Supreme Court deals unions a limited hit in home-care workers case

The Supreme Court dealt a limited setback to the union movement Monday, ruling that personal home-care employees cannot be forced to pay dues to a union. But it refused an invitation to extend the ruling to all public employees.  

In a 5-4 ruling written Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., the court said home healthcare assistants, some of whom care for their disabled children at home, have a constitutional right not to support a union they oppose.

The decision is a victory for the National Right to Work Foundation, which took up the cause of several mothers who objected to paying union fees. It is a defeat for the Service Employees International Union and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn.

Beginning in 2003, Illinois officials agreed to deem these home-care workers "public employees" because they are paid with Medicaid funds to care for disabled adults. That cleared the way for the SEIU to organize them into a union.

Union officials say they have won higher wages and better benefits for 20,000 of these home-care assistants in Illinois. But anti-union lawyers sued the state, arguing the private assistants are not truly public employees and should not be compelled to pay fees to a union.

In keeping its ruling narrow, the high court refrained from dealing an even greater setback to unions. Some had urged the court to rule that all public employees have a right to opt out of paying union dues, reversing its 1977 ruling that upheld mandatory union fees.

By law, public employees cannot be required to join a union and pay full dues as members. These dues may pay for lobbying and political spending.

But since 1977, the high court had upheld "fair share" fees, which require all the employees to pay a lesser amount to cover the cost of collective bargaining.

In recent years, however, more conservative justices raised doubts about whether the practice violated the 1st Amendment. They argued that the government usually cannot force individuals to support private groups, yet the mandatory fees forced some government employees to support organizations they opposed.

"If we accepted Illinois' argument, we would approve an unprecedented violation of the bedrock principle that, except perhaps in the rarest of circumstances, no person in this country may be compelled to subsidize speech by a third party that he or she does not wish to support," Alito wrote for himself and the court's four other most conservative justices. That, he said, is prohibited by the 1st Amendment.

In the Illinois case, known as Harris vs. Quinn, the National Right to Work Foundation urged the justices to either limit who can be forced to support a union or to strike down mandatory fees entirely.

A broad ruling casting doubt on mandatory fees could have had a significant effect in Democratic-leaning states, which authorize unions and mandatory fees. These so-called blue states are in the Northeast, the upper Midwest and on the West Coast. Most of the Republican-leaning red states in the South and the Great Plains have "right to work" laws that allow employees to opt out of unions.

In his opinion, Alito repeatedly called into question the validity of the court's 1977 ruling allowing the collection of fees from non-union public employees, saying it was based on a "questionable foundation." But he stopped short of overruling it.

Justice Elena Kagan, joined by the court's three other liberals, welcomed that part of the majority's restraint, while at the same time dissenting from the holding on the Illinois workers.

"Today's majority cannot resist taking potshots at [the 1977 ruling in Abood vs. Detroit Board of Education], but it ignores the petitioners' invitation to de­part from principles of stare decisis [honoring precedent]. That is to the good -- or at least better than it might be. The Abood rule is deeply entrenched, and is the foun­dation for not tens or hundreds, but thousands of contracts between unions and governments across the nation. Our precedent about precedent, fairly understood and applied, makes it impossible for this court to reverse that decision."

In its lawsuit, the right-to-work attorneys portrayed the arrangement in Illinois as a questionable deal between union officials and state Democrats led by former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich in 2003. Quinn became the defendant as the lawsuit moved forward.

For more news of the Supreme Court, follow me on Twitter @DavidGSavage

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

June 30, 7:49 a.m.: This post has been updated with additional details and background.

This story was orginally posted at 6:45 a.m.

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Stocks open mostly lower; PPG rises

U.S. stocks are mostly lower in early trading as the market appears set to end June with a modest gain.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 49 points, or 0.3 percent, to 16,803 shortly after the market opened Monday.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index slipped less than a point to 1,960. The Nasdaq composite edged up six points, or 0.1 percent, to 4,404.

The stock market ended last week with a slight loss. But that was a minor setback. The S&P 500 has managed a gain of 1.9 percent in June, despite rising oil prices and signs of tepid economic growth.

Paint maker PPG Industries rose 3 percent after announcing plans to buy Mexico's Comex Consorcio Comex for $2.3 billion.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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Militant coalition's goal: A Syria under Islamic law

In case there is any doubt about who is in charge, guards patrolling the stretch of Syria around the Turkish border crossing here wear blue T-shirts stitched with "Islamic Front" patches.

Since opposition fighters first seized border crossings in 2012, their control of these posts — and by extension, the flow of people and commerce in and out of Syria — has been a barometer for which group was preeminent. Now the Islamic Front is trying to make it official, or as official as it can be with cheaply made signs and stitched-on patches that look like a bad home-economics project.

Last year, the two main arteries linking Syria and Turkey were under the nominal control of the Western-backed and largely secular Free Syrian Army, or FSA. But in December, when the newly formed Islamic Front seized a weapons warehouse at Bab Hawa, as well as the crossing itself, momentum shifted.

The Islamic Front has united some of the largest Islamist rebel groups fighting the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad — seven Sunni Muslim organizations including hard-core Islamic militants and more moderate Islamists and Kurds.

It doesn't get along with all Islamists. In addition to fighting the Syrian government, it has battled fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, the breakaway Al Qaeda group that in recent weeks conquered large swaths of northern and western Iraq.

All the same, Western nations that support the ouster of Assad are unlikely to cast their lot with a force that seeks to impose Islamic law, or sharia, and works closely with Al Qaeda-affiliated Al Nusra Front.

The Islamic Front seeks to achieve a goal that has eluded rebels in more than three years of fighting: creation of a professional opposition army. But its rebel groups are focused beyond that. They hope to create an Islamic state that would rule by some measure of sharia.

"We won't accept a secular state," said Mahmoud Haboosh, who heads the Front's political branch in Turkey.

Some of the Front's groups abandoned the FSA's Supreme Military Council, the military wing of the opposition Syrian National Coalition, which has committed to work for "a democratic and pluralistic civil state." Rebel groups in Syria long have chafed at the idea that a government formed by the expatriates of the coalition would be imposed on them. As the fighting has dragged on, rebel groups have become increasingly dominated by Islamists.

The growing hard-line nature of many in the opposition plays into Assad's argument that he is battling to protect Syria from Islamic militants, and is likely to make members of minority groups, such as Christians and Alawites, continue to fervently support him.

"The final goal is to have a united army for a united country," said the general commander of Ahrar al Sham, who uses the nom de guerre Sheik Abu Yazan. His group is a religiously conservative brigade that is among the founders of the Islamic Front in Aleppo. "But we don't want to be too idealistic. This might take years to accomplish, but we need to keep moving forward organizationally."

Despite its strength at the Turkish border, the Front has faced key setbacks farther into Syria.

In May, fighters with the Haq Brigade, one of the Front's member groups based in the central city of Homs, agreed to withdraw in a deal with the Assad government. It was a major blow to the opposition that once called Homs "the capital of the revolution."

The Front, which says it has nearly 70,000 fighters across Syria, also faces a challenge from a reenergized Free Syrian Army, which has gained access to a limited number of American-made antitank weapons.

President Obama asked Congress last week for $500 million to train and equip opposition fighters, who would be vetted by the U.S. to ensure they had no ties to militant Islamists. But it seemed unlikely any money would start flowing soon. And in a sign of the continuing troubles inside the U.S.-backed opposition coalition, it voided a decision by its leading official to disband the group's military command structure.

Islamic Front commanders acknowledge that uniting on the battlefield is of paramount importance if they hope to oust Assad.

"Once we unite we can make an entire military plan," said Samir Zaitoun, a former interior designer and now commander with Al Tawheed Brigade, another Front member group. "Before there would be battles in different areas and no one informed the other."

In January, for example, pro-government forces managed to break through a rebel siege of the Aleppo airport when various groups failed to coordinate, Zaitoun said. Fighters who were blocking the main highway were unable to hold off a government advance but didn't call for reinforcements.

"If we were just fighting the regime, we would be OK," said a Tawheed Brigade commander in Aleppo who uses the nom de guerre Abdulrazzaq Abu Bilal. He defected from the Syrian air force, in which he had served as a colonel. "But now that we are facing [fighters from] Iraq and Iran and Hezbollah, we need to fight smarter."

Resupply and reinforcement lines to the battle front have been merged, but the Islamic Front recently postponed an already-delayed deadline for full unification. Though the seven member groups now operate under the banner of the Front, they still mostly function independently.

The greatest challenge to the Front could come from within. Though it is defined as Islamist, its member groups hold somewhat different religious philosophies.

"I'm sort of reluctant to view them as a single unit," said Aron Lund, who has written on the Islamic Front and its member factions for the Carnegie Endowment's Syria in Crisis website.

Though some Front groups might end up merging successfully, others will probably eventually break away because of ideological differences or "big egos," Lund said.

"We have noticed that the Ahrar have some impulsive Islamist thinking," echoed Abu Bilal, explaining that the group described broadly as Salafist-militant adamantly rejects smoking — in a country where the majority of men smoke.

Even such a mundane issue could prove a significant obstacle to working together.

In Al Tawheed Brigade's media office in the Old City of Aleppo recently, the Arab version of "The Voice" was on TV as one spokesman was smoking an apple-flavored hookah and another was chain-smoking cigarettes.

Saleh Laila, puffing on the hookah, casually mentioned that once the individual media offices were united they would no longer be able to smoke openly.

"Is that true, Saleh?" Mustafa Sultan asked worriedly, his eyes widening.

"You'll have to go outside," Laila said.

"That's it, I'm going to form the National Progressives Front," Sultan said, taking another drag on his cigarette.

****

With its focus on future governance, the Front has been accused of seeking to exert control over all aspects of Syrian society.

"We had 40 years of people forcing their opinions on us, we don't need more of it," said Jamal Maarouf, head of the FSA Syrian Revolutionaries Front. "We don't want to be the alternative for the regime, it is my duty to oust the regime and then hand it over to the people."

The Front, he said, is under the misperception that it is the dominant rebel group in Syria. "They are not the entire Syrian revolution; they have a voice but not the only voice."

To combat criticism, the Front has taken a gentler public approach. Last month, it released a covenant calling for "a state of law, freedom and justice." While not intended to backtrack on ambitions for a constitution based on sharia, it was meant to distinguish the group from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, the Al Qaeda offshoot which is now engaged in more battles with other rebel groups than with the Syrian government.

"The international and regional situation is difficult and there are additional pressures from the propagandists who are against us," said Haboosh, the Front political leader. "So we wanted to respond to these accusations, we are moderates."

But its leaders are light on specifics. Haboosh said religious scholars would need to study whether women should be forced to wear the hijab and whether criminal sanctions should include whipping or the severing of hands.

"We have an idea for a modern Islamic state," Haboosh said.

He and other Front political leaders insist their system of governance would protect all sects and beliefs.

"We are [not] going to raise swords against them," said Muhammad Salim, a fellow member of the political branch.

But they draw the line at the political involvement of non-Sunni and non-Islamist groups.

"We don't accept the secularists," said Salim.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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'Transformers' far from extinct! Inside Comcast's octopus.

After the coffee. Before saying goodbye to June gloom.

The Skinny: I was bummed to hear Bobby Womack died. I saw him open for the Rolling Stones back in 1981 and regret not taking the time to listen to more of his music. I did pick up his soundtrack for "Across 110th Street," a great 1970s blaxploitation flick starring Yaphet Kotto and Anthony Quinn. Today's headlines include the weekend box office recap and a deep dive into Comcast as it looks to acquire Time Warner Cable. 

Daily Dose: Aereo told its subscribers Saturday that it is suspending its subscription antenna service in the wake of last week's Supreme Court ruling that found the start-up service to be in violation of the Copyright Act. However, Aereo said it isn't shutting down yet. Given that Aereo has said it won't pay broadcasters to transmit their signals, it is unclear what other options the company has.

So much for extinction. "Transformers: Age of Extinction," the latest chapter in the "Transformers" franchise, hit the $100-million mark in its opening weekend in North America. The movie took in an additional $201 million in China, Russia and Australia. It will open in Europe and Latin America when the World Cup concludes. Coming in a distant second was "22 Jump Street" followed by "How to Train Your Dragon 2" and "Think Like a Man Too." Box office recaps from the Los Angeles Times and Hollywood Reporter. 

Right-hand man. Meet Ian Bryce, the man who often makes action director Michael Bay's visions a reality. Bryce, who first met Bay when both were just starting out at Lucasfilms (Bryce parked cars, Bay was an intern), has become Hollywood's go-to producer to shepherd big budget event films from inception to the big screen. "When you put him on a movie, it's like having someone tuck you in bed at night," said Paramount Film Group Chief Adam Goodman. The Wall Street Journal on Bryce.

The octopus. Already the nation's biggest cable operator and one of the largest content suppliers, Comcast is now trying to acquire Time Warner Cable leading some to compare the company to an "a nationwide octopus with massive tentacles." Comcast CEO Brian Roberts doesn't see it quite that way. He just wants to offer everyone everything. "It seemed to me the perfect company for the 21st century would be one that was technology-orientated with great content and national scale," he tells the Los Angeles Times. 

Broadening the audience. Jarl Mohn, who takes over as chief executive of NPR this week, is the fifth CEO the public radio service has had in eight years. With that much turmoil behind the scenes, it's not too surprising that there hasn't been much change on-the-air. Mohn hopes to broaden NPR's reach and make it more diverse. Such a push will have to start in the newsroom, which is almost 80% white and recently canceled the one show specifically targeting black listeners. The New York Times on the new leadership at NPR.

Indictment. Charles Lewis, founder of the Center for Public Integrity and a journalism professor at American University, was once a top producer at ABC News and CBS' "60 Minutes." But Lewis quickly grew frustrated at the lack of commitment to hard-hitting investigative pieces at the networks and the internal politics one had to play to get pieces on the air. He dishes some old dirt in Politico.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Melissa McCarthy hopes to keep her hot streak at the box office going with "Tammy." 

Follow me on Twitter. I'm tired of giving you reasons why. @JBFlint.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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'Penny Dreadful' recap: Rescuers search for Mina at Grand Guignol

Visions of a young woman enslaved by a vampire draw rescuers to a notorious London theater on "Grand Guignol," Episode 108 of Showtime's "Penny Dreadful."

The Season 1 finale finds Sir Malcolm Murray (Timothy Dalton) intent on freeing his daughter Mina Harker (Olivia Llewellyn) from an evil netherworld.

"If I can save her, I will," Malcolm says to psychic Vanessa Ives (Eva Green), Mina's friend since childhood. "If I cannot, I will end her suffering."

Then Malcolm is brutally honest with Vanessa, saying he would sacrifice her to liberate Mina.

"I would choose her over you," Malcolm insists. "I might even hope I get the chance. Until then, you are invaluable to me. Your connection to Mina is my lifeline, so I must keep you alive."

Vanessa is also invaluable to decadent Dorian Gray (Reeve Carney), who remains eternally youthful while his portrait bears the ravages of time. Dorian's first date with Vanessa ended horrifically when a demon possessed her soul. Now Dorian wants a second date?

"Between us there's a rare connection, I won't deny it," Vanessa says. "But that very intimacy released something unhealthy in me -- something I cannot allow."

Also unlucky in love is Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett), whose girlfriend Brona Croft (Billie Piper) is dying of tuberculosis. He asks Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway) to ease Brona's misery.

"You have nothing to fear," Victor assures her. "You're stepping through a door -- that is all."

"I've not been good," she confesses. "What's waiting for me on the other side of the door?"

Victor knows better than most, for he's discovered how to reanimate the dead. His first creation, monstrous Caliban (Rory Kinnear), demands an immortal mate. Because Brona is an ideal choice, Victor quietly smothers her.

Back in Victor's laboratory, Caliban is overcome with joy as he looks upon Brona's lovely corpse. It appears Caliban has found his partner.

As for Ethan, he's drinking away his sorrows when approached by Pinkerton Agency detectives Mr. Roper (Stephen Lord) and Mr. Kidd (Julian Black Antelope). They're tasked with bringing Ethan back to America.

"You left some tears behind you, son. And a whole mess of blood," says Roper, who threatens to chain Ethan "like a monkey."

But Ethan's no monkey. He's a werewolf, it's a full moon and the detectives suffer a gruesome fate.

Now it's on to the theater for Malcolm and company as they attempt to rescue Mina.

Lurking inside are red-eyed she-devils who viciously attack. They back down, however, when Malcolm kills their leader, a hideous vampire (Robert Nairne). Then Mina, who's beyond salvation, grabs Vanessa by the throat.

"I am who I was meant to be," she tells her father. "You will understand when you join the Master -- when you all join him. And now that he has his bride, he will sire generations."

To save Vanessa from becoming a demon's consort with apocalyptic consequences, Malcolm shoots Mina without hesitation.

"I'm your daughter," Mina gasps, her eyes widening with surprise.

"I already have a daughter," Malcolm says, finishing Mina with a second shot.

After Malcolm and Vanessa tearfully embrace, she seeks out a priest (Henry Goodman) and asks him to perform an exorcism.

He tells Vanessa to look deep inside her heart and answer one question.

"If you have been touched by the demon, it's like being touched by the back hand of God," the priest suggests, thus making Vanessa unique through "the glory of suffering."

"Do you really want to be normal?" he asks.

Vanessa's lips quiver but she doesn't say a word. Perhaps viewers will learn her response in Season 2.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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Lakers' week in review

The Lakers added two players through the NBA draft over the past week.

On Thursday, the team selected Kentucky forward Julius Randle with the seventh overall pick.  They also sent cash to the Washington Wizards for the rights to the 46th pick, guard Jordan Clarkson.

The Lakers toyed with trading their pick leading up to the draft, but discussions with the Golden State Warriors for guard Klay Thompson went nowhere.

Randle was thrilled to be picked by the Lakers, excited by the prospect of playing with Kobe Bryant. He also said he'd rather play against LeBron James than with him.

Free agency starts this coming week in July.  Bryant will certainly need to help recruit but while the Lakers hope to land a top free agent like James -- that may be quite a long shot. 

While an oddsmaking site had the Lakers with scant 40-1 odds of a winning a title, those odds worsened to 60-1 after the Randle pick -- not necessarily a reflection on Randle but that the Laker didn't make a trade to bring in veteran talent.

Meanwhile, the Lakers seemed quite happy that Randle fell to seven -- although it remains uncertain if he will play for the Lakers' summer league squad.

If the Lakers were to make a deal, trading Steve Nash to open up additional cap space, the veteran point guard will receive a 15% bonus.

Nick Young opted out of his contract with the Lakers.  Hoping to sway the unrestricted free agent, a fan launched a Nick Young "Stay" campaign.

Finally, Lakers owner/executive Jeanie Buss recently recalled meeting Magic Johnson soon after his was drafted with the top overall pick in 1979.

Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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WWE 'Money in the Bank' PPV results: John Cena, Seth Rollins win

WWE held its annual "Money in the Bank" pay-per-view on Sunday in Boston, with the WWE world heavyweight championship on the line in one match, and a shot at the title on the line in another. Also, Daniel Bryan, who was stripped of the championship after undergoing neck surgery, gave his first interview since losing the title.

Daniel Bryan interview: Bryan said that he did not know when he would return, because he might need more surgery on his neck. He still has little strength in his right arm. That is legitimate, by the way, as the first surgery was not successful. There is no timetable for his return. In a good sign for his push, they sent Bo Dallas out to interrupt the interview, with Dallas doing his over-the-top babyface role and telling Bryan to "Bo-lieve."

Uso brothers vs. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan for the tag titles: The Usos retained the belts when they gave Rowan a double-team superplex and then splashed him off the top rope.

Paige vs. Naomi for the Divas title: Paige retained the belt with a cradle DDT.

Adam Rose vs. Damien Sandow: In his continuing gimmick of dressing up like a famous person from the city he is in, Sandow came out dressed as Paul Revere. Rose won with the Party Foul.

'Money in the Bank' Ladder Match - Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Jack Swagger vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Kofi Kingston: Ambrose had it won when Kane came out and tombstoned him, then guarded the ladder while Rollins climbed it for the victory.

Goldust & Stardust vs. Ryback & Curtis Axel: Stardust pinned Axel with a schoolboy. 

Big E vs. Rusev: Rusev won with the Accolade.

Layla vs. Summer Rae with Fandango as referee: Layla won with a high kick and left with Fandango to end the feud that no one cared about.

Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton vs. John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Kane vs. Sheamus vs. Cesaro vs. Alberto del Rio for the vacant WWE title: After a lengthy match, Cena climbed the ladder to win after giving Kane and Orton the AA.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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Supreme Court rules on contraceptives; setback for Obama healthcare law

The U.S. Supreme Court dealt a setback to President Obama's healthcare law Monday and ruled that Christian business owners with religious objections to certain forms of birth control may refuse to provide their employees with insurance coverage for contraceptives.

In a major 5-4 ruling on religious freedom, the justices decided the religious rights of these company owners trump the rights of female employees to receive the full contraceptive coverage promised by the law.

The decision, written by Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.,  is a victory for social conservatives. It also could open the door for other businesses to claim a religious exemption from laws, including anti-discrimination measures that protect gays and lesbians.

The administration's lawyers had argued that a private, for-profit corporation, such as the Hobby Lobby chain of arts and crafts stores, had never before been accorded rights based on religion.

But the court determined that the Green family from Oklahoma City who founded the chain has a sincere religious belief that certain contraceptives destroy a fertilized egg and, therefore, are akin to an early abortion. 

Alito said the owners of closely held corporations have religious rights under federal law.

"The Hahns and Greens have a sincere religious belief that life begins at conception," Alito said. "They therefore object on religious grounds to providing health insurance that covers methods of birth control that…may result in the destruction of an embryo."

By requiring them and their companies to arrange for such insurance coverage, the law's contraceptive "mandates demands that they engage in conduct that seriously violates their religious beliefs."

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony M. Kennedy and Clarence Thomas joined with Alito.

In dissent, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg called it a "decision of startling breadth" in which the "court holds that commercial enterprises, including corporations, can opt out of any law, saving only tax laws, they judge incompatible with their sincerely held religious beliefs." She said the ruling will leave thousands of women without the contraceptive coverage promised by the law. Justices Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan joined her dissent.

Two years ago, the court narrowly upheld the Affordable Care Act as constitutional on a 5-4 vote. Monday's decision will limit one aspect of the healthcare law -- the requirement that health plans include coverage for contraceptives. But it's one that could potentially affect large numbers of female employees.

It is unclear how many business owners will seek to opt out of providing contraceptives based on their religious views.

The contraceptive requirement was challenged by a pair of family-run businesses whose owners said they believe that so-called morning-after pills and intrauterine devices can effectively abort a fertilized egg. They said the rule requiring them to pay for the coverage made them complicit in sin.

The Obama administration told the justices that contraceptives are necessary preventive care for women and that their availability would help reduce unwanted pregnancies and abortions.

The cases are Burwell vs. Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. and Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp. vs. Burwell.

For more news of the Supreme Court, follow me on Twitter @DavidGSavage

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

8:11 a.m.: This post was updated to add comments from Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Ruth Bader Ginsburg as well as to note which justices favored the ruling and which didn't.

The first version of this post was published at 6:45 a.m.

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Board stretched legal authority trying to enforce parking rules

Question: We live in a guard-gated community with a homeowners association. The management company sent letters to owners and residents requiring information for parking permits. They require a signed form stating name, property and mail address, telephone number, driver's license number or California identification card number of all adults in the household, DMV vehicle registrations and number of cars we park here. Management wants originals to copy and store. If vehicles are "company" cars, they require an employer's letter stating who is on the title and registered to drive it. If information isn't provided by a certain date, fines of $50 a month apply until "compliance." Our parking privileges will be suspended, unregistered vehicles will not be allowed to enter the community, and if parked inside, will be towed.

Our manager said this information goes to three different databases: homeowner association office, security guard company and management company. She said: "It's not for regulating parking or HOA information. We're registering vehicles of all our clients. We want a master database we can use for future business and in case we're sued." She says they "track" people moving from one complex to another and if the company is sued, "we won't have to waste money asking the court's permission to get this information." The security company is paying the management company for their residents database but it's unclear what they plan to do with the information. Owners don't want to provide this information. There are no minutes showing board motions and votes authorizing collection of personal information, no rules referencing this, and our covenants, conditions and restrictions are silent. The association attorney said: "The board has the right to enforce parking rules whatever way they think is appropriate." Is this legal?

Answer: The association's attorney is wrong. Boards do not have unrestricted power and unconditional authority to act unilaterally when enforcing so-called rules predicated on the board's interpretation of what is appropriate. That is not the standard for fiduciaries. Parking privileges cannot be suspended, and requiring employer letters subjects the association to lawsuits. Simply put, the board has no independent power. If there's no legal authority and express authority in the association's governing documents, no prior documented rules, no minutes, motions or votes corroborating authority to collect and/or stockpile owner information, then the $50 fine for non-compliance is null and void and owners should not pay or provide their personal details.

There is an abysmal lack of protection for titleholders' privacy rights under the Common Interest Development Act. Therefore, owners must be hyper-vigilant protecting themselves. No owner wants identifying information to be warehoused with any third party vendor as there are no quantifiable assurances, safeguards or statutory "chain of custody" procedures.

Because the association is the contracting party for goods or services with third parties, such as management and security guards, titleholders whose privacy is violated by a vendor have no standing to pursue an action against that vendor. And, even if they did, third party vendor contracts are laden with "hold harmless" clauses and provisions indemnifying even their intentional acts.

Worse, Civil Code section 5215 punishes owners: No association, officer, director, employee, agent or association volunteer shall be liable for damages to a titleholder or third party as the result of identity theft or other breach of privacy unless the act was intentional, willful or negligent. Then, under Civil Code section 5230, nothing limits the association's right to injunctive relief and to collect damages, costs, expenses and attorney fees for an owner's misuse of information obtained from association records. Little, if nothing, confers equal rights to titleholders for the association's misuse of their information.

A homeowners association is a business. Civil Code section 1798.81.5 mandates businesses that own or license personal information about Californians to provide reasonable security for that information. The phrase "own" includes, but is not limited to, personal information that a business retains as part of its internal accounts or for the purpose of using that information in transactions with the person to whom the information relates.

Businesses that disclose and/or carry personal information about a California resident shall implement and maintain security procedures and practices to protect that personal information from unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification or disclosure, under Civil Code section 1798.81.5. "Disclose" means to release, transfer, disseminate, or otherwise communicate orally, in writing, or by electronic or any other means to any third party, according to Civil Code section 1798.83.

"Personal information" means any information that identifies, relates to, describes or is capable of being associated with a particular individual, including, but not limited to, his name, signature, address, telephone number, driver's license number and/or California identification card number, under Civil Code section 1798.81.5. Associations requiring signatures on election materials must provide security measures for collection, retention and destruction of that information.

Prior to towing, the association and its agents must meet all the criteria set forth in Vehicle Code sections 22658 and 22953, including issuing a notice of parking violation and waiting 96 hours after issuance. Associations must display signage in accordance with these code sections. A towing company shall not commence removal of a vehicle from an association of a common interest development without first obtaining written authorization from an employee, agent of the association and/or board director, who shall be present at the time of removal and verify the alleged violation.

Zachary Levine, partner at Wolk & Levine, a business and intellectual property law firm, co-wrote this column. Vanitzian is an arbitrator and mediator. Send questions to Donie Vanitzian JD, P.O. Box 10490, Marina del Rey, CA 90295 or noexit@mindspring.com.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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Hollywood's paymaster

The gig: Mark Goldstein, 48, is chief executive and president of Burbank company Entertainment Partners, one of the industry's leading payroll services firms. The company processes residual checks and advises studios through the labyrinth of tax credits and rebates available around the world. Entertainment Partners also owns Central Casting, the principal casting service for background actors known as extras.

Unlikely Hollywood career: Goldstein is a Los Angeles native with a degree in economics from UCLA. He launched his career at accounting firm Deloitte & Touche, where he was a partner in the L.A. office. The certified public accountant never planned on a Hollywood career. That changed when one of his clients, Entertainment Partners, needed help changing from a privately held company to a 100% employee-owned organization. Company founders Robert Draney and Jack Peterson were so impressed with Goldstein's services, they tapped him to run the company in 2003.

Employee culture: Goldstein liked the idea of giving employees a stake in their employer. They not only own shares in their company, but they also have a say in how it is run, offering suggestions through an ESOP committee. "I'm a pretty big believer in making a difference and building a great culture," he said. "When you align culture, empowerment and ownership you can deliver great customer service.... Every time a customer calls, they're talking to an owner of the business."

Management approach: "I've never focused on results," Goldstein said. "A lot of people set financial targets. We put all of our responsibilities into creating a great journey for our employees and our clients. The results will take care of themselves."

Soaring growth: When Goldstein joined Entertainment Partners, the company had 350 employees and three offices. Today, the company has more than 900 employees and 16 offices in the U.S., Canada, Japan and Britain. "As employees became entrepreneurial in their thinking, they came up with new ways to generate business and better ways to serve our clients," Goldstein said. "A great example of that is this whole tax-incentive business. We started seeing a trend with a few states coming on board with incentives to lure production in 2004 and we said, 'Hey, there's potential for this to explode around the U.S. Let's build a business around this.'"

On runaway production: As a leading film tax credit advisor, Entertainment Partners has helped make it easier for studios and producers to use tax credits and rebates that have flourished in other states and countries. Goldstein has been a strong proponent of strengthening film incentives in California so it can better compete with New York, Georgia, Louisiana and other domestic and foreign rivals. State lawmakers are currently reviewing a bill that would expand the state's film tax credit program. "There's a piece of me that looks at what California's losing and wishing California would do more to keep business in the state, but I'm also supportive of job growth in the U.S.," he said.

Best advice: "When you stumble, you don't sit back and ask, 'Why did I stumble?' You get up right away and keep going forward."

richard.verrier@latimes.com

Twitter: @rverrier

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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ISIS weapons windfall may alter balance in Iraq, Syria conflicts

Six months ago, Sunni Arab militants faced a daunting firepower imbalance in their uprising against the U.S.-equipped Iraqi army west of Baghdad.

But once their campaign for the city of Fallouja was launched in January, their lethal capabilities were bolstered from the stockpiles of the Iraqi armed forces.

Many soldiers fled, throwing down their weapons, which were picked up by the insurgents. Police stations and security posts overrun by Sunni militants yielded more martial booty to be turned against the forces of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's Shiite Muslim-led government.

"Praise God, we soon had enough weapons to fight for one or two years," said Ahmad Dabaash, spokesman for the Islamic Army, a Sunni rebel faction, who spoke in a hotel lobby here in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region. "And now? Don't even ask!"

By "now," he was referring to the current ground assault by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, the Al Qaeda breakaway group that in the last two weeks has seized large swaths of northern and western Iraq, including Mosul, Iraq's second-most populous city. Fighting alongside ISIS formations are other Iraqi Sunni Arab factions such as the Islamic Army, which rose against the U.S. occupation a decade ago.

As the Iraqi government mobilizes to halt the insurgents' advance toward Baghdad, the capital, there is no full accounting of the stocks of plundered arms, ordnance and gear. But experts agree that the haul is massive, with implications for the merging wars in Iraq and neighboring Syria.

Rival Syrian rebel factions already report seeing U.S.-built, ISIS-commandeered Humvees almost as far west as the vicinity of Aleppo, some 250 miles from Iraq. The influx of arms and fighters from Iraq could shift the balance of power among fractious groups fighting for supremacy in Syria.

ISIS, which also reportedly snatched the equivalent of close to $500 million in cash from a Mosul bank, has been catapulted to the position of the world's wealthiest and best-equipped militant group, analysts say. Its riches easily eclipse those of Al Qaeda under Osama bin Laden, despite his personal fortune. The group, which has attracted thousands of fighters from the Arab world, Europe and elsewhere, also holds sway over a broad swath of contiguous territory in the heart of the Middle East.

"ISIS are well-trained, very capable, and have advanced weapons systems that they know how to use," said Michael Stephens, researcher at the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies.

In the current ISIS-led thrust, the scenario played out earlier by Sunni insurgents in western Iraq has been replicated on a monumental scale.

Government forces retreated en masse from the onslaught, leaving behind a military hardware bonanza, including the U.S.-made armored Humvees as well as trucks, rockets, artillery pieces, rifles, ammunition, even a helicopter. Some of the seized materiel was old or otherwise non-functioning; but a lot was promptly put to use on the battlefield.

Pictures of grinning Islamist warriors cruising in U.S. Humvees bedecked with white-on-black militant flags flooded the Internet and became the signature image of the ISIS rampage.

ISIS social media enthusiasts even mocked the global #BringBackOurGirls Twitter campaign, referring to girls kidnapped by an Al Qaeda offshoot in Nigeria. ISIS sympathizers began tweeting #BringBackOurHumvee.

Though ISIS initially encountered little opposition from the Iraqi army in central and western Iraq, the insurgents have not directly challenged Kurdish troops known as the peshmerga who control a more-than-600-mile front in northern Iraq.

Stretching from the Syrian to Iranian borders, this territory is protected by the semiautonomous Kurdistan Regional Government. Iraqi soldiers who once patrolled much of the line retreated and are now found only along about a 35-mile stretch close to Iran, according to Kurdish security officials.

ISIS "took the weapons stores of the 2nd and 3rd [Iraqi army] divisions in Mosul, the 4th division in Salah al Din, the 12th division in the areas near Kirkuk, and another division in Diyala," said Jabbar Yawar, secretary-general of the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs, punctuating his words with quick flicks of his laser pointer as he stitched a scythe-like arc across a map denoting various provinces and cities strung across northern and central Iraq.

"We're talking about armaments for 200,000 soldiers, all from the Americans," concluded Yawar, a mustachioed figure whose office in Irbil features a photograph of him as a young peshmerga fighter in the 1980s against the government of former Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein.

With such an immense quantity of captured weaponry, Yawar said, ISIS and its confederates are now capable of laying down "a colossal intensity of bullets" against their foes.

Though the group's advance in Iraq has garnered headlines, the plundered weapons and a likely flood of new recruits might also shift the initiative among militant groups in neighboring Syria. ISIS emerged from the turmoil of the Syrian conflict but later suffered setbacks in internecine combat.

This year ISIS faced an assault from rival insurgent factions that cut its presence to a few strongholds in northern and eastern Syria, including the city of Raqqah. Various Syrian militant groups, including the Islamic Front and Al Nusra Front, the latter the official Al Qaeda franchise in Syria, are avowed enemies of ISIS, which broke away last year in a bitter dispute.

But the newly galvanized ISIS recently made substantial gains along the desert borderlands of the Iraqi-Syrian frontier. It seized the border town of Qaim and tore down border fences and bulldozed berms and ditches in a dramatic gesture meant to illustrate its goal of creating a unified Islamist caliphate.

ISIS forces also advanced near the eastern Syrian city of Dair Alzour, capital of the oil-rich province of the same name.

The lightning assault and attendant publicity may be winning new allies, even among Al Nusra Front.

Several days ago, a group of Al Nusra militants in the Syrian town of Bokamal, along the Euphrates River on the border with Iraq, pledged allegiance to ISIS, according to various accounts. ISIS's captured Humvees helped alter the balance of power on the border battlefield, said one Al Nusra fighter reached via Skype.

More ISIS militants and weapons are expected to pour into Syria from Iraq, said Col. Abdulrazzaq Abu Bilal, a commander with Al Tawheed Brigade, one of the Syrian groups arrayed against ISIS.

For a week, ISIS has been massing forces north of Aleppo and clashing with rival militant groups just 12 miles from the main highway linking Aleppo with Turkey, Bilal said in an interview via Skype from Syria.

"After the Iraqi borders opened and ISIS seized control of the Dair Alzour suburbs, this gave them the motivation to advance toward Aleppo," said Bilal, a defector from the Syrian air force.

The group's success has prompted President Obama to seek $500 million from Congress to train "appropriately vetted elements of the moderate Syrian opposition."

As ISIS continues to storm through Iraq, Bilal said, its leaders seem determined to repeat the same offensive trajectory in Syria — and regain areas ceded to rivals in northern Syria.

"They are seeking to control the Turkish border in its entirety," he said, and "to cut off the supply routes and retake all the areas they lost."

patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com

Special correspondent Bulos reported from Irbil and Times staff writers Abdulrahim and McDonnell from Los Angeles and Beirut, respectively.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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Obama to seek $2 billion to stem surge of Central American immigrants

President Obama will send a letter to Congress on Monday requesting more than $2 billion to pay for tighter border enforcement and humanitarian assistance to respond to the swell of children from Central America illegally crossing the border without their parents, a White House official said Sunday.

Obama will also request that Congress change a law that requires ‎unaccompanied children from non-contiguous countries be allowed to fight their deportations in immigration court before being sent out of the country. The change would make it easier for the U.S. to quickly return such children to their home countries, mirroring a similar law currently in place for children from Mexico.

A massive backlog in immigration courts has meant the children coming from Central American countries such as Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras spend years inside the U.S. while their cases are being heard. During that time the majority of those children are released into the care of relatives in the U.S.

Obama will ask Congress to give the Homeland Security secretary the ability to speed the deportations of Central American children, the official said.

It is unusual for the president to make requests from Congress when lawmakers are not in session. Congress is on break until July 7. But the crisis on the border is mounting and White House officials decided that they could not wait to make the request until lawmakers return to Washington.

Unaccompanied minors and families — often women traveling with children — have been crossing the U.S.-Mexico border by the thousands, mainly in the Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas. An estimated 52,000 unaccompanied youths have been caught along the Southwest's border with Mexico since October, almost double last year's total.

Most of the migrants come from Central America, driven north by unstable conditions in their homelands and by a widespread rumor that the U.S. government is giving families and unaccompanied children permission to stay in the country indefinitely.

There is no special program granting such migrants residency, but in a strange way, the rumor has become somewhat true. Immigration officials were not prepared to handle the special needs of so many families or children and have responded by holding them in detention centers or releasing them to relatives or caretakers with the understanding they will report to immigration officials later.

Temporary shelters have been opened at military facilities, such as Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, to handle the influx. On Friday, officials announced that adults with children being held in overcrowded Border Patrol facilities in the Rio Grande Valley would be moved to California, housed in Border Patrol stations in the Imperial Valley and the San Diego area.

The children from Central America present a particular challenge to the government.

Under U.S. immigration law, Mexican or Canadian children who enter illegally and alone can be returned to their homelands immediately. Children from elsewhere, however, cannot be removed immediately and must first be taken into U.S. custody.

The Department of Homeland Security can detain children who aren't from Mexico or Canada for a maximum of 72 hours.

The children then must be transferred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which places them in temporary shelters. That agency is required to "act in the best interest of the child," which often means reuniting the child with a parent or relative living in the U.S. Others are placed in foster care.

Children have long crossed the border alone and illegally, but in the past most were Mexicans. According to U.S. authorities, a change occurred in fiscal year 2013 when more Central American children — nearly 21,000 from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador — entered the U.S. illegally. A little more than 17,000 originated from Mexico.

Through May of this federal fiscal year, 34,611 were from Central America and 11,577 from Mexico. 

For more immigration news, follow @ByBrianBennett.

Follow @StevePadilla2 for national news.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

June 29, 7:08 a.m.: This post was updated to add comments from a White House official.

The first version of this post was published June 28 at 10:01 p.m.

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Dodgers have growing problem with injuries to Ramirez, Turner

The Dodgers have a problem. A potentially troubling one. Yeah, you can win seven of your last nine and still have problems.

And right now that problem is the left side of the infield.

Two days after getting third baseman Juan Uribe back from the disabled list with a hamstring strain, they lost key backup infielder Justin Turner on Saturday to the same injury. They expect to put him on the DL today (Sunday).

On the day shortstop Hanley Ramirez played for the first time in five days because he was out with a sore shoulder, he suffered a calf injury and left Saturday's game following the second inning.

Which calf is injured remained something of a mystery. Ramirez said it was not the same left calf that caused him to miss three games last month, but his right one. The Dodgers said it was his left.

Make of that what you will, but the health of Ramirez and his future with the Dodgers is growing murkier by the day. Ramirez is in the last year of his contract and is looking for that deal of a lifetime, a $100-million-plus contract. General Manager Ned Colletti has said the Dodgers are interested in bringing him back.

But how much would you spend on a 30-year-old infielder who for the second consecutive season is struggling to stay healthy and whose play at short is what might conservatively be called below par?

The Dodgers' best defensive shortstop right now is Miguel Rojas, who looks more comfortable — if not brilliant — by the day. But last year's Dodgers were reliant offensively on Ramirez, who when healthy was one of the league's most feared hitters.

"I like our lineup a lot better with him in it," said Manager Don Mattingly. "But I think we're built on pitching and if we can defend ... the only positive is I think we're a little better defensively with someone else. But there's no way you can say we're a better offensive club when Hanley's not in there."

Mattingly wanted to ease Uribe back from his hamstring issue, giving him regular days off early in his comeback. But Turner has been the main sub at third and his loss is not small thing. Turner was hitting .374 since May 11.

"Turner has been extremely valuable for us," said right-hander Zack Greinke. "There's not many guys who can play all the infield spots and still put up quality at-bats. His at-bats are even above quality at-bats. So far this year I would put him in the top tier of utility guys playing the game. You just can't replace that."

So right now the Dodgers have a starting third baseman who has had two hamstring injuries this season whom they don't want to play every day, a shortstop whose health is uncertain and is difficult to count upon, and they're about to put their best infield utility man on the DL.

Turner said he felt his left hamstring give just as he rounded first on a double in the second inning Saturday.

"I just felt it grab a little bit," Turner said. "As soon as I felt it, I pulled up and trotted into second. I tried to stretch it out a little bit and it still felt tight."

Now the Dodgers will have to call up another infielder, likely either Erisbel Arruebarrena (hitting .362 at triple-A Albuquerque) or Carlos Triunfel, who was just sent down Thursday when Uribe was activated. Alex Guerrero, his bitten ear now apparently healing, is at the Dodgers' Phoenix training facility still working himself back into shape.

Exactly what Ramirez is thinking is difficult to report. Without any real explanation, he has tried to avoid interviews for about a month now. Saturday he just said he was fine and that it was his right calf, but otherwise just shook his head to tell reporters he was not going to give an interview.

It's a fairly confusing situation on the left side of the infield and it could remain that way for a while. And that's a problem.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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Pregnant pause: Would you do a home test at the bar?

Ladies, how likely would you be to take a pregnancy test in the bathroom of a bar?

Bars and restaurants in Alaska are set later this year to have home pregnancy test dispensers installed in their bathrooms. 

Forget all of the awkwardly comedic images of the logistics of testing for something so life-altering in a place so public.

This is part of a prevention study looking at how best to drop the numbers of children afflicted with a disorder that is 100% preventable: fetal alcohol syndrome. 

"We know alcohol crosses the placenta," perinatologist Dr. Rachel Gutkin told The Times in an interview. "Within two hours, there is alcohol in the placenta." 

No one can say how much alcohol a mother can safely consume, but the effects on baby can be irreversible, she said.

Alaska has the highest reported rate of fetal alcohol syndrome in the United States, according to the state's Department of Health and Social Services. Officials estimate that about 163 children born each year (or 16.3 per 1,000 live births) in Alaska are reported to the Alaska Birth Defects Registry as affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol.

While Fetal Alcohol Syndrome can be punctuated by specific attributes, including changes in the face and organ defects, FASD can go undetected at birth and emerges over time. However, the challenges will follow children into adulthood, throughout their lives, Gutkin said.  

Enter Dr. David Driscoll and pregnancy test dispensers. 

Driscoll is director of the University of Alaska at Anchorage's Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies (ICHS) and leads the research team that will study the impact of placing 30 dispensers with a "think before you drink" message on it in six communities. Another six communities will get just a framed poster with the same message. 

He said in an interview with The Times that the team expects the test is likely to leave more of an impression. It has certainly already garnered nationwide media coverage. 

The two-year, $400,000 project is state-funded and will include surveys and follow-ups with women who see the message. The team has been working out the logistics of the study, including what brand-name pregnancy tests to use, and will install the dispensers in December. 

The idea of placing pregnancy test dispensers where alcohol is served isn't a new one, actually. It started in Minnesota, when educator-turned-health advocate Jody Allen Crowe decided to try to stem the overwhelming incidence of children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.  

After seeing the impact of FASD on his students, he started Healthy Brains for Children. The volunteer organization was able to install pregnancy test dispensers with the "think before you drink" message and FASD information in bathrooms at a university bar, convenience store near campus and in the unisex bathroom at a youth center. 

Over the years, the group has collected anecdotal evidence of the efficacy of its efforts. "Having Alaska take this on means empirical evidence," Crowe said. 

Speaking of evidence, those tests women will find in the bar can actually serve as more than the FASD-awareness messenger.

"These tests are highly accurate," said Gutkin, who is also an assistant clinical professor at UCLA School of Medicine. They can, in fact, detect pregnancy about 14 days after conception, some earlier, said Gutkin. (Remember that conception can take a few days after intercourse.)

 That might be more than you want to ponder in the bathroom of a bar. But Crowe puts it this way: "I tell people every drink that a pregnant woman holds in her hand has the potential to take potential away from kids."

Going through the growing pains of parenthood? Join me on the journey: @mmaltaisla

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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VidCon: YouTube stars mull transition to TV, audience-funded content

YouTube stars currently need the deep pockets of the television industry to create costly long-form content. But using audiences to fund content in the future is a contentious topic, according to stars at a VidCon panel Saturday.

Panelists agreed that television is a necessary step forward if YouTubers want to reach the next level. That's because the financial resources in the television industry can afford YouTubers longer and higher quality content.

"The reality is that we can't sustain long-form production in the current state of new media," said Benny Fine of "TheFineBros" YouTube channel. "We could be doing a lot of great things, but the economics isn't there, which is why we're going to television. Long-form content on a sustained basis requires traditional media."

"TheFineBros" channel has 8.8 million subscribers. The brothers, Benny and Rafi, are best known for their "react" video series, which includes episodes such as "Kids React to Gay Marriage." The duo also has a media company, Fine Brothers Entertainment.

"There's no reason not to create everywhere, including platforms like Netflix and Amazon," Fine said. "Internet and television will merge at some point."

But that's not to discredit the audience that YouTube can build for lesser known creators, said Shawna Howson of the "Nanalew" YouTube channel. With well over 500,000 subscribers, the channel features Howson's short films.

"It's great to start on YouTube and get your feet wet," Howson said. "But while it's cool to create online, it's also cool to extend to people offline."

Television therefore represents an end goal because "you want to be exposed to as many people as possible," she said.

Still, the audiences that creators generate online can be used as leverage during potential deals with brands or television networks, Howson said.

"Technically we don't need anything from them because we have our audience and our show," she said. "They're seeing us as something they want to buy into. It's not like the old way, when you brought a script and had nothing."

But the role of audiences in funding content is still a subject of debate. While audience contributions could in theory fund long-form content, many of the panelists said they wouldn't feel comfortable asking or charging.

"I'm not a fan of crowdfunding and I'm not at a point where I can ask people to pay for stuff," said Anna Akana. Her YouTube channel features comedy videos and has nearly 900,000 subscribers.

"I would rather prove my worth to my audience than ask them to pay."

Akana's comments came two days after YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki announced that the company would introduce "Fan Funding," a virtual tip jar that would allow viewers to tip up to $500.

In an ideal world, Howson said she would use brand deals to fund her work.

"If I could take a brand deal a month, I would. Then I could pocket the extra money and put it into a new film and not have to ask for anything from my audience," she said.

Twitter: @madeline_oh

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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Oddsmaker gives Lakers even lower championship odds after NBA draft

The Lakers were happy to land Julius Randle with the seventh overall pick in last Thursday's NBA Draft.

Oddsmakers may have been looking for more.

Before Thursday, the Lakers were a 40-1 long shot to win the NBA title, according to online oddsmaker BettingSports.com.

After the draft, the Lakers fell to 60-1 odds.

That may not be a slight on Kentucky forward Randle, who helped the Wildcats advance to the NCAA championship game, but more on the absence of a blockbuster trade to jump-start Kobe Bryant and the Lakers back to immediate contention.

The Lakers may have significant cap room in July to try and remake the roster.  Perhaps a few choice moves will improve the team's odds.

BettingSports.com has the Miami Heat with 4-1 odds, ahead of both the San Antonio Spurs (11-2), Chicago Bulls (8-1), Oklahoma City Thunder (8-1) and Clippers (10-1).

The Lakers are on par with the Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Hornets, with better odds than the Atlanta Hawks (70-1), Phoenix Suns (75-1), Minnesota Timberwolves (75-1), Boston Celtics (75-1), Utah Jazz (150-1), Sacramento Kings (150-1), Orlando Magic (150-1), Philadelphia 76ers (250-1) and Milwaukee Bucks (300-1).

Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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Home of the Week: Spanish-style mansion in Pacific Palisades

This Spanish-style mansion in Pacific Palisades' Riviera neighborhood is entered through an 18th century walnut gate surrounded by brightly colored tiles. The motif continues inside with archways and Moorish accents. Most of the rooms connect to a central courtyard and a patio or balcony, adding light and airiness.

Location: 581 Amalfi Drive, Pacific Palisades 90272

Asking price: $11.38 million

Year built: 2003

Architect: Richard Landry

House size: Six bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, 10,400 square feet

Lot size: 26,690 square feet

Features: Studio, den, office, media room, double kitchen, groin-vaulted ceilings, basement, circular driveway, canyon views, swimming pool

About the area: Last year, 350 single-family homes sold in the 90272 ZIP Code at a median price of $2.35 million, according to DataQuick. That was a 22.7% price increase from 2012.

Agents: Chad Rogers, Hilton & Hyland/Christie's International Real Estate, (310) 858-5417, and Fran Flanagan, Coldwell Banker, (310) 801-9805

To submit a candidate for Home of the Week, send high-resolution color photos via Dropbox.com, permission from the photographer to publish the images and a description of the house to homeoftheweek@latimes.com.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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Ford is burning (sustainable) rubber in push to go green

Ford Motor Co. and H.J. Heinz Co. are trying to turn tomato skins into floor mats.

The car company is also working with soybean farmers, who are helping its engineers turn soy oil into seat cushions, and with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which is helping it mold shredded U.S. currency into coin trays.

The effort is part of Ford's biomaterials team's push into non-petroleum-based alternatives to traditional plastics. The goal is to reduce weight and increase fuel economy by using inexpensive, environmentally friendly materials that might otherwise become landfill.

"Our sustainable materials strategy [is] embodied by a 'reduce, reuse and recycle' commitment," said Ellen C. Lee, team leader of Ford's plastics research division. She recalled a meeting with Heinz, where she was told the company used 2 million pounds of tomatoes a year to make ketchup — and there was a byproduct Ford could use.

"That got our attention," Lee said.

Ford vehicles already feature recycled jeans and T-shirts (turned into interior padding), recycled wood (turned into interior trim), recycled yarn (microsuede for upholstery) and a kind of hibiscus plant fiber known as kenaf (door bolsters).

The company's Flex has wheat straw in the plastic storage bins. Ford's Focus Electric has recycled plastic water bottles in its seat covers. The Escape dashboard contains about 10 pounds of bluejeans, T-shirts and sweaters.

Now the company is looking into turning dandelion and marigold pulp into a non-petroleum-based rubber, for automotive trim and tires, and is in the early stages of a deal to recycle millions of pounds of retired U.S. currency into interior parts such as coin trays.

"I don't know if it would be right for every customer, but it fits with the theme," Lee said. "You could actually see that it is shredded money."

The interest in cheap, sustainable products for automobiles is part of Ford's heritage, company officers say. Founder Henry Ford built and unveiled a "soybean car" in 1941. It featured soy oil-based plastic panels and weighed 1,000 pounds less than a conventional Ford. The panels didn't dent or ding.

But Ford isn't the only company pushing into new plastics.

Honda representatives say that in 2006 the company began using a corn-based "bio-fabric" for seating material that's now included in its Accord Plug-In and Fit EV, two low-volume green vehicles. The company also uses a byproduct of sugar cane to make a type of plastic.

According to Toyota, the company was putting PET plastic components in some Prius and Lexus vehicles as early as 2007. Toyota has also for several years been using kenaf plant fibers for scuff plates and seat cushions in some cars, and uses bamboo charcoal in the manufacturing of its speaker cones.

Lee came to Ford early in her career, after graduate work at UC Berkeley.

She joined a biomaterials team that was looking into ways to create a seat cushion foam using soybean oil. In 2007, after six years of work, the product went into a vehicle — as part of the seat cushions for the 2008 Mustang.

The material migrated to other Ford vehicles and other applications. Now, Lee said, some sort of soy-based foam is in every Ford on the road, often as headrests. The company is also trying to use the product to make headliner and armrests.

The company is also part of the Plant PET Technology Collective, a consortium formed with Heinz, Coca-Cola Co., Nike Inc. and Procter & Gamble Co. The companies have pooled resources to figure out, among other things, how to abandon conventional plastics in favor of a plant-based plastic. The members of the group, formed in 2012, are using the plant-based plastic to make bottles, apparel, footwear and automotive carpet.

Coca-Cola is already making bottles that are 30% plant-based, Lee said.

"We want to push that from 30% to 100%," she said.

The push into sustainable materials is about profits as much as the environment. Ford's biomaterials website notes that a barrel of oil cost about $16 in the early 2000s, when the automaker first started researching reusable materials. Today, a barrel of oil might go for $115 or more.

The company says its use of soybean-based plastics reduces its petroleum consumption by 5 million pounds a year.

Don Anair of the Union of Concerned Scientists applauded the effort but suggested that automakers stay focused on reducing fuel consumption.

"There's a general trend in many industries to find ways to use recycled materials," Anair said. "But the biggest impact on the environment is the vehicles they make and the fuel they need to burn to operate."

Several Ford representatives stressed that the use of natural products was, as Lee said, "in our company DNA." Founder Ford was obsessed with finding ways of getting agriculture and automotive to work together. He put wheat straw into the steering wheel of his early automobiles and used hemp fibers to produce early car parts.

He was so enamored by the soybean that he had a suit made from soybean "wool."

"The problem was," Lee said, "he didn't know how to clean it, so it never got washed."

charles.fleming@latimes.com

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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Singer Chris Brown left his mark in home, moves on

Chris Brown, the singer whose Hollywood Hills house once drew the ire of neighbors for its graffiti-like artwork, has sold his hillside residence for $1.69 million.

Although the exterior was repainted before the home went on the market, several interior walls in the four-story home still bore cartoon-esque characters in the listing photos.

An elevator and staircases connect the vertical house, which includes an art studio, a loft, three bedrooms, three bathrooms and 3,000 square feet of living space. A quirky open-concept bedroom features a red stand-alone tub and a glass shower in full view of the sleeping area.

The home's front, the saltwater pool and the spa are illuminated by colored LED lights. There's also an outdoor projection screen, stone waterfalls and fire pits.

Brown bought the house, which was built in 2008, two years ago for $1.55 million. He had listed it at $1.92 million.

He also sold a West Hollywood penthouse in an off-market deal in April for $1.6 million, the same price he paid in 2011. Noise from the penthouse brought complaints from other residents of the building when he lived there.

The three-bedroom, four-bathroom unit occupies 3,105 square feet on the entire top floor of the building, which was constructed in 2009. Features include a bar, an art studio and dual master suites.

Brown, 25, has spent parts of this year in rehab and jail. Some of his current legal troubles began five years ago when he was arrested on suspicion of assaulting his then-girlfriend, singer Rihanna.

The singer-dancer-actor won a Grammy for his R&B album "F.A.M.E." He is working on his sixth studio album, "X," and planning a tour.

Manuela Villa of Coldwell Banker was the listing agent for both properties. Ernie Carswell and Chris Pickett of Teles Properties represented the buyer of the Hollywood Hills house.

Michael Jackson estate buys house

The Calabasas home Michael Jackson's estate bought in an off-market deal for $10.75 million was sold by Kassabian Design Build, which constructed the Mediterranean-style home before there was a buyer.

The style of the home was inspired by a trip that designer Diko Kassabian took to Tuscany, Italy.

The 12,670 square feet of living space includes a massive dual-stairway entry, a pub, three fireplaces, a home theater, a sauna, a library, an elevator and eight bedrooms. The oversized kitchen has a mosaic-tile wall behind the commercial range and a large island.

There are also extensive covered patios, a 633-square-foot guesthouse, a swimming pool with a spa and a putting green. The 1,548-square-foot garage can accommodate five cars.

Michael Jackson, who died June 25 five years ago at 50, got his start as a member of the family group the Jackson 5. His album "Thriller" had record sales.

Katherine Jackson leased the nearly one-acre property, where she lives with the late singer's children, for $26,000 a month after the pop star's death.

The gated neighborhood is popular with celebrities. Recent home buyers include reality show personalities Kourtney Kardashian and Khloe Kardashian, who purchased her house from Justin Bieber.

Marc and Rory Shevin of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices were the listing agents. Nichelle Robinson and Barbara Robinson of Hilton & Hyland/Christie's International Real Estate represented the estate.

A place to crash after the tour

Adam Lambert, an "American Idol" runner-up who has gone on to a successful career in music, has bought a home in Hollywood Hills West for $2.995 million.

The Modern-style house was built in 1947 and has been renovated. A sweeping exterior staircase follows the shape of a curved wall with a tall glass-brick window.

The nearly 3,800 square feet of living space includes a dining room with a floor-to-ceiling climate-controlled wine room, an oversized kitchen with commercial-grade appliances and a diner-style booth/breakfast room, a den with a fireplace, a screening room and a gym.

The master suite has a fireplace, a sitting area and a spa-like bathroom for a total of three bedrooms and four bathrooms.

Ferns and lush landscaping fill the courtyard-style backyard, which features a grotto spa.

Lambert, 32, took second place on a hotly contested "Idol" season in 2009, the same year he released the album "For Your Entertainment." While he has continued to release albums and tour, he also has been doing soundtrack work for television as well as acting. Since last year, he has been on five episodes of "Glee."

He is touring North America, Asia and Australia this summer with Queen, filling in for the late Freddie Mercury. L.A. fans can catch them Thursday at the Forum.

Jeff Yarbrough and Chris Jacobs of Keller Williams were the listing agents. Brad Downs of Rodeo Realty represented Lambert.

Mayor Garcetti sells to M83 founder

Anthony Gonzalez of the electronic music band M83 has bought the Silver Lake home of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and his wife, Amy Wakeland. The sales price has yet to be made public.

The boxy contemporary, built in 2010, was the Garcetti family home before they moved to Getty House, an 8,076-square-foot English Tudor-style mansion in Windsor Square that serves as the official mayoral residence.

Among the 4,000 square feet of living space in Gonzalez's new place are an open living room, dining room, media room, office/gym, six bedrooms and five bathrooms. The sleek kitchen features concrete counters and a walk-in pantry.

The top-level master suite looks out at the reservoir. There are multiple decks with views of the city.

The Garcettis bought the hillside property four years ago for $1.425 million. The home was briefly listed in April for a one-year lease at $8,500 a month.

Gonzalez founded the electronic music band in 2001. M83 has six studio albums and two soundtrack albums, including one for last year's Tom Cruise/Morgan Freeman sci-fi film "Oblivion." "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming," released three years ago and promoted on a Europe and North America tour, drew an international following. The French producer moved to Los Angeles four years ago.

Garcetti took office last summer to become L.A.'s 42nd mayor.

Jacqueline Tager of Sotheby's International Realty represented Garcetti and Wakeland.

Managing 'Anger' and realty portfolio

Charlie Sheen listed a house in Westlake Village at $1.695 million and in less than two weeks it was in escrow.

The "Anger Management" star bought the property last year for $1.6 million.

Set on a corner lot in the North Ranch area, the home features a family room, three fireplaces, plantation shutters, vaulted ceilings, four bedrooms, four bathrooms and 3,883 square feet of living space. The house was built in 1989 and has been upgraded.

The more than half-acre lot contains an infinity pool with a spa, a built-in barbecue, fruit trees and vegetable gardens.

Sheen, 48, also starred on "Two and a Half Men" (2003-11) and "Spin City" (2000-02). His film work includes last year's "Scary Movie 5," "Hot Shots!" (1991) and "Wall Street" (1987).

He owns several properties in the Los Angeles area.

Terri Freidin of Troop Real Estate is the listing agent.

Leaving highlands of Sherman Oaks?

Adrian Paul of "Highlander" fame has listed his home in the hills of Sherman Oaks at $1.4 million.

Described as contemporary Mediterranean, the open-plan house features an ornately carved front door, vaulted ceilings, three bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and 3,544 square feet of living space on three levels. The updated kitchen has stainless-steel appliances and a prep sink.

There's an attached one-bedroom, one-bathroom guesthouse with a living room and kitchen. The three-car garage also is attached. Decks take in expansive mountain and city views.

Paul, 55, starred in the "Highlander" television series and later in films. He will be in the upcoming movies "Outpost 37" and "Dante's Hell Documented."

Venessa Blair of John Aaroe Group is the listing agent.

lauren.beale@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATHotProperty

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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YouTube stars, video content creators fear new net neutrality rules

The big debate over net neutrality has some YouTube stars fearing that the end of the world is near.

The online community has been in a dither about the future of a regulatory provision that Internet service providers treat all traffic the same. The Federal Communications Commission is in the process of rewriting the rules, and some worry that a proposal may be approved to create a fast lane for data.

This worries vloggers like Vi Hart and Emily Eifler, who make a living uploading videos and other content to YouTube. They appeared together on a panel titled "Our Biggest Fear: The End of Net Neutrality" at VidCon's annual convention in Anaheim.

"I think one of the weird effects of net neutrality that affects my daily life is Internet speeds," said Hart, whose 11-minute video on the hot-button issue has tallied more than 500,000 views. "Just uploading a video … when I have to wait 13 hours for a simple video to upload that is a symptom of problems."

Eifler, who runs the educational tech channel BlinkPopShift, stressed that the fast-lane rules would put those without bulging pockets at a disadvantage. She said it threatens competition, using the example of wanting to start a new video platform but not having the resources of YouTube-owner Google, which might have the money to pay a cable company for faster Internet speeds.

"That would mean that only people who pay for Comcast service and people who wanted to watch YouTube videos would get much faster service than, say, my little video start-up platform," she said. "That just means any creator who wants to get stuff uploaded quickly would automatically go to YouTube and wouldn't be able to put content on other platforms. Meaning that those platforms would mathematically be less likely to get more viewers."

Michael Weinberg, vice president at Public Knowledge, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit public interest group involved with tech policy issues, said activation among the video community — creators and consumers — is key. Weinberg said Public Knowledge is working on assembling a form of YouTuber action with plans for a site to coordinate people.

"People who are in the FCC don't understand what is happening," Weinberg said. "People in the FCC are maybe aware of Netflix and have probably been forwarded a cat video on YouTube, but have no concept of the scale … no one in Washington sees you coming. If you come together and act together, there's a lot of push there. And it will be a lot of push going against an undefended client."

The three-day VidCon convention is expected to draw about 18,000 people, including online video stars, studios and Hollywood agents.

Also at the convention, another panel addressed how online content providers can get corporate backing.

With the huge fan bases that online stars amass, brands such as Ford, RedBull and L'Oreal are increasingly turning to online video talent to forge new followers.

But the dynamic between independent video makers and large brands can get strained. That's because the creators are often more loyal to their audiences than the brand.

When the brand doesn't meld with the creator, it's "like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole," said Jeremy Scott of CinemaSins, the popular YouTube channel devoted to joking about movie flaws. About 2.4 million people subscribe to CinemaSins.

"Brands have to find content that is thematically tied to the same audience that they're trying to reach," said Luke Simmons, director of branded content for Electus Digital. Electus owns and operates a number of channels and websites including CollegeHumor.com.

Devin Graham said video creators have total allegiance to their audiences.

Graham's YouTube channel "DevinSuperTramp" has more than 2 million subscribers. It focuses on off-beat outdoor activities such as putting a slip-and-slide on the side of a cliff.

"My audience is more important than any brand I'm ever going to get," he said. If a brand's idea of content doesn't mesh with what his audience likes, "it's not worth the risk."

Graham said brands and creators have to find a middle ground. To do that, creators have to be upfront from the onset about making content that will keep their audience happy, he said.

"That way it won't feel like a commercial, and it will be real for an audience of YouTubers," Graham said. "Social media people want it to feel authentic and real."

yvonne.villarreal@latimes.com

madeline.o'leary@latimes.com

Staff writer Saba Hamedy contributed to this story.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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Border Patrol to ship detained families from Texas to California

Hundreds of families caught illegally crossing the border in Texas will be flown to Border Patrol stations in Southern California in the coming days, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.

Adults with children being held in overcrowded Border Patrol facilities in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas will be moved to Border Patrol stations in the Imperial Valley and the San Diego area, officials announced late Friday.

Border Patrol operations in Texas are overwhelmed by a crush of children from Central America coming across the border. Many are traveling with a single parent, but the vast majority have crossed alone and surrendered to Border Patrol agents, hoping to be eventually united with relatives in the U.S.

An estimated 52,000 unaccompanied youths from Central America have been caught along the Southwest's border with Mexico since October, almost double last year's total. Of that, more than two-thirds made the crossing into the Rio Grande Valley.

Moving families to areas of Southern California that are not seeing the same spike in crossings could help process cases more quickly.

"The movement will allow the U.S. Border Patrol in less congested areas to assist in processing family units from South Texas where we are seeing an influx of migrants crossing the border," Michael Friel, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said in a statement.

The first group of families was initially expected to arrive in Southern California on Monday, but the flights were canceled after lawmakers raised objections and Border Patrol officials struggled to find appropriate locations to house parents and children together. Families will also be transferred within Texas to Laredo and El Paso.

Border Patrol agents in the San Diego and El Centro sectors will conduct initial interviews with the families before handing them to officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement's office of Enforcement and Removal Operations, Friel said.

Then, immigration officers will determine which families must be immediately expelled from the country and which families have legitimate claims for protection and asylum in the United States.

Most of the families being transferred come from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

The Border Patrol's El Centro sector has stations in El Centro, Calexico, Indio and Riverside. The San Diego sector has stations in San Diego, Imperial Beach, Pine Valley, San Clemente, El Cajon, Murrieta and Boulevard.

Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Corona) demanded the Obama administration immediately stop the plan to bring the families into California.

"Instead of solving the immigration problems along our border in Texas, President Obama has decided to spread that problem into communities in my congressional district and throughout Southern California," Calvert said in a statement. Calvert said that the Obama administration has not told Southern California communities exactly when the transfers would occur or where the families would be held.

"That lack of coordination and basic management is what compounds the frustration of so many of the people in our community that I have spoken with in the past few days," Calvert said. "I will continue to demand that the Obama administration stop this plan immediately and to fix the problem at the border instead of merely shifting it around to neighborhoods around the country."

Follow @ByBrianBennett for immigration and other national news.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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100 years later, remembering the crucible called World War I

The shot that changed the world rang out on a sunny summer's morning in Southeastern Europe. No one knew then that the assassin's bullet would spell the death not just of an Austrian aristocrat but the entire global order, with four empires and millions of lives lost in a conflict on a scale never before seen.

Exactly 100 years ago Saturday, Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and his wife, Sophie, were shot at close range by a young Serbian nationalist on the streets of Sarajevo.

The assassination set off a chain reaction that, barely a month later, culminated in a continent at war.

What many thought would be a brief, even heroic, conflict metastasized into a four-year nightmare that engulfed dozens more nations, including the United States, redrew the map of Europe and introduced the world to new horrors such as chemical weapons and shell shock. A second, even deadlier global catastrophe, which had its seeds in the first, struck within a generation.

For many modern-day Europeans, the conflict is emblematic of the madness of war.

In such a cataclysm there are no winners, many say, and it's fruitless to seek logic, meaning or justification in soldiers asphyxiating in gas attacks, or waves of men charging over the tops of trenches only to be mowed down by machine-gun fire within seconds.

This week, European leaders gathered to remember those sacrifices at a solemn ceremony in Ypres, Belgium, where countless soldiers fell on the muddy fields of Flanders.

"This commemoration is not about the end of the war or any battle or victory," said Herman Van Rompuy, a former Belgian prime minister. "It is about how it could start, about the mindless march to the abyss, about the sleepwalking — above all, about the millions who were killed on all sides, on all fronts."

Van Rompuy is now president of the council of the 28-nation European Union, an expression of regional comity and solidarity that could scarcely have been imagined 100 years ago.

The union is far from perfect: Leaders bickered publicly this week over who ought to be handed one of the EU's plum jobs, and recent elections to the European Parliament produced a crop of winners from parties avowedly hostile to further integration. But in 2012, the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of how far Europe has put its blood-soaked past behind it.

In another sign of healing divisions, French President Francois Hollande will dedicate a memorial in November inscribed with the names of all 600,000 troops who perished in northern France during World War I, regardless of which side they fought on.

That seems to mirror a new tendency to gloss over the question of who was to blame for the war — many label Germany the chief aggressor — and focus instead on what happened, said Annika Mombauer, a historian at Britain's Open University. Such an approach sits uneasily with her.

"Given the countless victims the war claimed, the unimaginable horrors that were inflicted all over the world, it is fair and justified to pose the question of who was ultimately responsible for this," she said. "Of course, we have not managed to agree on an answer in a hundred years, and doubtless we never will.

"The crisis of 1914 shows us that it is dangerous to be too complacent, to assume that bluff will work and that the other side will not ultimately be prepared to go to war," Mombauer said. "The decision-makers of Austria-Hungary and Germany deliberately took the risk that the crisis they provoked might escalate into a full-scale war. The other governments were prepared to call their bluff."

The Great War also underscored the rise of the United States and the dawn of an American century. The principle of self-determination of nations took root, which continues to be tested. Three months from now, Scotland will vote on independence from Britain; Catalonia seeks a similar referendum on secession from Spain.

The idea of bringing nations together in an international talking-shop aimed at keeping the peace also crystallized in the ashes of World War I.

In some ways, the Great War was a family affair: King George V of Britain, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and Czar Nicholas II of Russia were cousins.

The war swept away most of those dynasties. The Russian Revolution ushered in the world's first communist state; a defeated Germany witnessed the birth of the Weimar Republic. The Ottoman Empire was broken into pieces, and the map of the Middle East was redrawn as well.

Islamic militants this month tore down border posts along the frontier between Iraq and Syria, a line drawn after the Turkish empire was dismembered. The central question for Iraqis is whether their country, defined by those borders, can survive.

Across Europe, not just the political but the old social older crumbled as a result of World War I.

"The Great War … was a rupture," Van Rompuy said. "This is the end of yesterday's world, the end of empires, aristocracies and also an innocent belief in progress."

Nenad Prokic, a Serbian playwright and former lawmaker, struggles to make sense of the conflict a century after his compatriot, 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip, angry about Austria's annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, gunned down Franz Ferdinand. A month after the assassination, Austria-Hungary retaliated, its ally Germany moved on France, Russia and Britain mobilized their forces, and within a week, all had formally declared war.

The repercussions were enormous on Prokic's country, which lost a quarter of its people, including more than half its male population.

"We could not recover from that," he said.

The nation of Yugoslavia, and a fragile hope, emerged from the rubble. But that fell apart violently, too, in the Balkan wars of the 1990s, which gave the world the brutal euphemism of "ethnic cleansing." Serbia, an international pariah for years afterward, is hoping to rehabilitate its image and gain a foothold in the EU.

"Now we are trying for a quarter of a century to organize a new state for us — very unsuccessfully, I must say," said Prokic, who lives in Belgrade.

In his new play, "Finger, Trigger, Bullet, Gun," Prokic explores the buildup to World War I and the "human stupidity" that tries to turn mass carnage into virtue. The drama premieres Saturday at the London International Festival of Theatre, which is devoting the entire weekend to works dealing with the war's enduring aftermath.

Onstage will be more than 19,000 dominoes, for the number of British soldiers killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. At the close of the play — which ends in the present, with the characters discussing Europe and the crisis over Russia's seizure of Crimea this year — the dominoes will be toppled.

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Aereo to suspend streaming TV service today, says fight will go on

Aereo, the start-up video service that the Supreme Court ruled is illegal earlier this week, has told its customers it is temporarily suspending operations.

In a letter to subscribers, Aereo Founder and Chief Executive Chet Kanojia, said access to the service would stop Saturday (June 28) at 11:30 a.m. ET.

However, Kanojia indicated the company wasn't ready to throw in the towel just yet. "The company is not shutting down," a representative said, adding, "our journey is far from done."

Launched in 2012 and available in 11 markets including New York City and Boston, Aereo streams the signals of local broadcast television stations over the Internet to consumers via remote antennas. It charges between $8 and $12 a month for its service, which includes a cloud-based digital video recorder.

Broadcasters led by CBS, Fox, ABC and NBC charged that Aereo's service violated the Copyright Act and was rebroadcasting their signals illegally. The Second Circuit for the State of New York found in favor of Aereo, but the Supreme Court reversed that decision in a 6-3 ruling. The case will now go back to the judges in New York who are likely to order Aereo to stop transmitting signals.

Kanojia, who called the ruling a "massive setback" for consumers and sends a "chilling message" to the technology industry, told subscribers, "We have decided to pause our operations temporarily as we consult with the court and map our next steps."

Aereo, which has 115 employees, has never disclosed the number of customers it had signed up for its service. Its backers include media mogul Barry Diller.

Read the full text of the note Aereo sent to subscribers.

Follow Joe Flint on Twitter @JBFlint.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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In Brazil, World Cup talk is colored by politics

Daniel Paulo Ribeiro and Guilherme Miguel have very different opinions as to how well Brazil is hosting the World Cup soccer tournament, despite watching it unfold from the same street corner in the host city of Recife.

"It's going fantastically. Brazilians have shown how well they can welcome the world," said Ribeiro, 62, who runs a newspaper stand on the corner.

Miguel, 19, a hotel receptionist, doesn't see it that way.

"People may be happy now, but if Brazil loses, this place could be smashed up immediately," he said. "You couldn't call any of this a success just because there has been no tragedy. The government left everything until the last minute and broke most of its promises."

It's not surprising that Miguel and Ribeiro disagree on another major issue in Brazil: whom they will vote for in October's presidential election. Ribeiro is a supporter of President Dilma Rousseff and her left-leaning Workers' Party, which is widely associated with the World Cup project. Miguel wants her out.

There may be no topic of conversation more popular in Brazil this year than the degree to which the nation has successfully been able to put on a World Cup. It is a conversation that has become overtly, if not stridently, political, to the point that Brazilians may see the same events unfolding yet come to radically different conclusions. In this election year, it seems the beauty — or ugliness — of the tournament is in the eye of the beholder.

"If there were some kind of catastrophe, or chaos, that embarrassed Brazil in front of the world, that would clearly have negative consequences for the government in the election," said Francisco Fonseca, a political scientist at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, a university in Sao Paulo. "Partisans on both sides have a clear reason to fight over how the World Cup is interpreted."

Since the June 12 kickoff, Brazil's World Cup boosters have been running a victory lap, loudly exclaiming Brazilian Portuguese versions of "I told you so" as the games have gone relatively smoothly.

There has been a big shift from just before the games, when discontent was widespread and many thought some sort of crisis was possible. The high-water mark for that attitude may have come when Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldo switched from being one of the World Cup's loudest cheerleaders to criticizing the preparations and openly endorsing opposition candidate Aecio Neves for the presidency.

The popular Brazilian comedy group Porta dos Fundos released a video Sunday sending up the cup polarization. In the clip, already viewed more than a million times, a host on a sports show asks two guests what they think of the game. To his frustration, neither responds directly to the question.

Instead, a representative of Brazil's soccer federation talks about how "this proves that Brazil was ready," while a former soccer player named Guerreiro says, "I'm here to talk about the money that's going to stadiums and not to schools. And I'm here to talk about my campaign.... Vote Guerreiro!"

President Rousseff, who has a strong base of support among Brazil's poor, is the front-runner in pre-election polls. But the two opposition candidates, Neves and Eduardo Campos, remain relatively unknown and analysts think opinion could sway in their favor, especially if the mood surrounding the World Cup changes.

Still, as musician Antonio Carlos Jobim famously said, "Brazil is not for beginners," and the fight over how to interpret the World Cup is not as simple as a left-right political split. Though Brazil's divided opposition, to the right of Rousseff, has played up the poor infrastructure, costly stadiums that were barely completed in time and the chaos wrought by demonstrations that rocked the country in May and early June, much of the most dedicated anti-cup protesters have been on the radical or anarchist left.

In the middle are many who are thrilled to have the tournament held in Brazil, even if they may also have serious concerns about the way it was staged. Some have accused the local news media, which often lean to the right of the government, of whipping up fear.

But even among those without strong political allegiances, it's common to have an opinion on the World Cup.

"In Brazil, you can't separate politics and soccer," said Paulo Correa, an English teacher in Belo Horizonte, a host city. "If Brazil wins the World Cup, [Rousseff] is going to win the election."

Fonseca, the political scientist, said that view isn't backed by much evidence, but it's nevertheless widespread.

Lene Oliveira Carlota, a lawyer in the host city of Manaus, which built a stadium to host four World Cup games, criticized the spending on the tournament and said short-term success in that area will not resolve long-term problems.

"For the millions they spent on that stadium, they could have built two or three hospitals," she said. Still, she doesn't think the success of the cup will have much influence on local politics.

On Saturday, Brazil takes on Chile, and the outcome will determine whether the host team will remain in the tournament. Despite their differences, there's one thing Ribeiro and Miguel agree on enthusiastically: They'll both be watching.

Bevins is a special correspondent. Special correspondent Chris Feliciano Arnold in Belo Horizonte and Manaus contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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