Category Archives: Freedom

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Republican Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkins resounding victory in deep-blue Virginia sent shockwaves through the national Democratic Party apparatus. Youngkin took down former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, in an election that pitted two fundamentally different views of education against one another.

WINSOME SEARS, CNN HOST SPAR OVER SEMANTICS OF WHETHER CRITICAL RACE THEORY IS TAUGHT IN VIRGINIA SCHOOLS

Given the obvious popularity of the Youngkin position on education one that puts power back into the hands of parents lawmakers at the federal level should reconsider a Trump-era education bill that did not make it through Congress during President Trumps time in the White House: the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act, or "EFS."

President Donald Trump congratulates Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on her confirmation at the White House on Feb. 14, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque /File Photo

Advocating for EFS was one of Betsy DeVoss top priorities while she served as President Trumps secretary of education. In 2019, Sen. Ted Cruz , R-Texas, introduced the bill in the Senate, while Congressman Bradley Byrne, R-Ala., sponsored companion legislation in the House.

Passing EFS would allow taxpayers to obtain a tax credit for donations to certain scholarship-granting organizations for elementary and secondary school expenses, sparking a significant expansion in school choice across the United States. This year, Cruz reintroduced the bill this Congress, with Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, taking the lead this time in the House.

Perhaps McAuliffes most decisive gaffe during the campaign was when he said, in a debate with Youngkin, "I dont think parents should be telling schools what they should teach." Exit polls indicated that more than 80% of Virginia voters believed that "parents should have at least some say in what their childs school teaches." A majority of voters took the position that parents should have "a lot" of say.

McAuliffes vulnerability on this issue arguably swung the election to Youngkin, who prevailed in a state that had voted for Joe Biden over Donald Trump by over 10 points just a year earlier.

Glenn Youngkin speaks during his election night party in Chantilly, Virginia, on Nov. 3, 2021. REUTERS/ Jonathan Ernst

Education policy preferences cut across ideological lines. In an increasingly polarized country, parents can all still agree on wanting what is best for their children. In many cases, that means "school choice," or the ability for a parent to send his or her child to a better school up the road, whether private, religious or public charter. Some parents might even prefer to homeschool their children. But for many parents, the cost of switching out of the local public school might be prohibitively expensive. That is where school choice policy comes in.

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School choice is broadly popular. Various permutations of education freedom policy educational savings accounts, vouchers, tax credit scholarships, and public charter schools poll above 70%. And nearly 20 states established or expanded school choice programs in 2021.

Maybe most worrisome for Democrats, a focus group of Virginia voters who supported President Biden in 2020 but flipped (or seriously considered flipping) to Youngkin in 2021 indicated that parental control of schools and COVID-related school shutdowns were big in the minds of those who swung to the Republicans.

Put simply, parents want education freedom. And Republicans have laid claim to the political "middle" on the issue.

While action in the states is important, Congress now has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to supercharge school choice with a carefully crafted federal policy initiative. With parents still reeling from a year of school shutdowns, this is the moment for school choice at the national level. And the Education Freedom Scholarships bill is the perfect vehicle.

Instead of diverting money from public schools (a common criticism of ordinary school choice policies), EFSs tax credit program would simply facilitate and encourage private donations to scholarship programs that ease the financial burden on parents who want to send their child to the school that is best for that childs individual needs. Individual states would be able to participate on an opt-in basis, but would not be required to do so.

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If Democrats will not advance EFS in Congress, Republicans should continue to push the issue ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. Education freedom is a political winner, and after the results in Virginia, Republicans can feel confident about the political effectiveness of promoting policies like EFS at the national level.

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Education freedom is a political winner in 2022. Time to give parents school choice - Fox News

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Real freedom requires free-thinkers | Letters to the Editor | wyomingnews.com - Wyoming Tribune

Freedom rang from the stands at the TD Garden midway through the first quarter on Wednesday night.

When Enes Freedom, formerly known as Enes Kanter, entered the game between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers, he was greeted to a massive ovation from the home fans in his first appearance since becoming a U.S. citizen and legally changing his name earlier in the week.

Fans had further reason to cheer for Freedom when on his first play back defensively, he blocked a driving layup from Sixers big man Joel Embiid.

Freedom, who was born in Switzerland but grew up in Turkey and is a Turkish citizen, has been vocal in his criticism of Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdoan, for years. He had his Turkish passport seized in 2017, and Turkeysought an international warrant for his arrestin 2019.

He wore "Freedom" on the back of his jersey at the NBA bubble in 2020 andrecentlycalled out Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron Jamesover his relationship with Nike amid allegations of the company using forced labor practices in China.

Freedom is in his second stint with the Celtics after spending the 2020-21 season with the Portland Trail Blazers, averaging 4.7 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per contest off the bench.

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Enes Freedom greeted with big ovation from TD Garden crowd in Boston - NBC Sports Boston

Eureka Freedom Rally took place in Ballarat today

Eureka Freedom Rally took place in Ballarat today

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'Freedom' protesters marched from Civic Hall to Bakery Hill and then to the skate park in Ballarat today.Credit:Paul Jeffers

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'Freedom' protesters at Civic Hall in Ballarat today.Credit:Paul Jeffers

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'Freedom' protestors marched from Civic Hall to Bakery Hill and then to the skate park in Ballarat today.Credit:Paul Jeffers

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'Freedom' protesters gather at Civic Hall in Ballarat today.Credit:Paul Jeffers

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A speaker addressing protesters at Civic Hall in Ballarat today.Credit:Paul Jeffers

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Taylor McKnight of Mitchell Harris Wines in Ballarat expressed concern about how 'Freedom' protesters might effect business in town today.Credit:Paul Jeffers

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'Freedom' protesters marched from Civic Hall to Bakery Hill and then to the skate park in Ballarat today.Credit:Paul Jeffers

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Craig Kelly addresses protesters at the Eureka Freedom Rally in Ballarat today.Credit:Paul Jeffers

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Police look on as protesters gather in Ballarat today.Credit:Paul Jeffers

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'Freedom' protesters marched from Civic Hall to Bakery Hill and then to the skate park in Ballarat today.Credit:Paul Jeffers

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'Freedom' protesters marched from Civic Hall to Bakery Hill and then to the skate park in Ballarat today.Credit:Paul Jeffers

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MP Catherine Cumming addresses the protesters during the Eureka Freedom Rally in Ballarat.Credit:Paul Jeffers

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'Freedom' protesters marched from Civic Hall to Bakery Hill and then to the skate park in Ballarat today.Credit:Paul Jeffers

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Kyle Hays of The Forge Pizzeria in Ballarat has expressed concern about how 'Freedom' protestors could effect business in town today.Credit:Paul Jeffers

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'Freedom' protesters marched from Civic Hall to Bakery Hill and then to the skate park in Ballarat today.Credit:Paul Jeffers

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'Freedom' protesters marched from Civic Hall to Bakery Hill and then to the skate park in Ballarat today.Credit:Paul Jeffers

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Eureka Freedom Rally took place in Ballarat today - The Age

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Enslaved to a Founding Father, She Sought Freedom in France - NRToday.com

A.W.: How does that impact your craft? Does it trip you up to have to be mindful of words in a way that maybe you hadnt been before?

J.K.: Were all more careful. Everyones fragile. Were still in the midst of a pandemic, and so many issues have come up for so many people. Were all giving each other a lot of care and grace in this new era that were trying to build, this new era of theater were trying to make. But its a bit of a struggle, Ill be honest. When you do work thats specifically about a very troublesome time and if you look at the Jan. 6 riot [at the U.S. Capitol], its similar to the draft riots you cant sugarcoat it. You cant run away from it. Its always a balance of, how do you tell a story without traumatizing our community?

T: When did you first encounter each others work?

J.K.: I first saw Amandas work in her TED Talk.

A.W.: Oh my God. I had wondered, how did you find out about me? How do you know who I am?

J.K.: I had such a visceral reaction to Color(ed) Theory. All of it was so much a part of my life, my childhood. Plus, I just love colors. How did you get that concept? What inspired you?

A.W.: I grew up on Chicagos South Side and crossed town every day to go to school. Chicago segregation, coupled with the citys grid, is perfect for systemic oppression because it sets boundaries, and then we mentally reinforce them. I was hyperaware of color all the time, as in race, thinking, Thats a Mexican neighborhood. Chinese people are there. White folks do this. Things like that. And Ive loved [chromatic] color since birth. Then I learned about color in an academic setting.

One summer, while [I was] teaching color theory, a friend joked, They pay you money to teach people what? Red and blue is green? I said, No, color theory is a whole science. She said, You know colored theory. We laughed and I left it alone. A week or two later, I thought, I do know colored theory. I spent another few years making sense of it. It seemed so juicy. I started to think, What things make you think of the color first? Theres a story I told in the TED Talk: I met a gentleman who grew up near the Crown Royal Bag house. He thought the purple house meant Prince was coming. Even after I told him about my art, he said, You wait and see. Prince might show up and perform right here. Suddenly, he had hope for that vacant lot, in a way that maybe he didnt before. To me, that was success.

J.K.: It was brilliant.

A.W.: At first, I wasnt as familiar with your work, but when I started to look into it, I was like, How could I have missed all of this? These are the exact same things Im thinking and talking about. Im excited about how we translate these thoughts across mediums theater, performance, music, architecture, sculpture, writing.

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Joaquina Kalukango and Amanda Williams on Creative Freedom - The New York Times

Every winter, my grandmother Rose would devote significant time to polishing her beautiful silver menorah. The task was tedious, requiring a great deal of elbow grease, yet she worked diligently with love and reverence.

As I watched, she told stories about the menorah and her childhood in Schedrin, a shtetl in Minsk, Belarus. She shared tidbits from her life, her large family, her fathers wisdom, her mothers kindness, and the sacrifices they made in sending her to America when she was 14 years old, hoping to give her a better life. Most of Roses stories had a common message: Life in America is full of endless possibilities because there is freedom.

For Grandma Rose, the menorah was a symbol of freedom to practice ones religion without fear of a pogrom. When we lit the candles, we not only remembered the brave Maccabees and how they fought off their oppressors but also took time to appreciate the issues that are vital to democracy and freedom. In America, we could put the menorah in the window for everyone to see. As children, we watched the candles melt and marveled each day in the light that another candle would produce. On Monday, the last day of Hanukkah, all nine candles would be burning brightly.

Yet today, many American Jews are deciding to hide their history and beliefs out of fear, according to the American Jewish Committees The State of Antisemitism in America 2021 report.

READ MORE: Hanukkahs darker origins feel more relevant in time of rising antisemitism, intense interest in identity

Four out of 10 American Jews (39%) have made at least one change to their behavior over the past 12 months, such as not posting content online that would enable others to identify them as Jewish or reveal their views on Jewish issues (25%). Another 22% said they had avoided wearing or displaying things that might enable others to identify them as Jewish, and 17% have avoided certain places, events, or situations due to fear of anti-Semitism.

These fears arent unfounded: One in four American Jews (24%) says they have been the target of anti-Semitism over the past 12 months, such as through in-person remarks (17%), social media or online (12%), or physical attacks (3%).

American Jews remain concerned about anti-Semitism, but the general public doesnt view it with as much gravity: 90% of American Jews said anti-Semitism is either somewhat of a problem or a very serious problem, compared with only 60% of the general public.

We are at a critical moment in history. Anti-Semitism is becoming normalized within mainstream society. Ignorance, apathy, and hate all contribute to the spread of anti-Semitism and have found fertile ground amid a global health crisis, rising economic uncertainty, growing political divides, declining American leadership abroad, and a massive shift in how people engage online.

Freedom needs to be defended against both the old and new bigotries that would extinguish its light. May the Hanukkah lights inspire everyone to commit to pursuing the end to violence for religious differences, the end of abuses of religious freedom, and the end to all forms of hatred. Lets think about how we can safeguard our values as rising hate and extremism threaten our democratic and pluralistic way of life.

May the Hanukkah lights inspire everyone to commit to pursuing the end to violence for religious differences, the end of abuses of religious freedom, and the end to all forms of hatred.

My grandmother loved the Statue of Liberty. She remembers seeing it when her ship passed through New York Harbor on her journey to America. A young Jewish girl, Emma Lazarus, wrote the words inscribed on the statue, Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

One of the essential components of Hanukkah is publicizing the miracle of the small bit of oil burning for eight days, and the triumph of the few against the many. As we bless the Hanukkah candles, may we help bring light into the world and dispel the darkness that hate seeks to highlight.

Marcia Bronstein is the director of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Philadelphia/Southern New Jersey.

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For me, Hanukkah has been a symbol of freedom. This year, Im thinking about anti-Semitism. | Opinion - The Philadelphia Inquirer

The nonprofit Freedom Forum which closed its Newseum in D.C. in 2019 has signed a lease for a permanent new home at The Wharf in Southwest D.C.

The nonprofit Freedom Forum which closed its Newseum in D.C. in 2019 and moved operations to a temporary home in D.C.s Americas Square has signed a lease for a permanent new home at The Wharf in Southwest D.C.

The Freedom Forum has signed a lease for 25,000 square feet on the third floor of a new waterfront office building at 610 Water St. SW. It will join news publication The Atlantic, which signed a lease for the majority of the building in 2020.

The Freedom Forum lease means the building is now fully leased nearly one year before it is completed.

The Newseum was home to the Freedom Forum from 2008 to 2019. It sold the building for more than $300 million in 2020 to Johns Hopkins University, which is currently converting the building for educational use. The Freedom Forum closed the Newseum after several years of unsustainable costs.

The Freedom Forums new headquarters will have office space and educational and conference center areas, as well as public spaces for discussions about First Amendment topics with digital media production technology.

The dynamic combination of flexible work and community spaces offer a variety of opportunities, both virtual and in person, to further our First Amendment mission, said Jan Neuharth, chair and CEO of the Freedom Forum.

610 Water Street, part of Phase 2 of The Wharf development, was designed by Morris Adjmi Architects. Its rotated glass structure appears to float above its concrete base. The five-story building was designed to look like a jewel box. It includes a 10,000-square-foot outdoor terrace, one of the largest office building terraces in D.C.

The Freedom Forum was founded in 1991 by USA Today newspaper founder Al Neuharth, with a mission to promote First Amendment freedoms.

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Freedom Forum finds new home at The Wharf - WTOP

The United States is fighting a worldwide war over freedom, and we are losing. This is not a struggle against a specific foe, like the war America just lost to the Taliban in Afghanistan or our victory over communism in the 1990s. Rather, it is a struggle in many countries over the very idea of a free society. America represents that ideal, and nearly all countries today pay lip service to it. But in fact, support for it is surprisingly weak.

According to Freedom House, the share of all nations that are democratic rose steadily from the 1970s, and especially after the defeat of communism, to almost half. But since the early 2000s, it has fallen. Freedom also requires a market economy in which interventions by the government are limited. But according to the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal, even limited economic freedom is now found in barely 60% of countries, and far more in the West than in the non-West.

Obviously, despite its recent victories, freedom is not sweeping all before it. The fundamental reason is the insecurity involved. When a society opens up, some individuals or groups may lose income or influence, even if others gain.

Most think democracy and capitalism have made us free and rich, so they arouse no general opposition. In Western Europe, support for free institutions also runs deep. Western governments do provide some social benefits to cushion citizens against economic losses, but politics and economics remain fundamentally open and competitive.

But in most non-Western countries, democracy exists more in form than substance. Autocrats have found ways to limit rights so that they stay in power even while holding elections. And fear of the market is often intense. Well-connected firms are often shielded from competitors by corruption or monopoly, while rules or subsidies protect the public against scarcities at great cost to overall wealth.

U.S. policymakers typically treat freedom as a universal value, so they oppose these curbs. But they ignore vast differences in the background. In the West, history has confirmed the value of freedom. Revolutions in Britain, France, and America created far freer and more democratic societies than before. Communist or fascist countries failed to compete. Even anti-racists who criticize America admit that there has been progress. The pressure for change has largely been bottom-up, with less-favored groups typically forcing regimes to expand access to influence and opportunity.

The non-West, however, has mostly had a different history. Long-standing elites have seldom been challenged. There hasnt been the same up-from-the-bottom pressure for change. Revolutions from below have been rare. Governments are less responsive to the people, even if they hold elections. Attempts to liberate markets have often proven divisive. The masses primarily seek stability rather than opportunity. If change occurs, elites have typically led it, and often in response to Western pressure.

Different histories ultimately reflect different cultures. Western countries take to freedom relatively easily because they have individualist societies in which people value the opportunities that freedom brings and tolerate its insecurities. Most people also support meritocracy, the idea that getting ahead should favor individuals who have the most ability, rather than just social connections. In the non-West, however, cultures have been much more cautious and passive. People react mostly to outside pressures rather than seeking personal goals. Competition is often unpopular. Freedom is seen less as an opportunity than a threat. The dominant goal is not progress but security.

Some non-Western countries have an individualist elite that seeks freedom and has often studied in the West. But most leaders and the bulk of the society remain attached to a much less free, more traditional way of life, and they typically prevail. In no poor country has the confident, individualist way of life penetrated nearly as deeply as it has in Europe or its offshoots, above all America.

Whereas Western commentators generally applaud freedom, some recent thinkers question it. Pankaj Mishra says that with freedom, only an elite gets rich while everyone else is insecure. Sebastian Junger defends the appeal of the tribes that existed in Native America before Europeans took over. These authors would return to a traditional society that gave everyone a secure place even if, to Western eyes, it is oppressive and unjust. The appeal of radical Islam in many poorer countries is precisely that it imposes order and resists any generalized liberation.

Historians say that the Wests bold and assertive culture is the main reason it has dominated the world in recent centuries, even though it comprises only about 15% of humanity. After World War II, Western statesmen set up new institutions to promote freer world trade. As tariffs and other restrictions fell, trade boomed and produced higher wealth worldwide. Trade has been a great victory for market economics.

But the globalized economy has not, as many imagine, meant any overall triumph for freedom. Even if poorer countries have accepted more open trade, many still resist any general opening up of their domestic politics or economies. Even when the U.S. or outside agencies offer aid for development, local elites seek to control it lest it threaten their positions. Western economists who advise these agencies are baffled by this resistance. They assume that an urge for wealth is universal, but the risks involved are simply too much for most societies.

It will be easier for the U.S. to defeat radical Islam than to challenge this deeper, broader resistance to freedom. To force greater opening on unwilling countries would likely cause internal turmoil and further waves of immigration to the West. The West must respect cultural difference while applying only modest pressure for change. Hard experience teaches that the will to build democracy or the market must be homegrown or it will fail.

Lawrence M.Meadis professor of politics at New York University and the author ofBurdens of Freedom: Cultural Difference and American Power. He hosts the Poverty and Culture podcast.

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The world culture war - Washington Examiner

This week, the Supreme Court began hearing arguments for Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization. The case centers around a Mississippi law that would ban almost all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The law was blocked by lower courts that ruled it violated the rights enshrined by the Supreme Courts ruling in Roe v. Wade in 1973, as well as in 1992s Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

Now, there are concerns those landmark cases are in danger of being overturned, with serious consequences for reproductive rights.

If the court rules to overturn Roe v. Wade, there will be 22 states that will act quickly to ban abortion in those states, said Jon Dunn, president and chief executive of Planned Parenthood, Orange and San Bernardino County. What that will mean is that woman who have been able to get abortion services in those states will have to go else where to get a safe and legal abortion.

There are also concerns that possible bans could pose a greater health risk to those seeking care in such states.

Dr. Janet Jacobson is the medical director and senior vice president of clinical services at Planned Parenthood of Orange & San Bernardino Counties.

(Courtesy of Planned Parenthood of Orange & San Bernardino Counties)

As an abortion provider, if Roe v. Wade falls, I am extremely worried about the health of women and pregnant people in states that will lose access to abortion, said Dr. Janet Jacobson, Planned Parenthood, Orange and San Bernardino Countys medical director and vice president of clinical services.

Jacobson said she expects that states like Texas, where abortion is restricted and maternal mortality rates are high, will only see an increase in deaths.

I am afraid if Roe v. Wade is overturned, more pregnant people will die because they cannot access abortion care, said Jacobson.

Planned Parenthood v. Casey enshrined the right to abortions nationwide, and the Planned Parenthood organization said it will continue to work to protect reproductive rights.

Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties is committed to ensuring that any woman, regardless of what state she lives in has access to the abortion services that she needs, said Dunn.

Dunn also said he is confident in Californias policys on reproductive freedom.

If Roe v. Wade is over turned, abortion will remain safe and legal in California, said Dunn, California is a reproductive freedom state so woman will be able to come to from other states to California to get a safe and legal abortion.

In addition to the continued offering of services, Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties also has plans for an intimate gathering of supporters on Jan. 22 in both San Bernardino and Orange County to raise awareness on the importance of reproductive rights, as well as a larger in-person Bans Off Abortion rally in the spring, closer to when the Supreme Court might issue a ruling.

It is shocking that as we enter 2022, we are still fighting the same fight for reproductive freedom in the United States, Dunn said. And it is appalling that despite the fact that the majority of Americans support the right to abortion that the folks in our legislature and in our courts are not willing to take the steps necessary to ensure their access to that care.

TimesOC reached out for comment from the Orange County branch of Pro-Life Future, an organization against abortion, but did not receive a reply by press deadline.

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Reproductive freedom: 'I am afraid if Roe v. Wade is overturned, more pregnant people will die' - Los Angeles Times