MONDAY, MARCH 20, 2006
Volume 5, Issue 109
Santa Monica Daily Press A newspaper with issues
DAILY LOTTERY
Parents hoping to share burden
A taprooting interest
SUPER LOTTO 4 20 34 35 44 Meganumber: 22 Jackpot: $27 million
FANTASY 5 4 7 26 31 37
DAILY 3 Daytime: Evening:
285 279
DAILY DERBY 1st: 2nd: 3rd:
10 Solid Gold Eureka ! 03 Hot Shot
RACE TIME:
1.46.18
Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the winning number information, mistakes can occur. In the event of any discrepancies, California State laws and California Lottery regulations will prevail. Complete game information and prize claiming instructions are available at California Lottery retailers. Visit the California State Lottery web site: http://www.calottery.com
BY KEVIN HERRERA Daily Press Staff Writer
NEWS OF THE WEIRD BY
CHUCK
SHEPARD
In Nagano, Japan, in February, five disgruntled Buddhist monks (along with four clerical workers) at the Zenkoji temple formed a labor union that was certified by the National Confederation of Trade Unions, to combat what they say was harassment by the head monk regarding working conditions.According to scientists who made rare observations of wombats having sex, published in December, there was chasing, biting, grunting, and stops and starts, along with the female's bewildering “figureeight dance,” which she employed as a pre-requisite for being mounted.
TODAY IN HISTORY Today is the 79th day of 2006. There are 286 days left in the year. Spring arrives at 4:26 p.m. On March 20, 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte entered Paris, beginning his “100 Days” rule. In 1413, England’s King Henry IV died; he was succeeded by Henry the V. In 1727, physicist, mathematician and astronomer Sir Isaac Newton died in London.
QUOTE OF THE DAY “Spring makes everything young again except man.”
JEAN PAUL RICHTER GERMAN AUTHOR
INDEX Horoscopes Gather your bills, Scorpio
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Opinion Skid Row by the sea
4
State Gets under their gills
BY RYAN HYATT Special to the Daily Press
DOWNTOWN LA — Attorneys on Thursday argued in court that some of the car buyers allegedly swindled by finance managers at Honda of Santa Monica actually paid the price for the vehicles they bargained for. Ali Asghar Hussain, Hamid Reza Khaki, Yaprem Zohrab
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International 11
People in the News Ciao, Brangelina!
12
Comics Laugh it up
13
Classifieds Have some class
Yaralian, Ahtamet Uersunthornwattana, Yaser Alkasem and Thomas Holterhoff all face felony counts related to the overcharging of customers at Honda of Santa Monica, located at 1720 Santa Monica Blvd., according to the District Attorney’s office. The alleged scam primarily involved finance managers tacking on charges of “theft etch” to customers’ contracts without their
COMMUNITYPROFILES | COMMUNITY PROFILES IS A WEEKLY SERIES THAT APPEARS EACH MONDAY AND DELVES INTO THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE, WORK AND PLAY IN SANTA MONICA.
Leaving the beige behind for brighter days BY KEVIN HERRERA
Irate about Iraq
See GANG VIOLENCE, page 7
Alleged victims etch testimony into record
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National Federal finger-pointing
See HONDA FRAUD, page 5
Fabian Lewkowicz/Daily Press Film crews on the Santa Monica Pier record a scene for an upcoming feature called ‘Smiley Face,’ starring the comedian Carrot Top. The pier has been featured is such films as ‘The Sting’ and ‘Forrest Gump’ over the years.
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Snow & Surf Report Water temperature: 53°
knowledge. Theft etch marks a vehicle’s parts with traceable numbers in the event of a theft. According to the felony complaint, 33 customers were bilked out of nearly $30,000 between 2001 and 2002, when all of the defendants worked in the finance and sales departments at the dealership.
JOHN ADAMS M.S. — Mothers living in the Pico neighborhood feel they have been abandoned by local government, and the community as a whole, left to fend for themselves as armed thugs battle just outside their front doors. At least, that was the consensus among them on Saturday, as roughly 150 parents, elected officials and members of law enforcement gathered here on Saturday for a forum on gangs. During turf wars between rival gangs, these mothers said they have seen families torn apart by murder, their sons snatched from them, all while those living immediately outside their neighborhood have looked on with indifference. “For many decades, it has been the Pico neighborhood who has carried this burden. It has been the families who have carried this burden,” said Maria Loya, a member of the Pico Neighborhood Association, during Saturday’s forum — the third in a year-long series hosted by State Sen. Sheila Kuehl, City
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Daily Press Staff Writer
MONTANA AVE. — Walking into Marcia Bloom’s boutique clothing store here is like entering a dream world where imaginations are allowed to run wild and the only requirement for admittance is a desire to be entertained. Her husband, Sam Kass, a playwright and
TAXES
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(310) 395-9922
100 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1800 Santa Monica 90401
“Seinfeld” alum, compares it to “Alice and Wonderland,” where “people can come inside and take a step out of reality, leaving all of their worries behind them and really take time to smell the roses.” Bloom, 47, the daughter of a physicist and nuerosurgeon, says her work is a rebellion against being raised “in a beige world.” It’s funky, eclectic and above all else,
fun — just like her. While moving around the store, Bloom can often be seen laughing loudly while chatting with customers or sewing a few socks to the bottom of a skirt, one of her more zany creations. She seems so carefree and content, it’s easy to forget Bloom has been living with
Be Prepared for
the Next Earthquake www.safegasservices.com 3017 Lincoln Blvd. • Santa Monica, CA 90405
310-664-8777
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See PROFILES, page 6