TROOPS CRUSH REVOLT: First, lawyers complained about...

TROOPS CRUSH REVOLT: First, lawyers complained about lawyer jokes. Now, eight employees of a Beverly Hills law firm, including a Sherman Oaks couple, have complained they were rousted from an airliner in Mexico by troops with submachine guns for complaining that the airline loused up reservations and every other aspect of their holiday (B4). The airline’s reply: The lawyers were only troublemakers who tried to incite other passengers. . . . No lawsuit yet.

HOT POTATO: It’s summer. It’s hot. You’re becoming a couch potato, worn out by turning up the air conditioner and hitting the video store. Shape up, flabby one! Hurl yourself into a summer class, like Claymation techniques, beginning surfing or sushi-making. For details, see Valley Life, Page 10.

METTLE TO PEDAL: Hector Monsalve of Sherman Oaks, who turns 59 Tuesday, is one of the best senior bicycle racers in the country . . . but not at the moment. Recovering from cracking a leg bone in a San Fernando accident, he is not quite well enough to compete in the U. S. Cycling Federation Masters Track Nationals next week in Colorado Springs, Colo. But he figures it’s only a matter of time (C8).

FASHION FAITH: For Sikhs, Orthodox Jews and Muslims, getting dressed runs smack into religious laws mandating what they must, or cannot, wear. . . . But many, such as Orthodox Jews Xianna Shiffman of North Hollywood and Encino dentist Leslie Rosenthal, find they can reconcile the dictates of both religion and fashion (E1).

PETER TO PAUL: A Monterey-based insurance company charged lower rates for businesses in the western San Fernando Valley . . . and although clients may have been happy about that, state insurance authorities are not. In a landmark discrimination case, the company was accused of illegally denying coverage or charging higher rates in some areas, lower in others (A1).