Jersey Vargas Pleads With Pope To Help Father Avoid Deportation, Champions Immigration Reforms

Jersey Vargas is only ten years old, but she's already a deeply committed activist -- and she recently turned to Pope Francis to help her cause.
The articulate girl from Los Angeles, Ca., rushed up to Pope Francis to tell him about the plight of illegal immigrants and their families who face deportation and separation. She gave the Pope a handkerchief embroidered with the words "Nest of Love," and explained that her father was about to be deported, according to Fox News Latino.
The Vatican Insider reported that Pope Francis was "visibly moved" by her urgency and passion, and asked her where her father was being deported from.
"The United States," she replied. She told The Vatican Insider:

I went back to ask him to help us because it’s unfair that many children like me are faced with this situation, separated from our families. He blessed me, gave me a kiss and confirmed to me he would be seeing President Obama. I felt better after this because I felt I made a difference to the world, he gave me his word and I’m happy.

The encounter took place just a day before Pope Francis' meeting with President Obama at the Vatican.
Vargas traveled to the Vatican with a group of activists hoping to meet Pope Francis and talk to him about their issues. They came with a note from Archbishop Jose H. Gomez that should have put them in a position to greet him as he met the crowd, but Vargas was the only one who was able to relay their message.
Local immigration lawyer Alex Galvez told the L.A. Times that a judge had agreed to release Vargas' father, pending a later review of his case, if the family was able to post a $5,000 bond. Mr. Vargas has lived in the United States since he was sixteen years old.
After she met Pope Francis, Vargas shared the experience with Fox News Latino in a phone interview from Rome:

I told him to pray for my family and to ask the president to stop deportation because it's separating my family. He blessed me and told me he would bring this up with President Obama.

Before she left for Rome, she told Archbishop Gomez and the L.A. Times what she planned to say to Pope Francis:

I'm going to introduce myself and where I'm from, and say I'm representing millions of children who today are in my situation … and I think it's unfair that people are separating families because right now is a time when kids really need their parents.

Bravo, Jersey!
UPDATE FROM AP:
LOS ANGELES (AP) — After a 10-year-old California girl traveled to the Vatican to plead with Pope Francis for help as her father faced deportation, the man was released Friday on bond from immigration detention.
Mario Vargas was freed from a detention facility in Louisiana after he posted $5,000 bond. A relative who saw the girl on television pleading with the pope helped with the funding, said his wife, Lola Vargas.
"When she left, her wish was that her father would be home," she told The Associated Press in Spanish. "Thank God she is going to get her wish."
Mario Vargas' release came after his daughter Jersey, of Panorama City, Calif., addressed the pope this week as part of a California delegation that traveled to urge the Vatican to prod President Barack Obama on immigration reform. The girl and a teenager went as part of the 16-member group to represent the American children of immigrant parents who are afraid their families will be divided by deportation. The president and the pontiff met for the first time Thursday.
Mario Vargas was arrested last year in Tennessee and convicted of driving under the influence before he was taken into federal custody earlier this month, said Bryan Cox, a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Authorities released him after he posted bond, and an immigration judge will determine the outcome of his deportation case, Cox said.
Lola Vargas said she had been gathering money to pay for her Mexican husband's bond but didn't have enough until one of his cousins called, surprised to see the girl on television, and offered to help. Her husband had gone to Tennessee to look for work in construction and had been sending money to his family in California, she said.
A message left for Vargas' immigration attorney, Alex Galvez, seeking comment was not immediately returned.
Juan Jose Gutierrez, an immigrant advocate who coordinated the trip to Italy, said the archdiocese of Los Angeles helped get the group a key spot so they could speak with Pope Francis amid the crowds.

Earthquake shakes Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A magnitude-5.1 earthquake centered near Los Angeles caused no major damage but jittered nerves throughout the region as dozens of aftershocks struck into the night.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck at about 9:09 p.m. Friday and was centered near Brea in Orange County - about 20 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles - at a depth of about 5 miles. It was felt as far south as San Diego and as far north as Ventura County, according to citizen responses collected online by the USGS.

Broken glass, gas leaks, water main breaks and a rockslide were reported near the epicenter, according to Twitter updates from local authorities.

Eyewitness photos and videos show bottles and packages strewn on store floors. Southern California Edison reported power outages to about 2,000 customers following the quake.

More than two dozen aftershocks ranging from magnitudes 2 to 3.6 were recorded, according to the USGS. Earlier in the evening, two foreshocks registering at magnitude-3.6 and magnitude-2.1 hit nearby in the city of La Habra.

Public safety officials said crews were inspecting bridges, dams, rail tracks and other infrastructure systems for signs of damage. The Brea police department said the rock slide in the Carbon Canyon area caused a car to overturn, and the people inside the car sustained minor injuries.

Callers to KNX-AM reported seeing a brick wall collapse, water sloshing in a swimming pool and wires and trees swaying back and forth. One caller said he was in a movie theater lobby in Brea when the quake struck.

"A lot of the glass in the place shook like crazy," he said. "It started like a roll and then it started shaking like crazy. Everybody ran outside, hugging each other in the streets."

A helicopter news reporter from KNBC-TV reported from above that rides at Disneyland in Anaheim - several miles from the epicenter - were stopped as a precaution.

Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully was on the air calling the Angels-Dodgers exhibition game in the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium.

"A little tremor here in the ballpark. I'm not sure if the folks felt it, but we certainly felt it here in press box row," Scully said. "A tremor and only that, thank goodness."

Tom Connolly, a Boeing employee who lives in La Mirada, the next town over from La Habra, said the magnitude-5.1 quake lasted about 30 seconds.

"We felt a really good jolt. It was a long rumble and it just didn't feel like it would end," he told The Associated Press by phone. "Right in the beginning it shook really hard, so it was a little unnerving. People got quiet and started bracing themselves by holding on to each other. It was a little scary."

Friday's quake hit a week after a pre-dawn magnitude-4.4 quake centered in the San Fernando Valley rattled a swath of Southern California. That jolt shook buildings and rattled nerves, but did not cause significant damage.

Southern California has not experienced a devastating earthquake since the 1994 magnitude-6.7 Northridge quake killed several dozen people and caused $25 billion in damage.

Preliminary data suggest Friday night's 5.1 magnitude earthquake occurred near the Puente Hills thrust fault, which stretches from the San Gabriel Valley to downtown Los Angeles and caused the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake, USGS seismologist Lucy Jones said.

"It's a place where we've had a lot of earthquakes in the past," she said.

The 5.9 Whittier Narrows quake killed eight people and caused $360 million in damage.

 http://www.aol.com/article/2014/03/29/earthquake-shakes-los-angeles/20859245/?ncid=webmail19

Taco Bell's Ads Star Real-Life Ronald McDonalds

 

By CANDICE CHOI

NEW YORK -- Taco Bell is name-dropping an unlikely clown to promote its new breakfast menu -- Ronald McDonald.

The fast-food chain will begin airing ads Thursday that feature everyday men who happen to have the same name as the McDonald's (MCD) mascot known for his bright red hair and yellow jumpsuit. The

marketing campaign is intended to promote Taco Bell's new breakfast menu, which features novelties like a waffle taco.

The chain, owned by Yum Brands (YUM) of Louisville, Ky., is looking to boost sales by opening most of its roughly 6,000 U.S. stores a few hours earlier at 7 a.m. starting this week. But Taco Bell has a long way to go to catch up with McDonald's, the No. 1 player in breakfast with about 31 percent of the category, according to market researcher Technomic. The popularity of Egg McMuffins and other items have been a consistent sales driver for McDonald's over the years, with breakfast accounting for about 20 percent of the company's U.S. sales.

By comparison, a Yum executive has said that breakfast accounted for just 4 percent of sales when it was being tested at Taco Bell stores in select markets. That was before national marketing began, however, and Taco Bell president Brian Niccol said in a phone interview that the goal was to get the figure to a level "much greater than that."

Taco Bell said the real-life Ronald McDonalds featured in its new ads were paid for their appearances. But Niccol, who said he didn't know how much they were paid, insists their enthusiastic reactions to the food were real.

"All of them resoundingly loved the food," he said.

Taco Bell's ad agency, Deutsche LA, found around 400 men and women with the name Ronald McDonald, Ronnie McDonald or some variation,

Niccol said. A couple dozen were selected to represent different regions around the country including Bossier City, La.; Chicago; Dubuque, Iowa; Kane, Pa.; and Worcester, Ma.

The men show their approval of the food with comments like, "It's not messy" and "Mmm, wow" and "Mmm, real good" and "It has everything I like."

In case it wasn't clear, tiny print at the end of the ad notes that, "These Ronald McDonalds are not affiliated with McDonald's Corporation and were individually selected as paid endorsers of Taco Bell Breakfast."

"We like to do things with a wink and smile," Niccol said. "We have a sense of humor."

As for Ronald McDonald the fast-food clown, the character was first played by Willard Scott in 1963. He was initially depicted as a character that magically pulled hamburgers out of his belt. But the mascot eventually became a target of critics who say McDonald's uses him to market to kids.

Could movie ticket prices actually be going down?

fewer Americans are going to the movies and ticket prices might be to blame.

(VO)
The Motion Picture Association of America, or MPAA, said in a report domestic box office sales grew to $10.9 billion in 2013, up from $10.8 billion in 2012. (Via Syfy / "Mystery Science Theater 3000" )
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWALN1cRFWM]

(VO)
But according to The Wall Street Journal, that wasn't because of higher attendance. It was because of higher ticket prices.
[http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303949704579461813982237426?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303949704579461813982237426.html]

(AOC)
And as ticket prices grew, the number of tickets sold decreased. Now, the National Association of Theatre Owners says they're going to experiment with discounted ticket prices to boost attendance.

(GFX)
The association's VP John Fithian told journalists at CinemaCon - an annual meeting of movie theater owners - a model is being drafted to implement discounted ticket prices one day a week. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fithian said, "This is something that has worked for years in Latin America and Canada. Our capacity is so underused on some days, such a Tuesday, so why not bring more people into the cinema? We are looking aggressively at it."
[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cinemacon-theater-owners-test-discount-691114]

(VO)
A writer for Mashable notes the one-day discount is a "notable concession" considering theater owners have been steadfast on not providing discounts. He adds, "That's largely because studios are promised a hard cut of each ticket; any discount would slice directly into the theaters' take."
[http://mashable.com/2014/03/25/movie-ticket-discounts-theater/]

(VO) - AOC to SWV
Fithian's proposal to slash ticket prices wasn't the only news, but I think we ought to break for intermission. "Let's all go to the lobby to get ourselves a treat!" (Via Filmack Studios / "Let's All Go To The Lobby" )

(VO)
While overall ticket sales decreased, the Los Angeles Times reports tickets sold to children 11 years old and younger was at its highest point since 2009, thanks to movies like "Despicable Me 2" and "Frozen." Tickets sold to baby boomers between 50 and 59 years old was at an all-time high in 2013.
[http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-global-box-office-record-20140326,0,3194809.story#axzz2x0F1TcXC]

(VO)
Another takeaway from CinemaCon was China's box office numbers. Businessweek reports China's revenue grew 27 percent last year reaching $3.6 billion. According to the MPAA, surpassing $3 billion is a first for any foreign market.
[http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-03-26/china-s-surging-film-box-office-leads-global-rise-in-movie-sales]

(AOC)
Fithian added that the slashed movie ticket prices would debut - with the cooperation of theater owners - in an undisclosed state sometime this year.

'Scandal' Star Columbus Short -- String of Arrests involving VIOLENCE

"Scandal" star Columbus Short has been arrested MULTIPLE TIMES for VIOLENT behavior ... involving women, kids, basketball opponents and random bar people.

1.  Short was arrested for physically attacking his wife in front of his children. The incident occurred back in February at his Woodland Hills home at around 2 AM.  According to legal docs, Short and his wife started arguing and it got physical.  Short's kids -- a 2-year-old and 10-year-old -- were watching.  He's been charged with spousal battery. Prosecutors also charged him with

child abuse because of the emotional trauma the kids suffered by watching.  Short pled not guilty on Tuesday.

2.  Short was arrested 2 weeks later in Chatsworth, CA.  According to the police report, Short and his wife got into a heated argument and he allegedly pushed her. 

3.  And less than a month later -- on March 15 -- Short was involved in a bar fight.  TMZ broke the story ... Short allegedly cold-cocked a man at an engagement party, breaking his nose and rendering him unconscious.  As we just reported ... there is now a warrant out for his arrest in connection with this incident.

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2014/03/26/scandal-columbus-short-not-guilty-arrest-domestic-violence-wife-battery/#ixzz2xAmc58Jl

Obama tells Pope Francis he is a "great admirer"

By Jim Kuhnhenn and Nicole Winfield
VATICAN CITY (AP) - President Barack Obama called himself a "great admirer" of Pope Francis as he sat down at the Vatican Thursday with the pontiff he considers a kindred spirit on issues of economic inequality. Their historic first meeting comes as Obama's administration and the church remain deeply split on issues of abortion and contraception.
Obama arrived at the Vatican amid the pomp and tradition of the Catholic Church, making his way to greet the pope after a long, slow procession through the hallways of the Apostolic Palace led by colorful Swiss Guards and accompanied by ceremonial attendants. The president bowed as he shook hands with the pontiff in the Small Throne Room, before the two sat down at a wooden table in the Papal Library.
"It is a great honor. I'm a great admirer," Obama said. "Thank you so much for receiving me."
As they meet, the six-year president, with his sinking poll numbers, would not be blamed for seeking some reflected glory from a pope who, one year into his pontificate, is viewed as an agent of change in the Roman Catholic Church.
Obama is the ninth president to make an official visit to the Vatican. His audience marks a change of pace for the president, who has devoted the past three days of a weeklong, four-country trip to securing European unity against Russia's aggressive posture toward Ukraine.
The pope whom Obama will sit with this time is a different pontiff than the last one to host him. Obama visited Pope Benedict XVI in 2009, a cordial meeting that nevertheless drew attention to the differences between the church and Obama on abortion.
To be sure, the relationship between the Obama administration and the Catholic Church is a fraught one. And Vatican officials say Obama will not leave without having heard Francis' views on Obama's health care law and its mandates for contraception coverage. But in Francis, the White House sees the popular pope and his emphasis on economic disparity as a form of moral validation of the president's economic agenda.
"Given his great moral authority, when the pope speaks it carries enormous weight," Obama said in an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera published ahead of his papal visit. "He can cause people around to the world to stop and perhaps rethink old attitudes and begin treating one another with more decency and compassion."
Several presidents have found allies if not comfort in the pope.
President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II famously shared an antipathy for the former Soviet Union, Reagan the Cold War warrior and the pope a Polish priest who fought communism in his country and later in Europe.
"Sometimes in these meetings there are compatible personalities," said Paul Begala, a former aide to President Bill Clinton and a Catholic himself. He recalled being with Clinton when the president met John Paul II in Denver.
"They were only supposed to meet alone for five minutes," he said in an interview earlier this year. "Those two gregarious, charismatic men sat in that room for an hour without another soul in there."
The Obama-Francis chemistry remains to be seen, but thematically both seem to be on some of the same pages.
Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput, at the Vatican this week trying to secure Francis' attendance in Philadelphia next year, said he expected the Obama-Francis meeting to be good for both the U.S. and the Vatican.
"We have the most important religious figure in the world as part of that meeting, and one of the most important political leaders, so anytime the church and politics come together is an important moment for dialogue, discussion and the commitment to the common good," Chaput told reporters Tuesday at the Vatican.
Still, there are difficult areas of discord between U.S. bishops and the Obama administration over abortion and the administration's health care overhaul. U.S. bishops were among the most outspoken opponents of Obamacare, objecting to its mandatory coverage of contraception. The Supreme Court this week seemed divided when hearing arguments in a case in which companies argued that they have religious rights and can object to such coverage based on such beliefs.
Vatican officials noted that during the recent visit of Secretary of State John Kerry with his Vatican counterpart Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the cardinal raised the issue of the health care mandate. The Vatican statement issued after that meeting said Parolin had "expressed the concern of the U.S. bishops for the reforms in relation to the guarantee of religious freedom and conscientious objection."
Anticipating that the issue will be a topic of their meeting, Catholics for Choice published an ad in the International New York Times Thursday as an open letter to Obama declaring that "Francis' interpretation of church teachings does not represent that of the majority of Catholics, especially on issues related to sexuality, reproductive health and family life."
Francis faithfully backs church teaching on abortion - he has said he's a "son of the church" - but his emphasis and tone are elsewhere. He has said he wants his church to be more of a missionary, welcoming place for wounded souls rather than a moralizing church.
He caused a fuss in November when he decried some conservative economic theories as unproven. "The excluded are still waiting," he wrote.
Francis' attention to poverty has also captured the attention of Republicans, prompting some to stake out high-profile anti-poverty positions. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has extended a formal and open invitation to the pope to address Congress when he visits the United States.
No doubt there is a political dimension to Obama's visit as well. The president won the Catholic vote in both of his elections, helped by heavy support from Hispanic Catholics. Some of that support has waned since.
Meanwhile, the Pew Research Center found that the pope remains hugely popular, with more than 8 in 10 U.S. Catholics saying they have a favorable view of the pontiff.
 http://www.aol.com/article/2014/03/27/obama-tells-pope-francis-he-is-a-great-admirer/20857819/?ncid=webmail19

Zac Efron Fight -- Attacked In Skid Row Area of L.A.

Zac Efron mysteriously ended up in a very bad area of downtown L.A. just after midnight Sunday ... and ended up getting violently socked in the mouth by a sketchy transient ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

We're told cops were on patrol under the Harbor Freeway when they saw Zac and a man he identified as his bodyguard.  Cops saw Zac and the other guy in a full-blown melee with at least 3 other people. 

After breaking up the fight, cops questioned Zac. He told them they had run out of gas and were sitting in the car.  Zac said while waiting for a tow truck they threw a bottle out the window -- he never said what was in the bottle -- and it smashed on the pavement near a group of transients.

Zac said the transients confronted him and the bodyguard because they believed the pair hurled the bottle at them. Zac says 2 of the transients attacked the bodyguard and when Zac got out of the car to help, he got cold cocked in the mouth. Zac said, "It was the hardest I've ever been hit in my life."

You'll recall ... Zac mysteriously broke his jaw in November, saying he slipped on a pool of water in his home.  Zac was in rehab twice last year for cocaine abuse.

The area where this occurred is rough. Cops are on high alert for drug deals and gangs.  One source says Zac was "obviously intoxicated."

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... no one was arrested because they viewed it as "mutual combat." 

We contacted Zac's rep ... so far no comment.

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2014/03/27/zac-efron-fight-skid-row-drugs/#ixzz2xAk7XUn6