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(Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

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1.	Republican pundits open fire on Sarah Palin
2.	Activists push ballot initiative to end state benefits for illegal immigrants and their U.S.-born children
3.	Sotomayor hearings begin with support, skepticism
4.	David Beckham says feud with Landon Donovan is over
5.	As the Hollywood machine abandons L.A., its supporting workers struggle

Thursday: The day in photos

Running with the bulls in Pamplona

Remembering Michael Jackson

Military operation in Afghanistan's Helmand province

Fans mourn Michael Jackson

A 21st century ranch house in Ventura County

Steve Sharpe’s recently completed residence in Somis is a dramatic departure from the more traditional home he dreamed of 20 years ago. Financial considerations forced him to delay construction, and over time his taste for modern design grew. Though some may see the house’s aesthetic as urban, architect Zoltan Pali says the structure fundamentally is a country house responding to its setting. “Rural has always been associated with simplicity, sparseness and function,” Pali says. “That is this house. I see it as a simple architectural expression with elements boiled down to their essence.”