Native Intelligence

A judge's ruling that declares capital punishment unconstitutional in California causes Martinez to wonder if we are beginning to weary of the savagery and he hopes for the dawning of a new day of compassion.

Take My Picture Gary Leonard is a regular weekly feature of LA Observed.

The outdoors venues in Los Angeles this summer constitute one of America's largest Shakespearean hotspots. Let Don Shirley be your guide.

Their voices were cutting in and out as they followed Marisol's path up the hillside. Hot dogs wouldn't hurt. Hot dogs to fight a curse.

Natural history museums grew out of the "Wunderkammer"--a device for cultivating wonder in the face of the amazing diversity and weirdness of the world, but also for discovery, of the new, the unknown, of patterns, and laws. The LA River has become a kind of cabinet of wonders for Los Angeles: a site for thinking about and making sense of nature and culture in the city.

The Dodgers do need help in the back of their rotation. But giving up a top prospect for an ace like David Price would be a huge mistake.

Martinez lies abed craving a hot, sweet thing right then and there, but Cinelli who lies next to him can always figure him out and suggests that he might just relax and think of puppies instead.

Yahoo finally changed its incorrect info on his client -- after he tweeted CEO Marissa Mayer -- but Google still lists the wrong name, address and industry. "Google plainly does not care," says our guest blogger.

Without a coach or a competitive roster, the Lakers seem to have no vision for the future.

Take My Picture Gary Leonard is a regular weekly feature of LA Observed.

"Veronica Street" is a new novel of Los Angeles by Jenny Burman, serialized each week at LA Observed. Today: In bed Ayla and Caleb were in sync, but upright they existed in different dimensions of time and space.

"Kimono for a Modern Age" at LACMA presents more than 30 of the traditional Japanese garments. Curator Sharon S. Takeda walks us through.

Finding an unassuming historical barn in the midst of Century City's bluster is a strange enough anomaly. But when you enter the plain white building on Santa Monica Boulevard just a block from the Westfield mall, a study in even more beautiful juxtapositions opens up.

You will probably want to know what to do after you rip out your lawn. And that's important, said the experts at a summer series on water at the Natural History Museum of LA County. Even more important, though, is what happens when our public spaces get less water.

Martinez turns his snarling wrath against doctors who just won't let him get the hell out of the hospital. Wasn't saving his life enough?

Take My Picture Gary Leonard is a weekly feature of LA Observed.

"Veronica Street" is a new novel of Los Angeles by Jenny Burman. It will be serialized here weekly.

In which longtime environmental advocate Mark Gold confesses his soft spot for golf, while sloshing through far too many unintended water hazards at local LA links.

The World Cup is down to its Final Four, all of them powerhouses. The finale could be an All-American affair.

Martinez is back, obsessed with nudity and cleanliness and a shower lady named Mahlita who will scrub him thoroughly, but not down there.

Take My Picture Gary Leonard is a regular weekly feature of LA Observed.

Veronica Street is a new novel of Los Angeles by Jenny Burman. It will be serialized here weekly, starting today.

After five years of Hollywood Fringe, Shirley doesn't care how many newcomers it attracts to LA. He likes the Fringe for the structure it provides established LA artists to develop their work.

Janie Taylor has retired as a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet (at 33) and moved to Los Angeles. She talks about shifting her life and continuing to grow as a designer.

We talk a lot about water here. This summer you can join the conversation on Thursday evenings at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.