Ideas sparked by tools rediscovered in the kitchen cabinet

On a first go-through of my kitchen, I found these orphans languishing at the back of the cupboard:

Madeleine pans of various sizes and provenance. Resolved: Make lavender madeleines and have a tea party.

Hand-crank pasta machine. This guy was once practically my best friend, but as I got more and more into pasta asciutta (dried pasta), I stopped making fresh. I'd love to use it to make agnolotti and tortellini. The only thing stopping me: lack of a table edge thin enough to clamp the machine on. Resolved: Find one.

Chocolate double-boiler in porcelain and copper. I lusted over this one at Déhillerin in Paris for years, finally got one but rarely use it. Resolved: Make hot fudge sauce.

Blini pans. Carried home from Paris and used for several successive New Year's Eves. What's missing: some good caviar, or even salmon roe, which I actually love almost as much. Resolved: To re-create the time I sat with the Russian émigrés at Caviar Kaspia in Paris sipping icy vodka and eating blinis with caviar. A real splurge at the time (or any time).

Tall-sided lasagna pan purchased at a steep discount at the Williams-Sonoma outlet on the way to Vegas. It's a Mario Batali pan, quite heavy, and large enough to make lasagna for the entire neighborhood. Resolved: Throw a lasagna party and make Gino Angelini's lasagna verde with a veal and beef ragù.

Terrine form, the classic, with a flat lid that slides over to keep the terrine nice and square. The same kind that bistros like La Régalade in Paris put out on the table with a knife so you can serve yourself a thick slab. Resolved: Make a classic country pâté to serve as a first course or part of a charcuterie platter.

Soba knife and huge stainless steel bowl for making soba. I bought them when I took a soba class from Sonoko Sakai. I loved the process, but to make good soba takes practice, practice, practice. Resolved: Lay in some buckwheat flour and try making soba. I may need to take a refresher course to get better at it.

A pair of glass egg coddlers. They're a classic Bauhaus style, with clamps to hold the lid on tight, designed by Wilhelm Wagenfeld in 1934. You get something similar to a soft-boiled egg without the mess. And you can add a splash of cream or some scissored chives to dress up your breakfast egg. Resolved: Have coddled eggs with toast and jam for breakfast more often.

A mezzaluna, the half-moon-shaped blade with a wooden handle at either end that Italians use to chops herbs and vegetables with a rocking motion, carried from Florence by a friend who took a cooking class there. Resolved: Next time a recipe calls for soffritto (the chopped onions, celery, carrots, garlic and parsley that are the base of so many Italian dishes), I'm breaking it out.

Irene.virbila@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter at @sirenevirbila

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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Super Bowl Sunday dip and chili recipes that score

Theoretically, you can serve almost anything on Super Bowl Sunday. We once even ran a story proposing a game-day wine tasting with selected charcuterie. But let's face it, that's probably not going to happen at our houses.

What you really need for Super Bowl Sunday is two great dishes: a dip and a chili. Stock a bucket full of chips and make sure there are sweets for afterward, and you've got all you need for an afternoon of football.

We've got tons of dips and chilis in our California Cookbook, but here are two favorites. The spinach-bacon dip updates an old favorite just enough to seem fresh, but it's still just as cheesy as ever. And the turkey chili from Gelson's grocery store is one of our most downloaded recipes.

The menu might be as traditional as the single-wing, but it will still get the job done.

Recipe: Gelson's turkey chili

Serves 8

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 pound ground turkey

1 small bay leaf

2 tablespoons chili powder

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes in purée

1 (16-ounce) can kidney beans, not drained

1 1/2 cups tomato puree

1 cup chicken broth, more as needed

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

3/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1. In a medium, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot. Stir in the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute. Stir in the turkey and cook until the turkey is browned, 6 to 8 minutes.

2. Stir in the bay leaf, chili powder, crushed red pepper, salt and black pepper. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes to marry the flavors. Stir in the diced tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato purée and 1 cup chicken broth. Add the vinegar and Tabasco sauce. Cover loosely and adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.

3. Continue to cook for 30 to 40 minutes to develop the flavors, adjusting the consistency of the chili if needed with additional broth. Taste, adjusting the spices and seasonings if desired. Remove from heat and chill if not using immediately; reheat before serving. The flavors will continue to develop and mature as the chili sits. This makes about 2 quarts chili, which will keep, covered and refrigerated, up to 1 week.

EACH SERVING

Calories 194

Protein 16 grams

Carbohydrates 19 grams

Fiber 6 grams

Fat 7 grams

Saturated fat 2 grams

Cholesterol 39 mg

Sugar 6 grams

Sodium 1,158 mg

NOTE: Adapted from Gelson's Markets. For more heat, add a touch of cayenne pepper with the spices in Step 2.

Recipe: Spinach-bacon dip

food@latimes.com

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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Coffee beer gets a new twist with barrel-aged beans

San Diego's Modern Times Brewery has brewed up a coffee beer that's unlike anything else you've tasted, and the secret is all in the beans.

Finding new ways to imbue craft beers with coffee flavors is a popular area of innovation within the craft brewing community. Brewers have experimented with nearly every style of beer from pale ales, to Belgian amber ales to the typical porters and stouts, using all manner of different coffee preparations — from light-roast beans to spiced Armenian-style coffee. Even the rare kopi luwak coffee (where coffee beans are recovered from the droppings of Indonesian civets) has been featured in a craft brew.

AleSmith brewing in San Diego offers its superlative Speedway coffee stout aged in bourbon barrels, and this bold, inky brew demonstrates that coffee, stout and spirits are three great tastes that taste great together.

But Modern Times has a different take on the bourbon plus coffee in your beer formula: Instead of letting a beer infused with coffee age in a used bourbon barrel, they're barrel-aging the coffee beans before adding them to the beer.

Coffee beans aged in used spirits barrels started making news on coffee blogs and among roasters just in the past couple of years. The process is based on the fact that green (unroasted) coffee beans are notoriously prone to picking up aromas from anything nearby. This makes the beans tough to handle, as they are easily tainted by off-flavors, but roasters are turning this permeability into an advantage by conditioning unroasted beans inside used spirits barrels.

It sounds preposterous, but a skilled roaster can actually take beans that have soaked up the character of bourbon, rum or whatever spirit the barrel previously held, and coax out typical coffee bean flavors during the roasting without destroying the desired barrel-borne flavors. The resulting cups of coffee are positively brimming with a boozy and oaky character; the brews really do showcase the — ahem — spirit of the barrels.

Just a handful of third-wave coffee roasters are experimenting with the technique, and one is also an acclaimed craft brewery. Modern Times founder Jacob McKean says he loves coffee beers and always planned to make them a large part of his brewery. Though he didn't expect to get into the roasting business, after experimenting with home-roasting as a way to combat the stress of starting a brewery, he was hooked and soon purchased a commercial coffee roaster for the brewery.

The beans for the brewery's core beer Black House coffee stout have been roasted in the brewery since Day 1, and bags of Modern Times coffee beans are a popular item at the brewery's online store and in the tasting rooms.

Modern Times has brewed a handful of different coffee beers, and the brewery also houses a substantial collection of used barrels for aging their brews. McKean says that Modern Times is the first production brewery to create a beer featuring barrel-aged coffee beans, and City of the Dead is an export-style stout "brewed to be a blank canvas" to show off the complexity of the beans.

Bottles of the beer were just released, and we got a taste at a recent Modern Times event that packed Hollywood's Blue Palms Brewhouse with fans of the San Diego brewery.

City of the Dead displays a surprising amount of bourbon and barrel-character, but the flavors are different from a typical barrel-aged beer. The distinction is subtle but noticeable: It tastes boozy without the typical alcohol heat of a barrel-aged beer, and there's the expected astringency associated with oak barrels but less oak flavor. The concoction is astonishing in its novelty.

"There's a thin line between gimmick and innovation," says McKean.

Look for 22-ounce bottles of Modern Times City of the Dead at Whole Foods, BevMo, and wherever Modern Times beers are carried.

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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Dodger Stadium parking: $10 in 2013, $15 in 2014, $20 in 2015

On Thursday, in a news release announcing the start of single-game ticket sales, the Dodgers tucked this sentence into the last paragraph: "Parking at the gate day of game is $20."

That price was $15 last year, and $10 the year before that. In a city built by the car culture, with mass transit options slowly improving but still limited, parking prices can be a sensitive issue.

When Guggenheim Baseball Management bought the Dodgers in 2012, its first move was to lower the parking price, which had been raised to $15 by former owner Frank McCourt.

"This Dodger ownership continues to look for ways to make a game at Dodger Stadium the best value for your entertainment dollar," Dodgers President Stan Kasten wrote in a 2012 letter to fans. "On day one, we reduced the price of general parking from $15 to $10, making your entry into Chavez Ravine and picturesque Dodger Stadium an even more enjoyable moment."

Guggenheim returned the parking price to $15 last year, but kept the price at $10 if fans paid in advance. The reason, Kasten emphasized last spring, was that traffic would flow into the parking lots much more smoothly if attendants did not have to handle payments.

"It's not a revenue thing at all," Kasten said then. "The best thing is if everyone could get their parking pass early. This is in the name of providing an incentive."

On Thursday, after the Dodgers announced the advance parking price would remain $10 but the day-of-game price would rise to $20, we sent Kasten the following questions:

1. Does the $20 day-of-game price indicate the incentive was not great enough? If not, and if this is "not a revenue thing," why not keep the day-of-game price $15 and lower the advance price to $5?

2. What expenses justify raising the day-of-game parking price 100% in two years?

3. What percentage of single-game customers (not season-ticket or mini-plan holders) paid for parking in advance last season, as compared with the percentage at the gate?

Kasten, through a team spokesman, declined to answer any of the questions. His statement: "In 2015,  attending a Dodger game will continue to be the best value for a sporting event in Los Angeles ... and among the very best values in all of Major League Baseball."

Parking at Angel Stadium remains $10.

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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Second possible Ebola patient being tested in Sacramento

A second possible Ebola patient in Sacramento has tested negative for the deadly disease and is being dispatched from an area hospital.

It was the second case within 24 hours that a person showed what appeared to be symptoms associated with Ebola but then tested negative.

The latest patient, whose name and gender were not released, was admitted to Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center late Wednesday for assessment and Ebola testing.

That request came from the California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kaiser Permanente said in a statement.

The patient was "considered low risk for Ebola" and was being monitored in the hospital's Ebola Special Care Unit "out of an abundance of caution," the hospital said. The Ebola treatment unit is isolated from the general patient population.

Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center, which has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as an Ebola treatment center, is working with local, state and national public health agencies to care for the patient, hospital officials said.

Late Thursday, testing revealed that a patient who had been admitted to UC Davis Medical Center with possible Ebola symptoms had tested negative.

The adult patient, whose name and gender were not released, was transported by specialized ambulance from Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento to the medical center Thursday morning with symptoms consistent with Ebola, officials said.

The patient had a history of traveling to an Ebola-affected country, according to a joint statement from the California Department of Public Health, Sacramento County Department of Health and Human Services and the UC Davis Medical Center.

The test for Ebola, which was conducted by the Sacramento County Public Health Department Laboratory, came back negative Thursday night, officials said.

The patient "remains in good condition, and we will continue to provide ongoing medical care," J. Douglas Kirk, chief medical officer at UC Davis Medical Center, said in a statement.

Sacramento County Health Officer Olivia Kasirye said the "expediency of this investigation … preserves resources and allows staff to resume other investigations."

As of Friday, there have been no confirmed cases of Ebola in California, and "there is no threat to the general public," the health agencies said in a statement.

If a person is diagnosed with Ebola, UC Davis is well prepared to handle the situation, said Dorsey Griffith, a UC Davis Medical Center spokeswoman.

The hospital was named a priority hospital by the California Department of Public Health during the peak of the Ebola scare last year and is up to CDC standards, she said.

For more California news, follow @haileybranson on Twitter.

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

12:47 p.m.: This article was updated with details on a second possible Ebola patient being tested in the Sacramento area.

4:47 p.m.: This article has been updated with details on a second patient's negative test result for the Ebola virus.

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L.A. school board election politics equal gutter politics

OK, kids, the L.A. Unified school board election is barely a month away, and you know what that means, right?

Let the gutter politics begin.

On Wednesday night, two out of three candidates in District 5 blew off a community forum that drew 200 people. As I explained in an earlier column, there was, of course, a political backstory involving the eternal clash between the teachers union and the so-called reformers.

And now there's plenty of buzz, and ruffled feathers, about a nasty attack on board member Bennett Kayser in a flier put out by charter school supporters.

The flier essentially calls him a bigot.

"BENNETT KAYSER TRIED TO STOP LATINO CHILDREN FROM ATTENDING SCHOOLS IN WHITE NEIGHBORHOODS."

That's the screaming headline on a vile, two-page missive in Spanish and English, and the flier includes a lovely photograph of five Latino children sitting forlornly on a curb, as if their world has been crushed by the cruel Caucasian board member.

Kayser condemned the ad, calling it garbage.

"Character assassination and bullying have no place in our school district; these people should be ashamed of themselves," he said in a statement his staff sent me Thursday evening.

It was no surprise he felt that way, but the flier was so reprehensible, it was also condemned by board member George McKenna. He was listed on the flier as one of four candidates supported by the "Parent Teacher Alliance." McKenna told me he didn't know who that group is, did not ask for its endorsement, and did not want it.

"I am unequivocally opposed to it," he said, adding that he has in fact endorsed Kayser. Friday morning, he issued a statement calling the flier "racially inflammatory" and asking the group to withdraw its support of him.

So what's this all about?

Same ol' same ol'.

Another chapter in a long-running war among forces that are incapable of constructive conversations, and compromise, in the interest of students.

On one side you've got the so-called reformers who believe charters and tougher teacher evaluations tied to student performance are long overdue in public education. On the other side you've got teacher unions and other parties arguing that teachers are unfairly under attack, and the real culprits are lack of funding, the socioeconomic challenges of impoverished students, and heavy-handed administrators backed by billionaire agitators.

Kayser is a major ally of United Teachers Los Angeles, which is why the charter school proponents want to blast him out of office. The charter/reform folks would love to see him replaced by candidate Ref Rodriguez, a charter school operator.

And that's certainly their prerogative, but shame on them for taking the low road. The flier is filled with distortions that are an insult to anyone who makes the mistake of reading it.

"Bennett Kayser has fought to reduce the number of Latino voters in his district," is one of the charges. And here's another: "Bennett Kayser tried to stop Latino parents from sending their children to better schools in white areas of the city."

I'd call it childish, except that most children have higher standards and more integrity.

The flier says it was paid for by "The Parent Teacher Alliance," with sponsorship and "major funding" by "CCSA Advocates Independent Expenditure Committee." That's the California Charter Schools Assn. and its cronies.

So what we're talking about here is the shadowy world of undisclosed contributors to political campaigns, and we're not likely to know exactly who put up the money for this flier until after the election.

I called a California Charter Schools Assn. representative to ask who's doing the bankrolling and why the organization is resorting to such smutty politics, but no call back yet.

In the meantime, a word of advice:

Remove political fliers from mailbox and deposit in trash bin.

I'd say put them in recycling, but no, they belong in a landfill.

Twitter: @latstevelopez

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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Hoping for a breakout hit with 'Better Call Saul'

Just over 10 million viewers witnessed the demise of Walter White on the final episode of "Breaking Bad." It was a triumph for creator Vince Gilligan, who was given a free hand by network AMC to tell the Mr. Chips to Scarface story he envisioned.

AMC's president and general manger, Charlie Collier, was pleased as well. The patience he showed with the highly praised but slow-starting series paid off. But how do you capitalize on those accolades (and late-to-the-game rabid fans) after you've ended the show and killed off the main character at the height of its popularity?

Collier, Gilligan and Peter Gould, the writer-producer who came up with the morally suspect criminal lawyer Saul Goodman, recently sat down to talk about how the strong relationship they developed during the "Breaking Bad" run led to the making of the beloved series' spinoff, "Better Call Saul," which premieres Feb. 8.

Here are excerpts of their conversation.

Bob Odenkirk's character, Saul Goodman, is what TV people used to describe as a breakout character. But he wasn't even conceived until the second season of "Breaking Bad." Was there a reason behind bringing him in?

Gilligan: We felt we needed to leaven "Breaking Bad" with a bit more humor. That was always a concern of mine, going back to the earliest days, because I'd seen some very fine TV shows that were very good but were very dark and failed to get traction with audiences because there was no humor.

Gould: If you remember, Hank [Dean Norris] was really the comic relief in Season 1. We thought we were going to have a season about Tuco. And it turned out, we couldn't because the actor [Raymond Cruz] was on another show, "The Closer." So we had to kill him in Episode 2. We put Hank behind the gun to kill Tuco, and that changed Hank. He was no longer funny. Walt and Jesse [Aaron Paul] didn't have Tuco to guide them through the world of meth. It didn't seem realistic to us that these guys would be able to create this business on their own.

Gilligan: We needed a consigliere.

Gould: I will say that [the episode introducing Saul Goodman] was the most difficult "Breaking Bad" for me to write. It's Season 2. The show is a heavy drama. And we have this character — it was even crazier when we pitched it [to AMC].

Gilligan: I was questioning everything we were doing. I was not always sure. Saul was the breakout character, because here we are talking about his spinoff. It seems to me there were a great many characters we could make a spinoff about. Jesse. Hank. Gus Fring [Giancarlo Esposito].

Collier: Each night of the week we should have a spinoff.

Charlie, did you get nervous when you heard "Better Call Saul" would be a prequel?

Collier: If they had said, "You know, I want to do — fill in the blank — a musical with puppets," I would have said, "Well, all right, let's look into how to do that." "Better Call Saul" was pitched first to us as a comedy. Then it was a drama. And then "maybe it will be a funny hour." We were going along for the ride.

Gilligan: We even talked about making it as a half-hour.

But doesn't the prequel format take a lot of the jeopardy out of it?

Gilligan: You know he's not going to be killed. You're right. Even furthermore, no, he's not going to lose an eye, or a leg.

Collier: Oh, my gosh. Maybe we should reconsider. [Laughs.] Look, they've found a character in Jimmy McGill [The real name of Saul Goodman's character]. And we all know he's going to transform. And you're putting him in the hands of the people who, with Walter White, led one of the finest stories of human transformation you've ever seen. So if you're in my chair, you bet on that every time. We've had our greatest success as a supporter of creative people that have a vision to do things that are unconventional.

There will be some good will from the audience that loved "Breaking Bad," right?

Gilligan: That's a knife that can cut both ways. Because people can look at this and say, "This is not 'Breaking Bad.'" These are the little anxieties I battle at 3 in the morning.

Is there anything from the "Breaking Bad" experience that you were able to apply to this show?

Collier: Bet on creative talent and nurture them as if they are what they are — the center of your universe. I get asked that a lot — typically from an angle which is "you have something great — don't screw it up." Because everyone covets "Breaking Bad" so badly. I know it's pressure. But it's also pressure to us. We want it to have [a long run], but we want it to be totally original.

Vince and Peter — it looks like you have a lot of latitude in the first two episodes of "Better Call Saul." The characters are conflicted. It takes time to know who they are. It feels like a gritty film from the 1970s.

Gilligan: I think you are right.

Gould: We really couldn't do that under other circumstances. We're so fortunate. It's like winning the creative lottery.

Vince — what's the biggest fight you ever had with Charlie?

Collier: It was the slit throat in the "Box Cutter" episode of "Breaking Bad."

Gilligan: Yeah. Fring slit the throat of one of his henchmen. It was extraordinarily realistic and therefore extraordinarily upsetting and gory. And the broadcast standards note was to cut a second and a half. I got on the phone to Charlie.

Collier: I missed a plane over that note.

Gilligan: I was sort of the offended artist on the phone call. But the truth is, we did cut the second and a half, and when I watch it now, I think it's probably a little too long even as it is. No art was destroyed.

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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When she opens the kitchen cabinets, memories spill forth

It's the end of January, and I've already broken or never picked up most of my New Year's resolutions. There is one, though, that I'm actually kind of enjoying. I was giving the kitchen a bit more than the usual once-over at the beginning of the year, giving the painted cupboards a rubdown with beeswax and making a halfhearted effort to organize the contents when it just came to me: I promised myself I'd either use the neglected kitchen tools and equipment I've collected over the years by this time next year — or give them away.

When I first got into cooking in my 20s, I'd haunt the kitchen stores wherever I traveled and carry home some treasure or other — a yellow ceramic mortar and pestle splashed with green, a cataplana (the hinged copper vessel the Portuguese use to steam shellfish), a hand-carved wooden corzetti stamp for pasta. At home, I picked up some fantastic finds at garage sales and flea markets. I patrolled the shelves of Williams-Sonoma in the days when it was great. I must have melon ballers in every shape and size ever made. Whenever I got an extra freelance check, I'd spend it on pots and pans and specialized tools.

I have a lot of cookware stuffed into a very small kitchen (at least by today's standards) — all useful, but not all used.

And so this year I resolved to get rid of redundant pots and pans, keeping only what's most useful and/or beautiful. I plan on retiring, at least, the giant, restaurant-sized All-Clad aluminum pots I bought at an irresistibly deep discount at least 20 years ago and break out only when I'm cooking for a huge crowd. Which isn't often.

Some things I don't use are just too beautiful to discard. I'm not giving up the gorgeous hand-hammered copper couscousière that, sadly, gets put to use only about once a year, or the cheerful blue his-and-hers Le Creuset moules pots for steamed mussels I once received as a gift. Or the giant white-glazed clay donabe steamer that sits proudly on a shelf, made by the Nagatani family of Japan, who have been making donabe from the special clay of their region for more than six generations.

So maybe I won't be giving away all that much stuff. But I will make the resolution to use the treasures I've stuffed into my very small kitchen.

It's funny how coming across the zigzagged pastry cutter that the late Lidia Alciati of Guido restaurant in Italy's Piedmont gave me inspires me to make tajarin or agnolotti again. And look, here's that metal blade with a wooden handle that I used to use to scrape away the flour and dough from the countertop when I made bread all the time. Here's the crooked wooden spoon a friend brought me from Pátzcuaro, Mexico, perfect for stirring a pot of beans. These tools bring back memories of friends and rollicking late-night dinners.

I admit I have too many coffee makers (not one of them electric). There's all my stove-top espresso pots with names like Principessa or Conehead. There's the Japanese glass siphon brewer that makes fabulous coffee but that I hardly ever use. It's a piece of theater for a dinner party — except, by the time my dinner parties end close to midnight, nobody wants coffee and I just don't stock decaf beans on principle. But here's a solution: I'll break that particular coffee performance out at brunch or lunch.

And that hand-cranked tomato press? I see a brilliant tomato season coming on: I'll keep it.

I haven't even been through all the drawers and cupboards yet. But just writing this list has shaken me out of habits, and my daydreams are filled with couscous, blinis, rustic terrines and even coddled eggs.

Irene.virbila@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter at @sirenevirbila

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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'Suge' Knight arrested on suspicion of murder; held on $2-million bail

Notorious former rap music mogul Marion "Suge" Knight has been arrested on suspicion of murder after he allegedly ran over two men with his truck following an argument on a film set in Compton, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed. He is being held in lieu of $2-million bail. 

Knight, 49, arrived at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department West Hollywood station with his attorney around 12:30 a.m. to be interviewed by homicide detectives as a person of interest in the case, according to authorities and his lawyer. 

The interview concluded around 3:30 a.m., Knight's attorney, James E. Blatt, told The Times. 

The confrontation began about 3 p.m. Thursday when Knight and two unidentified men began arguing on the set of "Straight Outta Compton," a biopic about the group N.W.A., said Capt. John Corina of the Sheriff's Department's detectives unit.

About 20 minutes after the alleged argument, the victims were at Tam's Burgers near Central and East Rosecrans avenues, authorities said. Knight is believed to have followed the men in his truck and run them over in the parking lot, Corina said.

Witnesses said the truck hit the men, then backed over them before leaving the scene.

One of the victims, 55, died, and the other, 51, suffered undisclosed injuries, Corina said. At least one of the victims was a member of the film crew, he said.

Blatt said his client was being attacked by a group of men, and, while trying to get away from his attackers, accidentally ran over the victims. 

"I am positive Mr. Knight will be exonerated by Tuesday," Blatt said. "Investigators are still interviewing witnesses and still need to see video of the incident."

A representative for Knight had no comment on the allegations.

Traffic slowed to a crawl at the corner of Rosecrans and Central avenues as evening commuters tried to navigate past the crime scene. Onlookers gathered, trying to catch a glimpse of the parking lot of the popular burger joint. Social media exploded with the news about Knight's allegedly being involved in another crime.

Directed by F. Gary Gray, "Straight Outta Compton" tells the story of N.W.A., a pioneering rap group made up of Arabian Prince, DJ Yella, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E and Ice Cube, and later, MC Ren. Modern-day rappers credit the group with making rap mainstream and inspiring many of today's top artists. Knight's affiliation with the production of the movie, if any, is unclear.

Knight co-founded Death Row Records with Dr. Dre in 1991 and built it into the first rap label to consistently dominate the pop scene. But he has a history of legal troubles.

In 1996, Knight was at the wheel of a BMW in Las Vegas when passenger and popular rapper Tupac Shakur was shot by gunmen in another vehicle. Shakur died a week later, and the case has not been solved.

In 1997, Knight was sentenced to nine years in prison for violating the terms of his probation from an earlier assault case. He was released from prison in 2001 but was sent back to jail two years later for violating parole when he hit a parking lot attendant.

In 2006, Knight filed for bankruptcy. He put his Malibu mansion up for sale the following year. In 2008, he was arrested in Las Vegas on suspicion of drug possession and aggravated assault. The next year, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery.

Last August, Knight and two others were shot inside a packed West Hollywood nightclub at a pre-awards party hosted by singer Chris Brown.

ryan.parker@latimes.com

Twitter: @TheRyanParker

angel.jennings@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATAngel

Staff writer Joe Serna and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

5:39 a.m.: This article has been updated with a statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

4:28 a.m.: This article has been updated with Knight's bail amount. 

3:53 a.m.: This article has been updated with information that Knight was arrested on suspicion of murder. 

1:40 a.m.: This article has been updated with information that Knight arrived at the L.A. County Sheriff's Deaprtment's West Hollywood station for an interview. 

This article was originally published at 9:58 p.m. 

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Birmingham, England, a 'no-go zone'? The diverse city says go on!

The white-capped minarets of Birmingham Central Mosque tower high in the air.

Beneath one, a large sign is clearly visible to motorists and passersby: "READ AL-QUR'AN, THE FINAL TESTAMENT."

The dome in the center of the building, above a prayer hall that can fit at least 4,000 worshipers, is topped with a gold-colored crescent moon. It is an impressive and imposing sight, and if there were anywhere in this city that a non-Muslim might feel a little out of place, it is probably here.

But spend any amount of time in the neighborhood, called Highgate, and it becomes clear locals embrace their diversity rather than shy away from it.

"I was born and bred here, and when I was a young boy it was predominantly white, black and Irish," said taxi driver Alan Gorman, 58, who is white. "Over the years the Asian community built up. But we're all Brummies."

"Brummie" is slang for residents of Birmingham, a central England city that unexpectedly came under scrutiny this month when Fox News commentator Steven Emerson branded it a "no-go zone" for non-Muslims.

"There are actual cities like Birmingham that are totally Muslim, where non-Muslims just simply don't go," he said on Fox.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal quickly picked up on the theme, describing in a CNN interview alleged "no-go zones" in European cities where Muslims refuse to assimilate.

Emerson and Fox News have since apologized, but not before his comments went viral and the hashtag #FoxNewsFacts started trending on Twitter as a way to ridicule the assertion.

Among the tweets: images of construction sites covered in tarp and jokingly referred to as burqa-clad Birmingham buildings. A popular bingo chain called Mecca was also mockingly used as evidence Islam had taken over the city.

"We found it funny," Birmingham student Bilal Mussa, 17, said. "It was too stupid to find it offensive."

Even Prime Minister David Cameron has weighed in, calling Emerson an "idiot."

Birmingham, the second-largest city in Britain, has not always boasted the best reputation.

Brits joke that the M6 motorway around Birmingham is gridlocked because everyone is trying to get out. A recent BuzzFeed map of British stereotypes described Birmingham as a place full of "people who wish they didn't live in Birmingham."

In the mid-1980s, life here was rather bleak. The city lost 200,000 jobs — many in the declining automotive industry — and the unemployment rate averaged 25%, City Council Leader Albert Bore said.

But decades of careful planning, widespread construction and major investment have helped turn the city around. It was recently named the most entrepreneurial city in Britain outside of London and has started to attract major investors such as Deutsche Bank, which is about to expand and open an office in the downtown area.

Foreign tourism is also on the rise, having increased by 32% from 2012 to 2013. Birmingham has been named the most popular destination for Londoners looking to move out of the ever more expensive capital.

Yet for a brief moment on Jan. 11, the day Emerson made his comments, city officials were concerned that their efforts to improve the city's reputation had been irreparably tarnished.

"That was the immediate worry," Bore said. "It was all over the nation and international news."

But such fears were short-lived.

"The way that Birmingham dealt with it was exceptionally good," Bore said. "They used humor and irony.... It swept the issue away."

That's not to say that there is complete harmony in the city, which, according to 2011 census data, is 46.1% Christian, 21.8% Muslim, 3% Sikh and 2.1% Hindu. About 19% said they have no religious affiliation.

There have also been numerous terrorism-related arrests and a scandal last year involving hard-line Muslims seeking to assert control over a number of schools.

Still, there is an unmistakable pride about being a Brummie, and the Fox accusations appear to have brought people together.

In the pedestrian-only area in the city center Wednesday, the crowd was as diverse as in many major British cities.

Men and women of all ages and ethnicities rushed between shops, cafes and offices bundled up against the cold. A group of giggling schoolgirls in head scarves huddled around their phones at a bus stop, and men — some wearing turbans, others with hoods or baseball caps — strolled through the streets.

Pairs of community support officers, uniformed civilian members of the police force, walked around nonchalantly, engaged in quiet conversation.

Nearby, two women handed out leaflets next to a sign that read, "What does the Bible really teach?"

There was no sense of a city on heightened alert or restrictions of any kinds on non-Muslims.

"As a Birmingham community, Muslim and non-Muslim, we are open to all, multicultural, multifaith, multilinguistic," said Imam Usman Mahmood, who leads prayers at Birmingham Central Mosque. "We are happy that at last a lot of us stood up together for that, and all of us were united."

As a religious leader at the largest Islamic place of worship in Birmingham, and one of the largest mosques in Western Europe, Mahmood said that not only doubters would come and visit, but that he also had a message for the world:

"We are putting our words forward that this is a go zone for everyone."

Boyle is a special correspondent.

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South Africa grants parole to apartheid-era death squad leader

One of the apartheid era's most notorious killers, former police colonel Eugene de Kock, will walk free after 20 years in jail after South Africa's government announced Friday that he had been granted parole.

De Kock, nicknamed "Prime Evil," was the commander of the apartheid-era death squad C10, based at Vlakplaas farm, 15 miles west of Pretoria, where dozens of black activists fighting white minority rule were tortured and killed.

He was convicted in 1996 and sentenced to two life terms plus 212 years in jail. His bid for parole had come up for review several times before and been rejected.

But Justice Minister Michael Masutha said Friday that De Kock, 66, would be freed in the interests of nation-building and reconciliation, a decision bound to be controversial in a nation where the scars of apartheid have yet to heal. His release date was kept confidential.

De Kock testified before South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1998, offering detailed information about the killings of African National Congress activists and where their bodies were. He said he was following orders when he killed the activists, and testified that senior politicians of the apartheid government knew about C10 and its activities.

He expressed remorse over the slayings and later continued to accuse apartheid-era politicians, including former President F.W. de Klerk, of knowledge of the killings at Vlakplaas.

In 2012, De Kock wrote to the family of ANC lawyer Bheki Mlangeni, seeking forgiveness for killing him in 1991. Mlangeni was killed by a booby-trapped Walkman cassette player, which blew up when he used it.

"Your forgiveness will mean a lot to me, but it can in no way wash away the pain I have caused. If you ever feel it will help you to deal with your pain and sorrow, feel free to visit me," he wrote in the letter, published in South African media.

"There is no greater punishment than to have to live with the consequences of the most terrible deed with no one to forgive you. For me, even my own death can't compare," the letter said.

Mlangeni's widow and mother bitterly opposed De Kock's release at the time and told media that they doubted his remorse was genuine.

Masutha also announced Friday that he had decided against granting parole for Clive Derby-Lewis, convicted in the 1993 murder of Communist Party leader Chris Hani.

The former member of Parliament was denied parole because he didn't show genuine remorse, according to Masutha. The medical parole board had recommended Derby-Lewis' release because he is suffering from lung cancer.

Follow @robyndixon_LAT on Twitter for news out of Africa

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Vidiots movie rental store in Santa Monica is closing after 30 years

The shelves at the Vidiots movie rental store are covered with dozens of messages scribbled by filmmakers on the covers of faded VHS and DVD containers. Notes from "Chinatown" writer Robert Towne, reclusive "Thin Red Line" director Terrence Malick and others praise the Santa Monica store's brainy staff and the mammoth film selection that has made it famous among film buffs worldwide.

One message, from Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone, stands out now: "What would life be like without Vidiots?"

Its patrons and fans will soon find out. Vidiots is closing in April after years of struggling to survive the onslaught of Internet rentals, streaming services and online piracy.

Rentals have dropped 24% in the last six months and are down 60% from the store's peak years in the early 2000s, co-owner Cathy Tauber said.

The store tried being a nonprofit, soliciting donations and hosting in-store events with directors. It even auctioned off a lunch with actress Laura Dern and a pitch meeting with an executive producer of the TV series "Homeland" to raise funds.

Tauber said the store also considered launching an online crowdfunding campaign but thought that it wouldn't be a long-term fix.

"We are just bleeding money. We just can't do that anymore," she said. "We didn't want to do something and end up right back where we were in six months."

Video rental stores have been suffering for years after reaching a peak in the late 1990s and early 2000s as DVDs took off, said Marc Fisher, chief executive of the Entertainment Merchants Assn.

There were about 20,000 locations that got at least 50% of their revenue from renting films in 1999 compared with the 3,900 independent and supermarket outlets that rented discs in the U.S. in 2013, he said. An explosion in movie rental kiosks like Redbox, which has more than 35,000 locations in the U.S., has also hurt stores such as Vidiots.

The stores that survive have found ways to supplement their revenue with other retail sales, Fisher said.

One chain in the Midwest, Family Video, owns and develops the land it is on and has actually expanded locations in recent years by integrating a pizza chain into its stores, according to a report from the Entertainment Merchants Assn.

But independent stores like Vidiots have struggled to find a model that works.

Cinefile Video on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Los Angeles sells its own line of director-themed T-shirts and buttons, which can bring as much as 40% of revenue in a year, store manager Dean Fernando said. The store also depends on talent agencies and studios that come in and rent entire filmographies for research purposes.

"We serve the industry. That is what keeps us going," he said. "It is a tough fight."

When the owners of another well-known niche-video store, Scarecrow Video in Seattle, wanted to sell the business, employees and customers raised $130,000 through online crowdfunding Kickstarter to take over the store as a nonprofit.

Matt Lynch, the marketing coordinator for the newly formed Scarecrow Project, said he hopes that film lovers can find a way to save Vidiots. "It is L.A.," he said. "It is pathetic if the community can't support a video store there."

Tucked between a pet store and a juice bar just a few blocks from the beach in a colorfully painted brick building highlighted in 1980s-style neon lighting, the store has a decidedly neighborhood feel that belies its reputation.

Glum patrons trickled into the store Wednesday as a store employee fielded constant phone calls from people trying to confirm the news.

Vidiots co-owner Tauber, who founded the store with her friend Patty Pollinger in 1985, said they are looking for a benefactor to take over the store or to at least keep their collection of 50,000 titles available to the public.

They have gotten calls from the American Film Institute, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and producer Harvey Weinstein inquiring about the purchasing parts of the collection, she said.

Film editor Maxx Gillman, 32, stood inside the store with 10 hard-to-find documentaries by filmmaker Frederick Wiseman under his arm and recalled first visiting the store as a curious teen. He came in to rent a newly released war movie when a fellow customer told him to skip it and rent the 1964 Cold War thriller "Fail Safe" by director Sidney Lumet instead.

It was the type of human interaction and film education that can only come from brick-and-mortar video rental stores, Gillman said. The documentaries he rented aren't available online.

"It is a place you can come and explore and get lost in," he said. "We don't have enough cultural archives like this. It would be a terrible loss."

javier.panzar@latimes.com

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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They click in the Twittersphere; what if they meet?

L.A. Affairs is our weekly column about the current dating scene in and around Los Angeles -- and finding romance in a wired world. If you've got a story to tell, we want to hear it. We pay $300 per published column. Past columns and submission guidelines are at latimes.com/laaffairs

It started with a tweet.

A girl somewhere off in the Twittersphere read one of my postings and favorited it to let me know she liked it. She was someone who'd been following me for quite a while, but I'd been in a serious relationship, and I hadn't noticed her before my breakup. Curious, I went to her profile; her picture showed a cute person with beautiful green eyes big enough to get lost in even through a video call, as I would later learn. More than her beauty, I admired her online musings. This was a smart woman with bright ideas, stern opinions and great wit, and she definitely did not have a boyfriend, as she often posted humorous tweets about her single life that included "#foreveralone."

I started paying more attention to her tweets, and based on the favorites I kept accumulating, she was also reading mine. Having only recently become single, I was a little scared to reach out. Fortunately, she made the first move.

"I have this thing where no matter what time I go to bed, I wake up 5 hours later," I tweeted one random morning. She replied, saying she does the same.

Are you a veteran of the L.A. dating scene? Share your story

A little bit about me: I can talk a lot, be very loud and make many jokes when I'm with my friends, but in other situations I can be a shy, intimidated person. But one Saturday night after a few rounds of drinks, I opened up Twitter on my phone and saw she had posted another tweet mocking her single life. I decided I had to say something.

"How can someone as beautiful and interesting as you possibly be single?" I asked in a private message to her. It led to a full-blown conversation and marked my official return to the singles world. We continued privately tweeting over the following days, until she gave me her phone number. Tweeting became texting, texting became phone calls and phone calls became FaceTime video conversations.

I learned she was a journalist, a Francophile, a wannabe chef and a music lover, among many other things that made her fascinating. The only problem was she lived in the Midwest. Still, I ignored my friends' cautionary advice and carried on with her.

We texted, flirted by favoriting each others' tweets, played online games and sent selfies. I developed feelings for her and, it seemed, she for me.

"So do you go around the Web messaging random girls all the time?" she texted me one night after several phone and video calls.

"No, I promise you're the only person I've ever done this with," I said. "I hope that answers your question, but if not, what I'm trying to say is that I think you're special, and I'm dying to kiss you." She said she felt the same before saying good night.

She eventually agreed to come to Los Angeles. Her Instagram pictures didn't do her justice — she was beautiful and more fun to be with in real life than online. We hiked in Griffith Park, bar-hopped in Hollywood, spent a day on Catalina Island and visited all of my favorite L.A. restaurants. It was a blast, but when I went in for a kiss, she turned me away.

Past L.A. Affairs columns, and submission guidelines

She said the chemistry wasn't there. I was disappointed but OK with that, considering the point of her visit was to see if this digital fling could be more. I tried to be a good host on her last day in town, and, once again, we had fun as I showed her more of my favorite parts of Los Angeles, including Pan Pacific Park and the Roof at the Hotel Wilshire. At the end of the night, I found myself lying next to her on the pavement outside at LACMA starring up at the shimmering gold emitted by the "Urban Light" art installation. There was definitely some sort of chemistry. I brought it up and asked her if she was sure I couldn't steal a kiss. She said that she'd thought about it but that she couldn't kiss me in good conscience, blaming lingering feelings for an ex who had dumped her several months before. "You're too good for that," she said.

The next day she flew home, and our communication abruptly ended. Through her Instagram postings, it appeared she had fallen for someone else. I confirmed this a few weeks later and got closure after building some (liquid) courage and messaging her. Our digital romance had been cut short by her meeting someone else through more traditional means (i.e., in the real world).

It's a shame, but it wasn't in vain. The experience gave me my first taste of dating in a world with Instagram, Twitter and Tinder. I hope, whether through the Internet or the real world, I'll eventually find someone who is right for me, but I should probably limit my search to women in my area code.

Salvador Rodriguez is a tech journalist who has been living in Koreatown but is moving to San Francisco.

L.A. Affairs chronicles dating in and around Los Angeles. If you have comments or a true story to tell, write us at home@latimes.com.

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'6 Certified' aims to shift how veterans are pictured on film, TV

A group dedicated to the entertainment industry's realistic representation of veterans is announcing on Friday a new seal of approval for portrayals of military men and women in films and television shows.

Called "6 Certified," after the military term that means "I've got your back," the program is launching with the support of First Lady Michelle Obama. The campaign seeks to shift perception of veterans in pop culture.

Studios, producers and other content creators will be eligible for the certification badge if the work contains "a representative and balanced depiction of veterans" and fulfills at least one of six pledges: to research or consult with veterans, family members or experts in the subject; to cast a veteran; to hire a veteran as a writer; to portray a veteran character; to tell a veteran story; or to use veterans as resources on set or in writers rooms.

Studies show that the public can have skewed views of veterans based on what's seen in film or on television, said Chris Marvin, executive director of Got Your 6, the group launching the new program. "They are heroes on one end of the spectrum or broken veterans on the other end of the spectrum," he said.

Marvin, an Army veteran, cited Ed O'Neill's role as Jay Pritchett on "Modern Family" and Bradley Cooper's depiction of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle in "American Sniper" as accurate portrayals.

In "Modern Family," Pritchett is "first and foremost a small business owner, father and grandfather" who happens to be a Navy veteran, Marvin said. "American Sniper," he said, tells "a great story that American audiences were anxious to hear.

"I think the American public is thirsty to have a conversation about the war, about returning veterans, about the issues and about opportunities that surround that group of people," Marvin said. "Veterans a lot of the time are everyday people ... but not many take the time to incorporate that into their content development."

Skewed portrayals of veterans in pop culture can "get in the way of veterans re-integrating to life," Marvin said. "When that's the only view that the civilian population gets of veterans, that tends to be how they think all veterans are."

Producer Bruce Cohen ("Silver Linings Playbook"), one of several Hollywood executives who are part of the initiative, said the goal of "6 Certified" is to spread awareness.

"It's important because a hit movie or TV series just has a way of reaching more people and making such an impact," he said. "The dream certainly is that we'll be engaging a whole new group of folks who hadn't thought about this as much and will now be inspired to do so."

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Economic growth slows sharply in 4th quarter to 2.6% annual rate

Economic growth unexpectedly slowed sharply in the fourth quarter of last year to a modest 2.6% annual rate after a strong six-month stretch raised hopes the U.S. recovery finally was accelerating toward normal.

The data released Friday by the Commerce Department came in well below analyst expectations but still indicated the economy was growing at a solid pace as many nations around the world continue to struggle in the wake of the Great Recession.

"The current pace of economic growth is likely to sustain strong job growth in the coming months and further reduce the unemployment rate," said Gad Levanon, managing director of macroeconomic and labor market research at the Conference Board.

But growth from October through December was well off the breakneck pace set from spring through fall. The U.S. economy grew at a 5% annual rate in the third quarter and a 4.6% rate in the second quarter.

The combined growth rate in those six months was the best since 2003.

Economists didn't expect the economy to keep up that pace. But the fourth quarter's 2.6% annualized growth rate of gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic activity, came in well below the 3.2% consensus forecast.

Friday's data were the government's first estimate for the quarter and the figure could be revised upward in the coming weeks.

The fourth-quarter slowdown meant the economy expanded at a 2.4% rate last year, a slight improvement over 2013's 2.2% rate and the best performance since 2010. Growth last year was dragged down by a 2.1% contraction in the first quarter caused by severe weather in much of the country.

Plunging oil prices boosted consumer spending in the fourth quarter to its highest level since 2006. Consumer spending increased at a 4.3% annual rate, up from a strong 3.2% in the third quarter.

But the rising value of the dollar compared to other currencies caused export growth to fall for the second straight quarter.

The pace of growth of business investment also slowed, to 1.9%. And government spending declined at an annualized rate of 2.2%, led by a steep decline in federal defense outlays.

Federal Reserve policymakers are watching the economic data as they try to decide when to start raising the central bank's rock-bottom short-term interest rate. After a policy meeting this week, the Fed upgraded its assessment of the economy and signaled it could start raising rates as early as June.

For breaking economic news, follow @JimPuzzanghera on Twitter

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George Zimmerman won't be prosecuted in aggravated-assault case

George Zimmerman, who was arrested earlier this month on an aggravated-assault charge, won't be prosecuted, a Florida state attorney said.

Zimmerman, who was famously acquitted of the 2012 killing of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, was accused of throwing a wine bottle at his girlfriend. But State Atty. Phil Archer told the Orlando Sentinel that the woman recanted her initial statement.

"While it is clear that the officers had probable cause to arrest Mr. Zimmerman, which was affirmed by the circuit court judge at initial appearances, the subsequent recantation by the victim of her initial statement along with new documents provided by the victim and her attorney precludes my office from proceeding further," Archer said.

Zimmerman's shooting of 17-year-old Martin in Sanford, Fla., touched off protests and a national debate on racial profiling. Zimmerman served as a neighborhood watch volunteer in the apartment complex where he shot Martin.

Since his acquittal, he has had multiple brushes with the law, including being accused of smashing an iPad during an argument with his estranged wife and being pulled over three times for traffic violations.

One case against him was never pursued because of lack of evidence; in another, prosecutors did not pursue the case because his girlfriend at the time did not cooperate with detectives.

Staff writer Samantha Masunaga contributed to this report.

Follow @juliewestfall on Twitter

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If judges can't join the Boy Scouts, what about the Mormon Church?

To the editor: California's Supreme Court unanimously decreed that state judges will no longer be allowed to affiliate with the Boy Scouts of America because of the organization's discrimination against gay and lesbian adults in leadership roles. ("State high court's vote affecting Scout affiliation stirs debate anew," Jan. 24)

Will this ruling also apply to Mormon judges? Will the people applauding this action because it increases pressure on the Boy Scouts to change its policy apply the same logic to the Mormon Church, which prevents women from assuming all sorts of roles?

And what about the Catholic Church?

Janet Weaver, Huntington Beach

..

To the editor: Imagine that: The high priests of tolerance turn out to be pretty intolerant themselves.

The Boy Scouts is a great organization that has helped develop millions of boys into outstanding men. The California Supreme Court justices should be ashamed of themselves; I am certainly ashamed of them.

Matt Gorder, Riverside

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Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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On civil rights, give religion credit where credit is due

To the editor: Michael Shermer is wrong to say that "the abolitionist movement was primarily inspired by such secular documents as the American Declaration of Independence and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man." ("The influence of science and reason on moral progress," Op-Ed, Jan. 26)

English Quakers began speaking out against the slave trade in the early 1700s, and Granville Sharp, a lay theologian working with a group of Quakers and Anglicans, was instrumental in the first legal ruling that freed a slave in 1772.

It was, in fact, Christian activists who initiated and drove the abolitionist movement, and it was two ordained ministers, Theodore Parker and Martin Luther King Jr., whom Shermer uses to articulate the truth he illustrates: that the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice.

Religion should be criticized when it seeks to inhibit human progress, as is the case with those who oppose marriage equality. But where religion advances human rights, credit should be given where it is due.

The Rev. V.R. Marianne Zahn, Pasadena

..

To the editor: Shermer's paean to rationality as the basis for morality is refreshing but incomplete.

It moves beyond the usual (and justified) bashing of religion's discredited claim to exclusive jurisdiction to raise a hymn in praise of rationality, a stirring song of hope: As we become better informed and capable of applying the scientific method to more of life, the dream of the long arc of history bending toward morality will be realized.

The problem with this admirable faith statement is that it ignores human behavior — the adolescent irrationality that drives what Ernest Becker in "The Denial of Death" describes as our worship of power in search of heroic victory over the meaningless death that awaits us.

To address morality rationally is to confront the source of our childish irrationality and offer new mythic paths to growing out of it.

John Phillips, Camarillo

..

To the editor: Just how does science and rational thinking explain why an individual will sacrifice one's own self-interest, even to the point of imperiling one's own existence, to make life better for others?

I suppose one could invoke evolution to support altruism and morality as a herd instinct that contributes to the betterment of the group. But in that case the "smart" individual would see past that impulse and act selfishly.

By all means, expand knowledge and interaction, but recognize there must be something else as well.

Hyman J. Milstein, Studio City

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Seriously, let's not take Super Bowl so seriously

When it comes to Super Bowl week, this column represents failure XLIX. The topic should be ignored, but it's a red flag in front of a bull.

Holding my breath until I turn blue hasn't worked. Nor has wearing a sleeping mask and ear plugs. Seeing 12 movies in five days failed. So did asking my wife to hide my laptop.

In the end, such Super foolishness, bordering on stupidity, cannot be ignored. They are going to play a big football game in a huge stadium near Phoenix on Sunday, and it has us flat on our backs with our paws up, panting and asking to have our stomach scratched.

More. More. Wiggle, wiggle. Pant, pant.

There is no desire here to be a killjoy. I have no problem with the game. Two great teams will play what is often an exciting game.

Nor is there anything wrong with having parties and watching the game. This can be, and often is, fine sports entertainment.

The problem is our total loss of perspective during the lead-up. The NFL, enabled by an increasingly shallow media, has us in a conga line from which there is no escape. During Super Bowl week — every Super Bowl week — we need to stop and take stock of what is being tossed at us. More and more worms are being dangled and we keep chomping away.

The only thing dumber than Super Bowl week, and the adoration we give to it and its perpetrators, is Twitter.

Let's stop and think.

The NFL lurched its way through a season that started with a video showing one of its stars, Ray Rice, cold-cocking his wife-to-be in an Atlantic City casino elevator. That was followed by another case of an even bigger star, Adrian Peterson, punishing his young son by whipping him and stuffing leaves in his mouth.

Then there was the commissioner of this league, Roger Goodell, holding a "get all this bad stuff behind me" news conference and coming off like Dick Nixon in the early days of Watergate.

The good news for the NFL was that those things distracted many of us from writing about all the former NFL players who are penniless, pension-less, concussed, replaced of hip, knee or both, and suicidal to the point of shooting themselves in the heart rather than the head so a doctor can explain to the families why their husband and father lost his senses.

It also distracted many journalists from reporting more about the cheap settlement deal the NFL is trying to push through on these old guys.

None of that seemed to change the prevailing perspective. Hundreds of fans, many of them women, wore Ray Rice jerseys to the next Baltimore Ravens game after the knockout punch in the elevator went public. We watched, shrugged, and kept right on adoring on the road to the Super Bowl.

So here we are, in the week before. And what do we have?

Deflate-gate.

Has there ever been a more silly story? Is there nobody in suit and tie in media central who will just say no to giving it more than lip service? Apparently not.

NBC and its Nightly News with Brian Williams, as distinguished a group as exists in broadcasting, breathlessly reported and analyzed. People are starving, wars are breaking out, big corporations are finding new ways to mess with their customers, and we get two minutes of whether Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are trying to get an edge.

Of course they are.

Nor will it matter in the least. Maybe the Patriots will get fined. Pocket change for the team's rich owner. Did they forfeit the game? No. Will they throw some equipment guy under the bus? Of course.

The score of the AFC championship game was 45-7. The Patriots would have won if they used Nerf balls.

Why do we have to listen to this? Because there is no way to tune it out. Mainstream news is now a knee-jerk reaction to a flood of mindless Internet emotion and a bunch of conspiracy theorists wearing Seattle Seahawks jerseys. If it's trending, we are bending.

Somebody actually started a petition to have the deflated football game replayed and 40,000 people have signed it. That's 40,000 people who need to get a life.

Tuesday was media day in Phoenix. Players sat at tables and answered questions from reporters. That's pretty non-compelling stuff. But thousands showed up and paid $28.50 each.

Yes, the NFL is now making money on media day! As we texters say, OMG.

A Phoenix TV station ran a segment gushing over the uniforms each team would wear — to media day! You can't make these things up.

Finally, there was Marshawn Lynch, who got it right — for all the wrong reasons.

He is the Seahawks running back who has decided he won't talk to the media, even though he is contractually obligated to do so. Poor Lynch. What a pain to have to answer questions from people who are your conduit to a public that pays your multimillion-dollar salary.

Lynch sat in an indoor arena, wore sunglasses and repeated a form of the same phrase 29 times in answering questions: "I'm here so I won't get fined."

He said nothing. There is nothing to say. He deserved to be ignored, like all this other stuff.

He wasn't, of course.

Sunday will be here in no time, mercifully. So eat, drink, watch and be merry. But see it for what it is — a circus of excess and gluttony disguised as sport and leading us to the next inevitable step: soldiers rounding up Christians and herding them to the Coliseum.

It's an easy transition. The Roman numerals are already in place.

Follow Bill Dwyre on Twitter @DwyreLATimes

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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In police-involved shootings, facts are victims

To the editor: Your editorial is balanced and thoughtful. Not every officer-involved shooting is justified, nor is every one unjustified. ("How to ensure impartial investigations of officers' deadly force?," Editorial, Jan. 26)

As a lawyer, I appreciate your recognition that even the most emotionally charged controversies may come down to dry facts. We need to get past the knee-jerk reactions of both the left and the right.

If we allow predetermined and ultimately arbitrary ideological categories to control the outcome of a matter as delicate as a police shooting, we will have deprived ourselves of the sober and deliberative due process to which a potential claimant or a potential defendant is entitled.

We must never allow either our emotions or our location on the political spectrum to override impartial investigations and the ultimate rule of law.

Edward Tabash, Beverly Hills

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Jordan declares willingness to release militant for captive pilot

The Jordanian government declared its willingness Wednesday to swap a female prisoner who took part in a deadly rampage of hotel bombings in 2005 for a Jordanian pilot held by the Islamic State extremist group.

However, it was unclear whether the proposed deal for the pilot, Lt. Moaz Kasasbeh, would include Kenji Goto, a Japanese journalist also held hostage by Islamic State.

The fates of the Japanese journalist and the Jordanian pilot have become entwined as Islamic State has threatened to execute both men if Jordan does not free the captive militant.

A reported deadline of late Wednesday afternoon passed without definitive word on the status of the two hostages.

According to a purported voice recording of the Japanese hostage that surfaced late Wednesday, the pilot will be executed "immediately" by Islamic State if Amman does not deliver the female militant to the Turkish-Syrian border by sunset Thursday.

The brief audio is identified as the taped voice of Goto, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militant Web activity. In the recording, the man said to be the journalist — "I'm Kenji Goto Jogo," he declares — explains that he was told to deliver the message.

The audio was distributed on Islamic State-linked Twitter accounts, SITE said.

Earlier in the day, Mohammad Momani, a government spokesman, confirmed  that Jordan was "ready to release the prisoner Sajida al-Rishawi if the Jordanian pilot ... was released completely unharmed."

Musa Abdullat, a Jordanian lawyer with close ties to Islamist groups in the country, said negotiations were progressing.

"Things are moving in a positive direction," he said, contacted by phone in the capital, Amman. "We expect the coming 10 hours to bring some excellent developments."

Rishawi, who sits on Jordan's death row, is an Iraqi militant who participated in coordinated suicide attacks in 2005 on hotels in Amman that left dozens of civilians dead. The operation, reportedly ordered by Abu Musab Zarqawi, the Jordanian head of Al Qaeda in Iraq -- the precursor to Islamic State -- targeted hotels in Amman's more affluent neighborhoods.

Rishawi survived because her explosive belt failed to detonate, authorities said. She was sentenced to death, but the Jordanian government later instituted a moratorium on death penalties that was only overturned in December.

Since her incarceration, Rishawi has become a cause celebre for militant groups. Many have exhorted fellow Muslims to undertake operations to secure her release, which would be seen as a public relations coup for Islamic State, which now controls large stretches of territory in Syria and Iraq.

The families of both hostages have made public appeals urging  Islamic State to release the men.

Kasasbeh, the Jordanian pilot, was reported captured in late December after surviving the crash of his F-16 fighter jet in northern Syria. Jordan is part of the U.S.-led coalition that has been bombing Islamic State targets in Syria since September.

Jawdat Kasasbeh, his brother, confirmed that Rishawi had been transferred from her cell in the Jwaideh prison in Amman to a military jail in Zarqa city, 10 miles north of the capital.

"We hope this is a good sign and will lead to Moaz's release," said the brother, speaking from the family home near the southern Jordanian town of Karak.

A video released on Tuesday depicted what appeared to be Goto, the Japanese journalist, holding a picture of the captive pilot. The journalist said he would be executed within 24 hours if the Jordanian government did not hand over the imprisoned militant. The pilot, Goto said, would be killed before him.

"What seems to be so difficult to understand?" asked Goto. "Her for me. A straight exchange."

An earlier video showed Goto with a picture of a beheaded Japanese hostage, Haruna Yukawa, according to SITE. In those images, Goto said Islamic State had abandoned its original demand for a $200-million ransom and now sought the release of Rishawi.

Islamic State supporters on Twitter were jubilant at the prospect of Rishawi's release. Some went so far as to claim she had already reached Islamic State territory, though there was no indication that she had yet been freed.

Bulos is a special correspondent. Staff writer Patrick J. McDonnell in Beirut contributed to this report.

Follow McDonnell on Twitter at @mcdneville for news out of the Middle East

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

4:33 p.m.: This article has been updated to indicate that the deadline for releasing the militant may have been extended to sunset Thursday.

8:25 a.m.: This article has been updated with a statement by a lawyer with close ties to Islamist groups.

7:10 a.m.: This article has been updated throughout with new details and background.

The article was originally published at 5:34 a.m.

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Twin brothers charged in robbery, slaying of woman in South L.A.

Eighteen-year-old twin brothers have been charged with capital murder in connection with a South Los Angeles robbery and fatal stabbing of a 62-year-old seamstress in December, authorities said.

Kenyata Blake and Keishon Blake were each charged with one count of murder and two counts of second-degree robbery with special circumstances, police said at an afternoon news conference.

Police said the brothers are also believed to be involved in a Mid-City robbery that occurred Jan. 23. That victim was not killed.

LAPD Det. Robert Lait said both robbery victims were middle-aged or older and were walking alone at the time of the attacks. Lait added that there are a number of unsolved robberies in the area. He urged the public to call police if they recognize the two men.

"We're looking into all" of the robberies, he said. "If you have been a victim of a robbery, please let us know."

On Dec. 22, Maria Elena Rivas-Lomeli had just gotten off the bus from work, bought groceries at a Ralphs supermarket and was walking home when she was attacked from behind and stabbed, police said.

Paramedics took the 62-year-old woman to a hospital, where she died.

Security video taken from the supermarket showed that Rivas-Lomeli used money from a large wallet that she kept in her purse to pay for the groceries. The purse and the groceries were missing after the attack.

Lait said various weapons were used in the attacks. He called the public's help in the case "instrumental."

"There were a lot of concerned people who called," he said, adding that the woman's employer even stepped up to offer a reward.  "This woman was very loved by the community."

Rivas-Lomeli's nephew German Contreras, 25, said he grew up with his aunt. He said she was about three blocks away from home when she was attacked.

"Her life was just based on working," he said.

Anyone with information about the robberies asked to call the Criminal Gang Homicide Division at (213) 485-4341. 

For more homicide-related news, follow @nicolesantacruz.

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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'Anna Christie' harbors but a spark of greatness

There's no shortage of acting in the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble revival of Eugene O'Neill's "Anna Christie." Accents are adorned like fake noses, illnesses resemble those found in 19th century operas and bits of melodramatic business might as well be underscored with the clashing of cymbals.

What's missing from the production — which stars Jeff Perry (a Steppenwolf Theatre Company veteran and cast member of the hit television series "Scandal") and his daughter, rising actress Zoe Perry, as the play's long-estranged father and daughter — is the kind of directorial guidance that could infuse all this sound and fury with some resonant stillness.

The old-fashioned acting heaves in one direction; Kim Rubinstein's superficially modern staging tugs in another. Emotional combustion fortunately arrives with the introduction of Mat Burke (played by Kevin McKidd of "Grey's Anatomy"), the Irish shipman who washes up from the sea and falls madly in love with Anna, a sickly young woman with a checkered past who has sought sanctuary on her captain father's coal barge.

The plot belongs to another era, revolving around Anna's redemption from her life as a former prostitute after the neglect and exploitation of her childhood. But in trying to stylistically update O'Neill's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1921 drama, this mismanaged revival makes the work seem irretrievably outdated.

Wilson Chin's semi-abstract set design — a raised platform that functions as barroom and boat, surrounded by a border of water standing in for "dat ole davil sea" — is treated by Rubinstein without much concern for common-sense logistics. Absent entirely is a sense of proportion. When the fog rolls in midway through the first act, the effect is so overdone that it's hard to make out what's happening on stage through stinging, watering eyes.

In O'Neill's drama, the fog is, of course, symbolic of the blindness with which the characters muddle their way into the future. Here, it's indicative of a production that is unable to effectively marshal its resources in the intimate space.

In the role of the Swedish captain Chris Christopherson, Jeff Perry gives a broad sketch of this weather-beaten seaman who has turned his back on long ocean voyages and the loneliness and drunken misery he associates with such a life. It's a characterization that stops short of being comic but has some of the same bluster and blunder one finds in the characters of Synge and O'Casey. The production, however, doesn't establish an assured tone for Perry's performance.

O'Neill, who was never known for his acute ear, had a bad habit of writing out speech patterns phonetically. Perry seems straitjacketed by Chris' pidgin English, his mouth forming around his lines as though he were swallowing Swedish meatballs.

The oddness of the portrayal is thrown into relief in the opening scene by Tait Ruppert's nonchalant bartender, who could pass for a waiter at a chain restaurant in Santa Monica. This character may not have a cumbersome accent, but surely he ought to inhabit the same time period as Mary Mara's Marthy Owen, a Dickensian barfly and Chris' bedmate who offers Anna a look into her own future if she doesn't straighten out her ways.

Zoe Perry's accent screams Minnesota, which is where Anna went to live as a young girl with her mother, who died during the voyage. This isn't the only dimension of her performance that is pitched too strenuously.

Pauline Lord, who originated the role of Anna on Broadway, was renowned for the hushed quality of her tragic realism. Perry makes intelligent choices with her interpretation of a woman whose cruel, exploited life hasn't sullied her innermost being, but the gap between character and actress is far too visible. O'Neill invites overacting, but he needs sacrificial immersion.

There are a few clarifying moments of blasting anger between Anna and Chris, but the cathartic fires really only ignite in the scenes between Anna and McKidd's Mat, who doesn't want to love her after she reveals the truth about her past, yet cannot stop. This is an O'Neill play that ends on a hopeful note, though naturally it takes several near catastrophes and a quasi-exorcism to get there.

The production, shot through with the plaintive jazz of sound designer Martin Gutfeldt's saxophone (another of Rubinstein's empty gestures), never finds a coherent rhythm. But a spark of what made O'Neill the great American dramatist (despite his myriad flaws as a writer) comes through. When the fog lifts (glory be to God), a haunted happy ending is the reward.

-----------------------

'Anna Christie'

Where: Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., L.A.

When: 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays (call for exceptions). Ends March 8.

Tickets: $34.99

Info: (310) 477-2055, Ext. 2; http://www.OdysseyTheatre.com

Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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Vaccine skeptics are in denial

To the editor: My child is a student at Waldorf School of Orange County, and it's unbelievable that 41% of kindergartners started the school year unvaccinated. Just recently a Waldorf parent told me that no one is talking about the measles epidemic — not one conversation. ("Once easily recognized, signs of measles now elude young doctors," Jan. 26)

Maybe as a society we value a dog's life more than a human life.

All dogs in California that are 4 months or older are legally required to be vaccinated for rabies. A law enacted in 2011 allows an exemption for the rabies shot if the dog has existing medical conditions that would further deteriorate its health but requires that the animal be confined to the owner's home or be kept on a short leash when away from home.

In contrast, a parent of a human child may sign a paper claiming a belief exemption from all vaccinations. Wow.

Gina Piazza, Costa Mesa

..

To the editor: I do not dispute the value of vaccines, and all my children were inoculated on schedule. However, I sympathize with the so-called deniers.

For generations, many members of the medical establishment have over-promised their ability to prevent and cure disease, told us to take medications that were later determined to have terrible side effects, and more recently failed to protect us from extortionary medical billing practices by their hospitals and insurance companies.

It is both rational and reasonable for some people to no longer trust their doctors.

Rather than ridiculing them, members of the medical community should ask first: What part do we have in this? Once they answer that question, they can begin to rebuild the public's faith in them.

David Fleck, Granada Hills

..

To the editor: Well-meaning but misguided parents must realize that measles shots are not lethal injections.

Quite the opposite: Failure to protect their (and other people's) children is a rash decision that could sicken, disable or even kill innocents.

Chris Ungar, Los Osos, Calif.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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Mormon Church backs legal protections for gays -- and the religious

Seven years after the Mormon Church led followers on a campaign to outlaw gay marriage in California, church leaders on Tuesday announced their support for job, housing and public accommodation protections for gays and lesbians everywhere.

But in calling for a "fairness for all" approach, the church also insisted on exemptions for religious freedom, such as laws to protect Mormon doctors who refuse to perform abortions or to assist with artificial insemination for lesbians.

The announcement, at a rare news conference in Salt Lake City that featured three members of the church's governing Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, was greeted with cheers and skepticism — a reflection of the complex and often divisive debate over how to balance gay rights and religious freedom.

Sarah Warbelow, legal director of the Washington-based Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest civil rights organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, said the church's position appeared "deeply flawed" as public policy.

"Symbolically, seeing the church leaders advocating so openly for these protections will no doubt be deeply meaningful to Mormon families with LGBT members, and provide encouragement to LGBT youth in the church," Warbelow said in an emailed statement. But, she added, "nondiscrimination protections only function when they are applied equally."

Some groups, such as Equality Utah, an advocacy group for gays and lesbians in a state with nearly 2 million Mormons, lauded the announcement.

"Many within the LGBT community are themselves people of faith," Executive Director Troy Williams said. "We look forward soon to the day when all Utahns have the opportunity to live and work freely in the state we call home."

The church's announcement comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule this year on the constitutionality of same-sex marriage.

The court has grappled with high-profile cases involving the boundaries of religious liberty, with complicated results.

In the Hobby Lobby case last year, it ruled that a Christian business could refuse to provide comprehensive birth-control coverage to employees mandated under the Affordable Care Act. In another case, it rejected the appeal of a New Mexico photographer accused of flouting anti-discrimination laws by refusing to photograph a same-sex wedding.

Jonathan Roberts, 38, of Hollywood, a former Mormon missionary, described the announcement as a "calculated" and "patronizing" bit of public relations on the part of a church that sees increasing cultural acceptance of gay people and doesn't want to look bigoted.

Roberts, who is gay, said church leaders were secretive about why they made decisions, but he suspected the announcement was a "preemptive strike" in anticipation of the Supreme Court ruling.

The Mormon Church has an estimated 15 million followers worldwide, with about 6 million in the U.S., where the largest temples are in Salt Lake City — the church headquarters — Los Angeles and Kensington, Md. California has about 768,000 members.

In 2008, the Mormon Church urged followers to give their time and money to help pass Proposition 8, the California measure to ban same-sex marriage, which narrowly passed.

The courts struck down the measure, and the church faced heated protests — including protests against individual donors to the campaign — that equated Proposition 8 with bigotry.

The proposition's passage was the catalyst for talks between LGBT and Mormon leaders about ways to improve relations, and "the more moderate Mormons were hoping to try and make things better," said Lorri L. Jean, chief executive of the Los Angeles LGBT Center, which organized protests against the measure.

At Tuesday's news conference, the church elders emphasized that their opposition to same-sex marriage had not changed. Mormons believe sex is only permissible in marriage between a man and a woman.

Jerry Garns, one of the eight top Mormon leaders in California, said Mormons did not see the church position against same-sex marriage as discrimination.

"I think everyone has someone, a friend, a family member, who is touched by this issue, so of course we discuss it," he said. "There's no real change with the doctrine, but finding a way forward that is harmonious is what we all want."

Patrick Mason, director of the Mormon studies program at Claremont Graduate University, said the church appeared to have given up the battle against same-sex marriage laws.

"They have tried to walk a fine line, saying that because of our theological commitments, we can't accept same-sex marriage, but let's agree to work together on this whole raft of other issues," Mason said.

"This statement is kind of an olive branch saying can we find a way to accept religious liberty and at the same time promote equal and fair treatment of citizens," he said.

Despite the softer approach by the church, some LGBT advocates were skeptical that the announcement represented a meaningful shift.

Jean said the church's insistence on "religious exemptions" was a recipe for discrimination.

"The exceptions they want are big enough to drive a truck through," she said. "No one should be fooled by this." She described it as a "non-statement statement that is basically, 'We don't think LGBT people should be discriminated against unless we believe they should be discriminated against.'"

But the church's announcement could help spur change in some conservative states with large Mormon populations.

In Utah, legislators could face easier going with a proposal to add sexual orientation and gender identification to the state's anti-discrimination statutes. In previous years, similar legislation has failed to pass.

In Idaho, the House State Affairs Committee is holding hearings on whether to add "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" to a state law barring discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations.

Johnny Townsend, a Seattle author who said he was excommunicated from the Mormon Church a generation ago for being gay, sounded cautiously hopeful.

"I think the church is very slowly coming around to realizing it will have to have a kinder, gentler approach to gays and lesbians," Townsend said. "They realize they have to make concessions. I think it is a step forward. But so many of the Mormons I know have very strong anti-gay feelings, and it will take more than this to soften them up."

hailey.branson@latimes.com

jeff.gottlieb.@latimes.com

christopher.goffard@latimes.com

Times staff writers Maura Dolan, Maria L. La Ganga, Lauren Raab and Kurtis Lee contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

9:14 p.m.: The story was updated throughout with new details.

5:11 p.m.: This post has been updated throughout.

2:19 p.m.: This post has been updated with comments from author Johnny Townsend and information about a proposed law in Idaho.

2 p.m.: This post has been updated with comments from California Mormon leader Jerry Garns.

1:32 p.m.: This post has been updated with comments from Lorri L. Jean, chief executive of the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

1:26 p.m.: This post has been updated with comments from Patrick Mason, the Howard H. Hunter chair of Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University.

1:10 p.m.: This post has been updated with comments from Human Rights Campaign legal director Sarah Warbelow and James Esseks, director of the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender & AIDS Project.

12:20 p.m.: This post was updated with comments from Utah state lawmakers. 

10:40 a.m.: This post was updated to include comments from the LGBT community.

The first version of this post was published at 10:12 a.m. 

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R.K. Laxman, newspaper cartoonist in India, dies at 93

R.K. Laxman, the acclaimed Indian newspaper cartoonist whose pungent commentary, often through the eyes of his beloved Common Man character, held a mirror to the absurdity and silliness of his country's politicians and those they led, died Monday in Pune, India. He was 93.

The cause was multiple-organ failure, his doctor said.

Laxman's almost daily cartoon called "You Said It" ran in the Times of India for six decades, offering a graphic chronicle of his nation's history, stretching from its infancy after independence from Britain in 1947 and continuing through its embrace of modernity amid corruption, poverty and religious discord.

His balding, bespectacled Common Man character has been immortalized on a postage stamp and spawned a television sitcom.

Laxman especially delighted in skewering India's ruling elite and their failure to deliver on promises to remedy the country's many problems.

In 1969, after American astronauts landed on the moon, he showed the Common Man being presented to NASA scientists as the perfect candidate for life on the moon. "This is our man! He can survive without water, food, light, air, shelter," Laxman's caption read.

"In a few strokes of the pen and one caption, he'd encapsulate the particular mood at that time finer than any of these analyses you'd read in the paper," former Times of India editor Dileep Padgaonkar told the Los Angeles Times in 2008.

Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Laxman was born on Oct. 24, 1921, the youngest of six sons of a school headmaster in the southern town of Mysore. Captivated by the illustrations in Punch and other British magazines, he began drawing as a child. One of his teachers encouraged him, but another exploded upon discovering the boy had caricatured him with bug eyes and buck teeth.

Rejected by a Mumbai art school, Laxman instead attended the University of Mysore, where he majored in economics, philosophy and political science.

He illustrated the novels of his brother, the well-known Indian novelist R.K. Narayan, before joining the Times of India in the early 1950s. The newspaper soon was featuring his cartoon on the front page.

His needling sometimes got him in trouble as an adult, such as the time he was hauled into court for lampooning nationalist rioters who were burning cars and buses in Bombay. His cartoon showed a rioter attempting to set a motorcycle on fire, "but he can't even light the matchstick," Laxman once told an interviewer. "A bystander says, 'What sort of patriot are you? You can't even burn a small motorcycle.' "

Laxman was acquitted.

On Tuesday, most mainstream newspapers in India carried prominent obituaries on the celebrated cartoonist. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted a tribute, writing that India was "grateful to you for adding the much needed humor in our lives and always bringing smiles on our faces."

Laxman had been in worsening health after a number of strokes over the last decade. His survivors include his wife, Kamala, and a son.

"Cartoons soften the harshness of life," Laxman told author Ritu Gairola Khanduri in a history of Indian political cartooning. "When people laugh it softens the blow. The goal is as far as possible to see the ridiculousness of it all."

news.obits@latimes.com

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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Kern County supervisors declare fiscal emergency amid plunging oil prices

Kern County supervisors declared a state of fiscal emergency at their weekly meeting Tuesday in response to predictions of a massive shortfall in property tax revenues because of tanking oil prices.

Surging oil supplies domestically and weak demand abroad have left Kern, the heart of oil production in California, facing what could be a $61-million hole in its budget once its fiscal year starts July 1, according to preliminary calculations from the county's assessor-recorder office.

Oil companies account for about 30% of the county's property tax revenues, a percentage that has been declining in recent decades but still represents a critical cushion for county departments and school districts.

"It affects all county departments – every department will be asked to make cuts," said County Assessor Jon Lifquist in an interview this month. "It just doesn't bode well."

Soaring pension costs also influenced the fiscal emergency declaration, which allows supervisors to tap county reserves. Operating costs expected at a new jail facility in fiscal 2017 and 2018 factored into the decision as well.

Looking at an operational deficit of nearly $27 million for the 2015-16 fiscal year, supervisors adopted a plan to immediately begin scaling back county spending rather than making deep reductions all at once in July.

The Service Employees International Union Local 521 urged officials in a statement to "not adopt drastic cuts that could cripple vital community services."

The union said that although temporary wage cuts and hiring freezes "may be an obvious solution," such tactics "are never the sole answer to economic problems."

Twitter: @tiffhsulatimes

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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