Opinion: In today’s pages: Torture, gay marriage, product placement
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The editorial board takes a look at torture techniques imported from China, says L.A. could learn a lesson from how New York handled a hospital death caught on tape, and examines product placement:
...’The Biggest Loser’ and ‘American Idol’ each included more than 3,000 instances of ‘product placement’ -- the conspicuous display of a brand-name item -- from January to March. That’s more than 100 a show, a jaw-dropping number when compared to the number of products pitched in traditional commercial breaks.Although placements and product integration (the practice of weaving brands into story lines) date to the earliest motion pictures, their use has grown rapidly in recent years...
Columnist Gregory Rodriguez wonders if gay marriage is the key to happiness, and contributing editor Jonathan Chait lays (pdf) out Barack Obama’s options for a running mate.
On the letters page, readers discuss L.A.’s unprocessed rape kits. Long Beach’s Jerry Scaefer says, ‘Men have their priorities; prosecuting rape is not one of them. In fact, rape is one of society’s tools to keep women in place.’ Santa Barbara’s Judy Malmoren notes that the Op-Ed ‘discourages potential victims from taking part in sexual assault evidentiary exams and possibly discourages reporting to law enforcement as well.’
*Cartoon by J.D. Crowe, Press-Register