Eight students who attended a "rave" on a softball field at Occidental College were hospitalized after they had way too much to drink, according to ABC 7. more ›

After shutting down construction on a Montecito Heights solar project in September due to concerns about fire safety and aesthetics, City Council plans to revisit the issue on Wednesday with a report that assesses potential risks posed by installing the 1,400 hillside panels. more ›

The Wonder Cabinet--an intellectual circus for the Mental Floss set--takes over Occidental College's Thorne Hall, from 10 a.m. to 7:30 pm tomorrow. As part of the college's first Spring Arts Festival, there are a number of talks, sessions, music and odd ball entertainment throughout the day, curated by former New Yorker art critic Lawrence Weschler, the college's Remsen Bird Artist in Residence. more ›

Mainstream media as we know it is changing. Has been for a long time. With bastions of old media like ABC news and the Los Angeles Times trimming their budgets and staff, people have to look elsewhere for fair and balanced news. The public still needs to make informed decisions--especially after the battle for health reform and the upcoming mid-term elections--but what will replace traditional media as government watchdogs? That's just one of the topics to be addressed at the day-long Media Reform Summit at Occidental College tomorrow. more ›

New York City wants to teach Los Angeles a thing or two about traffic. Specifically, NYC's transportation commissioner and California native Janette Sadik-Khan wants to inspire Los Angeles to make the same bike-friendly changes her city has in order to make traffic safer and less congested for everyone. more ›

The Huffington Post points out a course being offered at Eagle Rock's (and Pres. Obama alma mater) Occidental College that takes academia to perhaps a new low--or a new high in lows. It's Critical Theory and Social Justice (CTSJ) 180: Stupidity. The catalog description:

Stupidity is neither ignorance nor organicity, but rather, a corollary of knowing and an element of normalcy, the double of intelligence rather than its opposite. It is an artifact of our nature as finite beings and one of the most powerful determinants of human destiny. Stupidity is always the name of the Other, and it is the sign of the feminine. This course in Critical Psychology follows the work of Friedrich Nietzsche, Gilles Deleuze, and most recently, Avital Ronell, in a philosophical examination of those operations and technologies that we conduct in order to render ourselves uncomprehending. Stupidity, which has been evicted from the philosophical premises and dumbed down by psychometric psychology, has returned in the postmodern discourse against Nation, Self, and Truth and makes itself felt in political life ranging from the presidency to Beevis and Butthead. This course examines stupidity.

Except for LAist of course, you’re probably not satisfied with local news coverage. Community issues are often pushed aside for real news like, Octomom. So now it’s time to do something about it. Join other like-minded people at the “Local Media for Social Change: Los Angeles Summit” tomorrow at Occidental College from 11 am-5:15 pm. It’s a full day of speakers and panel discussions on local media, creating social change and how to get your voices heard. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Photo by GarySe7en via LAist's flickr pool. more ›

Photo by victoriabernal via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr more ›

Okay, so Long Beach doesn't pack the same exotic pull as, oh, say, Rio, but they're going to put on a Carnaval and pull out all the stops. Get out your Carnaval costumes and get ready to samba the night away! This year’s theme is “Preservation of the Planet” featuring green and recycled decorations. At the heart of the 2008 celebration is renowned Bahiana Dandara, musicians performing vibrant and energetic Carnaval beats. Music and bare booties abound! more ›

7 pm // Santa Monica Bar and Grille // 3321 Pico Blvd., Los Angeles // $40 at the door. more ›

Southwest Chamber Music The season opening concert will feature Southwest Chamber Music’s percussionist Lynn Vartan, the Grammy-nominated Tambuco Percussion Ensemble (an LAist pick of the week earlier this summer) and the soloists of Southwest Chamber Music in a colossal program of the "Encounters, part 1" by one of Los Angeles’ most important composers and percussionists William Kraft, who was an LA Phil member (percussion, timpani), composer-in-residence, and conductor for three seasons. Monday, October 15 @... more ›

Next for the New York Times in LA: Gangs "At twilight on Friday, in the heart of the territory of the latest notorious Los Angeles gang, a woman in a passing car calls out a tip to Officer Dan Robbins, sending him racing toward a corner and a man he believes is a member of the 204th Street gang." (New York Times) Occidental College claims Obama "U.S. Sen. Barack Obama is usually described as... more ›

Los Angeles accounted for 25% of the Young America's Foundation's "Dirty Dozen" list, as showcased in the "Current" section buried in Sunday's Times. more ›

Unless you spent the $225 for the series that includes Al Franken and Ann Coulter tonight at The Gibson, you’re out of luck. Rather, we recommend you check out local celebrity politico Eric Garcetti at the Improv Olympic on The Blank Blank Show in Hollywood. more ›

Today is not just any Thursday. It's also the opening day of the The Fellowship Of Reconciliation's 2004 National Conference--"ORGANIZING THE REAL SUPERPOWER:People of the World Choose Peace" more ›