Cowboy Values in Rolling Hills Estates, CA

Hunger for the old west? Do you get nostalgic watching re-runs of Bonanza and the The Wild Wild West? If you think everything from those days are gone for good, think again.  The horsey community of Rolling Hills Estates offers a respite from the pressured urban working life here Los Angeles County.

An aromatic mixture of grilling hamburgers, native sage grass, horses, and the spicy zest of pepper trees wafts through the droughty and dusty air at the Dapplegray Community Horse Arena. The loudspeaker announces raffle winners in a low-fi crackle. It’s downtime before the last event of the rodeo horse show. Girls sit on horses under Pepper trees to escape the heat, their mounts aimlessly shuffling their hooves and sniffing the disturbed ground in hopes of finding an alfalfa cube or two in the chalky dust. Others lean up against tree trunks or hang on the white split rail fence of the riding ring. One girl primps her horse’s mane, colored bright pink to match her own tank top. An eye-catching and fashionable pair they are.

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Bus Stop Murder Coincidence - Who killed Michael Rodriguez?

A 23-year-old lay dead and a 52-year-old woman was critically injured in a mid-morning rush hour drive by shooting in the 500 block of N. Mission Road in Boyle Heights on Friday, July 20th. The woman, whose identity has not been released, was listed in stable condition. More information on her condition and whether she has been released from the hospital was not for this report. According to the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Police are looking for two people in a dark Dodge Charger with temporary plates.

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Curiosity Mars Landing: Los Angeles Celebrates [Video]

[Photo: www.nasa.gov]

It would have been easier to find a parking space on Mars than it was at Griffith Observatory on Sunday night. That was because well over 1000 people made the pilgrimage up the winding, tree-lined road to the star gazing center to share this historic event in a hot, cramped space, crushed against hundreds of people they did not know.

Those who had the foresight to arrive early got to watch the Mars rover, Curiosity, land from theater style seats in the Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Amphitheater, Griffith Observatory’s  modern, climate controlled lecture hall. Scientists from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory narrated and provided background about the Mars program seated comfortably on the amphitheater’s stage.  

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Jack Abramoff is Back

Jack Abramoff, disgraced former Washington lobbyist, discussed his new book and his new life outside of the federal prison in front of an intimate gathering of family, friends and interested public at the American Jewish University (AJU), in Bel Air, California, Sunday April 1. The self-described poster child for “don’t write in an email what you don’t want to read as a newspaper headline”, pleaded guilty in 2006 to conspiracy, fraud, and tax evasion. Dr. Robert Wexler, AJU President, interviewed Abramoff in a recorded session inside the University’s synagogue.

Affable and in good humor, Abramoff shared what it was like to receive one of the most public floggings of modern Washington history. “Anybody who says there’s no such thing as bad press has never seen my press,” he said with a chuckle. He resents his demonization at the hands of duplicitous politicians. It was at least 300 members of Congress that Abramoff’s firm “had a lot of influence with, meaning we raised money for them and we were involved in their offices.” For a man who once had so many inroads to congressional circles, the number of representatives who don’t remember meeting him is remarkable.

Jack’s back - and he’s written a book.

Jim Ladd, Tom Petty, KLOS Win Copyright Suit

Jim Wagner was over the moon. The struggling singer-songwriter had just gotten a call from legendary classic rock DJ, Jim Ladd. Ladd really liked the demo Wagner sent him. Could he use it as the theme song for his nightly show? Wagner was thrilled - so thrilled he didn’t even ask for compensation when he said yes. The two agreed that the quality of the demo was inadequate for air. They arranged to re-record it, this time with Ladd adding the spoken-word “Lord, have mercy” part.  The re-recorded version of Wagner’s song, “The Last Great Radio DJ”, became the opening for Ladd’s classic rock show on KLOS-FM, Los Angeles’ preeminent classic rock radio station.  That was July 2000.

The complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in October 2004 sought damages totaling $6 million: $1.5 million in lost returns and $4.5 million in punitive compensation.  According to the suit, when Wagner gave Ladd permission to use the song it was “implied both in-fact and by law a promise” that Wagner would be compensated if said song were used for anything other than Ladd’s theme song. 

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