November 2008 Archives
links for 2008-11-26
By Pixelbot
November 26, 2008
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LA Times: With forecasters predicting heavy rain and thunderstorms, burned hillsides are at risk. Yorba Linda plans to uses reverse 911 system to notify residents of danger.
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LA Times: The fatality was one of several incidents overnight that included an LAPD officer accidentally shooting himself in the leg.
links for 2008-11-25
By Pixelbot
November 25, 2008
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Huffington Post: An Oregon man who was fatally shot as he wielded samurai swords and tried to attack guests at a landmark Scientology building had been involved in "prior incidents" with the church, police said Monday.
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LA Times: The mayor's proposal aims to have solar power meet one-tenth of L.A.'s energy needs by 2020. But skeptics wonder if the plan will be cost-efficient and friendly to private enterprise.
links for 2008-11-24
By Pixelbot
November 24, 2008
links for 2008-11-23
By Pixelbot
November 23, 2008
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Huffington Post: The Screen Actors Guild said Saturday it will ask its members to authorize a strike after its first contract talks in four months with Hollywood studios failed despite the help of a federal mediator.
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LA Times: L.A. Now - The National Weather Service issued a special weather statement this morning warning of several storm systems expected to hit Southern California with rain beginning early next week.
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LA Times: The nearly 50-year-old stage just west of downtown, where the owner crafts most of the puppets, is behind on mortgage payments. But he is determined that the show will go on.
links for 2008-11-22
By Pixelbot
November 22, 2008
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LAist: If you've ever traveled northbound on Interstate 5 Freeway the day before Thanksgiving, you know it will take hours just to get out of Los Angeles
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LA Times: The California governor tells Fox News that he will help the president-elect's administration 'in every possible way.'
links for 2008-11-21
By Pixelbot
November 21, 2008
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LA Times: University of California seeks a far bigger budget this year, hoping to avoid a nearly 10% increase in student costs. Some say the request is futile, given the state's grim economic outlook.
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LA Times: Anticipating a $110-million shortfall, the city's budget office recommends cuts from the L.A. Zoo, tree trimming and crossing guards programs, among others.
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From LAist: The first of the 22 off-site projects at the 2008 California Biennial were installed last week on billboards around town, compliments of LAXART Public Art Initiatives and ForYourArt.
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Politico.com's Jeffrey Ressner takes a look at Obama'sm Hollywood. [h/t Nikki Finke]
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LATimes: "Mass transit ridership among some -- but not all -- local transit agencies has slipped since the summer." Will you never learn, Los Angeles?
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L.A. Now: Last week, the aggressive tactics of Prop. 8 opponents -- street protests, boycotts of business -- made headlines. This week, it appears that backers of the ban on gay marriage are the ones making threats.
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L. A. Times art critic Christopher Knight: [If] I've been hearing is true, I have just one question: Are you freakin' kidding me? What on Earth do you think you're doing?
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Huffington Post: Murray Fromson mourns the L. A. Times' Washington bureau. [h/t LA Observed]
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from LA Cowboy: 29,000 needed by December 3 or Bob Baker's theater and home will be sold
links for 2008-11-20
By Pixelbot
November 20, 2008
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LA Times: The California high court will review legal challenges to Prop. 8. A hearing is set for March. Prior to a ruling, gay weddings will not be allowed to resume.
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"A further review of the evidence, more accurate exit polling, and academic analysis suggests that the 70% figure is way off." Another myth bites the dust?
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You survived the election, now play the videogame. Not Cali related, but who can resist? [h/t Io9]
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LAT: "They told fire investigators that they thought the bonfire was out when they left early Thursday morning."
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The L.A. Times reports that "the museum had spent all $20 million of its unrestricted funds to meet routine operating costs. By mid-2007, it had borrowed an additional $7.5 million from "restricted" accounts."
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LA Now on a proposed law that "would restrict commercial photography and video recordings within 20 feet of schools, hospitals and medical facilities."
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The LAFD blog remembers ten firefighters would died fighting a November 1, 1966 wildfire that scorched the same area of the western San Gabriel Mountains that burned this week. [h/t LA Now]
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Smoke 'em while you can, to paraphrase the cop shows.
19 Things You Can Do With KCET Local
By Gary Dauphin
November 19, 2008
links for 2008-11-19
By Pixelbot
November 19, 2008
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LA Times: His office, which has the responsibility of defending the initiative, also asks justices to review the lawsuits against the measure 'to provide certainty and finality.'
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LA Times: The Chino Hills evacuation order is lifted. Officials are keeping tabs on the weather, but the Tea fire is 95% contained; Sayre fire, 70%; and Freeway Complex fire, 75%.
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Streetsblog looks at City Council deliberations on whether or not Los Angeles should pursue a bike sharing program.
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Los Angeles Fire Department video series
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A new look for LAX?
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Patt Morrison sings the praises of CA's new poet laureate, Carol Muske-Dukes.
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L.A. Times: "In three months, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has become a continual crisis manager, as his city has been buffeted by one disaster after another."
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"A spokesman for the the state firefighting agency told CNN that officials are looking for person or persons who started the Tea Fire in Montecito"
VOD: How to Survive a Wildfire
By Gary Dauphin
November 18, 2008
The Los Angeles Fire Department shares three videos on wildfire safety, preparedness and evacuation.
1 - Evacuation
Permalink Discuss
links for 2008-11-18
By Pixelbot
November 18, 2008
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The L.A. Times google-maps the fires.
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Reading, 'riting and recession.
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From the South Coast Air Quality Management District: "An afternoon sea breeze today could spread wildfire smoke across wide areas of the Southland including portions of the Inland Empire, causing air quality in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range or higher." [h/t/ LAist]
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LAist notes that lawsuits are likely to follow an OC Register report that "[a] broken pump at the Yorba Linda Water District system left firefighters with no water pressure to fight homes ablaze in the tony Hidden Hills community of Yorba Linda."
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From losanjealous.com: The longtime KCRW DJ will leave his current evening time slot to host Morning Becomes Eclectic starting in December
VOD: Can A Blog Post Rally a Community
By Gary Dauphin
November 17, 2008
Can a blog post rally a community? from Knight Pulse on Vimeo.
Metblogs cofounder Sean Bonner talks to the Knight Foundation's Kristen Taylor about how the LA Metblogs community discovered if one of their own was in jail after a Prop 8 protest.
Permalink Discusslinks for 2008-11-17
By Pixelbot
November 17, 2008
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LA Times: More than 26,000 residents are evacuated as the Triangle Complex fire burns uncontrolled and threatens to cross the 57 Freeway. Firefighters are able to make better progress in the Sylmar area and Santa Barbara.
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LA Times: Pasadena's first marathon has been canceled due to heavy smoke and ash from destructive wildfire burning in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties.
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LA Times: From Santa Barbara to Orange County, hundreds of homes burn and thousands of people are evacuated. A mobile home park in Sylmar appears to lose the highest number of housing units in L.A. history.
links for 2008-11-16
By Pixelbot
November 16, 2008
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LA Times: Sylmar, Corona, Brea and Yorba Linda are problem areas where everyone should avoid outdoor activity, the South Coast Air Quality Management District says.
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LA TImes: At least 40 homes have burned in the Yorba Linda area. Brea-Olinda High school is ringed by fire. Parts of the 91 and 57 freeways are closed.
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LA Times: Gay-rights marchers gathered by the thousands this morning to prepare for state and nationwide protests against California's passage of Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage.
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LA Times: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency this morning as hurricane-like wind gusts continued to drive a raging wildfire across a large swath of the northern San Fernando Valley.
Wildfire Resources
By KCET Staff
November 15, 2008
Below is a collection of resources to help you find the latest information on the area's wildfires and evacuations.
LA Times - LA Now - Latest fire news
Corona fire evacuation information
Sylmar fire evacuation information
American Red Cross: Wildfire information
Permalink Discusslinks for 2008-11-15
By Pixelbot
November 15, 2008
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L.A. Now - Los Angeles Times: No one ducks and covers at City Hall. Drill for thee, but none for me?
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L.A. Now | Los Angeles Times - A finalist in the Bus of the Future contest held by the Big Blue Bus in Santa Monica and the Art Center College of Design.
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Google and the city of Santa Monica teamed up earlier this year to provide real-time data on the city operated parking lots.
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Los Angeles Times - City officials have struggled for years to regulate the billboard industry even as the placement of the oversized signs has infuriated many in Los Angeles neighborhoods.
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Carol Muske-Dukes is California’s poet laureate.
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Pasadena Star-News - The "granddaddy of them all," the giant 60-inch telescope that ushered in the modern age of cosmic exploration, marked its 100th anniversary Wednesday in celebrations at Mount Wilson Observatory. [h/t LA Observed]
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The LAT's LA Now blog notes that Montecito is home to many a celeb. "In 2006, Forbes Magazine declared the Montecito Zip Code the seventh-highest-priced in the U.S., and the median price of a home is $2.9 million."
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A Google map from CrisisWire.com tracking evacuations in Santa Barbara. [hat-tip LAist]
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LAist tracks the Montecito fires.
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Gas prices have fallen for 58 consecutive days. [hat-tip LAist]
links for 2008-11-14
By Pixelbot
November 14, 2008
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LAist: It was a small one, but an earthquake struck six minutes after the largest earthquake drill in history.
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LAist: A Cal State Fullerton study released yesterday concludes that annually, the state economy loses $28 billion due to 3,000 premature deaths in the South Coast (Los Angeles region) and San Joaquin basins.
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LA Times: The Great Southern California ShakeOut -- a regional earthquake drill -- commenced with a simulated 7.8 quake at 10 a.m. Millions of people were expected to participate.
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Rebecca Schoenkopf leaves the top slot at CityBeat
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LAist tracks the ongoing fracaso over a pro-Prop 8 donation by a staffer at putatively gay friendly restaurant El Coyote.
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LATimes: The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department acknowledged Wednesday it did not know whether genetic evidence from more than 5,600 rape cases had been examined.
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The LATimes's LA Now blog asks the question on everyone's minds: What will become of Michael Jackson's Santa Barbara ranch?
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Nate Silver, who runs the best polling site on the web, takes on Prop 8. His take? Age was more important than race. [h/t LA Now Blog]
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Apparently, up until last week you could rent a pet in West Hollywood. Who knew? [h/t LA Now]
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A Cal Fullerton study finds pollution costs CA $28B and 3000 lives every year. [hat-tip LAist]
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Men's Health looks for the American capital of plastic surgery. #1? San Francisco. [h/t Militant Angeleno]
VOD: Youtubing Your Earthquake
By Gary Dauphin
November 13, 2008
If your Great Shakeout lacked realism (see 404 City and Blur + Sharpen for more), the web is chock full of honest-to-god earthquake footage to scare the beejeesus out of you.
Permalink Discusslinks for 2008-11-13
By Pixelbot
November 13, 2008
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La Cañada Flintridge native and space explorer Spirit runs into trouble on Mars.
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Tim Rutten on what the Latino vote Nov. 4th means for future elections: "America has long scouted Los Angeles for cultural signposts to the new. The results of last week's election may have put the city on the country's political cutting edge as well."
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blogdowntown previews the upcoming Downtown Art Walk, happening Thursday November 13th.
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LA Times: African American men wonder if the wider culture will finally start to see them as true equals or if the president-elect will just be seen as yet another exception.
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LA Times: At 10 a.m. Thursday, an estimated 5.2 million people around Southern California will drop to the ground, roll under the nearest table and spend the next two minutes clutching a table leg.
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The Boston Globe with a look at what might have been: "NEW HAVEN -- Peg Oliveira and Jennifer Vickery became Connecticut's first legally wed same-sex couple shortly before 11 a.m. today in a ceremony on the steps of City Hall punctuated with tears, red roses, and clutches of white balloons." [h/t Micah Bleich]
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LATimes: Navy 1-Whales 0; The US Supreme Court lifts restrictions on the use of sonar during training in the region. Environmental groups had argued the sonar might hurt local whale populations.
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The SacBee takes a look at the 2010 race. U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein tops the choices of registered Democrats, while two-thirds of GOP voters have "no opinion" of former eBay CEO Meg Whitman. [hat-tip LAist]
links for 2008-11-11
By Pixelbot
November 11, 2008
Video of the Day: Scrambled Pedestrian
By Gary Dauphin
November 10, 2008
Today's video of the day is Livable Streets and StreetFilm's a look at Los Angeles' scramble crosswalks.
Permalink Discuss
Prop 8 Fight Marches (and Tweets) On
By Ariel Fox
November 6, 2008
By day Ariel Fox works on the Tavis Smiley on PBS website. The rest of her time is spent running her small company Sticker Sisters where she makes stickers, t-shirts and other goodies with encouraging messages for girls.
As I was sitting at work yesterday afternoon, I started to get tweets and text messages about rallies against the newly passed Proposition 8. "Queers and allies in opposition to Prop 8 mobilizing in West Hollywood," one message declared.
A few years ago, if I'd learned about a rally I would have had to jump on the phone to ask: "Who's going?" "Can I park at your house?" "Do you have signs?" "Want to grab dinner afterwards?"
But all I had to do was take a look at my friends' Facebook updates to see things like, "need to get ready for the rally against Prop 8 tonight. 7pm WeHo." A few IMs and text messages later, all my questions were answered.
Permalink Discuss (1 Comments)
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