My too sense

whats in your water

2011-02-23T20:53:00.000-08:00

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Escondido Creek has high levels of nitrogen and the
Tijuana River has rising levels of raw sewage, including fecal matter, San
Diego Coastkeeper announced today.
The environmental organization released its 2010 Water Quality
Monitoring Data, which tabulates monthly sampling throughout nine of the 11
watersheds in San Diego County.
The high nitrate levels in Escondido Creek could come from fertilizer
runoff, sewage or animal manure, and could clog water flow and impact acquatic
organisms, according to Coastkeeper.
``The Regional Water Quality Control Board does not currently list
Escondido Creek for nitrates,'' said Travis Pritchard, the organization's water
quality lab coordinator. ``We submitted our data showing the elevated levels to
the regulators to be considered under the next listing process. This is how our
Water Quality Monitoring program and its team of volunteers are making San
Diego's water healthier.''
Escondido Creek runs 28 miles from near Lake Wohlford through Elfin
Forest and Rancho Santa Fe to the San Elijo Lagoon.
Raw sewage flows into the Tijuana River during rainstorms and fouls
beaches in the South Bay, according to Coastkeeper.
Pritchard said the data will help government decision-making regarding
bodies of water.

San Diego State Student Frenzy

2011-02-23T20:51:00.000-08:00

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - San Diego State University students began lining up
today to get their hands on the 2,500 general admission student tickets
available for Saturday's men's basketball showdown with Brigham Young
University.
The tickets won't be handed out until Friday at 4 p.m.
Abigail Goode told NBC 7/39 that she was the first in line outside the
Viejas Arena ticket office at 1:30 a.m., and has since been joined by groups of
students.
The students say working together in groups allows them to attend class
and handle other matters before re-claiming their spot in line, and cover for
others in the group who leave temporarily.
``If you're not in class, you should be here saving spots in line,''
Goode said.
Other students were splitting their gatherings between the ticket office
and the Viejas Arena gate, which is scheduled to open at 9:30 a.m. Saturday --
90 minutes ahead of the contest, which will be nationally televised on CBS.
Camping out for basketball tickets is typical at hoops hotbeds like Duke
University, but is only a recent phenomenon in San Diego, where the Aztecs
have compiled a best-ever record of 27-1 and climbed to a No. 6 national
ranking.
Excitement for the game also extended to City Hall, where Mayor Jerry
Sanders encouraged San Diegans to wear red and black, the school's colors, on
Friday, when a downtown rally is scheduled for 10 a.m.
City Councilman Kevin Faulconer, an SDSU alumnus, placed a sign in his
office window that reads ``Brigham Down Aztecs!''
The Aztecs are seeking to avenge their only loss of the season in the
game against the No. 7 Cougars.

Missing Woman

2009-12-11T10:40:00.000-08:00

Police are asking for the public’s help in finding a missing Downey woman.

Amy Serrano was last seen late last night at the La Cita Bar in Los Angeles.

Serrano is Hispanic- Five feet tall, one hundred pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

If you have any information call the Downey Police.

Ft. Hood update

2009-11-05T18:13:00.000-08:00

The Muslim Public Affairs Council condemned today's fatal shootings at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas.

The Executive Director of the organization said he also wants to learn more about the both the gunmen,Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, and the shooting.

``Our entire organization extends its heartfelt condolences to the
families of those killed as well as to those wounded and their loved ones,''
said Salam Al-Marayati, executive director of MPAC. ``We stand in solidarity
with law enforcement and the U.S. military to maintain the safety and security
of all Americans.''
Hasan was a 40-year-old Army medical worker who was about to be deployed to Iraq at the end of the month.

Two other soldiers were detained for questioning but were later released.
Thirteen people were killed and 30 were wounded in the shooting.

More details to come as we learn them

SAG new President

2009-09-24T23:12:00.001-07:00

Ken Howard has been elected president of the Screen Actors Guild.

Station Fire Update

2009-09-07T21:13:00.000-07:00

Firefighters are focusing today on the eastern and western flanks of the Station Fire.

Investigators say the cause of this massive blaze is a result of arson.

Since it broke out more than a week ago, the fire has claimed the lives of two firefighters and scorched 147,418 acres -- 230 square miles -- and was 56 percent contained as of Monday night.

Full containment is projected in a week.The fire has destroyed 64 residences, three commercial buildings and 27 outbuildings.

suicide strikes young teen

2009-09-07T21:05:00.001-07:00

NORTHRIDGE -- A died today in an apparent sucide after being struck by a train.

The collision occurred at around 3:40 in the afternoon on Nordhoff Street and Business Center Drive.

The woman, described as being between the ages of 19 and 21, is believed
to have committed suicide and left a note in her purse, which she placed
right next to the tracks, said Lt. Steven Stein.

WOMAN WAS JUST TO HOT

2009-09-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

IRVINE -- The burned body of an African American woman in her mid 20's was found today in an Irvine parking lot.

She was discovered by a passerby around 8:30 a.m. in the 1800 block of Kettering, said Lt. John Hare of the Irvine Police Department.
``Responding officers arrived at the location and did in fact locate a deceased victim lying burned in the parking lot,'' Hare said.
Authorities believe she was burned in the parking lot hours about 2 hours before police were notified.
The victim did not appear to have been associated with the business where she was found, Hare said.

INMATES RELEASE DATA

2009-09-02T05:52:00.000-07:00

IRVINE (CNS) - A study released today by a UC Irvine professor offers statistics to back critics of the proposal to reduce the state prison population by up to 27,000 prisoners
UC Irvine criminologist John Hipp's study showed that crime shoots up in some neighborhoods when parolees are released. Hipp said his study is the first time researchers have analyzed monthly crime statistics in correlation with parolee releases in specific neighborhoods.
The report, which studied neighborhoods in Sacramento because it is a good sample of economic and ethnic demographics, showed that if the parolees have violent backgrounds, murder rates increase. The same is true of reports of aggravated assault, robbery and burglary, according to Hipp.
However, the crime rates decrease when parolees move back into solid, longtime neighborhoods and neighborhoods where there are organizations available to provide the kinds of services parolees need to rebuild their lives and stay out of trouble, Hipp said.
``The study looked at Sacramento over a four-year period and it was a real fine-grained thing looking at the monthly change in the number of parolees going back to neighborhoods and the crime rates in those neighborhoods,'' Hipp said.
``What we were trying to do is pull it all apart and see month to month as the parolees go back into the neighborhoods do we see a change in crime.''
The prison-release plan was already a hot topic of debate in the state capital, but it grew even more intense when Phillip Garrido, a parolee and registered sex offender accused of abducting Jaycee Dugard when she was 11 years old and holding her hostage for 18 years, came to light.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today asked a three-judge panel ordering California to reduce its inmate population over the next two years by more than 40,000 to stay its order. If the judges refuse, Schwarzenegger's administration will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case.
The prison system is under a federal consent decree to reduce the number of inmates because it is so overcrowded prisoners' civil rights are being violated.
Schwarzenegger backs legislation to reduce the inmate population by about 37,000 over the next couple of years by sending more convicts to county jails or ordering more home confinement. The Assembly passed a bill Monday slashing prison spending by about $1 billion, but it excised a Senate bill's proposed release of older prisoners.
``It's a tough situation to be in to have to release people,'' Hipp said. ``In some ways it's an obvious thing: If you're stuck then release them, but be careful who you release. Don't just do it across the board. And it goes the other way. Who do we slam in prison with our limited resources? We need to be more selective.''
Hipp advised officials to make sure parolees have social safety nets when they get out of prison.
``If they're coming back to the neighborhoods then we should help them as much as we can. For our findings, that did make a difference,'' he said.
In an average month, researchers found more than an 8 percent rise in aggravated assault reports, a 20 percent increase in robbery reports and a nearly 10 percent bump in burglary reports correlating with increases in the parolee population. When violent parolees returned to the neighborhoods murder rates jumped up 20 percent.

Station Fire Update

2009-09-02T04:46:00.000-07:00

Six days into it, the Station Fire is now at 127,513 acres and is 22 percent contained.

The Station Fire is burning within the Angeles National Forest and near surrounding communities of La Canada-Flintridge, La Crescenta, Acton, Soledad Canyon, Pasadena and Glendale.

Steep terrain, decadent old growth brush and hot dry weather are factors that drive fire activity. Evacuations and a forest closure order remain in effect.
MANDATORY EVACUATIONS:
ALTADENA AREA:
Open: Fair Oaks Avenue west to Arroyo Seco Road, with the exception of Prieto Fire Road and Millard Canyon north of Rising Hill Road, which remain under mandatory evacuation.
Closed: Chaney Trail and Alzada Drive north of Jaxine Drive
Closed: Areas east of Fair Oaks and north of Loma Alta Drive
NATIONAL FOREST:
Big Tujunga Canyon Road from Mount Gleason to Angeles Forest Highway
Little Tujunga Canyon Road north of the Little Tujunga Ranger Station and Gold Creek
Chantry Flats
ACTON:
Soledad Canyon Road from Agua Dulce Canyon Road to Bootlegger Canyon Road
Angeles Forest Highway south of Aliso Canyon
TUJUNGA:
Northwest of Day at Blue Gum Canyon Road to Glory Avenue to westbound Apperson Street to northbound Fairgrove Avenue to westbound Summitrose Street to northbound Pinyon Avenue to westbound Hillrose Street to northbound Seven Hills Drive to Lonzo Street
VOLUNTARY EVACUATIONS:
JUNIPER HILLS:
South of Fort Tejon Road from Mount Emma Road to Longview Road
LITTLEROCK:
Littlerock Recreational Area, Mount Emma Road & Cheseboro Road
GLENDALE:
North of Markridge road between Pennsylvania and Lowell

NOT EVEN SPIDERMAN CAN CLIMB THIS TOWER (at least without a fine)

2009-09-02T04:42:00.000-07:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – A French climber nicknamed "Spiderman" has been fined 2,000 ringgit ($570) for climbing Malaysia's 88-story Petronas Twin Towers.
A Kuala Lumpur court official says Alain Robert pleaded guilty Wednesday to criminal trespass. He declined to be named, citing court policy.
A day earlier, Robert sneaked past security to reach the top of Tower 2 of the landmark buildings. He was arrested right after his feat. He was quoted by the national Bernama news agency as saying, "Climbing is my passion, my life, my addiction."
Robert tried to scale the Twin Towers in 1997 and 2007 but was arrested at the 60th floor both times. He has climbed more than 70 skyscrapers worldwide, including the Empire State Building and Taipei 101.

THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN By JULIA ZAPPEI, Associated Press Writer Julia Zappei, Associated Press Writer – Wed Sep 2, 3:35 am ET

Google Controversy

2009-08-28T18:47:00.001-07:00

Real or Fake

http://tinyurl.com/l29bq6

The GOODS--STOLEN

2009-08-26T05:57:00.000-07:00

Eds: Sgt. Leavins may be willing to display the stolen goods. He can be reached at (562) 762-7019.
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Two suspected gang members were behind bars today on suspicion of stealing about $200,000 worth of jewelry from a home in West Los Angeles, a sheriff's captain reported.
Ashton Carter of Los Angeles and Jason Willis of Inglewood were arrested Monday afternoon in an `upscale'' neighborhood in West L.A. when they allegedly came out of a home carrying two Gucci bags, according to sheriff's Capt. James Ritenour.
Sheriff's detectives watched Carter and Willis before they went into the home and pursued them when they came out with the bags and got into a rented car, Ritenour said.
Carter jumped out of the car and ran, but detectives caught both Carter and Willis, Ritenour said.
Detectives recovered about $200,000 worth of jewelry that had been taken from the home, he said.
Carter, 26, and Willis, 21, were held today at the sheriff's Temple Station in lieu of $50,000 bail each, according to jail records. They were scheduled to appear at the airport courthouse on La Cienega Boulevard some time this morning.
Ritenour said detectives are looking other similar burglaries and encouraged anyone with information to call the sheriff's Major Crimes Bureau at (562) 762-7019.

TODAY'S TOP STORIES FROM CNS

2009-08-26T03:52:00.000-07:00

Local News in Brief
City News Service
Unseasonably warm weather will return to the Southland today ... promising triple-digit temperatures in some valley areas. The National Weather Service says that the heat ... very low humidity levels and bone-dry vegetation have combined to create wildfire conditions. A red flag warning signifying a high risk of wildfire will be in effect from 6 this morning until 9 Friday night. The warning is in force on the mountains of Los Angeles ... Ventura ... Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. That vast stretch includes the Angeles and Los Padres national forests.
In the Angeles National Forest ... the fire that broke out yesterday afternoon along North San Gabriel Canyon Road is raging over 750 acres as of this morning. It's only 10 percent contained. There have been some evacuations ... but fire officials say that there have been no injuries and no residential properties are threatened at this hour. The blaze is 10 percent contained ... with no one predicting when full containment might occur.

An inmate has been beaten to death in a two-man cell at Antelope Valley State Prison in Lancaster. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says the man's body was discovered last night. Sheriff's investigators are at the prison at this hour to conduct a probe into the slaying. The victim's name hasn't yet been released.
The California Highway Patrol says this morning that a motorist has died in a crash on the southbound Harbor Freeway in Wilmington ... just south of the Pacific Coast Highway. A black sport utility vehicle ended up in the center divider as a result of last night's crash. The name of the person who was killed hasn't yet been released.

The death of Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy is drawing reaction from around the nation ... including Southern California. Former first lady Nancy Reagan has issued a statement saying she'll miss Kennedy as a dear friend. She also praises the senator for having been her ally in promoting stem cell research. Nancy Reagan says that even though her husband and Kennedy came from different sides of the political divide ... President Reagan and Kennedy were close and had great respect for each other.

R&B singer Chris Brown faces five years probation and 180 days of community labor for assaulting his then-girlfriend Rihanna after a pre-Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. As part of his sentence ... Brown must also complete a one-year domestic violence counseling program and stay away from Rihanna. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg agreed to allow Brown to perform his community labor in Virginia ... where he lives.

It will be sunny today ... and warm. Highs will be in the mid 80s at the beaches ... the mid 90s inland ... and the low 100s in the valleys. Air quality will range from moderate to unhealthful for sensitive groups.

The Heat goes on and on, The Heat goes on and on

2009-08-26T03:50:00.001-07:00

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A red flag warning signifying a high risk of wildfire was issued today for the mountains of Southern California because of high heat, very low humidity and bone-dry vegetation.
Highs once again will reach triple digits in some Southland areas, although the warmest temperatures are expected Thursday through Saturday, and ``a few temperature records could be broken,'' according to an NWS statement.
Even before the red flag warning went into effect, a wildfire broke out Tuesday afternoon in the San Gabriel Canyon section of the Angeles National Forest and had scorched more than 600 acres by this morning.
The National Weather Service said the red flag warning would be in effect from 6 a.m. today until 9 p.m. Friday in the mountains of Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties -- an area that includes the Angeles and Los Padres national forests.
Forecasters blamed the region's newest heat wave on a strong upper-level high-pressure system now over southern New Mexico and expected to reach the Southland by Friday.
``This, in combination with weakening onshore flow, will result in continued warming and drying during the next few days,'' according to an NWS advisory.
During that time, mountain areas will experience 10 hours per day or more of single-digit humidity levels, with little improvement occurring during overnight hours, according to the NWS.
``The combination of long-duration single-digit humidities, hot temperatures and critically dry fuels has prompted the issuance of the red flag warning for the mountains of Southwest California,'' the advisory said.
Valley areas also will be very dry over coming days, but the humidity levels in the valleys are not expected to fall enough below the norm to warrant red flag warnings, according to the NWS.
``The long-duration heat event could pose health hazards for anyone outdoors, especially for the elderly, small children and pets,'' the NWS said in a statement, urging residents to drink plenty of water, wear loose-fitting clothing and stay out of the sun as much as possible.
``Never leave children or pets in cars with the windows up or cracked during the day, even for a very short time, as temperatures can quickly reach lethal levels,'' the statement said.
Some subtropical moisture could return to the region over the weekend, which could send humidity levels back to two-digit territory, although it will remain hot.
The NWS forecast highs today of 83 in Avalon and at LAX; 92 on Mount Wilson; 93 in downtown L.A.; 95 in Long Beach; 98 in San Gabriel and Burbank; 99 in Pasadena; 100 in Lancaster; 101 in Palmdale; 102 in Newhall; and 104 in Woodland Hills.
Temperatures will be even higher Thursday and Friday, return roughly to today's levels on Saturday and begin falling -- by around 5 degrees in some areas -- on Sunday, except in the Antelope Valley, where highs will be in the low 100s through early next week.

Ryan Jenkins is Dead

2009-08-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

ABC News is reporting that Ryan Jenkins, who was accused of killing swimsuit model Jasmine Fiore, has been found dead in Canada.

U SCREAM, I SCREAM, WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM

2009-08-23T17:31:00.000-07:00

I guess one ice cream truck is all the city of El Segundo.

City Councilman Bill Fisher said, "I just want to make sure we're doing the right thing and have the right controls in place, and that (vendors) know what the grounds rules are.''

City officials have delayed granting approval to what be El Segundo's second permitted ice cream vendor until October, when they will review city and police statistics, and decide how to proceed.

The hold up is over whether another ice cream truck will take away business from local sport vendor who sell ice as a fundraising method.

We will just have to wait to see, how this plays but at least in El Segundo they are tackling the big issues facing the city.

CAR CRASH IN RIVERSIDE

2009-08-23T17:30:00.000-07:00

Four people were injured today near downtown Riverside when a stolen SUV crashed into another vehicle, police said.
Police were following the 2006 Nissan Pathfinder around 2 p.m. when they saw it run a stop sign on Cedar Street at University Avenue and crash into a westbound Chrysler PT Cruiser that was on University, said Riverside police Lt. Chuck Griffits.
The PT Cruiser went off the road and rolled on its side in the yard of a home on the corner, Griffits said.
The driver of the Pathfinder and all three people in the PT Cruiser were taken to a hospital, but none of the injures were considered serious, Griffits said.
The Pathfinder had been reported stolen earlier today in Monterey Park.
The driver, Adrian Sandoval, 28, of Monterey Park, was expected to be arrested on suspicion of possessing a stolen vehicle, reckless driving causing injury and violating parole, Griffits said.

HEALTH CARE DEBATE (DRAMA-FREE)

2009-08-23T16:56:00.000-07:00

A South Los Angeles congresswoman held a drama-free town hall meeting at Los Angeles Southwest College in support of President Barack Obama's national health care plan, it was reported today.
``The health care system is broken and it's got to be fixed,'' Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, told an supportive crowd of more than 400 people Saturday, the Daily Breeze reported.
``It's not simply about the 47 million people who are uninsured, it's about people who can afford health care, who are paying premiums every month but finding that their premium costs keep increasing. God forbid you have a catastrophe.''
Other politicians have faced angry questioners when they hosted similar events in recent weeks. And protestors have used the events as opportunities to criticize not only health care, but other policies of the president.
Waters opposition at Saturday's town hall meeting included a man wearing a Halloween mask and a hood, silently holding a handmade sign over his head, reading ``Disease yes. Medical reform no. Satan.'' When asked if he was expecting any support, the man laughed.
The only time the crowd booed was when Waters mentioned Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor, who helped popularize the idea that ``death panels'' would decide end-of-life issues for seniors.
Hawthorne resident Yvette Johnson-Reagan told the Daily Breeze she had insurance, but wanted to make sure the less fortunate could afford it as well.
``I'm not doing it for me,'' Johnson-Reagan said. ``I'm doing it for the people who were at the Forum.''
She was referring to a health clinic at the Forum in Inglewood earlier this month that drew thousands of people seeking free medical attention.
Waters drew applause when she painted a picture of greedy insurance companies milking the public dry.
``This is about getting a handle on the rising costs,'' she said. ``It's about creating competition. It's about being able to ensure that we don't let the same people that's been ripping us off continue to rip us off.''
Sybil Tullos told the Daily Breeze she has had trouble getting insurance because she has pre-existing conditions, a situation Waters promised to fix.
``If I lose my job, I'm screwed,'' Tullos said. ``I'm sick of seeing people demonize President Obama.''

MISSING MODEL UPDATE

2009-08-23T16:54:00.000-07:00

Canadian police said today they believe a reality TV contestant who fled after police tried to arrest him for killing his bikini- model wife in Southern California is in Canada.
Earlier in the day, the millionaire murder suspect, Ryan Jenkins, 32, was rumored to be somewhere on an island off Honduras by friends who noted his father had developed an island resort there.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police issued a statement at midday today that ````RCMP is now prepared to say that information believed to be credible suggests that Mr. Jenkins is in Canada.''
The Mounties issued a statement urging that Jenkins turn himself in ``in the interest of the safety of the Canadian public, the police and Ryan Jenkins.''
Earlier in the day, the suspect's father denied comment to reporters in Calgary when they asked him if he as been in touch with his fugitive son. Dan Jenkins, a successful architect, also owns a private airplane that returned to Canada just as his son fled U.S. police at the Canada-U.S. border and walked north into his homeland.
The RCMP said they are seeking a Canadian warrant to arrest Jenkins in connection with the beating, strangling and mutilating of 28-year-old Jasmine Fiore, a resident of the Fairfax District who was found dead last Saturday, stuffed in a suitcase in a trash bin in Buena Park.
The elder Jenkins said he has been advised by his lawyer not to comment, reported CTV, Canada's largest private broadcaster.
The Web site for the TMZ.com television show said the suspect's father had developed an island resort off the coast of Honduras, and that the father's private plane had returned to Canada just before the border incident. Former friends of the Jenkins family have also said they theorize that the murder suspect has fled to some island in Honduras.
Authorities said Fiore had been beaten and strangled, and her fingers and teeth had been removed. She was identified after a coroner found serial numbers on her breast implants.
Jenkins who is a former VH1 dating show contestant, and was charged Thursday with her murder. Last week he was chased by police boats at the U.S.- Canada border and was last spotted walking calmly into British Columbia.
On Aug. 13, the two had gone to San Diego for a charity poker tournament at the Hilton hotel, and had checked into the posh L'Auberge Del Mar Resort and Spa. There are conflicting reports if they are married, or if any marriage was annulled.
Security video showed Jenkins leaving the hotel alone the next morning, with a suitcase, and Buena Park police detectives went to the hotel on Monday and Wednesday, but a hotel manager said he did not believe she was killed there.
``We saw nothing unusual,'' said hotel manager Mike Slosser. ``We do 300, 400 guests a day, I mean, they were just as normal as anybody I've ever seen.''
However, at least one witness told news outlets he saw the two arguing during the poker tournament.
The witness, Sean Feald, told ABC7 that Fiore ``was obviously a very pretty woman, scantily dressed, easy to see out of a crowd.''
He said Fiore began to argue with and ``badger'' Jenkins, ``putting him down,'' and that she spent much of the night by herself.
He said she was ``texting some guy'' and ``probably did not want to be around (Jenkins) at that point in time, which makes sense, but I did see her a lot more by herself than with him.''
ABC7 reported that witnesses said the arguing continued when they returned to their hotel.
The two met in April in Las Vegas, where she was living at the time, and soon after they got married. But months later the marriage was annulled, according to her mother, Lisa Lepore.
Also in April, Jenkins was arrested in Las Vegas on suspicion of hitting Fiore in the arm, but they later began seeing each other again. He had also been convicted of assaulting a girlfriend in Canada in 2007 and was sentenced to 15 months probation.
Recently, Fiore had rekindled a romance with a former boyfriend, Robert Hasman, and investigators were looking into whether jealousy may have played a role in the slaying.
TMZ reported that last month, Fiore and Hasman had gone to Los Cabos, Mexico, together.
``This message goes out to the family, his mother and father, and to the friends that are helping him try to leave this country,'' Hasman said Thursday ``Ryan Jenkins is an animal. What he has done to Jasmine is unspeakable.''
Jenkins reported Fiore missing last Saturday night, telling investigators that she left their Fairfax Village home in the 800 block of Edinburgh Avenue, near Melrose Avenue, about 8:30 p.m. Friday, police said.
A man searching for recyclables found Fiore's badly beaten, nude body inside a large, gray, blood-stained suitcase in a trash bin in Buena Park about 7 a.m. Saturday.
The coroner put her time of death a few hours before the body was found, according to police.
Early Thursday, authorities in Washington state said a man matching Jenkins' description was seen boarding a boat bound for a remote area where people can walk across the Canadian border. The boat, which belongs to Jenkins, was later found abandoned in Point Roberts, Wash., near British Columbia.
Jenkins' black BMW X5 SUV and an empty boat trailer were also found in nearby Blaine, Wash. Authorities are still looking for Fiore's white Mercedes- Benz CLS 550.
Chief Investigator Tom Hession of the U.S. Marshals Service said that although there was no official confirmation that the suspect was in Canada, local officials were preparing paperwork to issue an arrest warrant there, and warned that anyone assisting Jenkins could be charged with aiding, abetting and harboring a fugitive

THIS IS FROM A CITY NEWS SERVICE ARTICLE

WOMEN FOUND

2009-08-23T16:49:00.000-07:00

A 24-year-old woman who sent her family text messages saying she was in danger is safe today.
Silvia Mardini was last seen Friday running errands in her Ford Focus.

Her family contacted authorities Saturday after she sent them texts saying she was in danger.
She was located safe and unharmed around 3 p.m. in Routt County, Colorado.

No suspects were in custody and Mardini is in the process of being reunited with her family, police said.
``Robbery homicide detectives are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mardini's disappearance,'' according to an LAPD statement.
The FBI and officers from both Utah and Colorado assisted in finding Mardini.

Shooting Deaths in the Desert

2009-08-09T12:37:00.000-07:00

PALM DESERT (CNS) - A total of five people were injured in a pair of shooting assaults that went down five hours and a half mile apart today in Palm Desert, a police detective said.
``We have three shot, two beat up,'' Palm Desert police Detective Sgt. Dan Bressler told City News Service. ``We have nobody in custody, no guns, no bodies. People are less than forthcoming.''
No fatalities were reported in the shootings, and there was no apparent connection other than the proximity, Bressler said. ``At this point everybody's still alive.''
The first shootings were reported about 12:50 a.m. in the 66000 block of 2nd Street, and the second round of gunfire broke out at 5:45 a.m. in the 66900 block of Pierson Boulevard. according to police.
The violent incidents began before 1 a.m., when police responded to a reported disturbance on 2nd Street and heard gunshots as they arrived. Whoever fired the shots escaped, and police found one young man shot and two young men beaten.
All three were taken to Desert Regional Medical Center for treatment. None of their injuries appeared to be life-threatening.
While police were at the shooting scene on 2nd Street, more gunfire rang out in the 66900 block of Pierson Boulevard near Verbena Drive. Officers followed the sound of gunshots and found two people down in a front yard and a driveway outside a home.
Both of the victims had been shot numerous times, according to police. They were also taken to Desert Regional Medical Center for treatment, and they were expected to survive.
One of the shooters in the second incident was described as a white man in his late teens, about 5 feet-11 inches tall, thin build, with spiked red hair, and he was last seen wearing green shorts and a shirt of no specific description.
Police said they did not know that the types of weapons were used in both incidents and had no information that either incident was gang-related.

Journalists Freed

2009-08-05T04:14:00.000-07:00

"BURBANK (CNS) - Former President Bill Clinton and the two journalists whose freedom he secured in a 20-hour visit to Pyongyang flew back home today at the culmination of a delicate diplomatic minuet between unpredictable North Korea and the United States.
The private plane carrying Laura Ling, Euna Lee and the former president was expected to land some time after 4 a.m. at Bob Bank Airport in Burbank, where the women were expected to be met by their families and the founder of the media venture that employs them, former Vice President Al Gore.
Ling, 32, and Euna Lee, 36, were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for illegally entering North Korea from China on March 17 while working for San Francisco-based Current TV.
The journalists, who were working on a story about North Korean refugees at the time of their arrest, were granted a ``special pardon'' Tuesday, shortly after Clinton arrived in the country and met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
Ling and Lee appeared healthy as they boarded their plane in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. A doctor was aboard the aircraft that flew them back to the United States.
In a statement posted online, the families of Lee and Ling -- the sister of Lisa Ling, a USC graduate and former co-host of ``The View'' -- said they were ``overjoyed by the news of their pardon.''
``We are so grateful to our government: President Obama, Secretary Clinton and the U.S. State Department for their dedication to and hard work on behalf of American citizens. We especially want to thank President Bill Clinton for taking on such an arduous mission and Vice President Al Gore for his tireless efforts to bring Laura and Euna home. We must also thank all the people who have supported our families through this ordeal. It has meant the world to us. We are counting the seconds to hold Laura and Euna in our arms.''
For Clinton, securing the release of Ling and Lee appeared to more a case of stagecraft than negotiating triumph amid signs the outcome had been pre- determined through weeks of secret diplomatic exchanges, orchestrated in part by his spouse, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
U.S. officials told reporters in Washington, D.C., that Ling and Lee told their families in July that they would receive an amnesty if the former president came to fetch them.
Nuclear-armed North Korea has long sought bilateral contacts with the United States, a goal believed to have gained even greater importance for ailing dictator Kim Jong Il at a time when he seeks to shore up his regime internally prior to an eventual transfer of power to one of his sons.
North Korea's conditions presented the administration of President Barack Obama with a dilemma -- how to gain the women's freedom, and perhaps soften North Korea's obdurate stance on its internationally condemned nuclear program, without rewarding Kim for what Washington regards as perennially bad behavior.
As part of that effort, the administration outwardly maintained an arms- length position regarding the Clinton visit, describing it as a private humanitarian mission.
Relations between Washington and Pyongyang have become increasingly tense since North Korea tested a long-range ballistic missile in April and a small nuclear device in May and announced it no longer would take part in the multiparty talks -- involving China, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the United States -- aimed at placing North Korean nuclear facilities under international supervision."

THIS IS FROM A CITY NEWS SERVICE ARTICLE

No Texting while driving or else states or S-O-L

2009-07-29T04:01:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON (AP) _ States would be required to ban driving while
texting or face the loss of highway funds under legislation being
pushed by a group of senators.
New York Sen. Charles Schumer and three other Democrats plan to
unveil the bill on Wednesday. It follows a study by the Virginia
Tech Transportation Institute that found that when drivers of heavy
trucks texted, their collision risk was 23 times greater than when
not texting.
Fourteen states and the District of Columbia ban texting while
driving.
Under the Senate proposal, states would need to outlaw texting
or e-mailing while operating a moving vehicle or lose 25 percent of
their annual federal highway funding.

THIS IS FROM AN AP ARTICLE

Pasaden Murder

2009-07-26T15:08:00.000-07:00

PASADENA (CNS) - A man who reportedly killed his wife with an ax in unincorporated East Pasadena today, then called sheriff's deputies to report his crime, was behind bars.
The man called the sheriff's Temple Station about 1:30 a.m. saying he had just killed his wife, according to Deputy Keith Ho of the Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau.
When deputies arrived at the couple's home in the 100 block of Rosemead Boulevard, near Colorado Boulevard, they found Michelle Lu, 55, with multiple stab wounds, Ho said.
She was declared dead at the scene. Lt. Cheryl MacWillie of the Los Angeles County coroner's office provided her name.
Detective Richard Ramirez told a video crew at the scene that the couple's adult son was at home, found his parents fighting and grabbed what appeared to be an ax away from his father.
Sheriff's deputies were tight-lipped about what happened and refused to name the suspect.
Lu's husband, whose name was withheld, was taken into custody. The video crew described him as in his 70s.
Video from another crew indicates two men being taken away by police, but deputies could not say this morning whether the second was the son and whether he was simply accompanying his father to the station. CNS-07-26-2009 11:58

CA finally getting a budget

2009-07-24T05:42:00.000-07:00

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- The California Senate has approved a plan to close the state's $26 billion budget deficit, giving a glimmer of hope after weeks of fiscal gloom.
The complex package of 31 bills is still being debated in the Assembly.
Failure to pass any one of the bills could jeopardize the entire deal, potentially sinking California further into fiscal chaos.
Senators struggled through the early-morning hours Friday to get enough votes to pass the more controversial measures, including taking billions of dollars from cities and counties.
The compromise plan before the 80-member Assembly and 40-member state Senate was announced Monday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and party leaders of each house.
It eliminates nearly 60 percent of the deficit with spending cuts to core state services.

76 YEARS OLD AND STILL MISSING

2009-07-24T05:40:00.000-07:00

ALISO VIEJO (CNS) - A 76-year-old Aliso Viejo woman who left her home
last week after a spat with her husband remained missing today, and authorities
were prepared to scale back the search for her.
Orange County Sheriff's Department Lt. Mike Jansen said an intensive
operation, using search and rescue teams, bloodhounds, cadaver dogs and
helicopters, has turned up no trace of Margot Walters, who left her Vista del
Cerro home sometime about 3 a.m. Friday.
"They've searched as much as they can now," Jansen said. "We've
exhausted our means."
No one has reported seeing the woman and despite extensive media
coverage of the search, she has not contacted anyone, although she was not
believed to have taken money or a cellular telephone, said Jim Amormino of the
Orange County Sheriff's Department.
Deputies are expected to keep up some activity in connection with the
woman, but not on the essentially full-time basis that has marked much of the
effort so far, Jansen said.
Deputies with dogs combed the canyons near Aliso and Wood Canyons
Wilderness Park for Walters. The home she shares with her husband is next to
the park.
Walters has been described as about 5 feet 6 inches and 130 pounds, with
brown hair and gray eyes, Amormino said.
The area adjacent to the home "is a greenbelt area," Jansen said.
"After a while, you're going to need some water."
It is not considered a habitat area for mountain lions, which roam
toward the eastern edge of Orange County, across a ridge from the area adjacent
to the Walters' home, Jansen said.
Walters' husband has issued pleas for his wife's return during the
search, telling reporters that the fight between them was a minor one and he
would never harm his wife.
"I called her a name and she didn't like that," Egon Walters told the
Orange County Register. "Please forgive, forgive, for everyone's sake. I want
you back and everyone wants you back."

THIS IS FROM A CITY NEWS SERVICE ARTICLE

Gas prices are down like the economy

2009-07-24T05:37:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular
gasoline in Los Angeles County declined today for the 33rd time in 34 days,
dropping four-tenths of a cent to $2.841. The average price is 2.2 cents
less than a week ago, 17.8 cents less than a month ago and $1.569 less than a
year ago, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service.
The average price fell 31 consecutive days, rose two-tenths of a cent
Wednesday, then declined two-tenths of a cent Thursday.
The Orange County average price declined today for the 18th time in 19
days, falling three-tenths of a cent to $2.832, 2.1 cents less than a week ago,
18.1 cents less than a month ago and $1.526 less than a year ago.
However, slight price increases nationally over the past two days are
"probably not a good sign for Southern California prices decreases to
continue," said Automobile Club of Southern California spokesman Jeffrey
Spring, "but this could be a plateau, rather than the start of another price
spike."
"Crude oil prices have risen on the world market, but demand remains
flat and supply is plentiful," Spring said.

THIS IS FROM A CITY NEWS SERVICE ARTICLE

The Economy and the Weather both Hot as Hell

2009-07-22T05:59:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The Southland once again will bake under sizzling
temperatures today, with the region's heat wave showing no clear sign of
dissipating.
The National Weather Service forecast highs today in the low 100s in the
San Fernando, Santa Clarita, San Gabriel and Pomona valleys and the mountains
of Los Angeles County, other than the Santa Monica range.
Because the humidity level -- now at the 20-30 percent level -- is
expected to make the heat particularly uncomfortable in the mountains, an
excessive heat warning will be in effect for mountain areas until at least 8
tonight.
"The combination of temperature and humidity will create dangerously
hot conditions, with heat index values climbing to 100 degrees or more" in
mountain regions, according to an NWS advisory.
The heat index is a measure of discomfort based on humidity and heat,
which could peak at 105 in mountain areas today, forecasters said.
The Antelope Valley is expected to experience highs of 108 today. On
Tuesday, the mercury climbed to 107 in Lancaster, setting a record for a July
21, besting the one set in 2006, when the temperature in the city reached 106.
How much longer the heat wave will last was not certain this morning as
meteorologists struggled to forecast the departure of a strong upper-level high-
pressure system that has been parked over the West for several days.
One computer model indicates that it will push eastward starting Monday
or Tuesday, but another one shows the system staying put, said meteorologist
Jamie Meyer in a telephone interview from the NWS office in Oxnard.
In any event, we will not see "a whole lot of change anytime soon,"
she said.
The NWS forecast highs today of 74 in Avalon; 75 at Newport Beach; 76 at
LAX; 85 in Long Beach; 88 in Anaheim; 89 in downtown L.A.; 90 on Mount
Wilson; 93 in San Gabriel; 94 in Burbank; 96 in Pasadena; 102 in Woodland
Hills; 104 in Newhall; and 106 in Palmdale and Lancaster.

THIS IS FROM A CITY NEWS SERVICE ARTICLE

Bringing some REALITY to POLITICS

2009-07-22T04:23:00.000-07:00

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- Reality TV star Randal Pinkett says he'll consider running for lieutenant governor in New Jersey if -- and when -- an offer is made.
The season 4 "Apprentice" winner tells The Associated Press he's met with Gov. Jon Corzine, but the governor has not asked him to be his running mate.
Pinkett is an African-American businessman who co-chaired Newark Mayor Cory Booker's transition team.
Corzine reportedly backed off Pinkett after the choice received negative reaction from some Democrats and newspaper editorial pages.
Corzine must make his lieutenant governor selection by Monday.
Republican Chris Christie has picked Monmouth County Sheriff Kim Guadagno (gwah-DAHN'-oh) as his running mate.

THIS IS FROM AN AP ARTICLE

Would you DIE for an iPhone?

2009-07-22T04:12:00.000-07:00

GUANGZHOU, China (AP) -- An employee at a factory that makes iPhones in China killed himself after a prototype went missing, and Apple Inc. responded Wednesday by saying its suppliers are required to treat workers with dignity and respect.
The dead worker, Sun Danyong, 25, worked in product communications at Foxconn Technology Group, a Taiwanese firm that makes many Apple products at a massive factory in the southern city of Shenzhen, near Hong Kong.
Although Apple and Foxconn have confirmed Sun's suicide, they have not provided details about the circumstances, which have been reported by the state-run Southern Metropolis Daily, one of the region's most popular papers.
There's tremendous pressure on employees dealing with Apple's new products to maintain a high-level secrecy over the gadgets, traditionally launched amid great suspense and a big marketing buzz. Apple is also a constant target of prying journalists, rabidly faithful customers and competitors who make great efforts to try to steal a peek at its latest technology.
Sun was responsible for sending iPhone prototypes to Apple, and on July 13 he reported that he was missing one of the 16 fourth-generation units in his possession, the newspaper reported. His friends said company security guards searched his apartment, detained him and beat him, the paper reported.
In the early morning of July 16, Sun jumped from the 12th floor of his apartment building, the paper said.
Jill Tan, an Apple spokeswoman in Hong Kong, issued only a brief statement about the incident.
"We are saddened by the tragic loss of this young employee, and we are awaiting results of the investigations into his death," Tan said. "We require our suppliers to treat all workers with dignity and respect."
The hot-selling iPhone has helped make Apple immune to the global recession. On Tuesday, the Cupertino, California-based company said its earnings jumped 15 percent in the third quarter -- growth propelled by laptop and iPhone sales.
More than 5.2 million iPhones were sold in the third quarter -- seven times what it sold at the same time last year -- and the spike in sales was partly because of a newly released version of the device, the company said.
One of Apple's most important manufacturing partners has long been Foxconn, owned by Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. -- the world's biggest contract manufacturer of electronics. The corporate behemoth has also produced computers for Hewlett-Packard Co., PlayStation game consoles for Sony Corp. and mobile phones for Nokia Corp.
Foxconn said in a statement its security chief has been suspended and turned over to the police.
The security official, Gu Qinming, was quoted by the Southern Metropolis Daily as saying he never hit Sun. Gu reportedly said after three security personnel searched Sun's apartment and did not find the phone, the employee was ordered to go to Gu's office on July 15.
The security chief said he didn't think Sun was being truthful about the phone, the paper reported.
"I got a bit agitated. I pointed my finger at him and said that he was trying to shift the blame," Gu was quoted as saying.
He added, "I was a little angry and I pulled his right shoulder once to get him to tell me what happened. It (the beating) couldn't have happened," the paper reported.
Local police declined to respond to questions from The Associated Press.
Foxconn executive Li Jinming said in a statement that Sun's death showed the company needed to do a better job helping its employees with psychological pressures.
"Sun Danyong graduated from a good school. He joined the company in 2008. He had an extremely bright future. The group and I feel deep pain and regret when a young person dies like this."

THIS IS FROM AN AP ARTICLE

THE HANGOVER STILL HANGING ON

2009-07-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul. 19, 2009-- Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures' summer smash hit "The Hangover" has added another milestone to its record-breaking run. On Sunday, July 19th, the Todd Phillips-directed comedy became the top-grossing R-rated comedy of all time, breaking the record previously held by "Beverly Hills Cop," which has stood for almost 25 years. To date, the film has earned an astounding estimated $235.9 million dollars and is still drawing large audiences after more than six weeks in release.
The announcement was made by Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. Pictures President of Domestic Distribution, who said, "This is one record I don't think any of us anticipated crossing. We continue to be amazed by the resilience of 'The Hangover' in a very competitive summer season, and the buzz just keeps building as word-of-mouth shows no sign of diminishing."
Jeff Robinov, President of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, stated, "Audiences are obviously in a mood to laugh and 'The Hangover' more than fits that bill. We are all understandably thrilled, but the person who deserves the most credit is the remarkable Todd Phillips. We applaud him and the amazing cast, along with everyone who had a hand in making the film."
Filmmaker Todd Phillips remarked, "I couldn't be happier that audiences everywhere are having as much fun watching 'The Hangover' as we had making it. The response to the movie has been overwhelming, and I want to thank my entire cast and crew and, of course, all our friends at Warner Bros."
From director Todd Phillips, "The Hangover" is a new comedy about a bachelor party gone horribly wrong. Two days before his wedding, Doug (Justin Bartha) and his three buddies (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis) drive to Las Vegas for a blow-out night they'll never forget. But when the three groomsmen wake up the next morning with pounding headaches, they can't remember a thing. Their posh hotel suite is beyond trashed and the groom is nowhere to be found. With no clue about what happened and little time to spare, the trio must attempt to retrace their bad decisions from the night before in order to figure out where things went wrong and hopefully get Doug back to L.A. in time for his wedding. However, the more they begin to uncover, the more they realize just how much trouble they're really in.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a Green Hat Films Production of a Todd Phillips Movie: "The Hangover," starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham, Justin Bartha and Jeffrey Tambor. The film is directed by Phillips from a screenplay by Jon Lucas & Scott Moore. Todd Phillips and Dan Goldberg produced, with Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, William Fay, Scott Budnick, Chris Bender and J.C. Spink serving as executive producers.

THIS IS FROM AN AP ARTICLE

This home has an owner

2009-07-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

WESTCHESTER (CNS) - A real estate agent made a startling discovery while
showing a house in Westchester -- a body on the living room floor, police
said today.
The encounter happened in a 1,900-square-foot house at 8917 Kittyhawk
Ave. about 7 p.m. Saturday, according to police and a camera crew.
Police told a Newsreel video crew the agent, who was preparing to show
the three-bedroom, two-bath house couldn't find the key in the lockbox on the
door, then went with the client to the backyard and found a broken window.
Inside was the body of a man in his 30s on the living room floor.
It was unclear how long the man had been dead, but detectives put on
masks when they went inside. A white car on the street may have belonged to the
victim, Newsreel reported.
Police confirmed the basic facts, but detectives don't know what
happened, LAPD spokeswoman Rosario Herrera said.
The body was turned over to the coroner's office for an autopsy, which
should establish the cause of death.
The apparently bank-owned house is priced at $539,000 and listed by the
Modern Realty Co., which specializes in foreclosures and bank-owned properties,
according to its Web site.

THIS IS FROM A CITY NEWS SERVICE ARTICLE

Slow Getaway

2009-07-18T16:30:00.000-07:00

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- A massive tortoise who left the circus and took his show on the road for six days has been found and is expected to be back with his circus family soon.
The 114-pound male tortoise named Berta didn't make it very far. He had traveled just two miles when he was spotted on a golf course less than a week after his July 7 escape during a show in Madison, Wis.
Alain Zerbini, owner and producer of Florida-based Zerbini Family Circus, says he expects to have Berta back in a few days. A friend of Zerbini picked up Berta from the Humane Society in Madison on Friday.
Zerbini says the tortoise has been "part of the family" for 10 years.

THIS IS FROM AN AP ARTICLE

Hospital here she comes

2009-07-18T12:59:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Actress Mischa Barton, taken to a hospital Wednesday
on a 72-hour psychiatric hold, could be released today.
Barton, 23, called police about 3 p.m. Wednesday and, after talking to
her at her Westside home, officers decided to take her to a hospital --
reportedly Cedars-Sinai Medical Center -- under Section 5150 of the state's
health and welfare code.
Barton's publicist, Craig Schneider, issued a statement that said Barton
"was safely transferred to medical treatment for which she remains
hospitalized, as per the recommendation of her doctor."
Barton could be discharged as early as this afternoon. But if doctors
decide her mental state has not improved, they could request a 14-day hold.
Barton missed the Thursday night premiere of her latest movie,
"Homecoming," in New York City.
The actress, probably best known as Marissa Cooper on "The O.C.," is
set to appear in the upcoming series "The Beautiful Life," which is scheduled
to start production Wednesday.
Barton's representative told the Los Angeles Times her participation
"will ultimately be contingent on her progress and doctor's orders." The show
premieres Sept. 16.
She pleaded no contest to a driving while intoxicated charge and was
given probation after an arrest in December 2007. In May 2007, Barton was
taken from a Malibu beach party to a hospital because of what was reported to
be a reaction to cold medicine, the Los Angeles Times reported.

THIS IS FROM A CITY NEWS SERVICE ARTICLE

CA PLANNING A CAR SALE?

2009-07-18T12:06:00.000-07:00

"SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- The state of California is planning to have a giant used car sale next month.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced plans Friday to sell off 15 percent of the state's approximately 40,000 light vehicles, a step officials said would generate $24.1 million over the next year.
The announcement comes as state officials are trying to erase a $26.3 billion budget deficit.
Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear said the idea for the sale came from state employees, who provided tips about workers taking home vehicles when they shouldn't and other cars sitting unused in state garages.
The sale will be held Aug. 28 and 29 in Sacramento."

THIS IS FROM AN AP NEWS ARTICLE

5 year old girl allegedly killed by her mom

2009-07-18T11:56:00.000-07:00

"LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A 5-year-old girl apparently was stabbed to death by
her 30-year-old mother, who then slit her wrists and died, police said today.
The two were discovered about 9:40 a.m. at a home in the 300 block of
Vista Place near Garvanza Park, Los Angeles police Officer Rosario Herrera
said.
The girl had been stabbed multiple times, and the mother's wrists were
cut, said Herrera, adding that the information was preliminary. There was no
immediate word on a motive.
Both the mother and daughter were dead at the scene. Their names were
withheld pending notification of their next of kin."
CNS-07-18-2009 10:44 (FTP)

THIS IS FROM A CITY NEWS SERVICE ARTICLE

STERIODS ARE FOR DOPES

2009-07-17T05:43:00.000-07:00

AIGLE, Switzerland (AP) -- The International Cycling Union has suspended two Spanish riders who tested positive for the banned blood-boosting drug CERA.
The UCI said Friday that Inigo Landaluze tested positive in two blood samples last month, one taken during the Dauphine Libere race in France and the other out of competition.
Ricardo Serrano tested positive in a sample from the Tour of Switzerland.
The UCI provisionally suspended the riders until the Spanish cycling federation holds disciplinary hearings.
Neither rider is competing in the Tour de France.
The 32-year-old Landaluze won the Dauphine in 2005, although suspicions of doping shrouded the victory. The 30-year-old Serrano is already suspended for previous doping problems.

THIS IS FROM AN ASSOCIATED PRESS ARTICLE

Family wants the public's help for Justice

2009-07-17T05:28:00.000-07:00

"LONG BEACH (CNS) - The family of a 46-year-old Long Beach man who was
shot to death one year ago today is asking the public to held solve the crime.
Edwin Dewitt Holman was shot around 8:30 p.m. July 17, 2008, near South
Street and Locust Avenue, said Officer Jackie Bezart of the Long Beach Police
Department.
Holman was found in an alley, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds,
Bezart said. He died at a hospital.
Investigator are hoping witnesses will come forward with information
that leads to an arrest, Bezart said.
"Homicide detectives have very little information to go on at this time
and are asking for the public's help," Bezart said.
Relatives of the victim and homicide investigators plan to be at the
shooting scene today to underscore their call for public help.
Anyone who may have witnessed the shooting was urged to contact Long
Beach Police Department homicide Detectives Mark McGuire or Hugo Cortes at
(562) 570-7244. "
CNS-07-17-2009 03:58 (FTP)

THIS IS FROM A CITY NEWS SERVICE ARTICLE

the big G's- Google and Government

2009-07-17T05:22:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES (CNS ) - Frustrated by a slow, antiquated, crash-prone
computer system, the city of Los Angeles is weighing a plan to replace its e-
mail and records retention software with a service provided by Google, it was
reported today.
The move that could allow the Internet giant to retain sensitive records
transmitted by the police and other municipal agencies, the Los Angeles Times
reported.
If approved by the City Council, responsibility for protecting the
internal data and public records would be shifted from the city to Google,
according to a report submitted this week to a council committee that will
weigh the proposed $7.25 million contract, The Times reported.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa favors the effort to modernize the e-mail
system, which his spokesman, Matt Szabo, described to The Times as "Pac-Man-
era technology."
The current system "has got to be the slowest, most inefficient, crash-
prone e-mail system in the history of mankind," Szabo added.
A Los Angeles Police Department spokesman, Lt. John Romero, said it
would be inappropriate for his agency to comment while a contract is being
negotiated.
But acting City Administrative Officer Ray Ciranna, the city's top
financial advisor, told The Times that the LAPD has raised questions about
Google's ability to shield sensitive arrest information.
L.A city officials also question whether Google, as keeper of the
records, would have to respond to public information requests, The Times
reported.
"Release of this data by Google without appropriate review by the city
attorney could compromise the city's position regarding pending or potential
litigation," according to a staff report quoted by The Times.
City officials hope to have the Google system installed before Dec. 31.
If the council misses that deadline, the city could be required to pay for
continuing maintenance on the current GroupWise e-mail system, according to The
Times.
CNS-07-17-2009 04:40 (FTP)

THIS IS FROM A CITY NEWS SERVICE ARTICLE

2009-04-25T01:57:00.000-07:00

1 (1)	Lions- Matthew Stafford
		2 (2)	Rams- Jason Smith
		3 (3)	Chiefs- Brian Orakpo
		4 (4)	Seahawks- Eugene Monroe
		5 (5)	Browns- BJ Raji
		6 (6)	Bengals- Aaron Curry
		7 (7)	Raiders- Michael Crabtree
		8 (8)	Jaguars- Mark Sanchez
		9 (9)	Packers- Malcom Jenkins
		10 (10)	49ers- Andre Smith
		11 (11)	Bills- Tyson Jackson
		12 (12)	Broncos
		13 (13)	Redskins
		14 (14)	Saints
		15 (15)	Texans
		16 (16)	Chargers
		17 (17)	Jets
		18 (18)	Broncos (From Bears)
		19 (19)	Buccaneers
		20 (20)	Lions (From Cowboys)
		21 (21)	Eagles
		22 (22)	Vikings
		23 (23)	Patriots
		24 (24)	Falcons
		25 (25)	Dolphins
		26 (26)	Ravens
		27 (27)	Colts
		28 (28)	Bills (From Panthers, through Eagles)
		29 (29)	Giants
		30 (30)	Titans
		31 (31)	Cardinals
		32 (32)	Steelers

No Bailout Package coming for the Eagles

2008-12-23T07:20:00.000-08:00

With the Eagles coming into the Sunday afternoon game against the Redskins everything was going there way.

Three big wins against division leaders and the Browns (undefeated on Monday Night Football this year) and McNabb, Reid, and Westbrooke being the toast of the town. Not to mention the Cowboys loss to the Ravens the night before.

Yes, everything was going their way, until the game was played of course.

From the opening kickoff the Eagles appeared flat on special teams and offense. The defense was its usual spectacular self.

McNabb looked average, Westbrooke looked limpy, and Andy Reid's play calling was predictable and lackluster.

So after the catch that was 1-yd short the Eagles playoff chances are grim at best.

They need to WIN, and have the BUCS, and BEARS LOSE! (which is both unlikely)

So what does this mean for the Big 3 of the Eagles. McNabb is unhappy and the fans favorite player is always the back-up player (but with Kolb not playing well at all, maybe they missed on Kolb and they need McNabb or another QB).

Ex- Falcon head coach Jim Mora Sr. said he stayed in Atlanta a year too long and maybe Andy Reid is suffering from the safe fate. For the second straight year Reid will have just missed the playoffs and this team has the talent to win the superbowl.

As for B-West, he is phenomenal but turning 30 by the end of next season and the Eagles lack of a power run game perhaps drafting a RB in the first round makes the most sense.

I just hope they draft in the first round this year!!!!

Skybus Airlines to be DELAYED indefinately

2008-09-19T21:48:00.000-07:00

Skybus Airlines is expected to file for bankruptcy.

The low-cost airline--based in Ohio-- could not keep up with high fuel cost and a sagging economy.

All of skybus airlines' four hundred and fifty employees are expected to be laid off.

Skybus spokesman Bob Tenebaum says the airline will fully refund any flight scheduled through September.

Teenage Student accused of making bombs

2008-09-11T00:03:00.000-07:00

A South Carolina High School student is charged with possessing materials to make bombs.

Police say 18-year-old Ryan Schallenberger had ten pounds of ammonium nitrate and a journal full of plans on bombing Chesterfield High School.

Police also say Schallenberger had great admiration for the Columbine killers- who killed 13 students nine years ago.

Schallenberger is one of the top students at Chesterfield High School and won the Newberry College Award last year.

His hearing is set for Monday.

Iphone application for Super Monkey Ball

2008-09-08T00:19:00.000-07:00

Super Monkey Ball v1.01 Published by Sega America Via App Store $9.99 Released: 8-31-08

What’s New In This Version

Despite scoring a respectable 3.75 / 5 rating from us in our initial review of Super Monkey Ball, many users complained about its SMB’s usability: “it is very difficult to control,” “the motion controls are terrible,” “too hard to control”… you get the idea.

Though control enhancements aren’t explicitly cited as part of the update, some brief game-play proves the sensitivity and responsiveness are markedly improved.

Here are the details from the iTunes’ page:
Interactive tutorial
Instructions added
Game is suspended when a player presses the “Home” button

A Public Official involved in a sex scandal...stop me if you've heard it before

2008-09-03T22:18:00.000-07:00

The Ohio Governor is calling for Ohio state attorney to resign because of a sex scandal.

Attorney General Marc Dann says he plans to stay in office after details of an affair with a colleague surfaced.

A couple of months ago, Dann’s close aid was fired and his policy chief resigned for sexual harassment.

In a letter written by Governor Ted Strickland he wrote that Dann could no longer effectively hold his position—therefore must resign.

Women's Gymanstics is doing back flips

2008-08-31T20:56:00.000-07:00

U-C-L-A women’s gymnast is the national champion in the uneven bars competition.

Tasha Schwikert became the fifth bruin to win the uneven bars title.

However, it is Georgia’s gymnastics team that was doing back flips.

Georgia won the team drills for the fourth straight year.

Also, Georgia earned first place in floor exercises and balance beam competitions.

Lastly, L-S-U- earned its first vaulting championship in women’s gymnastics.

The star-maker now gets his own Star

2008-08-28T21:34:00.000-07:00

The man who helped make stars out of John Travolta and the Little Mermaid is now getting his own star.

Former Paramount Pictures President and former C.E.O. of Disney- Michael Eisner is getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Eisner played a large role in the development of movies like Grease, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Honey I Shrunk the Kids.

Hollywood stars such as John Travolta and Mickey Mouse were on hand for the celebration.

V-S-U is getting R-I-C-H

2008-08-27T21:59:00.000-07:00

Alumni support at Virginia State University is up ten percent from five years ago.

The reason... Large Scale Renovations

V-S-U upgraded their buildings and online databases in hopes of attracting rich donors.

Alumni donor Anthony Spencer says when he gives his money; he wants it to go the best of schools.

Virginia State University is one of the many historical black colleges to try to renovations to increase funding.

Third Oldest Women in the world dead at 114

2008-08-24T00:48:00.000-07:00

The third oldest person in the world is dead.

Arbella Ewings died at age 114 at her Dallas retirement home.

Ewings says the secret to a long life is not getting involved in other people’s affairs.

People close to Ewings say she felt that her time was coming soon.

She is survived by her 103 year old sister.

Sleep Deprivation among College Students

2008-08-19T20:03:00.000-07:00

For many college students sleep is considered a waste of time.

A recent poll shows college students feel there are lot more productive ways to spend their time.
But is there?

Sleep therapist Ryan Forte says most people; especially college students are unaware of all the effects of sleep deprivation.

(Forte says there are many effects associated with sleep deprivation, both short and long term. Some short term effects are irritability, exhaustion, grogginess, and lack of concentration. Long term effects include seizures, high blood pressure, heart attacks, and weight gain.

Forte also says if a person is not getting enough sleep and is smoking or using cocaine or on adderall or other illegal substances that it can lead to even more serious long term effects.)
So how many hours of sleep do young people get a night?

Several C-SUN students polled answered less than the recommended eight.

The National Sleep Foundation reports that the average college student receives six point eight hours of sleep a night.

That is one point three hours less than students in the 1960’s were getting.

The report also shows 15 percent of college students only sleep four hours a night—and six percent of all college students suffer from some type of sleep disorder.

The most common being insomnia.

C-SUN student Chester Inong says he doesn’t get the recommended amount of sleep because he just does not have the time.

(Inong says students have to balance out class work and class time and it really takes up a huge part of one’s schedule.)

C-SUN student body Vice President Nicole Umali says she prefers using her time towards being productive.

(Umali says she is a very busy person and her days are full, so anytime she has she wants it to be spent on doing stuff, I’d rather do that than sleep.)

But, is staying awake trying to be productive actually leading to poor performance?

The National Sleep Foundation reports the biggest reasons why students do not sleep is because of work, class, athletics, social activities, family and studying.

More than 70 percent of college students say they believe “cramming”—staying up all night to study-- before taking a test helps them score higher on their exams.

A belief that one expert is questioning.

Sleep Deprivation researcher at Henry Mayo Hospital Cynthia Thames says that people will immediately feel negative effects of sleep deprivation after one night of less than four hours of sleep.

(Thames says people will not be able to concentrate as well, not going to be as alert; they are more prone to making mistakes due to a lack of focus. Thames also says there memory is not going to be as sharp.)

Thames says “cramming” lowers the chances for academic success.

Experts agree getting a full nights rest after studying the material is the best chance to earn an “A”—even saying cramming many times has a negative effect on academic performance.

And, new research is showing the lack of sleep does not affect everyone the same.

Students involved in student government, fraternities, and athletics have double the likelihood of being sleep deprived.

However, what are some of the rewards for people that do get a full nights rest?

A Stanford University report examined the effects of sleep among college athletes.

They found that athletes that sleep eight or more hours a night will improve their reaction time, focus, and ultimately their performance.

Other studies show everyone benefits from catching “z’s”.

Sleep therapist Trevor Rhodes offers some suggestions for improving the quality of sleep.

(Rhodes says the best thing to do as far as exercise goes is to exercise during the day.

Exercising in the day will help you sleep easier at night and achieve REM sleep.

Also try to avoid food and drinks that contain caffeine prior to bedtime.

Also keep TV’s and computers out of the bedroom or at least keep them off. Try to maintain the same bedtime routine. Lastly, keep your bedroom dark, quiet, and cool that will definitely help you get better sleep as well.)

Other recommended tips are to nap for no more than 30 minutes and avoid using sleeping pills.

In the past 50 years new research and data is being discovered about sleeping and its effects on the body.

Director of Sleep and Neuro-Imaging Lab at U-C Berkeley Matthew Walker says new data is forcing society to have more appreciation for the role that sleep plays.

Especially in regards to mental health and psychiatric diseases.

Walker also says that more research is expected to occur on these issues in the future.

Experts say two of the biggest signs of sleep deprivation is having consistency in trying to fall asleep and staying asleep.

Who knew that hitting the snooze button to get the extra ten minutes of sleep is actually a good thing.

Don't call him a Weirdo

2008-08-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

VAN NUYS, Calif. - Next time you see Joesph Weirdo you should call him Joseph Weir as Los Angeles Circuit Court Judge Jack Musselman approved his request for a legal name change.

“I didn’t want to go through life as a Weirdo,” said Weir.

Weir stated, in his petition, that he suffered great embarrassment and that’s the reason for the name change, not to avoid paying debts or change his status in society.

Those are the main reasons for name changes said Judge Musselman. Weir is one of more than 300 people to have paid the $200 filing fee this year for a name change, said a court clerk.

Persuaders Review Part III

2008-08-14T00:08:00.000-07:00

If advertisements are successful in creating a feeling beyond the product it increases the likelihood of the advertisers reaching its goal; which is to create brand loyalty or identity.

“Brand loyalty” consists of a consumer's commitment to repurchase the brand and can be demonstrated by repeated buying of a product or service.

Basically, if you constantly buy Nike shoes then you are loyal to Nike products.

Some studies have linked brand loyalty to cult because a cult is a group of people devoted to beliefs or practices. A comparison that I agree with because whether it’s believing in a new deity or only buying Docker’s pants, you have a devotion to a belief or practice.

With brand loyalty is sure to come “brand experiences” and to better illustrate this point let’s use the iPod as an example.

The commercial for the iPod is a silhouette of a guy dancing and having a fun time listening to his iPod. So, the next time you are listening to your iPod and are dancing and having fun to your own music you would have shared in the brand experience.

Beyond brand loyalty and experience the true goal of marketers and advertisers is to create “lovemarks” (objects of devotion). The movie provided the example of Tide laundry detergent becoming the heart of the family, well in my family a Kodak camera would be considered the eye of the family.

My father will only buy Kodak cameras and he takes his camera everywhere with him. Kodak cameras have taken pictures at all of our families’ milestones. From graduations to weddings, my dad always checks the front, checks the back and makes sure its Kodak.

Unfortunately for advertisers not everyone is as loyal to brands like my father, in fact more and more people are dodging the bombardment of advertisements due to the creation of Tivo and DVR.

This has forced advertisers to display their products in television shows and movies in order to been seen. A clear example would be with FedEx in the movie Cast Away.

From the opening scene of the movie we see and hear how FedEx values their shipments and procedures and throughout the movie we see FedEx packages and one of the packages saved Chuck Noland’s life (the main character played by Tom Hanks).

Another example of advertisers trying to replace the lack of viewership from TV commercials is utilizing “webisodes” which are short films designed to be seen on the internet and American Express used this method by creating a story with Superman and Jerry Seinfeld.

Rather it just being a commercial about how low the interest rate is for American Express credit cards it told a story and made the credit card a character or play a role in the story.

American Express is not the only company to use webeisodes as BMW employed a similar tactic to reach internet users. The documentary “The Persuaders” provided an interesting viewpoint on the world of advertising and how much time and dedication is needed to sell a product.

The goal of the advertisers is not just for people to buy the product it is to make people emotionally connect with the product they are trying to sell.

As I previously mentioned this documentary touched on many unknown themes in the advertising world and now I realize how much advertising plays a role in my daily life. What new schemes and ideas can advertisers use to persuade us, only time will tell?

The Persuaders Review Part II

2008-08-14T00:07:00.000-07:00

On the contrary, if one really did want to end the “circle of clutter” then the best method would have to involve some form of government intervention which would limit the freeness of the American economy.

Having freedom in the marketplaces allows companies like Song airlines to market however way they see fit, and for them they chose to strongly target females.

I believe that Song Airlines is extremely sincere in the marketing pitch based on the amount of research they put into learning about the female flying experience.

The documentary mentioned how the company conducted countless interviews with women flyers and even created a make-believe woman to further understand the needs of women customers.

However, I do think that Song airlines tended to focus more on flying with their airline as an event not just some regular airline.

Their goal was turn “Song” into an adjective and have people say, “That’s so Song”.

In that respect, I think they lost some of their drive to target the female passenger and tried to emphasize the traveling experiencing.

The technique used by Song Airlines is a classic example of the evolution of advertising.

Instead of focusing on the product advertisements today focus a concept or idea of what that product can do for you.

Referring back to the Song example there are plenty of airlines that will take you from point A to point B, so advertisements have to sell on the potential of what that product can do beyond transportation.

In the movie they showed a Cheerios commercial with a grandma feeding her infant grandchild.

But, rather than talking about nutritional value of the cereal they used each cheerio as a different city of where family members live.

I was able to immediately identify with this because when I eat Fruit Loops cereal, I like to pretend that each different colored loop is a country and I act a war battle as I enjoy my breakfast.

In today’s advertising all of the products are the same and advertistiments need to do more than have a quality product to get consumers to buy their products.

Persuaders Movie Review Part I

2008-08-14T00:04:00.000-07:00

The Frontline and PBS documentary, “The Persuaders”, is a movie about the advertising world and it touched on many themes, concepts, and ideas involved in advertising.

Some of these ideas are: the circle of clutter, the marketing technique used by corporations, the evolution of advertising, “brand loyalty”, product placement, and the power of advertising has on its consumers on a personal level.

To paraphrase the movie from the moment we leave our house we are bombarded with advertisements everywhere we go.

Due to numerous advertisements on television, on the radio, or just walking down the street it leads to more advertisements being created just to be noticed.

This is known as the vicious “circle of clutter”. The question at hand is whether this circle can ever be broken and although you should never use the word “never”, I think that the “circle of clutter” will always remain in free market economies.

The reason why is because there are so many different companies selling the exact same product. For example printers, printers simply print the image/document from the computer, however there are several companies that make and sell printers.

Such as Dell, Epson, Compaq. It is for that reason, multiple companies selling the exact same good or service, that the circle of clutter will not be broken.

Personally, I think that it should continue because competition is always a good thing.

I feel with all of the companies and advertisements competing for my dollar should cause those companies to either lower its price or continue to create better products.

Henry Mayo Hospital Expansion

2008-08-13T22:09:00.000-07:00

When Hospitals and schools are downsizing, Henry Mayo Hospital is expanding.

The Santa Clarita City Council announced Tuesday that it will grant $40,000 to a consulting firm to determine how much expansion is needed for Henry Mayo Hospital.

The expansion is to counteract the growing number of residents leaving the community as they cite inadequate health care by the hospital as a reason why.

“The sent my mother to a hospital in Tarzana, because they [the hospital] could not accommodate her,” said Langston Tajun who lived in the community for 16 years prior to moving.

Mayor Marsha Mclean and fellow council members in a unanimous vote agreed to pay Kurt Soloman Associates to conduct a one month study to determine the appropriate amount of expansion needed for the hospital.

“The specific function of KSA will be whether more doctors, rooms, or medical facilities would be most beneficial to the hospital,” said Councilmember Tim Ben Boydston.

A viewpoint that does not make any sense to CEO and President of Henry Mayo Hospital Roger Seaver, “Obviously, if you have more rooms, you will need more doctors.”

“It’s about money, their trying to get away with the bare minimum,” said Seaver. Currently, Henry Mayo is the primary hospital in the Santa Clarita Valley with a population of 151,088 according to a U.S. Census report.

The council in a previous meeting agreed to add 55 beds to the 217 bed hospital. The expansion is in the early stages of a 25 year plan.

Breaking News: Young People Don't Vote

2008-08-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

Americans the ages of 18- and 25 are not involved in political activities so they are less likely to vote in elections, said Deputy District Director of Los Angeles John Bwarie in a telephone interview.

“It’s concerning that a lot of people in that age group don’t have the time to participate … or do not know a lot about the issues,” said Bwarie, who is a staff member for Los Angeles Council member Greig Smith, who represents the 12th district.

To combat this growing concern, Bwarie said, Smith and his staff began hosting four annual community events in the San Fernando Valley (SFV)and working with California State University, Northridge organizations to help create political awareness.

“The last event we had back in April got about a couple hundred people, which is encouraging,” said Bwarie.

“There is another event scheduled in November, and myself and council member Smith are anticipating a higher amount [of participation] because we’re getting closer to the presidential elections, said Bwarie.

In addition to hosting events, Councilman Smith and his staff is giving speeches on various school campuses in the SFV, predominately high schools, said Bwarie.

One of the things Bwarie is banking is the advancement of technology to lure people to the polls.

The increased usage of technology by young people is causing a disconnect between political participation because the Internet creates a sense of immediacy and people don’t realize how these issues affect them, he said.

Another problem is that young Americans are less likely to vote, so if they don’t vote chances are they aren’t participating in other political arenas, said Bwarie.

It seems Bwarie has the stats to back his claims.

In a “fact sheet,” The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) reported that in 2006 youth voter (18-25) turnout was approximately 24 percent based on the 2006 National Election Pool’s National Exit Poll.

CIRCLE reported that there is close to 27 million citizens in that age bracket.

In California, the percentage was less than 24, according to the fact sheet.

Exit polls are the only method of estimating youth voter turnout and updated information will be available in November when the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey is released.

Among 18-24 year old voters, Minnesota had the highest youth voter turnout with approximately 69 percent compared to 45 percent of California voter turnout and 36 percent of Arkansas, which was the lowest, in the 2004 presidential elections, reported by CIRCLE’s state by state comparison of young people who vote.

CIRCLE does research on the civic and political engagement of Americans between the ages of 15 and 25.

“The main ways to improve upon turnout numbers is to create more awareness,” said Bwarie.

Bwarie, 28, has been working for Councilman Smith for over two years and started working in politics at age 22, he said, because he wants to affect change in his community.

Bwarie is optimistic that by continuing organizing community events and speaking to young voters, that turnout numbers will rise, he said.
###

Homeless Musician on Tour?

2008-08-11T01:27:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you have never met Ralph Clark but chances are you have heard him serenading the WEST 118 freeway exit of Tampa Avenue.

Clark is a homeless man who everyday for the past 12 years has been playing his saxophone to help himself survive.

“It’s a good thing I don’t have to pay rent…because with my salary I can barely afford a $0.99 cheeseburger,” jokes Clark.

Clark’s salary ranges from $15 to $45 a day however his top performance earned him a $200 check that ironically bounced.

Unlike other homeless people, Clark decided to not ask for handouts but rather tips.

“A lot of people say that homeless people are just that bums with no work ethic and I don’t want people thinking that about me…I got the idea to play the saxophone for residents from [former President] Bill Clinton, he played the saxophone and look how well he turned out,” said Clark.

And, Clark is still following politics.

As the presidential race heats up between McCain and Obama, Clark is curious to learn more about what each candidate plans to do to deal with the homelessness issue in the United States.

“Ha! Probably not much since we don’t vote they a lot of other people don’t care about us,” said Clark as he eats a Jumbo Jack sandwich while being interviewed.

Perhaps, Clark is onto to something most candidates avoid the issue of homelessness in the United States as a self inflicted wound dating back to the late President Ronald Reagan.

In all the debates between the Republican and Democratic Party during the primary season, the issue was rarely brought up if even at all and the one time the topic got serious was when homelessness was mirrored with immigration.

“It is something a lot of Americans do not want to deal with because most homeless people are minorities, unattractive, uneducated, physically weak, and perceived drug abusers, said Timo Basset of the Feed the Hungry Campaign.

However, many Americans may have to deal with this issue sooner rather than later.

Homelessness is on the rise in every major metropolitan city with Los Angeles suffering the highest increase and it isn’t expected to slow down.

As the housing market crisis continues to take homes from more families many analysts are projecting homelessness to continue rising.

Homelessness is defined as not having a permanent residence... so anyone living out of motels or in one’s car is considered homeless said Tent City Coordinator Lisa Foire.

In a sense of truly modern thinking both Basset and Foire think eventually someone will solve and fix the homeless situation.

The optimism does not extend to Clark who in his twelfth year literally on the streets said, “they will never solve the homeless issue because all the people in power are not homeless so what do they care.”

Clark went on to say, “politicians, the people, and powers that be are all more concerned with helping and saving people overseas, or flying to the moon, or cutting greenhouse emission rather than help me buy some grocery’s.

Clark may be onto something again as latest polls show most Americans consider gas prices to be the top priority.

Clark, Basset, and Foire are all trying to remind people the seriousness of homeless and hope their voices will be heard by the powers that be but I don’t it.

Why… well Obama and McCain have dinner fundraisers to attend of course.

Journalists have little Protection and need a Shield Law or Two

2008-08-09T00:09:00.001-07:00

LOS ANGELES- A federal shield law protecting journalists from revealing their sources would increase the flow of information said Lance Williams, in a panel discussion, at the University of Southern California campus.

Having stronger shield laws would positively impact the world of reporting by giving the public more independent access and obtain information other than from officials, said Williams.

Williams, a journalist, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for refusing to reveal a source in the BALCO investigation but avoided the term when an attorney pleaded guilty.

Williams wasn’t the only panelist to be sentenced to jail.

Panelist Judith Miller said via telephone that “without this bill, every prosecutor could go after us…we need this bill now.”

Miller, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, is in Dubai reporting on another story and communicated to the audience and panel via telephone.

She served 85 days in jail for refusing to name a source in the Scooter L. Libby case.

Perhaps Congress heard the pleas from Miller and Williams because earlier this month, the House of Representatives passed a shield law bill and the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a shield law bill.

The House passed a veto proof bill, 398-21 that would protect journalists fromrevealing confidential court cases in most federal cases.

The Senate Judiciary Committee passed its advancement 15-2 that would protect reporters from revealing sources and would not allow prosecutors to file charges on unpublished information.

In both bills, sources must be identified if the information results in “imminent and actual harm” to national security.

Three of the four panelists were pleased with the actions of congress but panelist Josh Wolf is opposed to the language of the two bills.

“These bills do not protect student-journalist, bloggers and citizen-journalists,” said Wolf.

Both bills state that a journalist is someone whose primary income comes from reporting.

“If you take the strongest elements of both bills than an effective bill will be in place…but with the language of the bill as constructed, it would be better to have no shield law than these bills,” said Wolf in an interview after the discussion.

Wolf, 25, is a video blogger who served 226 days in prison, the longest prison sentence for refusing to give the police videotapes during a 2005 demonstration.

Wolf is also a running for Mayor of San Francisco.

An issue that all panelists agreed upon is that if the shield law was enacted it would not put journalists above the law.

An issue written about by author Norman Pearlstein, who was referenced in the discussion.

“Freedom of the press is in the first amendment of the Constitution, and is a unique form of civil disobedience…besides the three other panelists were sentenced to jail,” said panelist Theodore J. Boutrous, Jr, attorney at law, in response to that issue.

The discussion was forced to end after 70 minutes to allow people to attend other sessions.

The event had about 60 people.

The panel took place in the Annenberg auditorium on the USC campus as part of the California First Amendment Coalition presentation on Free Speech and Open Government Assembly.

New Post Office in Moorpark

2008-08-08T00:51:00.000-07:00

The Moorpark City Council unanimously approved to build a new post office.

The five-thousand square foot building with two full-service windows with retail services will be built on the west end of High Street.

The new post office will become the cities main postal service.

The United States Postal Service will construct the building, landscaping, driveways, and parking.

Assistant City Manager Hugh Riley says the new post office is expected to break ground by the end of this year.

West Nile Virus Found in Los Angeles

2008-08-07T01:00:00.000-07:00

Health officials are urging people to eliminate standing water that attracts insects and use mosquito repellent.

The urging comes after the West Nile Virus was detected in mosquitoes collected from two Long Beach traps.

The virus has been detected in 14 counties across California—including Los Angeles and Riverside.

Health officials are urging people to avoid mosquito-infested areas, wear long-sleeved shirts and pants, keeps screens and windows closed, and limit the watering of lawns and outdoor plants.

There have been three confirmed cases of Californians contracting the virus.

Centinela Hospital Center on Life Support

2008-08-06T00:19:00.000-07:00

Some people living in South Los Angeles are worried that budget cuts will reduce the role of Centinela Hospital Center in Inglewood.

Since its takeover in 2007- Prime Healthcare services has fired more than 220 of its seventeen hundred employees.

Prime has closed seven of Centinela’s 13 operating rooms and canceled most of its private insurance contracts.

Prime says the cuts have been able to keep the hospital financially afloat.

State data shows that Centinela Hospital was unprofitable for years before Prime’s buyout and the previous owner considered shutting down the hospital.

State and federal data show Prime hospitals score above average on patient safety and treatment outcomes.

Still, many Inglewood residents are going to other hospitals.

Chief Executive of the Venice Family Clinic Liz Forer says she has seen a 15 percent increase in patients from Inglewood.

Offshore Dilling a Bad Idea says Schwarzenegger

2008-08-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

Governor Schwarzenegger says people who think offshore oil drilling will bring down gas prices are just “blowing smoke”.

Some analysts say Schwarzenegger’s comment was being directed towards Republican Presidential nominee John McCain and possible running mate Florida Governor Charlie Crist.

The California Governor also criticized U-S energy consumers for not using enough renewable energy.

Schwarzenegger wants 33 percent of all California electricity to come from renewable sources—the state currently gets 12 percent.

Schwarzenegger also wants to add seven Million more hybrid vehicles by 2020.

Schwarzenegger and Crist did agree on one thing that the everyday driver needs to do more for the environment—drive slower, keep engines tuned, and tires properly inflated.

LBC is trying to be Green

2008-08-04T14:13:00.000-07:00

The Long Beach Police Department is trying to be “greener”.

The Police Department added ten Toyota Priuses to it fleet.

And, plans to replace retiring vehicles with more eco-friendly cars.

The Department consists of mainly Ford Crown Victorias.

The Priuses will be used by police personnel traveling for training and other work…but not patrol.

The new cars will not be replacing black and white patrol vehicles.

The Department says this is because the system is not compatible with all the features needed in a patrol unit.

Recycling bottles, paper, and FOOD?

2008-08-03T00:34:00.000-07:00

Beginning in September more than 85-hundred Los Angeles families will be recycling their wasted food.

The newest program will be launched in North Central and South L-A to reduce the amount of city garbage.

The plan estimates that eight to 20 pounds of food waste per household could be recycled.

About 27 percent of black-bin waste in landfills is food waste—and residents dump about 230-thousand tons of food scraps every year.

The 140-thousand dollar--one-year trial program will be paid through existing trash fees.

If the project goes city-wide it will cost around 13 Million dollars.

Turning Waste into Fuel

2008-08-02T17:13:00.000-07:00

An advanced ethanol refinery is likely to be built in Lancaster.

Los Angeles County Officials are expected to approve the construction.

The refinery will turn waste into fuel.

The Regional Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on July 23rd and make their decision after the hearing.

The project will cost about 30-Million dollars—and will be built on a ten acre lot on Avenue “F” between Division Street and tenth Street East.

The refinery is expected produce three point two Million gallons a year.

It is expected to be built by the summer of 2009.

Show Me the Contract...then the Money

2008-08-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

Former “Quincy M-E” star Jack Klugman may finally get to see his contract.

A Los Angeles court judge urged N-B-C Universal to show the actor his contract to see if the studio owes Klugman any money.

The judged stopped short of forcing the studio to reveal the contract, hoping both sides could reach an agreement by early August.

Klugman claims he lost his contract when his agent died and N-B-C is refusing to provide a copy.

The 85-year-old Klugman says he should receive 25 percent of the show’s net profit—which he says is around 250 Million dollars.

N-B-C says the series had lost 66 Million dollars through 2006.

Teachers and SEX, no fooling around on this issue

2008-07-31T09:11:00.000-07:00

The state Senate has unanimously passed two bills that will allow teacher licenses to be revoked.

Legislation by State Senator Bob Margett allows teachers who plead no contest to certain sex crimes or drug offenses or have had their licenses revoked in other states to be banned from teaching in California.

The bills are opposed by the California Teachers Association, the A-C-L-U, and gay rights groups.

The bills are in response to an Associated Press Investigation that reported more than 25-hundred teachers nationwide had sexual misconduct allegations from 2001 to 2005.

More than 300 of those teachers were in California.

Prior to Margett’s bills passing the Credentialing Commission would hold a discretionary review hearing.

The bill would also extend the statute of limitations for disclosing past teacher misconduct—making records available for five years.Margett’s bills are now going to the full Assembly for approval.

Not Just a Game, Sports are BIG Business

2008-07-30T00:04:00.000-07:00

Many Southern Californians are literally going out to the ball game.

A new study reports that sporting events contributed five Billion dollars to the Southern California economy in 2007.

Up from one point six Billion in 2005.

The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and the L-A Sports Council studied data from 55 local sports organizations—excluding high school sports and “one time only” events.

The President of the Los Angeles Sports Council- David Simon says there are many reasons for why sports are a booming business.

Simon says it’s because of increased tickets prices, tickets sales and more people being interested in sports.

Simon also says attendance just doesn’t apply to professional teams- it also affects minor league and college events.

About 25 Million southlanders attended a sporting event last year.

That number is down by close to four Million from 2005 data.

The Dodgers had the highest attendance of all Southern California sports franchises with three point eight Million attendees.

Also the study reports local sports organizations provide more than 14-thousand jobs.

Los Angles County generated 79 percent of all southland sporting events revenue.

LA City Council is Demanding LAX Hilton to raise its Employees Wages

2008-07-29T00:02:00.000-07:00

The L-A-X Hilton is challenging the legality of having to pay airport-area hotel employees a “living wage.”

The law requires hotels near L-A-X to pay its employees a minimum of nine dollars and 39 cents per hour with health insurance.

Or pay employees ten dollars and 64 cents per hour without benefits.

The lawsuit claims the ordinance violates the National Labor Relations Act and state equal protection guarantees.

Spokesman for L-A-X Hilton-- Rueben Gonzales says specific hotels are being unfairly treated by this ordinance.

Gonzales says the main objection is that the city has unfairly targeted a law that only affects twelve businesses on one street.

So that any other business even a block away from the street that is a competitor of the Hilton does not have to follow the same law and it’s not fair.

The lawsuit makes clear that the law violates state and federal guarantees to equal protection under the law.

Hotel General Manager Grant Coonley says the city can not force wages when the company has no financial or contractual relationship with the city.

Council members Janice Hahn and Bill Rosendahl disagree.

They say the city spends Millions of dollars to upgrade L-AX and hotels near the airport receive added business because of its proximity.

The L-A City Council approved the “living wage” ordinance back in February of 2007.

However, the law has never been in effect because of challenges from hotel owners and business leaders.

Activist group is going to war against the Army

2008-07-28T00:49:00.000-07:00

A group against high school military recruitment is asking for the same amount of access as military recruiters.

The Coalition Against Militarism in Our Schools is proposing to the L-A Board of Education that military recruiters disproportionately recruit minorities or students from low-income neighborhoods.

Under the proposal- the Pasadena based group will visit ten to 15 high schools per week.

Offering information about enlistment, career options, and blocking contact information from the military.

The United Teachers of Los Angeles are supporting the bill.

Opponents of the bill argue activists use disinformation and graphic images to deter students from enlisting in the Army.

The U-S Department of Defense spends three point five Billion dollars annually on recruitment—enlisting more than 300-thousand people in 2007.

Los Angeles County ranked third in Army recruits in 2007.

The Coalition Against Militarism in Our Schools will present their proposal to the city.

Even Movie Studios can't get a DATE to watch a film

2008-07-27T00:26:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest issues facing Hollywood studios is not strikes, fires, or money…its scheduling release dates.

Last year- movie studios released a record 517 new films-- an average of ten per weekend.

Twentieth Century Fox Executive Tom Rothman says now studios have to pick release dates years in advance because of the high volume of movies.

The reasons for the logjam of movies are the cash given to studios by private firms and the creation of independent distributors.

As a result of the excess movie supply-- many critically acclaimed movies are being missed.

Also movies usually stay in theatres for six to eight weeks but now the average stay is three weeks.

So far the only movie studio to scale down production is the Walt Disney Company.

Los Angeles may be getting new taxes

2008-07-26T00:49:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles City Council Members are feuding over new tax proposals.

Councilman Dennis Zine says he will not support a three dollar a month tax increase to fight gang violence unless more of the money is allocated to the San Fernando Valley.

Councilwoman Janice Hahn says the money will go to help people in need in all regions.

However, Councilman Bill Rosendahl wants the government to do more.

Rosendahl wants the M-T-A to seek a full one percent sales tax increase.

The M-T-A is currently asking for the maximum at a half percent increase.

Last week, Rosendahl proposed that the state should increase the amount an agency can seek.

If the proposals pass, voters will decide in November if they support the tax increase.

Tax increases require a 66 percent vote approval.

Houses of Worship will be protect like sacred buildings

2008-07-25T02:02:00.000-07:00

A Los Angeles City Councilman is proposing a motion to reduce violence against houses of worship.

Councilman Richard Alarcon is proposing a program called “Worship Watch” to be coordinated with the L-A-P-D.

“Worship Watch” will be modeled like neighborhood watch programs.

The program would give religious leaders information on how to prevent crime and how to respond to crime.

The councilman’s motion stems from an April twentieth incident when a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a church in Panorama City.

Police say Molotov cocktails were used to start fires in an Arleta Church and a West Hills Jewish Community Center.

Mayors of SF and LA want their cities to CLEAN and GREEN

2008-07-24T13:09:00.000-07:00

Mayors of two large and prominent cities have proposed new building standards vowing to make their cities the cleanest and greenest of them all.

Mayor of San Francisco Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa are using their jurisdiction to make their cities healthier for the environment.

Both cities plan to use green building councils to certify all construction in their cities meet green standards making them LEED certified.

Mayor Villaraigosa plans to slash L-A’s greenhouse gases by 35 percent by the year 2030 making the L-A the cleanest and greenest in the country.

Meanwhile Mayor Newsom has also planned to cut San Francisco’s greenhouse gases by 20 percent by 2012 creating the largest green city in the U-S.

With a population nearing the four million mark, Los Angeles would have a bigger effect on reducing global warming than San Francisco’s aggressive plan for a smaller population.

Municipal leaders for both cities will meet to vote on the mayor’s proposals in the upcoming weeks.

It's a Dog eat Dog World

2008-07-23T00:05:00.000-07:00

Calabasas Dog owners want improvements to the city’s Bark Park.

Over the past year the city has spent more than 50-thousand dollars in improvements to the three quarter acre park.

Including a better irrigation system, increased parking and more shaded areas.

However, dog owners complain the improvements are for humans and not for dogs.

Owners want stronger grass, more maintenance crews and removal of wood chips.

Some dog owners say the wood chips leads to several types of canine diseases.

Business Park Manager Marty Hall says he plans to review the parks condition.

Unemployed Workers may be getting better Benefits

2008-07-22T10:02:00.000-07:00

The House of Representatives passed a veto-proof bill to give unemployed workers extra benefits.

However, the bill is expected to fail in the Senate and President Bush would likely use his veto power.

The bill proposes to eliminate working 20 weeks before receiving compensation.

The bill would also give an additional 13 weeks of benefit to all unemployed workers.

And in states with an unemployment rate higher than six--like California-- would receive an additional 13 weeks of benefits.

California Congressman George Miller says unemployed workers are trying their hardest to find a job.

Miller says unemployed workers are looking for jobs, looking for work, some have tried to retrain and they still haven’t been able to secure their employment because of the market.

Miller also says the government needs to extend the unemployment benefits to unemployed families so they can hold themselves together.

Opponents of the bill say the proposal mainly benefits more populous states where unemployment is highest.

Many Republicans say the Democrat backed bill is a ploy for election votes in November.

Republicans say they have to choose between extending unemployment or supporting President Bush’s position.

Senator John McCain is in favor of supporting unemployment benefits.

The bill plans to run through March of 2009 and would pay out close to twelve Billion dollars.
The unemployment rate is five point five percent, its highest since 1986.

Women making Gains in the Media

2008-07-21T21:36:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON -- The percentage of journalists of color and women working in local television and radio news rose in 2007, as did the percentage of both groups in newsroom leadership positions, according to a survey released today by the Radio-Television News Directors Association.

The 2008 RTNDA/Hofstra University Annual Survey shows that minorities comprised 23.6 percent of local television news staffs, an increase over the 21.5 percent result in 2006, and the second highest percentage since the peak in 2001.

The number of Asian Americans, Native Americans and Hispanic journalists all increased, while the number of African Americans remained steady at 10.1 percent of the workforce.

At non-Hispanic stations, the minority workforce was 20.1 percent, an increase of the previous year's 19.4 percent.

Asian Americans and African-Americans gained ground while the number of Hispanic and Native American journalists remained the same.

In local radio, the minority workforce was 11.8 percent, the first increase after a steady decline for more than a decade.

The percentage of minority television news directors reached an all-time high of 15.5 percent, up from 10.9 percent in 2006.

In radio, the percentage of minority news directors returned to 5.9 percent, down from the previous year's spike, but more in line with earlier percentages.

Measurement of minority news directors in radio fluctuates each year based on which stations complete the survey.

Women in Local News

At 40.2 percent, there was no significant change in the percentage of women in the television news workforce in 2007, but the number of women news directors reached an all-time high of 28.3 percent.

Furthermore, women are as likely to be found as news directors in the largest markets as in the smallest, something that has not been the case in the past.

In radio, the picture for women was not as good.

The percentage of women fell again in 2007 from 24.4 percent to 22.7 percent.

The percentage among news directors also fell back to the 2005 levels of 20 percent after rising to 23.5 percent in 2006.

"As thousands of journalists of color gather for the quadrennial UNITY convention, I'm pleased we are still seeing progress in diversity in electronic newsrooms," said Barbara Cochran, RTNDA president.

"There is still more to be done to help newsrooms keep pace with the growing diversity of the U.S. population and RTNDA will continue to provide resources and share best practices to assist with those efforts."

RTNDA published the survey in the July/August issue of Communicator, RTNDA's monthly magazine.

This article is from an RTNDA newsletter
NEWS RELEASECONTACT: Stacey Staniak, 202.467.5214 or staceys@rtnda.org RTNDA/Hofstra Survey: Women and Journalists of Color Advance in Local Broadcast News

You may now be able to bike on the sidewalk

2008-07-21T01:24:00.000-07:00

West Hollywood is preparing to allow cyclists to ride on the sidewalk.

The city will allow bike riding along streets without marked bicycle lanes.

Bicycles have long been considered as a motorized vehicle that must be ridden on the street.

However, with high gas prices and people complaining of traffic congestion and narrow roadways the city will accommodate the request.

Anyone bicycling too fast or recklessly will be fined.

The ratification vote is scheduled for today.

Summer Heat needs to Cool Off

2008-07-21T01:18:00.000-07:00

Southern California Edison is asking consumers to conserve energy.

As summer heat hits the Southland, many people are using their air conditioners too much for too long.

And, Edison says an blackout is possible.

Southern California Edison is recommending people to set their thermostats above 78 degrees.

Also to use fans over the a-c, turning off unused appliances, closing drapes, and shutting off lights when leaving a room.

Edison is also launching a Summer Discount Program.

The program allows Edison to automatically turn off people’s air conditioners during a power emergency.

In exchange- users of the program would receive 200-hundred dollars off their utility bills.
So far about 292-thousand customers have agreed to do the program.

Make room for the ambulance

2008-07-20T12:44:00.000-07:00

Researchers from Cornell University are trying to create a computer program for ambulances to travel through a city easier.

The program would estimate how to best spread ambulances across a city to get maximum coverage.

Associate Professor of Operations Research at Cornell University-- Shane Henderson says ambulances do a good job but there is room for improvement.

Henderson says many ambulance organizations are already working hard to know the real time status of ambulances by installing a G-P-S unit in every ambulance.

Henderson is suggesting that they use better algorithms and computer programs to figure out what the good locations should be for a given situation, so where are the best places to send those ambulances when they are available.

The researchers are basing their data off of historical trends of calls, geographic layout, and real-time locations of ambulances.

Using the program, ambulances will no longer wait to be called onto a scene.

The researchers say there is still a lot more work to be done but are optimistic about the future of ambulance transportation.

LAX Improvements to be Delayed

2008-07-19T12:48:00.000-07:00

Some long term improvements at Los Angles International Airport will be delayed.

Updates to outdated terminals and other airport facilities will have to wait as airline services are being cut.

With higher oil prices, increased fare wages, and more passenger fees…airlines are saying they need to consider the consequences of a prolonged economic downturn before spending money on improvements.

The stalled improvements would consolidate a rental car facility, a mid-field concourse and reconstruction of two runways.

LAX officials say they will proceed with a multi-billion dollar improvement of Tom Bradley International Terminal due to the high volume of foreign travel.

LAX is preparing to sell about one billion dollars in bonds to investors to help finance the first round of improvements.

Toenails = Cancer for Women?

2008-07-18T03:50:00.000-07:00

A new study is linking nicotine found in toenails to predicting the risk of heart disease in women.

Research from U-C San Diego shows the higher level of nicotine in toenails equals an increased chance of acquiring coronary heart disease; regardless of the number of cigarettes smoked or exposure to second hand smoke.

Department of Family and Preventive medicine from U-C-S-D-- Doctor Wael Al- Delaimy says women with toenails containing high nicotine levels will suffer from many side effects.

Al- Delaimy says women who have higher nicotine levels are more likely to have a history of high cholesterol, less active physically, a lower body mass index, and consume more alcohol.

He also says they are developing more of the risk factors for acquiring heart disease if they were exposed to higher nicotine.

Researchers studied toenail clippings from more than 62-thousand women collected by the Nurses’ Health Study cohort.

The study also used women between the ages of 36 to 61.

Of the 905 women diagnosed with heart disease they had double the level of nicotine in their toenails as opposed to women without heart disease.

Researchers also found no difference in age, body mass index, aspirin use, or history of high cholesterol leading to toenail nicotine levels.

Lancaster Adults Jailed

2008-07-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

Two Lancaster adults are in jail for allegedly endangering two kids.

An eleven year old girl and a 14 year old boy told deputies they were locked in their rooms for several hours.

The alleged endangerment occurred on the 32-hundred block of East Avenue.

The girl was seen with eraser burns on her arm.

The children say they were kept locked in their rooms and only allowed to leave for school, meals and bathroom breaks.

Both children are being placed in protective custody.

The two adults are being held on 100-thousand dollar bail each.

L.A. Parkers Fear the Tiger

2008-07-16T23:43:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles traffic officers are aggressively ticketing parked cars.

The city is implementing its fourth “Tiger Team” to ticket illegally parked cars on Sunset Blvd. between Vermont Ave. and Laurel Canyon Blvd.

The “Tiger Team” consists of five traffic control officers and seven tow truck drivers.

The “team” will cite violators from illegally parked from 7am 9am—and from 4pm to 7pm.

A Department of Transportation spokesperson Bruce Gillman says the “Tiger Team” will help improve the flow of traffic.

Gillman says the anti-gridlock zones are throughout the city and they are on major arterial roads.

The city also has four “tiger teams” throughout L.A. boulevards on Sunset, Wilshire, Crenshaw, and Ventura.

Gillman adds that gridlock zones prevent people from parking, walking, or standing on the curbside lanes—allowing for more lanes of traffic to drive through—including buses.

Also the “Tiger Team” will be looking for stolen vehicles.

Utilizing new license plate recognition technology—officers will scan license plates to see if the car is stolen or wanted in any Amber Alerts.

Drivers parking illegally will face a $70 dollar fine.

The fine could be doubled if the car is parked in an “anti- gridlock” zone.

The towing fee will be an additional $185 and is effective immediately.

Airline Customer Ratings

2008-07-16T00:11:00.000-07:00

A new study is showing that airlines are the worst when it comes to customer service.

The American Customer Satisfaction Index studied 80-thousand consumer sector companies.

University of Michigan business Professor and founder of the index- Claes Fornell says consumers are upset with airlines because they can’t go from point “A” to point “B” without missing luggage or being late.

Fornell says the airlines are currently facing depressed economic conditions, which means less business.

Fornell says the only savior may be that the economy is not encouraging people to fly because the prices will go up so the demand will not be as high as it was last year.

Based off the index- Southwest Airlines remains the leader in passenger satisfaction- a title they have held for 15 straight years.

U-S Airways scored the lowest rating among major airlines but ranked highest in “on-time” performance.

Airlines suffered their lowest score in the index since 2001.

But, the index shows consumer companies as a whole improved in their customer satisfaction ratings.

Zone Changes in Tejunga City

2008-07-15T13:22:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles City Council members are upset over a law proposed by Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes.

The proposed law would limit L.A's ability to make zone changes and council members saqy the bill is designed to aid a specific developer.

The bill is sponsored by MWH Development a woodland hills based company that has tried to build more than 200 houses on the Verdugo Hills Golf Course in Tejunga.

However, Fuetes' Chief of Staff says the bill is to make sure developers are treated fairly.

Developer Mark Handel says the more homes they can build the higher the value of the land.

People living in Tejunga, La Crescenta, and Glendale are opposed to the bill.

Last month the L.A city council voted to oppose state intervention in local land use decisions.

There will be a hearing on this issue next Tuesday.

La Unified students are improving on standarized tests

2008-07-14T08:33:00.000-07:00

The Los Angeles Unified School district is continuing to score higher on the Academic Performance Index.
L-A-U-S-D’s A-P-I score is 662-- an increase of seven from last year.
According to the state Department of Education the target score is 800 and the highest score possible is one thousand.
The Director of Policies and Evaluations for the State Department of Education- Rachel Perry says the A-P-I allows schools to compare its scores with all California schools.
Perry says the A-P-I scores give local schools and districts an insight as to how they are doing compared to other schools in California and to other schools similarly situated in terms of their demographics.
The A-P-I calculates student scores based off the Standardized testing and Reporting Program and the High School Exit Exam.
Elementary schools tended to have the best index rating with a statewide average of 763.
Middle schools averaged a score of 720 and high schools scored 689—all three schools ranked higher than previous years.
The top three high schools on the A-P-I are Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies, the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies and Harbor Teacher Preparation Academy.

Sex Abuse

2008-07-10T00:44:00.000-07:00

A study from the University of Georgia says a large sample of female child molesters were victims of sexual abuse as children.

Five to seven percent of sex crimes are committed by females.

The study focuses on improving information to better treat and reduce the likelihood of future sexual assaults on children.

Assistant professor and author of the study—Susan Strickland says the public has ignored sexual abuse of minors by females.

The study surveyed 130 incarcerated females—60 of which were sex-offenders.

Strickland says child abuse and childhood trauma are among the leading causes for committing sexual offences by women.

She says childhood abuse and sexual abuse of women in prison is just enormous—most women in prison have experience childhood abuse.

Her study found that the subset of female offenders commit sex offenses
also suffered childhood trauma—and much more sexual abuse.

Childhood abuse has also been linked to emotional and behavioral problems.

According to her study Strickland says female sex offenders tend to struggle with relationships and lack the social skills to have adult partners.

Strickland concludes that adequate treatment must focus on past trauma and focus on developing adequate skills to appropriate sexual and emotional encounters with adults.

Only a minority of girls who were sexually abused become offenders—but Strickland believes potential sexual assaults on children could be reduced.

Out with the old and in the new iPhone

2008-07-09T17:48:00.000-07:00

Apple’s iPhone will now be lighter, faster, and more importantly…cheaper.

Chief Executive Steve Jobs says the iPhone 3-G will have thinner edges, Internet surfing will be three times faster, and it will cost one third of the original price.

Experts say the newest iPhone is an effort for Apple to appeal to more people.

Owners of the current iPhone will also get an upgrade on all software—free of charge.

The speed will be faster because the iPhone will use A-T and T’s network opposed to the Edge network it currently uses.

Senior technology writer at business week dot com- Arik Hesseldahl says the new iphone solves the critic’s biggest problems.

Hesseldahl says the 3-G gives them an answer to what was originally the biggest complaint of the original iphone...the connection to the wireless network was slow and hokey because of the edge technology.

Some additional upgrades are improved battery life, built-in global positioning, and more games.

Despite the improvements the iPhone will be missing a video camera, and will not be able to cut and paste—users have been pleading for both features.

There are currently six Million iPhone’s sold in the U-S and with the newest version, experts project Apple will reach its goal of 10 Million sold by 2008.

Also in a move to reach more markets—the new iPhone will be sold in 70 countries compared to the original’s six.The new iPhone will be on sale on July eleventh

Residents of East L.A. want to LIVE in East L.A.

2008-07-09T11:15:00.000-07:00

People living in East Los Angeles want their own city.

President of the East Los Angeles Residents Association—Oscar Gonzales says they will be launching a campaign for their independence.

This is the third attempt for East L-A to be independent.

The most recent attempt was in 1974.

Gonzales says the region is paying 25 Million dollars for services that other areas get for much cheaper.

Business owners say they must fill out tons of expensive and time-consuming paperwork.
Other residents say they just want a closer government.

The East Los Angeles Residents Association says county officials have dismissed their desire to be independent.

Leading the association to go door-to-door and use social networking websites to attract the required nine thousand signatures.

If the signatures are achieved the Local Agency Formation Commission must determine if the area can generate enough tax revenue to support services such as law enforcement and trash collection.

If the area succeeds in becoming a city, it would be the tenth largest in L-A county.

Marijuana is literally not what it used to be

2008-07-08T07:28:00.000-07:00

Marijuana potency increased to its highest levels in more than 30 years.

The University of Mississippi Potency Monitoring Project says the average of T-H-C--the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana-- reached nine point six percent compared to eight point seven-five percent last year.

Higher levels of T-H-C can increase acute toxicity and mental impairment.

Associated Press correspondent Ross Simpson says marijuana can become a gateway to other drugs and people need to understand the dangers of smoking marijuana.

Simpson says marijuana increases the risk of psychological, cognitive, and respiratory problems and the potential for users to become dependent on drugs such as cocaine and heroin.

Marijuana potency is now more than double since 1983.

Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control John Walters says one of the causes for the rise in potency is because many baby boomers have misguided opinions about marijuana.

The White House also says other causes are new technologies and methods to grow marijuana.

The report also shows teenagers feeling depressed are twice as likely to smoke marijuana.

Young people are no longer singing "Hello Mother, Hello Father"

2008-07-07T06:27:00.001-07:00

The number of kids at summer camp is on a major decline.

In past summers, the Society of Saint De Paul’s Circle V Ranch Camp averaged 130 campers per week.

This year that number is 61 kids per week.

Experts say rising fuels costs and a slumping economy are the two biggest reasons for the decline.

To help combat the economy, the Santa Barbara camp is offering a special 35 dollar rate per child for each week in July.

Football, Concussions, and Sexual Dysfunction

2008-07-07T06:26:00.000-07:00

Researchers will study the relationship between football concussions and its effect after retirement.

Scientists at the John Wayne Cancer Institute at Saint John’s Health Center say N-F-L players that sustain multiple concussions have an increased risk of developing a poor quality of life.

Including: obesity, impaired metabolism, depression, and sexual dysfunction.

People who suffer from repeat concussions have an increased chance of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.

Doctor’s say there is little research on concussions and athletes.

Most athlete research has been on the effects of boxing.

Ninety former N-F-L athletes are going to participant in the study.

More than one point two Million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury annually.

The majority being cerebral concussions.

The 250-thousand dollar grant will be funded by the National Operation Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment.

The University of North Carolina, Sport Science, and the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at U-C-L-A Harbor Medical Center will also help conduct research.

Initial research results are expected by 2010.

Holidays are just an excuse to get drunk

2008-07-06T16:33:00.000-07:00

Now correct me if I'm wrong (and I mean that metaphorically).

But, isnt a holiday named after a holy day. So leading me to deduce that the day has some form of religious importance.

Well, certainly not everyday holiday needs religion but rather an important date in history.

For example last Friday, millions of Americans celebrated the Fourth of July. The date when American got its independence from the tyranny of England.

So as I went to one of the several bbq's I was invited too (yes, I am trying to sound more popular than I actually am).

I didnt see people dressed in George Washington wigs or eating freedom fries. I saw women wearing skimpy clothes and men drinking Samuel Adams (as opposed to the usually Corona).

Leading me to wonder on holidays, all I ever see is people drinking bose.

Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years Eve and Day, and of course the granddaddy of drinking holidays...St. Patrick's Day.

If Hallmark is credited with creating Valentine's day--an celebration of love.

Then Budwiser must hagve created the other six BS holidays to simply get plastered.

And in case you think that I am joking--I've been invented to Groundhog Day Parties, and two Flag Day bashes.

Crime on the Decline

2008-07-03T07:55:00.000-07:00

Violent crimes in Los Angeles are down by seven point two percent in the last year.
Also on the decline are rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries, gang related murders, and grand theft auto crimes.
However, homicides are on the rise by four point three percent.
Last year, the L-A-P-D hired more than 730 officers—the most since 1996.
And, are expected to exceed that number this year.
Since police Chief William Bratton took office in 2002, Los Angeles crime has decreased by 39 percent.

Best Show on TV

2008-07-01T17:46:00.000-07:00

With hundreds of TV shows on network, cable, and satellites just what is the best show on tv?

Answer... Entourage hands mother f-ing down as Ari Gold would put it.

But this Emmy season the show should not win anything.

No HBO show should...why? Because like its motto its not TV.

HBO gets to play by a whole different set of rules than the networks and cable companies have to abide by.

Networks have commericial breaks, language restrictions, tv ratings, limits on use of sex, violence, and narcotics.

Now, I am not saying that any sensationalistic show is going to be good becuase that's not true but what is true is the lack of creativity being given.

Imagine, Vince not getting intimate with the hottest girls on the planet or how about Turtle not smoking weed or Drama's insightful philosphies.

And dare I say...Ari Gold on network TV.

He would fired faster than Vince on A2.

So how can shows like "Two and Half Men" or "My Boys" compete with the No Holds Barred shows on HBO..it cant.

Therefore it is unfair to network and cable TV to be competing with them for televisions top honors.

That is why I propose HBO shows compete against itself to ensure a fair fight.

Larry David vs. Carie Bradshaw or The Wire vs. Entourage

I'm down is anyone else?

Goodbye to legend

2008-06-28T16:17:00.001-07:00

Comedic icon George Carlin died of heart failure in a Santa Monica Health Center.

Carlin’s seven words you can never say on t-v routine earned the comedian national attention.

The routine resulted in the 1978 Supreme Court ruling of upholding government bans on certain language.

Carlin is a four time Grammy winner for best comedy album.

He was nominated for five Emmy awards.

George Carlin was 71.

Friends until the End

2008-05-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

Whether it was the happiest of times or the darkest of times they were always together (well not always together). Daklin Gates and Daniel Peters were best friends since preschool so literally before they could remember.
They learned and rode their bikes to school every morning for four years. Took all the same classes, played on the same sports teams. They did everything together (well not everything). They passed every milestone side by side (well not every milestone).
When news came down from President Nixon that additional troops, most likely from the drafting pool, would be needed to fight off the communists.
Fearful that one or both of them may be drafted to Vietnam, Daklin and Daniel went to an Army office to inquiry about the likelihood of them being drafted.
“I’m not going to sugarcoat any information, you two will be drafted. You both have brothers, single, not too educated. It’s not a matter of if but when,” said general Bishop.
Daniel and Daklin looked at each other and nodded assuming that each of them was thinking the exact same thought.
“All right, what if we enlist right now? Could you guarantee that we would be in same infantry, squad, platoon, etc?” said Daklin.
“I’ll have to ask my superior, please give me a second.”
No sooner than when the general closed the door, Daniel slapped Daklin with a back hand across the chest.
“What was that for?” demanded Daklin.
“You should be lucky I didn’t aim for your face, why did you enlist us?” answered Daniel.
“I looked at you and nodded,” replied Daklin.
“I thought you were thinking about a road trip to Canada.”
“I should’ve known that’s what you were thinking.”
The general re-enters his office and congratulates the boys on joining the 6th rank ground unit.
The first days of live action was just that—live action.
Daklin and Daniel’s squad crossed enemy lines and were met with mine fields and heavy fire from the opposing side. Commander Roberts screamed at the top of lungs for all of his men to return and wait for aid and recovery to arrive.
The one thousand man group only had a quarter of the men remaining when they returned to safety and wait for reinforcements.
“To think, that were going to die because of a misinterpretation of facial expressions,” said Daniel.
“What?” answered fellow Cadet Roger Murphy/
It was at this moment that Daniel realized that Daklin must have been shot and wounded or worse died out on the field and dropped his equipment to try to save him.
Before he took one step on his own rescue mission commander Roberts grabbed his him and said, “Not so fast private Peters, we gotta wait until General Sheppard relieves us.”
“With all do respect sir I believe my best friend, Daklin Gates is out there and I have to try to save him.”
“LISTEN TO ME! THAT”S EVERYONE’S BEST FRIEND, BROTHER, FATHER, HUSBAND, if he’s alive he will hold on for seven more minutes.”
Despite the commander’s warning Daniel shrugged him off and recrossed enemy lines after turning over dozens of bodies he found Daklin but too late. As he painfully walked back to camp, Daniel was shot three times; twice in the leg and once in the back.
“ALWAYS LISTEN TO ORDERS. SEE, YOUR FRIEND WAS ALREADY DEAD AND NOW YOUR WOUNDED, what a bone-headed move and for what? For nothing,” said commander Roberts.
It wasn’t for nothing, when I turned his body over he said, “I knew you would come.”

ESPN’s First Take “Cover Two” segment should be called “Covering Two Teams”

2008-05-19T14:33:00.000-07:00

Now, I like most people in America are huge NFL fans. I can’t wait to see the touchdowns, scream at referrers for making the right call. In short, I can’t wait for the NFL season to start.

In fact it’s only 108 days away until the eagles began their chance at winning the Lombardi Trophy for the first time ever.

That’s why I applaud First Take for having a daily segment called Cover Two (Yes named after the Defense)

However it’s fairly predictable based off which sports reporter is on that day.

For example if Chareen Williams is on then the issues they talk about will be the Dallas Cowboys.

Jim trotter’s = San Diego Chargers are whatever Phillip Rivers ate for breakfast.

Steve Whcye is a lock to discuss how the Atlanta falcons are coping without Mike Vick.

And when Rick Stroud is on he’s going to talk about the Tampa bay buccaneers and their quarterback situation.

The only time you actually do get real NFL news from AROUND the league as they say they do is if Bob Glaubber or Dan Pompei come on which once a month!

Although First Take is slowly turning Glaubber into a JETS beat writer with his segments.

So, I ask, if not beg you First Take the only use proper NFL insiders for the cover two segment because the real NFL fans want know what’s going on around the league not what’s going on in Oakland, Tamps, Atlanta and Dallas or else the NFL Network will.