A month after 11 students at UC Irvine disrupted a speech by Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren and were arrested, the ambassador has written an open letter to the campus expressing an interest in returning.
In the letter published in the student newspaper New University, Oren says he would meet the students who interrupted him as long as the tone stayed civil. Here is an excerpt:
I would willingly return to your campus and meet with those individuals whose views may not agree with mine as long as we respect the decorum of dialogue and free speech. Middle East issues are not devoid of emotion or nuance. Only with respect and sensitivity from all sides can we attain the conditions necessary to tackle one of the great issues of our time and realize the vision of peace.
Here are some other interesting L.A. items on the Web:
Ugly dog contest: Rascal, a tiny, toothless Chinese Crested, won an ugly dog contest in San Diego. Examiner.com reports:
There are no ugly dogs, in the opinion of San Diego Dogs Examiner. However once a year here in San Diego county we pretend there are, and throw a party to celebrate them, all in the name of charity. The Del Mar Kiwanis Club, founders and organizers of the 15-year-old event, gives prizes to the dogs and their people, and proceeds from the party go to animals in need.
A bright new WeHo hotel: A new hotel, restaurant and condo development is in the approval process for West Hollywood. It includes an LED video screen wrapped along the top of the entire development. Curbed LA reports:
Last week, Kanner Architects’ LED-glowing House of Blues project, a development that’ll offer 149 hotel rooms; 35,000 square feet of commercial-restaurant space — including a new 6,200-square-foot live music venue, 40 condos, 5 affordable units and 22 affordable units off site at 990 Palm, went before the West Hollywood’s Planning Commission.
Hipsters attempt annual "Iditarod": L.A. Weekly has a fun photo essay of a group of hipsters running around Venice in brightly colored costumes, pushing their peers in the annual "Urban Iditarod." L.A. Weekly reports:
The L.A. Urban Iditarod celebrated its 4th anniversary with another epic pub crawl-meets-shopping cart race in Venice. Luckily this year the cops didn’t show up until the end of the 3rd watering hole at the Waterfront Cafe. Team’s themes ranged from Jersey Shore to Teletubbies and participants sang, danced, drank and raced toward the finish line. Photos by Colin Young-Wolff.
— Anthony Pesce
Have some news for Linking L.A.? Contact Times reporter Anthony Pesce.
Photo: Students walk to class at UC Irvine. Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times