Drinking wine is not the sort of activity known to inspire scholarship. The pleasures of writing and the pleasures of wine seem to work mostly at cross-purposes, despite the latter's renowned capacity for loosening tongues. But several books on wine's history, as well as its appreciation, hit the bo ... More >>
By Pete Kotz On July 11, 2008, the price of oil rose to $147 per barrel, a record high. Gas stations engaged in hot pursuit as the price of a gallon rocketed past $4. All hell was about to break loose. The country's largest banks had already begun to implode through arrogance and ineptitude. Now t ... More >>
I recently meet up with local rap sensation Wax, whose raunchy hit "Rosana" is all over radio and YouTube. (Its equally raunchy video is below.) We're at Melgard Public House, and I'm informed that I just missed something newsworthy. "Just before you got here, there was a homeless guy that pulled do ... More >>
For the fourth year in a row, in an effort to conserve dwindling state funds, LAUSD and the L.A. teachers union have agreed to cut from the single most important aspect of K-12 education: time in the classroom. If approved by teachers, the plan would deal them 10 furlough days next year. On five of ... More >>
Mopes and mayhem in the Valley
L.A.'s postwar zoning code on the chopping block
University of Maryland​Matthew Fleischer's L.A. Flaneur blog at True/Slant puts the recent L.A. wildfires into perspective. Taking a look at a University of Maryland red-filled map showing the world's literal hotspots, Fleischer concludes: "The L.A. fires are just a speck. Meanwhile, roughly a thi ... More >>
Will Sacramento’s “ready, fire, aim” approach backfire?
Burbank gets a Kwik-E-Mart, minus Apu
Sailing the solar wind to the stars
A love story, born out of pain and joy
Teenagers are better than ever. So why are we treating them like criminals?
World-class protest at trade summit may be turning point in fight against right-wing economics
Seattle summit brings 134 governments and tens of thousands of protesters together — to disagree on the rules of the global economy
Personal struggles in a multiracial society
