Elon Musk will have to go to trial in December after a federal judge rebuffed his latest request to throw out a defamation lawsuit filed by a British cave diver Musk referred to as a “pedo guy.”

U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson in Los Angeles on Monday ruled that a jury will have to decide whether Musk was negligent for failing to check that statements he made in his tweets and “off-the-record” emails were true. The Tesla CEO’s accusations, the judge said, were not germane to any public controversy involving Vernon Unsworth, which might have entitled him to a free-speech defense.

The burden of proof for negligence is lower than that for actual malice, Unsworth’s lawyer Lin Wood said after the hearing. Unsworth will have to persuade the jury by a preponderance of evidence rather than clear and convincing evidence, which will make it easier for the panel to find Musk liable for defamation, Wood said.

Whether Musk acted with malice could still be used in seeking punitive damages, Wood said.

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“We look forward to the trial,” Alex Spiro, an attorney for Musk, said in a statement. “We understand that, while Musk has apologized, Unsworth would like to milk his 15 minutes of fame.”

Musk started his public spat with Unsworth last year after the caver said in an interview on CNN that a mini-submarine Musk had sent to Thailand to help in a rescue of a group of boys trapped in a cave was a “PR stunt.” Unsworth added that Musk could “stick his submarine where it hurts.”

Musk responded by calling Unsworth a “pedo guy” in a tweet and a “child rapist” in an email to a BuzzFeed reporter.

Wilson wasn’t persuaded by arguments from Musk’s attorney at Monday’s hearing, Robert Schwartz, that any alleged pedophilia was somehow relevant to the question of whether Musk’s submarine might have worked in the rescue or was a public relations stunt.

“You’re saying his being a pedophile is germane to the issue whether Musk had sincere motivation,” Wilson said. “That seems a bit of a stretch.”

The judge said he would issue a written ruling later. However, by throwing out Musk’s 1st Amendment defense that he was engaging with a public figure in a public controversy, Unsworth doesn’t have to prove Musk acted with actual malice to win his defamation claim.

The case took a new twist this month after court documents showed that Musk, after his initial tweets in July 2018, had hired a private investigator to dig up dirt about Unsworth. It turned out the detective was a convicted con man.

Musk then sent an off-the-record email to a BuzzFeed reporter in which he said Unsworth had married a 12-year-old child bride in Thailand. Unsworth says that’s not what the investigator told Musk.

Unsworth said in court filings that he met his Thai wife in London when she was age 32. The caver also scoffed at Musk’s defense that he didn’t intend for his off-the-record email to be published.

Unsworth said Musk “admitted that he wanted the information published whether true or false, and told the reporter that publication is ‘up to you.”’

One day in late August, in the final stretch of summer, Katie Holmes stopped internet traffic when she stepped out in New York City dressed in a sumptuously sleeved cashmere cardigan. Buttoned haphazardly at the navel and draped off of a shoulder, it revealed not just a sweep of collarbone and a peek of midriff but a matching cashmere bralette in the same crisp shade of barley.

The actress’ look caused a social media frenzy. All weekend, international fashion publications from Vogue to Grazia created “shop the look” features. Instagram feeds jammed with the image. “I saw Katie Holmes wearing a cashmere bra so I bought a cashmere bra,” read Dubai-based Savoir Flair’s caption, just after the bra in question, Khaite’s cashmere Eda Bralette, sold out within an hour despite costing $520.

Holmes had unofficially kicked off what the fall runways deemed the season of ambitious knitwear. If sweaters for fall sounds like an eye-rolling suggestion, think again. These are no mere bourgeois crewnecks meant to bolster wardrobes against dipping temperatures but weaves of wool, cashmere and upcycled cotton in constructions so complex and executions so luxurious, they only narrowly meet the categorical requirements of a sweater.

Take, for example, Joseph Altuzarra’s hybrid confections for his 10th-anniversary collection, in which a Fair Isle yoke gives way to a zebra-print coat, cable-knit sleeves flank biker jackets and blazers and fisherman knit vests transform into glistening plissé lamé skirts in silver and gold. Or the sophisticated knits that define Céline alumnus Daniel Lee’s debut for Bottega Veneta. And British designer Jonathan Anderson served unencumbered femininity in sweaters of every weight (heavy-ply austere gray tunics, gossamer-thin ruffled sweater dresses, and paisley and striped sweaters punkishly braided, belted or knotted) at his fall/winter show.

In the midst of political, economic and environmental anxiety, the desire to cloak oneself in temperature-controlled wardrobes of the softest materials seems the most natural self-soothing response. But it’s not the sweater revival’s only impetus. The seemingly unprecedented interest in knitwear has been building in Los Angeles for years.

Among L.A.-bred or -based designers, the groundswell began in 2008, the year Rodarte founders Kate and Laura Mulleavy released cobwebby twin sets made with loose weaves of threads so delicate they threatened to disintegrate on the wearer. It was also the year that fashion outsider Greg Chait shipped his first collection of Baja sweaters upgraded from their head-shop brethren by hand-knit cashmere so exquisite, they would go on to win the designer the CFDA/Vogue award in 2012, beating out the better-known Wes Gordon and Tabitha Simmons.

Launched alongside the financial crash, Chait’s brand, the Elder Statesman, experienced unlikely success, which the designer credits to the unwavering value of his material of choice, cashmere. “It’s measurable! It’s like gold — there are levels,” said Chait. “24 karat gold is a lot more pure than 18 karat gold. Cashmere is measured by micron count.” Chait’s sweaters are hand-knit and hand-dyed at his new 2,000-square-foot downtown L.A. studio with the world’s best cashmere, sourced from India and Italy. The results are seemingly straightforward pieces with familiar themes (tie-dye, the California flag, a head-fake “Marlboro” logo that actually reads “Meditate”) that carry unmatched value you can feel and see — especially in the price tag. An Elder Statesman sweater can cost upward of $2,000. “In a world where everything’s so confusing and you don’t know what anything is, people want something they can understand,” said Chait.

People also want something they can wear — often. For all of the flash-in-the-pan glitz in today’s fashion, it’s the practical pieces that women respond to en masse. Elder Statesman was borne of Chait’s love of cashmere but it’s the sweaters’ relevance to their wearers’ lives that kept him, and soon others, churning them out. “It’s dry here. We’re in the desert. For at least 300 days a year, you need a sweater,” said Chait. “We don’t have overcoats in California, so a sweater is a really versatile piece.”

Catherine Holstein, the designer behind Holmes’ viral “bra-digan,” could be pinned with a similar inspiration point: Year after year, the California-born designer’s collections elevate the staples of a West Coast wardrobe (denim, shirting and sweaters). The cropped V-neck cashmere cardigan the brand launched in 2018 became a similarly viral success when it was worn by fellow Angeleno Bella Hadid.

This is the city that birthed the cashmere sweatsuit, popularized by local designers high and low, including Baja East and Monrow, and the celebrities who fly in them. And the native urge to wear sweaters is not lost on newcomers: When vintage collector and street-style star Natalie Joos arrived in L.A. in 2016, she discovered an insatiable yen for the perfect fitted layering piece. Vintage Courrèges sweaters came close but they were “too short, not stretchy enough, and a little bit scratchy,” said Joos. After a year of searching, she set out to make some for herself under the label JoosTricot: peachskin (a supple blend of silk cotton and nylon plated in Lycra) mock turtlenecks, T-shirts and long-sleeve crewnecks made to stand on their own or sneak beneath a dress, blazer or shirt. “I think those sweaters are perfect for L.A. because it does get chilly — you can still be sexy but you’re covered,” she said.

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“Knitwear is timelessly Californian,” agreed Katherine Kleveland, cofounder of Dôen, the brand favored by Topanga supermodels, celebrity doulas and rock-star royalty. Dôen has come to define the coastal Californian aesthetic to the international style set — particularly with the trademark knubby sweaters they turn out and sell out of each season. This fall’s oversized alpaca cable-knit cardigan in an earthy shade of cinnamon has already sold out, with a cropped, pompom-smattered mint green version set to drop shortly. “We just design what we want to wear,” said Kleveland of Dôen’s design ethos.

Sweaters from Dôen, the Elder Statesman, Khaite, the Row and JoosTricot are interchangeable season to season, with each designer’s collections blending seamlessly into one cohesive aesthetic. It’s an enticing concept in amongst the ugly truths of fast fashion. “I’m so allergic to doing something and moving on from it and never seeing it again,” said Chait, whose point of pride lies in making products that will last aesthetically and physically. “We’re not making clothes for the sake of making clothes,” echoed Dôen cofounder Margaret Kleveland. “It’s this freedom of not having to exist in that trend cycle.”

How they’re made also speaks to their luxury. While big businesses scramble to attract Gen Z consumers with efforts to humanize the production and distribution of their goods, both Elder Statesman and Dôen have set a new bar for transparency. These labels often document and publish every aspect of their production. “We’re super thoughtful and intentional in our sourcing, partnering with sources and producers who share our values,” said Katherine Kleveland. Dôen produces sweaters in Peru, knitted by a group of local women artisans who use alpaca wool from animals that are protected by the government. “It’s only shorn once a year,” added Margaret Kleveland. “The quality of raw materials and integrity of the people doing the work is at the highest level in Peru.”

PARIS — 

For Georges Salines, whose 28-year-old daughter Lola was killed when Islamic extremists went on a bloody rampage in Paris in 2015, the death of the man who inspired the attack brought a welcome “sense of satisfaction.”

But like other survivors and families of victims of the militant group Islamic State, Salines stressed that the death of its leader, Abu Bakr Baghdadi, does not mean the fight against terrorism is over.

“It would have been even better if Al-Baghdadi could have been captured and sent to trial,” Salines told the Associated Press. “That was probably impossible. We knew that for a long time.”

Baghdadi was responsible for directing and inspiring attacks by his followers around the world. In Iraq and Syria, he steered his organization into committing acts of brutality on a mass scale: massacres of his opponents; beheadings and stonings that were broadcast to a shocked audience on the internet; and the kidnapping and enslavement of women.

His death was announced Sunday by President Trump, who said Baghdadi detonated an explosives vest while being pursued by U.S. forces in Syria, killing himself and three of his children. It was another major blow to the Islamic State group, which in March was routed by U.S. and Kurdish forces from the last part of its self-declared caliphate that once spanned a swath of Iraq and Syria at its height.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Nov. 13, 2015, attacks on Paris cafes, the national stadium and the Bataclan concert hall that left 130 people dead, including Lola Salines and Thomas Duperron, 30.

Duperron’s father, Philippe, who is president of the French victims association 13onze15, which takes its name from the date of the attacks, said Baghdadi’s death was “not bad news.”

“One major player of the Islamic State group’s actions has disappeared,” he told AP, although he said that his group would not express joy at any death.

A trial of suspects in the Paris attacks is expected to begin in 2021. French prosecutors said this month that the judicial investigation of the attacks has ended and that 1,740 plaintiffs have joined the proceedings. Fourteen people have been charged in the case, including Salah Abdeslam, the only surviving suspect of the group of assailants.

French magistrates had recently issued an international arrest warrant for Baghdadi in a counter-terrorism investigation for “heading or organizing a criminal terrorist conspiracy.”

Arthur Denouveaux, a Bataclan survivor and president of the Life for Paris victims group, told the French newspaper Le Parisien that we, “the victims, are not seeking revenge … but a desire for justice.”

Baghdadi’s death is “symbolically is a major blow to the operational capacities” of Islamic State, he said.

“It is essential to continue the fight for the security of the region and also of European countries,” Denouveaux added.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for three suicide bombings in Brussels on March 22, 2016, that killed 32 people at its airport and in a metro station. Philippe Vansteenkiste, who lost his sister in the airport bombing and went on to become director of V-Europe, an association of victims of those attacks, said he knows the fight is not over.

“This is a new step in the fight against Daesh, but I’m not naive,” Vansteenkiste said, using a derisive Arabic acronym for the militant group. “Their spiritual leader has been hit, but Daesh and many sleeping cells still exist, either in Syria or in our country.”

The parents of Steven Sotloff, an American-Israeli journalist who was killed by Islamic State, thanked Trump and the U.S. forces that conducted the raid that led to Baghdadi’s death.

“While the victory will not bring our beloved son Steven back to us, it is a significant step in the campaign against ISIS,” Shirley Sotloff told reporters at their Florida home, using another acronym for the militant group.

In 2014 and 2015, the militants held more than 20 Western hostages in Syria and tortured many of them. The group beheaded seven U.S., British and Japanese journalists and aid workers and a group of Syrian soldiers. Sotloff was among them.

In Jordan, Safi Kasasbeh, whose son was slain by Islamic State after being captured in 2014, said he was “very happy” to learn of Baghdadi’s death.

“I wished that I killed him with my bare hands,” Kasasbeh said. “This was one of my dreams, if not to be the one who kills him, at least to witness the moment when he gets killed. But Allah didn’t want that to happen.”

Moaz Kasasbeh was a fighter pilot who was captured by Islamic State militants after being shot down while fighting in a U.S.-led coalition in Syria. The militants locked him in a cage and burned him to death, and later broadcast video of his death on the internet.

In Syria and Iraq, among the main victims of Baghdadi’s organization, residents expressed relief at the demise of the man who presided over the self-styled caliphate.

In the Iraqi city of Mosul, still in ruins two years after it was liberated from Islamic State, there was no closure.

“His death is a fraction of the sins and misdeeds he inflicted on the victims who lost their lives in the Old City area and whose bodies until now are still under the rubble. All because of him and his organization,” said resident Mudhir Abdul Qadir.

“We hope that the culture of Al-Baghdadi’s and Daesh is killed forever…. Killing this culture is the real victory,” said Mehdi Sultan, a government employee in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

Like others, however, he was not optimistic. “One Al-Baghdadi goes out, another comes in. It’s the same old story.”

Perhaps nowhere is Baghdadi more reviled than among Iraq’s Yazidis, who are still unable to return home or locate hundreds of women and children kidnapped and enslaved by Islamic State five years ago. The Yazidis are followers of an ancient religion with ties to Zoroastrianism.

The militants rampaged through northern Iraq’s Sinjar region in August 2014, destroying villages and religious sites, kidnapping thousands of women and children, and trading them in modern-day slavery. The United Nations called the attacks genocide.

Nadia Murad, a Yazidi woman who was among those kidnapped and enslaved, welcomed the news of Baghdadi’s death.

“Al-Baghdadi died as he lived — a coward using children as a shield. Let today be the beginning of the global fight to bring ISIS to justice,” she tweeted.

Murad, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for her activism against genocide and sexual violence, called for all those Islamic State members captured alive to be brought to justice in an open court for the world to see.

“We must unite and hold ISIS terrorists accountable in the same way the world tried the Nazis in an open court at the Nuremberg trials,” she wrote.

Associated Press writers Samuel Petrequin in Brussels; Josef Federman in Jerusalem; Omar Akour in Al-Karak, Jordan; Salar Salim in Irbil, Iraq; and Ali Abdul-Hassan in Baghdad contributed to this report.

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When a wildfire burns, every parent’s first thought is to protect their kids. But scroll through the internet, or browse local hardware stores, and you’ll have surprising difficulty finding a respirator mask from a reputable brand designed for infants and small children.

That’s because they don’t exist. While certified “N95” or “P100” masks can filter smoke and ash particles and improve air quality for adults, they are not designed for children.

So what should you do? First, do not buy an adult-sized mask in the hope that it may protect your child.

“They do not fit properly and can impede breathing,” according to the California Department of Public Health.

Some masks do come in smaller sizes, but they will probably be too large to form a tight enough seal around a small child’s nose and mouth to ensure protection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health does not certify any childrens’ respirator masks.

Pediatricians warn that masks may also offer parents a false sense of security, encouraging them to spend more time outdoors exposing their children to hazardous smoke.

The Times is offering coverage of the Getty fire for free today. Please consider a subscription to support our journalism.

“Parents can feel like their child has a mask on and is being protected, but the air that’s leaking around the sides of the mask is not being filtered because it doesn’t fit properly,” said Nelson Branco, a Marin County pediatrician who is on the governing board of the American Academy of Pediatrics, California. “There are lots of sites on Amazon and local sites that will sell you masks for children, but in general, we don’t recommend people get the over-the-counter masks, because they don’t tend to work very well.”

While some experts warn that ill-fitting masks can actually obstruct airflow and hamper breathing, Branco said masks are unlikely to cause serious breathing problems. But, he said, many children could find them uncomfortable, which could cause other problems.

“If the mask does not fit well or function, it may create anxiety for the child wearing it,” he said.

Short-term exposure to wildfire smoke, Branco stressed, should not harm most children who do not have asthma or an underlying lung disease.

“Personally, I like to decrease people’s anxiety, and a temporary exposure, for most children who are healthy, is not going to lead to long-term issues,” Branco said. “Typically, it takes long-term exposure — living in a highly polluted city like New Delhi or Manila, where the air quality index is always over 150 — or an underlying lung disease for there to be a significant problem.”

More fire coverage

Still, there are a range of measures parents can take to protect children.

Pulmonologists and pediatricians advise parents to log on to www.AirNow.gov to track air quality. If the air quality exceeds 150 on the air quality index, parents should make sure children, particularly those with asthma or other respiratory diseases, remain indoors as much as possible, with doors and windows closed. That simple measure, the California Department of Public Health advises, can reduce exposure to air pollution by a third or more.

According to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, children can face particular health risks from exposure to wildfire smoke and ash, because their lungs are still growing. Symptoms can include chest pain and tightness, nose, throat and eye burning, as well as wheezing, coughing, dizziness.
The agency advises parents to prepare in advance by creating a “clean room” (an indoor space with few windows and doors), investing in a portable air cleaner they can use in this room and stocking up on food, medicine and essential supplies.

During a wildfire, parents should encourage their kids to avoid strenuous activities and keep them indoors, with the doors and windows closed, and pay attention to local news and public health warnings.

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If you have an air conditioning system, run it with the fresh-air intake closed to keep smoky outdoor air from getting inside.

If not, consider leaving your area if your child has health conditions that may place them at a higher risk. Either head to a local clean-air shelter or a public building with air conditioning or seeking shelter at a friend or relative’s home.

MELBOURNE, Australia — 

An Australian judge sentenced a man to 36 years in prison on Tuesday for the murder and rape of an Israeli student in the city of Melbourne.

Victoria state Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Hollingworth ordered Codey Herrmann, 21, to serve at least 30 years behind bars for his crimes against 21-year-old Aiia Maasarwe in January.

Herrmann had pleaded guilty to repeatedly beating Maasarwe with a metal pole, sexually assaulting her and setting her on fire in the attack.

“Women should be free to walk the streets alone without fear of being violently attacked by a stranger,” Hollingworth said. “She had no opportunity to flee or escape.”

The victim had been studying at La Trobe University in Melbourne for five months as an exchange student from Shanghai University in China.

She was on her way home from a comedy club to her student accommodation on the campus when she was attacked shortly after stepping from a tram.

Maasarwe’s relatives sobbed in the public gallery as the judge recounted details of the killing.

“It was a savage attack with a crude but effective weapon which immediately rendered her unconscious,” the judge said, noting Maasarwe had been alone and unsuspecting.

He then set her body on fire to destroy evidence, which “showed utter contempt of her dignity,” the judge said.

Prosecutors had applied for the killer to be imprisoned for life. But Herrmann’s lawyer, Tim Marsh, told the court his client deserved some leniency because he had a personality disorder stemming from a severely traumatic childhood and this had warped his view of the world.

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Here are the stories you shouldn’t miss today:

TOP STORIES

Fire Knows No Boundaries

As Californians have learned time and again, wildfires don’t discriminate. They consume.

Up north, the massive Kincade fire in Sonoma County wine country has destroyed 123 structures, including 57 homes, since starting a week ago. With some of the strongest winds of the season expected to hit much of California this week, residents who fled their homes are bracing for more fear and uncertainty, while millions of others face prolonged power outages.

Down south, firefighters in Los Angeles have struggled to control a fire near the Getty Center that destroyed eight homes and damaged five in Brentwood. Housekeepers and gardeners reported for work, as thousands of people were ordered to evacuate some of the priciest enclaves on Earth. Museum officials reported the artwork was safe.

More About the Fires

— L.A. and Bay Area residents are breathing the smoke. That has led schools and others to take precautions.

— The same areas of California keep catching on fire. What about limits on home building?

— Be prepared: How you can get ready for wildfires.

Impeachment Inquiry Update: A Vote Looms

House Democrats have decided to hold a formal vote on impeachment proceedings against President Trump, a step they had resisted for several weeks, and one that will provide the first public test of sentiment in the House on the divisive issue. The vote could come as early as Thursday.

Enough Democrats have publicly said that they support the inquiry, which has been underway since late September, that the outcome is not significantly in doubt. But each side will be watching to see how many defections the other suffers.

The news comes as Alexander Vindman, a military officer at the National Security Council, plans to testify today that he twice raised concerns over the Trump administration’s push to have Ukraine investigate Democrats and Joe Biden. On Monday, former national security official Charles Kupperman defied a House subpoena to appear.

More Politics

— Democratic Rep. Katie Hill’s decision to resign from Congress has given Republicans an unexpected chance to recapture her House district on the northern edge of the Los Angeles suburbs, but Trump’s unpopularity in California will make it a steep challenge for the GOP.

— Former Gov. Jerry Brown will testify before Congress today about the damage the Trump administration’s plans to roll back auto emission standards could do to California.

— How much will Trump benefit from the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr Baghdadi during a U.S. raid? Normally, it would help a president, but of course it’s not that easy. Meanwhile, Trump tweeted a photo of a military dog hurt during the operation. The dog’s name is classified.

When an Extension Isn’t an ‘Extension’

The Trump administration has extended temporary protected status for thousands of Salvadorans in the United States, granting them reprieve from removal to El Salvador. But as with many things in Washington these days, it’s complicated.

El Salvador’s president touted the move on Twitter as a victory for his newly elected administration. Trump administration officials painted a different picture, attempting to limit the scope of the extension. Acting head of Citizenship and Immigration Services Ken Cuccinelli said the status was not being extended at all.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES

It’s a South Bay tradition that goes back to 1952: Every year, a 3.3-million-gallon orange storage tank at a refinery in Wilmington gets a Halloween makeover as Smilin’ Jack with a 73-foot-long smile and 18-foot-tall eyes. And as this story from 1995 noted, “If it were filled with pumpkin meat, there would be enough to make 26,800,000 pumpkin pies.”

CALIFORNIA

— The L.A. County district attorney’s office says it will review questions surrounding an apartment rented by the son of City Councilman Herb Wesson at a building linked to a Koreatown real estate developer.

— Buddy, can you spare $100 million? Los Angeles City Hall, facing a potential triple-digit deficit largely tied to recent labor agreements with the city’s police, fire and other unions, could soon implement a sweeping savings plan.

— Former San Francisco Dist. Atty. George Gascon will challenge Jackie Lacey to become L.A. County’s top prosecutor next year. The contest could test the political mood for criminal justice reform.

— Does Little Saigon in Orange County have the best Vietnamese food in the country?

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

— As new wildfires burn, two documentaries come to television to mark the anniversary of the Nov. 8, 2018, Camp fire, the deadliest wildfire in California history.

— Hollywood producer Robert Evans has died at 89. Even as his contemporaries and fans saluted him, Evans’ checkered past did not go unnoticed in death.

— TV critic Lorraine Ali looks at the rare occasion of a U.S. president being booed at the World Series and how Trump’s strategy has come back to bite him.

— For the L.A. Phil’s 100th anniversary, Zubin Mehta, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Gustavo Dudamel got together for some epic concerts.

NATION-WORLD

— North Carolina judges have blocked the state’s congressional map from being used in the 2020 elections, ruling that voters had a strong likelihood of winning a lawsuit that argued Republicans unlawfully manipulated district lines for partisan gain.

— Kurdish and Turkish forces are jockeying for position in Syria ahead of a deadline for the Kurds to withdraw from the border.

— Britain got Brexit breathing space but no clarity when the European Union granted a three-month delay to the U.K.’s departure from the bloc.

— The locals knew him as Abu Mohammed Salama, a friendly but quiet animal feed wholesaler. So they were surprised to learn about his secret life harboring Abu Bakr Baghdadi, the founder of Islamic State.

BUSINESS

–– Automatic renewals of subscriptions and memberships — the gym, Amazon Prime, streaming services — have become crucial to many industries, but they may not be the most consumer-friendly, writes columnist David Lazarus.

— The historic Dutch Chocolate Shop, a quirky L.A. art treasure long obscured from public view, may soon be seen again. The building that houses the long-shuttered restaurant is for sale, which could set the table for a revival by a new owner.

SPORTS

— Experts are concerned about a race horse drug treatment for which there are no rules, one used on some horses before they start racing, that might lead to more breakdowns and serious injuries.

— UCLA football coach Chip Kelly has an explanation for his team’s abysmal start given its recent surge.

OPINION

— Climate change has set California on fire. Are you paying attention?

— “Fifty years ago, I helped invent the internet. How did it go so wrong?”

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

— Since 2014, at least 45,000 Afghan soldiers and police officers have been killed in Afghanistan. The fatality rate is comparable to America’s at the height of the Vietnam War. (The New Yorker)

— Atty. Gen. William S. Barr defended the independence and integrity of a probe being led by U.S. Atty. John Durham into the handling of the Russia investigation, while taking a swipe at James Comey’s past leadership of the FBI. (Fox News)

— The curious case of an 1875 map that imagined the U.S as a giant hog. (Atlas Obscura)

ONLY IN L.A.

“Urban Death: Tour of Terror” by Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Group is not for the faint of heart. It has violence, nudity and graphic depictions of rape, suicide, addiction and other more abstract horrors. But the show has built a cult-like following over the last 14 years. One repeat customer says she enjoys leaving with the feeling of “always trying to figure out what the hell I just saw.”

If you like this newsletter, please share it with friends. Comments or ideas? Email us at [email protected].

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There are many strands to hair as a form of political expression. In the 1920s, flapper-era freedom was expressed in the shingle bobs of the Bloomsbury Set and cosmopolite Eton crop of Josephine Baker. In the 1960s, the afro of civil rights activist Angela Davis came to symbolise the movement. In the 1980s, punks with spiked mohawks spearheaded the anti-establishment aesthetic. In 2014, fashion designer Vivienne Westwood (above) shaved off her hair to draw awareness to climate change while in 2015, actor Rose McGowan cut hers, explaining in her memoir, , that she no longer wanted to look like a “fantasy fuck toy”. McGowan went on to help push forward the #MeToo movement in 2017, after alleging she was raped by Harvey Weinstein at the Sundance Film Festival in 1997. 

“Hair has been used as an expression of politics and personal beliefs since the earliest times, and we see examples of it time and again in diverse cultures across the globe,” hair historian Rachael Gibson (@thehairhistorian) tells . “Afro styles became intrinsically linked with civil rights, as natural hair came to be viewed as an important symbol of the movement and its ‘black is beautiful’ ethos; skinheads represented rebellion and rejection of traditionally accepted social aesthetics in the 1980s; and the hair powder tax of 1786 led to mass rejection of wigs for men and brought in a new movement of short, natural hairstyles. Hair has always provided a visual shorthand for something deeper.”

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The hair-dye rebellion 
Hair colour can highlight causes, too. When Nadya Tolokonnikova, member of punk band Pussy Riot, was arrested in Moscow’s Bolotnaya Square in 2015, her hair was dyed partially green to match the Russian prison uniform she wore, protesting on behalf of incarcerated women. In the UK this October, Bleach London dyed a black Extinction Rebellion symbol into the acid yellow buzzcut (which matched the hi-visibility vests worn by the surrounding police force) of a protester. The now globally recognised Extinction Rebellion logo represents earth, with a central hourglass to indicate that time is running out for the planet. 

“Unlike fashion, hair is generally more of an accessible route into a trend or visual representation of the group you identify with,” says Gibson. “You might not have been able to afford a Vivienne Westwood outfit, but a Bic razor and some cheap hair dye did the same job of showing the world you are aligned with the punk movement.”

“Hair can also be used as a literal canvas for political beliefs,” Gibson continues. “In the 18th century, French women were sporting model boats and flags in their wigs to show support and allegiance in military battles.” At the Academy Awards 2018, Best Actress nominee Meryl Streep wore a #TimesUp pin nestled in the nape of her chignon (above), signalling support for the movement against sexual harassment.

The post-Trump haircut et al 
Hair can speak volumes. A 2016 feature by The Cut titled documented a prevalence of hair transformations following his election as president, with women discarding softer styles and blonder highlights for dark, drastic cuts. “When you see that much blonde hair on the floor, you know something is going on,” Nicole Butler, creative director at Daniel’s Salon in Washington told the publication. “It was like a mass declaration of independence.” 

The long hair of hippies in the 1970s also reflected rebellion and protest. “Young people growing their hair long in the 1970s, as the Vietnam war raged on, were not only defying the neat, groomed styles of their parents, they were also distancing themselves from conflict with hair that was in stark contrast to clean-cut, uniform, military styles.”

In Frida Kahlo’s (1940), the shorn artist is depicted holding scissors with a severed braid and locks of hair strewn across the floor, and the lyrics of a Mexican song above: “Look, if I loved you it was because of your hair. Now that you are without hair, I don’t love you anymore.” MoMa art critics suggest it symbolised her newfound autonomy, after vowing to support herself financially following her divorce from artist Diego Rivera in 1939. 

“Hair comes weighted with a great deal of emotion and identity, often created by wider society rather than the wearer,” says Gibson. “For example, it wasn’t until relatively recent history (circa 1920s) that women were allowed to have any variation on long hair or to be seen in public with their hair loose. Women were expected to grow their hair and wear it long, as a sign of their femininity and subsequent worth as a wife and mother. This is why, when women started to cut their hair short in the 1920s, it caused widespread scandal. Indeed, such was the ownership of men over women’s appearances, fathers even attempted to bring criminal charges against hairdressers cutting their daughters’ hair short without their permission. We see this again in more modern times, when Vidal Sassoon’s ‘wash-and-wear’ bobs of the 1960s freed women from a long, weekly salon trip — thus allowing them time to work or otherwise spend their own time.”

Fighting for social change  
A 2016 study by Perception Institute confirmed that black women with natural hair experience bias in the workplace, which followed the case of Chastity Jones, who in 2010 had an Alabama job offer rescinded after she refused to cut her dreadlocks. Earlier this year — on the back of several more lawsuits — New York City and California banned racial discrimination based on hair. The new guidelines released by the New York City Commission on Human Rights in February asserts the rights of people to have “natural hair, treated or untreated hairstyles such as locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, fades, Afros, and/or the right to keep hair in an uncut or untrimmed state.” 

Recently, it’s the expense of New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s haircut and colour that has gained column inches, but styles worn by those opposing power has come at a far greater price. On International Women’s Day this year (March 8), three unveiled women in Iran peacefully protested their country’s compulsory hijab laws, gifting flowers to female passengers on a metro train in Tehran. A video of them went viral, and on July 31 2019, Monireh Arabshahi, her daughter Yasaman Aryani and Mojgan Keshavarz were sentenced to 55 years in prison between them for charges including “encouraging and providing for corruption and prostitution”. 

This follows on from the case of Nasrin Sotoudeh, the Iranian human rights lawyer who, her family said, was sentenced to 38 years in prison and 148 lashes in March for supporting the same cause. Vida Movahed was detained in 2017, waving her white headscarf on a stick, while standing on a utility box in the busy Revolution Street in Tehran. This prompted more women to rise up, and subsequently be arrested; #TheGirlsofRevolutionStreet is viewed as Iran’s #MeToo. On September 2, 29-year-old Sahar Khodayari set herself on fire outside a Tehran court after learning that she could be imprisoned for six months for attempting to enter a football stadium – where women are banned – dressed as a man. She died of her injuries one week later.

Gender politics and hair
In Afghanistan, the secret practice of disguising girls as boys for both freedom and family status, is called “bacha posh” (“dressed up as a boy”), and was documented by Swedish investigative journalist Jenny Nordberg in her book, . “A family without a son is seen as weak and with no prospects for the parents’ future, whereas sons and men are both viewed as, and function as, a currency and measure of strength in a largely lawless society,” Nordberg tells. “The first thing that turning an Afghan girl into a ‘bacha posh’ requires is a haircut. In the words of Azita [Rafat], the Afghan parliamentarian whose youngest daughter came to pass as a boy, it was fairly straightforward for her six-year-old: a trip to the barber, a pair of jeans and a shirt, and a tweak of the name from ‘Manoush’ to the more masculine-sounding ‘Mehran’.” 

Her family came to appreciate the advantages that came with passing as a boy in the strictly gender-segregated culture of Afghanistan. “She was allowed to play sports, ride a bike and to ride in the passenger seat next to her father, who basked in pride at having what looked like a son beside him. Mehran was even able to escort her sisters around the neighbourhood, where all the girls gained more freedom of movement through the appearance of having a boy in the family. A haircut in some countries is a small price to pay for women and girls to be able to walk out the door. ”

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29th Oct 2019

Delicate heels, soft sandals and suede boots come and go, but inclement weather—and the need for stylish shoes that will withstand it—remains a fashion constant. For Riccardo Tisci, who helms British heritage brand Burberry based in London (where frequent rain is par for the course), solving this dilemma stylishly is front of mind, occasioning the house’s introduction of their newest Arthur sneakers. 

Inspired by Arthur Wellesley the 1st Duke of Wellington, from whose name Wellington boots were derived and popularised, Burberry has unveiled a rainboot-cum-sneaker hybrid to conquer the street, or the sea, as part of its autumn/winter ’19/’20 Tempest collection inspired by Britain’s maritime history.

The sneaker—which is available in a number of colourways including red, white, leopard and grey to name a few, as well as Burberry’s classic check and revitalised monogram conceived by Tisci—riffs on galoshes with its rubber details, and hiking boots from which it takes its shape.  

Functional yet fashionable, the sneaker is also intended to be worn on the street, evoking the recent shift witnessed at fashion weeks the world over from high heels to sneakers. It springs to mind Tisci’s aesthetic immediately, and will no doubt become a signature synonymous with his legacy at the house. Shot for Burberry’s campaign and styled with delicate dresses, suits and tailored trousers, the waterproof shoe is clearly equally practical as it is versatile, infusing outfits with an athletic bent and masculine sensibility to balance out feminine silhouettes. 

Whether conquering the great outdoors or simply looking for a comfortable alternative with 9 to 5 longevity, the Arthur sneaker, which retails from $1180, lends itself well as a trusty, weatherproof alternative to have in one’s stable, come rain, runway or shine. 

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The spring racing carnival is a social highlight every year and there’s no better way to enjoy this fabulous event and, indeed, this time of year, than gathering a group of friends together either at the track or at home for a stylish trackside celebration or spring carnival-focussed lunch, dinner or early evening aperitif.

Whether hosting an upscale Melbourne Cup lunch with friends in the comfort of your own home or donning a new season race-appropriate look and heading out to the track for one of the many thrilling race days, it’s a marvellous time of year from any point of view.

Of course, any spring racing carnival social gathering or outing is instantly made when it includes sublime sips and delicious nosh. While the noshing options are best left up to the chef or host, the cocktail component is resoundingly catered for by the enduringly popular, brightly-hued, Italian apéritif, Aperol.

With a heritage that goes back 100 years—Aperol was introduced in 1919 in Padua, Italy by brothers Luigi and Silvio Barbieri, who had spent seven years perfecting the apéritif’s recipe—combined with its modern, Instagram-friendly iteration favoured by the hosts of the chicest soirées in the form of the Aperol Spritz, it makes sense that this racing season it’s the celebratory cocktail on everyone’s must-sip list, including influencer Steffanie Tzaneros and her well-heeled friends.

“I always look forward to the spring racing season, it’s such a fun time of year to get really dressed up and celebrate with good friends!” Tzaneros told Vogue. “This year I will be heading to Flemington for Derby Day, which is one of my favourite days of the spring racing week, and then for Melbourne Cup day I will be attending a beautiful girls luncheon in Sydney! I have no doubt that my friends and I will be sipping on an Aperol Spritz on both occasions as it is always our favourite celebratory cocktail!”

In the past, Aperol has traditionally been associated with summer, in large part thanks to its vibrant orange hue, but more recently, the Italian apéritif has become the consummate host or hostess’s ideal addition to any social gathering at any time of the year and a go-to drink for any celebratory event, including during spring racing season or while on vacation.

“Aperol is almost always my go-to drink whenever there is a social or celebratory event taking place. Whether I am vacationing somewhere in the Mediterranean with my family, attending a birthday or simply just having a girls get together—there is nothing better than celebrating life with Aperol!” Tzaneros shared with Vogue.

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28th Oct 2019

There’s no denying that the hearty and wholesome bud that is the Brussels sprout is one of the cabbage family’s most underrated members. Low in calories and high in nutrients, Brussels sprouts are the perfect addition to any meal, namely in the form of a salad or side dish.

Thankfully, Alibi Bar & Kitchen, Australia’s first 100 per cent plant-based hotel bar and restaurant located within Ovolo Woolloomooloo, is serving up the ultimate Brussels sprout salad that promises to see you through the season. Complete with a maple carrot puree, this simple side is just what your spring menu has been missing, 

“This is one of the only dishes we kept on from the most recent winter menu, it’s just that good,” explains Alibi head chef, Jordan Brogan. “Brussels sprouts are best planted in the colder months but they still love a little sun which make them great in spring.”

“Using the outer leaves as a garnish helps the dish pop, they usually fall off in the cooking process and aren’t utilised so we’re really making the most of the produce,” adds Brogan. “The carrot and maple is such a great accompaniment and so simple to make, it really helps bring the whole dish together.”

To try your hand at serving up this super simple Brussels sprout salad, read on for the head chef’s step-by-step guide to building one of the restaurant’s bestselling dishes. 

Brussels sprout salad with maple carrot puree

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• 200g Brussels sprouts
• 200g purple Brussels sprouts
• 500g carrots, peeled and sliced
• 10g sea salt
• 60ml maple syrup
• 30ml extra virgin olive oil
• 100g sunflower seeds
• 50g pepitas
• 25g black sesame seeds
• 25g white sesame seeds
• 25g hemp seeds
• Pinch of chili flakes (optional)
• Edible flowers

1. Take a couple of the outer leaves off the Brussels sprouts, keeping these to garnish the dish at the end. Cut the Brussels in half from the base.
2. Bring two litres of water to the boil, add five grams of salt then blanch the Brussels sprouts for two minutes before removing and placing into an ice bath. After five minutes take out of iced water and place on a paper towel to dry.
3. Bring one litre of water to the boil, add sliced carrots and cook until soft, for about three minutes.
4. Strain off water and place carrots, 80ml of water, maple syrup and five grams of salt into a high-speed blender. Blend on high until smooth, then slowly drizzle in the oil to emulsify.
5. Combine all seeds and toast at 160°C for 10 minutes.
6. Heat olive oil in a frying pan, adding the Brussels sprouts, centre side down and leave for about four minutes to caramelise.
7. While they’re cooking, spread carrot puree around a bowl, then place the Brussels sprouts in one half of the bowl.
8. Toss the fresh Brussels sprout leaves with a pinch of salt and chilli flakes before serving and place on top of the sautéed Brussels, finish with mixed seeds and edible flowers.