L.A. Times - Dan Neil

'When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women From 1960 to the Present' by Gail Collins

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

When Everything Changed

Chia Obama's hairy question: Is it racist scorn or sincere tribute?

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The scene: A vast crowd at a political rally raises a tumult of adulation. Triumphal music rises. Graphics of President Obama's image slide across the scene as we hear the now-familiar voice say, "Change has come to America. . . . Our moment is now. . . . Yes we can!" The crowd chants. Slow pullback on the image of the White House. Announcer: "To commemorate the inauguration of our 44th president with a well-known American icon, introducing. . . ." Jingle: Chi-chi-chi Chia! Announcer: "Chia Obama!"

2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon: Specs

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon Base price: $39,830

2010 Lexus HS250h: Stats

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

2010 Lexus HS250h Base price: $34,200

The Patriot Act: Looking back to 2001

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:40:00 -0700

Jena Baker McNeill says the Patriot Act was long overdue before the 9/11 attacks. Julian Sanchez says we need an analysis of the trade-offs that come with increased surveillance powers.

Today's topic: In hindsight, did Congress and the president react too hastily in 2001 by passing the Patriot Act just weeks after the 9/11 attacks? Did the revisions in 2005 adequately address concerns that the act went too far or didn't go far enough? Jena Baker McNeill and Julian Sanchez finish their debate on the Patriot Act, key provisions of which Congress is considering reauthorizing.

Have any Patriot Act horror stories come true?

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Julian Sanchez says the government has collected far more information than needed. Jena Baker McNeill says some of the proposed changes would remove the most effective portions of the Patriot Act.

Today's topic: Where are the demonstrated examples of abuses of liberties because of the Patriot Act? Are there any provisions of the law that civil libertarians would find acceptable? Julian Sanchez and Jena Baker McNeill continue their debate on the Patriot Act, portions of which Congress is considering reauthorizing

The Patriot Act: Does it actually work?

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:06:00 -0700

Jena Baker McNeill says the law has facilitated the foiling of numerous terrorist plots. Julian Sanchez says some common-sense safeguards for civil liberties need to be adopted.

Today's topic: Where can you point to the Patriot Act's success in stopping terrorists? Wednesday through Friday, Jena Baker McNeill and Julian Sanchez discuss the Patriot Act, portions of which Congress is considering reauthorizing.

'Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman' by Jon Krakauer

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The author of "Into the Wild" and "Into Thin Air" looks into the tragic death of a football star-turned-soldier in Afghanistan and the U.S. Army's maneuvers to conceal what really happened.

Pat Tillman, unlikely football hero and unlikelier warrior, went to Afghanistan and got accidentally wasted by the men in his own Ranger platoon. It happens. Among the many shadows Jon Krakauer illuminates in his compelling and dispiriting book, "Where Men Win Glory," is the commonness of fratricide in high-tech warfare. Thus the military's bleak poetry of misadventure: FUBAR, SNAFU, Charlie-Fox.

IKEA's Burbank store and the guerrillas in housewares

Tue, 8 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

For reasons known only to the pop-culture gods, IKEA -- the Swedish retailer of cheap, lingonberry-flavored furniture and other shinola -- has suddenly become a ubiquitous presence in the ether. Example: in August, when the 2010 IKEA catalog came out, people went utterly bonkers because the designers had changed the print font from the familiar Futura to Verdana -- an esoteric difference, to be sure. The story rocketed to No. 2 on CNN.com's most-read list, according to Mona Astra Liss, IKEA's director of public relations. But for the passing of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the story might have gone to No. 1.

Architectural Digest to feature America's Garage-mahal

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Holger Schubert's Modernist space for his prized Ferrari in Brentwood wins the magazine's Design Driven award.

An MRI exam of Holger Schubert's head might reveal an inner space of bare, winter-white walls, polished concrete, wall-to-ceiling glass and halogen lighting. "I like very pure, minimalistic, empty space," says the 41-year-old product designer. Schubert's home, under construction on two acres in Brentwood, will be a symphony in spareness: three glass boxes as the main living quarters, a pool house with cantilevered roof, a Japanese tea house and a glass-walled guest house facing an enormous Zen stone garden.