Diamond

The most ballyhooed name change of the year became official Friday morning when a Los Angeles County Superior Court commissioner approved the former Ron Artest's request to become Metta World Peace. Amid labor discord that threatens to delay, if not wipe out, the NBA season, there is World Peace. Photos: Famous name-changers He is 6 feet 7, wears No. 15 for the Lakers and once participated in the infamous "Palace brawl. " Anyone now making his acquaintance will be meeting Metta World Peace.

British Airways thinks 1952 was a very good year -- and a very good price for an airfare sale. Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne that year and celebrates her Diamond Jubilee this year. The airline has a special offer for those who want in on the celebrations: Fly in style in business class round-trip from L.A. to London or Manchester for $1,952. The deal: Last-minute partiers may carve out time to fly across the pond and cash in on this deal. The big Diamond Jubilee celebrations in London are slated June 2-5, though there are on-going events on other dates around the country.

 Neil Diamond and Katie McNeil were married Saturday, the "Sweet Caroline" singer announced Sunday on Twitter, the same place he told the world of their engagement back in September. "Katie and I got married last night, we wish you all could've been there," the singer-songwriter told his more than 300,000 followers. "It was magical! Love, Neil. " The couple - he's 71, she's 42 - tied the knot in L.A. in front of friends and family, his rep told People. It's McNeil's first wedding, and the third for Diamond, who was previously married to high school sweetheart Jayne Posner, then to Marcia Murphey.

MINNEAPOLIS — The Angels are tired of tipping their caps to opposing pitchers, tired of being asked whether their failure to score had more to do with the guy on the mound or their approach at the plate. They were supposed to have one of their most potent lineups ever, but Tuesday night's 5-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins in Target Field marked the seventh time they have been shut out in 31 games, most in the major leagues. "It's mind-boggling," Angels right fielder Torii Hunter said.

All you need to do is turn on the television, listen to the radio or walk past a jewelry mall to know. "The scrap jewelry market is huge, huge, huge," says Reyne Haines, an appraiser who specializes in 20th century decorative arts. Have an old wedding band or other valuable (though no longer worn) piece cluttering up your jewelry box?

'The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond' MPAA rating: PG-13 for some sexuality and drug content Running time: 1 hour, 42 minutes Playing: In selected theaters

After a workout, here's a great way to stretch your back and gluteal muscles. If you have sensitive knees and tight hips, sitting on a yoga block will raise you a few inches off the floor and make it easier to bend forward. Sit upright on the floor or on a yoga block (as shown). Bend your knees and bring the soles of your feet together, with your knees opening out to the sides. Inhale and sit up tall with your chest lifted and your shoulders relaxed down and away from your ears. Grasp your hands around your feet and press your heels together.

Three cheers to Hilburn for a respectable and fair piece on Diamond. While it was insightful, I could only wish that more depth existed to the article. Though weigh that against the digs and gibes that could have been made, and I can appreciate the brevity. What I will never appreciate is why the industry refuses to discuss why Diamond isn't being voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Looking only at a small sample of the songs on Hilburn's list, it's clear that Diamond has earned the right to sit among rock music's greatest.

A pink diamond was sold for $6,053,254, the fourth-highest sum ever paid for a gem at auction, it was announced Friday. The rare 21.06-carat diamond was bought Thursday by Robert Mouawad, a Saudi Arabian jeweler, according to Christie's spokeswoman Katharina Feller.

For years, this small Spanish town made its living from peaches, canning and textiles, but Yecheskel Goldenberg sees its future as an international diamond processing center. Goldenberg opened Spain's first diamond cutting and polishing factory behind the bullring here last November and now employs 230 workers.

 Neil Diamond and Katie McNeil were married Saturday, the "Sweet Caroline" singer announced Sunday on Twitter, the same place he told the world of their engagement back in September. "Katie and I got married last night, we wish you all could've been there," the singer-songwriter told his more than 300,000 followers. "It was magical! Love, Neil. " The couple - he's 71, she's 42 - tied the knot in L.A. in front of friends and family, his rep told People. It's McNeil's first wedding, and the third for Diamond, who was previously married to high school sweetheart Jayne Posner, then to Marcia Murphey.

The first Queen Elizabeth was standing under an English oak tree when she learned that she had become queen. The second Elizabeth was high up in a mgumu tree in Kenya when she became queen, at the moment her father, King George VI, died in his sleep more than 7,000 miles away. That was 60 years ago Monday. Come June, when the London weather is as good as London weather gets and the tourists are massing, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, the second- longest-reigning monarch in British history and only the 40th in nearly 1,000 years, will officially celebrate her diamond jubilee.

SACRAMENTO — Most Sacramentans know the massive Blue Diamond almond plant only from the outside, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. With the right breeze at the right time, the aroma of fresh almonds near C Street in midtown can trigger mouthwatering cravings. Walk or ride a bike along the side fence of the facility on any given day and you're likely to get a whiff of what's happening on the 90-acre Blue Diamond property. Some days, the bouquet is so true and intense that the flavors practically announce themselves.

New Mexico This year, New Mexicans mark 100 years of statehood. But much of the state's appeal stems from its human history that goes back much further. (In 2010, Santa Fe celebrated 400 years of cityhood.) Explore here: the adobe architecture and art galleries of Santa Fe; the vintage signage along old Route 66; the lingering hippie vibe of Truth or Consequences. Don't forget the Lightning Field, an art installation outside Quemado where (for $150 to $250 a person) you spend a summer night in a wood cabin and wait to see if lightning will strike one of the 400 tall steel poles outside your door.

The Montage Beverly Hills and the Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe in Truckee are the newest California hotels to score five diamonds in the 2012 AAA Awards , the Auto Club's top honor bestowed to just 126 of the more than 31,000 hotels reviewed this year in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. In all, 19 California hotels past and present are on the five-diamond list for 2012. The Aria Sky Suites in Las Vegas , Mandarin Oriental Miami and the St. Regis Houston also are among the newcomers to receive the top ranking.

State Sen. Bob Huff of Diamond Bar was elected Wednesday as leader of the Republican caucus in California's upper house, replacing Sen. Bob Dutton of Rancho Cucamonga. Huff, 58, was unanimously approved for the post as the Legislature heads into another difficult year. Lawmakers will have to work with Gov. Jerry Brown to address an expected $13-billion budget shortfall. "The governor has indicated that he will work with Republicans when possible, and Senate Republicans are open to compromise and crafting true, bipartisan solutions," Huff said in a statement.

Orange County sheriff's officials have found a $25,000 diamond in a most unusual spot: stuck in the drain of a shower stall at the jail housing the man accused of stealing it two years ago. On Thursday they outlined the circuitous route they believe the 2-carat rock took to get there. On April 4, 2005, Bret Allen Langford, 39, allegedly walked into a Jewelry Express store at Westminster Mall and asked to see the diamond along with its document of certification.

Doris Payne never carried a gun. She never smashed a window or broke into a safe to take what she wanted. She just crossed her pantyhosed legs and murmured about the filigree ring under the glass. She wondered aloud about matching earrings. She would promise to return in 45 minutes, and only after Payne wafted away in her flowered dress would the clerk count the rings and come up short. But the decades passed, and the job grew more difficult. Her face became familiar.

Loose Diamonds …and Other Things I've Lost (and Found) Along the Way Amy Ephron William Morrow: 167 pp., $19.99

Shelve this one under a category that should be named "bouquet memoirs. " Books like Amy Ephron's "Loose Diamonds … and Other Things I've Lost (and Found) Along the Way" are a nosegay of life essays whose pronouns are mostly "I" and "we," but are also by implication "you" - as in, "here's my experience of this or that life-changing moment; what's yours?" So the essays in such collections fall into two sorts. The first are the accounts of seminal events that the author shares with many of the rest of us - friends, work, marriage, divorce, remarriage, families blended and un-blended, dealing with parents and dealing with being a parent.