Agents

“We are in a fantastic place.” John Severini, the president and chief executive of the California Travel Assn., might have been talking about the state (and he did) but he was also talking about the outlook for travel agents and other travel providers. They were his audience Friday for his keynote  address at the Trade Day part of the Los Angeles Times Travel Show. The show continues for the public on Saturday and Sunday. Severini was optimistic about the state of the  industry, saying he expected a “pretty good year” for travel agents and travel providers.

Dwight Howard has been coy about his upcoming free-agent status, often dodging reporters' questions about it, but he provided his latest insights Wednesday. Does he see himself as the Lakers' cornerstone after Kobe Bryant's career ends? "Yeah, I do. That's what we've always talked about since the first day I got here," he said. So he's signing with the Lakers when free agency starts in July? Not quite. He backed off slightly. "The only thing that matters is right now. Nobody can control what happens this off-season," Howard said.

By law, Alexander Hernandez should have surrendered his gun to the state of California three years ago after a judge issued a restraining order against him for alleged domestic violence. He didn't. So one night recently , when the 26-year-old was at home in Whittier with his toddler, eight armed agents from the California Department of Justice banged on his door and took it from him. Agents found the loaded .45-caliber handgun in a safe by his bed. Hernandez, who told the agents he had forgotten that he was supposed to turn in the weapon, was arrested on suspicion of illegally possessing a handgun, records show.

The prospect of a business book written by a former CIA officer fills one with dread at the inevitable 007 anecdotes and labored corporate parallels. But "Work Like a Spy: Business Tips From a Former CIA Officer," published by Portfolio, turns out to be rather different. There are no gadgets, few cloaks and fewer daggers: Instead it is a bracingly realistic book about people at work. It is short. It is sharp. Better still, it is sensible. It is also about spying, though only enough to lend a sprinkle of glamour and danger.

Question: I'm planning to take my first cruise - a seven-day Alaska voyage. I'm an Auto Club member and am wondering whether there are advantages to booking the cruise through the Auto Club instead of directly through the cruise line. Skip Pedigo Huntington Beach Answer: If you're hoping for an unbiased answer, you'll not find it from me. I would rather poke myself in the eye with a sharp stick than book a cruise without a travel agent. Indeed, I have never booked a cruise, of the dozen or so I've taken, without an agent.

How do you really feel? Agent Dan Fegan , on counterpart David Falk's comments that Washington point guard John Wall lacked a "feel for the game" and was incapable of being the franchise's cornerstone: "David Falk's rant about John Wall was uneducated, unsophisticated and immature. It proved the adage that one can grow old without ever growing up. I'm relieved David had the sense to apologize for his remarks, but that doesn't change the fact that he publicly disparaged a classy young man and a great young player.

Rafael Soriano was a notable absence when pitchers and catchers reported for the Washington Nationals earlier this week. The closer who signed a two-year, $28-million deal with the team during the off-season was nowhere to be found during the team meeting prior to the first official workout Thursday morning either. The Nationals have yet to address the situation and they might not have to. Fox Sports reporter Jon Morosi tweeted Thursday morning that Soriano's agent, Scott Boras, says the pitcher should be in camp "soon" once a visa issue is sorted out. The Washington Post is quoting an unnamed source close to Soriano in saying that the pitcher hopes to report by the end of the week.

Federal agents arrested 14 people, including a former deputy district attorney, on suspicion of running a stock manipulation scheme from Southern California that cost investors more than $30 million. Authorities said the scheme involved the heavy promotion of worthless stocks, which the perpetrators later sold for huge profits in a classic "pump-and-dump" scheme. More than 20,000 investors worldwide are believed to have been victims. Investigators with the FBI and Internal Revenue Service used wiretaps to secretly record thousands of telephone calls and text messages during a three-year investigation, building what U.S. Atty.

A twisting, breakneck tale of spy craft and betrayal, "The Berlin File" is an action-oriented contemporary espionage thriller in which agents from North Korea and South Korea attempt to outwit and overmatch each other in Berlin while dodging the CIA, Mossad and Arab agents. Written and directed by Ryoo Seung-wan, the film is somehow both nimble and a bit lumbering, as crack set pieces are placed against dense plotting and moments of languorous character development. As an agent from the North (Ha Jung-woo)

The International Airlines Travel Agent Network has launched a free mobile app that can locate more than 20,000 travel agencies in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The idea is to give travelers a quick way of finding a professional travel agent at their fingertips. The deal: The Travel Agents app is free for iPhone and iPads as well as Android and BlackBerry devices. Just go to the relevant app store and download. IATAN, a nonprofit organization that's part of the larger airline trade group International Air Transport Assn ., has compiled information for the app from travel agents who meet their accreditation standards.