It will take a trial to determine whether there's any truth to charges traveling educator Daniel Roy Smith touched students inappropriately at San Gabriel's Washington Elementary last month.

Either way, it wouldn't be surprising if schools rethink the practice of sending children into portable, enclosed and darkened theaters with a third-party contractor. (Picture of "the bubble" at the preceding link.)

Of course statistics show most sexual abuse occurs at the home, by family or friends. Although I won't be covering the trial any further, I got the sense in court Monday that the defense is likely to bring that fact up and try arguing that Smith -- who has pleaded innocent -- was a convenient scape-goat.

(Picture is copyright Mobile Productions Inc., linked here under fair use provisions.)

Continue reading "Inside the planetarium" »

Posted by Todd at 1:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Doesn't the New York Times editorial board know this villainous slander makes JingJing(tm) a Sad Panda?

Improving its human rights record isn’t China’s only unmet commitment to the International Olympic Committee. It also promised to improve air quality. Now athletes and their coaches are figuring out how to spend as little time as possible in China’s smog-swamped capital, where they may need masks to breathe.

Beijing also made empty commitments about press freedoms. China has failed to lift fully the reporting restrictions on foreign journalists, including limits on their ability to move freely about the country. Local journalists are as restricted as ever. There has also been increased censorship of the Internet.

The Olympic Committee has not made public its formal contract with Beijing. But a new book called “China’s Great Leap,” edited by Minky Worden, media director for Human Rights Watch, reports that Beijing sought to strengthen its bid by telling the committee — specifically — that awarding it the Games would facilitate human rights progress.

With the Games approaching, China has instead expanded its crackdown on dissidents, tightened controls over nongovernmental organizations and rounded up “undesirables,” such as migrants and the mentally ill.

Posted by Todd at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Not much time for posting as I'm headed back out to unincorporated Monrovia-Duarte-Arcadia again today.

Cyclical violence between black and Latino gangs has gotten out of control and it was clear that Saturday's shooting of two 16-year-old girls was not going to go unanswered.

Today's story provides some context and has some uncharacteristic comments from law enforcement. When these people say it's "degraded into a race war" they're not engaging in hyperbole.

Here's something from August 2006 when we were in between cops reporters:

Police fear vendettas
Star-News (Pasadena, CA) - August 18, 2006
Author: Kenneth Todd Ruiz Staff Writer
DUARTE - Nine days after three people were caught in the crossfire of a decades-old feud between two gangs in an unincorporated area known as " No Man's Land ," a heavy police presence has yet to net any arrests. Two people were killed the night of Aug. 9 and a third hospitalized in what police said was part of a long cycle of retaliation between predominantly African American and Latino gangs.

Nicole Kaster, 22, was socializing with friends in front of their home on Shrode Avenue when she was shot to death just after 1 a.m. on Aug. 10.

Several hours earlier, 54-year-old Michael Minor was hit by a bullet and killed while asleep in bed a few blocks away, not long after another man was shot in the head while washing his car in southeast Monrovia. He survived.

Minor and the first victim were black. Kaster was white, but a number of her friends were Latino.

None were gang members, police said.

After three generations in a home built by her father when Shrode Avenue was little more than orange groves, Vivian Kaster, 55, wants to sell the home and get out. However, she has a more immediate concern: figuring out how to pay for her daughter's funeral.

"She got along with everyone," Vivian Kaster said. "But it's been so bad down here, so bad down here. I didn't want her standing down there."

Vivian Kaster was trying to get a loan Thursday so she could bury Nicole at nearby Live Oak Cemetery, where her son and husband are also buried.

Continue reading "Return to No Man's Land" »

Posted by Todd at 9:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

So the primary purpose to speaking to Adam Schiff yesterday before he winged down to South Carolina was to discuss his new role on the House Permanent Select Intelligence Committee and the investigation of destroyed CIA interrogation tapes.

Schiff joins probe of CIA tape destruction

By Kenneth Todd Ruiz, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 01/24/2008 11:39:59 PM PST

PASADENA - When Congress reorganized the intelligence community in response to 9/11, it might have disrupted traditional chains of command and precipitated a breakdown in accountability, Rep. Adam Schiff said Thursday.

Speaking a day after his first House Intelligence Committee briefing, Schiff said its investigation into destroyed recordings of CIA interrogations would help determine whether Congress' authority over various agencies has been eroded.

"We want to get to the bottom of what tapes existed, what happened to them and why were they destroyed," said Schiff, D-Pasadena. "After the reorganization, is there a clear chain of command such that junior officers and senior officers understand their obligations to the Congress?"

Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointed Schiff, a former federal prosecutor, to the House Permanent Select Intelligence Committee late Tuesday.

Continue reading "Probing the probers" »

Posted by Todd at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Spoke to Adam Schiff about an hour ago before he got on a South Carolina-bound flight, he gave a quick update on agreement for an economic stimulus package:

-- "Rebate checks to 117 million families"
-- "$35 million low-income familes will get tax relief as well."
-- Part of a $150 billion package, "a modest boost" but "given the size of our economy it will be modest but helpful."

UPDATED: Gary Scott, who removed me after lobbying to be included on this blog roll, offers his erudite take:

This is casino economics. Let the drunk who's down $500 at the craps table gamble the house's money and fleece him for another $700 as he tries to dig his way out of the hole he's in.

Posted by Todd at 1:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Federal investigators raided the Pacific Asia Museum this morning and are still there -- we'll have something online shortly.

Federal agents raid Pasadena museum

PASADENA - Federal agents raided the Pacific Asia Museum this morning as part of a multi-year investigation into illegal smuggling of southeast Asian and Native American artifacts.

Officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Internal Revenue Service and the National Park Service spent the morning rummaging behind the red iron museum's doors, as employees and visitors watched outside.

According to a search warrant, the museum accepted stolen Thai archaeological resources and conspired to falsify tax returns in November 2005.

Employees showing up for work this morning said they did not know what was going on. One employee said she thought all the commotion was from people waiting for a tour.

"We're as interested in knowing the answers as the IRS is," Museum Director Joan Marshall said. "We're cooperating and we're happy to do that."

Photo by Raul Roa, staff photographer: An Immigration & Customs Enforcement special agent, left, and an Internal Revenue Service agent, center, stand in front of the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena on Thursday as an employee enters the building. The officers executed a federal search warrant at the museum.

Posted by Todd at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Updated: "Marijuana Man" turned out to be none other than Martin Truitt!

-- Took some pictures of the Doo Dah for eventual posting, including the chicken standing in as Wayne Lusvardi.

-- Reports of Sierra Madre blogger Jim Snider's suicide death(?) are true.

In a ... unique ... account of a conversation with Molly Okeon, a Foothill Cities poster openly contemptuous of Jim channels a VH1 narrator and appears to credit her for terminal spiral (emphasis mine):

Months later I had an opportunity to ask the author of this article, Star News staff writer Molly Okeon, what it was she saw of value in The Cumquat when she wrote this obvious puff piece. Her answer was that she wrote what she was told to write, and that this article in no way reflected her personal views on the matter. She seemed to want to make it known to me that it wasn’t her idea, and that she shouldn’t be held accountable for it. When I asked who it was that was interested in publicizing Jim Snider’s on-line venture, and why she was asked to relay the desired message, she declined to answer. It was only later that she would redeem herself, as you shall see. ... On July 1, 2007, an article entitled “Planned Web Site Raising Concerns,” appeared in the Pasadena Star News. It would rock what was left of Snider’s world. Molly Okeon now had her second cover story on this fellow, one that was decidedly less flattering to its subject.

Posted by Todd at 1:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

SO with this latest malaise comes also my annual health-kick, wherein I go on tobacco hiatus, sleep more and actually exercise my body. However sincere, I doubt it will have me up at the Rose Bowl by 7:45 a.m. to jog with Mayor Bill and Friends, as per this entry in the new Pasadena In Focus:

THERE’S NOTHING LIKE A BRISK MORNING WALK TO LIFT YOUR SPIRITS and get your body moving. Join Pasadena’s mayor and special guests for a walk around the Rose Bowl Stadium the first Wednesday of every month at 7:45 a.m. beginning Feb. 6. Special guests, who are prominent Pasadena residents, will strap on their sneakers and join in the fun: John Naber, Olympic gold medalwinning swimmer, on Feb. 6; Larry Wilson, Pasadena Star-News public editor, on March 5; and Gale Hurd, producer of the “Terminator” movies, on Apr. 2. Bring your neighbors, coworkers, friends and family and meet at the stadium’s Gate A for an invigorating workout. Up & Moving Pasadena is a communitywide effort to support fitness for health. For more information visit www.upandmoving.org or call 831-2980.

If you go on Feb. 6, be sure to offer Lawrence a cigar. >:D

Posted by Todd at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I'm going to tell my creditors I've declared a Fiscal Emergency. Everyone's doing it.

Gov. Schwarzenegger Proposes Budget, Declares Fiscal Emergency, Calls Special Session to Immediately Address Current Year Shortfall

Governor’s Budget Reforms Increase Fiscal Responsibility, Restrain Spending

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today submitted his proposed budget for 2008-09, which addresses the systemic problems that drive California’s chronic deficits. At the same time, Governor Schwarzenegger issued proclamations (attached) declaring a fiscal emergency and calling a special session of the legislature to address the current year $3.3 billion budget gap.

Governor Schwarzenegger’s 2008-09 budget proposal takes the difficult but necessary steps California needs to rein in the state deficit and stabilize the budget without raising taxes.

“We are facing a very tough situation, but with tough times come historic opportunities. I am convinced the legislature will help turn today’s temporary problem into a permanent victory for the people of California by joining me to enact true budget reform,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “We simply cannot have a budget system where revenues and spending are not tied together. We must rise to the challenge and fix California’s budget system once and for all.”

Posted by Todd at 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Coliseum and USC closer to a deal, Times reports:

In an effort to keep USC from moving its home football games to Pasadena, the Coliseum Commission is expected to deliver a long-term lease proposal to university administrators this morning.

The document, crafted during a special closed-door meeting Wednesday evening, represents a potential step forward in the long and sometimes acrimonious negotiations between the commissioners and the school that has played in their stadium since 1923.

Posted by Todd at 2:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A reader points out the goodwill on tap from our friends in Beijing:

On Wednesday evening, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied permission for the USS Kitty Hawk and its carrier battle group to make a four-day port call to Hong Kong for the Thanksgiving holiday. The 8,000 servicemen aboard the ships -- and the 290 families of crew members who had flown to Hong Kong to meet them -- were left with their Thanksgiving plans in tatters.

Posted by Todd at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

* East Pas Councilman Steve Haderlein wrote back too late Friday for me to change his title from "Strip Club Killer" to "Strip Club Assassin" for the Pleasures story.

As of January 25, residents can sleep soundly knowing the very last of Pasadena's problems have ceased to exist because no women will be taking their shirts off in a bar somewhere.

* Production problems result in Saturday's story slugged "DUMPFOLO" NOT ACTUALLY JUMPING anywhere! Yay!

* Some e-mails related to the Measure D story are posted below. I've been meaning to check Wayne Lusvardi's blog, where he's on occasion referred to me as an "ace reporter." For some reason I've never taken it as a compliment. :D

Continue reading "Monday morning roundup" »

Posted by Todd at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Given blog goofiness yesterday, couldn't post re: former District 2 Councilman Paul Little's return to the Pasadena civic scene in a full-time capacity as CEO of the Chamber of Commerce.

Yes, I dropped an L-bomb in the story. (which is posted below)

My question is: What impact will this have on Paul's participation in Le Blogosphere?

Continue reading "Little returns" »

Posted by Todd at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Forget access to City Hall, we can't even get access to the Rose Bowl tonight for the damn Turkey Tussle.

With the stadium unlikely to even be half-full, our photographers and reporters can't get the usual access. Brilliant move!

I'd like to presume it's poor communication/management and nothing to do with what happened last year:

Coach's brother could face charges over tussle Star-News (Pasadena, CA) December 29, 2006 Author: Mary Frances Gurton, Staff Writer Estimated printed pages: 2

PASADENA - City prosecutors are considering filing charges against the half-brother of Pasadena High School football coach Kevin Mills over an alleged assault following last month's Turkey Tussle.
Michael Harrison, 36, of Pasadena is accused of punching Muir High School running back Phillip Morrow in the face mask in the moments after the Nov. 9 matchup between the historic crosstown rivals, according to Pasadena police spokeswoman Janet Pope Givens.

Harrison on Friday denied the allegations, claiming he merely attended the game with his son, a PHS team member.

"I have nothing to hide," Harrison said. "If the police had anything on me they would have arrested me at the time. This is nothing to me. I was just on the sidelines cheering for my son."

Continue reading "Turkey Fussle" »

Posted by Todd at 5:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Speaking of China, I found a fascinating list on the FDA's site of "refusal actions" detailing what was actually found during its infrequent searches of incoming ships.

"SALTED BEAN CURD CUBES IN BRINE WITH CHILI"
Rejected: The article appears to consist in whole or in part of a filthy, putrid, or decomposed substance or be otherwise unfit for food.

"FROZEN CHANNEL CATFISH"
Reason: SALMONELLA. The article appears to contain Salmonella, a poisonous and deleterious substance which may render it injurious to health.

Posted by Todd at 3:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Given the past year of poisoned pet food, toxic toothpaste, lead-steeped paints ... imagine a worse headline for your trade image:

"4.2 million Chinese-made toys contaminated with a powerful 'date rape' drug"

Even better, the toy looks like rave candy!

NEW YORK (CNN) -- U.S. safety officials have voluntarily recalled about 4.2 million Chinese-made Aqua Dots toys contaminated with a powerful "date rape" drug that has caused some children to vomit and lose consciousness upon ingesting the contents.

Bindeez, which were named Australia's toy of the year, contain a chemical that converts into a "date rape" drug.

Scientists have found the highly popular holiday toy contains a chemical that, once metabolized, converts into the toxic "date rape" drug GHB (gamma-hydroxy butyrate), U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) spokesman Scott Wolfson told CNN.

"Children who swallow the beads can become comatose, develop respiratory depression or have seizures," a CPSC statement warned.

Ahhh, globalism. All I can say is that there must be a *lot* of lead in China.

Posted by Todd at 2:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

At Brookside. Something about a golf-cart shack and the maintenance yard. Fuel burning. Hear its a good sight, going to check it out.

Updated: Last arc of firehose water was landing on the maintenance yard as I winded down from Lida to the NW corner of Brookside. Made it past the ever-skeptical vanguard of police to the ever-smiling presence that is Fire spoke Lisa Derderian who even volunteered to go into the smolder with my video camera to get a few seconds of footage.

It was apparently the place to be ... stadium CEO Darryl Dunn was there fretting over his scorched utility carts and Fire Chief Dennis Downs made it a C.H.A.O.S.-worthy moment (Chief Has Arrived On Scene).

Lisa just called to give the estimated damage: $250,000 to equipment et. al.; $150,000 property damage.

Posted by Todd at 3:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

From this day on, the official language of San Marcos will be Swedish. Silence! In addition to that, all citizens will be required to change their underwear every half-hour. Underwear will be worn on the outside so we can check. Furthermore, all children under 16 years old are now... 16 years old!

What laws would you make? Assemblyman Mike Eng wants to know:

ASSEMBLYMEMBER MIKE ENG TO LAUNCH FIRST ANNUAL “THERE OUGHT TO BE A LAW” CONTEST

El Monte, CA – Assemblymember Mike Eng (D-Monterey Park) will be introducing the first annual “There Ought To Be a Law” Contest at a press conference scheduled for Thursday, November 8, 2007, at 10:00am. The press conference will take place at his District Office in the city of El Monte and will feature members of the community who support this program.

Continue reading "Legislation for the Masses" »

Posted by Todd at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Google's fire map is getting a lot of play, here it is.

View Larger Map

Posted by Todd at 1:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Seems Bill Paparian's prediction of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's intent to not let the Armenian Genocide bill reach a vote is coming true:

Bill to Condemn Genocide in Jeopardy By ANNE FLAHERTY

WASHINGTON (AP) — A House vote to label the century-old deaths of Armenians as genocide was in jeopardy Tuesday after several Democrats withdrew their support and sounded alarms it could cripple U.S. relations with Turkey.

The loss of support is a major setback to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill, who have fiercely defended the resolution to Republicans and the Bush administration as a moral imperative in condemning the World War I-era killings of up to 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turks.

President Bush called Pelosi on Tuesday to ask her not to call for a House vote on the resolution.

"The president and the speaker exchanged candid views on the subject and the speaker explained the strong bipartisan support in the House for the resolution," Pelosi spokesman Nadeam Elshami said, noting that Bush initiated the phone call.

Posted by Todd at 5:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Armenian genocide resolution clears committee
Kenneth Todd Ruiz
Article Launched: 10/10/2007 03:50:57 PM PDT

WASHINGTON -- A resolution to compel the U.S. government to formally classify the 1915 massacre of Armenians as a genocide cleared a House committee by 27-21 vote.

Amid strong opposition from the White House and Turkish government, the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee approved the resolution which clears the way for it to go to a full vote in the House.

"The United States has a compelling historical and moral reason to recognize the Armenian Genocide, which cost a million and a half people their lives," said the bill's author, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena. "But we also have a powerful contemporary reason as well -- how can we take effective action against the genocide in Darfur if we lack the will to condemn genocide whenever and wherever it occurs?"

More after the jump ...

Continue reading "Resolution showdown" »

Posted by Todd at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Public Editor Larry Wilson has a photo on his office wall of a bunch of Tournament judges -- all men -- leering at a winsome, faceless figure approaching them for judgment. Apparently the image caused quite a stink back when it was published in the paper and since then you won't see a panel without two or more women on it.

Of course as a reporter, having to "report" on a commercial parade that happens on the same day -- in the same way -- every year isn't news and we all chafe at the idea.

But feigning interest: I'm surprised by this year's surviving seven. I'm going to go by height and augur that No. 5 from the left, Zena Brown, will turn her tiara into a crown.

Posted by Todd at 1:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

L.A. Mayor wants to do it for the airports.

Mayor Backs Plan To Extend Light Rail To Ontario Airport
Expansion Plan Needs Approval From MTA

LOS ANGELES -- As part of a plan to reduce congestion at LAX while increasing regional air-traffic capacity, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced his support Tuesday for extending a proposed light rail line to city-operated Ontario International Airport.
Ontario Mayor Paul Leon and San Bernardino County Supervisor Gary Ovitt met with the mayor to discuss the possibility of extending the Metro Gold Line east to Ontario, even though the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has yet to approve any extension of the downtown-to-Pasadena line.
The MTA is considering a proposal to extend the light rail line 22.4 miles from Pasadena to Montclair. Last year, Ontario officials announced their support for making the Ontario airport the end of the line.

Posted by Todd at 10:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Since being elected 10 months ago, Anthony Portantino has been doing as freshman legislators do, getting busy with the pen on a whole bunch of bills.

Now September officially will be blood disease month, according to his office, in relation to AB34, which seeks to create an umbilical-cord blood collection system.

Resolution Declaring September as Leukemia, Lymphoma & Myeloma Awareness Month Clears State Assembly

Official state designation to bring greater awareness of blood related cancers and encourage participation in education and research programs

Sacramento – By an overwhelming margin, the State Assembly today voted to designate September as Leukemia, Lymphoma, and Myeloma Month. ACR 71 (Portantino) received strong bipartisan support before the Assembly Floor.

“Remarkable progress has been made in treating patients with blood related cancers,” said Portantino. “ACR 71 celebrates the work of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in shedding light on these diseases, making the public aware of cures and therapies as well as providing education and support programs to help patients and their families with the best possible outcomes.”

Posted by Todd at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brad Horn / Nevada Appeal via AP

Arrest made after Burning Man torched early

SAN FRANCISCO - Burning Man became Burnt Man four days early on Tuesday, and a San Francisco performance artist was arrested on suspicion of igniting the signature figure of the counterculture festival in the remote Nevada desert.

The early morning fire scorched about 85 percent of the structure, Burning Man spokeswoman Andie Grace said.

Posted by Todd at 9:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Former Pasadena Mayor now Ventura City Manager Rick Cole wrote today to clear up a colorful story from former PUSD Supe Ray Cortines.

For the record, I was never expelled for mooning, as you apparently figured out yourself. For the record, I was never suspended for mooning. For the record, I have never mooned anyone, leave alone been punished for it. Chris Sutton WAS suspended for his underground newspaper. I was among those who took over for him and dared Ray to suspend us -- in a special edition of the newspaper I personally put under the windshield wiper of his Rolls Royce in his driveway. Ray did not pursue the matter . . .

What Ray has mixed up in his mind is a cover photo of one issue of the underground paper of Chris Sutton and two friends holding various props (I recall a guitar) in front of their otherwise unclothed bodies. One of the friends is now a reporter at the Wall Street Journal, the other is a lawyer in Pasadena. I had nothing to do with that.

Continue reading "Rick Cole sets the record straight" »

Posted by Todd at 9:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

After originally applying for a permit with the city as some sort of after-school program, Club Pasadena Underground operated as something else entirely up until the point Ebony Huel was killed outside Friday, as evinced by its profile on myspace.com.

Myspace.com tribute page to Ebony.

My friends and I would sneak off to underground clubs in Hollywood and downtown L.A. throughout high school, but those were, theoretically, 18 and up. Except for Marilyn's Backstreet on South Lake Avenue, which closed in 1992 to become Panda Express. That was a club for teens with different nights for different music genres in a relatively safe/secure environment.

Some pictures from inside Pasadena Underground if you "read more."

Continue reading "Pasadena Underground" »

Posted by Todd at 6:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Was driving by Pasadena Manor yesterday and who should I see but former mayoral candidate Philip Koebel and one of the tenants he's representing. That's right, Philip passed the state bar exam earlier this year and is a full-fledged lawyer.

Posted by Todd at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

One of the more interesting arguments made last week by one of the peloton bikers was the potential to turn it into a First Amendment issue by slapping some slogan on their arms or shirts. A so-called "Critical Mass" ride.

When you've put down your Star-News this morning ... the L.A. Times has an article about 15 years of such rides in San Francisco, where invigorated cyclists take over the streets and are met with ire from people who find them arrogant and selfish.

SAN FRANCISCO -- The sea of bicyclists surges up this city's Financial District, a boisterous mass of freewheeling humanity, 1,500 riders strong. Pedaling six abreast, they send pedestrians scurrying as rush-hour traffic hits the brakes.

A cable car slows, engulfed by riders who whoop and holler or chat on cellphones. A traffic light goes red, green and red again. Still the bikes keep coming.

As a bystander high-fives passing cyclists, one car in a line of idling motorists lets loose with a long, blaring, impatient horn blast. A tourist snaps a photograph and asks: "Are you protesting global warming?"

"No," one rider shouts back, "we're taking over the streets!"

...

But it still has no leaders, no route plans, no spokespeople.

...

Many criticize the cyclists' holier-than-thou arrogance.

"There's an incredible self-righteousness, like the traffic laws obviously aren't made for them," said blogger Rob Anderson, who has written about the massers. "We're all trapped in our tin cans, while they ride unfettered. They run people out of crosswalks, yelling, 'Get out of our way! We're not burning fossil fuels!' "

Posted by Todd at 8:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)

Today's cycling story was supposed to hype an online video package I prepared last week for your collective enjoyment.

UPDATED: The story is now online with a headline that ain't too bad. Let's cross our fingers and hope "Council weighs Heritage options" has been retired.

Posted by Todd at 2:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)

Cribbed from CNET News: House panel approves legal shield for bloggers

WASHINGTON--A congressional panel on Wednesday voted, against the Bush administration's wishes, to shield journalists including advertising-supported bloggers from having to reveal their confidential sources in many situations.

By a voice vote only after politicians spent nearly two hours airing various misgivings, the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee approved an amended version of the Free Flow of Information Act. Chiefly sponsored by Reps. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) and Mike Pence (R-Ind.), it proposes protection for a wider set of people than previous years' versions.

"Today, we are reclaiming one of the most fundamental principles enshrined by the founding fathers in the First Amendment of the Constitution," Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) said before the vote.

In response to concerns raised by the Bush administration and other politicians, the revised bill attempts to exclude the "casual blogger" from reaping those benefits by stipulating the protections apply only to those who derive "financial gain or livelihood" from the journalistic activity, Boucher said Wednesday. That broad rule could, however, include part-time writers who receive even a trickle of revenue from Google Ads or Blogads.com.

... snip ...

But in an age in which it's relatively easy and inexpensive to slap advertisements on blogs and meet the "financial gain" standard, several politicians questioned on Wednesday whether that language will make much of a difference. Anyone "could start a blog and request advertising on that blog, and whether they get it or not, would be considered a journalist under this bill," Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said before voting against the bill.

Posted by Todd at 5:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

A thundering chorus of disapprobation from the masses forced the brass into a corner and compelled them to restore this blog's link on the newspaper's homepage. Their rationalization for it's removal? Reducing visual clutter. Perhaps motivated by frequent complaints of ... excessive visual clutter.

I'm partial to a convenient link, but come on people ... Lrn2Bookmark.

Posted by Todd at 2:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Now for something entirely random.

UFOs. Who doesn't like UFOs?

Of course, when I was conferred the dark rites of corporate-media membership, I swore bloody oaths to counter and undermine all efforts to expose the Shocking Truths about extraterrestrials on Earth.

Yet the immortal rumors, speculation and interest in what happened in Roswell, New Mexico, buzzed across these fine Internets this week with news the public information officer at Roswell left a post-mortem retraction of the entire "cover-up" story:

The public relations officer at the Roswell air base in 1947 has released claims that he saw a crashed spacecraft and the bodies of aliens at the site, despite a lifetime spent denying any such things.

In the affidavit, Lieutenant Walter Haut says the weather balloon was a cover story, and that the real crashed object had been stored by the military. He also claims to have handled the material from which the crashed craft had been constructed.

Haut died last year, but left instructions that his statement should be opened after his death.

In it, Haut described a meeting he attended on the morning of the crash:

Samples of wreckage were passed around the table. It was unlike any material I had or have ever seen in my life. Pieces which resembled metal foil, paper thin yet extremely strong, and pieces with unusual markings along their length were handled from man to man, each voicing their opinion. No one was able to identify the crash debris.

He said that for months after the crash, military personnel would periodically search the wider area for debris.

At the same meeting the decision was taken to put out a press announcement. Locals were already aware that something had crashed, Haut said, and the release was intended to divert attention from a second crash site.

Also seen on the Internet is a site where you can file your own Pasadena UFO sightings.

Such as this one:

2007-01-01 - UFO spotted on spanish tv recording of Rose Parade.

Posted by Todd at 11:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This month is his 20th year at the Star-News, and now editor Larry Wilson will now be taking on the entire valley from his office at 911 Colorado.

Whittier's Hector Gonzalez joins us to insure we make reasonably well with the syntaxes and the grammars.

Posted by Todd at 2:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Who knew The Noticeable One aka The Highway Dandyman aka Mayoral Candidate Aaron Proctor was replete with a Dark Past!?

Given the Sept. 14, 2001 date of this article, one could imagine it was an ill-conceived comment made on the Internet that prompted an over-reactive arrest of our erstwhile resident, candidate and commentator for making terrorist threats:

Growing D.A. unit puts cybercriminals in its sights

Philadelphia Business Journal - September 14, 2001
by Jeremy Feiler

Self-described Goth rock star Aaron Proctor in July threatened to blow up the popular downtown Club Shampoo.

A few months earlier, 15-year-old "P.M." allegedly used the alias of Shaykh Yaseem Bilal Abdur-Razzaq, a supposed lieutenant in the international terrorist network of Osama bin Laden, to threaten a federal judge, Philadelphia's NBC-10 and the editors of the New York Law Journal.

Problem was, both Proctor and P.M. left electronic fingerprints, in the form of Internet Protocol addresses, all over their alleged crime scenes.

Proctor, a 19-year-old Marcus Hook, Pa., resident, now is in jail, nabbed by the cybercrime unit of the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office for making the threats through his Web site the day before he said he would bomb the club. P.M.'s case is being tried before the Philadelphia Family Court for the alleged terrorist threats he made through e-mail. He, too, was caught by the cybercrime team investigators.

"Most of our cases really aren't sexy in this way," said Leonard Deutchman, chief of the economic crimes unit of the D.A.'s Office. "Most of the crimes consist of identity theft, forgery and Ebay fraud, which are incredibly hard and time-consuming to track down."

On the upside, Aaron wouldn't have objected to being described as "sexy."

Posted by Todd at 3:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

The Pasadena political scene will be a little duller without former mayoral candidate Aaron Proctor.

Instead of releasing a statement citing 'personal hardship,' Aaron's was consistently candid in an e-mail sent to friends and/or the media:

As some of you receiving this e-mail know (and as some of you may not), I lost my job back in May and was having a hard time finding a new job as well. As time went by, I actively looked for work - even at places like Von's and Starbucks and such. I couldn't find anything and before you know it, rent was due this month.

I've lost my apartment (yes, I was kicked out) and exercised most of my resources in trying to find a place to stay without having any money. Understandably, most others are also going through money issues or just don't have the space to have me sleep on their couch while looking for work. With that said, tomorrow morning at 11:45 I'll be leaving for St. Louis, Missouri to move in with my mother and father.

Hey all -

As some of you receiving this e-mail know (and as some of you may not), I lost my job back in May and was having a hard time finding a new job as well. As time went by, I actively looked for work - even at places like Von's and Starbucks and such. I couldn't find anything and before you know it, rent was due this month.

I've lost my apartment (yes, I was kicked out) and exercised most of my resources in trying to find a place to stay without having any money. Understandably, most others are also going through money issues or just don't have the space to have me sleep on their couch while looking for work. With that said, tomorrow morning at 11:45 I'll be leaving for St. Louis, Missouri to move in with my mother and father.

Aaron Proctors don't grow on trees, he'll be missed!

UPDATE: Apparently Aaron realized he would need to resign from the Human Relations Commission. The agenda packet for Monday's council meeting includes an e-mail from Aaron sent Thursday to Mayor Bill Bogaard thanking him for the opportunity and apologizing if there was anyone he'd "let down."

UPDATE 2: The story ran in Friday's paper.

Posted by Todd at 10:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Hot off the DOJ news press:

PASADENA MAN WHO RAN DOWNTOWN SKID ROW STORES PLEADS GUILTY TO DEFRAUDING FOOD STAMP PROGRAM

A Pasadena man who owned several markets in the "skid row" area of downtown Los Angeles has pleaded guilty to defrauding the federal Food Stamp Program out of more than $6 million by purchasing benefits for 50 cents on the dollar.

Tigran Malkhasyan, 42, pleaded guilty to five criminal charges Tuesday morning before United States District Judge S. James Otero. Malkhasyan specifically pleaded guilty to conspiracy, wire fraud, food stamp fraud, money laundering and making false statements to the United States Department of Agriculture.

A second defendant who works at one of Malkhasyan's stores, Karine Atikyan, 39, of Pasadena, pleaded guilty on Monday, admitting that she committed conspiracy, wire fraud and food stamp fraud.

Continue reading "Fraudtastic" »

Posted by Todd at 3:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Gamers rejoice: SC2

Posted by Todd at 2:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Really, I do. It's a cool, screwed up city (Recall the Bulletin's "Troubled Town" logo for Pomona stories) that -- during my two years at the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin -- seemed to suffer a chronic lack of leadership.

Pasadena and Pomona share some historical parallels, but whereas the Crown City rode a wave of gentrification to financial prosperity through effective development policies, Pomona has just kind of languished. Pasadena Denver Lane, the local Bloods gang franchise, even has a presence there.

This brings me to today's story by Frank Girardot (Dude, hands off me sources! D:<) about Foothill Cities blog getting a lawyer-gram from P-town's City Hall.

Given the blog's moxy, I was surprised when they immediately complied and pulled down the posts regarding rumors behind one city employee's departure. Everyone knows such things are to post and ridicule.

Apparently anonyscribes Publius and Centinel were getting lawyered-up as well.