Future

WASHINGTON - Skilled in tracking foreign terrorists, Jarret Brachman once was a sought-after expert on Al Qaeda, advising several federal agencies and speaking regularly around the country. Now the former research director of the Combating Terrorism Center, a think tank at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, has turned his focus away from Islamic militants. He spends most of his time consulting with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies about threats from domestic extremists and antigovernment militias.

Yoko Ono is returning to her roots. In June, the 80-year-old avant-garde icon (and widow of John Lennon ) will publish a follow-up to her 1964 book "Grapefruit": "Acorn," a collection of 100 conceptual instructions which function as Zen-like incantations for how to live a mindful life. "Grapefruit" is one of the great books of the 1960s, a work of subtlety and elegance that frames the world itself as a canvas for art. It was this sensibility that first drew Lennon to Ono when they met at London's Indica Gallery in 1966.

RAMALLAH, West Bank - The political future of Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad appeared shaky Thursday amid reports that he will resign after growing tired of constant battles with his rivals. Fayyad has come close to stepping down before, only to be pressed by President Mahmoud Abbas to stay on as leader of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority government. Though Fayyad, a Western-educated independent, is popular among donors and the international community, he is resented by many leaders of Fatah, the main political faction in the West Bank.

Pakistan is beset by a torrent of maladies. Its government is bankrupt. Its economy is mired in stagflation as the population booms. Terrorists strike all corners of the country. Civil conflict in its largest city, Karachi, has evolved from feuds between ethnic political parties into a Taliban war against them all, exacerbated by ever-powerful criminal mafias. The cancer of extremism is spreading deeper and the death toll mounts. But there is opportunity for change. Pakistan's political leaders have taken major steps toward institutionalizing civilian, democratic rule.

Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, says his party needs to be retooled. Republicans, he says, need to reach out to minorities, show a willingness to work with those who do not agree with them 100% and find a way to convince young people that the GOP does not stand for Goofy Old Paranoids.  He is not the only Republican leader to worry about the future of the party. If a course correction is not made, they fear, there are many more lost elections to come.

Voting began at 7 a.m. Tuesday among parents who will chart the future of 24th Street Elementary School under a controversial parent-empowerment law. The law -- known as the parent trigger -- grants substantial authority to parents when a majority at a low-performing school sign a petition seeking change. Among their options, parents can replace the principal or the entire staff or hand over the school to an outside operator. Parents at 24th Street, in Jefferson Park, are choosing among four options.

Jack Dangermond started his working life at his parents' plant nursery in Redlands. Now, Forbes says, he's a billionaire. Dangermond is founder and president of Esri, one of the world's leading geographic information systems companies. In 2010, he won the Alexander Graham Bell Medal from the National Geographic Society and the Patron's Medal from England's Royal Geographical Society. Recently we asked him to talk about Geographic Information Systems, or GIS, and his vision for them.

KABUL, Afghanistan - On the day that Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey arrived in Afghanistan for an assessment visit, six Americans were killed Saturday in attacks by insurgents. Hours after Dempsey arrived, five Americans - three soldiers and two civilians - were killed when a bomb-laden vehicle exploded in Zabol province in the southeast. An Afghan doctor was also killed in the attack. Another American was killed in an insurgent attack in eastern Afghanistan, military officials said.

Like the NHL season, the annual deadline-day trading frenzy was late in starting. But a flurry of deals in the hour before Wednesday's noon Pacific time cutoff changed the complexion of several teams and added depth to others hoping for long playoff runs. The Ducks, seeking strength up the middle, acquired veteran center Matthew Lombardi from the Phoenix Coyotes for left wing Brandon McMillan. They also traded goalie Jeff Deslauriers to the Minnesota Wild for future considerations.

With corporate headquarters overlooking the hot office market in West Los Angeles, CBRE Group Inc. - the world's largest real estate services firm - finished 2012 with a record $6.5 billion in revenue, and its new boss is optimistic about the year ahead. "We think the economy is going to grow a couple of points this year, and we are expecting our business to grow considerably," said Robert Sulentic, 56, who took over as chief executive in December from Brett White, who retired. Earlier, Sulentic was chief executive of Texas real estate company Trammell Crow Co., which was acquired by CBRE in 2006.