
32. Some holiday gifts?
34. Plane-jumping G.I.
35. Suffix with ideal
38. High school event
42. Poetic paean
43. M.P.’s quarry
44. Provide, as with some quality
45. Missed the alarm
48. Sarah’s husband
49. Tent event
51. Deceive
53. Wired
55. Digestion aid
56. Early evictee
59. High school offerings
62. Narrow street
63. Director Reiner
64. Hideouts
65. Squeaked (out)
66. N. Carolina county
67. Kind of pen
Down
1. Bikers’ rides
2. Something in the air
3. Sting or Slash, e.g.
4. James Fenimore Cooper’s “___
Myers”
5. Aligned
6. Folklore creature
7. Not fer
8. Frat letter
9. “Drat!”
10. On base
11. King protectors
12. Burn a bit
13. Ultimatum ender
18. Out, in a way
19. Hand ___
24. Man, for one
26. Repeat performance?
27. Cross
29. Shed
30. Browning work?
31. Fraction of a joule
33. Like some triangles
35. It comprises 17,508 islands
36. Gulf war missile
37. Recompense
39. See red?
40. Unkempt hair
41. It’s just for openers
45. Covered with goo
46. Eave hanger
47. Head
49. ___ preview
50. Set apart
52. Ardors
53. Eye
54. Leave one’s mark on
55. Maryland stadium
57. Green
58. Start of North Carolina’s motto
60. Singer Charles
61. Gained a lap
See Answers Page 22
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‘An Evening With Women’
benefits LGBT services
photo by Beck Starr/ Beck Starr Photography
Comedian Kathy Griffin hosted the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center’s
annual “An Evening With Women” event on May 18 at the Beverly
Hilton Hotel. Griffin, Ozzy Osbourne, Sia, Natasha Bedingfield,
Linda Perry, Teri Polo and Sherri Saum performed. The benefit raised
more than $600,000 for the center’s services for women and girls. For
information, visit www.lagaycenter.org.
WeHo kicks off month of
PRIDE celebrations
The City of West Hollywood will
once again sponsor its annual One
City One Pride arts festival, which
celebrates Pride and the artistic contributions of the LGBT community.
A kick-off and news conference for
One City One Pride will take place
at 11 a.m. today in the lobby at West
Hollywood City Hall, 8300 Santa
Monica Blvd.
Members of the West Hollywood
City Council and Carolyn Sherer,
photographer of the “Living in
Limbo: Lesbian Families in the
Deep South” exhibit, will speak.
Held throughout late May and
June, but centered around the dates
of Friday, May 31, through Sunday,
June 16, the One City One Pride
festival comprises more than 40
events featuring theater, film,
music, spoken word, visual art,
parades and more. For information
regarding times, locations and ticketing, as well as additional event
listings, visit www.weho.org/pride.
On Friday, May 31, the city will
host an artist’s reception of “Living
in Limbo, Lesbian Families in the
Deep South” at the West
Hollywood Library, 625 N. San
Vicente Blvd. Also on Friday, the
Colors of Compassion Kick Off
will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. at
Eleven Bar & Nightclub, 8811
Santa Monica Blvd.
On Saturday, The Gay Men’s
Chorus of Los Angeles will host an
open rehearsal from 3:30 to 4:30
p.m. at the West Hollywood Park
Auditorium, 647 N. San Vicente
Blvd.
The city will also host “50
Shades of Queer: LGBT Artists and
Writers in their Own Words” at the
West
Hollywood
Library.
Additionally, the documentary,
“Transvisible: Bamby’s Story”, will
be screened at 7 p.m.
“Install:WeHo”, a one-day exploration of visual and performance
art, will be held from noon to 8 p.m.
on Sunday, June 2, at the library. On
Tuesday, at 7 p.m., the LA Opera
will present “Britten: Sacred and
Profane”.
On Wednesday, June 5, the city
will host “My Life in Three Easy
Payments”, a spoken word story by
Dale Guy Madison, at 7:30 p.m.
“Stories to be Told”, a fun and silly
children’s show of original stories,
will be held at 3:30 p.m.
For information on the city of
West Hollywood PRIDE celebrations, visit www.weho.org.
Local graduate gets military training
The U.S. Army National Guard
has announced that Pfc. Diego A.
Barco has graduated from basic
infantry training in Columbus,
Georgia.
During the nine weeks of training, the soldier received training in
drill and ceremonies, weapons,
map reading, tactics, military courtesy, military justice, physical fitness, Army history, core values and
traditions.
Barco, a 2011 graduate of Los
Angeles High School, is the son of
Elodia Hernandez, of South Norton
Avenue.
17 May 30, 2013
Cyclists hit the road in fight against HIV/AIDS
Thousands of cyclists and volunteer “roadies” will embark on a 545mile journey from San Francisco to
Los Angeles beginning on June 2
during AIDS LifeCycle, which raises millions of dollars annually to
support the L.A. Gay & Lesbian
Center and the San Francisco AIDS
Foundation.
The ride will be completed by
cyclists from all walks of life —
HIV-positive and HIV-negative,
LGBT and straight — and it is
anticipated to raise more than $13
million for HIV/AIDS services. The
ride also raises awareness about the
epidemic.
“We have been fighting the
scourge of HIV and AIDS for more
than three decades, and our fight is
far from over,” L.A. Gay & Lesbian
Center CEO Lorri L. Jean said.
“Too many people believe this disease is no longer a significant problem in the U.S. In fact, there are 1.1
million Americans living with HIV.
The infection rate among gay and
bisexual men — especially among
young men and men of color —
continues to climb at a rate that is
nothing short of alarming.”
This year’s AIDS/LifeCycle
marks two milestones: two decades
of riding and 20 million miles traveled. Since the event was founded
as the “California AIDS Ride” in
1993, cyclists will have collectively
ridden 20 million miles to help end
photo by Jaclyn Chessen
Thousands of cyclists will ride in the AIDS LifeCyle, a journey from San
Francisco to Los Angeles held each June.
HIV/AIDS, and provide care for
those living with the virus. For
information on registering or donating, visit www.aidslifecycle.org.
L.A. Galaxy signs first openly gay MLS player
The Los Angeles Galaxy on May
25 completed the signing of midfielder Robbie Rogers to a multiyear contract after acquiring the
right of first refusal for him from the
Chicago Fire in exchange for midfielder Mike Magee.
Rogers, who will wear No. 14,
will be officially added to the
Galaxy roster upon the receipt of his
International Transfer Certificate.
He is reportedly the first openly gay
player in Major League Soccer.
“I’d like to thank everyone at
Major League Soccer, the L.A.
Galaxy and the Chicago Fire for
allowing me to return to playing the
game that I love,” Rogers said. “I
look forward to getting back out on
to the field and continuing my soccer career as a member of the
Galaxy.”
A native of Huntington Beach,
Rogers
won
an
NCAA
Championship with the University
of Maryland in 2005 before signing
his first professional contract with
the Dutch club Heerenveen. After a
year-and-a-half in Holland, Rogers
returned to the United States and
signed with the Columbus Crew
ahead of the start of the 2007 MLS
season. After appearing in 10 games
with the Crew in his first season
with the club, Rogers enjoyed a
breakout season in 2008, scoring a
career-high six goals to go along
with three assists, earning MLS
Best XI honors and helping the
Crew win their first MLS Cup
championship.
“We are pleased to be able to add
a player of Robbie’s qualities to our
roster and feel that he will help
improve our team now and in the
future,” L.A. Galaxy General
Manager and Head Coach Bruce
Arena said. “It is also important to
recognize Mike Magee and all of
his accomplishments with our club.
What he and his teammates have
achieved over the past four years
has been remarkable and we wish
nothing but the best to him and his
family as they begin this next chap-
ter of their lives.”
In addition to his club career,
Rogers has earned 18 caps with the
U.S. National Team, scoring twice.
TASHMAN
HOME CENTER
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Free Estimates & Info:
Showroom:
!
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18 May 30, 2013
Fashion show brings
artist’s works to life
photo courtesy of Jarvee Hutcherson/MMPA
Visual designer and fashion stylist Stephanie Fronczak (third from
left) recently sponsored the “From Canvas to Fashion Extravaganza”
on May 18 at 1010 Wilshire. Joining Fronczak at the event were promoter DA Ballinger; Argishd Galustian, CFO of 1010 Wilshire; Parviz
Adorbehi, manager of 1010 Wilshire; artist Emmy Lu, of Beverly
Hills; and Jarvee Hutcherson, president of the Multicultural Motion
Picture Association. Lu’s work was displayed at the event, and guests
enjoyed an art auction and fashion show. Fronczak wanted to bring
Lu’s artwork to life by styling the models in the fashion show to look
his paintings. For information, visit www.1010Wilshire.com.
Jewish Family Service honors
longtime board member
Jewish Family Service of Los
Angeles (JFS) will honor David
Levine with the JFS Anita and
Stanley Hirsh Award during a ceremony on June 3 at the Beverly
Hilton Hotel.
Levine is being recognized for
his dedication and commitment to
JFS, for which he served a twoyear term as president of the board
of directors from 2010 to 2012.
Since 1987, Levine has served as
chief of staff to real estate developer Jerry Epstein. He also has extensive involvement with civic and
philanthropic causes, and has been
a member of the JFS board since
2004. Levine previously chaired
the JFS Facilities and Public Policy
Committees, and previously served
as president of Temple Isaiah. He
currently serves on the Advisory
Board of the Center for the Study
of Los Angeles of Loyola
Marymount University.
JFS provides social services to
David Levine
approximately 100,000 people
annually, regardless of their age,
ethnicity, religion or ability to pay.
The Beverly Hilton Hotel is located at 9876 Wilshire Blvd. For
information. call (877)ASK4JFS,
or visit www.jfsla.org.
William Jones exhibit debuts
The Hammer Museum presents
an exhibit titled “Houseguest:
William E. Jones, Imitation of
Christ”, running through Aug. 18.
For each exhibition in the museum’s “Houseguest” series, an artist
is invited to curate an installation
based on the Hammer Museum’s
and UCLA’s permanent collections.
For his exhibition, the Los Angeles-
based Jones was inspired by a photograph of a wounded guerrilla
fighter taken by Pedro Meyer in
Nicaragua in the early 1980s. The
selection of works is loosely based
upon aspects of the powerful photograph. The Hammer Museum is
located at 10899 Wilshire Blvd. For
information, call (310)443-7000, or
visit www.hammer.ucla.edu.
Hammer Museum appoints new curators
The Hammer Museum has
appointed Cornelia Butler as the
museum’s new chief curator, and
Aram Moshayedi as curator.
Butler will co-curate the
Hammer’s biennial exhibition,
“Made in L.A. 2014”, along with
Michael Ned Holte. Since 2006,
she has been The Robert Lehman
Foundation chief curator of drawings at the Museum of Modern Art
in New York. Butler replaces
Douglas Fogle, who departed the
Hammer in 2011.
“Connie is returning to L.A. …
and the Hammer is thrilled to be
welcoming her back to this community, one she knows very well,”
Hammer Museum director Ann
Philbin said. “Her depth of experience and range of knowledge, both
in historical as well as contemporary art, make her an ideal choice
for the Hammer.”
Butler will also oversee the
Hammer’s curatorial department,
developing and organizing exhibitions, building the contemporary
collection, and overseeing the
museum’s artist residency program
and artist council. Her appointment
Connie Butler
Aram Moshayedi
is effective July 2013.
“Los Angeles is a great city for
the production of art and the
Hammer is a museum with artists at
its center,” Butler said. “It is a
thrilling opportunity for any curator
and I look forward to bringing my
vision, both as a recent outsider but
also as someone with a long history
in Los Angeles, to the museum.”
Moshayedi has been appointed to
a newly created position that he
will begin in July. Since 2010, he
has served as the associate curator
of the Gallery at The Roy and Edna
Disney/CalArts Theater, where he
organized exhibitions and oversaw
the production of new works.
The Hammer Museum is located
at 10899 Wilshire Blvd. For information, call (310)443-7000, or visit
www.hammer.ucla.edu.
New recreation area opens along L.A. River
Members of the public can launch
a non-motorized, steerable boat such
as a kayak or canoe in the Los
Angeles River through a program
that was recently announced by the
Mountains
Recreation
and
Conservation Authority (MRCA).
State and local elected officials
recently joined Colonel Mark Toy,
commander of the United States
Army Corps of Engineers, Los
Angeles District, and representatives
of the MRCA, for the grand opening
of the Los Angeles River Pilot
Recreation Zone in the Elysian
Valley. People wishing to operate a
boat in the river can launch from the
MRCA-operated Rattlesnake Park
at Fletcher Drive, and enjoy a 2.5mile adventure to the exit point at
MRCA’s Steelhead Park, at Oros
Street. Additionally, walking and
fishing is allowed with a California
Department of Fish and Wildlife
permit on the river’s banks within
the pilot recreation zone.
“The MRCA is managing the first
water recreation zone on the Los
Angeles River,” MRCA executive
officer Joseph Edmiston said. “This
is a monumental day that was inconceivable thirty years ago. We want
the public to know that the river is
here to connect them to nature, and
the MRCA will be here to make their
experience enjoyable and safe.”
The pilot program will run
through Labor Day, and will be open
sunrise to sunset daily, weather conditions permitting. Use of the recreation zone is free to any individual or
informal group, and reservations are
not necessary. However, organized
groups such as non-profit organizations must obtain a permit and make
a reservation.
The MRCA has been working
with the city of Los Angeles, the
Los Angeles County Flood Control
District, the Army Corps of
Engineers and many community
groups and nonprofit organizations
to create a continuous 51-mile
greenway from the headwaters of
the river in the San Fernando Valley,
to its terminus in the Pacific Ocean.
In addition to managing the recreation zone, the MRCA will offer
guided tours to youth through Los
Angeles City Recreation and Parks
teen centers this summer. For information, visit www.lariverrecreation.org.
Exhibit showcases works by
Puerto Rican ceramicists
photo courtesy of Couturier Gallery
Couturier Gallery presents an exhibit titled “Encuentro (Meeting)”
running from June 1 through 13. Recent hand-made clay sculptures by
Puerto Rican ceramicists Susana Espinosa and Toni Hambleton will
be presented, such as Espinos’s “Cabeza de Mujer” (above). An opening reception will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 1.
Couturier Gallery is located at 166 N. La Brea Ave. For information,
call (323)933-5557, or visit www.couturiergallery.com.
20 May 30, 2013
Nightlife shuttle approved by city council
From page 1
operational costs of the shuttle will
be $62,000 during the pilot program. Council members looked
into offering a third shuttle, but its
cost, $31,000, could be prohibitive, the documents state. The
costs, however, could change during the city’s bidding process for
an operator.
Duran hopes the city will develop a shuttle that will be just as
noteworthy to patrons as the nightclubs they visit. He referenced San
Francisco’s cable cars, which he
said are not the most efficient way
to traverse the city.
“But it’s a memorable way to
sort of get around that city,” Duran
said.
He said the shuttle “definitely
has a public safety aspect to it,” as
it will allow people who are drinking to return home without taking
their car.
Mayor Abbe Land said the only
potential drawback to the shuttle
program is people not utilizing it.
Ideally, the shuttle would help traffic “a little bit” and encourage residents to shop in West Hollywood,
she said.
“It could be a very positive
thing,” Land said.
Duran said residents in the
greater Los Angeles area tend to
view public transit as though it “is
for someone else,” which means
the city will need to convince
nightlife patrons that the shuttle is
specifically for them.
He said city staff members are
working to have the shuttle ready
by July, and the council may
choose an operator as soon as
June.
“It’s more likely to be useful
during peak periods … and clearly
we are coming up on one of those
periods,” Duran said.
With the city in the preliminary
stages of implementing the program, the council may still finetune the number of vehicles in the
fleet and what bus stops the shuttle
will utilize, he said.
“We’re going to monitor the ridership, and we’re going to monitor
the impact on the businesses,”
Land said.
“We still have some things to
work out, but I think everyone on
council wants to know if this really works out.”
Writers strike for WGA contract
From page 3
doing what one loves.”
WGA board member Katherine
Fugate said “Fashion Police” writers
are being treated differently than
other writers in the industry. As a
writer, Fugate has access to healthcare and a pension plan, is protected
by guild minimums and gets paid for
overtime, she said.
“This is not about ‘Fashion
Police’ writers getting more than
any other writer,” Fugate said.
“Joan Rivers and I are not better
than they are. This is about the
‘Fashion Police’ writers getting
same as every other writer. …They
need and deserve our unwavering
support until they receive a WGA
contract.”
The lack of healthcare coverage
has been a big issue for Jackie Beat,
who said he recently had hip surgery
that couldn’t be put off any longer.
He said he held bicoastal benefits to
raise money for the procedure.
“I would take a break from staring
at photos of glamorous stars and
couture gowns to shamelessly promote my online fundraising, which
of course is a nice way of saying,
‘begging for money,’” Beat said,
adding that Rivers did contribute
and appeared at one of his benefits.
“But even she must realize that if her
writers were paid properly and/or
had health insurance, no such benefits and beg-fests would have been
necessary.”
He said “Fashion Police” is “just a
stupid, fun show,” but it is a hit
show.
“Being a part of a nothing’ssacred, just-for-fun guilty pleasure
like ‘Fashion Police’ and specifically writing for a comic legend … has
been in many ways a great experience. But when the show becomes
a huge hit, here and in countless
foreign countries, the very people
who have worked so hard to make
the show what it is deserve more.
…While the fans and E! demanded
and received more, the very people
working harder to deliver more did
not.”
Holding a copy of one of Rivers’
books, writer Todd Masterson said
photo courtesy of the city of West Hollywood
While the city of West Hollywood currently operates the Cityline shuttle,
it will pilot a nightlife shuttle this summer.
he would be doing “a reading from
the book of Joan.”
“And Joan said, ‘The head
booger we chose was too expensive. The inexperienced FOX executives wanted to give the writers
the title of segment producer,
though the pay would be less. We
had to explain that the writers guild
would notice if the writers were
getting $800 a week instead of
$2,000.’ That’s the funny thing
about the writers guild. They notice
things,” he said. “And you’re right,
Joan. You know what I noticed?
That your writers 22 years ago
we’re going to maybe make $200
more than I make now.”
In a document provided by
NBCUniversal, which owns E!,
television network officials stated
they will negotiate with the WGA if
and when the writers elect them as
their representative. They said a
National Labor Relations Board
(NLRB) administered election is a
“fair and important” part of the
process. According to the document, E! officials filed a petition
with the NLRB a couple months
ago to accelerate the process on the
writers’ behalf. Had the writers participated, negotiations could be
ongoing, the document states.
Officials stated that E! is not antiWGA and has other WGA shows,
such as “The Soup” and “Chelsea
Lately”. Additionally, they said
striking is unnecessary for the writers to garner a union contract.
According to WGA representatives, the “Fashion Police” writers
have signed cards voicing their
desire to be represented by the
union. WGA does not require an
NRLB election to represent a
group, and is now looking for E! to
begin negotiations.
Letters to the Editor
Support for Damian
Kevitt is very much
appreciated
Thank you for an informative
and well-written article on my son
Damian’s accident and recovery
[“Injured cyclist takes first steps
toward recovery”, May 23 issue].
Every article contributes to
awareness of cyclists on the road
and can help find the driver who
hit my son. When the driver is
found, a message will reach many
millions that it is better to stop and
help than to run. Fleeing the scene
is not an escape. Best of all, the
article ended on a high note,
finessing a potentially tragic subject into reflection on the human
spirit! Much appreciation.
Michele Kevitt Kirkland
Los Angeles
Safe cycling can be a
two-way street for all
involved
We can only commiserate with
the cyclist from Hollywood who
was badly injured when struck by
an automobile.
Yes, cyclists do take their lives
in their hands when riding their
bikes on our roads. But there is an
equally dangerous situation occurring. We cannot blame cyclists for
riding on the sidewalks, even
though it is technically against the
law. It is much safer for them.
But then there are cyclists who Free room and board
speed down the pedestrian-occupied sidewalks and are a serious comes with a price,
danger to pedestrians. I was almost even for veterans
struck from behind on Fairfax, as I
walked to my car (I am 86 and not
I appreciate the tremendous
agile enough to leap away into efforts by a few, such as Mr.
safety, even if I saw his bicycle Robert Rosebrock, for the persiszooming down at me). I wonder tent push to bring attention to the
how our new mayor will deal with need for taking care of our homethis problem. Let’s not wait until a less veterans [Veterans’ protests is
senior citizen is seriously injured. five years running”, May 23
issue].
George Epstein
Unfortunately, when living in a
Detroit Street group situation, that comes without cost to the tenant, there are
rules. Living on the street also has
rules that can put one in jail ... for
a free hot meal of course, if that is
your purpose. Don’t want to live
with rules? Find a job and pay
your own way off the street.
John W. Jackson
CSM, USA (Ret.)
Reducing law
enforcement’s APPS
is good policy
It is truly exciting to imagine
being able to take illegal guns
from 20,000 people who have
committed a crime or are declared
mentally ill, a task welcomed by
law enforcement across California
[“Attorney general, DAs team up
to reduce gun violence”, May 23
issue].
The money was in a fund collected from new gun buyers. What
better use than to keep us all safer
from those who are prohibited
from owning weapons.
Makes good sense to me.
Ann Reiss Lane
chair emeritus
Women Against Gun Violence
21 May 30, 2013
Bugs take over at Ripley’s Hollywood
From page 1
In exchange for trying one of
Gordon’s masterpieces, patrons
received a discount on admission,
or free admission if a brave soul
opted to dine on a “totally super
awesome uber bug.”
“I wouldn’t do it everyday,” Los
Angeles
resident
Danielle
Kashkooli said after eating a
grasshopper. Nevertheless, the
young woman was not fazed by the
insect, which was served with corn
and onions.
Nor was her uncle, Keyvan, who
also dined on chili grasshoppers.
“I thought it was tasty,” he said.
“I’ve had grasshoppers before.”
That was not the case for many in
attendance, who watched the tastetesters with churned stomachs and
grimaces. However, it is precisely
that reaction that makes the U.S.
the “weirdos” when it comes to eating bugs, Gordon said.
He said approximately 80 percent of the world’s population eats
insects. For some reason, people in
Northern Europe, Canada and the
U.S. do not, Gordon said.
“They’re missing out on a really
good thing,” he added.
Gordon
speculated
that
Americans’ aversion to eating bugs
stems from agriculture. He said
insects are the only animals in
direct competition with humans for
food.
“So eating a bug and admitting it
tastes good is like sleeping with the
enemy,” Gordon said.
Therefore, the bug chef likes to
challenge people to think about
what they’re eating. He said people
tend to value dishes that they
encountered through relatives.
“If your parents gave it to you or
your grandparents, you think everyone should have it, even if it’s ox
tail soup,” Gordon said.
He said his insect-infused dishes
are healthy. For example, crickets
are low in fat, serving up 250 calories and six grams of fat in one cup.
“That’s way better than eating a
hamburger,” Gordon said, adding
that they also have vitamins and
minerals. “If your fingernails are
breaking or you want to ward off
osteoporosis, you need to eat more
crickets, because there’s lot of calcium in them.”
His book details how to cook
everything from termites to tarantulas, offering several techniques for
each insect. Gordon said he tries
not to over-season the insects, and
he strives not to mix them too
much, allowing the bugs to be highly visible.
He said he personally eats bugs
at least once a week, and often goes
through up to 1,000 crickets per
demonstration. Gordon said he also
has taste-tests, where his friends try
out his new dishes.
“We have bug banquets,” he
added.
Gordon advised people to purchase crickets or insects from pet
stores or to collect them from
remote areas. He said residents
should not venture into their backyards for dinner, as the insects
could have had contact with pesticides.
“We don’t want to eat a bug
that’s been eating pesticides, or
you’re like poisoning yourself,” the
bug chef added.
While people are still not very
open to eating bugs, he remains
persistent in his effort to teach people about the positives of ingesting
the critters.
“Convincing people to eat bugs
is an uphill battle right now,”
Gordon said. “That may change in
the future.”
Ripley’s general manager Andrea
Silverman said she was pleased to
host the bug chef, as his message
promotes the eco-friendly elements
of eating bugs. She said bugs are 10
times healthier than eating meat.
Silverman said the demonstration was among a host of new
things the museum is doing to
increase its visitation. The museum
recently underwent renovations to
add almost 500 new family-friendly exhibitions.
“A lot of people really don’t
understand exactly why Ripley’s is
so unusual, why it’s so bizarre,”
Bug chef David Gordon and Ripley’s Believe It or Not! general manager
Andrea Silverman show off some of the delicacies offered at the museum during Bug Fest last week.
Silverman said. “We want people to
understand that it’s about things all
over the world that we just don’t
understand. And you need to learn
those because they do exist. It’s
here.”
The new exhibitions include a
1975 FBI Wanted poster for Patty
Hearst, 17th Century dog armor, a
purse made from soda cans and
celebrity creations made of phone
books, junk mail and candy.
“It’s been great, especially with a
new show,” Silverman said. “The
kids have more interactive
[exhibits], so they can learn about
bugs and different things on the
Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! side,
but more child-friendly.”
She said she is pleased with the
finished result.
“I love the renovations,”
Silverman said. “I think the team
did a great job. It’s amazing, and
our guests absolutely love it. It’s a
big difference.”
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is
located at 6780 Hollywood Blvd.
Advocates looking to up their ante
Burglaries on the rise
on the phone and through e-mail.
“That’s the biggest distinction
between a mentor and an advocate,” she added. “We’re kind of
mentors on steroids.”
The idea is to get the child
through the system more quickly
than the two or three year average
for such cases. She said the court
aims to reunify families — with the
issues resolved — or place children
with new families and ultimately
get them adopted.
“In both cases, you’re trying to
get the child back to a loving, caring home,” Garcia said.
CASA of Los Angeles requires
that volunteers receive 30 hours of
training, half of which is done
online. Garcia said the organization
trains people in pods of about 20 at
a time.
“We try to get people oriented to
the system and the situations of
these children so they’re equipped
to be able to help them,” she added.
“If we had more volunteers, we
would certainly be able to assign
them.”
This year, CASA has 428 volunteers, but the organization wants to
ramp up its efforts. Bill Jones,
CASA’s development and communications consultant, said officials
want to begin providing services to
1,000 children by next year. He said
CASA realizes the vast number of
Hollywood Hills. He said burglars specifically search for
homes with open windows,
often times during the week
when people are at work.
“A lot of criminals drive up in
the hills — they drive nice cars
so nothing looks out of place —
and they look around for an area
that is nice and quiet and see if
there are any windows open,” he
said. “People really need to lock
their doors and windows
because they are preying on
that.”
Additionally, Reina said there
has been a recent increase in
forcible street robberies in
which suspects snatch cell
phones and small electronic
devices. He said the crimes
occur on busy streets like
Hollywood Boulevard, as well
as small residential streets.
“It’s been pretty steady for
weeks, and we are averaging a
few per week. They think they
are safe in a crowd, and someone snatches it right out of their
hand,” Reina said. “We ask people to hide electronics when they
are walking, and wait to use
them when they are somewhere
secure.”
Reina added that members of
the public should activate tracking software installed on most
smart phones, tablets and laptop
computers.
“It helps us a lot,” he said.
“We’ve been pretty successful in
tracking people down using the
software.”
Anyone with information
about burglaries in the Wilshire
area is asked to contact Hopkins
at (213)922-8522. To provide
information to investigators
with the Hollywood Division,
call (213)972-2971.
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From page 6
children in the system, and that the
organization could do more.
“It’s a challenge, but we’re having success so far,” Jones said.
Generally, volunteers offer about
20 hours of their time per month,
Garcia said. Some of that time is
spent with the child, and those visits can be arranged on weekends.
Garcia said she is amazed how
many working people manage to
find time for the effort throughout
the week.
“You hear over and over again
that [volunteers] get more out of it
than they think the children even
do,” she added.
As well as individual advocacy,
CASA provides services to children
during their day in court. Garcia said
CASA will staff an area of a courthouse to give orientation to children
who are in court for the first time.
CASA, which is referred to cases
that are “particularly complex,” is a
national program offered in approximately 1,000 counties nationwide,
Garcia said. The program has
received praise from U.S. Rep.
Karen Bass (D-Calif.).
“Having worked on foster care
issues for many years, I’m often
asked what is it that foster youth
need the most and my answer is
always the same, which is that they
need all the love and support you
would give to any other child. No
organization better understands this
then CASA of Los Angeles,” Bass
said. “It’s easy for foster youth to
experience feelings of abandonment
and alienation, so being able to have
a compassionate and caring adult in
their lives can make all the difference as they navigate the sometimes
turbulent waters of the foster care
system. CASA helps to bridge that
gap for so many foster youth in Los
Angeles, and we all should commend their work and the commitment of their volunteers for stepping
up to the plate and supporting our
most vulnerable youth.”
For information on volunteering
or to donate, call (323)859-2888, or
visit www.casala.org. Garcia said
that for every $2,500 the organization raises, it can serve another child
with an advocate.
“We need all the help we can get,”
she said.
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22 May 30, 2013
Students enter the workforce vicariously
From page 1
meet people that actually graduated
from college and stuff,” Cristol
said.
After the presentations, students
escorted the presenters to their next
classroom. In Carrie Berger’s
fourth-grade class, I found students
who were eager to know more
about the Beverly Press’ coverage
of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the
Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremonies.
I told them I recently took
Samuel L. Jackson’s photo, and the
students drew a blank — that is,
until Ms. Berger referenced his role
as Ultimate Nick Fury in “The
Avengers”. Then, I knew they
would recognize another Walk-ofFamer, Scarlett Johansson, who
also starred in the film as Black
Widow.
Josue Xicara, 9, said he enjoyed
Career Day and wants to be a firefighter after his schooling.
“It’s fun,” he said. “I think that
it’s a good for us to learn that what
we want to do with our education.”
Ashly Palacios, who hopes to be
an author, agreed.
“I think that Career Day is a good
day for us to experience the life of
somebody else to see what job we
might want,” she said.
Nine-year-old
Abraham
Martinez said he hopes to be a
police officer, but enjoyed hearing
about other professions.
“I think career day is day to get a
head-start on what you want to be,”
he said.
Armed with copies of the newspaper, I was again escorted to
another class. Jamie Boran’s class
was a mix of fourth-, fifth- and
sixth-graders who had studied
ethics and could partially relate to
the dilemmas that journalists sometimes encounter.
Kahliyah Williams, 11, wasn’t
sure what she wanted to be, but she
was leaning toward being a chiropractor.
“It’s fun because there’s a lot of
people — there’s a lot of people in
jobs that I didn’t know existed,” she
said.
Danielle Cannon-Dominguez,
10, wanted to be an actress.
“I think that it has been cool
because it’s my first career day,”
she added.
Nine-year-old James Aguilar is
aiming to be a “famous” baseball
player, and his favorite team is the
Dodgers.
“It’s really fun that we can see
people doing jobs that before I
never even knew about,” he said.
The presenters seemed to enjoy
themselves as well. My trepidation
for public speaking aside, I know I
certainly did.
“Career Day is important, and
[giving] back to our kids is what we
need to do,” said Carla NajarNavarro, of LAFD Cadet Post 12.
She attended with cadets Daniel
Skinner and Giuseppe Martorana.
“They’re our future.”
Merlyn Hernandez, of the Law
Offices of Merlyn Hernandez, said
the event was one of the best she’s
attended in a while.
“It’s inspiring to see how bright
they are, and they already have
questions about careers,” she said,
adding that the students had “really
interesting questions” for her. “I
like that; they’re already thinking
ahead.”
Christina Lai, a patient care service aide for Children Hospital Los
Angeles, agreed.
“I feel the kids are our future, and
being here does make a difference,”
she said. “I want to be inspirational,
and I do want to impact their lives.”
The artist in attendance was
Nathan Horner, who works for
Imagic, a printing and graphics
company in Burbank.
Principal Glendy Marin said she
was pleased with the response to
the school’s first-ever Career Day.
Scouts’ decision garners mixed reactions
From page 1
bition based on sexual orientation. The Boy Scouts are finally
catching up with the rest of the
nation, and they’re only half way
there,” Duran said. “Prohibiting
lesbians from serving as den mothers or gay men as scout leaders is
reprehensible because it feeds the
false myth that we are a threat to
children. Someday, the rest of the
horrible policy will fall.”
Others vowed to continue the
fight for equality in scouting. West
Hollywood has passed several resolutions denouncing the Boy
Scouts of America’s policies of
banning LGBT individuals.
“The fight is not over,” West
Hollywood Councilman Jeffrey
Prang added. “If a discriminatory
policy like the military’s ‘Don’t
Ask Don’t Tell’ has been overturned and openly-gay men are
worthy to courageously fight and
die in combat alongside their
straight comrades, then they are
also worthy to lead a Boy Scout
troop on a hike.”
Approximately 1,400 members
of the Boy Scouts of America’s
National Council voted to rescind
the policy on gay scouts. The policy regarding gay scoutmasters was
not up for a vote, however, so it
remains in place. The ban on gay
scouts will officially end on Jan. 1,
which allows the organization’s
leadership time to “communicate
and implement” the new policy,
according to a statement released
the Boy Scouts of America’s
Executive Council.
“While people have different
opinions about this policy, we can
all agree that kids are better off
when they are in scouting. Going
forward, our scouting family will
continue to focus on reaching and
serving youth in order to help them
grow into good, strong citizens,”
according to the statement. “The
Boy Scouts of America will not
sacrifice its mission, or the youth
served by the movement, by
allowing the organization to be
consumed by a single, divisive and
unresolved societal issue. As the
national executive committee just
completed a lengthy review
process, there are no plans for further review on this matter.”
Tom Wilson, a scoutmaster in
the Miracle Mile area, said he has
no problem with gay scouts or
scoutmasters being part of the
organization. He referred to it as a
“non-issue.” During 20 years of
leading Troop 13, which is sponsored by Cathedral Chapel School,
there have never been any problems relating to sexual orientation,
he said.
“I know that there are plenty of
gay scouts and plenty of gay scoutmasters out there. Their sexuality
shouldn’t have any bearing, as
long as everybody behaves,”
Wilson said. “I don’t think the kids
care, as long as the scoutmaster
isn’t coming on to them. They
have filters and safeguards to take
care of that. If there is a problem,
we will take care of it through the
law.”
Wilson said Troop 13 is one of
the oldest Boy Scouts troops in
Los Angeles, and it is important
that boys, regardless of sexual orientation, have an opportunity to
learn the values taught through
scouting.
“Scouting gives you a sense of
self worth, and teaches the value
of giving back to the community,”
he added.
Other members of the LGBT
community expressed concern that
the Boy Scout’s exclusion of gay
scoutmasters will continue indefinitely. John O’Connor, executive
director of the LGBT rights organization, Equality California, said
he supports SB 323, a bill known
as the Youth Equality Act that was
proposed by State Sen. Ricardo
Lara (D-Long Beach). The bill
would eliminate tax exemptions
for any youth group that discriminates against LGBT individuals.
O’Conner said it will pressure the
Boy Scouts of America to end its
discriminatory policies. SB 323
was approved Wednesday by the
State Senate, and now heads to the
Assembly.
“The Boy Scouts of America
have voted to allow openly gay
youth to remain Boy Scouts, while
continuing to exclude lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender people
from leadership. This means
scouts who have dedicated years
to their troops will still be kicked
out when they turn eighteen,”
O’Connor said. “The Boy Scouts
of America remains the largest
youth group to discriminate
against LGBT people. The failure
of the Boy Scouts of America to
move fully into the 21st Century
proves the necessity of the Youth
Equality Act, showing organizations like the Boy Scouts of
America that any form of discrimination has a real cost.”
Answers From Page 16
Teacher Jamie Boran also allowed a goofy class photo on Career Day at
Selma Avenue Elementary School last Thursday.
She said the idea for the event came
from the contrasts she noticed
between students who had moved
on from elementary school; in
some cases, they were graduating
college, while in others, students
had been placed in juvenile hall.
“That really broke my heart,”
Marin said, adding that the positive
stories are equally uplifting. “That’s
why I think it’s so important that
our commitment begins now.”
She was the youngest of eight
siblings, and was the first among
them to graduate college. Marin
said she was also the first person in
her family to get a master’s degree.
Her students, she said, have similar
hurdles to overcome.
“I feel that the younger we bring
that awareness to students … [the
more it will] promote some goal
setting and thinking about careers,”
Marin added.
Prehistoric creations made
From page 6
“It just had a lot of wonderful
baggage attached to it,” Griffith
added.
While he will work with tar for
the foreseeable future, he uses
other non-traditional art materials
in his artwork. Griffith said he
adds volcanic dust, drain cleaner
(copper sulfate), pollen, ash and
even his father’s ashes. All of the
materials carry a certain historical
element with them, he said.
“It just had a lot
of wonderful
baggage
attached to it.”
Artist
James Griffith
“I try [to combine] life-affirming materials with death-acknowledging materials,” Griffith said,
adding that the tar adds a “soup of
content” that is there before he
even makes an image.
Aisling Farrell, the collections
manager at the Page Museum,
said Griffith is not the only artist
to use the tar in artwork. She said
a lady recently collected some to
waterproof a basket, and teachers
occasionally collect samples.
The tar is not sold, but given
away to people who sign a form
saying they will use the tar for
educational purposes only, Farrell
said. She said individuals generally reach out to the museum first.
“People like to play with it,”
Farrell said. “It’s irresistible.”
Griffith said he hasn’t shown
his work at the Tar Pits, though he
would love to do so. However, the
Altadena resident will continue to
use the tar in his artwork and show
pieces at exhibitions, such as an
upcoming event at El Camino
College.
“I think they’ve got an endless
supply of it,” Griffith said.
For information about the La
Brea
Tar
Pits,
visit
www.tarpits.org. To view the artwork, visit www.jamesgriffithpainting.com.
Iowa suspects arrested
From page 4
back up for the task force. The
suspects were considered to be
armed and dangerous, and
Palmer had a gun when he was
arrested.
“I was listening to the call
when it came out, and they said
the suspect was still armed at the
time,” Reina said. “It was a very
dangerous situation. Good thing
it didn’t result in an officer
involved shooting or someone
getting hurt.”
Reisinger was booked for robbery, and Palmer was booked for
possession of a firearm. They are
being held at the LAPD’s
Metropolitan
Transportation
Center while extradition proceedings are held.

5/30/2013 - Beverly Press

Transcription

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