Last Thursday, October 13, street activist LEBA and his groups of helping hands released 1,700 balloons into the downtown Los Angeles sky from the rooftops of five of Gallery Row's tallest buildings. The display, dubbed Project: Remember, aimed to provide the fallen soldiers of Afghanistan with a voice via public art. Each balloon was lit and tagged with the name of a late soldier. more ›

L.A. street activist LEBA will take his current social awareness mission to the sky on Thursday, October 13, at 7pm. Armed with 1,700 balloons, LEBA and five volunteer groups will release the balloons from the rooftops of five of Gallery Row's tallest buildings in downtown L.A. more ›

As countless hours of news coverage have illustrated, Kabul is a city without hope, suffocated by endless war, religious extremism and deep-seated corruption. While these menaces are certainly present in The Black Tulip, Afghanistan's submission for the 2011 Academy Awards, the film chooses instead to focus on everyday Afghanis, their perseverance and the daily struggle for free expression. The Black Tulip follows a decade of triumphs and tragedy for the Mansouri family, whom Taliban insurgents mark for death after they open The Poet's Corner, a cafe featuring live music and poetry readings. more ›

A private funeral will be held this morning for Los Angeles police officer Joshua Cullins at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Officer Cullins, 28, was a Marine reserve staff sergeant serving as a bomb-disposal technician. He was killed on October 18th on duty in Afghanistan, "when a secondary explosion was set off as he was investigating an earlier blast in an area near Marja," according to LA Now. more ›

We talk to Governor Jesse Ventura, host of truTV's "Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura" (Friday's at 10pm). Ventura thinks we should abolish political parties; that the United States has become a fascist state; and that the military enforces corporate ambitions. Are these even theories anymore? more ›

Around one hundred people, including eight veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, this afternoon have gathered outside a military recruitment center in Hollywood to protest. "We're really here to say, on this ninth anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan, that the U.S. should end the war right now," explained Ian Thompson, a coordinator with the Answer L.A. Coalition. "We wanted to show that there are still people against this war and we think the numbers are growing." more ›

What can some of L.A.'s toughest neighborhoods teach us about patrolling Afghanistan and ridding streets of the Taliban? Apparently, a lot. About 70 Camp Pendleton Marines earlier this month embedded themselves with the LAPD to learn about policing, especially in building better community relations, according to the Associated Press. more ›

For a war that is nearing the decade mark, Afghanistan sure does fly under the radar. Lindsay Lohan’s SCRAM or the follies of modern athletes are likely to receive as much or more air time than armed conflicts involving our own neighbors, friends, and family members taking place in some hard-to-fathom hovel. In fact, compiled television news data from 2008 shows us that the Afghanistan campaign netted just over 1% of total airtime. Not exactly in-your-face journalism. more ›

On Tuesday the number of U.S. soldiers who have died in Afghanistan surpassed 1,000. "The $100-billion-per-year war itself—and the daily losses in lives—should be front-and-center in the media most days, but that often is not the case," says David Corn at Mojo, the politics and current affairs blog at Mother Jones magazine... more ›

A famous celebrity's name is protected for 70 years after death. That's because a "deceased personality," as state law calls them, has commercial value, thus the use of their voice, signature, photograph, or likeness in products and advertising is verboten unless permission by the family is given. Those laws don't apply to regular people, even if their death made them famous -- the law only applied to those who had notoriety before death, not because of or after death. more ›

Services for the fallen LAPD SWAT member Robert J. Cottle, who died in Afghanistan, are being held this morning in downtown. Thousands are expected to turn up and traffic will get a bit turned around this morning. Streets are already closed for the 8:45 a.m. procession from the LAPD headquarters to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. A 9:30 a.m. a private service will commence inside. Cottle is the first LAPD officer to be killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. R.I.P. more ›

One will address the war and the other, Prop 8. At 3:30 and until 5 p.m., activists from CODEPINK and ANSWER LA will protest troops in Afghanistan and war funding outside the Beverly HIlton, where President Obama is attending a Democratic National Committee fundraiser. Then at 6 p.m., the Courage Campaign is organizing one about Prop 8. "Let's take this opportunity, just one day after the CA Supreme Court makes its decision on Proposition 8, to show our President our support for his daring promise to our community and to highlight the growing movement towards FULL FEDERAL EQUALITY," their website says. more ›

THEATRE* ShortLived 2.0 is SF-based PianoFight’s short playwriting competition, and it’s making its LA debut as ShortLived LA at 8 pm tonight at Theatre Asylum. Tickets are $15-$20. Last week, eight original pieces written by local LA writers hit the stage; the highest scoring piece will automatically get a spot in the SF Championship Weekend for a chance to win the grand prize: an invitation to pen a full-length piece produced by PianoFight and staged for a one-month in San Francisco. more ›

In honor of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, unprecedented numbers of Americans served their communities today in beautiful ways. And President-Elect Obama’s Renew America Together service forged new means of connecting Americans (and Los Angelenos) with local volunteering opportunities. more ›

Although today is Veterans Day, the holiday also serves as a reminder of those who served next to our Vets that did not come home. more ›

It's Memorial Day. That means Federal, state, county and city offices, courts, libraries, animal shelters and banks are closed. And Metro will run on a Sunday schedule. more ›

Bring together Positive Television and Animal Acres in Acton, CA, and you're going to get an event worthy of your Saturday afternoon, even if it is about an hour north of Los Angeles. Saturday from 2 to 6 p.m., Progressing Together will bring out speakers to talk about international charity work, 5 years after 9/11 in Afghanistan, and what children can do to make a difference. Sky Valencia of the Vegan Vixens will talk... more ›