Flags

Thousands cheered Sunday as the blue-and-white Star of David flag was raised for the first time in front of the Israeli Consulate on Wilshire Boulevard. "As we mark 60 years of Israeli independence, as we paint Wilshire Boulevard blue and white, we must reaffirm in one voice our support for the Jewish state," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told those gathered for the flag-raising ceremony.

Imagine inner tubing down a water slide only to realize you've been riding along the back of a hissing 250-foot-long snake and are about to plunge into the gaping mouth of the fang-bearing and venom-spewing King Cobra. The new racing slide debuting in early July at Six Flags Great Adventure's Hurricane Harbor in New Jersey sounds more like a terrifying psychotic nightmare than a fun-filled day at the water park. PHOTOS: King Cobra water slide at Six Flags Great Adventure With King Cobra installations already in place in Turkey and Russia, the new Hurricane Harbor water park attraction marks the United States debut of the snake-themed water slide.

It's interesting that all the American flags I wanted to purchase to wave on July 4th were made in China. RICK PERRY Los Angeles

Yahoo Chief Executive Scott Thompson is expected to step down Sunday after dissident shareholders called attention to his apparent misrepresentation of his college credentials. News of the impending departure was credited to multiple unnamed sources by the Wall Street Journal's technology blog AllThingsD. In an email sent to Yahoo employees last week, Thompson, 54, apologized to workers at the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Internet company. "The board is reviewing the issue and I will provide whatever they need from me," Thompson wrote.

E.C. Bressler (Letters, June 18) asks if the American flags on Kuwaiti oil tankers will be flown at half mast. My answer is no. But the flags were probably made in Japan! GEORGE W. HOOPES Lilac, Calif.

The upsurge in patriotism has made U.S. flags a hot item in more ways than one. The shelves of Falls Flag & Banner, a flag shop in Akron, Ohio, are almost bare after THIEVES CLEANED OUT every patriotic piece in stock--2,000 items. "They pretty much took everything red, white and blue," shop owner Stan May said. Left untouched: the store's foreign, state and sports flags. Police believe the thieves hope to capitalize on the boom in war-related patriotism.

To answer Jean Mahlberg (letter, Feb. 18): The anti-Communist protesters in Little Saigon have every right to destroy, deface and desecrate any flag or object they choose--as long as they own the object. What no one has the right to do is walk into your home or place of business and demand that you decorate it a certain way, especially when it involves conforming to a specific political viewpoint. Nor can they remove and/or destroy an object without the consent of the person who owns the object.

The cynical and sarcastic ridicule of Howard Rosenberg toward those who proclaim "God Bless America" and display the flag is disgusting and disgraceful ("Broadcast in Red, White and Blue," Feb. 8). Why doesn't he stick to his job of reviewing TV programs instead of forcing on us his distorted personal views? HOWARD LOCKWOOD Lake View Terrace Originally, I was annoyed that NBC was going to tape-delay the Olympics for the West Coast. Now, I'm simply bemused by the disclaimer supered over the intro to the coverage: "Recorded LIVE from a previous broadcast."

Even in death, controversy and Michael Jackson can't stay away from each other. The latest dust-up comes in Carson, a working-class city the singer may have never visited, a universe away from his pricey haunts in Los Olivos, Bahrain and Holmby Hills. The problem started when Mayor Jim Dear ordered the American flag outside City Hall lowered to half-staff the day of Jackson's funeral, an honor usually reserved for dead presidents, heroes and other prominent individuals.

Whether it's planted on the moon by astronauts, carried into stadiums by Olympic athletes or flown from front porches by families, the U.S. flag is an important national symbol that is remembered each Flag Day, June 14. Many flags have served as signposts in the nation's history, and they have inspired hope and patriotism as well as revolution and controversy. Discover how U.S.

Six Flags Magic Mountain will reclaim sole ownership of the Roller Coaster Capital of the World title with the announcement that arch-rival Cedar Point will remove one of its 17 coasters before the start of the summer season. PHOTOS: Cedar Point vs. Magic Mountain Citing declining ridership and increased maintenance costs, Ohio's Cedar Point said it will remove and demolish the 1979 Wildcat coaster to make room for the upcoming $6-million Luminosity nighttime spectacular, which is set to debut on June 8. PHOTOS: Luminosity nighttime spectacular at Cedar Point "Cedar Point remains committed to being the roller coaster capital of the world," the park said in a statement.

Environmental groups are accusing Six Flags Magic Mountain of polluting the Santa Clara River with huge volumes of contaminated water and allowing trash with its logos to spill into the Southern California waterway and toward the ocean. The allegations were made in a letter sent to the Valencia theme park last week by a coalition of environmental groups, whose investigators say they found alarming levels of pollutants in water sloshing out of the facility's storm water outfalls into the nearby waterway during rainstorms.

California Flag is an 8-year-old gelding who won the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita's hillside turf course in 2009. By now, most horses his age have been retired. But California Flag made his 2012 debut a memorable one Saturday at Santa Anita, winning the $100,000 San Simeon Handicap by 2 1/4 lengths over Sayif while giving his trainer, Brian Koriner, confidence that he might be able to make the next Breeders' Cup this fall at Santa Anita. "It was nice to see him back," Koriner said.

MUSIC For scholars of indie rock, the union of Mary Timony and Carrie Brownstein as Wild Flag is notable not only for the pedigrees but for what they signify. The former was the voice of Boston lethargy rock band Helium, the latter (along with Wild Flag drummer Janet Weiss) a member of Portland's Sleater-Kinney. And what has the merger wrought? Rock, with guitar solos, mean riffs, barks, yowls, "shoop-shoops," grooves and an inherent understanding of swagger and energy. At its best, as on the masterful "Short Version," which takes a Tom Verlaine-inspired guitar line, dumps it in gasoline and sets it on fire, the fledgling concern races like it's been together for years.

Imagine chowing down on pizza and washing it down with a Slurpee, followed by a deep-fried Snickers and some funnel cake covered in crispy bacon and maple cream. Now imagine finishing up the day by jumping on more than a dozen high-speed roller coasters. For teenagers, this may sound like the makings of a great day. For most adults, it's a recipe for extreme nausea. Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia is launching into this year's peak spring and summer seasons with several new menu items for guests, including Slurpees, the blended ice drinks that -- until now -- were sold exclusively at 7-Eleven convenient stores.

The X-Flight coaster coming in May to Six Flags Great America will take riders seated in a winged formation through a near-miss keyhole fly-through that serves as the new ride's signature element. PHOTOS: X-Flight wing coaster at Six Flags Great America Themed to look like a stealth fighter jet, the new wing coaster at the Chicago-area amusement park will feature trains with seats that straddle the track, giving riders the sensation of having nothing above or below them.

Thirty-four new flags will be dedicated Monday at Memory Garden Memorial Park's 44th annual Memorial Day Service. More than 1,100 full-size flags are flown along the "Avenue of Flags" each Memorial Day and Veterans Day to honor the area's deceased veterans. The custom began on May 30, 1958, when six flags were displayed. The Memorial Day service will be at 11 a.m. in the park, 455 W. Central Ave. The flags will fly from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The latest expansion of Disney's California Adventure, the new Cars Land attraction, is set to open June 15, Disney officials said Friday, as the park offered a peek at one of the biggest attractions featured in the $1-billion expansion. The 12-acre Cars Land, featuring the characters from the Disney-Pixar film "Cars," will open with several new restaurants and three rides, including Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, Luigi's Flying Tires and Radiator Springs Racers. The most elaborate and anticipated attraction is Radiator Springs Racers, in which small, convertible cars carry passengers around realistic-looking buttes and canyons.

  Tony Stewart was declared the winner of the Auto Club 400 in Fontana on Sunday when officials called the NASCAR Sprint Cup race after an approximately 30-minute rain delay. Stewart clearly had the best car and worked his way up from his starting position of ninth to take the lead by the 85th lap. The race was without a caution period until Lap 123 when rain started falling in Turn 3. They continued under caution for six laps before red flagging the race.