Sarah Palin Speaks In Carson

Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin spoke at the Home Depot Center in Carson today. She told the crowd she actually does read a newspaper, the New York Times, reading from a teleprompter. The New York Times wrote a story on Bill Ayers, founding member of the radical Weathermen, and his relationship with Barack Obama. The 15,000 member crowd attempted to round up some non-synced boos, but many did not know who Ayers is and what she was talking about. She quickly dropped the subject and continued to finish her 25 minute speech. Jon Voight, the actor, spoke as well on his admiration of Senator John McCain. 

Here is my story in the latest LA Weekly.

Photos By Ted Soqui c 2008

LA Weekly Metrolink Article

I wrote a small first person piece for this week's LA Weekly on the Metrolink train wreck. Click here for the article.

Photo by Ted Soqui c 2008

Metrolink Train Wreck

A Metrolink train crashed into a freight train that occupied the same tracks killing 25 passengers and injuring over 135 train passengers in Chatsworth, CA. The Metrolink's locomotive sliced into one of its double decked passenger cars where all of the fatalities occurred.  The horrific crash scene had over 700 fire, police, and rescue personnel busily working late into the evening rescuing and recovering train passengers. 10 helicopters waited to transport passengers to local area hospitals along with many ambulances. One LAPD officer who was a passenger on the train was killed. 

Photos by Ted Soqui

Olympic Champion Michael Phelps Visits Boys And Girls Club

Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps visited the Boys and Girls Club of Burbank today. He spoke to a group of children about his Olympic experiences and answered several of their questions. He told the kids that he had mostly rap on his iPod with "Young Jeezy" being one of his favorites. He also told them that he missed his dog which is back home in Baltimore. The entertainment media covered Michaels's visit en force. They queried Michael about his "celebrity crush" on "Lindsay Lohan." Word is that he is over that crush, and has moved on to a new crush with "Carrie Underwood." Michael rushed off for a taping at the NBC studios for the "Tonight Show With Jay Leno", and will host next week's "Saturday Night Live." He was also a presenter at the MTV Video Awards Show and shared a limo with music star "Kid Rock."

Photos by Ted Soqui c 2008

Walter Reed Featured At RNC During McCain Speech

Walter Reed Junior (Middle) High School located in North Hollywood, CA was featured as a backdrop for the first five minutes of John McCain's acceptance speech last night at the RNC. Most TV viewers just saw a glimpse of the wide shot that featured Walter Reed Junior High. The camera angle was mostly a tight shot for the first few minutes of the speech, which had an unusual green background that was a detail of Walter Reed JHS's lovely lawn. John Heaner, a Walter Reed Middle School PTA member and Region 13 Director of the Democratic Party, held a press conference outside of the school to claim John McCain and his campaign is out of touch because of the featured photo which was supposed to be the Walter Reed Army Medical Center located in Washington, DC. The shot was quickly changed to a lone US flag waiving on a angled pole for the rest of the speech.

Photos by Ted Soqui c 2008

LA City Council OK's $500k Reward To Capture The "Grim Sleeper"

The LA City Council approved a reward up to $500,000 for information that would lead to the capture and conviction of the "Grim Sleeper" serial murderer. The motion was brought forth by Councilperson Bernard Parks, the former LAPD Chief. Parks was joined by Mary and Porter Alexander, their daughter Monique Alicia Alexander was murdered by the "Grim Sleeper", at a LA City Hall press conference. The serial killer, dubbed the "Grim Sleeper" by the LA Weekly, has taken a 13 year hiatus before resuming his killing spree and was linked to the 11 murders by DNA. Most of the "Grim Sleepers" victims were dumped in alley ways along Western Avenue in South Central LA. Anyone with information regarding the "Grim Sleeper" should contact the LAPD at 1-877-LAWFUL

Photo by Ted Soqui c 2008

Shooting Grief

It's been a tough week on Angelenos.

Had two assignments this week that oddly crossed paths with grief.
The first was to photograph two families that each had a family member killed by a serial murderer over ten years ago. The story, by LA Weekly writer Christine Pelisek, is about an elusive serial murderer who has taken a 13 year hiatus and is back and killing again in South Central LA.
Photographing each family was difficult on them and myself. They were reminded of the memories and pain of loss as they held their last and only pictures of their lost ones. The photo shoots ended as quickly as they started. I can only hope that it helps to catch the killer and give the families some way finally to end their grief and pain.

My other assignment was to photograph the site in Eagle Rock where four people were killed in a horrific car crash.
This shoot was really tough to do. Upon reaching the crash site, two dozen people where standing around a tree where four people died. I starting shooting photos from a distance, by the 5th frame I'm completely surrounded by an angry mob. They scolded me for taking photos and threatened to fully kick my ass. Cooler heads took over and the situation diffused as we each went our separate ways.

Photographing grief will never be easy, but it be necessary to fully tell the our stories.

Photos by Ted Soqui c 2008

EARTHQUAKE!

Was working out at the gym when it hit, nearly dropped the bar on my neck! The parking attendant wouldn't let anyone out of the underground parking lot unless they paid. Most of the drivers trying to leave/evacuate left their wallets and purses in the gym lockers and were made to sign their names and numbers and promise to pay. 

Photos by Ted Soqui c 2008

LA River Expedition Final Day

The LA River expedition reached its final destination today where the LA River meets the sea in Long Beach. 

Photo by Ted Soqui c 2008

LA River Expedition Day 2

Day two of the LA River expedition. The kayakers made it through the Glendale Narrows in ankle deep water. Some of the kayakers were also a bit salted from all of the walking, but with blessing from the Mud People and some river dancers, they kept on paddling.

photos by Ted Soqui c 2008

LA River Expedition Begins

A small contingent of kayakers began their 52 mile 3 day expedition down the LA River. They launched their kayaks and canoes from the loamy banks of the LA River near Lake Balboa.

Photo by Ted Soqui c 2008

Gray To Fade

Watching the Gray Ghost fade away into the sunset.

Photo by Ted Soqui c 2008

LA River Expedition To Begin

A contingent of kayakers, the LA River Expedition kayak team, will set upon the headwaters of the LA River this Friday at the overpass at Owensmouth (Canoga Park) and paddle to the sea (Long Beach). The 52 mile kayak trip will take two days to complete and will be done in fresh water kayaks made by Pyranha. The objectives of the expedition are to raise consciousness about the LA River and to prove to the Army Corps of Engineers that the river is fully navigable by boat. The Army Corps of Engineers states the river is not-navigable, and no boats are allowed on the river. Hope they make Lewis and Clark proud.

Photo by Ted Soqui c 2008

Strange Fruit In LA

The Australian performance art dance troupe, Strange Fruit, held several performances in downtown LA this week. They performed their piece "Swoon" which is a shorter version of their piece "The Field." The Melbourne based group performs their work atop 13 foot tall poles that sway in every direction. They will be in downtown LA Friday and Saturday at 7th and Fig with shows at 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 1:30 p.m. The shows are free to the public and are worth checking out.

Photo by Ted Soqui c 2008

No Money And No Pictures!

While shooting outside the Indymac Bank headquarters in Pasadena, I was confronted by an angry security guard. He told me "no pictures allowed!" He was also told, by his boss, to block me if I took any. Indymac Bank was taken over by the Federal government on Monday due to becoming insolvent. The bank's problems began when it lent out subprime mortgage loans to borrowers with bad or no credit history. There were a couple hundred of Indymac customers who lined up all day to withdrawal their monies. There was another line in Pasadena, even longer. It was at the Apple store on Colorado Blvd. with people looking to buy the newest iPhone.

Photos by Ted Soqui c 2008

Echo Park Lake Lotus Die-Off

The famous Lotus plants of Echo Park Lake failed to bloom this year. Instead most of plants have died. LA City officials speculated up to 13 different reasons may have been the reasons for the massive die-off including bad water quality, plant poaching-they are edible, and pest. This Lotus field has been around since the 1920's when Aimee Semple McPherson, founder of the Angelus Temple across the street from the lake, is said to have planted them from plants she imported from China. There were a few Lotus leaves that pushed their way through the unusually brown murky and foul smelling water this spring, only to quickly brown rot and die. The annual 2008 Lotus Festival held at the lake is two weeks away with no Lotus blooms in sight. The Lotus is a symbol of divine beauty in the Hindu religion and is considered a sacred plant.

Photos by Ted Soqui c 2008

Douglas Robert Burrows

Douglas Robert Burrows or "Doug" to most was my best friend. He was with me when I bought my first camera a Nikon FE-2 at Pan Pacific Camera many years ago. We also shot hundreds of assignments together back in the day. He was more than a friend, he was a guide possibly a saint. Doug would give the shirt off his back or his last penny to help someone in need with no hesitation. He was also a wonderful photographer, on his way to becoming a great one. His life was cut short days before his 30th birthday on a downtown LA street in 1993. Doug was a victim of a hit and run collision. A speeding 18 wheeler truck ran a red light crashing in his red Toyota Celica. Doug was knocked unconscious by the impact and soon flames began to engulf his car. The truck's driver, Rogelio Pereira, looked into Doug's car rendering no help at all fled on foot leaving Doug to die in the flames. Pereira would soon flee to Mexico and hide there as a fugitive for 14 years. The very hard work of Doug's family, the LAPD, US Marshals Office, and the Mexican Police finally brought Pereira to justice. Pereira was caught by Mexican Police and expelled as an "undesirable person" because he was a US citizen and had no legal standing in Mexico. Pereira stood trial this month for the 1993 collision and pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter before jury selection was complete. His murder plea was dismissed because he pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter according to Deputy District Attorney Catherine Chon. LA Superior Court Judge Drew Edwards sentenced Pereira to 11 years and 8 months in State prison. Pereira who was a fugitive for 14 years, and was previously wanted for drug charges in Arizona, will serve less time than he was in hiding. I remember Doug for not being a vindictive person or harboring any hate at all, but I am and do. The light sentence that Periera received is a huge slap in the face to his family, law enforcement, justice, and to me. I wonder if the same sentence would be rendered if the victim was a LA Superior Court Judge, or a Deputy District Attorney, or a member of law enforcement. Maybe Doug's final legacy to me is to forgive. It will be a long road and huge challenge to get there, but in memory of Doug I will try.

Photos by Jonathan Alcorn c 2008

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