Back in 2004, two Harvard graduates decided to make a dating website with the vision that dating should be free. Since then, OkCupid.com has gained 525,000 active users (meaning active within the last 8 weeks), climbing their way up to the top of the online dating empire, possibly freaking out Match.com, which has an estimated 1.3 million users. In Los Angeles alone, OkCupid has 54,000 registers users (including Tom from MySpace... maybe that's him, maybe......

Two Chinese immigrants in different parts of the country were charged in separate cases of espionage today, the Associated Press reports. One of them was based here:In Los Angeles, former Boeing engineer "Greg'' Chung was arrested on charges of working as an unregistered agent for the Chinese government who stole trade secrets from the defense contractor. Prosecutors say the stolen data largely focused on aerospace programs. Chung, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was indicted last week......

Calling it the "double bubble" where Decline-To-State/Non-Partisan voters had to ink a Democratic bubble at the top of their card in order for their ballot to count, Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo called on the Los Angeles County Registrar and California Secretary of State to review and make sure the intent of everyone's vote counted. "In Los Angeles County alone, 776,000 voters are susceptible to double bubble trouble," Why Tuesday? writes in a......

Not sure how to cap off your Super Tuesday voting experience? Why not grab a drink with LAist! We'll be at the Seven Grand in Downtown from 7-9 p.m., and your first drink is free if you're sporting the hottest accessory in town tomorrow: Your "I Voted" sticker! 21+ only, please. The body of a 32-year-old woman who fell off a cliff late Saturday morning near Chantry Flats on Mount Wilson has been recovered. Recovery......

Everyone's inside watching TV right now | Photo by manmadepants via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Oceanic Air flight 815 from Sydney, Australia to Los Angeles crashed in mid-2004, killing 318 passengers. Six, miraculously survived. Markland at blogging.la draws the connections from LOST to Lost Angeles. North Hollywood Auto Vs. Pedestrian hit-and-run leaves pedestrian dead. Stay safe out there! Double dipping in that Superbowl dip today? "Three to six double dips transferred......

Nowadays, fairy tales have been cleaned up (and often outfitted with boring pop culture referential comedy that mitigates the timelessness of the stories) Cinderella's evil sisters don't cut off parts of their feet to fit into the glass slipper. The little mermaid lives happily ever after instead of sacrificing herself to save the life of her beloved. These stories were made to tap into children's deepest fears, to give weight to the shadows the......

After declaring a fiscal emergency, Governor Schwarzenegger yesterday unveiled his budget plan which seeks to close the gap in California's budget. The governor proposed a 10 percent cut across the board for state programs, including education, health care and social services. Democratic state representatvies are stongly opposing the plan, including Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez of Los Angeles. The Daily News reports: "All of the cards ought to be on the table," said Assembly Speaker......

Producers and writers have been talking and numbers are starting to be released. Nothing's final yet, but this strike could be soon over. What does $9.3 million buy the LAPD? It will finish the job on a backlog of 6,700 of DNA testing for sexual assault cases. Les Deux Cafe, a club where celebiatches Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears hang out, was scene to a fight early this morning that led to......

In Los Angeles, LAist most definitely celebrated Thanksgiving like no other. After all, one has to keep up all the energy to keep on walking the line at the Writers Strike and fighting the unfortunate return of the wildfires in Malibu, which single handedly destroyed over fifty homes within the first 24 hours. National outlets may be covering the fires, but CNN also found it is easier to buy a gun than fruit and......

Even Flat Stanley pays his Orange Line fare. The Daily News has an idea. We're not so much into it, but here is how it goes. While Metro contracts with LA County Sheriff's, the LAPD has a man who knows something about enforcing ticketless travelers on transit systems and he happens to be top cop Chief William Bratton. Some will remember that he became famous for his "broken windows" theory that enforced smaller crimes......

In Los Angeles, Even Ice Cream Is Trendy (Day to Day, NPR) Teams Track Fugitive Immigrants for Deportation (All Things Considered, NPR) DEA agents rescue undercover cop (Daily News) Aniston settles lawsuit over topless photos (CNN) DeGeneres walks away from car crash (CNN) Los Angeles Times Downplays Arrest of Iraq's Al-Qaeda No. 2 (NewsBusters) The Jury Is Still Out On Sex Offender Trading Cards (The Defiant Salmon) Innovative Bar Coasters Announce Relationship Status (Hello......

In Los Angeles, it's easy to run out and sample super fresh and authentic food from all over the world, or even any sub-region of a nation, like the many provinces of China, Sometimes you can stumble into a dim little deli in Chinatown and emerge with rich and tender pastries. Sometimes you can head out to a Monterey Park banquet hall, and end up with plate after plate of delicious dim sum. And......

In Los Angeles we sort of live in our cars, but we do have to have someplace to park them. And stretch out a bit, even sleep. And having that home sweet home is just not that easy for Angelenos. Average home price in Los Angeles County, September 2005: $494,000 Monthly payments on such a house, assuming 10% down, 6% interest, and 30-year fixed rate: $2,665/month Maximum portion of income under federal guidelines that......

LAist is going on a delicious spree around LA from A to Z. This week, F is for farmers' market. We're not blogging about the permanent Farmers' Market at 3rd and Fairfax, but the many certified markets around the southland that offer fresh produce from local farmers. LAist will visit a different market each day this week. Monday is the slowest day for farmers' markets around the LA area because big weekend cooking has......

As part of LAist's commemoration of World AIDS Day, the LAist Interview this week features Shoshanna Scholar, Executive Director of Clean Needles Now. CNN is a grassroots needle exchange organization which also provides a range of crucial services related to HIV/AIDS prevention. Unlike other types of education and outreach efforts, Shoshanna’s line of work deals with one of the more controversial aspects of harm reduction programs. Shoshanna has much to report from the trenches......