Ecstasy Treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Shows Promise

Gretchen Ertl for The New York Times

ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT Rick Doblin of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, which is financing research into the drug Ecstasy.

Hundreds of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with post-traumatic stress have recently contacted a husband-and-wife team who work in suburban South Carolina to seek help. Many are desperate, pleading for treatment and willing to travel to get it.

The soldiers have no interest in traditional talking cures or prescription drugs that have given them little relief. They are lining up to try an alternative: MDMA, better known as Ecstasy, a party drug that surfaced in the 1980s and ’90s that can induce pulses of euphoria and a radiating affection. Government regulators criminalized the drug in 1985, placing it on a list of prohibited substances that includes heroin and LSD. But in recent years, regulators have licensed a small number of labs to produce MDMA for research purposes.

“I feel survivor’s guilt, both for coming back from Iraq alive and now for having had a chance to do this therapy,” said Anthony, a 25-year-old living near Charleston, S.C., who asked that his last name not be used because of the stigma of taking the drug. “I’m a different person because of it.”

In a paper posted online Tuesday by the Journal of Psychopharmacology, Michael and Ann Mithoefer, the husband-and-wife team offering the treatment — which combines psychotherapy with a dose of MDMA — write that they found 15 of 21 people who recovered from severe post-traumatic stress in the therapy in the early 2000s reported minor to virtually no symptoms today. Many said they have received other kinds of therapy since then, but not with MDMA.

The Mithoefers — he is a psychiatrist and she is a nurse — collaborated on the study with researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina and the nonprofit Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies.

The patients in this group included mostly rape victims, and experts familiar with the work cautioned that it was preliminary, based on small numbers, and its applicability to war trauma entirely unknown. A spokeswoman for the Department of Defense said the military was not involved in any research of MDMA.

But given the scarcity of good treatments for post-traumatic stress, “there is a tremendous need to study novel medications,” including MDMA, said Dr. John H. Krystal, chairman of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine.

The study is the first long-term test to suggest that psychiatrists’ tentative interest in hallucinogens and other recreational drugs — which have been taboo since the 1960s — could pay off. And news that the Mithoefers are beginning to test the drug in veterans is out, in the military press and on veterans’ blogs. “We’ve had more than 250 vets call us,” Dr. Mithoefer said. “There’s a long waiting list, we wish we could enroll them all.”

The couple, working with other researchers, will treat no more than 24 veterans with the therapy, following Food and Drug Administration protocols for testing an experimental drug; MDMA is not approved for any medical uses.

A handful of similar experiments using MDMA, LSD or marijuana are now in the works in Switzerland, Israel and Britain, as well as in this country. Both military and civilian researchers are watching closely. So far, the research has been largely supported by nonprofit groups.

“When it comes to the health and well-being of those who serve, we should leave our politics at the door and not be afraid to follow the data,” said Brig. Gen. Loree Sutton, a psychiatrist who recently retired from the Army. “There’s now an evidence base for this MDMA therapy and a plausible story about what may be going on in the brain to account for the effects.”

In interviews, two people who have had the therapy — one, Anthony, currently in the veterans study, and another who received the therapy independently — said that MDMA produced a mental sweet spot that allowed them to feel and talk about their trauma without being overwhelmed by it.

“It changed my perspective on the entire experience of working at ground zero,” said Patrick, a 46-year-old living in San Francisco, who worked long hours in the rubble after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks searching in vain for survivors, as desperate family members of the victims looked on, pleading for information. “At times I had this beautiful, peaceful feeling down in the pit, that I had a purpose, that I was doing what I needed to be doing. And I began in therapy to identify with that,” rather than the guilt and sadness.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: November 20, 2012

An earlier version of this article described incorrectly the office arrangement the Mithoefers use to conduct therapy sessions using MDMA. They hold the sessions in an office in a converted house, but they do not conduct the sessions in their home office.

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Stocks sink after Bernake comments; HP takes a hit

A warning from the Federal Reserve chairman about the “fiscal cliff” helped push stocks lower Tuesday.

In a speech to the Economic Club of New York, Chairman Ben Bernanke urged Congress to take action to avoid the steep federal spending cuts and tax increases scheduled to take effect Jan. 1.

Asked in a Q&A session whether the Fed could limit the economic hit posed by the budget-tightening measures, Bernanke said: “If the economy goes off the broad fiscal cliff, I don't think the Fed has the tools to offset that.”

The stock market was already slightly lower. The Dow Jones industrial average sank to a loss of 94 points shortly after Bernanke spoke. By late afternoon, it was down 34 points at 12,760.

Energy companies slumped along with the price of oil, and a surprise announcement from Hewlett-Packard weighed on tech stocks.

HP's executives said that a company HP bought for $10 billion last year lied about its finances. CEO Meg Whitman said that there were “serious accounting improprities, disclosure failures and outright misrepresentations” at the company, Autonomy, which makes search engines. She stopped short of alleging fraud.

HP took an $8.8 billion charge in its latest quarter to bring the accounting value of Autonomy in line with its real value.

In the broader stock market, the Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 5 points to 1,382. The Nasdaq composite index, heavy with technology companies, fell 12 points to 2,904.

Energy stocks and the price of crude oil fell after the president of Egypt predicted that Israel's weeklong offensive in the Gaza Strip would end in hours and the Israeli prime minister said Israel would be a “willing partner” to a cease-fire.

Crude oil was down $2.78, more than 3 percent, to $86.50 per barrel. It traded above $89 earlier in the day. Energy stocks in the S&P declined 0.8 percent as a group.

Housing stocks were among the best. The government said that U.S. builders started construction last month on the most homes and apartments since July 2008.

PulteGroup rose 4.3 percent, Lennar 3.7 percent and D.R. Horton 2.5 percent.

On Monday, the Dow soared 207 points. Investors focused on signs over the weekend that congressional Republicans and the White House might be able to reach a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff.

In the bond market, the yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note edged up to 1.65 percent.

Among stocks making headlines:

— Hormel Foods dropped $1.34, or 4 percent, to $29.96 after its earnings and revenue fell below Wall Street expectations. The company said sales of Spam remained strong, and it increased its annual dividend 13 percent, to 68 cents per share.

— Best Buy fell $1.77, or 13 percent, to $11.98, its lowest in more than a decade. The company, which has struggled for years against increased competition from online electronics retailers, turned in another dismal earnings report.

— Krispy Kreme Doughnuts climbed $1.87, or 25 percent, to $9.41 after it forecast earnings for 2013 above what Wall Street was expecting.

— Green Mountain Coffee rose $1.54, or 6 percent, to $28.87 after picking a new CEO, Brian Kelley of Coca-Cola.

— Groupon gained 31 cents, or 10 percent, to $3.42 after a hedge fund, Tiger Global, said it had bought a 10 percent stake in the company.

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Existing-home sales and builder confidence rise

WASHINGTON -- The housing market recovery showed signs it is continuing to strengthen as sales of existing homes increased 2.1% in October from the previous month and a measure of home-builder confidence jumped in November to its highest level since 2006.

Sales of existing homes rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.79 million last month, up from a downwardly revised 4.69 million rate in September, that National Assn. of Realtors reported Monday. Sales were up 10.9% in October from a year earlier.

Stronger demand helped push up the median home price nationwide to $178,600 in October, an increase of 11.1% from a year earlier, the group said. It was the eighth-straight month to show a year-over-year increase, the first time that's happened since 2005-2006.

Fewer houses on the market also helped drive price increases. There were 2.14 million existing homes for sale in October, down 1.4% from September. That translates to a 5.4-month supply at the current sales rate, the lowest level since February 2006.

Sales by distressed homeowners still accounted for a large chunk of activity. Foreclosures and short sales made up 24% of October's sales. That was the same level as in September, but down from 28% a year earlier.

Superstorm Sandy had some negative impact on sales, the group said.

The Northeast, which was hit hard by the storm, was the only region to show a decrease in sales in October from the previous month. Sales were down 1.7% there, while they increased 1.8% in the Midwest, 2.1% in the South and 4.4% in the West.

"Home sales continue to trend up and most October transactions were completed by the time the storm hit, but the growing demand with limited inventory is pressuring home prices in much of the country," said Lawrence Yun, chief economist at the Realtors group. 

He expected more of an impact in the Northeast in coming months.

The improving housing market led to a boost in builder confidence, according to a measure released Monday.

The National Assn. of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index rose five points in November to 46 from the previous month. It was the seventh straight monthly increase, lifting the index to its highest level since May 2006, before the crash of the subprime housing market.

The index remained below 50, indicating that builders who view sales conditions as poor still outnumber those who view them as good. But the index is up sharply from its 19 reading a year ago, the home builders group said.

“Builders are reporting increasing demand for new homes as inventories of foreclosed and distressed properties begin to shrink in markets across the country,” said Barry Rutenberg, a home builder from Gainesville, Fla., and chairman of the builders' group.

“In view of the tightening supply and other improving conditions, many potential buyers who were on the fence are now motivated to move forward with a purchase in order to take advantage of today’s favorable prices and interest rates,” he said. 

ALSO:

FHA's reserves fall into the red

California home sales pop in October

Most aid from mortgage settlement in state going to short sales

Follow Jim Puzzanghera on Twitter and Google+.

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MTV special profiles young people with HIV

NEW YORK (AP) — MTV is airing a special next week with profiles of three young people who have the HIV infection, amid worries that some people are taking the condition too casually.

The special, "I'm Positive," is scheduled to air Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. ET/PT. Drew Pinsky, who is one of the show's producers, said that if it does well, he hopes it can become a regular series.

In three decades, infection with the virus that causes AIDS has gone from a virtual death sentence to a chronic condition that can be controlled with early detection and a drug regimen. But even if it doesn't develop into full-blown AIDS, there's still some doubt about the long-term health implications of living with HIV and the drugs designed to keep control of it, Pinsky said.

"People are taking it too casually ... and forgetting about it," Pinsky said.

A generational divide is evident in the profiles on "I'm Positive." California girl Kelly, one of the three subjects, feels in control of the situation despite her infection. The mother of Stephanie, a single Southern girl infected through one instance of unprotected sex, is distraught and thinks her daughter is about to die.

The third profile subject, Otis, had a hard time telling his family that he was HIV positive since it was only a year earlier that he revealed he was gay.

As proven by its programming on teenage pregnancy, MTV finds that this documentary-style programming is a good way to reach its young viewers with a message.

"Young people relate when they see their peers struggling with this phenomenon," Pinsky said.

MTV began running "safe sex" campaigns in 1985, and has been encouraging youngsters to get themselves tested for 15 years in an effort funded together with the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Two in five people infected with HIV each year in the United States are between the ages of 13 and 29, MTV's targeted audience. More than 1.1 million Americans are living with HIV infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

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MTV is owned by Viacom Inc.

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Teenage Boys, Worried About Body Image, Take Health Risks

Béatrice de Géa for The New York Times

David Abusheikh at a gym in Brooklyn. He goes six days a week and says he uses protein supplements to help build muscle.

It is not just girls these days who are consumed by an unattainable body image.

Take David Abusheikh. At age 15, he started lifting weights for two hours a day, six days a week. Now that he is a senior at Fort Hamilton High School in Brooklyn, he has been adding protein bars and shakes to his diet to put on muscle without gaining fat.

“I didn’t used to be into supplements,” said Mr. Abusheikh, 18, who plans on a career in engineering, “but I wanted something that would help me get bigger a little faster.”

Pediatricians are starting to sound alarm bells about boys who take unhealthy measures to try to achieve Charles Atlas bodies that only genetics can truly confer. Whether it is long hours in the gym, allowances blown on expensive supplements or even risky experiments with illegal steroids, the price American boys are willing to pay for the perfect body appears to be on the rise.

In a study to be published on Monday in the journal Pediatrics, more than 40 percent of boys in middle school and high school said they regularly exercised with the goal of increasing muscle mass. Thirty-eight percent said they used protein supplements, and nearly 6 percent said they had experimented with steroids.

Over all, 90 percent of the 1,307 boys in the survey — who lived in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, but typify what doctors say is a national phenomenon — said they exercised at least occasionally to add muscle.

“There has been a striking change in attitudes toward male body image in the last 30 years,” said Dr. Harrison Pope, a psychiatry professor at Harvard who studies bodybuilding culture and was not involved in the study. The portrayal of men as fat-free and chiseled “is dramatically more prevalent in society than it was a generation ago,” he said.

While college-age men have long been interested in bodybuilding, pediatricians say they have been surprised to find that now even middle school boys are so absorbed with building muscles. And their youth adds an element of risk.

Just as girls who count every calorie in an effort to be thin may do themselves more harm than good, boys who chase an illusory image of manhood may end up stunting their development, doctors say, particularly when they turn to supplements — or, worse, steroids — to supercharge their results.

“The problem with supplements is they’re not regulated like drugs, so it’s very hard to know what’s in them,” said Dr. Shalender Bhasin, a professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. Some contain anabolic steroids, and even high-quality protein supplements might be dangerous in large amounts, or if taken to replace meals, he said. “These things just haven’t been studied very well,” he said.

Anabolic steroids pose a special danger to developing bodies, Dr. Bhasin said. Steroids “stop testosterone production in men,” he said, leading to terrible withdrawal problems when still-growing boys try to stop taking them. Still, the constant association of steroids with elite athletes like Lance Armstrong and Barry Bonds perpetuates the notion that they can be managed successfully.

Online, in bodybuilding forums for teenagers, boys barely out of puberty share weight-lifting regimens and body fat percentages, and judge one another’s progress. On Tumblr and Facebook, teenagers post images of ripped athletes under the heading “fitspo” or “fitspiraton,” which are short for “fitness inspiration.” The tags are spinoffs of “thinspo” and “thinspiration” pictures and videos, which have been banned from many sites for promoting anorexia.

“Lifted b4 school today felt good but was weak as hell,” wrote one boy who said he was 15 and from Tallahassee, Fla., on a message board on Bodybuilding.com in September, saying he bench-pressed 245 pounds. “Barely got it.”

Many of these boys probably see themselves in Mike Sorrentino, “The Situation” from the “Jersey Shore” series on MTV, or the Adam Sackler character, on the HBO series “Girls,” who rarely wears a shirt or takes a break from his crunches.

Mr. Abusheikh, for instance, has a Facebook page full of photos of himself shirtless or showing off his six-pack abs. At his high school, participation in the annual bodybuilding competition hit an all-time high of 30 students this year.

“They ask us about everything,” said Peter Rivera, a physical education teacher at Fort Hamilton High School who helps oversee the competition. “How do I lose weight? How do I gain muscle? How many times a week should I work out?” Some boys want to be stronger for sports, Mr. Rivera said, but others “want to change their body type.”

Compared with a sedentary lifestyle of video games and TV, an obsession with working out may not quite qualify as a health hazard. And instructors like Mr. Rivera say most boys are eager for advice on the healthiest, drug-free ways to get in shape.

With so little known about supplements, it can be difficult, particularly for teenagers, to make wise decisions.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: November 19, 2012

An earlier version of this article gave an incorrect nationality for the soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo. He is Portuguese, not Brazilian. Because of an editing error, it misstated the number of boys included in the survey. The researchers interviewed 2,793 boys and girls, not 2,800 boys. It also described incorrectly the title of Dr. Shalender Bhasin. He is a professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine, not at the Boston Medical Center.

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Federal regulators investigate misleading mortgage ads

WASHINGTON -- Federal regulators said Monday they have opened investigations of 19 financial companies for possible violations of new mortgage advertising rules designed to keep firms from misleading consumers about reverse mortgages and other products.

In addition, the regulators have sent letters to 32 other firms warning them about ads that falsely imply a connection to a government program or provide other potentially misleading information.

The actions, announced Monday, came after a review by the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau of about 800 advertisements by mortgage lenders, mortgage brokers and other firms outside the traditional banking system.

“Misrepresentations in mortgage products can deprive consumers of important information while making one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives,” said Richard Cordray, director of the consumer bureau, which shares enforcement of mortgage advertising rules with the FTC. 

"Baiting consumers with false ads to buy into mortgage products would be illegal. We will conduct a fair and rigorous investigation into these issues and will take appropriate action for any violations we find.”

The agencies did not identify the companies under formal investigation or those that received warning letters.

The FTC said it had launched investigations of 13 companies and sent 20 warning letters. The CFPB said it had opened six investigations and issued 12 warning letters. Violations could lead to civil penalties.

In 2011, the FTC enacted the Mortgage Acts and Practices Rule, which prohibits misrepresentations of consumer mortgages through ads or other communications.

The two agencies reviewed ads in newspapers, direct mail, email and online, including on Facebook. 

Some ads featured the image of an eagle or official-looking seal or used abbreviations similar to those for federal programs, implying an affiliation with the government. Others simply promoted lower rates or touted guaranteed approval without being clear about the requirements.

Ads that simply were misleading, such as those containing notes in small type saying that the firm was not a government agency, resulted in warning letters, the agencies said.

"To the extent that something is clearly a misrepresentation and appears to us to be clearly false, that is something that is far more likely to result in opening an investigation," said Kent Markus, assistant director for enforcement at the consumer bureau.

The crash of the housing market has led to fewer mortgage solicitations in recent years, said Thomas B. Pahl, assistant director of the FTC's Division of Financial Practices. But ads could increase as the housing market recovers, and regulators said they wanted to be sure companies knew what was not allowed under the law.

ALSO:

$26 billion in aid given under mortgage settlement, banks say

Most aid from mortgage settlement in state going to short sales

Consumer bureau report raises concerns about reverse mortgages

Follow Jim Puzzanghera on Twitter and Google+.

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A young shooting victim wrestles with his fears

After the nightmares started, Davien Graham avoided his bicycle.

In his dreams, he pedaled his silver BMX bike through his neighborhood, heard gunfire and died.

If I stay off my bike, I'll be safe, he thought.

He placed it in a backyard shed, where it sat for months. But Jan. 12, 2008, dawned so spectacular that Davien decided to risk it.

He ate Cap'n Crunch Berries cereal, grabbed the bike and rode a half-mile west to Calvary Grace, a Southern Baptist church that was his haven.

Davien lived with an unemployed aunt and uncle, a former Crip, and five other kids in a cramped four-bedroom house in Monrovia, about 20 miles east of Los Angeles.

Yet as a 16-year-old junior at Monrovia High School, Davien earned A's and B's, played JV football and volunteered with the video club. He cleaned the church on Saturdays for minimum wage.

If I live right, God will protect me.

That afternoon, sweaty from cleaning, Davien reached for his wallet to buy a snack — only to realize he had forgotten it at home.

After returning to his house, he caught his reflection in the front window. He was 6 feet 2 and wiry. His skinny chest was beginning to broaden. He was trying to add weight to his 160-pound frame in time for varsity football tryouts.

He showered, told his aunt he would be right back and again jumped on his bike, size-14 Nike Jordans churning, heading for a convenience store near the church.

At the store, he bought Arizona fruit punch and lime chili Lay's potato chips. He recognized a kindergarten-age Latino boy and bought him Twinkies.

Davien pedaled down the empty sidewalk along Peck Road. He could hear kids playing basketball nearby. As he neared the church, a car passed, going in the opposite direction. He barely noticed.

He heard car tires crunching on asphalt behind him. He glanced back, expecting a friend.

Instead he heard: "Hey, fool."

The gun was gray. It had a slide. Davien recognized that much from watching the Military Channel.

Behind the barrel, he saw forearms braced to fire and the face of a Latino man, a former classmate.

The gunman shouted, "Dirt Rock!," cursing a local black gang, the Duroc Crips.

Davien's mind raced: Don't panic. Watch the barrel. Duck.

Suddenly, he was falling. Then he was on the ground, looking up at the church steeple and the cross.

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'Twilight' finale dawns with $141.3M weekend

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The sun has set on the "Twilight" franchise with one last blockbuster opening for the supernatural romance.

"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2" sucked up $141.3 million domestically over opening weekend and $199.6 million more overseas for a worldwide debut of $340.9 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The finale ranks eighth on the list of all-time domestic debuts, and leaves "Twilight" with three of the top-10 openings, joining 2009's "New Moon" (No. 7 with $142.8 million) and last year's "Breaking Dawn — Part 1" (No. 9 with $138.1 million).

Last May's "The Avengers" is No. 1 with $207.4 million. "Batman" is the only other franchise with more than one top-10 opening: July's "The Dark Knight Rises" (No. 3 with $160.9 million) and 2008's "The Dark Knight" (No. 4 with $158.4 million).

Though "Twilight" still is a female-driven franchise, with girls and women making up 79 percent of the opening-weekend audience, the finale drew the series' biggest male crowds. Action-minded guys had more to root for in the finale as Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner join in a colossal battle to end the story of warring vampires and werewolves.

"Our male audience particularly has enjoyed this film," said Richie Fay, head of distribution for Lionsgate, whose Summit Entertainment banner releases the "Twilight" movies. "With the action scenes in this one, we're hoping the holdover business will reflect the fact that males have kind of found it out."

The movie also helped lift Lionsgate into the big leagues among Hollywood studios. Paced by its $400 million smash with "The Hunger Games" and now the "Twilight" finale, Lionsgate surpassed $1 billion at the domestic box office for the first time.

Some box-office watchers had expected the last "Twilight" movie to open with a franchise record the way the "Harry Potter" finale did last year with $169.2 million, the second-best domestic debut on the charts.

"I thought that for the final installment, it might eclipse the franchise record, but to look at $141.3 million and say that's a disappointment, that's kind of crazy," said Paul Dergarabedian, an analyst for box-office tracker Hollywood.com. "It's one of the most consistently performing franchises of all time."

The "Twilight" finale took over the No. 1 spot from Sony's James Bond adventure "Skyfall," which slipped to second place with $41.5 million domestically in its second weekend. "Skyfall" raised its domestic total to $161.3 million.

The franchise's third film starring Daniel Craig as Bond, "Skyfall" began rolling out overseas in late October and has hit $507.9 million internationally at the box office. The film's global total climbed to $669.2 million, helping to lift Sony to its best year ever with $4 billion worldwide, topping the studio's $3.6 billion haul in 2009.

"Skyfall" passed the previous franchise high of $599.2 million worldwide for 2006's "Casino Royale."

Steven Spielberg and Daniel Day-Lewis' Civil War drama "Lincoln" expanded nationwide after a week in limited release and came in at No. 3 with $21 million. Distributed by Disney, "Lincoln" lifted its domestic haul to $22.4 million.

The comic drama "Silver Linings Playbook," released by the Weinstein Co., got off to a good start in limited release, taking in $458,430 in 16 theaters for a solid average of $28,652 a cinema. By comparison, the "Twilight" finale averaged $34,717 in 4,070 theaters.

"Silver Linings Playbook" stars Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro in a quirky romance involving a man fresh out of a psychiatric hospital and an emotionally troubled young widow.

Keira Knightley's period drama "Anna Karenina" also started well in limited release with $315,395 in 16 theaters, for an average of $19,712. The Focus Features film stars Knightley in the title role of Leo Tolstoy's tragic romance.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers also are included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2," $141.3 million ($199.6 million international).

2. "Skyfall," $41.5 million ($49.6 million international).

3. "Lincoln," $21 million.

4. "Wreck-It Ralph," $18.3 million ($4.8 million international).

5. "Flight," $8.6 million ($1 million international).

6. "Argo," $4.1 million.

7. "Taken 2," $2.1 million ($2 million international).

8. "Pitch Perfect," $1.3 million ($4.1 million international).

9. "Here Comes the Boom," $1.2 million.

10 (tie). "Cloud Atlas," $900,000.

10 (tie). "Hotel Transylvania," $900,000.

10 (tie). "The Sessions," $900,000.

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Online:

http://www.hollywood.com

http://www.rentrak.com

___

Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.

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A John Lautner-designed home in L.A.

Known for his forward-thinking engineering, architect John Lautner designed the Foster Carling house with a retractable wall of glass separating the outdoor part of the swimming pool from an interior portion in the living room. External steel beams support the hexagonal living space, which is free of internal columns.

Location: 7144 Hockey Trail, Los Angeles 90068

Asking price: $2.995 million

Year built: 1950

House size: Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, 1,999 square feet

Lot size: 16,002 square feet

Features: Redwood planking, raised fireplace, polished concrete floors, built-in furniture, bar, basement, alarm system, carport, skyline views.

About the area: In the third quarter, 86 single-family homes sold in the 90068 ZIP Code at a median price of $930,000, according to DataQuick. That was a 3.8% price increase from the third quarter last year.

Agent: John Galich, Rodeo Realty, (310) 461-0468

—Lauren Beale

To submit a candidate for Home of the Week, send high-resolution color photos on a CD, written permission from the photographer to publish the images and a description of the house to Lauren Beale, Business, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. Send questions to homeoftheweek@latimes.com.

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Two council members assail LAFD over response times

The Los Angeles Fire Department, which has been embroiled in a months-long controversy over response-time data, has failed to move decisively to resolve the problem, two Los Angeles City Council members said Friday.

In a formal motion, council members Eric Garcetti and Mitch Englander demanded that fire officials appear before the full council as soon as possible to explain why the department has not presented specific actions that could be taken to improve response times by rescuers during life-and-death emergencies.

"The department's managers are either unwilling or unable to do their job to reduce response times and make L.A. safer," said Garcetti, who is running for mayor, in a statement.

Battalion Chief Armando Hogan said Fire Chief Brian Cummings would respond to issues regarding the agency's data on Tuesday at LAFD headquarters, after a regularly scheduled meeting of the Fire Commission.

Friday's comments by the council members were some of the most critical to date about Cummings and his department since the data controversy erupted in March. That's when the LAFD acknowledged it was using response time figures that made it appear that rescuers were reaching victims in need faster than they actually were.

The motion comes after a series of Times investigations on delays in processing 911 calls, dispatching rescuers and summoning the nearest firefighters from other jurisdictions in medical emergencies.

On Thursday, The Times reported that waits for medical aid vary dramatically across Los Angeles' diverse neighborhoods. Residents in some of the city's most exclusive hillside communities can wait twice as long for rescuers to arrive as people who live in densely packed areas in and around downtown, according to the analysis that mapped out more than 1 million LAFD dispatches since 2007.

A task force of experts formed by Cummings has found that inaccurate response time data were a result of systemic problems in the LAFD's 30-year-old computer-assisted dispatch system and a lack of training by LAFD personnel who were assigned to complex data analysis projects.

Earlier this year, Garcetti and other council members asked the LAFD to return with a five-year plan laying out what is needed to improve response times. The council members wanted specifics regarding technology, more firefighters and other resources.

"Six months later, we have bupkis, and that's unacceptable," said Garcetti's spokesman, Yusef Robb.

robert.lopez@latimes.com

kate.linthicum@latimes.com

ben.welsh@latimes.com

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