|
|
|
|
|
More than 100 people rappelled from the 32nd floor of the Westin Bonaventure Hotel during the second annual Over the Edge fundraiser for Los Angeles-area Scouting programs. Each descent took about 15 minutes. The participants raised nearly $200,000. A Boy Scout leader watches a tiny speck of a person rappel down the glass face of the left tower of the Westin Bonaventure Hotel. For the thrilling chance to learn and perform the stunt, each of about 100 participants raised at least $1,500 in support of Scouting programs. Pamela Hirneisen smiles as she inches her way down from the 32d floor of the Westin Bonaventure. She said she did it to help raise money for the Boy Scouts and "to face my fears [of heights]. I'm not afraid anymore!" Pamela Hirneisen, 37, catches her breath as she begins to rappel from the 32nd floor of the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. She admits to being afraid of heights and nearly chickened out because "having the faith to lean backward was really, really hard to overcome." She and other participants in the second annual Over the Edge event were raising money for L.A.-area Scouting programs. |
|
|
view Over the Edge fundraisers rappel down Westin Bonaventure Hotel as presented by: Los Angeles Times |
|
|
|
A storm near Antarctica, Australia and New Zealand has created a strong southwest swell that is hitting the Southern California coast. Pedestrians had to take take quick steps back as waves crashed over Strand Way in Oceanside. The portion of the popular oceanfront street was closed after a pedestrian walking through puddles reported being shocked. Familiar spots like the Wedge in Newport Beach are reporting waves up to 15 feet high. A body-surfer finds himself in the grip of a huge wave Thursday at the Wedge, where breakers measuring up to 15 feet or higher pounded the shore. High surf on Friday continued to pound the Wedge, a prime surfing spot off the coast of Newport Beach, challenging surfers and body boarders. Newport Beach — A crowd watches big surf wash ashore at the Wedge in Newport Beach. |
|
|
|
view Cowabunga, Dude! Surf’s Up as presented by: Los Angeles Times |
|
|
|
It’s that time of the year when thousands will head to Nevada’s Black Rock Desert for the Burning Man Festival to create a makeshift city of 50,000 and openly express themselves through art and other means. Burning Man is an annual, weeklong event with big acts booked to play on massive stages. It is more of a city than a festival; a gathering where almost everything is created by its citizens, who are active participants. LaTisha Strickland, left, of Portland, Ore., shows her octopus hat to a friend as they visit the effigy of the man during the Burning Man 2011 "Rites of Passage" arts and music festival in the Black Rock desert of Nevada. The 50-foot-tall Trojan Horse burns during the Burning Man 2011 "Rites of Passage" arts and music festival in the Black Rock desert of Nevada. More than 50,000 people from all over the world have gathered at the sold-out festival, which is celebrating its 25th year. Crowds gather around the "Tympani Lambada" art installation created by the Flaming Lotus Girls group. |
|
|
|
view Burning Man 2011 as presented by: Los Angeles Times |
|
|
|
Ryan Hizon, 22, was recently killed in Afghanistan. A Los Angeles resident since his teens, he wasn’t a U.S. citizen, nor were his parents. But under a program that allows the families of soldiers killed in action to quickly become citizens, his parents were given a final gift from their son. It's a bittersweet day for Rachel Santiago as she looks at a photograph of her son, Army Spc. Ryan Hizon, in his bedroom in Glassell Park. He was killed by an improvised explosive device Feb. 28 in Afghanistan. On this day his parents will be sworn in as U.S. citizens. A gold star hangs at the home of the family of Army Spc. Ryan Hizon in Glassell Park. After the immigration ceremony and lunch, the family drove to Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in Glendale, where they visited the grave of Ryan Hizon. His father, Rodolfo Hizon Jr., bent down to tap the grave twice. Then it was Rachel Santiago's turn. Every time Ryan Hizon would leave the house, his father would touch him. |
|
|
|
view Son’s Legacy Is U.S. Citizenship For His Parents as presented by: Los Angeles Times |
|
|
|
Last year, I wrote about a couple of young photographers I have been mentoring during my annual visits to the Philippines, the country of my birth. I’m happy to say the kids are all right. Last month, I met again with Hersley Ven Casero and Alma Alcoran, two talented artists at Foundation University, a nonprofit school my family established 62 years ago in Dumaguete City. During my visit I read “Why We Are Poor,” a book by F. Sionil Jose. In a collection of essays, the noted Filipino author deconstructs the dysfunction of the Philippines — a country that didn’t “modernize” fast enough and doomed its people to poverty. Unchecked population growth offsets progress. Natural resources are ravaged, Jose notes. Corruption and a lack of accountability exist in virtually every facet of life. About 35% of the country’s 94 million people are under the age of 14. Only 4% are 65 or older. Papal doctrine exerts a heavy hand in politics and government. The masses are hungry, landless and uneducated. Jose, 86, writes about a “poverty of the spirit.” “We are poor because we are poor,” he says. “The culture of poverty is self-perpetuating.” Reading on, however, the acclaimed social observer occasionally betrays his hand in favor of hope — mainly because that’s all there is for so many in a place so deeply in need. Maybe the light hasn’t yet been snuffed. This photo essay— a collaboration between myself and my talented young friends — is dedicated to Jose, who reminds us that human dignity lives on, even in dystopia. |
|
|
|
view Human Dignity on Display in the Philippines as presented by: Los Angeles Times |
|
|
|
After a yearlong deployment to Iraq, more than 300 members of the California National Guard’s 1-140th Aviation Battalion returned home Monday to the Joint Force Training Base in Los Alamitos. The children of a returning guardsman hold a banner of welcome. Helicopter pilot Joe McNamara drapes a flag over his shoulders as he turns toward the crowd of family and friends assembled to greet the returning soldiers. Capt. Matt Jackson plants a kiss on the cheek of his son Jared after arriving back in California after a year in Iraq. |
|
|
|
view California National Guard unit returns from Iraq as presented by: Los Angeles Times |
|
|
|
City-sanctioned canoe and kayak excursions along a placid, 3-mile stretch of the Los Angeles River in the San Fernando Valley’s Sepulveda Basin are expected to start in July. The three-hour journeys will be offered on weekends at a cost of $50 per person. Participants will be chaperoned by a Los Angeles Conservation Corps naturalist. The goals of the pilot program include raising awareness of the river and its history. The images in the gallery above were taken in 2010 shortly after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency designated the river a “traditional navigable waterway.” George Wolfe and Joe Linton walk their vessels through the shallows as they head down the L.A. River during a recent trip after the river's waters were declared a traditional navigable waterway. Joe Linton paddles through a picturesque section of the L.A. River which is more often associated with concrete than lush greenery. Kayakers make their way down the L.A. River near Atwater Village. |
|
|
|
view Kayaking down the Los Angeles River as presented by: Los Angeles Times |
|
|
|
On any given day or week in a city such as Los Angeles, you can find something new and outside of the regular routine to do. From June 16 – 26, the Hollywood Fringe Festival takes over various spaces in the slight area of one square mile in Hollywood. Photographer Mariah Tauger spent a couple days cruising this scene to capture a glimpse of what this year’s festival has to offer. She spent time behind the stage, following the “freaks,” taking in the shows and walked away experiencing passionate and creative people in this city. I think this is a must for next year. 4 Clowns member Alexis Jones makes some last-minute adjustments before a performance. Kasey Rose, contortionist and member of the FreakShow Deluxe, warms up before performing during the second annual Hollywood Fringe Festival. "Orange Freak" Liz Steele, right, and "Red Freak" Abby Burgess promote the fest. |
|
|
|
view A Glimpse of the Hollywood Fringe Festival as presented by: Los Angeles Times |
|
|
|