Mediterranean

Jeff Andrews had never seen "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" when Khloé Kardashian called and asked: Might he decorate her Mediterranean-style mansion? To prepare for that first meeting two years ago, Andrews turned on E! and, by the grace of the reality-TV gods, found a repeat episode recounting Khloé's wedding to Lakers forward Lamar Odom. Homework completed, Andrews landed the job as interior designer for the youngest Kardashian sister. And then for sister Kourtney. And then perhaps most significantly, for Kris Jenner, the matriarch-manager of the Kardashian empire, which, Twitter-follow it or not, remains an undeniable phenomenon.

On busy Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, some well-kept facades conceal a secret. Behind the Mediterranean with wooden doors, the white stucco two-story with a red tile roof, the long wall obscuring a three-structure compound, hides a singular, massive wealth fueled by obsession. This is Larry Ellison territory, where a Bay Area billionaire with seemingly endless patience and resources is buying up the best spots along Malibu's 21 miles of coast. PHOTOS: Expensive things Ellison has bought The Oracle Corp.

Companion planting is based on the idea that, like people, some plants do better with good neighbors. For tomatoes, strawberries and squash, one of the most popular of companion plants is borage ( Borago officinalis ). As a seedling, borage doesn't reveal its potential. The leaves are rough and fat, and as they get older, covered in fur. Only when the sparkling lavender star-shaped flowers appear in spring-summer does borage, also known as starflower, shows its potential: Bees and pest-killing wasps love the blooms.

Soap opera actress Tracey E. Bregman has listed her Malibu estate for sale at $5.5 million. Casa de la Bella Mare sits behind gates on about 1.8 ocean-view estate acres. A tree-lined driveway leads to the 7,148-square-foot Mediterranean-style house, which features a grand hallway entrance with a skylight, an office with built-in desks, six bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms. The formal living and dining rooms open to a swimming pool with spa and an outdoor entertainment area. PHOTOS: Grandest pool around?

There's a star on the stage of the Great Western Forum. Immaculately dressed as always, 6-foot-1, tanned, not a hair out of place, he is a veteran of such very public appearances. In seminar after seminar, convention after convention, he has captivated thousands of people around the world with his charisma, sincerity and enthusiasm. But this appearance, on Feb. 19, 2000, is something special for Mark Reynolds Hughes.

Love fries but hate the thought of artery-clogging fried food? A growing number of gourmet restaurants and foodies see a solution to this conundrum in an unlikely source ? duck fat. They consider it a healthy alternative to frying foods in pork fat, beef fat or even butter. Duck fat is high in beneficial unsaturated fats, and its chemical composition is closer to olive oil than to butter, they say. Plus, it's delicious. "I love it," said David Bazirgan, executive chef at the Fifth Floor restaurant in San Francisco.

HOMS, Syria - The grizzled veteran of Syria's civil war was confident of victory, but he didn't underestimate his rebel adversaries dug in just a few hundred yards away in an adjoining corner of the Old City. "They have trained snipers and they're good street fighters," said Abu Yusef, the nickname for the squad leader of a pro-government militia guarding the war-battered Bab Sbaa district, which was wrested from rebel control more than a year ago. "They've been fighting for a while.

L.A. Clipper Chris Paul may be quick down the court, but he moves pretty fast when it comes to buying multimillion-dollar real estate too. The all-star bought and closed on the Bel-Air home of singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne for $8.495 million just a month after coming to Los Angeles. The Mediterranean-style house, sitting on more than half an acre in a gated community, came on the market in May at $9.5 million and had been reduced to $8,999,999. The 12,184-square-foot home, built in 2003, features Venetian plaster, wood-framed doors and windows, a two-story foyer, a wine cellar and tasting room, a gym, eight bedrooms and 101/2 bathrooms.

Figs, it seems, have been around forever. Adam and Eve were said to have clothed themselves with fig leaves, so one could assume that they were also eating the fruits in the Garden of Eden. Ancient Egyptians knew that figs were an extremely nutritious fruit, and in Greece, the first Olympians not only savored the fruit, but wore them as medals for their achievements.

The Antonio Moreno estate, a 1930 mansion named for the film star who lived in it until 1935, has sold for $4.2 million. The Mediterranean Revival has a two-story living room, five separate bedroom wings and 7 1/2 bathrooms in 8,081 square feet. The home sits on more than half an acre in gated Laughlin Park in the Los Feliz area. There is a period kitchen, original tile bathrooms, a guesthouse and a recording/editing studio. The house and its two-story detached garage cost $27,300 to build during the Depression, according to Pasadena-based building biographer Tim Gregory.