Work Ethic

Diana Ross has never won a Grammy. Though nominated 12 times for her work with the Supremes and for her solo efforts, the singer behind pop classis such as "Baby Love" and "Upside Down" has never taken home the award. This Saturday, she will be presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Recording Academy along with Gil Scott-Heron, the Allman Brothers, Glen Campbell, George Jones, Antonio Carlos Jobim and the Memphis Horns, at an invitation-only ceremony the night before the Grammy telecast.

Jesse Linares, a journalist who helped launch the Spanish-language newspaper Hoy Los Angeles, died Saturday at Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center. He was 49 and had cancer. Linares worked at Hoy Los Angeles since its founding in 2004 and helped shape its coverage as he rose to the position of deputy editor. "Jesse was a fundamental part of Hoy. His love of journalism not only impacted our coverage, but the work of his co-workers," said Reynaldo Mena, Hoy's editor.

It was only five years ago that Miami accounting firm director Richard Berkowitz thought he had a problem during tax season relating to his younger workers. "When I told them it was mandatory they come in on the weekend, they looked at me like I was out of my mind. " Today, his younger workers are much easier to manage. The recession has brought a shocking reality to the Generation Y professionals who stumped baby boomers when they first entered the workforce with their desire for work/life balance over the corner office.

Diana Ross has never won a Grammy. Though nominated 12 times for her work with the Supremes and for her solo efforts, the singer behind pop classis such as "Baby Love" and "Upside Down" has never taken home the award. This Saturday, she will be presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Recording Academy along with Gil Scott-Heron, the Allman Brothers, Glen Campbell, George Jones, Antonio Carlos Jobim and the Memphis Horns, at an invitation-only ceremony the night before the Grammy telecast.

Funny how the old work ethic is piously trotted out whenever we want to cut welfare but conveniently overlooked when we cut capital gains taxes. DAN MARCUS Claremont

Turns out Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly wasn't kidding when he talked about the kind of effort he expected from his players. The rookie manager said Friday that the "philosophical differences" he had with the departed Dioner Navarro concerned the catcher's work ethic — or lack thereof. Navarro, who was on a one-year, $1-million contract, was designated for assignment Tuesday. "I believe in work, very simple," Mattingly said. "I believe you have to work and work and work — and that's if you're going good.

Isn't it comforting to know that our state lawmakers are hard at work in Sacramento ("Legislative Sessions Canceled," March 21)? Our country is at war, so Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson (D-Culver City) and Senate President Pro Tem John Burton (D-San Francisco) sent everybody home. Wesson said everyone should be home with their sons and daughters to calm their fears. Burton's reason was the lawmakers' preoccupation with the war. It seems that our California lawmakers would do anything rather than work at the job they were sent to Sacramento to do. One action was taken in both houses.

Re "Bush Proposes 'Ethic of Work' in Welfare Plan," Feb. 27: Now that President Bush has supported more stringent work requirements for welfare recipients, how about similar controls and limitations on corporate welfare, which his administration has done more to subsidize than any previous administration in American history? Sadly, the corporate hogs continue to gorge themselves freely at the public trough while the less fortunate members of society are required to work before they can eat--even in a recessionary economy with dwindling employment opportunities.

Some Swedes were in an uproar Friday over their king's unprecedented comment that the Swedish work ethic leaves something to be desired. "I suppose that we maybe should think about the Swedish work ethic and try and improve it in one way or the other. I assume we're all aware that it is not the best," King Carl XVI Gustaf, 44, told Dagens Industri in an interview Thursday. The Swedish monarch very rarely speaks out on political or controversial matters. Reaction came swiftly.

No punishment Sunday. Just a lot more work at practice. "That was a great effort," said Coach Larry Robinson after the Kings had fallen, 5-3, to Carolina on Saturday night at the Great Western Forum. "How do you get mad at guys who give everything they've got?" After criticizing the Kings earlier in the season because of the lack of effort, Robinson had begun to praise them, though the bottom line is the same. They are scoring now--they weren't then--but still not winning.

The gig: Before becoming online real estate brokerage Redfin's chief executive, Glenn Kelman was a Silicon Valley entrepreneur with little experience in real estate. He co-founded Plumtree Software, backed by the venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, and before that worked at another start-up, Stanford Technology Group. At Redfin, a Seattle company that has helped move shopping for homes online, Kelman, 40, has at times knocked heads with the real estate world. Realtor resistance: "I was unprepared for the Redfin job," Kelman said.

For years, the Walker triplets were a fixture in their father's Pasadena barbershop. Nicole, Aubrey and Charles worked at Just In Time Hair Trends every weekend. Sweeping up the floors, answering the phones, greeting customers, running the cash register. "If you're black and you got your haircut in Pasadena, you knew about the Walker triplets," said Renatta Cooper, president of the Board of Education for the Pasadena Unified School District. "Everyone took an interest in them.

Turns out Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly wasn't kidding when he talked about the kind of effort he expected from his players. The rookie manager said Friday that the "philosophical differences" he had with the departed Dioner Navarro concerned the catcher's work ethic — or lack thereof. Navarro, who was on a one-year, $1-million contract, was designated for assignment Tuesday. "I believe in work, very simple," Mattingly said. "I believe you have to work and work and work — and that's if you're going good.

As football coach at Gardena Serra High, Scott Altenberg has developed dozens of players who earned college scholarships. It didn't take him long to recognize that Robert Woods, Marqise Lee and George Farmer would keep the tradition going. He just never envisioned all three Serra stars would end up as USC receivers. "I'm a UCLA graduate," Altenberg said, laughing, "so that would have been a nightmare, not a vision. " USC Coach Lane Kiffin clearly saw the possibilities.

Jeff Andrews had never seen "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" when Khloé Kardashian called and asked: Might he decorate her Mediterranean-style mansion? To prepare for that first meeting two years ago, Andrews turned on E! and, by the grace of the reality-TV gods, found a repeat episode recounting Khloé's wedding to Lakers forward Lamar Odom. Homework completed, Andrews landed the job as interior designer for the youngest Kardashian sister. And then for sister Kourtney. And then perhaps most significantly, for Kris Jenner, the matriarch-manager of the Kardashian empire, which, Twitter-follow it or not, remains an undeniable phenomenon.

Until entering high school, the only thing that made Aaron Liberman stand out on the basketball court was his growing 6-foot-5 frame. He was more of a celebrity for his height than a basketball player among his friends and family. "The summer I entered ninth grade is when a former coach told me that I could make something of this if I really pushed myself," Liberman said. "That's when I started to realize I had some talent. " Now standing 6-9, Liberman has not only become one of the most successful players in Southern California, but the senior forward also has been a driving force in helping a small Jewish school get its first taste of athletic success.

Re "Lining Up to Be the Next 'Idol,' " Nov. 19: What's up with television shows like "American Idol," "Making the Band" and "Pop Stars"? Whatever happened to being discovered in a karaoke bar or a talent show? And what's with these pop-star wannabes nowadays? A couple of years ago, pop stars at least worked for what they got. Today, just about anyone can get in line and try to strut his or her stuff. This should be the final season of shows like "American Idol." It's true that it's entertaining, but it kills the old-fashioned working artists.

When Colin Gilmore was 8, he remembers his father, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, coming to Lubbock, Texas, to play ? and being on the local news. "He'd moved to Austin by then, so it was good to see my dad, but strange he was on TV. There was no notion he was gonna be a Texas legend, so we were all surprised," the son says, marveling at the gap between his sense of a parent and the public perception. Gilmore's father ? like his mom and their friends ? played music. That's just what they did; the trail-blazing wasn't planned.

Left wing Marco Sturm has emerged from Coach Terry Murray's doghouse, earning praise and another assignment alongside center Jarret Stoll and right wing Wayne Simmonds on Thursday when the Kings face the St. Louis Blues at Staples Center. Murray has harshly criticized Sturm, whose Kings debut Dec. 21 occurred seven months after he had major surgery on his right knee. It seemed unreasonable to expect a lot from a player who was regaining his stamina and confidence after a long layoff, but Murray found Sturm's play and work ethic lacking.