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Californians are one step closer to voting on a ballot initiative requiring labeling of genetically engineered foods. Last week, the coalition It’s Our Right To Know filed a ballot initiative with the California Attorney General’s office. Volunteers must collect at least 850,000 signatures by April 2012 in order to place the initiative on the November 2012 state ballot. more › Read more from the original source: Label GMOs Initiative Filed, Will You Sign?
Regis Philbin appeared on the “Late Show with David Letterman” on Thursday to discuss his television talk show career retirement. The final episode of “Live with Regis and Kelly” aired yesterday in front of a live audience filled with family members and famous faces. more › See the original post: Regis & Letterman: Man Kisses, Slut Talk & A Wrecked Vespa
Thanksgiving is an opportunity to stuff our bellies, watch football and spend time with family. It’s also a time to give thanks and be grateful. And what better way to help your kids remember why they are thankful than by taking the time to craft a Pine Cone Turkey together? This cute little guy can be assembled simply with gifts from nature and items you likely already have at home. Take your children on a walk to collect pine cones and seed pods—perhaps at Coldwater Canyon Park —then watch their creativity shine as they assemble their turkeys. We guarantee your kids’ faces will light up with pride when they see their creation on the Thanksgiving dinner table. Below you will find a list of essential items required to construct your Pine Cone Turkey, and tips and tricks that will help you along the way. The accompanying photos will walk you through the process step-by-step. Have fun! Essential Items: pine cones—for the turkey’s body seed pods—for the turkey’s head (we used seed pods from a Sycamore tree, but those from any tree would work) colored cardstock googley eyes markers (we like Zig Pens since they offer a fine and thick tip) pipe cleaners feathers (optional) white glue hot glue gun Tips & Tricks: If your children are young, be sure to cut out all feathers and beaks before sitting down to work on your turkeys. Little ones have short attention spans, so you want to make sure you can work as quickly as possible. Gather all of the essential items in advance in a shoe box, basket or large Tupperware container. This way you will have everything you need at your fingertips. Line your workspace with paper for easy clean-up and to avoid damaging furniture or floors. You can use craft glue entirely and in place of hot glue; however, drying time will take much longer and items will not stick as well to the pine cone and seed pod. When cutting out the beak, we found it is easiest to fold the cardstock in half first , then cut out a shape equivalent to a half of a triangle. This way the crease is sharp and even. Scissors can cut pipe cleaners, but be aware the wire can damage the blades. We suggest using a cable or wire cutter if available. Feathers may slip if the turkey is moved often. A small dab of hot glue will keep them firmly in place but is not necessary. Please send Beverly Hills Patch photos of your family’s Pine Cone Turkeys to be posted on the site! Email the site editor at mariec@patch.com. Be sure to follow Beverly Hills Patch on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook . Read more: How to Craft a Turkey for the Thanksgiving Table
http://www.youtube.com/v/qCabXwBgZkU?version=3&f=user_uploads&app=youtube_gdata The Amazon Kindle Fire is expected to sell as many as 5 million copies by the end of the year. LA Times Tech blogger Nathan Olivarez-Giles gives his thoughts the device. See the original post: Video Review: Amazon Kindle Fire
WASHINGTON — On Friday, a group of University of California, Davis students, part of the Occupy Wall Street movement on campus, became the latest victims of alleged police brutality to be captured on video. The videos show the students seated on the ground as a UC Davis police officer brandishes a red canister of pepper spray, showing it off for the crowd before dousing the seated students in a heavy, thick mist. This incident recalls the earlier infamous pepper spraying by a New York Police Department official of several women who were seated and penned in. The UC Davis images are further proof that police continue to resort to brutal tactics when confronting Occupy activists. One woman was transported to a hospital to be treated for chemical burns . “The UC Davis students were peacefully protesting on the quad,” wrote the student who took the videos in an email to The Huffington Post. The filmmaker, a senior, asked that his name not be used for fear of retribution by campus authorities. “The cop gave them 3 minutes to disperse before he said they would come and disturb the protest. The main objective for them was removing the tents. … The students did have a right to be on campus, they were assembling peacefully and the campus was open at the time.” In a longer version of the video, the students are shown seated across a stretch of walkway surrounded by more than a dozen UC Davis cops, dressed in riot gear and clutching batons. Many other students are standing along the sides of the scene, watching and protesting as the standoff unfolded. Some students shouted “Thugs on campus!” and “From Davis to Greece, fuck the police!” Those chants were tamped down quickly by others, who warned all to “Keep it peaceful” and “Keep it nonviolent.” The students held up that promise. They started up a new chant that would prove prophetic: “You use weapons! We use our voice!” At one point, one of the riot cops ambles over to the seated line and asks one of the students a question. The student replies, “We’re sitting here.” The police officer then returns to his position with the other officers. He also turns his back on the seated students, as does at least one other officer. They show no fear that the students might turn violent or threatening. The first cop talks on his radio for a while. After a few “mic checks” and few more chants, a cop goes back to the seated students. The student asks, “You’re gonna shoot me for sitting here? You’re shooting us for sitting here?” Roughly a minute later, the officer can be seen shaking the pepper spray canister as the gathered students start shouting, “Don’t shoot your children!” As the officer began spraying the group of students, onlookers screamed, “Don’t do it! Don’t you do it!” A news account captured the officer on camera spraying the students. The account names the officer as UC Davis Police Lt. John Pike. He did not return a voice mail message nor an email left Friday night. His voice-mail box eventually filled up to capacity as his name and phone number were posted on Twitter. The UC Davis Police Department did not return calls from The Huffington Post seeking comment. The UC Davis chancellor, Linda P.B. Katehi, released a statement Friday. It states, “We deeply regret that many of the protestors today chose not to work with our campus staff and police to remove the encampment as requested. We are even more saddened by the events that subsequently transpired to facilitate their removal.” Nathan Brown, an assistant English professor at the university, released an open letter to the chancellor, calling for her resignation. He wrote, “You are responsible for it because this is what happens when UC Chancellors order police onto our campuses to disperse peaceful protesters through the use of force: students get hurt.” The student filmmaker, who says he is not part of Occupy Davis, told HuffPost, “I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t think such a thing would ever happen on campus over a tent being on campus. It’s embarrassing on the part of the police to take such actions.” Another video shows officers body-slamming a student in what appears to be a confrontation earlier in the day. Ten students were arrested Friday on campus. After the pepper spraying, the crowd of students began marching down the quad. The UC Davis cops? They’re pushed back down the walkway and finally leave. The students start an old cheer that rang true again, “Whose quad? Our quad!” UC Davis Police Chief Annette Spicuzza defended her officers’ actions to KCRA. She argued that it just wasn’t safe for students to camp on the quad. “It’s not safe for multiple reasons,” Spicuzza said. In a report by the CBS Sacramento station Friday night, Spicuzza said the officers’ own safety was also a concern. “If you look at the video, you are going to see that there were 200 people in that quad,” she said. “Hindsight is 20-20, and based on the situation we were sitting in, ultimately that was the decision that was made.” Spicuzza also said authorities were reviewing the videos. WATCH a 15-minute video of events immediately surrounding the pepper-spraying: WATCH a 42-minute video of events at the University of California, Davis: Read more: WATCH: UC Davis Police Pepper-Spray Students
Playwright Tom Jacobson talks with NBC LA about Los Angeles theater, what separates it from the rest of the U.S. Photo Credit: Tom Jacobson Read the original post: A Playwright’s LaLa Land
SELLER: Beau Bridges LOCATION: Hidden Hills, CA PRICE: $2,850,000 SIZE: 7,000 square feet, 6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Always working actor and Tinseltown scion Beau Bridges–his father is Emmy-nominated Lloyd and his younger brother is Oscar-winner Jeff–briefly had his house in the horsey Hidden Hills enclave in the far western suburbs of Los Angeles, CA on the market in the spring of 2010 with an asking price of $3,250,000 . Alas, there were no immediate takers and the 1.16 acre estate was taken off the (open) market. In real estate what comes around often (and doesn’t sell) often comes back around at a lower price and sure enough Mister Bridges and his wife Wendy have recently re-listed their long-time estate with a new and much lower price tag of $2,850,000. Mister Bridges successfully skipped around Hollywood since the early 1960s with a professional resume a mile or more long . Over the course of his long career he’s earned 10 Emmy nominations, mostly for guest appearances on hit shows ( My Name is Earl, Desperate Housewives, The Closer ) plus three Emmy statuettes for starring roles on a trio television mini-series ( Without Warning: The James Brady Story, The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom, The Second Civil War ). The 70 year old actor shows no sign of retirement from the Business of Show. He’s got a number of film projects in the hopper and in the last couple of years Mister Bridges has appeared numerous times on both the big screen ( Rockford Files, The Descendents ) and the small screen, most notably on Brothers & Sisters , a guest starring role that earned him yet another Emmy nomination. Property records indicate Mister and Missus Bridges purchased his house in the upscale, semi-rural equestrian community back in May 1988 for $1,200,000. Current listing information shows the multi-winged Marshall Lewis -designed English Tudor-style residence measures around 7,000 square feet and includes a total of 6 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms. The open-plan main living areas have wood (and wall-to-wall carpeted) floors, stained glass windows, wood ceilings criss-crossed by heavy wood beams. Many of the main rooms pinwheel around a monumental brick and mortar fireplace and include country-casual formal living and dining rooms, a billiard room with curved carved wood staircase, and a massive L-shaped family room with wet bar and sunken conversation pit with fireplace. Despite the basket weave-patterned brick floor, heavy wood beams and lethal-looking pot racks, the eat-in kitchen takes on a (more) contemporary vibe with streamlined Shaker-style Poggenpohl cabinets, granite counter tops, and every high-grade appliance money can buy including Viking-brand warming drawers, double ovens, side-by-side Sub-Zero fridge and freezers. In kitchen dining and snacking can be done at the snack bar or in a greenhouse-style breakfast nook with garden view. Listing information indicates four of the six bedrooms are on the second floor and include three sizable family/guest bedrooms each with direct access to a bathroom, all with vaulted and beamed ceilings and at least one with a sleeping loft accessed by a tightly spiraled staircase. The expansive master suite has a massive brick fireplace, sitting area, high-pitched beamed ceiling, a stained glass window or two, multiple closets plus dressing room, private bathroom and adjoining office with steeply-peaked wood-beamed ceiling, green and black marble fireplace and wine closet lined with custom-built bottle racks. The acre-plus grounds are mostly landscaped and include a long drive way that sweeps around to motor court at the side of the house with three-car attached garage, wide-swathes of gently undulating lawns dotted with mature shade trees and at least one hanging tepee, extensive vegetable gardens, a greenhouse, a fountain or two, and a big ol’ brick-lined entertainment terrace with built-in barbecue that extends off the rear of the house. Between the house and the fenced tennis court there’s an azure blue heated swimming pool and spa. Beyond the swimming pool and spa there’s a tennis court but what there isn’t, unlike the vast majority of the other estates in Hidden Hills, are equestrian facilities. Currently listing information does not include many photos but the fine folks at Luxist presented the property back in April 2010 and many images of the interior spaces and grounds can be seen there . Property records show that Mister Bridges has owned a 6.25 acre spread a fair distance from the beach near Kilauea on the Hawaiian island of Kauai since at least May 1997. listing photos: Sotheby’s International Realty See the article here: Beau Bridges Lists (Again) In Horsey Hidden Hills
Bright, charming, charismatic, and out of the closet — what better characteristics for a gay role model? While Neil Patrick Harris might possess all of those qualities, he recently revealed that he isn’t exactly comfortable with being positioned as someone others look to for leadership. At the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center’s 40th anniversary gala last week, where he and husband David Burtka were honored, he told E!’s Marc Malkin, “I sort of go out of my way not to be Soap Box Johnny.” Harris noted, “We’re super happy to lead by example, but even to define ourselves in any kind of leadership position I think is awkward… I cringe when I hear people say they consider themselves role models.” Burtka feels similarily. “We really don’t do anything,” he said. “We take care of our kids. We’re in a relationship. We love each other, but we don’t go out of the way to stand on a soapbox.” This isn’t the first time that Harris has spoken out about his reluctancy to be labeled a role model. When asked about being an advocate for the LGBT community during a 2008 Out magazine interview he responded: “My job is jester — not advocate… I’m striving to be an example of normalcy. Because I’m noticed as an actor, people are aware of what’s happening in my life, and that I can’t change, and if I tried to, it’d be an uphill battle. I’d be angry and bitter.” Excerpt from: The Term ‘Role Model’ Makes Neil Patrick Harris ‘Cringe’
The City Council on Tuesday unanimously enacted view restoration rules that regulate foliage height in the Trousdale Estates . “The ordinance allows a resident … who believes that his or her view is being blocked by privately owned foliage on a neighbor’s property to send a certified letter to the neighbor … asking that they trim the vegetation,” according to a statement released by the city. If view and foliage owners cannot agree on a resolution, the view owner would offer mediation to the foliage owner via a neutral party to reach an agreement, the statement explains. If no agreement results after the mediation, the view owner may apply for a Planning Commission hearing and decision, which can be appealed to the city council. If the council denies a view owner’s appeal, he or she may initiate private legal action. Tuesday’s update, which reflected staff revisions to the proposed ordinance inspired by residents’ views expressed at the Nov. 3 council meeting, established the following: There is a 15-foot maximum height limit for foliage measured according to a property’s grade in relation to the height of a home’s roof. If a foliage owner denies access to his or her property in order to prevent a view restoration survey, “the survey shall be prepared using other available information,” according to a presentation by Senior Planner Michele McGrath. Regarding enforcement, “the city shall take such action as appropriate to ensure initial compliance with the view restoration permit,” City Attorney Larry Wiener said after council members requested a language adjustment. If the city determines a resident is in compliance with the ordinance, “any further dispute … shall be resolved by a civil action initiated by the view owner,” according to McGrath’s presentation. “The prevailing party in any such civil action … shall be entitled to recover its reasonable attorney fees and costs incurred in the litigation.” Planning staff will report back to the council within 12 months on the ordinance’s impact. Additional guidelines for the ordinance are in the works and will be discussed at the Dec. 19 Planning Commission meeting, according to the statement. The fully developed set of rules will be posted on the city’s website in January. Be sure to follow Beverly Hills Patch on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook . The rest is here: Council OKs Trousdale View Restoration Rules
The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center’s 40th Anniversary Gala & Auction, a star-studded celebration hosted by Leslie Jordan at the Westin Bonaventure on November 12, helped raise more than $680,000 for our many services to build the health, advocate for the rights and enrich the lives of LGBT people. Surrounded by more than 1,200 donors and supporters — and even one of the pioneers who helped found the center — I was awed by this incredible community and everything we have accomplished together. Our theme for this year’s gala was “40 Years of Family.” There are a lot of ways to define family, but one of my favorites is this: people with common goals and values who share a lifelong commitment to one another. That certainly describes the center, just as it does this year’s honorees and those who presented the awards to them: * Proud fathers of adorable twins Harper and Gideon, Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka have put a new public face on families with same-sex parents. They have given generously to support our LifeWorks program, to which so many young LGBT people turn for support. We were proud to have Jane Lynch honor the handsome and talented couple with our Rand Schrader Distinguished Achievement Award. I was touched by Neil’s observation that the center is helping to create a world where, for same-sex couples, “being married and being a parent doesn’t have to be about making a statement, and it can be just about living our lives.” * Chaz Bono has been a dedicated activist in our community since his “first coming out” in the ’90s. Since his more recent coming out as a transgender man, he has become an even greater trailblazer. By bravely and publicly sharing the journey of his transition, and his family’s journey, he has set a courageous example that is helping transgender youth and their families around the world. David Arquette, who reflected upon the struggles his transgender sister, Alexis, faced in order to feel “comfortable in her own skin,” was proud to present Chaz with our Board of Directors Award. (Chaz visited the center for a tour he week before the event; I was proud to share with him how much the center has expanded our services for the transgender community since he last walked through the doors.) * We’re grateful to count Jane and her wife, Dr. Lara Embry, as part of the center family. Jane did the California AIDS Ride (a precursor to our present-day AIDS/LifeCycle) back in the ’90s, and Lara rode with us from San Francisco to Los Angeles for the first time this year. Though Jane’s star has risen stratospherically (and deservedly!), she hasn’t forgotten us; she continues to serve on our board of directors and to be there when we need her. The evening included many poignant moments: Surprising our longest-tenured woman board member, LuAnn Boylan with an award honoring her astounding 19 years of service to the center; board member Peter Paige’s heartfelt remembrances of turning to the center as a youth in need of support; Clinton Leupp recalling the early years of the AIDS epidemic and the anger that led him to create his alter ego, the drag star Miss Coco Peru, followed by a powerful rendition of “Those Were the Days”; and so many others. Plus, Leslie Jordan provided countless laughs as the emcee of the evening — perhaps most memorably in his Madonna-esque cone breasts. It was a night that made me exceptionally proud, not only of what the center is today but also that we are part of such an incredible tradition of activism. We’ve been calling it “40 Years of Family” because the center formally incorporated in 1971 — but in fact our roots reach all the way back to 1969. Our co-founders took action within months of the Stonewall riots; first was Morris Kight providing information and referrals and then Don Kilhefner creating a “Gay Survival Committee” for those in desperate need. Another co-founder, Jon Platania, opened several “Liberation Houses” to provide housing and employment services for homeless LGBT youth and adults — the first such residential programs in the world. And social worker June Herrle became the architect of the center’s focus on social services. And always, fighting for our rights as a key part of the center’s mission. Over the decades, we have held true to their vision of building a stronger and healthier LGBT community, taking care of our own and fighting for the equal place in society that we deserve. Now a resident of Berkeley, Jon recently came down to visit; he toured all of our facilities to see first-hand how the founders’ vision has been realized and built-upon. How very appropriate that on this special anniversary, Jon could reconnect with the center and even join us to celebrate our family at the gala. We stand proudly on his and all of our founders’ shoulders. Thanks to Jon and the other founders, the cnter has mattered to people who count on us. For more than 40 years, the center has been like family to countless members of our community. We have been there for people at their times of greatest sadness and happiness, in their times of greatest need and generosity — just like a family is supposed to be. I can’t even count the numbers of people who have told me that they found their “family of choice” through their involvement with the center. Moreover, the center has become a beacon of hope to LGBT people all over the world. We represent what any community of people can do when they set their minds to it. What was begun by a handful of volunteers with $35 in the bank has become a life-changing, life-saving institution that is making a difference to thousands of people every week and inspiring many more around the globe. I wish, after 40 years, we could say our work is done. But we know that isn’t true. We still don’t have equality under the law. All too often the rights we do have, and sometimes our very humanity, are under attack. So, as long as we are treated as second-class citizens, as long as HIV and AIDS continue to be on the rise in our community, as long as LGBT seniors needing outside care feel forced back into the closet, as long as misguided parents kick their LGBT kids out, as long as any LGBT person feels ashamed simply because of their gender identity or who they love, the center will be here. We must be here. And when you think about what we’ve accomplished in the first 40 years … just imagine the progress that the next 40 will bring. See more here: Lorri L. Jean: Turning 40 Never Felt So Good… or Did So Much Good!
