Anjali Taneja

Photo by Dean Terry via Flickr Record numbers of Americans are casting their votes early, through early voting in-person or via absentee ballots. However, the absentee ballot process varies from state to state and can be immensely confusing. This year a few dedicated people set out to simplify the absentee voting process for Americans in all 50 states, and created Long Distance Voter -- a comprehensive website with information on each state's process for...

Finally. After a barrage of slanderous and fear-mongering commercials from the Yes on Prop 8 campaign, and somewhat tepid and underwhelming ads from the No on Prop 8 campaign, it is heartening to see positive and effective messaging put forth by these witty videos by Margaret Cho, Molly Ringwald, and friends, in the style of the Mac vs PC ads. The first video is posted above, the rest, below....

This weekend marks the long-anticipated Los Angeles Social Forum, a unique opportunity where students, activists, local media-makers, and other Los Angelenos will converge upon the USC campus to learn from each other and build together in regards to local and global social justice issues. Over 70 workshops on topics from local media to healthcare to electoral reform to prison reform to local immigration issues to global issues will be presented by an amazing array of...

That's right, because you love The Pixies so much, here's a chance to experience Not Exactly The Pixies. Tomorrow night, local musicians (most of whom have not performed together before practicing for this event) will come together at the Echo, to perform songs from the legendary band, The Pixies. The artists include members of local bands Fishbone, Tribe 8, Shatto, The Larks, EZ Tiger, Romeo Crestwood, Bedroom Walls, The Stranglers, Wild Colonials, and several...

Today will be historic. Throngs of voters will get out and vote NO on Proposition 98, a not thinly veiled attempt to destroy rent control and tenants rights. Of note, Los Angeles has the highest average rents (over $1500) of any city in the Western United States -- even higher than San Francisco. In what direction will allowing the passage of Proposition 98 lead us? Yesterday, Ross Lincoln wrote a fine post on LAist about...

Los Angeles resident Josh Robbins and friends will embark on a twenty-seven day quest, by car, to visit baseball games at thirty baseball stadiums around the country. Their journey starts on June 16th, and they hope to set a world record, document the trip on video, and raise funds for the Jim Thorpe Little League in Hawthorne. All thirty stadiums and games, as well as information on donating to the project and the little...

Photo by mil8 via the LAist Featured Pools on Flickr Yesterday marked 40 years since Dr Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated. But did you know this? MLK Jr spoke at a packed congregation in Los Angeles just three weeks before his assassination: The 40th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. comes as a poignant reminder of the day the civil rights leader stood in the pulpit at Holman United...

This month, from March 13th through April 12th, the folks at Machine Project are hosting Tablacentric -- an entire month devoted to the concept and feel of not the snare drum, not the piano, but yet another form of percussion -- the tabla -- a majestic drum originating in South Asia. For the entire month, 12 pairs of tabla will be setup in the gallery for all students and performers to touch and play....

And then there were two. Tonight in Los Angeles, Democratic presidential contenders Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will pontificate, bicker, wax poetic, and throw things at each other. The debate is sponsored by the LA Times, Politico.com, and CNN, and moderated by Wolf "Hack" Blitzer. The "show" begins at 5pm PST. Edwards will be strongly missed, as he suspended his campaign for presidency yesterday. Since he won't be present at the debate, here's the video...