Origin

This year, perhaps more so than in any other in recent memory, people can relate to the desperation of Mary and Joseph as they searched frantically for shelter on the eve of Jesus' birth. No assets, poor, and completely dependent on the generosity of others, they came to rest in a stable, beaten back by the harsh realities of even the small town of Bethlehem. As the economy continues to weigh heavily on households — lost jobs, cut hours, lost health insurance — and with little hope for improvement in the near term, more and more people have had to settle into their own stables and accept the humility and frustrations that come with it. It's the range of impact that makes it all so staggering.

Many people around the world observed the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth Feb. 12. Darwin has been one of the most controversial figures in science and religion for the last century and a half, with some hailing him as a genius and others criticizing his beliefs as narrow-minded or even blasphemous. What are your personal feelings about Darwin and the changes his theories brought to the world?   I think mostly about the legacy of division between Darwinists and creationists.

Reforming America's immigration laws to allow undocumented immigrants to apply for citizenship has long been seen as a cause championed by liberals. But now a group that's not exactly known for liberal ideas has joined the call to relax immigration laws: the Southern Baptist Convention. The convention is joining with other evangelical groups to spend $250,000 on a media campaign to support a bill that would allow America's 11 million unauthorized immigrants to apply for citizenship.

Molly Shore DOWNTOWN -- In the early '50s, before rock 'n' roll revolutionized the country, a different musical sound hit American airwaves. It was the unique style of the Four Freshmen -- a jazz vocal quartet composed of first-year music students from Butler University in Indianapolis. The quartet -- which originally consisted of Hal Kratzsch, Ross Barbour, Ross's brother Don Barbour and their cousin, Bob Flanigan -- sang four-part harmony with a twist.

Ryan Carter GLENDALE -- A plan to transfer almost 8,000 criminal cases from the Glendale courthouse to one in Burbank has been taken off the table. "Upon evaluating the Burbank courthouse facility and its particulars, we concluded that the facility would not be able to handle the additional 6,000 to 7,600 cases a year that would have been transferred," area supervising Judge Mary Thornton House said. The conclusion announced Wednesday is part of a proposal that could become reality as soon as next month.

Numerous characters with varying personalities Justin Rubin, 17, of Glendale and is a junior at Glendale High School. "X2: X-Men United" is an immensely fun sci-fi action film, topping the first movie in every possible way. Based on the popular comic book by Stan Lee, "X2" is a faithful adaptation of the comic while still managing to add originality. What makes "X2" so interesting and exciting is the wide range of characters. Where in most comic book movies we get a hero and a villain, the X-Men stories have the benefit of numerous characters, all with varying personalities, powers and styles, brought to life by fantastic special effects, makeup and costume design.

Jacqui Brown Students at Jordan Middle School got a peek at what a real "reality show" looks like. Cable Satellite Public Affairs Network, or C-SPAN, parked its 45-foot long mobile production studio outside the campus on Wednesday so eighth-graders could have the opportunity to see a live production unit and to understand the differences in how stations broadcast their news. The primary goal of visits to schools is to introduce educators and students to the program as an education resource.

Martino's Bakery has been serving up baked goods to Burbank residents for generations. The business started in a garage where the owners made pies some 80 years ago and has had its share of ups and downs. Today, Martino's is a full-service bakery with a new location on Victory Boulevard. The new location includes café tables inside and out, coffee, espresso and fountain drinks as well as a cold-drink case. What better way to enjoy their pastries, muffins, or — what the heck — an entire pie?

Gary Moskowitz MAGNOLIA PARK -- The Fine Arts Federation of Burbank will host the 31st Annual Summerfest 2001 Fine Arts and Crafts Show next week, and the public is invited to attend. Original works from artists and craftsmen will be on display and available for purchase from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 28, and Sunday, April 29. Works will include paintings, photographs, ceramics, stained glass, woodcraft, jewelry, country crafts, clothing, soft sculpture and holiday decorations.

Supporters of creating historic districts in Burbank intend to give City Council members an earful Tuesday as they consider a proposal that would make the threshold for establishing the protected neighborhoods the most restrictive in Los Angeles County. If the amendment to city code is approved as recommended, more than half of the affected property owners in a proposed historic district would have to sign off on the concept before the process could get started - a far higher standard than the 25% originally recommended by city officials.

Murder charges were dropped this week against a 71-year-old Burbank man after officials determined that his wife was not the victim of a homicide, but instead died of a liver disease. Joseph Robert Brancato had been charged with murder after allegedly inflicting a deadly blow to his wife's head with a chair leg. But after coroner's officials determined that Marie Brancato, 65, instead died of cirrhosis, he pleaded no contest on Wednesday to assault, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.

This year, perhaps more so than in any other in recent memory, people can relate to the desperation of Mary and Joseph as they searched frantically for shelter on the eve of Jesus' birth. No assets, poor, and completely dependent on the generosity of others, they came to rest in a stable, beaten back by the harsh realities of even the small town of Bethlehem. As the economy continues to weigh heavily on households — lost jobs, cut hours, lost health insurance — and with little hope for improvement in the near term, more and more people have had to settle into their own stables and accept the humility and frustrations that come with it. It's the range of impact that makes it all so staggering.

In “Origins + Intersections,” at the Brand Library Art Galleries, four Los Angeles artists present wildly disparate works — diverging in tone, thematic content and medium, but arriving at an intersection of critical and complementary queries. In sculptural installations like “San Gabriel II,” a panorama of the San Gabriel Mountains composed entirely of scotch tape (on vellum), and “Untitled Landscape,” a stunning 3-D flower bed of slightly lucent, cast-foam toiletry bottles, Joe Davidson plumbs the depths of compulsive repetition to unearth tensions between our emotional lives and the daily, mundane activities in which they’re submerged.

Everyone loves a good Happy Hour. But at Carousel, one of Glendale’s best Middle Eastern restaurants, it’s even better. Here it’s called Happiest Hours. They deserve the name because the unique food and drinks they serve are just a little bit better than ordinary. A while back, the management at Carousel invited a bartender who specializes in cocktails using fresh juices and organic liquors and liqueurs, to wow them with some new creations. Over the course of a week (a very happy week)

Media City Youth Ballet has a spooky treat planned for children this Halloween season. Director Natasha Middleton has taken the short story, “The Cat and the Witch” by Elizabeth C. Stephens and combined it with the music of 20th century Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich. There will be a different cast of young dancers, ages 9 to 17, at each performance — 3, 4:15 and 5:30 p.m. Oct. 24, in the Theatre Arts Courtyard just outside of the Media Dance Centre.

BURBANK — Phone dialing will get four digits more complicated Saturday, when residents will have to start making calls using 11 figures. Callers will have to dial 1, along with the area code of each desired number because the 818 area code is running out of available numbers to offer to phone service providers, a development that prompted a plan to overlay a new code in the same area. The North American Numbering Plan Administrator will begin issuing the new 747 area code phone numbers in May, said Joe Cocke, senior area code relief planner for NeuStar Inc. The private company has been contracted by the Federal Communications Commission to give out the numbers.

Many people around the world observed the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth Feb. 12. Darwin has been one of the most controversial figures in science and religion for the last century and a half, with some hailing him as a genius and others criticizing his beliefs as narrow-minded or even blasphemous. What are your personal feelings about Darwin and the changes his theories brought to the world?   I think mostly about the legacy of division between Darwinists and creationists.

A group of Burbank students formed a band in 2006 with the intention of performing fun cover songs. But Friday, they took the stage to sing for a new reason: to remember their friend Austin Cook, 11, who died in November while running laps at John Muir Middle School. Austin’s death was caused by a congenital heart defect that had been undetected. After hearing the news, students in the band Indetention — Luke DeSimone, 11; Noah DeSimone, 9; Ash Hawkins, 11; Sebby Santoro, 12; and Raymond Shideler, 11 — wanted to do something special to remember Austin.