LA Mayor Villaraigosa Kicks Off Summer Long Anti-Gang Reduction Effort At LA City Parks

LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa kicked off the summer long anti-gang reduction effort at LA city parks today called "Summer Night Lights." Several LA city parks will stay open later, some as late as midnite, offering education, artistic, and sports activities to local at risk youths as an alternative to gangs. USC Football Coach Pete Carroll, KCBS Sports Anchor, and 3 LA City Councilmen helped launch the program at Glassell Park. The Mayor even threw some nice spirals into the crowd impressing Coach Carroll.

Photo By Ted Soqui c 2008

Make Up and Alcohol

Just got an email about presidential hopeful John McCain dissing his wife in public in response to her playful remark about his thinning hair in 1992 saying 'At least I don't plaster on make up like a trollop, you cunt!' Yikes! Cindy McCain is the Chairman of a huge beer distribution concern, the largest in the US. If elected, John McCain's wife would be the first Chairman of a company to sit in the White House. Her company, Hensley & Company, has fought tooth and nail against the non-profit MADD on issues like posting the alcohol content of the beverages Hensley distributes.Hensley also distributes highly sweetened caffeinated alcoholic beverages, also referred to as liquid crack for it's cheap prices and high alcohol content that mask the effects of one's intoxication. This last Saturday in the Highland Park/Eagle Rock area a Longs Drugs opened up on the corner of Eagle Rock Blvd. and York Ave. The Grand opening featured a huge spinning wheel in which people with a receipt from Longs could win an item on the table located next to the wheel. Most of the prizes were junk, in which the store looks to be peddleing. The prizes were stuff that probably fell on the floor and marked for the bin. The pharmacy, now the 6th major one in the area (how many do we need?), looked understocked unlike the alcohol sales area which took up over twice the area of the pharmacy. Hensley beverages were featured on sale along with other liquid crack. Not one bottle of Opus One in the place. This big-box-pharma is just another defacto liquor store that is plaguing the Highland Park/Eagle Rock area. On every major corner of the Highland Park/Eagle Rock district there is a monsterous big-box pharma store. These homogeneous cookie cutter box stores are the first thing one sees when entering the once beautiful Highland Park/Eagle Rock district. The district is now fully awash in Hensley products thanks to the lack of leadership in the 14th. Come to think of it, maybe Cindy is wearing too much make-up.

Photos by Ted Soqui c 2008

Daaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmn!

Heard everything cost more in Beverly Hills. Latest consumer gas prices at a Union 76 gasoline station on Olympic Blvd. at Beverwil. Light, sweet crude oil rose $2.30 to $136.31 on the New York Mercantile Exchange today.

Photo by Ted Soqui c 2008

Gay Weddings in LA, Day One

Crowds of people lined up all over Los Angeles to get married today. LA City Council President Eric Garcetti presided at a wedding of two of his former staffers on the LA City Hall south steps. He even played a couple of tunes on the piano. West Hollywood held weddings in the park with the Mayor John J. Duran performing several weddings. Good luck to all of them.

Photos by Ted Soqui c 2008

Congratulations Robin And Diane 6-16-08

 A landmark day at the Beverly Hills Courthouse. Diane Olsen and Robin Tyler became the first same sex couple to wed in California. The California Supreme Court overturned the marriage ban which Olsen and Tyler were plaintiffs in. The couple wed in a Jewish style ceremony on the courthouse steps at 5:01 pm when the overturned ban took affect. It was a mostly ruckus affair complete with rabid members of the media, religious zealots, and members of the family. 

Photos by Ted Soqui c 2008

"Kiss My Gass" Protest

The activist group "Kiss My Gass" held a rolling protest at a Mobil Gasoline station located at Santa Monica Blvd. and Vine. They urged drivers not to buy gas from ExxonMobil/Esso gasoline stations. They also urged members of congress to drive hybrid cars "first" and to "take the bus" as well, then they would follow. Gas prices in Los Angeles are approaching the 5 and 9/10th dollar mark.

Signs Of Our Times 6-10-08

Record high gas prices on the corner of Beverly Blvd. and La Cienega Blvd. Gang tagging on the corner of York Ave. and Aldama St. one week after the murder of Cynthia Perez. These are the signs our times.

Photos by Ted Soqui c 2008

Hillary Ends Campaign

Senator Hillary Clinton ended her historic 17 month presidential campaign today in Washington, DC. She ran a hard fought campaign with real issues like ending the war in Iraq, ending the mortgage crisis, and health care for all. She also continued the fight for equal rights for everyone. Mrs. Clinton's campaign of integrity and solid issues allowed her to finished strong in the last months of the race showing that her messages were finally resonating with America. 

Photos by Ted Soqui c 2008

Nicholas Indicted

Former Broadcom CEO Henry T. Nicholas III was indicted today on 25 counts of securities fraud and conspiracy to distribute and possess drugs by the US Government. Nicholas is accused of spiking some of co-workers drinks with Ecstasy, MDMA, and also hired prostitutes for himself and other Broadcom customers and associates. He had a taste for the highlife which included buying private jets and expensive sports cars. The indictment also states that Nicholas and others smoked "extensive amounts of marijuana during a flight on a private plane between OC and Las Vegas, causing marijuana smoke to enter the cockpit and requiring the pilot to put on an oxygen mask." He was also a work out freak and would often stay up for days on end working out and partying. Bail was set at 3.4 million dollars because Nicholas is considered a major flight risk. The 48 year old is estimated to be worth 1.5 Billion dollars. His company, Broadcom, is one of the world's top chip makers for use in cell phones and wireless internet devices. 

Photo by Ted Soqui c 2008

The Moment, The Man.

Senator Barack Obama made history tonight claiming 2154 delegates making him the winner of the Democratic presidential race. Senator Obama will next face off against his next opponent Senator John McCain.

Photo by Ted Soqui c 2008

Universal Studios Fire

A massive fire burned the back lot of the world famous Universal Studios. Several building and historic movie sets burned to the ground including the "Back to the Future" clock tower, "New York Street", and the set from "King Kong." A video library also burned and poured toxic black smoke into the sky for several hours. Over 400 firefighters fought the heavy smoke and flames for most of the day. The black smoke could be seen for miles. Universal City Walk and Universal Studio Tours closed for the day due to the fire. Cause of the fire has yet to be determined. Also, thanks to Jonathan Alcorn for waking me up and alerting me to the incident.

Photos by Ted Soqui c 2008