Dialogue

Silicon Beach is mourning the death of entrepreneur and Ecomom co-founder Jody Sherman this week. Sherman, 47, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said. Since his death Monday, several L.A. tech bloggers, friends and venture capitalists have taken to Twitter, Facebook and personal blogs to share memories of Sherman, who co-founded Ecomom in Santa Monica in 2009. The company, which sells eco-friendly and healthful products for children, mothers and the home, moved to Las Vegas about a year ago. The messages also emphasized the need for a more open dialogue about the pressures of creating a start-up and running a business, with entrepreneurs and others calling on the tech community to open up and offer support to colleagues who may be suffering from depression.

Downtown Los Angeles has seen its share of pop-up art galleries and restaurants. On a recent afternoon, it saw its first pop-up burka fitting. "Excuse me, ma'am, I'm working on an art project," said Marie Rim, a soft-spoken 33-year-old artist from Philadelphia. She went table to table at Grand Central Market carrying a flimsy, full-length mirror from Target under one arm and a hand-painted, black-and-yellow sign in the other: "Burka Fitting. See How It Feels to Wear One. All Welcome.

If you haven't seen Aaron Sorkin repeating himself, then you haven't seen Shakespeare the way it was meant to be done. Sorkin's new series, "The Newsroom,"premiered on HBO on Sunday to good ratings and rotten reviews. And though he's been on a career high for a year now (he finally won an Oscar to go alongside his Emmys last year), even longtime fans may be cooling on the prolific writer's way with words. Best example? The current viral hit "Sorkinisms," which has been working its away around the Internet since Monday.

VATICAN CITY - With the terrifying grandeur of Michelangelo's "Last Judgment" looming over them, senior leaders of the Roman Catholic Church will begin casting their ballots inside the Sistine Chapel on Tuesday to elect a successor to Benedict XVI, the first pope to resign in nearly 600 years. No one campaigns for the papacy, at least overtly; the surest way for a candidate to disqualify himself for the job is to let it be known that he wants it. But various names crop up repeatedly in discreet conversations as the 115 prelates eligible to vote try to figure out who among them is best placed to lead a historic but troubled institution that claims the allegiance of 1.2 billion people.

Re "Oasis of Understanding in Desert of Despair" by Kathleen Hendrix, April 12: Proposals for an Arab-Jewish dialogue and support of an independent Palestinian state, sounds just great! When are we going to hand over California to the Mexicans? AL GORDON Hollywood

Film and television industry groups that met with the White House on Thursday evening vowed to engage in a "dialogue" over the issue of gun violence in America.                                                           "The entertainment community appreciates being included in the dialogue around the administration's efforts to confront the complex challenge of gun violence in America," said a statement from the Directors...

I do not know Elisabeth Hasselbeck personally, and I am not a viewer of "The View." But I would like to respond to the three readers who attacked her last week [Letters, April 29]. What I find hilarious about these three letters is the arrogant, elitist attitude they present. Words and statements like "ignorant," "self-centered" and "Hasselbeck's disingenuousness is only exceeded by her hypocrisy" tell me how liberals really view others' opinions. These letters are stark, real, in-your-face examples of how they talk of diversity, consensus, dialogue and cooperation, only to detest and look down upon those who offer it. What liberals really mean is they want consensus and dialogue only with other liberals.

Prof. Benjamin J. Hubbard's comments and observations are very accurate ("Rise in Hate Crimes Signals Alarming Resurgence of Bigotry" April 4). I find that people don't seem to relate their particular brand of disliking a particular group to the general rise in bigotry, hate and animosity. It doesn't seem to matter whether it is the far right, far left or ultra-religious; it is the extreme positions of groups and individuals in our society that cause polarization. I hear racial and ethnic epithets mouthed by all kinds of people against others and that seems to grow, not shrink.

This isn't about Howard Rosenberg's position vis-a-vis Southern Baptists versus the Walt Disney Co. ("Why Has What You Watch Become Their Business?," June 20). This is about the acerbic words from his pen when discussing Christians, of whom I'm one. Thus, in his eyes, we're "vision impaired . . . cultural bullies . . . zealots [a buzzword] . . . Disney bashers . . . seeking to impose their values and tastes on the multitudes, no matter how loopy their theories . . . Christendom's grinning bag of bilge, the Rev. Jerry Falwell.

I wanted to express my gratitude for Kathleen Hendrix's article on local Arab-Jewish dialogues ("Oasis of Understanding in Desert of Despair," April 12). It was a fine, comprehensive report that gave a clearer picture of what, at times, seems like a vague, confusing situation. As a participant in a number of the organizations mentioned, I've seen firsthand how attitudes can change for the better once people start communicating openly with each other. We don't kid ourselves that problems will be solved overnight.

Silicon Beach is mourning the death of entrepreneur and Ecomom co-founder Jody Sherman this week. Sherman, 47, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said. Since his death Monday, several L.A. tech bloggers, friends and venture capitalists have taken to Twitter, Facebook and personal blogs to share memories of Sherman, who co-founded Ecomom in Santa Monica in 2009. The company, which sells eco-friendly and healthful products for children, mothers and the home, moved to Las Vegas about a year ago. The messages also emphasized the need for a more open dialogue about the pressures of creating a start-up and running a business, with entrepreneurs and others calling on the tech community to open up and offer support to colleagues who may be suffering from depression.

"Tabu," the third film from rising Portuguese director Miguel Gomes, feels like a relic of the past and not merely because of its aesthetic nod to silent film great F.W. Murnau's final project. Like a collage of old black and white movies found in an attic, many of "Tabu's" images unfold in complete silence, only the barest of dialogue graces others. The audience is left to imagine much of the story, though it is clear it involves love, betrayal, guilt, regret and a recurring crocodile.

In his recent Calendar article on religiously tinged films ["Faith Makes a Hollywood Comeback," Dec. 30], critic Stephen Farber singles out Ang Lee's "Life of Pi," based on the like-named novel by Yann Martel, from a quartet that includes "Les Misérables," "The Sessions" and "Flight. " Although Farber rightfully zeros in on "Pi" as "the most intriguing of these current movies," from a religious standpoint, I believe he misses the mark on its most intriguing aspect. This, for Farber, consists of looking "beyond Christianity to encompass a broader view of religious commitment.

Film and television industry groups that met with the White House on Thursday evening vowed to engage in a "dialogue" over the issue of gun violence in America.                                                           "The entertainment community appreciates being included in the dialogue around the administration's efforts to confront the complex challenge of gun violence in America," said a statement from the Directors...

In the aftermath of the tragic shooting in Newtown, Conn., there is a lot of attention being focused on the issue of gun control. There are also rumblings about the role the entertainment -- movies, television and video games -- have played in coarsening our culture and desensitizing the country to violence. But just as the gun industry and the National Rifle Assn. like to divert the discussion away from new laws that could limit the availability of certain weapons, the entertainment industry is also often loathe to consider whether it has a contributing role in our culture of guns and violence.

Like many mothers, Naomi Watts is often unsure about her child-rearing decisions. With two young boys, the British actress constantly fears for their safety. Falling down stairs, choking or becoming separated on a New York City subway are just a few dangers she's currently fretting about. And don't expect her to rise to the occasion should an emergency occur. She's the first to admit she has trouble dialing a phone when a crisis arises. So it was with great uncertainty that she took on the role of Maria, the brave, and very lucky, mother in "The Impossible," the upcoming film from Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona that chronicles one family's horrific experience during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

You are free truly only when your neighbors are free! BETTY O' MEARA Malibu

Reading the newspapers recently, we've been struck by how similar the presidential debate commentary has been to commentary about "Monday Night Football. " After the matchups in this year's "debate season," political pundits criticized President Obama's "prevent defense" and "two-yard runs down the middle. " They talked about how Mitt Romney "spiked the football. " And football wasn't the only sports metaphor invoked in the coverage. On Tuesday, "CBS This Morning's" ticker about the previous night's debate read "Final Face-Off," while ABC's "Good Morning America" heralded the "Final Debate Duel.

Big Nate and his pals Teddy and Francis are among the cast of characters from the popular Lincoln Peirce books that can be shuffled into familiar backdrops with the app "Big Nate: Comix By U!. " Designed for iPhones, iPads and the iPod Touch, the app lets "Big Nate" fans emulate the books' sixth-grade hero, creating their own comics and comedic dialogue that can be saved for posterity or emailed to friends. "Big Nate: Here Goes Nothing" and "Big Nate Makes the Grade," both published this month by Andrews McMeel Publishing, are the latest titles in his ongoing comic compilation and illustrated novel series.