It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

Juliette and the Licks

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Juliette and the Licks  performs at the Santa Monica Pier during the Green Apple Festival on Sunday, April 20, 2008.  Juliette and the Licks is an American rock band led by Academy Award-nominated actress Juliette Lewis.

Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 at 02:17AM by Registered CommenterFabian Lewkowicz in , | CommentsPost a Comment | EmailEmail | PrintPrint

Taj Mahal

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Taj Mahal (Henry Saint Clair Fredericks) performs at the Santa Monica Pier during the Green Apple Festival on Sunday, April 20, 2008.  Taj Mahal was born in Harlem, in New York City, but grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts. His father was a jazz pianist/composer/arranger of Jamaican descent, while his mother was an African American schoolteacher from South Carolina who sang gospel.
Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 at 01:07AM by Registered CommenterFabian Lewkowicz in , | CommentsPost a Comment | EmailEmail | PrintPrint

Duane "Dog" Chapman

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Duane "Dog" Chapman, and his son Duane Jr., pose for a portrait after eating lunch at 'Ivy at the Shore' in Santa Monica on Saturday, April 19, 2008. Dog is returning to Hawaii after rounding up 15 fugitives in Colorado. Dog the Bounty Hunter is a reality television show which chronicles Duane "Dog" Chapman's operations at his job, Da Kine Bail Bonds in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Posted on Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 12:46AM by Registered CommenterFabian Lewkowicz in , | Comments1 Comment | EmailEmail | PrintPrint

FlyBar

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Fred Grzybowski, 19, gets some air on his 'FlyBar' at Venice Beach on Friday, March 21, 2008.
Posted on Saturday, April 19, 2008 at 06:47AM by Registered CommenterFabian Lewkowicz in , , | CommentsPost a Comment | EmailEmail | PrintPrint

Full bloom

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Roses in full bloom, absorb sunshine in front of City Hall On Thursday, April 17, 2008. The rose is a flowering shrub of the genus Rosa, and the flower of this shrub.There are more than a hundred species of wild roses, all from the northern hemisphere and mostly from temperate regions. The species form a group of generally prickly shrubs or climbers, and sometimes trailing plants, reaching 2–5 metres tall, occasionally reaching as high as 20 metres by climbing over other plants. Rose hips are sometimes eaten, mainly for their vitamin C content. They are usually pressed and filtered to make rose hip syrup. They can also be used to make herbal tea, jam, jelly and marmalade. Rose hips are also used to produce an oil used in skin products. Rose shrubs are often used by homeowners and landscape architects for home security purposes. The sharp thorns of many rose species deter unauthorized persons from entering private properties, and may prevent break-ins if planted under windows and near drainpipes.

Posted on Saturday, April 19, 2008 at 04:39AM by Registered CommenterFabian Lewkowicz in | CommentsPost a Comment | EmailEmail | PrintPrint

Santa Monica's finest

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1) Santa Monica Police Officer Jacob Holloway is presented with the American Legion Officer of the Year Award at City Hall on Thursday, April 17, 2008. 2) Santa Monica Police Chief Timothy J. Jackman presents SMPD Officer's Thomas Mastin and his partner Hector Tavera with the Elks Lodge Officer of the Year Award.  3) SMPD Lieutenant Clint Muir is presented with the Rotary Club Officer of the Year Award. 4) Santa Monica Department's newest police officer, Mario Castro, 36, swears-in on Thursday at City Hall. 5) Margie pins the SMPD badge onto her son Mario Castro during the swearing in ceremony. 6) SMPD Officer Brent Crafton (not shown) reads the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics out-load during the swearing in ceremony on Thursday...

Law Enforcement Code of Ethics

"As a law enforcement officer, my fundamental duty is to serve the community; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the constitutional rights of all to liberty, equality and justice."

 
"I will keep my private life unsullied as an example to all and will behave in a manner that does not bring discredit to me or to my agency. I will maintain courageous calm in the face of danger, scorn or ridicule; develop self-restraint; and be constantly mindful of the welfare of others. Honest in thought and deed both in my personal and official life, I will be exemplary in obeying the law and the regulations of my department. Whatever I see or hear of a confidential nature or that is confided to me in my official capacity will be kept ever secret unless revelation is necessary in the performance of my duty."
 
"I will never act officiously or permit personal feelings, prejudices, political beliefs, aspirations, animosities or friendships to influence my decisions. With no compromise for crime and with relentless prosecution of criminals, I will enforce the law courteously and appropriately without fear or favor, malice or ill will, never employing unnecessary force or violence and never accepting gratuities."
 
"I recognize the badge of my office as a symbol of public faith, and I accept it as a public trust to be held so long as I am true to the ethics of police service. I will never engage in acts of corruption or bribery, nor will I condone such acts by other police officers. I will cooperate with all legally authorized agencies and their representatives in the pursuit of justice."
 
"I know that I alone am responsible for my own standard of professional performance and will take every reasonable opportunity to enhance and improve my level of knowledge and competence."
 
"I will constantly strive to achieve these objectives and ideals, dedicating myself before God to my chosen profession. . . law enforcement," read Officer Crafton.

Posted on Friday, April 18, 2008 at 05:00PM by Registered CommenterFabian Lewkowicz in | CommentsPost a Comment | EmailEmail | PrintPrint

Crash. Bang.  Boom.

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Demolition Kicks Off at Santa Monica Place: 1) Construction crews bring down the 1980s-era “Santa Monica Place” sign on Thursday. March 17, 2008. The Santa Monica Place sign crashed down and created a highly visual feat of pyrotechnic de-construction.2) (left to right) Randy Brant, Vice President from Macerich, Mayor Pro Tem Richard Bloom, and City Manager Lamont Ewell hit the demolition button. 3) Santa Monica City Manager Lamont Ewell gives a welcoming speech. 4,5) The UCLA marching band plays along the Third Street Promenade. 6) The crowed watches the firework show. 7) Construction crews survey the aftermath. ~ This high-profile event launches the 18-month process of creating the new, all open-air recycling of the old shopping mall, which closed in January and is scheduled to open as the new Santa Monica Place in fall 2009. Sustainability and green-building practices are a key part of the project’s design and construction. The new Santa Monica Place will be a fresh, modern, three-level retail and dining destination, with a signature, rooftop dining deck with great views of the ocean.

Human Pyramid

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(top) Eddie Saleh holds a "Gut Lover" on top of a human tabletop pyramid at Santa Monica's Muscle Beach on Sunday, April 13, 2008.

Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2008 at 02:56AM by Registered CommenterFabian Lewkowicz in , | CommentsPost a Comment | EmailEmail | PrintPrint