LOS ANGELES
Noah Smith
Multimedia Journalist
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles, CA
LOS ANGELES
Published April 15, 2018 at 7:56 PM Updated April 15, 2018 at 8:40 PM President Donald Trump has informed Congress in writing of his decision to order a U.S. missile strike against Syria. Under the War Powers Resolution, the president must keep Congress informed of such actions.
LOS ANGELES - The billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Times has made a career, and multibillion dollar fortune, from attempting to cure cancer as well as the pervasive ills of the health care system writ large.
washingtonpost - The Jacksonville shooting and its impact on esports - Talk Shows - Twitch
September 18 The Internet of 2010 contained many things, and free of charge. It had the full works of Shakespeare. It had robust English translations of classical Greek philosophy. It had just about every Miley Cyrus lyric.
LOS ANGELES - The world's most popular video game console is probably in your pocket right now. Once solely the home of relatively simple, if captivating, games like Fruit Ninja and Paper Toss, mobile games have experienced a revolution in recent years.
LEMOORE, Calif. - The wave shouldn't be here, surrounded by boundless fields of nuts, vegetables and cotton. It's an exotic crest of water six feet high, one that would be at home in Bali or the east coast of Australia. But not here, well over 100 miles from the Pacific Ocean.
Trucks ferrying exhausted firefighters rolled into the fairgrounds here straight from the front lines of the Thomas Fire, which was burning right to the edge of Ventura. Ash was slowly dropping like snow, and a campfirelike smell was thick in the air alongside visible smoke.
August 29 In the wake of Sunday's shooting at a competitive video gaming event in Jacksonville, players and organizers of esports events have called for increased security measures from game publishers and esports organizations.
The Overwatch League christened its inaugural season this month in largely the same ways as any professional sports league's opening day. The very best players in the world donned uniforms representing their teams. Fans packed an arena, purchasing licensed merchadise in addition to concessions.
The feature on the secret prototype, Dragonfly, would put Chinese citizens at increased risk of government repression
When his medical cannabis operation was raided in 2008, Virgil Grant wound up in prison. Now he's back in business, and determined to make space for people of color in an industry that's fast being whitewashed hey were two sides of California's cannabis industry, ambitious operators who prepared for the day this state would become the world's biggest legal market.
The recent appointment of Stephen K. Bannon, the right-wing media mogul, as chief executive of Donald J. Trump 's campaign was part of an effort to reset a candidacy that has stumbled with minority and female voters and suffered from controversies surrounding high-level campaign officials.
Rory Carroll and Noah Smith find out the hard way that not everyone is welcome on the state's legendary surfing beaches. In Lunada Bay, local police even warn against attempting to surf with the locals: 'They are infamous around here. They're pretty much grown men in little men's mindset'
Black, electric-powered scooters suddenly began appearing on the downtown streets, suburban sidewalks and beachside a few months ago in this urban coastal city. The dockless shared scooters took Santa Monica by surprise, including the mayor, who says he received a LinkedIn message from Bird chief executive Travis VanderZanden, offering to introduce him to the company's "exciting new mobility strategy for Santa Monica" - after they landed in town.
A golden moon hung over the city, and as night deepened the crowd lounging off Hope Street grew giddy. People swigged beer, marijuana spiced the air, hip-hop streamed from a sound system. It felt like a gritty picnic, minus food.
A brush fire raced through Southern California Monday night into Tuesday morning with ferocious speed, spreading from about 50 acres to an estimated 26,000 acres in less than seven hours. The fire, named the Thomas Fire, began in a canyon north of the city of Santa Paula, about 65 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.
LOS ANGELES - The Inland Empire could be considered Southern California 's backlot, with its vast warehouse complexes and staging areas. Typically defined as the region east of Los Angeles and Orange Counties, and encompassing San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, this area of industrial development has been on a long march to recovery since the 2008 financial crisis.
Related: LAPD's reforms since Rodney King beating offer hope amid police violence A pale sun rose over the city as sergeant Scott Carty steered the squad car into Nickerson Gardens, a public housing project in Watts, ready to patrol a familiar yet alien landscape.
MONTECITO, Calif. - Rescue teams battled through rain-sodden muck and debris Wednesday seeking to reach more areas ravaged by landslides that sent deadly torrents of mud and water over homes in Southern California. The death toll rose to at least 15, but the search was expanding and the figure could grow.
Since last Sunday, U.S. and Coalition forces have launched more than 125 airstrikes against targets in Iraq and Syria as part of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, killing at least 250 ISIS fighters and destroying ISIS training camps, weapons facilities, and fighting positions.
In Hollywood, perceptions of beauty are constantly in flux, as executives try to divine what will play in Peoria. But at least one attribute is as sexy and sought after now as it ever was: a proven commodity.
In the original California gold rush, thousands of prospectors scoured the San Gabriel mountains for nuggets, a scramble marked by rivalry and secrecy: see a gleam, keep shtum. Two centuries later, a handful of descendants use similar equipment to pan in the same crystal cold river, surrounded by the same wilderness, lured by an additional, different type of glitter: celebrity.
Imagine playing a video game in front of a packed arena, with hundreds of thousands watching at home and about $11 million on the line. Competitors in Dota 2's major tournament, The International, are in the thick of this.
As he gallivants through estates worth tens of millions of dollars on CNBC's Secret Lives of the Super Rich, it is hard to imagine Aaron Kirman as anything other than the highly driven, supremely confident real estate agent we see on the show.
Former president Barack Obama, who has kept a low public profile since leaving the White House a year and half ago, is wading back into politics ahead of the November elections. Obama will actively help Democrats in competitive races, aides close to him say, and he is stepping up fundraising efforts for the party.
At SXSW in Austin, Texas this year, US television studio TNT brought in a surfing simulator and created a "pop-up beach" to help promote their surfing-meets-crime-family show Animal Kingdom, the second season of which premiered on Tuesday. It's just the latest attempt from the worlds of television and film to embrace surfing with some form of gimmickry.
August 27 Before the video-game competition began here on Sunday, David Katz was known as a quiet member of the tightknit world of competitive Madden NFL gaming. People in this community know one another, they say, describing it as a "brotherhood" and a "family."
The media production and distribution company Keshet International did not even exist four years ago. Since then, its rise has been meteoric. Last year, the company-a subsidiary of Israel-based Keshet Media Group-had six shows on TV in the U.S.-including Dig, Homeland, and Tyrant -and has sold programs in more than 50 territories.
LAS VEGAS - The disturbing images seem so distant now: the pop-star-turned-cautionary tabloid tale - head shorn, face twisted, umbrella gripped like a police baton as she bashed a paparazzi S.U.V. window. More than eight years after her meltdown, Britney Spears, at 34, appears to be thriving.
The very best, or marketable, NBA players have two teams: the one they play for in the league and the one that makes their shoes. The so-called Sneaker Wars continue to simmer, even as Nike is perched in a dominant position with Adidas clawing to catch up.
From the outside looking in, California's Lunada Bay is the perfect embodiment of Palos Verdes surf utopia. But LA-based writer Rory Carroll found unexpected chaos: territorial renegades determined to keep the beach theirs, and theirs alone.
Chuck McCarthy recently auditioned as a homicidal biker for a TV show, but the actor is finding glimmers of fame, and possibly a business franchise, with another role: Los Angeles's first people walker.
Unlike so many of the characters on their show, the team behind HBO's "Silicon Valley" does not profess a desire to change the world. "I'm just happy anybody is watching the show and enjoying it," said Alec Berg, a co-showrunner, executive producer, writer and director on the series.
Ferocious wildfires continued to rage across Southern California on Wednesday, destroying hundreds of homes and forcing thousands of residents to flee as forecasters and officials warned that dangerous fires could endanger the region for days.
Shar Simantob and his Los Angeles-based textile company, United Fabric International, are used to following trends in the fashion industry. The company works as a middleman between mills and labels to develop fabrics and prints in line with what tastemakers say will be hot in the coming seasons.
For Millennials attending a Bill Clinton speech in Santa Monica on a pleasant Friday evening before the California primary, the former president occupies a space not unlike that of Pete Rose.
VENTURA, Calif. - Raging wildfires continued to burn through Southern California on Sunday, stretching into a second week as authorities warned that the blazes could still spread and pose new dangers. The fires have been blamed for one death, and the flames have destroyed more than 800 buildings and threatened thousands more.
It was a victory foretold and started soon after dawn, just as the sun began to bake the desert. Two American F-16 jets roared out of a clear blue sky and dropped heavy payloads on enemy bunkers in the distant foothills. British artillery unleashed a barrage which boomed across the plain, sending grey plumes curling over the targets.
LOS ANGELES - Wilshire Grand Center, an estimated $1.2 billion mixed-use project in downtown Los Angeles, promises many things upon its 2017 completion date. At 1,100 feet, it will be the tallest building west of the Mississippi, with technology features like those to protect against earthquakes.
Yumi Wong adores the latest addition to her southern California home: a lush, emerald lawn. "It just looks much nicer with all the green. It feels clean and peaceful," she said on Tuesday, padding across the 2,800-sq-foot grass expanse. "I thought about artificial turf but I just wanted the real stuff back."
Steve Badour is not used to feeling helpless. In 2014, Badour ran a relay across the US to raise funds for the 2013 Boston Marathon victims. In doing so, he qualified for the Boston Marathon, so he raced that as well - another act of support for the city a year after the terror bombings.
SANTA ANA, Calif. - Last week, Tribune Publishing won an auction for a coveted asset - Freedom Communications, the parent company of The Orange County Register and The Press-Enterprise of Riverside, Calif. On Monday, however, the company could only watch as the sale of Freedom to Digital First Media was approved by a judge.
In the brightly lit, hyper-modern lobby of the Ritz-Carlton hotel in downtown Los Angeles, adult film star Lisa Ann and I try to order coffee while avoiding the curious gaze of customers bound to recognise one of the most famous porn actors in the world. On the day of our interview, Ann is late.
The ailing media mogul Sumner M. Redstone will not be required to sit for a deposition in the legal battle over his mental competency, a California judge ruled during a brief hearing on Thursday. Whether or not Mr. Redstone, 92, is competent is the subject of a lawsuit filed in November by Manuela Herzer, his former companion and onetime romantic partner, who challenged his mental capacity.
CARPINTERIA, Calif. — Fire continued to tear across Southern California on Thursday, surrounding communities and shrouding much of the region in searing flame and thick, choking smoke.
Erin Brockovich sat in an empty hall, awaiting hundreds of people who would soon stream in from a cold California night seeking answers and reassurance, and gave a sigh of familiarity. "I've been doing this for 20-plus years and I've learned that it won't get better - it'll get worse, and they'll need to know that Superman is not coming to rescue them."
CARSON, Calif. - M.L.S. has long relied on former European club stars to promote its game. Two of them, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, graced the cover of the program in Sunday's game between the Los Angeles Galaxy and New York City F.C.
When Chang Ho Kim was living in North Korea, information trickled in from China about the world outside the closed country. Through the lens of pirated movies, he says, America had looked to Kim like "a very rich and luxurious place".
OXNARD, Calif. - Rail cars skidded onto their sides, a fireball lit up the dark, and nearly 30 people were injured early Tuesday when a commuter train slammed into a truck that had turned onto the railroad tracks and gotten stuck here about 60 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
CARPINTERIA, Calif. - Fire continued to tear across Southern California early Friday, surrounding communities and shrouding much of the region in searing flame and thick, choking smoke. And where there was no fire, there was fear. Fear of what could come next as wildfires ravaging the state entered a fifth day.
The doors clang shut, casting the laboratory into gloom, and the scientists don goggles, yellow helmets and flame-resistant jackets. Two crouch behind computers, readying measurements. Another picks up a blowtorch. The rest stand back. Wood shavings and dry chaparral, which resembles hay, line the bed of a 30ft wind tunnel.
For the last year and a half, the music industry has been gripped by a lawsuit over whether Robin Thicke's 2013 hit "Blurred Lines" was merely reminiscent of a song by Marvin Gaye, or had crossed the line into plagiarism.
The lawsuit challenging the mental competence of the ailing 92-year-old media mogul Sumner M. Redstone will go to trial in May because of a "plethora of disputed factual issues" over his capacity and current medical care, a California judge ruled on Monday.
Arizona high school students will be able to compete for a state championship in video games starting this winter, the state announced this week. The Arizona Interscholastic Association, the governing body for high school athletics and activities, will sanction three-on-three competitions in "Rocket League," a game of vehicular soccer, and five-on-five competitions in "League of Legends," a multiplayer battle game.
An old joke that made the rounds amongst United States military officers involved with doctrine research went, "At first, the Israeli army admired the American army, then the American army admired the Israeli army, then they admired each other, then they both realized neither one knew what they were doing."
Californians who want to replace their water-guzzling lawns can choose plants that thrive in the state's dry climate. Here are some popular options.
Those questions will set the backdrop for the trial, as the court is expected to hear video testimony from Mr. Redstone, as well as from his daughter, doctors and nurses, Ms. Herzer and Philippe Dauman, the chief executive of Viacom. "Mr. Redstone is a media titan and deserves all the respect he can get," said Pierce O'Donnell, Ms. Herzer's lawyer.
LOS ANGELES - How closely does Robin Thicke's hit "Blurred Lines" resemble a classic by Marvin Gaye? That question is central to a closely watched copyright case here, and on Wednesday, Pharrell Williams, the producer behind "Blurred Lines," acknowledged a similarity to Gaye's 1977 song "Got to Give It Up" but denied that there had been any intention to copy it.
There is a heatwave making its way through Los Angeles. It's the second week of September yet temperatures remain at 32C (89F). At 8am, most of the city is still asleep or just waking up, while surfers at Venice Beach have already spent hours searching for the perfect wave.
LOS ANGELES - Some Californians are already showering just once a week, with buckets at their feet to catch every errant drop. They are building rainwater tanks in their backyards and replacing their lawns with mesquite and desert sage. They glare at water-wasting neighbors, and post photographs online to "drought shame" businesses that spray down their sidewalks.
Tony Corcoran patrols the streets of Los Angeles on a bicycle, a lone crusader, his eyes peeled for injustice. He can detect villainy in a stream of water trickling down a gutter, in the hiss of a sprinkler, in the greenness of a lawn. And then he strikes.
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - This city was one of the first in the nation to pass a same-sex marriage law. It was one of the first communities viewed as a haven for gay people: When the city was incorporated in 1984, a majority of the City Council members were openly gay, helping earn West Hollywood the nickname the "Gay Camelot."
Lunada Bay is a legendary surfing spot at the base of cliffs on the Palos Verdes peninsula, just south of Los Angeles. After clambering down a steep, crumbling path, visitors encounter a smooth beach, a vista of the Pacific Ocean and waves breaking against the point, with just a handful of surfers out in the foam.
BERKELEY, Calif. - They come by the thousands - Irish students on work visas, many flocking to the West Coast to work in summer jobs by day and to enjoy the often raucous life in a college town at night. It was, for many, a rite of passage, one last summer to enjoy travel abroad before beginning a career.
New revelations about the sexual behavior of Bill Cosby have been greeted as a vindication to many of the women who have accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting them. The disclosures, from a deposition he provided in a 2005 civil suit, have also further altered the public perception of Mr. Cosby.
Henry Luc studied landscape architecture at UC Davis and graduated in 2008, just in time for the economic meltdown. Then the drought happened. Then he decided to take a part-time user experience and design course. And then Luc was hired by Hello Tech, an L.A.-based on-demand tech support startup, and is now riding high on the wave of hi-tech startups in this town.
VENTURA, Calif. - Firefighters continued to battle blazes across a large swath of Southern California on Saturday, and state officials warned that continued high winds into Sunday could create erratic fire conditions, leaving residents with little chance of a reprieve from the flames and smoke that have lasted nearly a week.
OJAI, Calif. - The Golden State kept burning on Friday, with raging wildfires cloaking Southern California in nightmarish flame and towering smoke while authorities reported the first fire-related death. The Ventura Medical Examiner Office said a body found on Wednesday has been identified as Virginia Pesola, 70, from Santa Paula, the "only confirmed fire-related death in Ventura County to date."
It was a secret that had finally become too burdensome to keep. "I'm here to admit that I am in fact H.I.V.-positive," Charlie Sheen told Matt Lauer during the "Today" show on Nov. 17. "I have to put a stop to this onslaught, this barrage of attacks and of subtruths."
Bill Cosby on Wednesday lost his bid to stop another civil lawsuit against him from going forward, but his deposition in the case will be sealed at least until December.
The medical records of the media mogul Sumner M. Redstone will remain confidential, but some other court documents, including emails written by his nurses and a letter from Mr. Redstone to his daughter, Shari, will be made public, a California judge ruled on Friday. A total of 15 documents will be unsealed, Judge David J.
It was probably the first audition that Katy Perry had to do in a long time - an improvised performance in a former convent to a handful of elderly Catholic nuns who, all things considered, preferred Perry Como. It didn't go well.
Every so often, passersby shoot Shaun Tomson a sideways glance. It's a foggy, Santa Monica weekday morning, and Tomson - about six feet tall with tousled dark hair and a deep tan - walks down the street in jeans and a casual button-down shirt.
With the ailing 92-year-old Sumner M. Redstone in his final act as a media titan, the two rivals jousting over the future of his $40 billion entertainment empire repeatedly crisscrossed the country in the last several months to visit his mansion in a gated Beverly Hills enclave.
Getty Images After a year on the job, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, 43, has enjoyed mostly positive reviews from Angelenos and from observers of City Hall, who have credited his low-key governance style with helping reform the daily operations of the city's government as well as with moving his "back to basics" initiatives forward in sectors such as job creation, traffic and public safety.
TORRANCE, Calif. - At the height of Roger Clinton's fame, the struggling rock singer stood accused of taking cash and a gold Rolex to lobby for pardons as his half brother Bill Clinton's presidency was ending. Fifteen years later, with Hillary Rodham Clinton seeking to navigate a return to the White House, the self-described "first brother" is keeping a lower profile.
On Thursday the Guardian published three stories detailing how Whisper, the social media app that claims to be "the safest place on the internet", is tracking the location of its users, including some who have specifically asked not to be followed.
LOS ANGELES - The container ships arrive here filled with appliances, toys, apparel, auto parts, computer components and untold other products from Asia, to head out to stores and factories across America. But a simmering labor dispute between the longshoremen's union and shipowners has brought crippling delays here and to other West Coast seaports.
Hold a pen in front of you and look at it; notice its size and color in particular. Now, slowly move it away until you have your arm fully extended. Notice anything different? Probably not, and that is how it should be.
In the wake of the scandal surrounding the racist remarks attributed to Los Angeles Clippers owner and real estate billionaire Donald Sterling, the Los Angeles Jewish community has been scathing in its reaction.
Following months of contentious debate, the chancellor of the University of California at Los Angeles has condemned efforts by pro-Palestinian groups to bar student council candidates from participating in trips to Israel sponsored by pro-Israel groups.
Amid rising calls in some quarters for a boycott of Israel, creating television shows is one export that is humming like never before around the world - and even making quiet inroads in Muslim countries where business ties with the Jewish state are taboo.
courtesy of steinberg family (Haaretz) - The death of a 24-year-old Birthright graduate from L.A. has brought the battles taking place in the Middle East home for many in this Southern California community in a tangible and direct way - a rarity in a conflict that has been fought by proxy here via rallies and divestment votes.
In its choice of a new leader, the century-old Anti-Defamation League has clearly signaled its determination to pursue a course of generational change that reflects the transformation of American Jewry itself. Jonathan Greenblatt, the ADL's newly named national director, is different in age, background, experience and politics from its outgoing iconic leader, Abraham H.
With Israeli Prime Minsister Benjamin Netanyahu retaining power in this week's election, future construction in the E1 area will remain at the forefront of international controversy. The most visible battle between Israelis and Palestinans in the past few months, the issue arose after the Palestinian bid for upgraded, "non-member observer state" status at the United Nations.
Fallout from the hostilities between Israel and Hamas is spreading across Europe and the United States. Protests about the conflict have flared up, much like they did during past battles, increasingly turning confrontational, notably in the United States, Israel's staunchest ally.
At this week's MIPTV Media Market in Cannes, France, which officially kicked off on Sunday, Israeli production companies Armoza Formats and Keshet Media Group have already closed major deals for TV formats to be developed and distributed in the United States, Canada, France and Thailand.
WORLD: Women in Israeli Army facing more combat situations + VIDEO
Ask Richard S. Busch, the lawyer who last week won a nearly $7.4 million copyright suit against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams, why he is so successful, and he will mention the 1997 film "The Devil's Advocate," in which Al Pacino plays Satan posing as a master lawyer.
TEL AVIV -- The piercing wail of air raid sirens was replaced today in Tel Aviv by a midday explosion on a city bus, though this escalation of violence did not stop a cease-fire agreement.
Monday, December 15, 2014 Santa Barbara News-Press : Locals jumpy, on guard in Israel : Fight with Hamas has some hoping for best, prepping for worst Locals jumpy, on guard in Israel : Fight with Hamas has some hoping for best, prepping for worst Share Story November 25, 2012 12:00 AM TEL AVIV - Of all the things to be concerned about in Santa Barbara, NPTV Content, Radio and Obituaries are free for all NewsPress.com users.
In an elegant warehouse-style building on Venice Beach known locally as "the fortress", Michael Heyward, a tech entrepreneur, was struggling to control the remote-controlled drone hovering above the heads of his employees. The 27-year-old son of Andy Heyward, one of cartoon character Inspector Gadget's co-creators, giggled as the drone came crashing down to the floor, narrowly missing the head of a female developer.
LOS ANGELES - A line of tents and people huddled in blankets filled the sidewalks of San Pedro Street on Monday morning in the heart of this city's Skid Row. The occasional police car drove by.
LOS ANGELES - The curious death of Andrew R. Getty on Tuesday at his gated hillside mansion here has once again thrust one of America's wealthiest and most-troubled families into an unwanted spotlight.
The latest salvo from the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement was soundly defeated at the University of Washington last Tuesday night by a vote of 59-8 (with 11 abstentions), after a broad coalition of ideologically diverse students united to fight a divestment resolution.
ISRAEL
Human Machine Interface Lab Group Manager, and U-M grad, Omer Tsimhoni. HERZILIYA PITUACH - On a single floor of an office building in tony Herzliya Pituach, a town just north of Tel Aviv, Israel, workers at GM's Advanced Technical Center are at the forefront of developing emerging automotive technologies.
In the battle to win public opinion, the Israeli army has created a special combat camera unit. We hear from combat soldiers who have completed the training programme
Before a special audience in Los Angeles last week, the velvet-voiced pop singer Robin Thicke performed his 2013 hit "Blurred Lines," ran through a medley at the piano and discussed artistic inspiration.
Larry Jackier, Chairman of the Technion International Board of Governors and Detroit resident; Professor Boaz Golany, Technion VP for External Relations and Resource Development; Professor Michael Aviram, Technion Faculty of Medicine meet outside the 2nd Annual U of M- Technion Symposium.
TEL AVIV -- Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as a host of other high-ranking Israeli officials and business leaders, during the initial days of his investment mission to Israel as he continues to try and build business ties between the Jewish state and Michigan.
LOS ANGELES - An Israeli container ship, the Zim Haifa, was allegedly prevented from unloading its cargo at the Port of Long Beach, near Los Angeles, on Saturday morning after a demonstration by pro-Palestinian activists caused the local longshoremen's union to deem the site unsafe for its workers.
Lilting reggae music filled the air as young children and their parents entered the performance room for the regular Saturday afternoon show.
The chair of the Senate commerce committee has said revelations about how the "anonymous" social media app Whisper is tracking its users raise "serious questions" over privacy and demanded an explanation from the company. Senator Jay Rockefeller wrote to the chief executive of Whisper to ask for a detailed, in-person briefing for his committee staff.
WORLD: Car buffs gather to celebrate Israel's little-known auto industry - TEL AVIV - In the shadow of Nokia Arena, home of 5-time European basketball champion Maccabi Tel Aviv, dozens of vintage American, European, Asian, and Israeli cars were on display last Friday to commemorate the little-known Israeli car industry.
Israelis will go to the polls today to vote for their next Prime Minister and members of parliament, or Knesset. Compared to the United States, the electoral system in Israel differs greatly, to say nothing of how campaigns are actually conducted. In Israel, the political party system is far more volatile than in the U.S.
In Hollywood today, Israeli television formats are more popular than any other country's TV show concepts. Yet, until this summer, no show had been shot entirely in Israel for a U.S. audience. There are currently two in production, though, and Gideon Raff ("Hatufim" and "Homeland") created them both.
About 6,000 miles separate Netanya, Israel and East Lansing, Mich. Yet, for former Michigan State basketball star and current Barak Netanya star Raymar Morgan, the distance seems much shorter. "Adjusting wasn't really too hard. When I first got here, I was most surprised by just how Americanized it is, it's not too much different than America, looking at all aspects of it.
LOS ANGELES - The death of a 24-year-old Birthright graduate from L.A. has brought the battles taking place in the Middle East home for many in this Southern California community in a tangible and direct way - a rarity in a conflict that has been fought by proxy here via rallies and divestment votes.