Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words

Lifestyle


Sorted by date  Results 882 - 906 of 1533

Page Up

  • The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas Offers an Oasis for Those Escaping LA Lockdowns

    Preity Uppala, Observer Staff Writer|Updated Mar 26, 2025

    Some people find locked down LA oppressive. If you need an escape from Gov. Newsom's latest edicts, Las Vegas is a quick 4 or 5 hour drive up the 15 freeway. But what is LV like during the lockdowns? We found the Cosmopolitan full of life. At 3027 rooms, the Cosmopolitan is Las Vegas' largest resort and the 7th largest on the planet. To gain entry, you do have to wear a mask and keep it on while you're there. It is 2021, so you may expect the staff to test your forehead for...

  • Celebrate Special Occasions with a Staycation at The Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica!

    Chanin Victor, Contributing Editor|Updated Nov 29, 2023

    When it comes to local getaways, there's simply no better luxe hotel to celebrate a special occasion than the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows. While it's right here at the epicenter of Santa Monica (near the pier and the beach), once you step inside, the five expansive acres personify the term "Serenity Now"!. The Fairmont Miramar is truly an incredible historic property chronicling memoirs of the rich & famous while offering loads of amenities. The 297-room hotel strikes...

  • Waiting in Hell: Covid Kept Prisoners in Inferior Local Jails When they Belonged in State Prison

    Amber S. Jackson, Lucky Lifer|Updated Apr 6, 2021

    I'm sitting in my cell, in a black chair. Curtains closed, fan on low, no lights. It's a hot day. Other than the fan, no noises. We're on 'quarantine'. Which means just another lockdown! We're on day 11. Each day one shower, one phone call, one chance to use the computer. That's your entire day. A total of an hour outside the cell. I think this is the 3rd time since the first last March, that we again have a Covid-19 outbreak. The prison is no better at this now than they...

  • Kobe Bryant Mural Inspires Performance in Mural on Wilshire Blvd, and in 500 Murals Worldwide

    Samir Evol Arghandwall, Calvin Kosciuk|Updated Apr 6, 2021

    I wanted to update you on my work. We were approached by the owner of American Credit Repair at 12237 Wilshire Blvd while i was working on a Covid-19 mural featured in the Observer. Mr. White told me that he was interested in a mural of Kobe Bryant, and that his business location was a mile up the street on Wilshire in West LA. I had been meaning to do one of the late great Kobe, since he has meant so much to the Los Angeles and actually all around the world. His work ethic...

  • At Age 90, William Shatner Stars in a New Movie: More of the Elderly Continue to Work Past 'Retirement' Age

    Association of Mature American Citizens|Updated Apr 4, 2021

    WASHINGTON, DC, Apr 2 -- Today's seniors are stronger than ever. That's not wishful thinking, it's a fact with substantial proof. For one thing, the senior citizen segment of the U.S. workforce has been expanding rapidly for some time, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. To be more specific, BLS data shows that the 55-plus segment of the U.S. labor force stood at 11.6% in 1993 and by 2024 that number will grow to nearly 25%. "What's more striking is that the Bureau...

  • Santa Monica Man with Cerebral Palsy Makes a Film in Five Days, Completing the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge

    Alyssa Erdley, Observer Staff|Updated Mar 29, 2021
    1

    "My parents were told to go on with their lives, without me." So begins Cody LaScala's story on the Napa, Intensive Therapy, website. On his first birthday, he was found lifeless at the bottom of a swimming pool. He remained in a coma for months. When he finally came out of it, he was left with cerebral palsy. He remains paralyzed and only able to speak with great difficulty. And yet now at age 33, LaScala has just completed a film, "Breaking Cody," completed within the 5-day...

  • Will Inheritance Money Affect My Social Security?

    Rusty Gleer, Association of Mature American Citizens|Updated Mar 24, 2021

    Ask Rusty – Will Inheritance Money Affect My Social Security? Dear Rusty: I will turn 66 this year and am considering claiming my Social Security. I have already applied for Medicare. My parents passed on several years ago, and the estate will probably settle this year. I would like to know if my inheritance money will have any effect on my social security benefits. If so, how? Signed: Wondering Heir Dear Wondering: No, your inheritance money from your parents' estate will n...

  • I Don't Remember the Free World or the Touch of a Man

    Amber S. Jackson, Lucky Lifer|Updated Mar 23, 2021

    Yes, I do not remember the free world anymore! After nearly 17 years with a couple more to go, I can say, as a straight women, my sexual appetite is healthy and ready to go. I do not remember much of the free world. I don't remember the touch of man! If you are the man who gets to have me, after release, after all of this time?? You are a man with the winning lottery ticket. And you'll have a big job on your hands. My fiancé knows this already. Montez. We plan to marry and...

  • Ask Rusty – Claiming Social Security Now to Preserve Savings

    Rusty Gleer, Association of Mature American Citizens|Updated Mar 17, 2021

    Dear Rusty: One of the big pieces of the Social Security puzzle that everyone seems to miss is the protection of other retirement funds. If I did not take SS, I would have to dip into my retirement savings to fund the early part of my retirement. I took SS at my full retirement age rather than wait, so I am preserving my retirement account that has historically been getting 8-9% interest over the last 30 years. Social Security will never give me anything close to those...

  • Does Paying FICA Tax Now Increase My Benefit?

    Rusty Gleer, Association of Mature American Citizens|Updated Mar 11, 2021

    Ask Rusty – Does Paying FICA Tax Now Increase My Benefit? Dear Rusty: If a person retires at age sixty-six and continues to work full time, Social Security taxes are still taken out of his weekly paycheck. Will this taxation for Social Security contribute more to the person's Social Security benefit, even if already retired? Signed: Curious Retiree Dear Curious Retiree: Since its inception in 1935, Social Security has been a "pay as you go" program where contributions from t...

  • Can You Work While Collecting Early Social Security?

    Rusty Gleer, Association of Mature American Citizens|Updated Mar 6, 2021

    Dear Rusty: I will be 65 in August of this year. If I start drawing Social Security on my 65th birthday, how will my Social Security check be affected if I continue working at my full-time job, and take home $1380 every two weeks, until I reach my full retirement age? Signed: Working Senior Dear Working Senior: Social Security (SS) has an "earnings test" which applies to anyone who collects benefits before they have reached their full retirement age (FRA). There is also a...

  • Passover Begins at Sundown on March 27, 2021 and Lasts Eight Days

    Stan Greene, Observer Staff Writer|Updated Mar 5, 2021

    Passover 2021 will begin in the evening of Saturday, March 27. This year, Easter Sunday falls on the last day of Passover; Sunday April 4, 2021. That is, for most Christians; Eastern Orthodox rites celebrate it a little later. Passover commemorates the central miracle in Judaism: The exodus from Egypt, as orchestrated by God through Moses. Easter celebrates the main miracle in Christianity: The Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the U.S., Christmas tends to get...

  • Dana Point Harbor Welcomes the 50th Annual Festival of Whales, Whale Watching Excursions, Educational Programs, the Inaugural Splash Dash and More in the "Dolphin & Whale Watching Capital of the World®"

    Updated Mar 3, 2021

    Known as the "Dolphin & Whale Watching Capital of the World®," and recently recognized as the first Whale Heritage Site in North America by the World Cetacean Alliance (WCA), Dana Point Harbor offers the best year-round whale watching opportunities for visitors and boaters due to the variety and abundance of whales in local waters. Dana Point Harbor is a navigational landmark for gray whales during their annual migration and the Harbor's whale watching operators provide...

  • Ask Amber: Got a Question about Women's Prison? Ask the Expert in all things Prison

    Amber S. Jackson, Lucky Lifer|Updated Mar 3, 2021

    Our correspondent currently serving a 25-year-to-life sentence at the California Institution for Women asks readers to send her their questions about anything having to do with prison. You can reach her at: Amber S. Jackson Jpay.com x15530...

  • How One Super Mom With A Love For Animals Started A Mini Ranch During Covid. 

    Christine Peake|Updated Mar 1, 2021

    Rachele Sweetser- known for her custom cookies at Celebrity events and Hollywood parties, found herself with a handful of lemons when Covid hit. As gatherings and parties came to a halt, Mrs. Sweetser turned those lemons into lemonade. She'd been renting a small private barn in Laguna Hills California, with a couple of horses where she and her daughter could ride. In the midst of coping with online school, the Sweetser family felt blessed to have a piece of heaven where they...

  • Malls Being Converted to Affordable Housing All Over America

    John Grimaldi, Association of Mature American Citizens|Updated Feb 27, 2021

    WAShINGTON, DC, Feb 26 – Online shopping has been a big winner as a result of the COVID crisis, spiking by triple digit percentages on a year-to-year basis, says the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC]. But it's had a harmful effect on physical shopping destinations and across the country malls are taking a beating. According to authoritative reports, more than half of the department stores in malls across the country will be shutting down in the months to come resu...

  • Should I Claim Social Security Now or Wait Until I'm 70?

    Rusty Gleer, Association of Mature American Citizens|Updated Feb 26, 2021

    Ask Rusty – Should I Claim Social Security Now or Wait Until I'm 70? Dear Rusty: I'm currently 67 years old and still working full time. I took a big financial hit in 2008, which is why I'm still working, and I expect to continue working until I'm 70. My question is: should I take Social Security now, bank it until I'm 70, and then pay it out to myself upon retirement? Or would it be better to hold off until I'm 70 to claim. Longevity of about 85 seems to run in my family. S...

  • Upgrading Your Living Situation to Make Room for a Home Office? California is the 2nd Most Expensive Place to Do So

    Alyssa Erdley, Observer Staff|Updated Feb 25, 2021

    A recent Gallup poll showed that 58 percent of America's workers are now doing so remotely. Lockdowns from the pandemic caused much of this migration from the office to the home, but in California, some might be tempted to maintain a situation that avoids commuting once traffic starts to pick up again. The idea of bypassing the need for a long and painful commute can be alluring, but do the numbers pan out? To work at home effectively over the long haul might require sizing...

  • Sutton: Los Angeles' newest distinctive showroom and private courtyard 

    Preity Upala, Observer Staff Writer|Updated Feb 21, 2021

    2/17/2021- West Hollywood-Touted as one of the first post-Lockdown Hollywood launch, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Sutton Stracke hosted an in-person, and virtual, Pre-Valentine's Day Event at her boutique The Sutton Concept located at 636 N. Almont Drive in West Hollywood. Strict COVID-19 guidelines were followed and invited guests were able to visit the Sutton boutique and view Sutton's picks for the hottest in this year's Valentine's Day gifts for that special pers...

  • Social Security Benefits Should Not be Taxed, Says Senior Rights Group Association of Mature American Citizens

    John Grimaldi, Association of Mature American Citizens|Updated Feb 18, 2021

    "We're not giving up on our efforts to eliminate the unfair income tax on Social Security benefits. The Senior Citizens Tax Elimination Act is being reintroduced and the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC] will be doing what it takes to encourage lawmakers to support the measure," says Bob Carlstrom, president of AMAC Action, the association's senior advocacy affiliate. The original Social Security and tier 1 railroad retirement benefits were specifically exempted...

  • Skirball Cultural Center launches distance-learning initiative inspired by its landmark children's and family destination

    Updated Feb 14, 2021

    The Skirball Cultural Center announces Noah's Ark at the Skirball™: The Art of Imagination, a suite of virtual programs and FREE educational resources developed for Pre-K through Grade 5 distance learning. Based on the artistry and storytelling of the children's and family destination Noah's Ark at the Skirball-which remains closed to the public in accordance with Los Angeles County public-health orders-the initiative is designed to support students and teachers amid o...

  • Volunteers Join Andy and Mary to Clean the Beach. Before They Know It, A Movement Begins

    Liz Angeles, Observer Staff Writer|Updated Feb 13, 2021

    I took my usual morning beach walk Sunday morning and discovered this amazing organized group of community beach cleaners. I just had to investigate. This was spearheaded by Mary Curran. I had to dig deeper. Mary shares her story here. "My husband Andy and I live in Santa Monica and we walk down to surf multiple times a week. Let's be honest, I boogie board while he surfs because I'm not coordinated enough to surf. (I also started an adult boogie boarding club but that's a...

  • Dana Point Harbor Welcomes Community for Valentine's Day with Waterfront Accommodations and Experiences

    Courtesy of Dana Point Harbor|Updated Feb 13, 2021

    There is a lot to love at Dana Point Harbor this Valentine’s Day. Couples, friends and families can enjoy safe, physically-distanced activities including seaside stays and dining, takeout specials, shopping along the waterfront, a sunset sail and photo moments in front of Dana Point’s very own “Love Wall” mural. Book a weekend getaway this Valentine’s Day at the Dana Point Marina Inn. Providing beautiful ocean views, the Marina Inn is perfect for those looking to soak up the l...

  • Catalina Island Reopens to Daily Departures - Catalina Express Expands

    Updated Feb 13, 2021

    As LA County reopens to leisure travel, staying close to home and enjoying the great outdoors are key trends according to TripAdvisor. Catalina Island is just 22 miles off the coast of Southern California and known for providing visitors an experience that has been compared to the Mediterranean. Effective as of January 29, 2021, the updated Los Angeles County Public Health orders allow the additional businesses to reopen with updated protocols. Social distancing and face...

  • Street Racers Take Over West LA Intersection for an Evening of Street Racing at Bundy and Pico

    Stan Greene, Observer Staff Writer|Updated Feb 3, 2021

    Tonight tonight the highway's bright. Out of our way mister you best keep! 'Cause summer's here and the time is right, For racing in the street. -- Bruce Springsteen, Racing in the Streets. If you're young and in high school or college, street racing has become the thing to do to get out of the house during this pandemic. There are reports of street racing in Pacoima, in South LA and East LA. The cars are often modified. They spin out and turn donuts as a mostly male, mostly m...

Page Down