Water Pass

[caption id="attachment_693" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Glendale's Manuk Hakobyan throws a pass over Arcadia's Andrew Byrne on Tuesday, October 5, 2009. (Roger Wilson/News-Press)"][/caption]

NFL withholds its best pink goods

Apparently the NFL's latest hot pink products aren't all for sale.

Football watchers may have noticed professional players sporting pink wristbands, hats and football cleats over the weekend, part of the NFL's efforts to boost awareness for breast cancer screenings and prevention. 

It's a noble cause, but some of the league's best stuff isn't up for grabs. You can buy a pink mini helmet to put on your desk or some pink T-shirts for your kids, but if you want to sport the bright pink football gloves on a field near you--like so many too-cool pros did on Sunday and Monday night--you won't be able to.  I was concerned, so I twittered @OfficialNFLShop on Sunday asking: "Why aren't you selling those amazing pink gloves??" @OfficialNFLShop: "sorry we don't carry those...we do have other items though that support a great cause - http://bit.ly/aMwL2" Bad form, I say. That is a prime opportunity to have the one product being flashed on screen the most--the pink gloves-- being bought by consumers and flaunted on football fields everywhere to further promote breast cancer awareness. Who knows, maybe you would've seen them in a few local high school games. To the NFL's credit, you can get pink wristbands. No headbands though.

An exercise in odd timing and subject manner

Glendale parks officials will host a campfire program on Oct. 17 at Dunsmore Park in La Crescenta featuring an in depth look at Santa Ana winds. They're calling it "Here Come the Devil Winds!" OK, I get it, we live in Southern California, where Santa Anas and their destructive powers are known to all, so a pub ed program has a place here. But then, we just experienced the largest fire in L.A. County history. It scorched the hills mere blocks from Dunsmore Park, forced evacuations and has left open the very real possibility for mudslides this winter. Hosting a campFIRE  event with "Devil Winds" in the title, when residents there are still coping with ash issues, is at least odd timing, if not totally out of touch. They'd probably attract more people for an event titled "Here Come the Crazy Mudslides!"

PETA cries 'fowl' outside "Jay Leno Show"

A flock of animal-rights activists dressed as chickens descended on NBC Studios Tuesday to shame Jay Leno into dropping McDonald’s from a planned promotion. Flapping their wings and hoisting signs that read “McDonald’s: Nothing But Cruelty,” and “McCruelty: I’m Hatin’ It,” protesters with the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals lined a stretch of Bob Hope Drive as “The Jay Leno Show” prepared to unveil a promotion for McDonald’s Monopoly contest. Full story here.

PETA protests outside NBC's Jay Leno Show

PETA stood outside NBC studios where people line up for the Jay Leno Show to protest against McDonald's chicken McNuggets.  For a photo gallery, click on the picture below. [caption id="attachment_687" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) supporters dressed up as chickens and protested outside NBC's Jay Leno Show early audience arrival area as audience members were in line and arrived in Burbank on Tuesday, October 6, 2009. PETA wants Jay leno to use his influence "to benefit the millions of frightened birds who end up as McNuggets." (Raul Roa/News-Press)"][/caption]

VIDEO: PETA protest in Burbank

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hby3rPP36xI]

Confessions of a bookworm

There's nothing better than curling up with a good book. But seeing as books these days often carry heavy price tags, I am a huge fan of public libraries. [caption id="attachment_720" align="alignright" width="100" caption="Courtesy of www.ci.glendale.ca.us"][/caption] One of the first things I did when I started at the News-Press was get a Glendale Public Libraries card. Today after work, I plan to make my way down Brand Boulevard to Central Library to pick up a copy of "Shanghai Girl," which I have on hold. In case you haven't heard, "Shanghai Girls" is this year's selection for the Own Book One Glendale program, where residents are encouraged to all read the same book and then discuss it. I've decided to take part, and I am quite excited to dive into the book, which has topped most of the national bestseller's lists this summer. When I'm done, I'll let you all know what I think. If you've read it, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

ATF gives citizens a peek

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is giving local community leaders an inside look to their operations. The Glendale-based bureau will host a citizen's academy from Oct. 7 to Nov. 12, where 36 students will learn about firearms safety, explosives regulations and other ATF programs. To join the academy, students had to be at least 21 years old, have no felony convictions and were local business, religious and community leaders. Local civic leaders looking to participate in the next ATF academy, which is scheduled for Spring 2010, can call the bureau at (818) 265-2500.

Crime report recap through Monday

The following were taken from reports filed at the Burbank Police Department: A 90-year-old Burbank man on Sept. 28 reported his motorized wheelchair stolen from the 400 block of W. Elm St. The man left his wheelchair in his driveway and went out to run errands. The wheelchair was missing upon his return. At first he thought it was a prank, but was unable to locate it. Police conducted an area check. The wheelchair is described as Hoveround MPV 5 motorized wheelchair. A 63-year-old Burbank man on Sept. 20 went to the police counter to report he had been assaulted with a two-by-four at his home in the 1000 block of N. Ontario St. The man said the assault happened about a year ago and that it was the result of a dispute with his contractor. The contractor demanded money he believed he was owed and when the man refused, the contractor picked up a piece of wood and attacked him. The suspect was not able to hit the victim because a construction worker intervened and stopped him. The victim decided to report the incident a year later. Detectives will be conducting an investigation. Burbank Police School Resource officers on Friday arrested a 15-year-old student for extorting money from a fellow student. The suspect demanded $10 a week and threatened to beat up the victim if he didn’t pay. The victim paid the suspect during a 3-week span, but finally stopped and reported the incident to a school official.The suspect had sent the victim text messages demanding money and threatening violence if not paid. Officers on Saturday arrested a 26-year-old Valencia man after he refused to comply with an officer’s request. Police were dispatched to the area of Kenneth and Harvard Road regarding a man down. Officers arrived and observed Justin Delaney who was under the influence of alcohol, lying on a residential front lawn. Delaney had just thrown up and was being assisted by friends. Officers allowed the friends to drive Delaney home. But as Delaney was being helped off the ground, he became verbally abusive and resisted help. He then turned his aggression toward the officers and at one point attempted to punch one. Officers attempted to arrest Delaney for being drunk in public but he resisted. After repeated to attempts to get Delaney to comply, an officer deployed his Taser and hit Delaney in the back area. This immediately had an effect on him and he stopped resisting. Delaney was medically examined at a local hospital for the Taser deployment. He was medically cleared for booking and transported to the police jail where he was booked for drunk in public and resisting arrest. Officers on Sunday observed a fast-moving vehicle eastbound Victory Boulevard approaching Buena Vista Street. The vehicle appeared to have been in an accident as the front-end bumper was coming off and a front tire was flat. An officer attempted to stop the vehicle before the driver, Brian Adams, sped through a red light at the intersection of Victory Boulevard and Fairview Street. Adams, 38, of Toluca Lake, had to swerve to avoid a collision with a paramedic’s vehicle. Officers continued the chase until the vehicle pulled into a parking lot at the corner of Hollywood Way and Victory Boulevard. Adams exited the vehicle and attempted to walk away from officers. Officers were able to get Adams to comply and lay on the ground. He was handcuffed and detained. After an investigation, Adams committed the following violations:

• Hit-and-run accident
• Evading the police
• Driving under the influence of alcohol
• Possession of a “Billy club”

Adams was placed under arrest and transported to the police jail where he was booked. Residential Burglaries 275 S. Third St., Apt. 106: Sept. 29. Loss: XBox console, iPod. Suspects: None observed. 625 E. Santa Anita Ave., Apt. J: Oct. 2. Loss: LG 52-inch television, couch. Suspects: None observed. 515 E. Valencia Ave., Apt. 8: Friday. Loss: Jewelry and cash. Suspect: None observed. 313 W. Valencia Ave., Apt. 103: Friday. Loss: None. Suspect: None observed. 313 W. Valencia Ave., Apt. 104: Friday. Loss: None. Suspect: None observed. 1012 W. Palm Ave.: Monday. Loss: Macintosh laptop, Gateway laptop, external hard drive, Sony digital camera, cash, iPod and jewelry. Suspect: None observed. 110 S. Lamer St., Apt. C: Monday. Loss: Toshiba laptop, PlayStation console. Suspect: None observed. 1911 W. Olive Ave., Apt. 129: Monday. Loss: Acer laptop. Suspect: None observed.

The Cheerios Test

[caption id="attachment_424" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Creative Commons"][/caption] As journalists, we see a whole lot of things. We don't share all of them. Sometimes we don't tell you about them because we've promised not to -- the famed "off the record" comment is a prime reason why. Sometimes we know details that may put someone's life in danger, such as the home address of a gang informant or undercover police officer. And sometimes, a fact is so nasty that it fails "The Cheerios Test."  That is, if a detail would likely make a reader urp up his or her breakfast, it would deem to not pass the test. Nasty facts are part of life, to be sure. And, as some of you have noted in letters and e-mails, we do not generally shy away from graphic details. To me, the reason to omit a graphic detail is not simply that it is nasty, but nasty AND unnecessary. Let me give you a good example: A few weeks ago, we reported on the story of John Levin, who is accused of murdering his wife, Michelle. Levin, who was arrested Sept. 11 at the Canadian border, is currently awaiting extradition from Washington State. The decomposed bodies of his wife and the couple's dog were found in their apartment near North Central Avenue in Glendale. In addition to murder charges, Levin is also facing animal cruelty charges for allegedly killing the pooch via microwave. I decided against putting that detail in the original story, as I felt it was (a) nasty and (b) irrelevant. This fact became pertinent in our follow-up story, however, when we discovered that Levin, a former member of the Montrose Search and Rescue Team, once helped save a former mayor's dog. That is, while the details remained nasty, they became relevant to readers' understanding of what had allegedly occurred.