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If you want to give zip-lining a try, your Southern California options are plentiful. Most have physical requirements participants must meet, so be sure to call or check the website before you book. Catalina Zip Line Eco Tour: This two-hour aerial tour of Catalina Island is comprised of five zip lines, and guides provide information about local wildlife and history along the way. Tours leave 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. From Jan. 1 through May 24 and fromSept.

The Lakers' locker room was an inexplicably steamy 77 degrees an hour before their playoff game. Yeah, they felt the heat. They got pushed off the court by the San Antonio Spurs and almost surely will be ejected soon from the Western Conference playoffs after an 120-89 loss Friday at Staples Center. Fans booed in the second quarter, somehow sensing this could be the Lakers' worst home playoff loss ever. It was. No longer holding that title was a 106-77 loss to Portland in the 2000 Western Conference finals.

"You only turn 40 once," Southwest Airlines says on its online sale page. Really? I feel as though Southwest has been ballyhooing birthday promotions forever -- not that I'm complaining. The airline Tuesday launched an autumn airfare sale with one-way fares of $40, $80 and $120 depending on how far you fly. But think fast because the offer is good only until Thursday. And be patient -- Southwest's website may be slow to upload. The deal: The Celebrating 40 Years With $40 Fares One-Way sale works this way: $40 for short flights (up to 450 miles)

The Lakers guard stepped to the foul line and the familiar chant rose from the Staples Center crowd. “M-V-P! M-V-P! M-V-P!” Three wondrous letters symbolized the sorry end of a season. The Lakers fans were chanting for their only MVP still on his feet - Development League MVP Andrew Goudelock. He was purchased from basketball's minor leagues less than two weeks ago to replace injured Kobe Bryant. He had been placed in the starting lineup two hours earlier to replace injured Steve Nash.

Chrysler Group will recall more than 200,000 of its vehicles, including its Ram pickup truck,  Dodge Challengers and Chargers and Jeep Liberty and Patriots for a variety of problems. In the biggest recall, the automaker will inspect and fix about 120,000 Chrysler 300s, and Dodge Challenger and Chargers sedans from the 2011 and 2012 model years because of an airbag problem. The wrong-sized crimps were used in building the airbag wiring harness, and that can can cause the airbag warning light to illuminate.

Your choices in San Francisco hotels are overwhelming. The prices can be too. So during our staff visit to the City by the Bay, we looked for reasonably priced hotels that had charm, location or both. We came back with 14 ideas on places to bed down. It's not a complete list, but it is eclectic, like the city itself. Mystic Hotel. This property, which opened in April, stands on a tunnel-adjacent block of Stockton Street that you'll never see on a picture postcard, yet it has style, as do the Burritt Tavern bar and restaurant downstairs.

With more than 4 million people visiting Yosemite National Park last year ? and that number expected to increase this year ? it's no wonder lodging inside the park is snatched up quickly. "We typically sell out during the summer season," Delaware North Cos. spokeswoman Lisa Cesaro said of its Yosemite accommodations (Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite Lodge at the Falls, Curry Village and the housekeeping camp on the Merced River; the Wawona Hotel, and in the back country, Tuolumne Meadows Lodge, White Wolf Lodge and the High Sierra camps)

True Religion Apparel Inc., the Southern California purveyor of pricey designer denim, may have gotten too small for its britches. More than half a year after putting itself up for sale amid growth struggles and fluctuating stock, the high-end-jeans seller said its board unanimously accepted an $835-million takeover offer from investment firm TowerBrook Capital Partners. The $32-a-share deal for the Vernon label represents an 8.7% premium on Thursday's $29.44-a-share closing price and a 52% increase from the stock price Oct. 9, the day before True Religion said it would explore strategic alternatives.

Consumers are getting their first glimpse at what health insurance will look like in California as the state prepares to implement the federal healthcare law. On Wednesday, state officials will spell out the details on policies available next year to people buying their own coverage. In January 2014, most Americans will be required to have health insurance or face a penalty. Federal law established four broad plans of coverage - Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze - whose benefits vary based on the level of out-of-pocket expenses that consumers are required to pay. A Platinum plan, the most expensive, would require policyholders to pay about 10% of the cost of care, while the Bronze plan, the least expensive, pegs the patient share at 40%. Document: Details of California's healthcare plans Now for the first time, California is laying out the specific co-pays and deductibles that many policyholders will face when going to see a doctor, get a lab test or visit an emergency room.

Many hard-working people need access to short-term credit in a pinch to cover the cost of an emergency room visit or replacing a busted stove or carburetor. Yet apart from asking friends and relatives for assistance, a wellspring that comes with its own costs and often runs dry, many families turn to alternative, "predatory" lenders to finance unexpected expenses. Although the products offered by these alternative lenders — such as payday or car-title loans — can help families weather a financial emergency, the eye-popping interest rates can be devastating.

The Los Angeles City Council approved a plan Tuesday to begin moving away from coal-fired energy, despite warnings from a Department of Water and Power watchdog that the shift could cost more than $650 million. Like many utilities, the city-owned DWP gets more of its power from coal than from any other source. But last month, after a lengthy campaign by environmentalists, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and utility officials announced a plan to end the city's reliance on coal two years ahead of a state-mandated deadline.

While breaking away from his family's business dynasty, Robert Zildjian took a closely guarded secret with him - a cymbal-making process with roots in the 17th century - and founded his own noisy empire in 1981. A legal settlement prevented him from trading on the Zildjian name long synonymous with cymbals, so he called his Canadian-based company Sabian, an acronym based on the names of his children, Sally, Bill and Andy. As Sabian evolved into a premier cymbal manufacturer, it cut into the market once dominated by Zildjian, the Boston-based company he left behind in a bitter feud with his brother.

MILWAUKEE - The NBA doesn't retroactively change calls on a daily basis. It just seems like it to the Lakers. The latest day-after fix involving them was announced by the league Thursday. Turns out a foul should have been called on Kobe Bryant during Ricky Rubio's last-second, desperate, 28-foot three-point attempt in the Lakers' 120-117 victory Wednesday over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The NBA office reviewed the play and said Rubio was fouled "in his shooting motion" and should have received three free throws.

Lakers 120, Timberwolves 117 (final) The Lakers escaped Minneapolis with a 117-120 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday  night. Minnesota shaved a double-digit Lakers lead by intentionally fouling Dwight Howard, who struggled from the line.  Ricky Rubio's three-point attempt at the buzzer was blocked by Kobe Bryant, finally ending the Wolves' comeback. Bryant led all scorers with 31 points, scoring 16 in the third quarter. Dwight Howard had 25 points, 16 rebounds, five blocked shots and five steals, despite playing through foul trouble.

Carpenter Community Charter is among the best elementary schools in Los Angeles. Its students surpass standardized testing goals, its art and music programs are thriving and it enjoys robust support from parents and the community. The campus also, officials say, is harboring scores of cheaters: families who have provided false addresses so their children can attend the esteemed Studio City school south of Ventura Boulevard. Faced with the possibility of over-enrollment this fall - and armed with new verification powers - Carpenter is taking action.

In a novel twist on rewards programs, Bank of America Corp. is introducing a credit card that pays cash to borrowers who pay more than the minimum due each month. Card users would earn $25 a quarter and an additional $5 if they have a BofA bank account, meaning the bank would pay as much as $120 a year. Industry observers and consumer advocates said the product targets a very different customer than the usual candidates for rewards cards, who are higher-income borrowers with excellent credit who often pay their cards off in full every month.

So how many omega-3 fatty acids are enough — and how should you get them? That likely depends on your age and your specific health concerns. The United States does not yet have guidelines for DHA or EPA, and consensus among nutrition experts is elusive. But specialty groups, some governmental agencies and individual experts have started to take a stand. For healthy adults without major medical issues, the European Food Safety Agency recommends a daily dose of 250 milligrams of combined EPA and DHA, while the National Heart Foundation of Australia suggests 500 milligrams.

LONDON - Thirty-one people have been arrested in a three-country sweep tied to a spectacular $50-million diamond heist at a Belgian airport in February, officials said Wednesday. More than 250 officers with the Belgian federal police and the country's special branches fanned out across Brussels early Wednesday, conducting 40 house searches and arresting 24 suspects. A day earlier, six people in Switzerland were taken into custody, as was one in France who authorities believe was among the masked thieves who took the gems from a jet on the tarmac at Brussels Airport.

In the days before Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco signed his $120-million six-year NFL contract , speculation mounted about how he might celebrate (go back to Vegas? Disneyland? family pizza party?). And the first thing he does after filing the biggest contract in NFL history? He headed to McDonald's in Aberdeen, Md., on the way to his house in New Jersey and ordered a 10-piece Chicken McNugget meal with fries and unsweetened tea for $6.99, according to the McDonald's employee at the drive-through window who snapped his picture.

Joe Flacco became the highest-paid player in NFL history Monday, but not because he led the Baltimore Ravens to the Super Bowl XLVII championship or that he was that game's most valuable player. Or that he threw 11 touchdown passes and had no passes intercepted in four playoff games during the postseason run. Flacco told reporters he received his six-year, $120.6-million contract because ... well, just because he's worth it. “Listen, winning the Super Bowl, winning the Super Bowl MVP doesn't make me as valuable as I am,” said Flacco, who avoided the franchise tag by signing Monday.