Temples

A 17-year-old youth pleaded guilty Wednesday to nine counts of first-degree murder in connection with the August, 1991, massacre of six monks and three others at a Buddhist temple. Alessandro (Alex) Garcia told Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Gregory Martin that he and his friend, Johnathan Doody, acted alone in the robbery and killings at the Wat Promkunaram temple west of Phoenix. Garcia, of Phoenix, said he and Doody, 18, decided in June, 1991, to burglarize the temple.

Much of what we know about past civilizations in Mexico comes from the writings of colonial Europeans -- Spanish conquerors and priests -- who arrived in the Americas in the 1500s. But archaeological evidence from recent excavations at a site called El Palenque in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico, shows that temple precincts similar to the ones the Europeans encountered had existed in the region some 1,500 years earlier. Married archaeologists Elsa Redmond and Charles Spencer, both of the American Museum of Natural History in New York, reported the discoveries Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .  Redmond and Spencer have been studying the remains of ancient civilizations in Oaxaca since the 1970s, when both were undergraduates at Rice University.

Researchers have been studying orangutans, proboscis monkeys, gibbons and other Indonesian wildlife for more than four decades at Camp Leakey in the Tanjung Puting National Park in Borneo. Now an eight-day trip combines a luxury stay in Bali with wildlife viewing and a visit to the camp. The trip starts with three nights in Bali at the Pita Maha Resort and Spa in Ubud and then takes off to Yogyakarta on the island of Java for two nights at the Rimba Lodge inside the national park.

For the first time in memory, a woman has led a prayer at the major conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City. Jean A. Stevens offered the closing prayer for more than 100,000 Mormons gathered Saturday for the church's general conference. Millions of others watched via satellite. “Women have been praying in church and speaking at conferences for years,” church spokesman Eric Hawkins told the Los Angeles Times. “But this is the first time in memory that we have had a sister lead a prayer.” A feminist group launched the Let Women Pray campaign in January asking for the right to offer opening and closing prayers at the conference, which has been held for 183 years.

Much of what we know about past civilizations in Mexico comes from the writings of colonial Europeans -- Spanish conquerors and priests -- who arrived in the Americas in the 1500s. But archaeological evidence from recent excavations at a site called El Palenque in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico, shows that temple precincts similar to the ones the Europeans encountered had existed in the region some 1,500 years earlier. Married archaeologists Elsa Redmond and Charles Spencer, both of the American Museum of Natural History in New York, reported the discoveries Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .  Redmond and Spencer have been studying the remains of ancient civilizations in Oaxaca since the 1970s, when both were undergraduates at Rice University.

Angkor, Cambodia The ancient sandstone temples of Angkor have stood up to endless assaults down the centuries, from medieval raiders armed with clubs and spears to genocidal looters laying land mines. These days, the onslaught begins in the early-morning darkness, when invading columns of buses, taxis and sputtering tuk-tuks converge on a dirt parking lot across from Angkor Wat's broad moat. They disgorge hundreds of camera-wielding tourists, who march through the gray light toward the awesome gates of the world's largest religious monument.

Mormon officials released architectural renderings Tuesday of a dazzling white granite temple--with a 91-foot tower--in Newport Beach as plans for the 17,500-square-foot building began city review. The one-story Art Deco building will be accented with arches and elaborate window artwork. Towering over the 35-foot temple will be the 83-foot spire topped by an 8-foot golden statue of the angel Moroni, blowing his trumpet to "signify the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus."

In a vibrant celebration presided over by the supreme and highest spiritual and temporal authority of the Sikh religion visiting from India, Sikhs throughout Southern California opened their new Los Angeles temple, or gurdwara, last weekend on Vermont Avenue.

One of two teenagers charged in the firebombings of a Hindu temple was sentenced Tuesday to four months in a prison boot camp. Nathaniel Conner, 17, pleaded guilty to second-degree arson and criminal possession of a weapon in the predawn firebombings of the Hindu Temple of St. Louis on Feb. 23 and March 1. Paul Laird, 17, is awaiting trial on identical charges.

Orange County performing arts lovers take for granted that they can see name talent and the best local ensembles in classy, modern, immaculate surroundings. Now comes a chance for that missing something: the special pleasure of sitting in a fine, old hall that has a burnished elegance and offers a sense of history. A place that affords the smell and shine of well-preserved wooden floors, beams and banisters.

Los Angeles County sheriff's homicide detectives are investigating the shooting death of a woman in Temple City. The body of a 65-year-old woman was discovered in her home in the 10300 block of Key West Street on Sunday morning, KTLA reported. Authorities would not say Monday whether the woman was a victim of a homicide or a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police said there was no sign of forced entry. Neighbors told KTLA the woman's husband died recently and she appeared despondent in recent days.

Sheriff's homicide detectives are investigating the shooting death of a 65-year-old woman in Temple City. The woman's body was found Sunday morning inside her house on the 10300 block of Key West Street by her daughter, who did not live there, said Sgt. Rich Peña of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Peña said the death was a homicide, not a suicide, but could not give further details. Investigators have not identified a suspect. The victim's name has not been released.

In the latest version of Temple Run, following the yellow brick road is crucial to getting a high score. Disney Mobile Games and Imangi Studios on Tuesday released "Temple Run: Oz," a special version of the popular mobile game based on the film "Oz the Great and Powerful," which opens Friday. In the Oz-themed game, users play as Oscar Diggs, or the Wizard of Oz. They run through the Land of Oz and its various areas, including the Whimsie Woods and the Dark Forest. There's also a bonus level where users ride on a hot-air balloon collecting coins and gems.

Is Scott Weiland still the frontman of Stone Temple Pilots? Depends on whom you ask. Early Wednesday, the other three members of that grunge-era holdover -- guitarist Dean DeLeo, bassist Robert DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz -- released a tersely worded statement declaring that they had  "officially terminated Scott Weiland. " The firing came after what Rolling Stone recently described as "a rocky period" for the band, which following a lengthy break reunited in 2008 and toured heavily in support of a self-titled 2010 album.

Imangi Studios' "Temple Run 2" became the fastest mobile game to reach 50 million downloads Thursday, hitting the mark on the 13th day of its release. The game, which is available for both Apple and Android devices, beat the record set in April 2012 by "Angry Birds Space. " That game reached 50 million downloads in 35 days. “The game has performed beyond our wildest dreams, and we are thrilled that gamers and fans have embraced 'Temple Run 2' in such a short period of time,” said Keith Shepherd, co-founder of Imangi Studios, in a statement . 10 tech companies to watch in 2013 In "Temple Run 2" players control a running character who has to jump, slide, turn, swing down a rope and drive a mine cart for as long as they can so they can get the highest score possible.

"Temple Run 2," the sequel to the wildly popular mobile game, is now available for Android and Kindle devices. The app hit the Google Play store and Amazon.com Appstore early Thursday morning. Just like the original "Temple Run," the new game is also available free -- although users can purchase upgrades within the game. "Temple Run 2" is similar to the original game where users are running through an endless world, trying to survive and achieve the highest score possible.

Mormon church President Gordon B. Hinckley has announced plans for the construction of six temples, three in the United States and three overseas. Hinckley made the announcement during the church's recent Annual General Conference. "We shall go on in the process of bringing temples to the people," Hinckley said of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the meeting in Salt Lake City. The new U.S. temples will be in Lubbock, Texas; Snowflake, Ariz.

It's gleaming white, cost nearly $24 million to build and has become a splashy and talked-about civic presence even before its official debut. So intense is the curiosity stirring among the general populace that more than 500,000 visitors are expected to show up during a six-week, once-in-a-lifetime open house early this year. "No one will ever mistake this for a tilt-up building in an industrial park," said Clyde Romney, who is planning the open house.

Los Angeles City Atty. Carmen Trutanich raised some eyebrows when, during a recent candidates forum, he referred to himself as "an outsider. " That might be a tough description for an incumbent to justify. But Trutanich, facing three challengers in the city's March 5 primary election after a failed run for district attorney, has embraced it. "I'm not a career politician," Trutanich told the audience at Temple Israel in Hollywood last week. "I got into this game at 57, not 27. " The age reference seemed to be a dig at past city councilman and former state Assemblyman Mike Feuer, widely viewed as Trutanich's main competitor as he seeks a second term (although Feuer was 37, not 27, when he won the council seat)

Imangi Studios, the developer behind "Temple Run," has come out with a sequel to the popular game, releasing "Temple Run 2" for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. The new game launched late Wednesday night and is already atop Apple's App Store chart for free apps. In "Temple Run 2," it isn't enough to simply run, slide and jump. Imangi has added more moves, including swinging from a rope and riding in a mine cart. The new game also features different environments and more detailed graphics.