Bars

Few aerospace employees had it as good as William Grayson Hunter. He was paid simultaneously to work full time at two aerospace firms but rarely went to work, instead spending his days at bars, amusement parks and movie theaters, according to the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles. One of his employers, Aerospace Corp. in El Segundo, paid $2.5 million last week to settle Justice Department allegations that the company defrauded the Air Force for several years by billing for Hunter's time when it knew he was rarely at work, the U.S. attorney's office said Tuesday.

Hundreds of Bolivians fed up with underage drinking and crime stormed a neighborhood of bars and brothels in the impoverished El Alto slum outside La Paz, setting beds, televisions and chairs on fire and destroying as many as 50 establishments. Vigilantes have stormed the district three days running, complaining that it is a haven for criminals and that the bars there serve minors. They want local authorities to shut them down.

Re "'Assembly Moves to Lift Smoking Ban," Jan. 29: I can't believe it! What have we got in Sacramento? A bunch of wimps? I just do not understand the stance that they have taken on smoking in bars. I have waited years to go see some of the greatest jazz musicians, but the smoking in most of the places they play has precluded that. Now that I have the opportunity, they are going to lift the ban. I certainly hope that the state Senate has more sense than the Assembly. Nonsmokers outnumber smokers almost 3 to 1--that's a pretty big deficit when it comes to election time.

Re "Keep the Lifestyle Cops Out of Bars," Commentary, Sept. 10: I found M. Lester O'Shea's column a conglomeration of mostly self-serving rationalizations. He can't separate what is "irritating" from what is an "assault." How would O'Shea like it if I were to go up to him in a bar and stomp on his toes? In bars, stomping on toes is illegal because it is an "assault" on another person, yet smoking isn't. Why shouldn't there be laws against O'Shea blowing his smoke in people's faces? Toe-stomping may damage your feet over time, but secondhand smoke may kill you. Both "assaults" are irritating, only smoking is irritating and dangerous.

Re "Dying prisoners may be given leniency," Oct. 15 Prisons are built to house people who are a threat to society, not to be houses of torture. The way the legal and prison systems treat dying prisoners is a crime against humanity. How can an old person in the end stages of cancer be a danger to me or anyone else? Criminals usually lack compassion and empathy, but does that justify the prison system's own lack of compassion? Ann Logan Gardena

Ever the proper businesswoman, Yuka Sakamoto is poised for that moment late in the night when the bankers and international trade executives who are her regular customers fish into their pockets for business cards. Dutifully, Sakamoto produces her own: "Yuka Sakamoto--Mama." It is the appropriate job description for her line of work.

New businesses opening in downtown Huntington Beach can cut beer pong out of their possible entertainment lineups. City leaders recently voted to ban alcohol games for new businesses or those renewing their entertainment licenses. Beer pong has been a form of entertainment at a number of establishments in Surf City, where aficionados tested their accuracy and alcohol tolerance in a satellite tournament during the World Series of Beer Pong in 2008. Beer pong starts out with partially filled cups of beer arranged in triangles on opposite sides of a table.

Authorities Tuesday charged Michael Smith with more than two dozen felonies in connection with the robbery of a Northridge bar that ended in a wild shootout with undercover police officers that left three alleged robbers dead and a bystander wounded. The robbery of the ClassRoom bar led to the shooting near Corbin Avenue and Roscoe Boulevard last month by the Los Angeles Police Department's controversial Special Investigations Section.

I love the idea of a wine bar, the chance to drop in somewhere congenial for a glass of wine and a bite on the spur of the moment. Bottom line, though, a wine bar should be a place where you can discover new wines and regions, not just a place to get a glass of wine. And after studying the wines proposed by this new generation of wine bars, with a couple of exceptions, I have to wonder why so few of the owners seem to have done their homework.

The day winds down; you're meeting friends for drinks. So why not sip that cool concoction of gin, cucumber and mint outside? With so many alluring outdoor bars around town, you could choose a different one every week until September. Here are our top picks. Best Drinks The backyard at the W hotel: Beside a trickling pebbled fountain and a pool ringed by posh cabanas, Westwood's Backyard bar mixes a mean cocktail. Steph's Berry Saintsation hits the not-too-sweet spot with St.