IMAGE
May 8, 2011 | By Alene Dawson, Special to the Los Angeles Times
Whether perusing the beauty and personal care products at Target or Whole Foods or shopping online at Sephora, consumers are increasingly encountering the phrase "paraben-free. " What exactly does paraben-free mean, and why might it matter? We take a closer look — including sussing out pretty makeup products that are paraben-free. What are parabens? Parabens are the most widely used preservatives in cosmetics and personal care products such as soap, moisturizers, shaving cream and underarm deodorant, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
HEALTH
January 12, 2013 | By James Fell
The band Shinedown has been around for more than a decade, selling more than 10 million albums worldwide. In 2012 they launched their fourth album, "Amaryllis," which made its debut at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. But the last year has been more than just about launching a new album for Brent Smith, the band's lead singer. After battling drug and alcohol addiction, becoming obese and being insulted on national television for his weight, a loving woman and the inspiration of his son and fans straightened him out, he said.
NEWS
February 26, 2013 | By Rosemary McClure
Is Mexico safe? That's the question that gets a lot of media attention. When six tourists from Spain were raped earlier this month in Acapulco, speculation began anew. But the tourism board in Cancun, 1,200 miles away and in a state for which the U.S. State Department has no advisory, wants the public to feel safe about visiting that region of the country, especially with the spring break vacation period looming. About 45,000 people visit during the spring travel season. “Last year Cancun welcomed almost 4 million visitors, and while none of our tourists were victims of violent crimes, we understand that safety is always a concern when traveling to a foreign country,” said Jesus Almagauer, chief executive of Cancun Convention & Visitors Bureau.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
December 15, 2009 | By Jill Leovy and Robert Faturechi
South Pasadena High School was abuzz Friday afternoon with rumors of a party. By Saturday night, one of the school's most promising and popular students, who had attended that evening's party, lay unresponsive on the grass as friends tried frantically to revive him. Aydin Salek, 17, was pronounced dead at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena early Sunday. South Pasadena police said alcohol may have been involved in a collapse so swift and subtle that Salek's friends did not realize at first that anything was wrong.
NEWS
January 6, 2012 | By Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times/For the Booster Shots Blog
In a study suggesting that red wine might be the next big thing in breast cancer prevention, a study has found that women who drank just under two servings of red wine daily experienced hormonal changes that mimic the effects of a drug used to prevent malignant breast tumors from coming back. The study, published Friday in the Journal of Women's Health, found that consuming the same amount of white wine did not have the same effect in premenopausal women participating in the study.
ENTERTAINMENT
March 23, 2013 | By Chris Lee, Los Angeles Times
The powerful narcotic popped up on the cultural grid around the turn of the millennium. A Texas producer-remixer named DJ Screw paid homage to its woozy, heavy-lidded high by dramatically slowing down beats and vocals to replicate the drug's sleepwalker euphoria. Among Southern rappers, the chemical mixture - called "sizzurp" on the street - soon became as ubiquitous as gold jewelry. This wasn't some exotic new hallucinogen. In fact, it was usually mixed with fruit soda and sipped from oversized plastic foam cups.