Which Way, L.A.?

LA to Feel Pinch of Venezuelan Oil Industry Strike

Venezuela is the world-s fifth biggest exporter of oil, but 9 days of a national strike have virtually shut down its industry. The strike is aimed at President Hugo Chavez who, ironically, was elected on his promise to eliminate the corruption that prevented the poor from cashing in on oil profits. On Friday, three people were killed and 28 wounded in anti-Chavez protests. Today, against streets crowded with long lines for food, medicine and gasoline, that country-s Supreme Court suspended its work, citing political harassment from Chavez supporters. We find out what Venezuela-s troubles mean for the rest of Latin America and for Southern California from a freelance journalist based in the capital city of Caracas and the president of Inter-American Dialogue, a policy-analysis group based in Washington DC. Newsmaker: Celebrities Sign Statement against War with Iraq About 100 Hollywood figures are demonstrating the power of celebrity today. A group called Artists United to Win without War has been making the rounds of TV and radio talk shows all day long. Mike Farrell, a human rights activist, writer and actor who is best known for Providence and MASH, talks about the group, its motivation and the declaration that will appear in newspapers around the country. Reporter-s Notebook: White Backers Profit at Indian Casinos as Tribes Remain Poor This week-s Time magazine contains the first of a two-part series on Indian casinos, focused, in part, on California. It-s an astonishing story of institutionalized inequity and discrimination. James Steele, editor-at-large at Time magazine, reports on the astonishing inequities of Native American gambling.