Also the "Rhapsody in Blue" theme that had been a centerpiece of the airline's advertising in the 80s and 90s. All the major carriers are back on the air with branding efforts that are geared to bring out the positive aspects of air travel.

This was a kind of "on-the-one-hand, on-the-other-hand" report. It shows an economy that's still trudging along, with positive though hardly stellar results.

Household income, percentage of people in poverty, and number of uninsured are mostly unchanged from a year ago, but the comparison with the rest of the U.S. is striking:

Announcement comes less than a week after the 223rd and final C-17 was delivered to the Air Force. That's the last airplane manufacturing facility in Southern California.

Today is the official opening of the new-and-improved Bradley terminal, with its additional shops and restaurants and larger and more accommodating gate areas. Everything looks quite nice, though even before the hoopla the airport has been a perfectly serviceable place to fly into and out of.

The central bank will keep stimulating the economy through its bond-buying program, which was a pleasant surprise to Wall Street. Near the close, the Dow is up almost 150 points.

That's a notable contrast to 20 years ago when recent arrivals often started in low-wage positions, but were able to advance to a middle class lifestyle. These days, many of the mid-level jobs are gone.

As Jon Stewart notes, CNN leads the way in (sorta) covering Monday's shooting rampage in Washington.

The economic picture is a lot more complicated than a few numbers, but it should dispel the long-running whine about Los Angeles being some sort of basket case.

The decision making that's involved in adjusting to the Affordable Care Act goes well beyond saving a few bucks.

Whatever happened to dysfunction? The legislature has wrapped up a productive session that had a decidedly centrist tone - despite fears that the Democrats' hold on the Assembly and Senate would be a return to the days of reckless spending.

More than two dozen high rises of 20-or-more stories are either in the process of going up or on the drawing board for Century City, downtown, and Santa Monica. Question: Are the mayor and City Council prepared to ever say no to projects that are not in the best interests of LA?