Restoration

WASHINGTON - President Obama forced out the head of the IRS on Wednesday, seeking to restore the public's faith in the tax agency while asserting a measure of control over a rapidly growing political problem. Making a hastily scheduled statement at the White House, Obama denounced the targeting of conservative groups by the Internal Revenue Service as "inexcusable" and pledged to "do everything in my power to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. " "Americans are right to be angry about it, and I am angry about it," he said.

WASHINGTON - President Obama forced out the head of the IRS on Wednesday, seeking to restore the public's faith in the tax agency while asserting a measure of control over a rapidly growing political problem. Making a hastily scheduled statement at the White House, Obama denounced the targeting of conservative groups by the Internal Revenue Service as "inexcusable" and pledged to "do everything in my power to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. " "Americans are right to be angry about it, and I am angry about it," he said.

There will be a lot of history on display Monday night when the American Cinematheque presents Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 epic "The Ten Commandments" starring Charlton Heston as Moses and Yul Brynner as the power-mad pharaoh, Rameses ? and not just of the biblical kind. "Ten Commandments" has a special place in Hollywood lore: It was DeMille's last film and made Heston a superstar. The blockbuster is being shown at the Cinematheque's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, which is celebrating its 88th birthday that night.

After its two-year, $45-million makeover, Echo Park Lake will soon shed the green tarp-covered fence that lines its circumference, revealing to the public a similar-but-spruced-up version of the neighborhood's landmark. "Welcome to 29 acres of paradise," L.A. City Engineer Gary Moore said at a news conference Friday, where officials announced the lake would reopen June 15. Before it was refilled and restocked with plants, the lake was completely drained and cleaned. During the cleanup, Moore said, workers found two guns, one toilet, 20 Frisbees and a pay telephone.

Robert A. Harris correctly states that I was not involved in the initial restoration of "Lawrence of Arabia" (Letters, Feb. 21). That major project was overseen by Harris and Jim Painten with the help of many talented people, not the least of whom was Sir David Lean. Credit to all of them is well-deserved. But, while the statement "during that period, Crisp was never heard from" is true, what Harris conveniently fails to mention is "that period" was almost 12 years ago, several years prior to establishing the restoration program now in place.

From cycling celebrations to protest marches to filming, street closures are a part of life in downtown L.A. But it's something altogether different this week for a section of Main Street from Arcadia Street to Cesar Chavez Avenue, where the road is being blocked to make room for a restoration effort involving one of the city's key pieces of public art, "América Tropical. " Part of an ongoing partnership between the city and the Getty, the only mural by Mexican painter David Alfaro Siqueiros that is still in its original location will be fitted for a protective canopy, starting today.

MADRID -- Spain's most infamous art restorer is hoping that any publicity is good publicity. Cecilia Gímenez was responsible for the badly botched touch-up last summer of a 19th-century Ecce Homo -- a painting of Jesus Christ -- in her local church near Zaragoza, in northeastern Spain. Dubbed the worst art restoration in history, the elderly parishioner's well-meaning but misguided work grabbed international headlines. One account described it as looking like "a crayon sketch of a monkey in an ill-fitting tunic.

Very nice article on "California Romantica" ["Casa California," Nov. 1]. I understand that Diane Keaton's celebrity status fueled it, but it's still nice to see the coverage. One of the pictures shows the glass mosaic outside of the living room at the Guerra Estate in La Canada Flintridge. I lived in, and partially restored, that house for about a year and have been involved in the restoration of many Paul Williams-designed houses throughout Los Angeles.

After a vocal advocate for the controversial Malibu Lagoon restoration turned a gun on herself late Saturday, some closest to her were left wondering if the increasing vitriol surrounding the project drove the 35-year-old over the edge. Stephenie Glas, a Los Angeles city firefighter, shot herself in the head shortly before midnight at her boyfriend's Corral Canyon home, according to the boyfriend, Steve Woods. Authorities said only that a 35-year-old female died of "apparent suicide" at the home but did not release the woman's identity Sunday.

John D. Lowry, an entertainment technology innovator who founded Lowry Digital Images, the renowned movie restoration company in Burbank that worked its magic by returning film classics such as "Casablanca" and "Star Wars" to their pristine state for DVD release, has died. He was 79. Lowry died Jan. 21 at his home in Camarillo, said his son David. The cause of death is unknown. "John Lowry's passion for cinema and expertise in technology were essential in preserving the work of filmmakers for future generations to enjoy," George Lucas told The Times in a statement.

This Spanish Colonial Revival estate sits behind gates on nearly an acre in Hancock Park. Restored and updated for entertaining, the 1920s house recalls the gracious living of a bygone era. Location: 620 S. Rossmore Ave., Los Angeles 90005 Asking price: $8.95 million Year built: 1924 Architect: John DeLario House size: Eight bedrooms, seven bathrooms, 8,000 square feet Lot size: 37,520 square feet ...

Before the bulldozers arrived last June, Malibu Lagoon was a fully grown habitat for egrets, voles and tidewater gobies, studded with sycamore trees and clusters of tule reeds. Today, the lagoon's islands appear almost barren, covered by a sea of tiny red and blue plastic flags marking young plants just taking root. Depending on whom you talk to, the lagoon has been restored - or ruined. On Friday, bureaucrats, biologists and birders will descend on the state beach at the mouth of Malibu Creek for the ribbon cutting to mark what state officials are calling "the long and successful journey toward restoration.

JERUSALEM - Growing up poor and motherless in the slums of Jerusalem's Old City, Amoun Sleem dropped out of school at age 7 after her teacher repeatedly singled her out as a Gypsy, inspecting her hair for lice in front of the class and calling her "Nawar," a derogatory Arabic term that means "dirty. " On the streets, she learned English by selling postcards to tourists, but soon realized that a life of begging was not for her. At 9, she reentered school and stayed until she got a degree in business administration from Ibrahimi College in Jerusalem.

American Airlines announced that it had restored its computer system that had malfunctioned, grounding hundreds of flights for several hours Tuesday. Still, the Fort Worth-based carrier said passengers will continue to face delays and cancellations as the airline rebooks fliers on new flights. Quiz: Test your knowledge about airport security The computer problems began Tuesday morning, with airline officials announcing shortly before noon that it was grounding all flights until at least 2 p.m. Pacific time.

President Obama's budget proposal for the coming fiscal year would boost federal arts spending 10%  above where it stands at the moment, lifting it to $1.58 billion for the 2013-14 budget year that begins Oct. 1 and more than compensating for cuts from the "budget sequestration" bill that went into effect last month. Those reductions sliced 5% across the board from three federal cultural grant-making agencies as well as the Smithsonian Institution, the National Gallery of Art and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, lowering their combined spending from $1.51 billion to about $1.44 billion for fiscal 2012-13.

Azzam Alwash, an Iraqi immigrant and former Fullerton resident who returned to Iraq in 2003 to lead a marshlands restoration project, has received the Goldman Environmental Prize, a $150,000 prize awarded to six environmentalists annually. Alwash led a project to reflood the dessicated marshlands between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, an ecosystem twice the size of the Florida Everglades. The marshlands became a political battleground during Saddam Hussein's 30-year reign in Iraq.

The State Coastal Conservancy on Thursday earmarked $250,000 to help restore a 100-acre wetlands area at the mouth of the Santa Ana River near Newport Beach. The money will be used to design a restoration plan for the land and to cover related costs, said Melanie Denninger, project analyst with the conservancy, which is part of the state Resources Agency. The land, on the river's southern bank, has been used as an oil field by West Newport Oil Co., conservancy officials said.

Your article certainly relieved my anxieties with regard to the emir's minimal comforts and well-being. It is satisfying that our Army Corps of Engineers has materially assisted in this effort to provide adequate shelter for the emir. We must also give credit to our government for initiating the military action to restore the emir to his rightful position in Kuwait. Hopefully, the project will soon be completed so that restoration of water, power, food supplies, etc. for the citizens can proceed.

Iggy Pop was living in an efficiency apartment near the Whisky a Go Go when a gangly Brit visited him, seeking a theme song for his first movie. The filmmaker was Alex Cox, a graduate of UCLA film school, and the movie was "Repo Man," which would, after a brief initial release, achieve cult status for its punk bona fides and its comic sci-fi vision of Ronald Reagan-era Los Angeles. In an interview that's one of the welcome extras in a new, high-definition restoration of the feature (available Tuesday from Criterion Collection)

The majestic landscape of Yosemite National Park - carved out of granite and shaped by powerful natural forces over the eons - is timeless and untouchable. Other attractions in the park … not so much. Some of Yosemite's much-loved amenities, including swimming pools, bike, horse and raft rentals, and an ice skating rink, would be jettisoned under a plan to restore the Merced River corridor to a more natural state. The Merced Wild and Scenic River Plan would reconfigure much of the Yosemite Valley by removing or relocating familiar concessions.