One of the most frustrating things about using G-mail and Google's Blogspot is that neither one of them is capable of recognizing the existence of Los Angeles; both of their spell checks (which also suck big time in many other ways) insist that neither of the words Los or Angeles... exist.
Plus... there is no option to add them to the Google dictionary.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
LAist Tries To Interview Department Of Neighborhood Empowerment !
So back in November we asked the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, who oversees Neighborhood Councils, for a quick 5 question interview...
LAist: Okay, so what the heck is a DONE Advocate and what are these Neighborhood Councils all about?
DONE: ...
LAist: Why should our readers get to know their Neighborhood Council?
DONE: ...
LAist: What is one step our readers can do right now to participate to help mold the future of Los Angeles?
DONE: ...
LAist: Many people feel like their Neighborhood Council never reachs out to them or they feel like they don't even exist in their part of town. Why is this happening and what is DONE doing about it?
DONE: ...
LAist: What is your favorite Neighborhood Council success story?
DONE: ...
If you didn't notice, DONE has nothing to say. Repeated requests, even an e-mail to Interim General Manager, Lisa Sarno, went without response. All I got was "we are working on a media policy." Well, today is January 24th, 2007. The interview was requested on November 1st, 2006. We're almost at a whole business quarter later!
And it wasn't like these were hard hitting questions. These were happy go-lucky cheerleading questions. But no, there's a policy and well, "we'll be working on that policy for the rest of your life you press people."
I'm sorry, but I did not realize my 5 encouraging questions needed a policy.
So there you go residents of Los Angeles. This is how much the department that oversees Neighborhood Councils wants you to know about or to be involved with Neighborhood Councils... (hint, it rhymes with DONE).
By the way, LAist thinks you should get involved with your Neighborhood Council. It is a rewarding experience. Just stay away from upper management and get your neighborhood looking and feeling great!
No comment necessary....
LAist: Okay, so what the heck is a DONE Advocate and what are these Neighborhood Councils all about?
DONE: ...
LAist: Why should our readers get to know their Neighborhood Council?
DONE: ...
LAist: What is one step our readers can do right now to participate to help mold the future of Los Angeles?
DONE: ...
LAist: Many people feel like their Neighborhood Council never reachs out to them or they feel like they don't even exist in their part of town. Why is this happening and what is DONE doing about it?
DONE: ...
LAist: What is your favorite Neighborhood Council success story?
DONE: ...
If you didn't notice, DONE has nothing to say. Repeated requests, even an e-mail to Interim General Manager, Lisa Sarno, went without response. All I got was "we are working on a media policy." Well, today is January 24th, 2007. The interview was requested on November 1st, 2006. We're almost at a whole business quarter later!
And it wasn't like these were hard hitting questions. These were happy go-lucky cheerleading questions. But no, there's a policy and well, "we'll be working on that policy for the rest of your life you press people."
I'm sorry, but I did not realize my 5 encouraging questions needed a policy.
So there you go residents of Los Angeles. This is how much the department that oversees Neighborhood Councils wants you to know about or to be involved with Neighborhood Councils... (hint, it rhymes with DONE).
By the way, LAist thinks you should get involved with your Neighborhood Council. It is a rewarding experience. Just stay away from upper management and get your neighborhood looking and feeling great!
No comment necessary....
Thursday, January 18, 2007
October 24, 2006 Story On Tonight's Jan 18, 2007 LAT Website! UPDATE!
WTF is this story doing on the LAT website on January 18th? And it's also listed as second most viewed story on the front page of the website. UPDATE! Story vanishes from most viewed list.
10:42 PM PST, January 18, 2007
Police allege 5 patients were dumped on skid row by hospital
Richard Winton and Cara Mia DiMassa
Times Staff Writers
October 24, 2006
The LAPD says it has opened its first criminal investigation into the dumping of homeless people on skid row after documenting five cases in which ambulances dropped off patients there Sunday. Police said the patients, who had been discharged from a Los Angeles hospital, told them they did not want to be taken downtown.
Los Angeles Police Department officials, who photographed and videotaped the five alleged dumping cases, called it a major break in their yearlong effort to reduce the number of people left on skid row by hospitals, police departments and other institutions.
10:42 PM PST, January 18, 2007
Police allege 5 patients were dumped on skid row by hospital
Richard Winton and Cara Mia DiMassa
Times Staff Writers
October 24, 2006
The LAPD says it has opened its first criminal investigation into the dumping of homeless people on skid row after documenting five cases in which ambulances dropped off patients there Sunday. Police said the patients, who had been discharged from a Los Angeles hospital, told them they did not want to be taken downtown.
Los Angeles Police Department officials, who photographed and videotaped the five alleged dumping cases, called it a major break in their yearlong effort to reduce the number of people left on skid row by hospitals, police departments and other institutions.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Now Chandlers Want To Buy LA Times!
Forget 'Ugly Betty' - the best comedy series is - 'Ugly LA Times'!
Chandlers, L.A. moguls float rival bids for Tribune
By James Rainey and Thomas S. Mulligan
Times Staff Writers
9:10 PM PST, January 17, 2007
The contest for control of Tribune Co. of Chicago appears to be coming down to two powerful Southern California interests -- the family that founded that Los Angeles Times and a partnership of billionaires Eli Broad and Ron Burkle.
The two parties each submitted complex offers Wednesday for the media conglomerate that owns The Times and KTLA-TV Channel 5, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The Chandler family proposal would put it in control of Tribune's 11 newspapers, along with a minority partner, while spinning off 23 television stations. The billionaires, in contrast, would leave Tribune intact but would borrow heavily in order to pay a highly unusual dividend to shareholders while giving the magnates a roughly a one-third stake in Tribune Co.
Tribune's board is expected to consider the offers at a meeting in Chicago on Saturday. Tribune declined to comment on the proposals or any other aspects of the auction, which ended at 3 p.m. Wednesday. The deadline was artificial in the sense that other bidders could still emerge.
The Broad-Burkle deal, an unusual recapitalization that a source described as a "public leveraged buyout," would roughly triple the company's long-term debt to more than $10 billion, sharply raising the company's risks and increasing pressure to sell assets or cut expenses.
The most unusual feature of the Broad-Burkle proposal is a gigantic cash dividend of $27 per share -- about $6.5 billion total -- that would be paid to Tribune shareholders soon after the closing of the deal.
For many shareholders, this could be an attractive selling point: receiving $27 in cash yet still retaining stock that Broad and Burkle say would be worth $7 a share after the recapitalization.
Broad and Burkle contend that the stock should grow in value to $12 a share in less than four years. Their plan for achieving this growth is still unknown, although the two said they "would work closely with management."
The $27 is nearly the same price where the stock was trading last summer when the Chandlers went public with their complaints against management, triggering the auction.
They also promised to leave the company's headquarters in Chicago.
The offer will present the Tribune board with a difficult decision, said a Wall Street investment banker who has followed the saga closely.
"They may ask, 'Why do we need Ron Burkle to do this?'" he said.
Chandlers, L.A. moguls float rival bids for Tribune
By James Rainey and Thomas S. Mulligan
Times Staff Writers
9:10 PM PST, January 17, 2007
The contest for control of Tribune Co. of Chicago appears to be coming down to two powerful Southern California interests -- the family that founded that Los Angeles Times and a partnership of billionaires Eli Broad and Ron Burkle.
The two parties each submitted complex offers Wednesday for the media conglomerate that owns The Times and KTLA-TV Channel 5, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The Chandler family proposal would put it in control of Tribune's 11 newspapers, along with a minority partner, while spinning off 23 television stations. The billionaires, in contrast, would leave Tribune intact but would borrow heavily in order to pay a highly unusual dividend to shareholders while giving the magnates a roughly a one-third stake in Tribune Co.
Tribune's board is expected to consider the offers at a meeting in Chicago on Saturday. Tribune declined to comment on the proposals or any other aspects of the auction, which ended at 3 p.m. Wednesday. The deadline was artificial in the sense that other bidders could still emerge.
The Broad-Burkle deal, an unusual recapitalization that a source described as a "public leveraged buyout," would roughly triple the company's long-term debt to more than $10 billion, sharply raising the company's risks and increasing pressure to sell assets or cut expenses.
The most unusual feature of the Broad-Burkle proposal is a gigantic cash dividend of $27 per share -- about $6.5 billion total -- that would be paid to Tribune shareholders soon after the closing of the deal.
For many shareholders, this could be an attractive selling point: receiving $27 in cash yet still retaining stock that Broad and Burkle say would be worth $7 a share after the recapitalization.
Broad and Burkle contend that the stock should grow in value to $12 a share in less than four years. Their plan for achieving this growth is still unknown, although the two said they "would work closely with management."
The $27 is nearly the same price where the stock was trading last summer when the Chandlers went public with their complaints against management, triggering the auction.
They also promised to leave the company's headquarters in Chicago.
The offer will present the Tribune board with a difficult decision, said a Wall Street investment banker who has followed the saga closely.
"They may ask, 'Why do we need Ron Burkle to do this?'" he said.
Lisa Sarno Tied, Staked And Trellised By Bill Boyarsky!
The good news for Lisa Sarno is that after being replaced as General Manager for the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, if there is ever an all female version of 'Caine Mutiny' - the Captain Queeg part is hers!
The other night I dropped in on Galpin Ford, not to buy one of the big trucks or SUVs on the floor but to spend some time with Valley Vote, the defeated but unbeaten bunch of Angelenos who scared the pants off of city hall with their 2002 secession campaign.
Yes, they are still around. They meet every month on the second floor of Galpin Motors Inc., owned by Bert Boeckman, the godfather of Valley politics. They discuss city issues with an intensity and intelligence the city council should copy, always guided by their anti government populist views, loyal to the gospel of rebellion as preached by Ron Kaye, the take-no-crap editor of the Daily News.
Kaye takes issues that are rendered into mush by city hall politicians and splashes them across page one in headlines that anyone can understand. Kaye should have been at Galpin Ford. His approach was needed that night.
I was there with David Hernandez, who is suing to stop implementation of Proposition R, the measure that gave city council members another term and made lobby control laws harder to enforce. He talked about the suit and I discussed how the City Ethics Commission is going to implement the measure,
The most interesting speaker was Lisa Sarno, the interim general manager of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, which rides herd on LA’s neighborhood councils. She has a relentlessly cheerful style and uses phrases like “skill set.” In other words, the language of city hall.
Since I’m schooled in the language, I could translate. She wants to bring order to the messy world of neighborhood councils.
Her predecessor, Greg Nelson was once chief aide to former City Councilman Joel Wachs, a driving force behind creation of the councils. Nelson’s attitude toward the rowdy grassroots groups was “let 1,000 flowers bloom.” Sarno, who doesn’t seem to approve of the Nelson regime, would let the flowers bloom as long as they are tied to stakes and trellises and lined up neatly in rows.
The other night I dropped in on Galpin Ford, not to buy one of the big trucks or SUVs on the floor but to spend some time with Valley Vote, the defeated but unbeaten bunch of Angelenos who scared the pants off of city hall with their 2002 secession campaign.
Yes, they are still around. They meet every month on the second floor of Galpin Motors Inc., owned by Bert Boeckman, the godfather of Valley politics. They discuss city issues with an intensity and intelligence the city council should copy, always guided by their anti government populist views, loyal to the gospel of rebellion as preached by Ron Kaye, the take-no-crap editor of the Daily News.
Kaye takes issues that are rendered into mush by city hall politicians and splashes them across page one in headlines that anyone can understand. Kaye should have been at Galpin Ford. His approach was needed that night.
I was there with David Hernandez, who is suing to stop implementation of Proposition R, the measure that gave city council members another term and made lobby control laws harder to enforce. He talked about the suit and I discussed how the City Ethics Commission is going to implement the measure,
The most interesting speaker was Lisa Sarno, the interim general manager of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, which rides herd on LA’s neighborhood councils. She has a relentlessly cheerful style and uses phrases like “skill set.” In other words, the language of city hall.
Since I’m schooled in the language, I could translate. She wants to bring order to the messy world of neighborhood councils.
Her predecessor, Greg Nelson was once chief aide to former City Councilman Joel Wachs, a driving force behind creation of the councils. Nelson’s attitude toward the rowdy grassroots groups was “let 1,000 flowers bloom.” Sarno, who doesn’t seem to approve of the Nelson regime, would let the flowers bloom as long as they are tied to stakes and trellises and lined up neatly in rows.
Broad And Burkle To Buy 30% of Tribune Company?
Just when you thought the soap opera couldn't get any more complicated - Eli Broad, Ron Burkle, the Tribune - and the Chandlers - soon may all be in bed together!
Broad and Burkle prepare to bid for stake in Tribune
By James Rainey
Times Staff Writer
6:12 PM PST, January 17, 2007
Southern California billionaires Eli Broad and Ron Burkle have arranged an offer to buy a large minority stake in Tribune Co. of Chicago -- a proposal that would allow payment of a substantial dividend to shareholders and give the duo substantial say over assets that include the Los Angeles Times, a source close to the two men said.
It was unclear Wednesday afternoon whether the two men would go ahead with their offer, but they had drawn a detailed plan that would put $500 million of their own money into the company, in addition to a substantial debt package that would allow payment of the dividend, the source said.
In exchange, Broad and Burkle would get an interest in Tribune that would eventually increase to about 30% and several seats on the company's board of directors. The duo would also receive warrants that would allow them to take on an even larger stake in the company over time.
The proposal was the only offer received by Tribune before a deadline Wednesday of 5 p.m. Central Time for bidding on the company, according to several sources following the auction for the company, which also owns KTLA Channel 5, the Chicago Cubs, 22 other television stations and 10 other daily newspapers.
Broad and Burkle have long expressed interest in owning the Los Angeles Times, saying that they wanted to put the paper back in local hands more than six years after California's Chandler family sold the paper and the rest of Times Mirror Co. to the Chicago media company.
Details of the proposal were not available and Tribune declined to comment. It was unclear how the Chandler family would respond to the proposal. The family pushed Tribune into play in June when it protested against Tribune management and said the company should review alternatives to increase the company's sagging stock price.
Several private equity firms earlier had made it clear they were bowing out of the four-month-old Tribune auction. They cited the difficult atmosphere for media companies and newspapers in particular, which are losing readers and advertisers to the Internet.
Chicago-based Madison Dearborn Parnters had been expected to lead one bid for Tribune. But sources close to the firm said that the Madison consortium decided not to bid after examining Tribune's books. The investment firm found declining revenues and large tax liabilities. The taxes would substantially cut into any proceeds that Tribune would realize from a sale.
The Cubs exemplified the tax dilemma confronting Tribune. The company listed the baseball team's value at $800 million to $1 billion. But even if it could get such a price, it would have to pay capital gains based taxes on the club's increased value. It paid just $20.5 million for the Cubs in 1981.
The flagging revenues at Tribune's papers left one Madison Dearborn adviser to conclude "it's just a crappy industry. I hate to tell you that. But you know."
Madison Dearborn totaled up its estimate of the value of Tribune's 11 daily newspapers, 23 television stations and other holdings. Its total came to less than the company's current market value -- $7.25 billion as of Tuesday. But Tribune's auction representatives had made clear that the company would not accept an offer below the company's market value.
"Everybody there was hoping they could make sense of this and when you added up the value of each of the properties that you would get to a price above market," said one person familiar with Madison Dearborn's thinking. "But when they added up all these prices, they just couldn't get above market price."
And the Chicago company took a rosier view than its two partners -- New York-based Apollo and Rhode Island-based Providence. Both those firms were even less inclined to go forward with an offer.
Broad and Burkle prepare to bid for stake in Tribune
By James Rainey
Times Staff Writer
6:12 PM PST, January 17, 2007
Southern California billionaires Eli Broad and Ron Burkle have arranged an offer to buy a large minority stake in Tribune Co. of Chicago -- a proposal that would allow payment of a substantial dividend to shareholders and give the duo substantial say over assets that include the Los Angeles Times, a source close to the two men said.
It was unclear Wednesday afternoon whether the two men would go ahead with their offer, but they had drawn a detailed plan that would put $500 million of their own money into the company, in addition to a substantial debt package that would allow payment of the dividend, the source said.
In exchange, Broad and Burkle would get an interest in Tribune that would eventually increase to about 30% and several seats on the company's board of directors. The duo would also receive warrants that would allow them to take on an even larger stake in the company over time.
The proposal was the only offer received by Tribune before a deadline Wednesday of 5 p.m. Central Time for bidding on the company, according to several sources following the auction for the company, which also owns KTLA Channel 5, the Chicago Cubs, 22 other television stations and 10 other daily newspapers.
Broad and Burkle have long expressed interest in owning the Los Angeles Times, saying that they wanted to put the paper back in local hands more than six years after California's Chandler family sold the paper and the rest of Times Mirror Co. to the Chicago media company.
Details of the proposal were not available and Tribune declined to comment. It was unclear how the Chandler family would respond to the proposal. The family pushed Tribune into play in June when it protested against Tribune management and said the company should review alternatives to increase the company's sagging stock price.
Several private equity firms earlier had made it clear they were bowing out of the four-month-old Tribune auction. They cited the difficult atmosphere for media companies and newspapers in particular, which are losing readers and advertisers to the Internet.
Chicago-based Madison Dearborn Parnters had been expected to lead one bid for Tribune. But sources close to the firm said that the Madison consortium decided not to bid after examining Tribune's books. The investment firm found declining revenues and large tax liabilities. The taxes would substantially cut into any proceeds that Tribune would realize from a sale.
The Cubs exemplified the tax dilemma confronting Tribune. The company listed the baseball team's value at $800 million to $1 billion. But even if it could get such a price, it would have to pay capital gains based taxes on the club's increased value. It paid just $20.5 million for the Cubs in 1981.
The flagging revenues at Tribune's papers left one Madison Dearborn adviser to conclude "it's just a crappy industry. I hate to tell you that. But you know."
Madison Dearborn totaled up its estimate of the value of Tribune's 11 daily newspapers, 23 television stations and other holdings. Its total came to less than the company's current market value -- $7.25 billion as of Tuesday. But Tribune's auction representatives had made clear that the company would not accept an offer below the company's market value.
"Everybody there was hoping they could make sense of this and when you added up the value of each of the properties that you would get to a price above market," said one person familiar with Madison Dearborn's thinking. "But when they added up all these prices, they just couldn't get above market price."
And the Chicago company took a rosier view than its two partners -- New York-based Apollo and Rhode Island-based Providence. Both those firms were even less inclined to go forward with an offer.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Reasons 412 and 413 and 414 Why West Magazine Sucks!
Or - kicking a dead magazine when it's down.
The above link to FISHBOWLLA touches on just some of the reasons why the latest issue of West Magazine is almost as bad as all other issues of West Magazine (with one important exception).
Now I normally don't read much less critique West Magazine since even writers at the Times refuse to read, much less defend it, but when even almost the first words you read in this issue are totally... idiotic... it's hard to resist:
REARVIEW MIRROR
1852
For the Subjugated Indians, Some Food, a Loincloth, a Blanket
January 14, 2007
This week in 1852, Antonio Garra, a chief in the Cupeños tribe, was executed near San Diego. Garra sought to unite Southern California tribes in a revolt against the Anglos, whose policies and diseases had decimated the native population, reducing it by 90% in the course of a single century.
Now since California had been run by the 'Anglos' only since 1847... which by 1851 revolt was... four whole years... this statement is clearly a lie. But that should be no surprise to any regular reader of West Magazine.
The above link to FISHBOWLLA touches on just some of the reasons why the latest issue of West Magazine is almost as bad as all other issues of West Magazine (with one important exception).
Now I normally don't read much less critique West Magazine since even writers at the Times refuse to read, much less defend it, but when even almost the first words you read in this issue are totally... idiotic... it's hard to resist:
REARVIEW MIRROR
1852
For the Subjugated Indians, Some Food, a Loincloth, a Blanket
January 14, 2007
This week in 1852, Antonio Garra, a chief in the Cupeños tribe, was executed near San Diego. Garra sought to unite Southern California tribes in a revolt against the Anglos, whose policies and diseases had decimated the native population, reducing it by 90% in the course of a single century.
Now since California had been run by the 'Anglos' only since 1847... which by 1851 revolt was... four whole years... this statement is clearly a lie. But that should be no surprise to any regular reader of West Magazine.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Red Dot Bistro Joins Red Dot Gallery On Gallery Row At 5th And Spring!
Below is a message from Julie Rico on the opening of the Red Dot Bistro:
Hi Everyone,
I would like to cordially invite you to the new Red Dot Gallery and
Bistro. Enjoy fine wine, fine art and fine food (crab cakes,jerk
chicken sticks, salad, jerk beef and desserts). We have cappucinos,
espressos and nice teas. The space is really comfortable. I had a
small artists party there the other day and loved it. It would be
great to have more artists soirees so that people can spark each
others creative motors. Because of the three galleries that I have run
the space is set up to honor and nuture artists with a warm space
where we can galvanize our energies. Come enjoy the space. I would
love to have weekly artists soirees. Of course I would love to have
many kinds of parties here. If you are interested in attending please
e-mail me. Enter thru Weeneez at 500 S. Spring in Downtown LA Julie
Rico www.weeneez.com
The current exhibition is:
BEYOND: THE ULTRA-DIMENSIONAL WORLD OF LARK AND KIKI
at
RED DOT GALLERY
Los Angeles: BEYOND: THE ULTRA-DIMENSIONAL WORK OF LARK AND KIKI will
be on view from January 11 through March 4th at the new Red Dot
Gallery in the downtown arts district. In the more than 40 paintings,
assemblages, and mixed media, Larisa Pilinsky ("Lark") and Gregor
Mikayelyan ("Kiki") explore ultra dimensional time and place. A
reception for the artists will be held in conjunction with the
Downtown Artwalk on Thursday February 8th from 11 AM to 10 PM. Red Dot
Gallery and Bistro is located at 118 W 5th Street (5th and Spring)
Los Angeles. Hours are from 11 AM -9 PM daily.
When viewers first experience the work of Lark and Kiki they often
feel they have entered into another dimension, a Kingdom of the Soul
beyond the limits of the visible, tangible world.
Included in the exhibition are an important new selection from Kiki's
series of "Bobo" paintings, based on an every person character, which
unites all the experiences and emotions of humanity, Many of these
paintings permanently reside in collections in the US, Russia,
Germany, Estonia and Armenia.
BEYOND: THE ULTRA-DIMENSIONAL WORK OF LARK AND KIKI will also showcase
the first major showing of Lark's new abstract landscapes, which are
rich in heavy brush strokes, natural objects and emotion. Lark's
assemblages have been featured in more than 30 solo and group shows in
the US, Armenia and Russia.
The tense, terse beauty of the work of both artists reflects their
membership in the dissident, anti-representational Bunker Art Group
from the former Soviet Union. Over the years a group of experimental
Armenian painters came together in Armenia's capital city, Yerevan,
and took the risk to express their emotions through the color, line
and philosophy of abstract art. When late Soviet repression gave way
to perestroika, the group emerged from the basement, taking the name
"Bunker" as a reminder of its previous underground status. The Bunker
group, now grown to include members of many different nationalities,
has become international in scope, and recognized by major art critics
Their credo might be found in Kiki's statement: "The value of art lies
is in its ability to draw nature when the real becomes momentarily
unreal, when skies become red, clouds- light green. These moments-
when nature moves from one state to another-are the moments when
nature gives birth to miracles."
Hi Everyone,
I would like to cordially invite you to the new Red Dot Gallery and
Bistro. Enjoy fine wine, fine art and fine food (crab cakes,jerk
chicken sticks, salad, jerk beef and desserts). We have cappucinos,
espressos and nice teas. The space is really comfortable. I had a
small artists party there the other day and loved it. It would be
great to have more artists soirees so that people can spark each
others creative motors. Because of the three galleries that I have run
the space is set up to honor and nuture artists with a warm space
where we can galvanize our energies. Come enjoy the space. I would
love to have weekly artists soirees. Of course I would love to have
many kinds of parties here. If you are interested in attending please
e-mail me. Enter thru Weeneez at 500 S. Spring in Downtown LA Julie
Rico www.weeneez.com
The current exhibition is:
BEYOND: THE ULTRA-DIMENSIONAL WORLD OF LARK AND KIKI
at
RED DOT GALLERY
Los Angeles: BEYOND: THE ULTRA-DIMENSIONAL WORK OF LARK AND KIKI will
be on view from January 11 through March 4th at the new Red Dot
Gallery in the downtown arts district. In the more than 40 paintings,
assemblages, and mixed media, Larisa Pilinsky ("Lark") and Gregor
Mikayelyan ("Kiki") explore ultra dimensional time and place. A
reception for the artists will be held in conjunction with the
Downtown Artwalk on Thursday February 8th from 11 AM to 10 PM. Red Dot
Gallery and Bistro is located at 118 W 5th Street (5th and Spring)
Los Angeles. Hours are from 11 AM -9 PM daily.
When viewers first experience the work of Lark and Kiki they often
feel they have entered into another dimension, a Kingdom of the Soul
beyond the limits of the visible, tangible world.
Included in the exhibition are an important new selection from Kiki's
series of "Bobo" paintings, based on an every person character, which
unites all the experiences and emotions of humanity, Many of these
paintings permanently reside in collections in the US, Russia,
Germany, Estonia and Armenia.
BEYOND: THE ULTRA-DIMENSIONAL WORK OF LARK AND KIKI will also showcase
the first major showing of Lark's new abstract landscapes, which are
rich in heavy brush strokes, natural objects and emotion. Lark's
assemblages have been featured in more than 30 solo and group shows in
the US, Armenia and Russia.
The tense, terse beauty of the work of both artists reflects their
membership in the dissident, anti-representational Bunker Art Group
from the former Soviet Union. Over the years a group of experimental
Armenian painters came together in Armenia's capital city, Yerevan,
and took the risk to express their emotions through the color, line
and philosophy of abstract art. When late Soviet repression gave way
to perestroika, the group emerged from the basement, taking the name
"Bunker" as a reminder of its previous underground status. The Bunker
group, now grown to include members of many different nationalities,
has become international in scope, and recognized by major art critics
Their credo might be found in Kiki's statement: "The value of art lies
is in its ability to draw nature when the real becomes momentarily
unreal, when skies become red, clouds- light green. These moments-
when nature moves from one state to another-are the moments when
nature gives birth to miracles."
Saturday, January 13, 2007
January 13, 1929 Wyatt Earp Died In Los Angeles, California!
While few people realize it, Wyatt Earp from his teenage years when he drove a stage for Phineas Banning until his death many decades later, spent more time in Los Angeles - and Southern California - than any other part of the country.
Much of that time was spend around Downtown Los Angeles where he once ran a faro game (directly across the street from where I am typing this)in the Alexandria Hotel. And the reason why he spent so much time at the Alexandria Hotel was... well... you'll just have to wait for the debut of the beta version of the Los Angeles Museum in March....
Much of that time was spend around Downtown Los Angeles where he once ran a faro game (directly across the street from where I am typing this)in the Alexandria Hotel. And the reason why he spent so much time at the Alexandria Hotel was... well... you'll just have to wait for the debut of the beta version of the Los Angeles Museum in March....
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Spice Girl Moves To LA!
Some dude in short pants to accompany her....
The Beckhams -- a soccer icon and a former Spice Girl -- are leaving London for the lights of Hollywood.
By Robin Abcarian, Scott Martelle and Kim Murphy
Times Staff Writers
January 12, 2007
Somehow, it was just meant to be.
International soccer star David Beckham — perhaps equally famous hereabouts as the husband of former pop singer "Posh" Spice — announced Thursday in Madrid that he has agreed to a five-year, potential $250-million deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy, injecting a fresh shot of celebrity into a city where it is practiced as an art.
While Galaxy and Major League Soccer officials hope the deal will vault the American professional league into the global ranks, Londoners are feeling a sense of loss and local paparazzi are relishing the arrival of the photogenic jet-setters — he of the constantly changing locks and quintessential metrosexual wardrobe, and she of the impossibly thin frame and penchant for shopping.
"It's like manifest destiny," said producer Peter Guber, the host of the TV entertainment talk show "Sunday Morning Shootout." "At a certain point in somebody's career, Hollywood is an inevitable stop on the journey. Whatever the luminosity of these celebrities in New York or England or Paris, they want to test it against the ultimate pop culture of Los Angeles."
The Beckhams -- a soccer icon and a former Spice Girl -- are leaving London for the lights of Hollywood.
By Robin Abcarian, Scott Martelle and Kim Murphy
Times Staff Writers
January 12, 2007
Somehow, it was just meant to be.
International soccer star David Beckham — perhaps equally famous hereabouts as the husband of former pop singer "Posh" Spice — announced Thursday in Madrid that he has agreed to a five-year, potential $250-million deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy, injecting a fresh shot of celebrity into a city where it is practiced as an art.
While Galaxy and Major League Soccer officials hope the deal will vault the American professional league into the global ranks, Londoners are feeling a sense of loss and local paparazzi are relishing the arrival of the photogenic jet-setters — he of the constantly changing locks and quintessential metrosexual wardrobe, and she of the impossibly thin frame and penchant for shopping.
"It's like manifest destiny," said producer Peter Guber, the host of the TV entertainment talk show "Sunday Morning Shootout." "At a certain point in somebody's career, Hollywood is an inevitable stop on the journey. Whatever the luminosity of these celebrities in New York or England or Paris, they want to test it against the ultimate pop culture of Los Angeles."
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
New Gallery On Gallery Row?
Somehow I missed the news that a major new gallery was going to open in Gallery Row in the Bradbury Building:
Villaraigosa has also distributed tokens of L.A. culture internationally. During a trade mission to Asia in October, he included among his gifts to officials bowls designed by Frank Gehry and works of papel picado (the Mexican folk art of paper cutting) by Margaret Sosa. During that trip, he also visited Beijing's 798 Arts District to announce that two dealers of contemporary Chinese art, Karon Morono and Eliot Kiang, would open Morono Kiang Gallery in downtown's Bradbury Building in the spring.
Villaraigosa has also distributed tokens of L.A. culture internationally. During a trade mission to Asia in October, he included among his gifts to officials bowls designed by Frank Gehry and works of papel picado (the Mexican folk art of paper cutting) by Margaret Sosa. During that trip, he also visited Beijing's 798 Arts District to announce that two dealers of contemporary Chinese art, Karon Morono and Eliot Kiang, would open Morono Kiang Gallery in downtown's Bradbury Building in the spring.
Monday, January 08, 2007
LA Times Coverage Of Malibu Fire!
First, I know what it is like to loose almost everything you own in a fire, though in my case it was not my house that burned. I also helped fight a half-dozen fires during my over twenty years in Malibu. And in the 1993 fire, I knew when it was time to run from the fire.
So whenever I hear there is a fire in Malibu, I know friends and former neighbors of mine are in danger and I follow the news reports. But, to my not great surprise, the LA Times is not always useful in finding out whose homes burned, even though one call to any local would tell them who the owner of the big house that burned was. And as for not wanting anyone to find out their house was burning - well - all they had to do was look at the photo.
More importantly, the facts are not always right. For example:
The only safe escape route was west along Malibu Road, known locally as the old Pacific Coast Highway. "We told everybody to get out.... People were getting out as fast as possible," Kearsley said.
Now while Malibu Road was the old PCH more than a half-century ago, it is still, nevertheless, known locally as... Malibu Road.
Go figure.
However, some of the old timers do sometimes refer to it as... the Old Road. But in 20 years out there, I never once heard anyone say they lived on old Pacific Coast Highway.
Also, if you were west of the fire - the only safe way out would be to drive west. But if you were east of the fire, your only choice would, of course - be to drive east.
Duh...
The burning homes were located near the midpoint of the 2 1/2-mile-long Malibu Road, which runs beneath the bluff along the oceanfront and is lined by about 60 to 70 houses.
Now it says Malibu Road is 2 1/2 miles long - and FYI, the average lot size on Malibu Road ranges from 50 feet to 60 feet with some larger and smaller. It then states that 60 to 70 homes are along Malibu Road. And there are 5,280 feet in a mile. And at least 100 homes are on 50 foot - or smaller - beach lots.
And... many parts of Malibu Road have houses on both sides of the road.
Um... do the math.
So whenever I hear there is a fire in Malibu, I know friends and former neighbors of mine are in danger and I follow the news reports. But, to my not great surprise, the LA Times is not always useful in finding out whose homes burned, even though one call to any local would tell them who the owner of the big house that burned was. And as for not wanting anyone to find out their house was burning - well - all they had to do was look at the photo.
More importantly, the facts are not always right. For example:
The only safe escape route was west along Malibu Road, known locally as the old Pacific Coast Highway. "We told everybody to get out.... People were getting out as fast as possible," Kearsley said.
Now while Malibu Road was the old PCH more than a half-century ago, it is still, nevertheless, known locally as... Malibu Road.
Go figure.
However, some of the old timers do sometimes refer to it as... the Old Road. But in 20 years out there, I never once heard anyone say they lived on old Pacific Coast Highway.
Also, if you were west of the fire - the only safe way out would be to drive west. But if you were east of the fire, your only choice would, of course - be to drive east.
Duh...
The burning homes were located near the midpoint of the 2 1/2-mile-long Malibu Road, which runs beneath the bluff along the oceanfront and is lined by about 60 to 70 houses.
Now it says Malibu Road is 2 1/2 miles long - and FYI, the average lot size on Malibu Road ranges from 50 feet to 60 feet with some larger and smaller. It then states that 60 to 70 homes are along Malibu Road. And there are 5,280 feet in a mile. And at least 100 homes are on 50 foot - or smaller - beach lots.
And... many parts of Malibu Road have houses on both sides of the road.
Um... do the math.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Dog Bits Man! Downtown News Scoops LA Times!
Once again, the Downtown News scoops the LA Times on an important story - the sale and - hopefully - reopening of a major cultural venue:
Kathryn Maese
A new player has entered the mix in the hot Staples Center neighborhood. Downtown's latest building transaction could bring a hefty dose of drama to South Park.
The Variety Arts Center has been sold to David Houk, a local developer who once owned the Pasadena Playhouse.
Former Pasadena Playhouse owner David Houk last week told Los Angeles Downtown News that he has closed escrow on the historic Variety Arts Center for an undisclosed amount. Houk, who heads Downtown-based Houk Development Company, purchased the 1924 theater and event space at 940 S. Figueroa St. from Anschutz Entertainment Group.
"We bought it to restore it and produce new plays and musicals," he said. "We plan to read new scripts and pick shows."
Houk said the deal closed Dec. 7, after his business plan was approved by AEG. Renovation of the Variety Arts Center is expected to last a year; he plans to move his offices and theater company into the location once the project is completed.
AEG, which owns Staples Center, did not return calls for comment.
The transaction has sparked enthusiasm from area players.
"I would think because of [Houk's] background that it's a real opportunity to create a potential new theater and entertainment center adjacent to the L.A. Live complex," said Mike Pfeiffer, executive director of the South Park Stakeholders Group, which represents many of the area's businesses. "It seems like the best fit. It's a building that's needed something like this for a long time."
AEG purchased the five-story Variety Arts Center for an estimated $8 million in spring 2004, with plans to develop it as a key component of the $2.5 billion L.A. Live sports and entertainment district rising two blocks away. The first phase is set to open late this year with a host of big-name restaurants and retail shops; later phases include a theater, movie complex, ESPN broadcast center, housing and a hotel.
Houk had eyed the Variety Arts Center for several years, and said he tried to purchase it around the time AEG bought it. When he heard that Anschutz was looking for a quiet sale, he jumped at the opportunity.
"It's a fabulous location to put on shows," Houk said. "I was told that more than dollars they were interested in a compatible use for what they were doing."
The elegant structure, which is a registered historic cultural landmark, houses a 1,000-seat theater along with a smaller theater and nightclub space, a lounge, a library and offices. Over the years the venue has seen a smattering of events from concerts to film shoots to fashion shows.
"We're very excited about hearing his plans and the timing couldn't be better," Pfeiffer said. "When you look at that location and that building, it has tremendous history. The architecture is so beautiful and it's another of those features that attracts people to the Downtown core."
The Italian Renaissance-style theater is among Downtown's most historically and architecturally noteworthy structures. The building, which is sometimes overlooked because of its simple gray facade, was constructed to house the Friday Morning Club, a social and political organization for women founded in 1891 by Caroline Severance. To pay off the construction costs, the club built the main theater, whose elegant design includes a gold-leafed, coffered ceiling and faux-marble columns, as a playhouse to generate income. Will Rogers was toastmaster on opening night, and guests included Charlie Chaplin and Cecil B. DeMille.
Throughout the 1930s the Variety Arts Center attracted prominent speakers including Eleanor Roosevelt and Dorothy Parker, and hosted live radio shows by Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor. The structure, and its anchor club, began to decline by the '70s. It was sold in 1977 to the Society of the Preservation of the Arts. Paul Sehdeva purchased the building in 1989 and held onto it until AEG acquired it.
The Variety Arts Center is one of nearly half a dozen Downtown theaters that are being brought back from obscurity. Developer Tom Gilmore is currently rehabbing the State Theater on Main Street and plans have been announced to fix up the Million Dollar Theater on Broadway.
If the Variety Arts building becomes a theater, it would have an ample audience within walking distance. Developer South Group is building five condominium towers in South Park and Houston's Hanover Company is constructing a 26-story apartment complex at Olympic Boulevard and Figueroa Street.
Contact Kathryn Maese at kathryn@downtownnews.com.
It is now over a month since the sale closed and the Times still doesn't seem to know about it.
Kathryn Maese
A new player has entered the mix in the hot Staples Center neighborhood. Downtown's latest building transaction could bring a hefty dose of drama to South Park.
The Variety Arts Center has been sold to David Houk, a local developer who once owned the Pasadena Playhouse.
Former Pasadena Playhouse owner David Houk last week told Los Angeles Downtown News that he has closed escrow on the historic Variety Arts Center for an undisclosed amount. Houk, who heads Downtown-based Houk Development Company, purchased the 1924 theater and event space at 940 S. Figueroa St. from Anschutz Entertainment Group.
"We bought it to restore it and produce new plays and musicals," he said. "We plan to read new scripts and pick shows."
Houk said the deal closed Dec. 7, after his business plan was approved by AEG. Renovation of the Variety Arts Center is expected to last a year; he plans to move his offices and theater company into the location once the project is completed.
AEG, which owns Staples Center, did not return calls for comment.
The transaction has sparked enthusiasm from area players.
"I would think because of [Houk's] background that it's a real opportunity to create a potential new theater and entertainment center adjacent to the L.A. Live complex," said Mike Pfeiffer, executive director of the South Park Stakeholders Group, which represents many of the area's businesses. "It seems like the best fit. It's a building that's needed something like this for a long time."
AEG purchased the five-story Variety Arts Center for an estimated $8 million in spring 2004, with plans to develop it as a key component of the $2.5 billion L.A. Live sports and entertainment district rising two blocks away. The first phase is set to open late this year with a host of big-name restaurants and retail shops; later phases include a theater, movie complex, ESPN broadcast center, housing and a hotel.
Houk had eyed the Variety Arts Center for several years, and said he tried to purchase it around the time AEG bought it. When he heard that Anschutz was looking for a quiet sale, he jumped at the opportunity.
"It's a fabulous location to put on shows," Houk said. "I was told that more than dollars they were interested in a compatible use for what they were doing."
The elegant structure, which is a registered historic cultural landmark, houses a 1,000-seat theater along with a smaller theater and nightclub space, a lounge, a library and offices. Over the years the venue has seen a smattering of events from concerts to film shoots to fashion shows.
"We're very excited about hearing his plans and the timing couldn't be better," Pfeiffer said. "When you look at that location and that building, it has tremendous history. The architecture is so beautiful and it's another of those features that attracts people to the Downtown core."
The Italian Renaissance-style theater is among Downtown's most historically and architecturally noteworthy structures. The building, which is sometimes overlooked because of its simple gray facade, was constructed to house the Friday Morning Club, a social and political organization for women founded in 1891 by Caroline Severance. To pay off the construction costs, the club built the main theater, whose elegant design includes a gold-leafed, coffered ceiling and faux-marble columns, as a playhouse to generate income. Will Rogers was toastmaster on opening night, and guests included Charlie Chaplin and Cecil B. DeMille.
Throughout the 1930s the Variety Arts Center attracted prominent speakers including Eleanor Roosevelt and Dorothy Parker, and hosted live radio shows by Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor. The structure, and its anchor club, began to decline by the '70s. It was sold in 1977 to the Society of the Preservation of the Arts. Paul Sehdeva purchased the building in 1989 and held onto it until AEG acquired it.
The Variety Arts Center is one of nearly half a dozen Downtown theaters that are being brought back from obscurity. Developer Tom Gilmore is currently rehabbing the State Theater on Main Street and plans have been announced to fix up the Million Dollar Theater on Broadway.
If the Variety Arts building becomes a theater, it would have an ample audience within walking distance. Developer South Group is building five condominium towers in South Park and Houston's Hanover Company is constructing a 26-story apartment complex at Olympic Boulevard and Figueroa Street.
Contact Kathryn Maese at kathryn@downtownnews.com.
It is now over a month since the sale closed and the Times still doesn't seem to know about it.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
LA Times Union Vote Yes By NINE Votes!
There appears to be an error in the below linked story about the vote to unionize the press workers at the LA Times. Below is what LAOBSERVED had somewhat buried on a sidebar under NATIVE INTELLIGENCE:
Jacob Soboro
The workers in the Los Angeles Times pressroom have voted to be represented by a union for the first time in nearly four decades.
I just sat in on the counting of the votes at the National Labor Relations Board's regional headquarters downtown - no cameras allowed during the tallying, but I kept score myself. It felt like a sporting event - with multiple lead changes and a final come-from-behind run at the end by the "yes" side. The official tally was 140 for the union, 131 against - one vote off from my personal scorecard. The Times has five days from Monday to challenge the vote...
The obvious joke is - of course - nobody in any capacity at the LA Times can get their facts straight....
Jacob Soboro
The workers in the Los Angeles Times pressroom have voted to be represented by a union for the first time in nearly four decades.
I just sat in on the counting of the votes at the National Labor Relations Board's regional headquarters downtown - no cameras allowed during the tallying, but I kept score myself. It felt like a sporting event - with multiple lead changes and a final come-from-behind run at the end by the "yes" side. The official tally was 140 for the union, 131 against - one vote off from my personal scorecard. The Times has five days from Monday to challenge the vote...
The obvious joke is - of course - nobody in any capacity at the LA Times can get their facts straight....
Union Wins At LA Times By ONE Vote! (CORRECTION BELOW)
According to the linked story from LAOBSERVED on the post above this one, the vote tallies were different and the winning margin was nine.
From LA Times Pressmen's Blog:
Saturday, January 06, 2007
ONE Vote: Union YES at LA Times
The vote is in and it was close:
140 Yes
139 No
All but 18 people voted.
Unionization by ONE vote.
Proof that every vote counts.
From LA Times Pressmen's Blog:
Saturday, January 06, 2007
ONE Vote: Union YES at LA Times
The vote is in and it was close:
140 Yes
139 No
All but 18 people voted.
Unionization by ONE vote.
Proof that every vote counts.
LAT Union Election Results Not Released Until Morning... BUT....
.... one on the scene observer... Ed Padgett... has the following observation:
.... I polled twenty percent of my co-workers, with some having no comment, and others telling me loud enough for others to hear, how they voted. I respect everyone’s privacy, and will never reveal how any of my co-workers have voted, or why they sided with the union or against the union.
Not wanting to sway anyone’s vote today I waited till the polls had closed before predicting the outcome of this important election. And this is nothing more than my prediction; the true count will be displayed eleven hours from now.
We will see many with red eyes, from the lack of sleep, in attendance tomorrow because of the importance of this election.
Yes votes = 41%
No votes = 59%
I could be completely wrong and shocked by the results, but doubt it.
Peace
.... I polled twenty percent of my co-workers, with some having no comment, and others telling me loud enough for others to hear, how they voted. I respect everyone’s privacy, and will never reveal how any of my co-workers have voted, or why they sided with the union or against the union.
Not wanting to sway anyone’s vote today I waited till the polls had closed before predicting the outcome of this important election. And this is nothing more than my prediction; the true count will be displayed eleven hours from now.
We will see many with red eyes, from the lack of sleep, in attendance tomorrow because of the importance of this election.
Yes votes = 41%
No votes = 59%
I could be completely wrong and shocked by the results, but doubt it.
Peace
So... Did The Times Pressmen Vote For The Union - Or Not?
The voting on the pressmen at the Los Angeles Times going union - or staying non-union - ended over a hour ago, and it was going to take an hour to count the votes. It was unclear, though, if the results are going to be released until the morning.
Link above thanks to www.LA OBSERVED.com which will likely have the results first.
Link above thanks to www.LA OBSERVED.com which will likely have the results first.
If A Book Store Closes In The Forest And No One Writes About It - Did It Really Close?
When long time Fairfax fixture, Arnold Herr Bookseller, posted its closing notice after losing its lease last year, the story got a lot of ink.
Then when the used book store found a new home, also on Fairfax, but in a area with less foot traffic, the story got a lot less ink.
Then when Powell Books of Portland (aka - The Evil Empire) showed up with a check and a massive tractor-trailer truck this autumn - there was zero ink when the tractor-trailer truck left holding the entire stock of the former book store and headed up to... Portland.
So that makes me zero for two in getting a large, general interest used book store downtown. First Book City, and now Arnold Herr.
But... as they say... the third time's the charm....
Then when the used book store found a new home, also on Fairfax, but in a area with less foot traffic, the story got a lot less ink.
Then when Powell Books of Portland (aka - The Evil Empire) showed up with a check and a massive tractor-trailer truck this autumn - there was zero ink when the tractor-trailer truck left holding the entire stock of the former book store and headed up to... Portland.
So that makes me zero for two in getting a large, general interest used book store downtown. First Book City, and now Arnold Herr.
But... as they say... the third time's the charm....
Friday, January 05, 2007
Funniest On-Line Post Of The Morning!
FISHBOWLLA
SAG Award Nominees Unveiled -- Nation Yawns
Steve Carell and Leo DiCaprio lead the pack of performers with three nominations a piece. It would be weird/funny/quirky/newsworthy that Steve Carell and Leo DiCaprio share anything in common. But these are the SAG awards, the Hollywood equivalent of an El Torito gift-certificate employee incentive program, so we'll move on.
Posted by Mayrav |
SAG Award Nominees Unveiled -- Nation Yawns
Steve Carell and Leo DiCaprio lead the pack of performers with three nominations a piece. It would be weird/funny/quirky/newsworthy that Steve Carell and Leo DiCaprio share anything in common. But these are the SAG awards, the Hollywood equivalent of an El Torito gift-certificate employee incentive program, so we'll move on.
Posted by Mayrav |
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Why The Los Angeles Times Still Can Not Be Trusted To Tell The Truth!
I've read about how dishonest the coverage of the Los Angeles Times has been on the recent Long Beach hate crimes incident. But until Kate Coe's article in LA Weekly, I had no idea how totally the Times has failed this city.
Despite recent improvements at the paper, there still remain editors convinced we need to be protected from inconvenient truths and that lying to us is acceptable to keep us from knowing those truths.
Hopefully, the Times' new leadership will issue an apology, publish an examination of the facts and then take action to guarantee this type of cover-up never takes place again.
Despite recent improvements at the paper, there still remain editors convinced we need to be protected from inconvenient truths and that lying to us is acceptable to keep us from knowing those truths.
Hopefully, the Times' new leadership will issue an apology, publish an examination of the facts and then take action to guarantee this type of cover-up never takes place again.
LIES! LIES!! LIES!!!
Below is a statement made to anyone who uses BLOGSPOT:
The New Version of Blogger
The new version of Blogger in beta is dead!
Long live the new version of Blogger!
(P.S. The old version of Blogger is not dead, but it would like to retire for a little while... maybe go to Hawaii or play World of Warcraft all day? It begs you to let it play World of Warcraft all day.)
I am overjoyed to announce that today we have o’ficially graduated the new version of Blogger from “in beta” to “.” Why is this significant? Allow me to explain via analogy:
The problem is - at times - I am still asked to switch over to the 'new' Blogspot when I try to log into my own blog - even though - I switched a long, long time ago.
And then whenever I try to post on other Blogspot blogs - I am also constantly asked to change over to the 'new' Blogspot - for weeks now.
So... I guess that the old Blogspot has returned from Hawaii or got tired of playing World of Warcraft all day.
The New Version of Blogger
The new version of Blogger in beta is dead!
Long live the new version of Blogger!
(P.S. The old version of Blogger is not dead, but it would like to retire for a little while... maybe go to Hawaii or play World of Warcraft all day? It begs you to let it play World of Warcraft all day.)
I am overjoyed to announce that today we have o’ficially graduated the new version of Blogger from “in beta” to “.” Why is this significant? Allow me to explain via analogy:
The problem is - at times - I am still asked to switch over to the 'new' Blogspot when I try to log into my own blog - even though - I switched a long, long time ago.
And then whenever I try to post on other Blogspot blogs - I am also constantly asked to change over to the 'new' Blogspot - for weeks now.
So... I guess that the old Blogspot has returned from Hawaii or got tired of playing World of Warcraft all day.