Guest Contributor

This week's pets are from Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles. spcaLA is an independent, nonprofit animal welfare organization serving Southern California since 1877. Donations run programs and services including Cruelty Investigation, Disaster Animal Response Team, Humane Education and a variety of shelter services. There is no national SPCA, parent organization, or umbrella group that provides financial support. Each SPCA and Humane Society is a completely unrelated organization.

Trust me when I tell you this: you know someone who does it. That shiny object sticking out of your best friend’s bag? Knitting needles. That weird stick you found in your sister’s (or brother’s) drawer? Crochet hook. The funny spool of pink thread you saw tucked up into the bookshelf? Classic sign of a DIY seamstress or tailor. Fabric and yarn based crafting is everywhere, and the reasons for its popularity may be different than what you expect. So why do we do it?

Roads were closed. Traffic was stopped. The routine morning hustle and bustle down Santa Monica Boulevard, for some reason, had come to a complete standstill. “Aw damn,” I thought frantically, “What am I missing? Are they actually starting to build a rail system? No, never. Is it Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s? Nope, that was last week.”

LACMA will host their major annual event, Muse ArtWalk, this Saturday, featuring free general admission to LACMA and more than 20 participating museums/galleries along Miracle Mile. From 11 am to 8 pm, guests can check out live painting, performance art, dance, film, and interactive activities for all ages throughout LACMA’s campus.

Adam Goldberg is best known as an actor in the war epic Saving Private Ryan--or, going back a bit farther, for his role as a bumbling yet endearing nerd in Dazed and Confused. Goldberg is a self-proclaimed man of all trades, including a purveyor of fine meats, and most recently embarked on the musical venture The Goldberg Sisters. The band appears tonight at the Bootleg Theater as part of a musical lineup that dares you to “put your money where you mouth is.”

This past weekend the documentary Searching for Elliott Smith continued its travels through the festival circuit with a stop at the Los Angeles New Wave International Film Festival. In the film, first-time director Gil Reyes takes the pilgrimage through Smith’s life.

If Lulu or Layla catch your eye, the centers are having a Mother's Day special with reduced adoption rates! Until May 8th, Dogs are available for adoption for $50.50; Cats for $83.50. Adoption fees include vaccinations, spaying/neutering, microchipping, and the first year license fee for dogs.

The Middle East has been a hotbed of sociopolitical activities as of late, from the uprisings in Egypt--spawning similar uprisings in countries such as Libya--to the continued conflicts surrounding the “war on terror,” which reached a pinnacle this past weekend with the killing of Osama bin Laden. However, some issues, including the Palestinian and Israeli conflict, have been put on the back burner in the media. This Saturday, May 7th, Noam Chomsky will be giving a talk at UCLA discussing the Palestine-Israel conflict.

It's not everyday we're able to experience something as functional as, say, getting a haircut, while getting a full-on quality art experience at the same time. The new Galvin Benjamin Hair Salon in West Hollywood aims to do just that—provide a well-curated and creative environment while offering all the traditional services of a salon. Founded by the recently-relocated British duo of James Galvin & Benjamin Mohapi, the 2,300 square foot space was created with the intent to explore relationship between art and the inherent creative beauty of hairdressing.

This week, the LAist pets are from the Volunteers of the Burbank Animal Shelter, an animal service agency that is devoted to providing medical, social, behavioral and financial care for animals at risk and determined to eliminate animal homelessness in the Burbank community.