The Call of Music
On a sweltering night inside a dim cantina, glasses clink and patrons burst into drunken laughter, while on the center stage blinding fluorescent lights illuminate the faces of mariachi players. The musicians are clad in suits that match the lit sky, sweating from the hour-long performance of singing, strumming and seducing the audience with love songs.
The final notes...
At peace with meditation
Photo by: Jing Shi
He is sitting on Venice Beach, wearing an orange robe, with the beautiful ocean and sky behind him. He looks like a Buddhist statue, and seems to be spectacular and dignified.
He normally can meditate for five hours. His eyes are half closed, you can see a slight smile on his lips and you can see his...
Models of Pride
Story by: Evelia Rodriguez
At the center of the University of Southern California (USC), almost two thousand lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transvestite and questioning (LGBTQ) youth members go out and celebrate their LGBTQ pride.
Models of Pride (MOP), is an annual event that was founded in 1993 by the Gay and Lesbian Education Commission of the Los Angeles Unified School...
Pushing your limits
The lifter starts almost sitting down; knees bent, hands on the dumbbell in a wide grip.There is an explosion upward as the lifter brings the full weight above his head in one motion. He stands there with his arms extended, balanced. This isn’t lifting to look good. This is utility over aesthetics. The lift is called the snatch, and...
‘Astrologer to the stars’ and back
by Chelsea Westman
Dan Khoury stands with attendees before he teaches his class at the Carroll Righter Astrological Foundation in Hollywood, on March 12, 2019. A hand-crafted astrological natal chart at the Carroll Righter Astrological Foundation in Hollywood, on Feb. 26, 2019. Jack Taube teaches a beginning astrology class and speaks about his...
Why So Scared?
Story by: William Yeromian
Photos by: Jorge Alvarado
Fear factor, fun factor
“Before I arrive to the theme park, I feel nervous,” said high school student Veronica Palafox as she neared the haunted mazes at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights (HHN). Haunting music mingled with screams echoed in the background as she entered. “It takes a lot of courage to step in...
Weaving a Path to Success
Story by Teresa Leyva
Photos by Lynn Levitt
While he was going to school and waiting tables at a local restaurant, Kevin Weaver never expected to become the executive vice president of the iconic label Atlantic Records. His fairy tale story brings his passion to life.
While working one day, a good friend of Weaver’s asked him if he would be interested...
Seasoned Songbird
A petite woman with peach-colored skin and pearly white hair closes her eyes as she practices singing Christmas carols. Her passion for performing shines bright in her eyes while the ENCORE Singers rehearse in Room 3400 of the Pierce College music building.
Eileen Guliasi, 81, is back in school for the first time since she graduated Theodore Roosevelt High School...
Missing Gene
Photo by: Lynn Levitt
It was Christmas Eve 1984, and 15-year-old Lisa Gonzales listened to the buzzing sound of the electric razor as it shaved clean the hair from the back of her head.
“The surgery took place and somewhere through the entire process I thought the brain tumor was caused from making bad lifestyle choices, like my use of drugs,”...
Dodgers fans bleed blue
Blake Williams, an editor for the Dodger Blue blog, stands in front of a mural in North Hollywood on Nov. 10, 2023. Photo by Daniela Raymundo.
While Jazzlyn Flores can’t remember much of her first Dodgers game, she can recall the Dodger dog that her small hand could barely hold, the sea of...