Author: JohnValbyNation

Stand-up comics come in a few varieties. Some you’d like to hang out with at a bar. Others you’d prefer to keep at a safe distance. A few perhaps you might like to get to know more intimately. Mike Birbiglia is the one you hope takes you to IKEA. The guy writes hymns to his…

Death Valley, which distinguishes itself as the “hottest, driest and lowest national park,” will notch its 25th year of park status with more than a week of free programs to teach visitors about the remarkable night sky, how reptiles and flowers adapt to the harsh desert, the geology of the landscape and more. The celebration…

I travel extensively and have rafted down the Grand Canyon six glorious times. I just read Edmund Vallance’s “100 Things That Make It Grand” [Oct. 20] and realized he left out one major item, Ferde Grofé’s “Grand Canyon Suite,” composed after Grofé made a journey there. I had a life-changing moment on one Grand Canyon…

The path to better photography is the same as a musician’s route to Carnegie Hall: practice, practice, practice. But these tips, hacks, ideas and tactics will get you there faster. I’ve collected them from photo staffers at the Los Angeles Times and several teachers over the years. Yet there are always exceptions. The better you…

If you thought real estate prices were already too damn high, please avert your eyes. This week’s collection takes a look at America’s newest most expensive home as well as your usual smattering of celebrity movers and shakers. Our Home of the Week is an unusual Montecito residence that was inspired by the architect who…

Dear Liz: I am 65 and retired. My husband has early dementia, so all financial issues are on me. Fortunately we are very well off. Besides a pension we have a trust, an IRA and a Roth that combined exceed $3 million. However, 60% of these assets are in stocks and the investment firm will…

Modern finance requires a lot of trust, and its digital future will demand still more. If, for example, electronic payments are to replace cash, people must be willing to believe that the bits of data traveling among phones, cards, terminals and blockchains actually represent something of value. So, will people believe? Judging from their growing…

OneLegacy, a large organ and human-tissue procurement group in Los Angeles, said in a news release last week that Los Angeles Times stories that mentioned its operations had inaccuracies that could create “unsubstantiated mistrust” in the donation system. The news release refers to a two-part investigation The Times published Oct. 13 and 14. That report…

New York-based fashion designer Cynthia Rowley heeded the uplifting message from Dr. Seuss’ children’s book “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” and traveled to downtown Los Angeles for a one-of-a-kind experience that combined fashion, dance, shopping and art. “Doesn’t everyone love Dr. Seuss?” Rowley asked Wednesday night as a crowd of about 300 people started trickling…

Asked by Los Angeles Philharmonic Chief Executive Chad Smith to lead a toast to take the L.A. Phil into the next century, Gustavo Dudamel raised a glass to all those seated in the Music Center plaza, saluting the musicians, board members, L.A. Phil’s leadership past and present, the children of Youth Orchestra Los Angeles and…