Regardless of where you live, you've experienced the tug of war that is finding a place to park. And once you think you're in luck you pull into a metered spot just to find out it's broken. Do you ignore the blinking "fail" or "dead" message and park, or drive away to continue the search?

Times reporter Maeve Reston reported on Angelenos parking at failed meters and subsequently being issued tickets. In L.A. you are okay to park at a broken meter and the city's meter enforcers aren't supposed to write tickets for parking there.

Between 10% and 12% of the city's meters are broken at any given time, according to a recent study by an outside firm, and last fiscal year, the city issued 550,000 tickets for expired meters. Of those expired meter tickets, 2% were contested, and about 40% of the complaints were deemed valid, transportation officials said.

Transportation officials have recently switched 18% of the city's 40,000 meters to more modern technologies like pay stations, which are often solar-powered, and they will soon replace an additional 10,000 meters.

Our readers wrote in to offer advice on how to contest the tickets and share their experiences with parking in L.A.:

nhguy wrote: Take a picture of the offending meter with your car's license plate visible, submit THAT with your appeal. I work as a meter tech somewhere in NH, (let's leave it at that) and the Duncan meters (one is displayed at the top of the article) tend to jam too easily. I don't like them any more than the customers do. Btw, if the coin does drop in a "failed" meter, it will not reset necessarily, (speaking about Duncans not the other brand) but if the next customer feeds it and the chute is clear, the "fail" will go away. Why would someone feed a failed meter, you may ask? Happens all the time, people tend to not be too observant. A tip: sometimes the meter doesn't like the first coin for whatever reason, but you can "warm up" the sensors by putting a penny in first. Imo, it does sound like LA is not too friendly about sending out someone to check if a meter is failed if the hotline is called. Certainly an officer on the beat could be called on to check and make a note to grant the appeal when it comes in. We do it that way.

Seanees wrote: I regularly encounter meters that eat my first coin and then register every coin thereafter. In the Valley, meters take less time than the posted time. This is a rip-off and the city DOT should answer to the public. If they can't do the job maybe a private vendor would be better. At the very least elected officials will be more willing to look into claims of intentional gouging. After all, we know how much LA's elected hate private industry. They will feel more at home complaining about private industry stealing from us instead of admitting their own failures.

RealTVCritics.com wrote: This is happening every day in every city or county that issues tickets. They force their workers to meet quotas and the way to do it is by issuing tickets illegally. Go in to Santa Monica and try to deal with the people responsible and you get the same result. No response. Yeah we'll take care of it. These people are liars and cheats. Period. But aren't we glad some of the city's finest employees are getting the shaft as well. Yes. Welcome to the party, pal.

master-ninja wrote: I would love to know how many tickets it takes one officer to write before the city breaks even on their salary. In addition, I'd like to know how many tickets it takes each officer to write in order to underwrite that entire office (support staff, printing costs, etc). I think those should be public figures. I have a feeling we are unwillingly subsidizing empty gov't space, and I strongly think that the Mayor's office should look here first when considering cutting services.

clungodess wrote: This has been going on for YEARS. And taking as much money as they can from us is what the City is all about. Same crap happens in Pasadena too. It's about revenue and they just don't care how they go about capitalizing their motives.

tmr3513 wrote: The government will do anything to extract money from a citizen. Does anybody realize the only reason you have to pay to park on a PUBLIC street your tax money paid for is to pay the wages of the government employed parking enforcement idiots? And their job is to keep writing tickets to pay their own wages so they have a sweet government job with over the top benefits and a great retirement package. If gang members went around extorting money from business owners for "protection" the LAPD would be on them like flies on feces. "A certain number of meters just start working again on their own." Yeah right. I have a bridge in Brooklyn I want to sell.

Share your thoughts. Have you ever been ticketed at a failed meter? What did you do to fight it, or did you just pay the fees?

-- Gerrick D. Kennedy (Follow me on Twitter @GerrickKennedy)

Photo: Parking meters being tested in West Hollywood and Beverly Hills. Solar panels are the main source of power, with support from a backup battery. Officials say the new meters cost about the same as traditional machines. Credit: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

A northern Mississippi school district has decided it won't host a high school prom in April because a lesbian student wants to bring her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo.

The Itawamba County school district board decided Wednesday to drop the prom "due to the distractions to the educational process caused by recent events," without specifically mentioning the girl's request, which is now being backed by a suit from the American Civil Liberties Union.

"A bunch of kids at school are really going to hate me for this, so in a way it's really retaliation," 18-year-old high school senior Constance McMillen told the Clarion-Ledger of Jackson. She said the cancellation was in retaliation for her efforts to bring her girlfriend, also a student, to the April 2 dance.

School policy requires that senior prom dates be of the opposite sex. The ACLU of Mississippi had given the district until Wednesday to change that policy, arguing that banning same-sex prom dates violated McMillen's and any student's constitutional rights.

The school board met and issued a statement announcing it wouldn't host the event at Itawamba County Agricultural High School in Fulton.

"It is our hope that private citizens will organize an event for the juniors and seniors," district officials said in the statement. "However, at this time, we feel that it is in the best interest of the Itawamba County School District, after taking into consideration the education, safety and well-being of our students."

In the suit filed, the ACLU is asking that the prom be reinstated for all students and charges that the 1st  Amendment guarantees students’ right to bring same-sex dates to school dances. The ACLU also said that the school further violated McMillen’s freedom of expression by telling her she couldn't wear a tuxedo to the prom.

“All I wanted was the same chance to enjoy my prom night like any other student. But my school would rather hurt all the students than treat everyone fairly,” McMillen said in a statement by way of the ACLU. “This isn’t just about me and my rights anymore – now I’m fighting for the right of all the students at my school to have our prom.”

There is also a Facebook group for people who want to support McMillen, "Let Constance Take Her Girlfriend to Prom."

Share your thoughts. Do you think the school board is right in canceling the prom for all students? Should there be school policies against bringing same-sex dates to prom? 

-- Gerrick D. Kennedy (Follow me on Twitter @GerrickKennedy)

Photo: Constance McMillen, 18, a student at the Itawamba County Agricultural High School, pictured in 2009. Credit: American Civil Liberties Union

Former child actor Corey Haim died early Wednesday, likely the result of an accidental overdose involving prescription drugs, law enforcement sources told The Times.

The 38-year-old actor, who became a teenage heartthrob when he rose to fame in the 1980s for starring in a number of films including "Lucas,""License to Drive" and "The Lost Boys," which became a cult classic.

Haim was taken to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank after being found unresponsive, reportedly by his mother whom he was staying with as she battled cancer. He was officially pronounced dead at 3 a.m. at the hospital.

An investigation is underway by the Los Angeles County coroner's office.

"It was an apparent overdose,'' Sgt. Frank Albarren of the Los Angeles Police Department's North Hollywood Station told reporters. "Unknown what type of medication."

Haim was known to have battled drug problems but over the past few years he had been trying to make a career comeback, starring in a sequel to "The Lost Boys" in 2008 and an A&E reality show, "The Two Coreys," with longtime friend and costar Corey Feldman. He also was slated to appear in a few films this year.

Twitter was flooded with messages memorializing the star, making "RIP Corey Haim" a trending topic for much of the afternoon. Our readers shared their thoughts and memories on Haim, but most tackled the suspected cause of death and debated celebrity drug addiction. Here is some of what they had to say:

Apriljoyentler wrote: I am sooo crushed! He was one of my teen crushes growing up! Loved him ever since his first movie Firstborn (1984)! : (

Prayers are with his family during this time! For sure!

Karlene wrote: I feel really bad for this young mans family. Hollywood needs to do something about all these pharmacuticals these folks are taking. How many more of your young people does this have to happen to? This is one reason we need to allow medicinal marijuana to be used by the publc in general. At least people will not be dying. "weed" can help people who may have anxiety or are under stress. There needs to be a choice. Pills and alcohol are killing people everyday! Forgive me Corey and your family, but there are many young people out there who are dying.
Rest in peace Corey. God Bless You.

stacy wrote: Very sad. What a waste. Many more like him out there; people addicted and don't know what to do or how to stop. I remember him saying he was molested at some point. Not that all survivors of abuse turn into addicts, but most of them have to cope somehow.
RIP

shannon gallagher wrote: It's sad to say this but it really isn't that much of a shock to find this out, even tho im totally heartbroken, i had a huge crush on Haim for years and then i realized what he was about, i have realitives that are drug abusers and i know what good people they are and then what the drug has turned them into, sad.
I will miss you and love you Corey, may you R.I.P and be apart from your demons forever!!

retiree wrote: Although older than Mr. Haim, I thought that his best work was in the movie "Lucas." I thoroughly enjoyed that film!

-- Gerrick D. Kennedy (Follow me on Twitter @GerrickKennedy)

Photo: Corey Feldman, left, and Corey Haim reunite in "The Two Coreys." Credit: Andrew Eccles / A&E Network

 

An Ohio State University custodial employee who received a bad job evaluation shot two co-workers, killing one, and then fatally shot himself, school officials said Tuesday.

Nathaniel Brown, 51, was hired in October, entered an office suite at a maintenance building on campus clad in dark clothing with two handguns in a backpack, campus Police Chief Paul Denton said. Denton described the shooting as "work-related" and said Brown recently received a poor performance evaluation, though he declined to say whether that was the motive.

The shooting was first reported at 3:30 a.m. Tuesday. Brown was pronounced dead at Ohio State University Medical Center several hours later, Denton said.

One of the victims, building services manager Larry Wallington, 48, died at the scene. The other victim, operations shift leader Henry Butler, 60, is in stable condition at Ohio University Medical Center, officials said.

More than half a dozen employees were in the maintenance building when the shooting occurred and have been offered grief counseling, Denton said during a news conference.

The Lantern, the student newspaper of the university, reported Brown may have been about to lose his job and had been scheduled to work Monday night but did not come to work. When Brown entered the room, he specifically asked for Wallington, and when he found him, he shot him.

Ohio State University is the nation's largest university, and more than 55,000 students are enrolled at the main campus in Columbus. The building where the shooting occurred is adjacent to a large classroom building and is near Ohio Stadium, where the school's football team plays.

No students were hurt, and classes and work went on as scheduled.

Our readers responded to the news of the University of Alabama shooting. We asked where you stood on the right to bear arms. What measures you thought universities, especially, should take to prevent this from happening (again). And whether it was even something that could be prevented? Share your thoughts.

-- Gerrick D. Kennedy (Follow me on Twitter @GerrickKennedy)

The Los Angeles County Superior Court will lay off 329 staff members next month because of budget cuts, and officials said more jobs would be eliminated over the next two years.

In a memo to employees, the court's executive officer, John Clarke, said the layoffs would begin April 1. Notices for the layoffs will be sent out March 16.

“Given the size of the budget cuts we have already experienced, we anticipate hundreds more layoffs to follow,” Clarke wrote Friday.

Clarke said an additional 500 layoffs are planned for September, followed by 530 in fall 2011. The court currently has 5,400 employees.

L.A. Now reported that presiding Judge Charles “Tim” McCoy said he was looking at plans to eliminate as many as 1,800 jobs and close up to 180 courtrooms to make ends meet.

Here is what our readers thought about the layoffs:

Sputnik2 wrote: A truly sad thing, but if the money isn't there, it is what it is. The different government units need to live with the budgets, just like the private citizen must. Lost my job 2 years ago in the automotive industry, and gee whiz, life goes on. Time to suck it up buttercup and move on as best you can. Have as great a day as possible, and remember, there is always someone worse off than you.

Joe wrote: Have you ever dealt with these court employees? Rude attitudes! No matter how polite or courteous one could be toward them they always acted like you were causing an imposition. Finally justice is served in LA Superior Court.

markiejoe wrote: And when courts get backed up and accused criminals remain free pending trials that are delayed longer and longer, all the taxpayers in L.A. will gripe about the inept justice system letting criminals roam the streets.

With the Oscars just a few days away, we wanted to have a little fun on Comments Blog and gauge readers' thoughts about one of the most hotly contested races in this year's event: best picture.

There are 10 films going for the gold, and chances are there is more than one flick you thought was the best.

Whether you preferred the blockbuster "Avatar," the gritty war hit "The Hurt Locker," the breakout performance of Mo'Nique in "Precious" or that little film about football, "The Blind Side," there is no denying this year's race is the one everyone is looking forward to seeing on Sunday.

Though your votes have zero influence on the academy, which film should win best picture? Take our poll -- and defend your favorites below. 

-- Gerrick D. Kennedy (Follow me on Twitter @GerrickKennedy)

Photos: Clockwise from left, "Avatar" Credit: 20th Century Fox; "Precious" Credit: Anne Marie Fox / Lionsgate; "The Hurt Locker" Credit: Summit Entertainment; "The Blind Side" Credit: Warner Bros.

Students against cuts in education funding kicked off a national day of protests Thursday with generally peaceful rallies, walkouts and teach-ins at universities and high schools.

A large crowd had gathered at UCLA’s Bruin Plaza where hundreds of students, faculty and staff members chanted, "Who's got the power? We've got the power!" as others walked out of classes for the protest.

The protest was just one of hundreds all over the state, and nation, for the Day of Action and Strike in Defense of Public Education.

More than 200 protesters blocked two main campus entrances at UC Santa Cruz and reportedly smashed a car windshield with a metal pipe, officials said. At UC Berkeley, nearly 150 protesters – chanting "Money for jobs and education, not for war and incarceration" – blocked the main pedestrian entrance to campus and also sought to stop people from walking into the university by hanging "danger" tape across paths.

The grass-roots campaign encouraged students, faculty and others to come together as a response to funding cuts.

A few of our readers weighed in. Here is a bit of what they had to say:

AdamsR wrote: Does anyone find it ironic that violence is to suspected from today's rally? How many "Che" t-shirts are going to worn today by those indoctrinated by the left?
If these students are truly outraged, then they would stop supporting the progressive politicians and labor union leaders that are chasing business and employment opportunity from the state, subsequently leading to increases in college tuition and decreases in education budgets because business, sales and income tax revenues are in a state of decline.

vochoa0371 wrote: It is sad to see that our government is forcing things to go this way. California is so much in debt that it does not know how to repair itself. People running office is just not willing to help. Oh, that is all I can say. Protest but be safe. No reason to get violent. Obama, stop it all ready. You are trying to rescue the economy but without thinking. Obama, think first then act next.

jeffsd wrote: wow- the poor things don't even realise that they are being manipulated by the teachers unions to make waves. sorry but california is broke and no one has the right to higher education. we have been very generous as a population but have nothing left to give. students who cannot afford the increase will either have to get part time jobs or delay their education until times are better.

We want to hear your thoughts.

-- Gerrick D. Kennedy (Follow me on Twitter @GerrickKennedy)

Photo: Hundreds gather Thursday in Bruin Plaza at UCLA to protest continuing budget cuts and fee increases in public education. Credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times

Gay marriage is now a reality in the District of Columbia.

Washington's same-sex marriage law will go into effect as scheduled, now that the Supreme Court has refused to block it.

With that decision, D.C. becomes the sixth locale in the nation where gay marriages can take place. Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont also issue licenses to same-sex couples.

Because of a mandatory waiting period, couples won’t actually be able to marry in the Washington until March 9.

The gay marriage law was introduced in the 13-member D.C. Council in October and had near-unanimous support from the beginning. The measure passed and Mayor Adrian M. Fenty signed it in December, but because Washington is a federal district the law had to undergo a congressional review period that expired Tuesday.

Opponents of the decision are still attempting to overturn the law in court.

Here is some of what our readers had to say:

JimBob wrote: I don't get it, but I've decided I don't need to. These people love each other and are happy and want to spend their lives together. There's no good reason to keep them from getting married. I've been married several times, and I know how important it is to be with the person who is right for you. Gays deserve that same right as the rest of us.

Leon wrote: Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts refused to stop the enforcement of the law late last night. This could be good for Prop 8. However, Roberts did note that "ballot initiative to overturn the law would give voters a chance to weigh in on the question."

Jim wrote: This is GREAT NEWS, now can all the GAYS move to DC and then if we can get rid of all the illegials, California will again be truley the "Golden State."

David wrote: Once again, another state (or city) approves one alternative form of marriage but excludes all others. Tell me which is more bigoted, wanting marriage to mean what it has meant for thousands of years (and perhaps the most natural definition of marriage, given that the most important purpose of marriage is survival of the species), or wanting one alternative form of marriage while vehemently denying all other alternative forms. Polygamy? Too strange. A brother and sister marrying? Gross. It's all in the eyes of the observer. It should be all or nothing, folks: either society must make marriage anything we want it to be (any gender, any number of persons in the marriage, family ties notwithstanding) or leave it the way it has naturally been. A position part way between traditional and everything-goes doesn't make sense and frankly is the least fair solution.

John De Salvio wrote: My goodness!! Where were the Mormons and Roman Catholics when this got snuck by? Oh, right. They were busy in California (yeah, it's a part of Utah, with a subdivision called The Vatican) telling voters that same-sex marriage would destroy opposite-sex marriage even more than divorce, which seems to destroy upwards of 60 percent of straight marriages.

Dozens of billboards have sprouted up over Atlanta tackling the hot-button issue of abortion, this time using a controversial method: race.

The billboards feature the cherubic face of a black baby and a bold statement in large block letters: "Black children are an endangered species."

The billboards direct people to a website called toomanyaborted.com, which says for African-Americans, abortion has become a crisis.  Nearly 40% of all black pregnancies end in induced abortion, the website says, which is more than three times the rate of white women and two times the rate of all other races combined.

The campaign is a joint effort between Georgia Right to Life and the pro-adoption, pro-abstinence Radiance Foundation.  Times staff writer Robin Abcarian pointed out in her piece on the topic that an increasingly vocal segment of the antiabortion community has embraced the idea that black women are targeted for abortion in an effort to keep the black population down.

Here is what our readers have said about the billboards:

mariezz wrote: Too bad they're not doing more to keep black children out of poverty. If they were truly concerned, they would be.

bubbeeboy wrote: "Blacks also have a record number of illegitimate births and children living on the public dole."? Yeah, if you don't count all the non blacks living on the public dole like war profiteering military contractors, or rich people like the McCourts who don't pay taxes at all or corporate tax shelters. I know plenty of people that hide money from the government, take things that don't belong to them, lie & cheat to get ahead... and they aren't black or poor by a long shot. You know what these people like to complain about? Minority groups, taxes and welfare. I don't know why people pretend to be concerned with welfare when they're really just racist or classist.

zrusilla wrote: This is vile. The antis have no shame at all. Children of any color are not an endangered species in the United States. Providing health care to women and ensuring all children are wanted are not the components of a genocidal conspiracy. Better to focus on discrimination, unemployment, inadequate housing, failing education and widespread health problems. That's what keeps a people down.

ltfd wrote: Dang it! I hate it when the black conspiracy theorists figure out one of "The Man's" real conspiracies. Now we have to have another secret meeting, consulting with the Jews, of course, to figure out how to keep a brother/sister down.

PTE wrote: This race baiting is a huge insult to anyone with a working brain. I don't take a position one way or another but the anti-abortion / anti-choice people have crossed a HUGE line trying to create a racial divide.

dolannancy wrote: "Targeted for abortions" by whom? Who exactly is forcing black women, or any women, to undergo abortions? This line of reasoning is absurd; it's pure fear-mongering and pushes a conspiracy theory agenda designed to further burden a woman making this very difficult choice. I often think such efforts too ridiculous to merit outrage but, as evidenced by other movements where people get riled up enough with lies to vote against their own interests, this offensive campaign must be swatted down.

jeffaju wrote: I think that racism does play a role in Black abortions. But at the same time, all women must have that choice because what is even more disturbing than the number of Black abortions is the potential number of unwanted children in society. How many criminals have been rejected by their parents? What the focus should be on is reducing pregnancies through education (for women AND men), and giving Black women good economic opportunities. We shouldn't focus on the number of aborted Blacks, but rather on the number of Black children born into loving, caring, and productive households.

JulieRunco wrote: This is so disturbing on so many levels such open racism and the scary part they don't even see it as such. They have taken the idea that black women can not make a decision based on intelligence for there health and emotional care.
They saved there money to hire their first black women to "integrate the areas were black women do business and were they go for health care please ??? These people have used violence, manipulation of medical findings, religion and now racism, you would think they could not sink any lower, but just wait....

Share your thoughts. Is singling out one race an effective strategy in the debate over abortion? Do you favor abortion rights or are you an opponent of abortion? Has this campaign changed your mind on where you stand?

-- Gerrick D. Kennedy (Follow me on Twitter @GerrickKennedy)

Photo credit: John Bazemore / Associated Press

Michael Blosil, the 18-year-old son of Marie Osmond, jumped to his death Friday night from his downtown Los Angeles apartment building, leaving behind a note referring to a lifelong battle with depression.

"My family and I are devastated and in deep shock by the tragic loss of our dear Michael and ask that everyone respect our privacy during this difficult time," his mother said through her publicist Saturday.

In November 2007, Blosil, then 16, entered rehab, though what he was being treated for was not disclosed.

The Los Angeles County coroner's office began its investigation Monday and an autopsy is likely to be conducted soon. Blosil was majoring in apparel manufacturing at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising at the time of his death.

Last week "Growing Pains" star Andrew Koenig was found dead in a park and earlier February fashion icon Alexander McQueen was found dead in his London home; both were apparent suicides. Blosil's death has sparked an open dialogue from our readers about suicide. Many of those who have written in had personal experience with it.

Share your thoughts.

-- Gerrick D. Kennedy (Follow me on Twitter @GerrickKennedy)

Photos: Flowers were left on the sidewalk, top, outside the Met apartment building on South Flower Street in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night. Credit: Christie D'Zurilla / Los Angeles Times. More at Ministry of Gossip.

As the fallout of Toyota's recall dominates the news, the faces of those not fortunate enough to have their vehicles repaired have come to surface.

The photos are gruesome and the stories heartbreaking. Each accident is the result of sudden acceleration.

One woman had left her home to do some grocery shopping when her Camry suddenly accelerated to nearly 100 mph; she was killed in the wreck.

On the day after Christmas, a group of Jehovah's Witnesses going door to door were traveling about 30 mph on a residential street when their Avalon suddenly accelerated, raced through a stop sign, crashed through a fence, hit a tree and landed upside down in a small lake. All four people inside drowned.

At least 56 people have died in U.S. traffic accidents in which sudden unintended acceleration of Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles has been alleged, according to a Times review of public records and interviews with authorities.

In the last week, Toyota's woes have become the focus of a U.S. criminal investigation in relation to how it handles safety issues. The company's president even issued a public apology in front of a congressional committee.

Los Angeles Times readers have been very vocal about the recall and how it has been handled, as well as about Times' coverage of the ongoing issue.

1CAnative wrote: Gosh, so many imply you can simply turn off the ignition or shift into neutral as tho that is such a revelation that no one considered.

Many have indicated these steps had no effect on cars that bolted out of control. The throttles appear to be intertwined with the transmissions and neither can be overridden by the brakes during such an event. That is what is of such concern.

A CHP officer surely is trained to know how to stop a vehicle. Yet, he was helpless. What chance does the average person have when these cars apparently just buck out of control?

LAT: keep digging. Clearly it would seem the same issue affects every car manufactured by Toyota/Lexus. When they all share the same engineering, there is no reason to believe any model is exempt.

It makes me sick to learn of so much tragic unnecessary loss of life and so many shattered families. Toyota must be held accountable.

I weep for those that went through such a horrific end.

ergoseth wrote: Seems like an effective measure to just turn the key off....but when your steering locks at 45-100 mph you're a gonner. This is unacceptable and it seems people are in a real panic regardless of age in every situation. I would like for the LA Times to clarify the actual part(s) and part number(s) Toyota is changing out. My wife drives an '07 Solara SE which is just a 2 door Camry and I'll bet the parts are the same. So how 'bout it Stuart Pfeifer, Carol J. Williams and Robert Faturechi?

kctoad wrote: Just the other day my wife pressed the gas pedal all the way down and nothing happened, and yes the car was in drive. She and I have gone over an emergency procedure putting the car in neutral. Within the year we hope to be able to get out of the Toyota all together.

These stories go-back to 2004. In a six year period, 56 people have died and families have been devasted by their loss. As horrible as this is for each and every individual and family, the outrage from politicians and others is specious. Where is the same outrage to the fact that in that same six year period, over 269,000 people have died because they do not have health insurance. (123/day; 44,895/year)

dmpslh wrote: When you get in your car in the morning, you TURN ON the engine. When you arrive home in the evening, you TURN OFF the engine. When your car misbehaves, you TURN OFF the engine. What's so damn hard to remember about this. It should be instinctive. Of course, you only turn it off to the first click so as to keep the steering wheel responsive. And put it in neutral, of course.

ListenToMyStory wrote: Bravo! This is yellow journalism at its best! What horror? It is what it is: an old person who should not have been allowed to drive. And who is to blame? The Department of Motor Vehicles. And like most bureaucracies, the care level borders on boredom. It is like: Yawn, is it over, yet? The journalist at the Times are probably too lazy to go out there and do a days work for a change instead of making stuff up. My opinion: The driver was so old as to pump the accelerator believing it was the brakes! It is a boring story, but you got to make a living. But how, seriously, how do you sleep at night attempting to stretch the truth like that?

tsassoon wrote: Shift to neutral, yes, but one has to hold the start button down for three continuous seconds to turn the engine off for the cars with keyless ignition. By then, you're dead.

I would urge everyone with a recent Toyota to consider driving with the Cruise Control turned on at all times. Then at least you're provided with the fail-safe of the CC mechanism disengaging the throttle when the brake is tapped, as Steve Wozniak showed.

Frankly, not only would I now never in a million years consider buying a Toyota (we were otherwise impressed with a Sienna we rented last year), I don't even want to drive on the same roads with them any more. They aren't just deathtraps for their drivers, but to others as well.

It sickens me that the company has been willing to let so many fatal runaway accidents go on record as the driver's fault, including at least one man sentenced to a lengthy prison term. Oh, what a feeling, indeed.

We want to hear from you and your thoughts of the ongoing Toyota saga. 

-- Gerrick D. Kennedy (Follow me on Twitter @GerrickKennedy)

 

 

When a version of Apple's iPad made for AT&T's 3G network hits the market, expected in April, subscribers will have to choose whether they want a 250-megabyte plan or unlimited data access. They cost $14.99 and $29.99 a month respectively.

It's not easy estimating how many Web pages, books, songs and videos you'll download in a given month. Doing so might even be tougher than guessing how many calling minutes you'll use each month -- another annoying telecom game we play into.

As a point of comparison, the Times Technology Blog points out that the average iPhone owner uses about 273 megabytes a month, according to analysts' estimates.

Will iPad users go lighter on AT&T's 3G Internet than iPhone users do? Or did AT&T pull a pumpkin pie scheme?

A reader named Donald writes in to explain the pumpkin pie analogy:

They clearly calculated how much an average user would need and then made the basic plan just below that. It's like buying canned pumpkin. To make a pumpkin pie, all recipes call for 16 ounces. Guess what size cans they use to sell canned pumpkin? You guessed it - 15 ounces. So you need buy two cans.

When will someone put an end to Big Pumpkin's injustices?

-- Mark Milian
twitter.com/markmilian

Photo credits: Left, Tony Avelar / Bloomberg. Right, Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times

UC San Diego is in the hot seat after an off-campus student party, dubbed the "Compton Cookout," mocked Black History Month.

Campus administrators said they were investigating whether the party, held Feb. 15, and its Facebook invitation violated the university's code of conduct and whether its sponsors should be disciplined.

Members of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity were identified as being some of the organizers, but the fraternity president has criticized the event and said his club didn't sponsor it.

Here's the dress code for the party, according to the invite:

For girls: For those of you who are unfamiliar with ghetto chicks -- Ghetto chicks usually have gold teeth, start fights and drama, and wear cheap clothes -- they consider Baby Phat to be high class and expensive couture. They also have short, nappy hair, and usually wear cheap weave, usually in bad colors, such as purple or bright red.

They look and act similar to Shenaynay, and speak very loudly, while rolling their neck, and waving their finger in your face. Ghetto chicks have a very limited vocabulary, and attempt to make up for it, by forming new words, such as "constipulated", or simply cursing persistently, or using other types of vulgarities, and making noises, such as "hmmg!", or smacking their lips, and making other angry noises, grunts, and faces.

The objective is for all you lovely ladies to look, act, and essentially take on these "respectable" qualities throughout the day.

In an e-mail to students and staff, UC San Diego Chancellor Marye Anne Fox said the party showed "blatant disregard of our campus values." She said the university would hold a teach-in Wednesday "to discuss the importance of mutual respect and civility."

On Thursday, Times Staff Writer Larry Gordon reported a recent protest showed how difficult it will be for the campus to overcome longstanding concerns about the small number of African American students enrolled there.

Our readers have responded to the party and the fallout in a dialogue of race and standardized tests, among other things. Here is some of what's being said:

robertjr155 wrote: If blacks, or Latinos talked and joked openly about whites living in trailer parks envoking a common stereotype, whites would be offended. If minorities talked about white women being on welfare having multiple children and frequenting bars and strip joints, Whites would be offended.

When we finally stop playing word games and holier than thou, we will see that no one is superior to anyone and that word games point us away from the fact that poverty and a lack of education is the thing we should be working against and not ourselves.

Too many minorities have sucessfully acquired an education and made a success of their lives without using their race to do so and faced discrimination and insult because of their skin color, or sex not because of their skills or character.

It is not being politically correct that is the problem, that is just good manners, something lacking in a number of people who force the issue of political correctness on the general population to make up for the lack of good manners and general respect for other people. It is a total lack of respect for people other than those who look like you, and then when you have to work with those other people, you find yourselves in trouble because the only thing your upbringing prepared you for was a life of ignorance, intolerance and stupidity.

coquito13 wrote: For several years now students at UC Berkeley have had to protest "South of the Border" parties where fences were erected (read:border) and attendees were encouraged to come dressed as "Illegal Immigrants" and would have to scale the fence to get in. Though the school did take some action, it did not prevent another group from doing the same in another year. The penalty usually brought down on these students groups who host these racist parties don't deter them from future activities. As is the case with UCSD. Then we wonder why we lose talented young people from these communities to private schools and out of state institutions. The brain drain in CA from underrepresented communities is also impacted by the ignorance that is bred in institutions that are supposed to enlighten young minds. How about taking a much stronger stance and expelling the students altogether. Send a message to all students that racism (both through ignorance and of the overt sort) will not be tolerated - period. But, sadly this will be too much to ask of the UC. It would require a level of encourage not seen there since... Perhaps all the African American Students there now should transfer out. Maybe mass exodus will pressure the school to take great action. Soledad O'Brien, where you at?

Terrilsee wrote: The college has no control over what its racist students do off-campus, and to expect them to is absurd. If a person wants to be a racist, they're actually allowed, in this country. That said, the party was a jerk move by ignorant jerks, and the African American students are right to draw attention to it as a distasteful act. They aren't right to expect the university to discipline adults for off-campus activities, however disgraceful.

FedUpTeacher wrote: It surprises me how whites do this with no fear of some type of retaliation. Sooner or later, an angry group of blacks or Latinos are going to commit acts of violence in response to these little "harmless pranks" whites tend to involve themselves in.

EyeOnLAT wrote: The real blame lies in how popular music genre's such as hip-hop's gangsta rap and the whole culture and mentality that breeds has affected how others view African Americans. March against that.

The minstrelsy of how those stereotypes are pushed and glorified has contributed to a whole new generation of kids who are not black to think of them as funny. Their misery and self-destruction becomes entertainment.

Share your thoughts. How should UC San Diego respond to the "Compton Cookout?" Was this a violation of school policy, or did the students -- who were off-campus -- have the right to mock another race? Are you surprised to hear stories like this coming from a college campus? How can UC San Diego and its students of all races move forward?

-- Gerrick D. Kennedy (Follow me on Twitter @GerrickKennedy)

Photo: Medical student Juliet Okoroh holds a sign in support of a fellow student who grew up in Compton. The rally broke out during a UC San Diego-sponsored teach-in prompted by an off-campus party themed "Compton Cookout," which mocked Black History Month. Credit: Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times

With recent mudslides severely having damaged dozens of homes in La Cañada Flintridge, public works officials have estimated that it will cost more than $20 million to fully clean up.

Cleanup crews have been working continuously to remove the mud, and with another week of predicted storms to hit the area, it is vital that those areas be cleaned.

Our pals over at L.A. Now have extensively covered the mudslides and the subsequent cleanup. You may have seen the photos or read one of the tales about the extent of the damage from the storms. People schlepping mud out of their homes, cars crushed, garages collapsed -- these were a few of the images that ran with stories.

But with cleanup still underway, officials have estimated that it will cost $20 million to $30 million this year to remove all the mud and other debris from the catch basins. And just who is responsible for that money? A common thread among our readers during the mudslide coverage is how much responsibility falls on the homeowners. Readers often ask why do people continuing living in fire, flood and slide zones considering the yearly risk?

One reader even wrote in, “I have no sympathy at all. You'd think after years of living through fire then flood/slides in the same darn area, you'd get a clue and move to a less hazardous place. Every year is the same thing, the fire dept tells them to leave but no they want to stay with the house, then cry when they can't get rescued in time or they lose all of their stuff. Please enough already.”

Another reader criticized our coverage: “I'm tired of the LA Times running these dramatic stories painting foothill residents as brave heroes. These people knew the risks and lived in this area anyway, and I have no sympathy for them nor any desire to hear about their lives.”

Share your thoughts. With the cost of cleanup estimated to go reach more than $20 million, what should be the cities' response?  With so much damage, should people be allowed to rebuild?

-- Gerrick D. Kennedy (Follow me on Twitter @GerrickKennedy)

Photo: Nanette Gregorian, 13, wades through muddy water Sunday in her yard in La Cañada Flintridge, where residents face a massive cleanup job. Credit: Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times

Is Gloria Allred taking a trivial turn in the Tiger Woods case?

That’s the question Times columnist Sandy Banks is asking in her piece on the pioneering attorney. 

Banks wrote a column criticizing public scrutiny of Woods' apology. The column drew plenty of e-mails from readers, but, as she wrote in her follow-up:

What surprised me, though, was that so many readers were offended by the photo that accompanied the piece.

"It's hard to take your comments seriously with the backdrop of television lawyer Gloria Allred, media hound and high-profile attorney who works the system to make millions, as she seems to be in constant hunt of suing very rich men," e-mailed Nick Antonicello.

The photo showed Allred comforting Veronica Siwik-Daniels, a former porn actress who said she had a three-year relationship with Woods and was "bitterly disappointed" that he didn't mention her on Friday in the list of people to whom he owed apologies.

Some considered it ironic that Allred, who made her name fighting for women and children, would align herself with a home-wrecker. ...

Twenty-five years ago, she took on a cabal of Holocaust deniers, winning $100,000 and a public apology for an Auschwitz survivor. She sued to force Los Angeles County to unchain pregnant inmates while they gave birth. She championed the rights of lesbian couples during an era when politicians felt comfortable calling them derogatory names. She fought to protect rape victims from having to explain why they wore thongs or how many sex partners they had.

She always was a publicity-seeker, but she also was tough and passionate and smart.

But there she was on Friday, complaining that Woods owes her client -- one of a dozen women claiming affairs with the married golfer -- "an apology, at a minimum ... because he led her on and broke her heart."

I caught up with Allred by phone on Monday in New York, where she's pressing her case on the talk-show circuit.

She doesn't see anything distasteful -- or even vaguely gold-digger-ish -- about it.

"This is a man who went out of his way to make her believe that he cared about her," Allred said. "Then, to protect himself, he dumped her like a hot potato. ... I don't think he's entitled to hurt her and not apologize. What is so hard about that? Why is it so controversial?"

Allred read me text messages that Woods purportedly sent Siwik-Daniels last fall: Baby, I'm not going anywhere or doing anything. You please me like no other has or ever will. I am not losing that. ...

[Siwik-Daniels] stopped performing in porn movies because Woods "couldn't stand seeing her with another man," Allred said. "She's had no income for the past two years." ...

Her client says she loved Woods. She knew he was married, of course. But Woods told her she was his only girlfriend, Allred said. "A woman ought to be able to believe a man when he tells her that." ...

Allred says it doesn't matter what choices Siwik-Daniels made. "It's about does Tiger Woods get to do this -- lead her on, lie and betray her. ... Men do it all the time and women suffer in silence."

Of course our readers have poured in with criticism of Woods, Siwik-Daniels and Allred. Here are some of the comments:

justpostin wrote: He committed fraud and misrepresentation. Should the girls get money? Probably not ... but it's an interesting argument.

whimsyparade wrote: Gloria Allred has set the Women's Movement back 50 years.

BGHampton wrote: Gloria may have performed some noble and groundbreaking work three decades ago, but for the past 20 to 30 years she has been brandishing her reputation as a publicity-hungry busybody more concerned with airtime than anything else. As for her client: the woman doesn't need an attorney to demand an apology. Woods didn't apologize. Get over it.