Mere Mortals? Gormley's 'One and Other' Puts Regular People on a Pedestal 

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LONDON, July 7, 2009 - Fifteen minutes into his hour of fame, a skinny man in a panda costume hopped from one foot to the other atop the empty fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square.

Every couple of seconds he held up a 6-foot tall sign with a series of numbers written on it and then in the next instant, drew his cell phone to his ear and resumed chatting. One can surmise that Suren Seneviratne wanted people in the crowd to dial his mobile.

Getting through to him was impossible, believe me, I tried. I can only imagine how this disc jockey's phone bill will look at the end of the month.

Is it a Bird or a Plane? No, it's a Super Hotel

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LONDON, July 20, 2009 - If you consider sleeping on an airplane to be uncomfortable, cramped and prone to temperature extremes, take a look at the conditions aboard this Ilyushin 18 airplane.

Polish Heiress Battered to Death, Boyfriend Arrested

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LONDON, June 4, 2009 - The father of a Polish heiress whose dead body was found battered and left in a bathtub in a Paris hotel has finally spoken about his daughter's untimely death. 

Star-faced Liar: Belgian Girl Asked for 56 Tattoos

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LONDON, June 23, 2009 - The Belgian 18-year-old who claimed she fell asleep while being tattooed only to wake up to find 56 stars permanently inked on her face has now admitted she lied about the incident. 

Michelle Obama and the First Daughters on British Holiday

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LONDON, June 9, 2009 - President Obama may have dominated European diplomacy in recent days, but Michelle Obama and their two young daughters have captured the headlines with their stealthy trip to London.

The World's Top 10 Mega-Yachts

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LONDON, June 18, 2009 - As the world's largest yacht glided out of Blohm + Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, last week, crowds of onlookers watched the vessel and, perhaps, dreamed of who was onboard the mega-cruiser.
More from Alaena Hostetter on ABC News...

 

Can Green Energy Power the Antelope Valley Out of the Slump?

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Palmdale, Calif, February 11, 2010 - Hundreds of thousands of Joshua trees are about the only things dotting miles of vacant lots in the barren, desert landscape of the Antelope Valley. But soon many of these acres of emptiness may be covered with thousands of mirrors tracking the sun's progression through the sky and concentrating that solar energy to power surrounding homes and businesses.

A Pasadena-based renewable energy company, eSolar, is investing in the Antelope Valley as a prime location for many of its upcoming projects. The company cites the 300 days of sunshine per year and the huge amount of available land as the perfect setting to develop its green power technology.

One can think of this development as a symbiotic relationship—eSolar gets plentiful, sunny desert real estate for cheap and the Antelope Valley gets jobs and a boost to their local economy.

A fully-functioning eSolar plant in Lancaster is currently exporting energy for 4,000 homes through a power-purchase agreement with Southern California Edison. 

Antelope Valley Schools Bleeding From Budget Cuts

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March 8, 2010. Hundreds of Antelope Valley Union High School District employees took unpaid days off to save the district money as it was scrounging to fill an $11 million budget deficit.

Rio Tinto Lockout Rocks the Town of Boron

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Boron, Calif, Mar 30, 2010 - In Boron, California, workers have been locked out of a mine because they haven't reached agreement with Rio Tinto, the firm that owns the mine. If the lockout continues it could ruin the town.

Borax Miners Take Protest to British Consulate

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LOS ANGELES, April 19, 2010 - The mining mega-company Rio Tinto made headlines when executives admitted accepting bribes and were sentenced to prison terms in China. Half a world away, in a tiny desert town in California, Borax miners are fighting Rio Tinto in a bitter contract dispute.

If You Want to Thank a Veteran for His Service, Thank This Guy

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Monrovia, Calif, November 12, 2010 - Robert Parry has sacrificed a lot in Iraq and Afghanistan, namely 11 of his friends and the past 11 years of his life. He just wants you to remember him and other veterans and why they do it. 

Delgado Brothers Latin-Blues Adds Flavor to Monrovia

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Monrovia, Calif, October 22, 2010 - The Delgado Brothers band, which practices and records music in Monrovia, was recently honored by the city at the Latino Heritage Festival. The Delgado Brothers have been playing music in Los Angeles for more than 30 years.

City Unsure How Legalizing Pot Would Affect Residents 

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Hermosa Beach, Calif, October 26, 2010 - Even if Proposition 19 passes, local law enforcement officials could still make arrests under federal orders. City Manager Steve Burrell said it's "almost impossible to tell" how the measure would affect Hermosa Beach if passed.

Mother of Murdered Teen Speaks Out on Behalf of Victims

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Monrovia, Calif, October 29, 2010 - Sammantha Salas was 16 when she became a victim of gang violence. Since her death, her mother has advocated tirelessly for victims' families in the county.

Traffic Safety Innovations: 
The Sharrows

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Hermosa Beach, Calif, June 9. 2011 - The shared lanes, designed to accommodate cyclists and motorists, could someday become part of a master bike plan for the area.

Playa del Rey's Local Restaurants are Hidden Gems

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Playa del Rey, Calif, February 2, 2011 - If you read my first column you know that one of the reasons I love Playa del Rey so much is that it feels small.  It’s an enclave separated from Los Angeles’ other coastal communities by the marina on the north and LAX on the south.  We’re lucky to have that separation because it’s preserved the quaintness of downtown Playa del Rey.

Del Rey Art Walk Offers Glimpse Into Artists' Homes

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Del Rey, Calif, December 5, 2010 - Artists in Del Rey held the community's first ever art walk on Saturday, but instead of showing their artwork in galleries around town, artists opened their homes to visitors.

Residents and Artists Get Together for Second Del Rey Art Walk

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Del Rey, Calif, June 26, 2011 - Artists opened their homes and studios Saturday for the second Del Rey Art Walk, and the only thing in common among the wildly varying types of artwork was the Del Rey neighborhood used as the backdrop for the event. 

First Impressions of Playa del Rey

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Playa del Rey, Calif, January 18, 2011 - Welcome dear readers to the maiden voyage of the First Impressions column, which I will navigate through the Marina del Rey Patch.com site for the next however much time. 

Author Tied to Playa del Rey's Past in a Big Way

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Playa del Rey, Calif, February 17, 2011 - Arthur Bradley Fowler has written a book called T.O. McCoye's Playa del Rey which details the area in the 1920s and 30s. He's researched the historic Playa del Rey real estate developer for the past 20 years, but he also knew him personally.

Rod's Day Benefits Colon Cancer Research

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Playa del Rey, Calif, July 17, 2011 - Friends, family and neighbors packed the noisy, dimly lit dining room of Mo’s Place in Playa del Rey on Saturday to raise money for colon cancer research and to celebrate the life of Rod Fasone, a University of Indiana graduate and son of a Playa del Rey resident who died nearly 20 years ago from colon cancer at the age of 21. 

'Old Fashioned Day' Celebrated at Burton Chace Park

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Marina del Rey, Calif, July 25, 2011 - More than 50 vintage yachts and antique cars descended upon Burton W. Chace Park in Marina del Rey on Sunday for Old Fashioned Day in the Park, an event the Classic Yacht Association has been holding for the last 34 years.