Tuesday, May 07, 2013

I'm just beginning to see (thanks to the Moody Blues) the headlines that caught my eye today

The L.A. Times has been trying, unsuccessfully until now, to get some data on salaries at the City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.  The data was finally released and it's eye-opening.  The average salary of a DWP employee is $101,237.  That's up 15% over the last five years.  During that same period (roughly), median household income in L.A. fell rather than going up.

Ray Harryhausen has died at age 92.  You may not know the name but you certainly know the work.  He was the pioneer in the field of stop-motion animation, and movies like "Jason and the Argonauts" and "One Million Years BC" would have been nowhere near as visually wonderful as they were.  RIP.

NJ governor Chris Christie has spoken publicly about his bariatric (weight-loss) surgery, saying he does not want to be thought of as a role-model on this issue.  He says it is a very private battle.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above the 15,000 level for the first time. 

Add Delaware to the list of states that have legalized same-sex marriage.

A study by the USC Center for the Study of Immigration Integration reveals that one in ten residents of L.A. County is in the country illegally.

The body of a 73 year old hiker who went missing at Yosemite National Park has been found at the base of a waterfall.

The first victim of the shooting rampage of Ali Syed this past February was a stripper he'd hired to entertain him in his bedroom.  Courtney Aoki was identified by her fingerprints.

At the trial of a 16 year old in Compton where she is charged with murdering her mother and stepfather, she testified that she and her boyfriend went shopping for "food and party supplies" with her mother's body in the back of the vehicle.

A 105 year old woman in Texas credits eating bacon daily as the secret to her longevity.

Former President Bill Clinton couldn't get Led Zeppelin to reunite for a benefit concert (it wasn't his fault, they had schedule challenges they couldn't resolve) and now he's saying that the focus on whether or not his wife will run for President in 2016 is a waste of time.  He says the focus should be on solving the nation's problems.  He's right.

Forbes Magazine is famous for (among other things), its lists.  Now it is out with a list of the most influential athletes in the U.S., and the top four on that list aren't competing these days. 

Paul Forziano and Hava Samuels are a newlywed couple.  They spend their days together, but they must go to separate homes each night because the group homes in which they live will not let them live together as husband and wife.  Both are mentally disabled.  They have filed a lawsuit to force the group homes to let them live together.

Rihanna showed up hours late for a Boston concert and was showered with boos.

L.A. Dodger Matt Kemp is struggling at the plate, but when it comes to generousity he's doing a bang-up job.  At a recent game in Frisco, he was asked to give an autograph to a young fan who is "fighting a tough battle", he responsed by giving an autograph and then his cap, jersey and shoes.

"The Avengers 2" is slated to be released in the summer of 2015.  But right now, the film's future may be in doubt.  Several of the stars of the first film are not under contract to be in the sequel and are holding out for more money.  That includes Robert Downey Jr, whose participation is considered crucial.  He made somewhere between $50 million and $80 million for the original and wants more for #2.

Rob Portman is a conservative U.S. senator from Ohio.  Now he's admitted that he smoked pot back in the day.

A man who testified at the 2005 molestation trial of Michael Jackson that the singer NEVER molested him is now seeking money from the singer's estate based on his allegations that Jackson did molest him.  Whoops.