I wish I could tell you it’s absolutely fine to take CBD with you on planes or as you travel to another state, but I can’t. It doesn’t matter whether it’s for you or, as one reader asked, for your pooch. It’s still dogged by a confusing spiderweb of regulations, misinformation and misunderstandings. That’s the bad news. The good news: If you are a bit of a gambler, you’ll probably be fine taking your tincture with you. Your call.

CBD, or cannabidiol, is the darling of aches-and-pains relief. Forbes deemed its growth “explosive,” noting it is expected to become a $5 billion industry this year. It is said to reduce inflammation and help with anxiety, among its other properties.

There is confusion about what CBD really is. “While CBD is an essential component of medical marijuana, it is derived directly from the hemp plant, which is a cousin of the marijuana plant,” Dr. Peter Grinspoon writes in Harvard Health Publishing of Harvard Medical School. “While CBD is a component of marijuana (one of hundreds), by itself it does not cause a ‘high.’”

The confusion about it also stems in part from a Transportation Security Administration change in policy in May. Previously, it said that CBD was not allowed. The new rule says it is allowed if it contains less that 0.3% THC, the substance in cannabis that provides the high. For more information, it refers fliers to the farm bill of 2018, which was signed into law that December.

Like most legislation, the farm bill is “inside baseball” for many of us. I don’t think many fliers will take the time to understand it, but it is one way to while away long hours at an airport.

When the change was made public, the question arose about how TSA officers would know your product contains less than 0.3% THC. Of course, they could read the label, but imagine the lines that would form while they’re squinting at the contents, assuming it is marked that way. And therein lies some of the problem.

The rest of the problem stems from the variety of laws about hemp and cannabis. They are not consistent from state to state. Just because hemp and cannabis are legal in California doesn’t mean they are legal in other states or countries.

As you evaluate whether you should take CBD with you, consider that:

It is allowed under the change in rules if it meets the qualifications. The TSA is looking for explosives, weapons and other instruments of destruction. It is not looking for personal care products.

Unclear labeling may create an issue. You could run afoul of someone who doesn’t know the law. The possible solution to that, said Minchul An, a doctor of pharmacy who runs buzzn, which sells CBD products: a certificate of analysis, which explains what is contained in your product. Not every CBD product has it, so you may need to request it.

Not every place welcomes CBD, due to a patchwork of rules and regulations across the United States.

“Unfortunately, there are still some nuances on whether it’s advisable to fly with CBD, varying most widely state by state,” said Travis Rexroad, director of public relations for Weedmaps, which chronicles the changing state, federal and international laws on CBD and cannabis. “Reason being … that, although there has been movement at the federal level to legalize hemp-derived CBD, certain states hold stricter laws that could mean consequences for those traveling with CBD,” he wrote in an email.

Case in point: A 69-year-old woman was arrested in April at Disney World in Florida for carrying CBD oil in her purse, which was searched. She was detained for 15 hours, according to NBC Miami, for having something her doctor had recommended she use for arthritis. Instead of a new pair of mouse ears, she ended up with an arrest record, a gift that keeps on giving. The charges have since been dropped, ClickOrlando.com reported.

CBD “is unlike most consumer products,” said William Garvin, co-head of the cannabis group at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, a law firm whose website notes that it is “supporting the cannabis industry as it expands nationwide.”

“It’s OK to drink a Diet Coke in Missouri and drive to Montana with it,” he said. That’s not always the case with CBD, due to conflicting laws.

The answer to this conundrum is that there is no clear-cut answer. Neither Garvin nor An would travel with it because of the risk, however slight. Your product could be confiscated — and some of this stuff is expensive. Or you could be held and miss your flight. Or you could be, like the theme-park-goer in Florida, spending part of your holiday at places that are not the happiest on Earth.

As Garvin pointed out, CBD is widely available domestically. You could leave it at home and buy at your destination.

But, as always, the decision is up to you. It depends on your tolerance for risk and for pain and anxiety, stemming from the absence of your CBD product and the presence of laws that make life more complex than we could ever have imagined.

Have a travel question, problem or dilemma ? Write to [email protected]. We regret we cannot answer every inquiry.

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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 river trip when our guide chained our boats together in a quiet part of the river and played “Grand Canyon Suite” for the next hour. The canyon came alive with Grofé’s music, which sounded like the canyon from the thunderstorms to the mules.

If you have never listened to it, I implore you to do so. It’s amazing. If the Travel section ever repeats this top 100 list, you might want to include it.

But thank you for the wonderful list … just short one item.

Rob Newman
Beverly Hills

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Amtrak’s a deal

I enjoyed the Sept. 8 article about Amtrak’s Southwest Chief line [“Chief’s at a Crossroad,” by Karl Zimmermann].

As a Briton who has frequently visited the U.S., I have often used Amtrak sleeper services. My regular trips are on the Coast Starlight and California Zephyr.

It strikes me every time I use Amtrak that it is a fundamental service that helps your country retain its flavor, for visitors or natives. It is the ultimate Americana, and it would be a tragedy to allow it to slip further into the background.

Please keep publishing such articles and keep the service on everyone’s mind.

It is worth noting that our rail travel in the U.K. is, per mile, about 10 times more expensive than Amtrak service with a roomette and meals included. We get very sparse, poor quality seating, and no food included for our rail travel.

No matter who Amtrak sees as its core customer, it has a large number of foreign visitors who enjoy the service. I have no doubt that many of those, including myself, would gladly pay higher prices for this slice of iconic travel history.

I certainly plan to do just that in my rapidly approaching retirement years.

Alan Poole
Chester, England

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 understand the rules, the better you’ll know when to break them.

Get closer, physically. The more you fill your frame with your main subject, the better your chances of making a powerful image. Robert Capa, the great World War II photographer, was famous for this advice.

Get closer, optically. A telephoto or zoom lens can shrink distances and compress compositions, so you can give viewers a tighter arrangement. (But on your smartphone, the quality/resolution of the image will suffer the more you zoom.)

Get closer for Instagram’s sake. If you’re shooting with a smartphone and sharing on social media, most people will see your pictures on tiny screens. That means you need bold, simple compositions. Colorful details work better than broad, subtle landscapes.

Don’t be shy. Or rude. When you can, ask permission before you take a stranger’s picture. You might say: “Excuse me. This setting is gorgeous, and a picture will look even better with a person in it. Would you mind if I include you and your husband/wife/child/pet in part of the frame? I think it’ll look great and I can show you the result. Or share it.”

Look for diagonal compositions. With any camera, beginning photographers are often tempted to compose images whose dominant lines run straight up and down or are as flat as the horizon. But diagonal lines can give pictures depth and lure viewers.

Read the manual. Or at least the good parts. You can’t get the best out of your gear until you understand what it can do.

Match your depth of field to your subject. With a digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR), if you’re shooting a portrait, there’s a good chance you’ll want a shallow depth of field that leaves your subject’s face sharp but blurs distractions in the background. If you’re shooting a landscape, you’ll probably want maximum depth of field so that everything is sharp. For that result, use a higher aperture (F-stop), which means you’ll be using a slower shutter speed, a higher ISO or both. (You can’t control all these variables on a smartphone but you can use an after-the-snap digital filter to give the effect of selective focus.)

Be patient. An unpopulated great photo location is like a stage set. If you wait a bit, someone will walk or stand or sit in just the right place, and you’ll have a livelier image.

Auto mode will take you only so far. Automatic settings are getting smarter, and all cameras are getting better in low light. But if you’re shooting a small, bright subject against a dark background (or something dark against a bright background), you may get a better result by shooting in manual mode, checking results and rejiggering accordingly. On most smartphones, you can tweak exposure by touching the screen and moving your finger up (lighter) or down (darker).

Follow the Rule of Thirds. Instead of placing your subject dead center, imagine your frame lined into thirds, horizontally and vertically, so that your image area is sectioned into nine rectangles. Now look at the points where four rectangles come together. Those are sweet spots for placing your subject — not too near the middle, not too far off-center.

Simplify your composition. Do your best to exclude everything that might distract from your subject. In particular, watch the corners of your frame where stray details can sneak in.

Digital filters such as those on Instagram can dress up a humdrum photo. And the Snapseed app offers even more options. But great pictures begin with what you capture in the first place.

Shoot from above. Just about everybody looks better if you shoot their face from slightly above, not from below.

Instagram might like squares, but some images want to be vertical or horizontal. Don’t fight that. Turn your camera or smartphone sideways.

Vary your angle. The vast majority of photos are taken by people standing up straight, holding a camera at eye level and shooting a horizontal image. By varying the height of your camera — whether by crouching, lying down, climbing a ladder or holding the camera high — you give viewers a new way to see an otherwise familiar scene.

The first and last hours of sunlight are the best time to take photos. Get up a little earlier. If you have a tripod, the half-hour right after sunset can bring dramatic possibilities.

If you’re near water — whether it’s a puddle or the Pacific — keep an eye out for reflection opportunities. The closer you get to the surface, the better the results.

Don’t get lazy with the sunset. A successful sunset shot needs other elements, whether it’s dramatic clouds, crashing surf, calm water or a silhouette or two.

Use a tripod. If a full-size tripod is too much hassle, consider a tabletop tripod or a mini-tripod with bendable legs. They’re affordable and fit in a pocket or backpack.

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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 designed Barcelona’s Sagrada Família. Set on a 13-plus-acre mountain lot, the home features adobe brickwork, natural log beams, elaborate sculptures and mosaics inspired by Native American wood art. Incredible mountain and ocean views are included in the $1.7-million asking price.

We also got a rare look inside the Long Beach home of architect Edward Killingsworth, who designed four houses for Arts & Architecture magazine’s Case Study House program that ran from 1945 to 1964. Killingsworth would often bring clients home for lunch, according to his son, including the likes of Conrad Hilton and John Wayne.

Once you’re done reading about these deals, visit and like ourFacebook page, where you can find Hot Property stories and updates throughout the week.

Even bigger in Bel-Air

The dust has barely settled on the record $120-million deal for the Spelling Manor, yet we already have a new contender for L.A.’s priciest home sale. Casa Encantada, the Bel-Air home of financier Gary Winnick, has entered the market at a whopping (and U.S.-high) $225 million.

The 40,000-square-foot Georgian traditional-style mansion, designed by architect James Dolena, was previously owned by moguls Conrad Hilton and David Murdock. Set on eight acres overlooking the Bel-Air Country Club, the trophy estate includes a lighted tennis court, a basketball court, a pool, a guest house, greenhouses, koi ponds and a rose garden.

Inside, the home pays homage to the decadent Moderne stylings of the 1930s. Of note is a luxe oval bar in the den/card room, which is awash in sterling silver. A professional screening room lies in the pool house.

A remix of sorts

Randy Spendlove is hoping he has a hit on his hands in Tom Petty’s former home. The Grammy-winning record producer bought the late rocker’s onetime Encino home last year and has put it back up for sale at $4.995 million, or about $500,000 more than he paid for the place.

Set on an acre of grounds, the 11,500-square-foot spread has been remodeled and features doses of wood, brick and stone throughout. At its heart is a two-story great room set beneath a dozen skylights. A massive floor-to-ceiling fireplace divides the living and dining area.

Petty, who died in 2017 at 66, wrote and recorded songs at the estate during his ownership. An arson fire at the home in 1987 spared Petty’s basement studio, where he stored his guitars and master recordings, according to Los Angeles Times reports at the time.

Spendlove currently serves as president of motion picture music at Paramount Pictures. He has worked for A&M Records and Miramax Films and has collaborated with artists such as Beyonce, Sheryl Crow, U2 and Green Day.

In 2003, he won a Grammy for best compilation soundtrack album for the film “Chicago.”

Moving on to another realm

Filmmaker Duncan Jones of “Warcraft” and “Source Code” fame has sold his Hollywood Hills home of five years for $1.6 million.

The multilevel house, built in 1935, has about 2,000 square feet, three bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. Features include beamed ceilings in the living and dining rooms, a center-island kitchen and two master suites.

Outside, a waterfall feeds a swimming pool and spa.

Jones, 48, is the son of late singer-songwriter David Bowie and model-actress Angela Bowie. He won the BAFTA award for outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer for his 2009 film “Moon,” which remains his most celebrated work.

He has since moved to the San Fernando Valley.

Giving up a base

Onetime Dodgers outfielder Milton Bradley retired a base in Encino, selling his home after more than a decade of ownership for $3.725 million.

The Tuscan-inspired spread, set on a one-third-acre lot in the Amestoy Estates neighborhood, includes a 7,500-square-foot main house, a swimming pool and spa, and a barbecue pavilion.

Living spaces include a two-story living room, a media/game room and a center-island kitchen. There are six bedrooms and eight bathrooms including a multi-room master suite. Three sets of stairs are used to navigate the home’s two levels.

Bradley, a Los Angeles native, played for eight big league teams across 12 seasons, including California ballclubs the Dodgers, Athletics and Padres. The switch-hitting outfielder was an All-Star selection in 2008 with the Texas Rangers.

Teeing up his island retreat

Craig T. Nelson of the sitcom “Coach” fame is drawing up a new play for his Hawaiian haven. The actor has listed his estate on the North Shore of Kauai for $14 million.

Once owned by Beach Boys singer-songwriter Brian Wilson, the property encompasses about five acres near Haena Point and has hundreds of feet of frontage. At the heart of the estate is a 2,738-square-foot main house with exotic woodwork, a great room, two bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.

Expansive lanais extend the living space outdoors. Lava rock walls, ancient monkey pod trees, Naupaka plants and palms dot the verdant grounds. Near the house is a par-3 green and bunker built by golf course designer Robert Trent Jones Jr.

Nelson, 75, won an Emmy for his role as Coach Hayden Fox on “Coach,” which ran for nine seasons from 1989 to 1997. Last year, Nelson reprised his voice role as Mr. Incredible in “Incredibles 2.”

From the archives

Thirty years ago, Lakers great Magic Johnson listed his Bel-Air home for sale at $4.5 million as he wrapped up a deal for a new mega-mansion in guard-gated Beverly Park. Johnson made the decision to swap home courts while training in Hawaii, according to his real estate agent at the time. The Bel-Air mansion, located in the Moraga Estates community, included a Tudor-style home, a racquetball court, a swimming pool and a spa.

It was 20 years ago that actor Leonardo DiCaprio paid $3 million for a house in the Hollywood Hills. The actor, who was 24 at the time, was looking for a house for himself after buying a Malibu home about a year earlier. The Hollywood Hills spread measured about 5,000 square feet with three bedrooms and four bathrooms. Contemporary in style, it featured three fireplaces, high ceilings and city views.

Ten years ago, actress Meg Ryan put her Bel-Air home back on the market for $14.2 million, a 27% reduction in price from the previous year. The price chop didn’t help, however, and the “Sleepless in Seattle” star wouldn’t close a deal for the Spanish-style house until 2012, when it sold for $11.125 million.

What we’re reading

The U.S. isn’t the only land of nine-figure transactions. In Sydney, Australia, a yet-to-be-built penthouse in a new residential tower has sold for $140 million AUS (about $96 million U.S.), according to the Australian Financial Review. The two-story penthouse is the crown jewel of the 72-story Tower One development designed by architect Renzo Piano.

Ongoing protests in Hong Kong have resulted in numerous residents fleeing to properties abroad, according to the South Morning Post. Hong Kong residents have increased their purchases of offshore properties “fourfold in the last five months,” the outlet reports.

Former USC football players Matt Leinart and Brandon Hance are among those flagged as associates of a real estate investor accused of running a “fly-by-night” home-flipping operation, according to The Times. Actress Rachel Bloom and her husband, writer-producer Dan Gregor, filed a lawsuit this week alleging that Raul Menjivar, who is business partners with former Trojans teammates Leinart and Hance, failed to disclose myriad problems with the home Menjivar’s company sold them in 2015.

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 not lower this proportion any further.

They are doing well with our money, but I’m still wondering if I should move my accounts to a firm that can offer me a more conservative portfolio. Even with a long-term care policy, my husband’s care could get costly. One month of in-home care currently costs $13,000. He’s in good shape otherwise and could live many years.

Answer: It’s one thing if the investment firm took a careful look at your situation, projected your current and future spending needs, added in your husband’s likely need for long-term care and announced that a 60% stock allocation was the appropriate level of risk for your situation. It’s quite another if the firm simply has a 60% allocation for people who are 65, like it or lump it.

The investment firm should be able to tell you why this stock allocation — which is a bit on the high side for a retired couple — is appropriate in your individual circumstances. It would be ideal if the firm could also show you what a lower stock allocation might mean in terms of your current and future income, in case you want to make spending adjustments that would allow you to take less risk.

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If the firm can’t make the case that a 60% allocation is appropriate and necessary, then you’d be smart to look for a fee-only, fiduciary financial planner who can take your situation and preferences into account.

Medicare vs. spouse’s health plan

Dear Liz: I am planning to retire in a few months at 65. My husband, who is five years younger, works for a corporation that provides excellent health insurance. When I sign up for Medicare, will I still be able to stay on my husband’s health insurance? Which insurance will be listed first for coverage?

Answer: The rules are different depending on whether your husband’s insurance is considered a large employer plan or a small employer plan.

If the plan covers 20 or fewer employees, his employer can boot you off the plan or make it secondary to Medicare. If the plan covers more than 20 employees, though, the employer typically can’t treat you differently from younger employees and spouses and must allow you to stay on the plan, which would remain your primary insurance with Medicare as the secondary insurer.

Medicare penalties are another issue to consider. Medicare Part A, which covers hospital visits, is usually premium-free, but people generally pay premiums for Medicare Part B, which covers doctor’s visits, and Medicare Part D, which covers prescription drugs. If you don’t sign up for Medicare Part B and Part D when you’re first eligible, you could face permanent penalties that would raise your monthly premiums for life.

These penalties don’t apply if you put off signing up for Part B and Part D because you’re covered by a large employer health insurance plan from current employment, either yours or your spouse’s. Once that employment or coverage ends, though, you’ll need to sign up for Part B and Part D promptly or the penalties kick in.

Notice the use of the words “typically,” “normally” and “generally” in the paragraphs above. Medicare’s rules and exceptions can be tricky to navigate. Talk to the benefits manager at your husband’s company so you know where you stand, and what parts of Medicare to sign up for as you turn 65.

Triggering the windfall elimination provision

Dear Liz: After working and paying into Social Security for more than 40 years, I took a city job at age 60. This job does not pay into Social Security and will afford me a small pension upon retirement in a few years (I’m now 64). Will this pension amount be deducted from my Social Security payments?

Answer: Normally, people who get pensions from jobs that didn’t pay into Social Security face the “windfall elimination provision,” which can reduce any Social Security benefits they may have earned. If, however, you have 30 or more years of “substantial earnings” from a job that paid into Social Security, then this provision does not apply. The amount that counts as “substantial earnings” varies by year; in 2019, it’s $24,675.

Liz Weston, Certified Financial Planner, is a personal finance columnist for NerdWallet. Questions may be sent to her at 3940 Laurel Canyon, No. 238, Studio City, CA 91604, or by using the “Contact” form at asklizweston.com.

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 predilection for physical currency, maybe not.

At first glance, cash would appear to be on its way out.

Sweden has almost eliminated its use for payments. In America, home of the almighty dollar, almost a third of the population gets through a typical week without using a single banknote.

Businesses are experimenting with going cashless, hoping to speed up transactions, combat theft and create a safer environment for their employees.

Actually, though, physical currency is experiencing a resurgence.

People in many of the world’s most advanced nations — including the United States, the euro area and Japan — are holding more of it than ever.

In the U.S., for example, currency in circulation stood at an estimated $1.76 trillion as of late September, according to the Federal Reserve. That’s about 8.2% of gross domestic product, up from just 5.6% before the 2008 financial crisis and close to the highest level in at least 36 years.​

If people need less cash to pay for stuff, why do they want to hold so much of it? The answer, it seems, is that they’re turning to currency as a store of value.

Consider the kind of cash they favor: Increasingly, it’s large denominations such as $100 bills, which are the most convenient for stashing away big sums. Benjamin Franklin’s share of total U.S. currency in circulation reached 80% in 2018, up from 73% a decade earlier, Federal Reserve data show.

Since 2017, the $100 bill has surpassed the $1 note as the most widely circulated U.S. currency.

The trend in the developed world contrasts sharply with emerging economies such as China, Russia and India, where currency in circulation has been declining as a percent of GDP, according to the Bank for International Settlements.

Why are people in rich nations hoarding cash? No doubt, it has a lot to do with central banks’ efforts to keep interest rates low.

When safe investments such as deposits or government bonds yield little or less than nothing, people aren’t missing out by holding paper money. This illustrates why central banks can’t push rates too far below zero: Instead of spending the money or watching their savings shrink while sitting in the bank, people will just withdraw their cash and put it in the mattress.

That said, the surge in demand for currency has been too large for interest rates alone to explain. This presents something of a mystery.

Criminals, of course, are avid users of cash, but there’s no particular reason to think that their demand for it would have increased so much in the last decade. On the contrary, the advent of cryptocurrencies has provided them with a viable alternative.

One recent study, by a pair of economists in Asia, found a link to aging populations. It seems that older folks — perhaps because they’re less inclined to trust numbers on a screen — have a greater affinity for cash.

So when they make up a larger share of the population, overall currency holdings also go up. This might also help explain the contrast with emerging economies, where population aging is less of an issue (and where interest rates haven’t been as low as in the developed world).

The most troubling possibility is that people are losing faith in financial institutions more broadly.

The surge in cash began immediately after one of the worst financial crises ever — and has been concentrated in the affected countries.

Granted, one wouldn’t expect the effect to keep growing over time. But perhaps persistent scandals — such as those involving fake accounts, manipulative fees and the theft of personal data — have compounded the problem.

Trust might also have something to do with the opposite trend in emerging economies. To be willing to hoard cash, people must have a certain amount of confidence in a government’s ability to manage its legal tender.

In developing countries, this confidence is often lacking. Consider India’s 2016 “demonetization,” in which the government pulled large-denomination banknotes out of circulation and replaced them with new bills.

The move didn’t disrupt the shadow economy as intended, but it did undermine the currency: Cash holdings have yet to recover to their pre-reform level.

Cash accumulation can go only so far as a sign of trust in government. After all, governments in the developed world would typically like to see more electronic payments.

Getting rid of cash can have a lot of benefits: It can help deter crime, reduce tax evasion and give central banks more power to stimulate the economy. But people have to believe that electronic money will be safe from mismanagement, man-made disasters, hackers and even confiscation.

So far, neither the denizens nor the overseers of the financial system have done a great job of earning that trust.

Leonid Bershidsky and Mark Whitehouse write for Bloomberg.

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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 detailed how companies that procure human organs, bones and other parts set up operations in county morgues across the country to gain access to more bodies. In some cases, procurement teams are taking body parts before coroners are able to conduct an autopsy, even in the midst of sensitive investigations such as possible homicides. The Times found dozens of cases across the country in which coroner investigations were complicated or upended by procurement of parts.

“The Times stands firmly behind these important stories, which were the product of months of meticulous reporting and careful editing,” said Scott Kraft, managing editor of The Times.

Here is a summary of OneLegacy’s statements and The Times response:

OneLegacy:

OneLegacy obtained approval from the L.A. County medical examiner-coroner to procure organs or tissues in “100% of the two dozen cases” reporters asked its executives about.

The Times response:

At least two autopsy reports stated explicitly that OneLegacy had not asked the medical examiner for permission to recover organs or tissues. And OneLegacy previously told The Times it had no information on two other cases.

OneLegacy:

The Times used “fictitious prices” in a diagram showing how much body parts are worth.

The Times response:

The prices on the diagram, as the accompanying description explained, came from invoices received by hospitals, which had paid for the processed human tissue products. Reporters received the invoices from public hospitals after filing requests for the records.

OneLegacy:

OneLegacy did not profit from tissues such as bone or skin and it lost an average of $197 on each tissue donor in 2018.

The Times response:

There is no way to verify OneLegacy’s claim, and The Times stories did not discuss profits or losses for tissues harvested by OneLegacy. OneLegacy’s most recent federal tax filing does not break out expenses for organ or tissue work. It shows that OneLegacy’s overall revenues, including $89.6 million from organ and tissue procurements, exceeded expenses by $7.7 million in 2017. That increased the value of its net assets to more than $65 million.

OneLegacy:

OneLegacy’s tissue partners do not produce nor market for cosmetic use. “Uncontrollable physician ‘off-label’ cosmetic use” is less than 1% of OneLegacy’s tissue recoveries. OneLegacy said it received that information from the companies it currently sends tissue to.

The Times response:

The Times stories noted that human tissue is increasingly used for cosmetic surgery. Processed tissue also has many other uses, including skin for burn patients, tendons for athletic injuries and bone for spinal surgeries. There is no public reporting of how much tissue recovered during harvesting is used for cosmetic purposes. Two national trade groups for tissue and organ procurement companies told The Times that the industry does not track that information.

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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 into a downtown warehouse that had been converted into a creative compound at Melet Mercantile. The space included a vintage store selling clothing and movie memorabilia.

As proof of her fondness for the author’s colorful aesthetics, the designer drew inspiration from “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” to create $225 pastel sweatshirts printed with big white clouds; $85 striped bucket hats; $105 floral pins with Technicolor-style petals; and $225 black silk scarves that billow to reveal green balloons. These items are exclusively available at her pop-up shop at Melet, along with $595 silk floral dresses and other pieces from Rowley’s fall and winter 2019 collection.

Melet also set up a gallery selling Dr. Seuss’ artwork, including a $10,000 hand-painted resin sculpture of a green-lidded deer with real antlers. “It’s all never-seen-before art,” said Melet Mercantile founder Bob Melet.

For her runway show, Rowley couldn’t have picked a better crew than the dancers from the Los Angeles-based American Contemporary Ballet to model her clothes. After the DJ switched from boogie-licious beats by Sofi Tukker and Prince to classical music, ballerinas strutted in high heels and easy-breezy styles from Rowley’s spring and summer 2020 collection, which had premiered last month at New York Fashion Week.

With one dancer wearing a purple maxi dress and another dressed in a slouchy suit that appeared pixelated with shimmering paillettes, the duo did leg holds while hugging each other. Another dancer, donning a silver metallic dress from the current fall collection, led a trio down the runway en pointe.

One after one, they exemplified grace and playfulness in Rowley’s designs, prompting one guest standing at the end of the long black platform to ask a friend, “Why isn’t every fashion show like this?” Five dancers in sunglasses, ombre wetsuits and ballet shoes closed the show by tiptoeing backwards in formation.

“These women are amazing, beautiful athletes,” said Rowley, who herself is an avid surfer. The animated way they move reminded her of the illustrations by Theodor Seuss Geisel. “There’s, like, a whimsy to Dr. Seuss that I feel dance sort of has — like a freedom,” she said. “When you look at his art, it’s total freedom. And so to see [the dancers] just kind of having that expressive moment, it feels like the spirit of Dr. Seuss.”

Open through Sunday, the pop-up shop is the first fashion collaboration that Melet Mercantile is hosting in its 32,000-square-foot West Coast outpost, which launched in downtown L.A. in late September. This past summer, it collaborated with Gucci at its Montauk, N.Y., location. “There’s a new energy here,” said Melet, who’s joined the exodus of New Yorkers migrating to Los Angeles.

With Southern California stores in Newport Beach, Pacific Palisades and Malibu, downtown L.A. “is kind of like the heart” of the city, Rowley said. “I love it here.”

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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 the city of Los Angeles.

“To this wonderful orchestra, to all the musicians that make this institution what it is,” said the L.A. Phil’s music and artistic director. “To friendship — to this wonderful and beautiful connection that music makes, as we see music builds bridges. It doesn’t build borders.”

Smith then suggested guests look toward City Hall, where 300 drones filled the sky, performing a sound and light show. The drones assembled and reassembled to dramatize the orchestra’s century, forming the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and the name “YOLA” and last, “LA Phil 100” in the sky.

The event

Held Thursday, 100 years to the day that the orchestra staged its first concert, the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s centennial celebration concert and gala raised $4.6 million to support the organization’s music education programs.

For the occasion, three of the L.A. Phil’s living music directors, Zubin Mehta, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Dudamel, took turns on the Disney Hall stage to lead works by Wagner, Ravel, Lutoslawski and Stravinsky, finally teaming up to conduct the world premiere of composer Daníel Bjarnason’s “From Space I Saw Earth.”

The scene

Before the concert, Deborah Borda, the former L.A. Phil president and chief executive officer, headed into the cocktail reception on Grand Avenue, stopping to chat with the many friends she encountered along the way. Now president and chief executive officer of the New York Philharmonic, Borda said, “I came back just for this. You don’t turn 100 every day.”

Further inside the party area, comedian, TV host and author Loni Love shared a table with boyfriend James Welsh. “I used to play French horn,” Love said. “I started in elementary school, and when I went to college, I played the mellophone in a marching band. That’s why I love the symphony. I also love that [the L.A. Phil] works with children, and that’s also why I come here to support the orchestra.”

The gala

Following a standing ovation and a downpour of confetti at Disney Hall, guests adjourned to the Music Center plaza for a dinner of “reimagined” chicken pot pie created by Patina chef Joachim Splichal, as well as dancing and a chance to hear the three maestros speak onstage of their experiences with the orchestra.

The quotes

Recalling his first two weeks as a young conductor with the L.A. Phil, Mehta talked about how supportive the more experienced musicians had been. “I told them, ‘Look, I’m playing all this for the first time,’” he said. “’My door is open. Come and give me any advice you want.’” He then added, “There was a queue outside my door.”

Salonen praised the orchestra’s curiosity, openness, warmth and flexibility. He said, “After the first day, I had the feeling that this group of musicians was going to be a big part of my life, and that feeling hasn’t changed.”

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He then called to mind his leaving the orchestra but not before seeing Dudamel’s connection with the musicians. “I thought, ‘OK, this is the way to leave,’” he said, “because I knew everything is going to be great.”

For his part, Dudamel didn’t forget the moment. “I am here between two of my heroes — my conducting heroes — and it’s a privilege.”

The crowd

Judith and Thomas Beckmen, Diane and David Paul, Jay and Barbara Rasulo, David Bohnett, Mari Danihel, Jenny Miller Golf, Carol Colburn Grigor, Joan Hotchkis, Ann Ronus and Alyce de Roulet Williamson served as gala co-chairs. Guests included Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, composer John Williams, architect Frank Gehry and actors Jaime King and Alex Meneses.

The numbers

The 650 concert and gala tickets sold for $3,000 to $15,000, with proceeds going to support music programs that reach 150,000 children and their families each year.

Just hours after Kanye West’s latest album “Jesus Is King” dropped Friday morning, Yeezy faithful began queuing up outside a nondescript industrial warehouse in the shadow of the 10 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles. Inside, workers scrambled to put the finishing touches on a temporary retail installation that included an all-terrain vehicle, pathways meandering through scrubby flora and religious-themed album merchandise including ball caps, T-shirts and sweatpants.

Several hundred Ye-curious were lined up in the blistering, hot midday sun for the shop’s scheduled noon opening on the first day of the space’s three-day run. (One of the reasons for the opening delay, organizers said, was a big-rig fire — and the resulting leak of flammable liquids — on the nearby freeway the previous evening.) Once inside, a handful of shoppers at a time get to make their way through an installation of tall grasses and shrubs created by San Francisco-based artist Meg Webster (who created a similar installation for Wednesday night’s album and film premiere at the Forum in Inglewood) in one room before entering a dimly lit second room.

During an early visit on Friday, some 60 speakers were stacked along one wall of the spare industrial space, shaking and reverberating as songs from West’s new album issued forth. On the opposite side was a sleek counter punctuated with four cash registers. In between was a sand-banked, crater-like pool containing a Sherp — a muscular-looking amphibious ATV with knobby outsized tires — up to its axles in muddy water.

Was this supposed to be a metaphor about the isolation of celebrity? A statement about creative frustration? Or something else entirely? We’re not exactly sure, although a Yeezy rep told us it was inspired by “the Wyoming ranch experience,” referring, perhaps (but then again maybe not) to the release of his last album, “Ye” in June 2018 at Diamond Cross Ranch in Moran, Wyoming. (Also, in an Apple Music preview of the “Jesus Is King” album, posted Wednesday, West can be seen standing in front of a garage full of similar Sherp ATVs.)

As head-scratchingly incongruous as the installation is, what’s most interesting about the cavernous warehouse room is what’s not visible in it — the album-promoting merchandise itself. During an early iteration of the space, a dozen or so pieces were displayed on the walls next to the cash wrap, but by the time the space officially opened for business mid-afternoon on Friday, customers could view and select from among the items on a hand-held menu.

At opening, the items on hand included T-shirts ($60), sweatpants ($140), crewneck sweatshirts ($160) and ball caps ($45) emblazoned with “Jesus Is King,” some with a watercolor-like illustration of a figure (presumably Jesus) with a nimbus of light framing the head.

Another available T-shirt depicted the holy figure flanked by two others, and ball caps were embroidered with West’s name and the text that appears on the vinyl album (including 33RPM LP and AR1331). A rep for Bravado, the music merchandise company that works with West on the album tie-in merchandise, said the temporary installation (they’d prefer you not call it a pop-up shop, thank you very much) is expected to stock exclusive pieces that won’t be offered through West’s online shop as well as some footwear from the rapper’s Yeezy collaboration with Adidas.

Of course, this isn’t the first time West has made pursuit of his “church merch” a line-blurring exercise in the experiential. Back in April, his performance on the mount on the second weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival had the devoted snapping up Sunday Service socks and sweats with near-religious fervor.

Kanye West’s “Jesus Is King” merchandise experience, 1202 Mateo St. (enter around the corner on Damon Street), Los Angeles; open until 8 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

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