Neighbors

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.

ISTANBUL, Turkey - Deadly weekend car bombings in a southern Turkish city have galvanized domestic opposition to the government's steadfast support for Syrian rebels amid fears that Turkey is being dragged into the bloody conflict across its border. "The chaos of Syria has been transported here," said Faruk Logoglu, deputy chairman of the opposition Republican People's Party, speaking Monday from the stunned town of Reyhanli, close to the Syrian border. "This is a direct result of the government's Syria policy.

MASINLOC, Philippines - The fishermen were sailing the azure waters off the Philippine coast when Richard Caneda saw the morning sunlight glinting off a vessel "bigger than the biggest ship in the Philippine navy. " Caneda could see a red Chinese flag. The words "Chinese Maritime Surveillance" were written on the ship's side. The ship came close enough that Caneda could see crew members on deck making hand gestures as though to shoo away a fly. Caneda, who had moved from the fishing boat to a tiny skiff to haul in nets left out overnight, soon saw a large gun mounted on the ship's deck pivoting directly toward him. A helicopter whirred overhead.

Rinconia Drive is one of those narrow, tree-shaded roads that snakes up the Hollywood Hills, lined with a mix of older bungalows and towering modern mansions. But when you get to Chris Brown's concrete-and-steel-and-glass Jay Vanos-designed home, the mood changes dramatically. A flashy Lamborghini is parked in front, blocking the sidewalk and part of the street. A creature in a silver spacesuit is perched on a ledge. And on the walls are massive paintings of monsters, standing 8 feet tall in bright neon colors.

To the residents of Saltair Terrace — a peaceful cul-de-sac just a block from busy San Vicente Boulevard — Brentwood just doesn't need the retail complex that billionaire Charles T. Munger wants to erect in place of the landmark structure that once housed Dutton's bookstore. "The beauty of our neighborhood is we've got three tailors, world-class restaurants and groceries — all within three blocks," said Amy Ziering, a documentary film producer who lives on the petite street directly behind the project site.

Rinconia Drive is one of those narrow, tree-shaded roads that snakes up the Hollywood Hills, lined with a mix of older bungalows and towering modern mansions. But when you get to Chris Brown's concrete-and-steel-and-glass Jay Vanos-designed home, the mood changes dramatically. A flashy Lamborghini is parked in front, blocking the sidewalk and part of the street. A creature in a silver spacesuit is perched on a ledge. And on the walls are massive paintings of monsters, standing 8 feet tall in bright neon colors.

A manhunt for a gunman who allegedly killed five people at a birthday party hosted by his estranged girlfriend ended in Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday, when the suspect apparently shot himself. The apparent suicide came after he dropped off his two young children, whom he had abducted from the shooting scene in Lake Havasu City in Arizona, according to authorities. One of the victims, identified as the mother of the children, had obtained a restraining order against the alleged gunman, Brian Diez, earlier this year, according to Sgt. Joe Harrold of the Lake Havasu City Police.

Jonathan Beggs wanted an easy way for his neighbors to share books. Using odds and ends of fiberboard and Douglas fir, the retired building contractor fashioned a hutch the size of a dollhouse. He gave it a pitched cedar-shingle roof capped with copper. The door, trimmed in bright red, opens to three shelves filled with books by Joyce Carol Oates, Tony Hillerman, James Michener and others. Below hangs a sign: "Take a book or bring a book or both. " In the half a year that Beggs' Little Free Library has perched on a post in front of his Sherman Oaks home, it has evolved into much more than a book exchange.

In the closing days of his vice-presidential run, Paul D. Ryan sought to connect with voters in small- and medium-sized towns across Ohio by repeatedly telling them how much their community had in common with his own hometown of Janesville, Wis. Now, post-election, the Wisconsin congressman is blaming his Republican ticket loss with presidential contender Mitt Romney on a huge turnout of urban voters for President Obama. One flaw in that analysis may be that election results indicate the Romney-Ryan ticket didn't exactly connect with the voters back in Janesville, either.

A man who apparently blew himself up with explosives in his Costa Mesa home was known to record video of his neighbors from his property, prompting calls to police from residents, authorities said Monday. Neighbors described Kevin Harris, 52, as odd but harmless with a history of mental illness. They made a point to walk at a brisk pace past his house, which was wrapped in foil, neighbors told The Times. Cryptic notes would appear, taped to a tree in the front yard. A neighbor showed The Times one such note taped to the tree Saturday morning.

CLEVELAND - To most of his neighbors, Ariel Castro was an upbeat presence on a rundown street, a cheerful school bus driver who befriended local kids and popped into barbecues to say hello and have a beer. On Tuesday, they sought to reconcile that image with accusations that Castro had imprisoned three young women, abducted in 2002, 2003 and 2004, inside his slightly dilapidated house with the American flag out front. "I guess he had a great mask to cover a monster," Juan Perez, who lives two doors down from Castro, said Tuesday.

French director François Ozon can usually be counted on for dark irony of the juiciest sort - his 2003 "Swimming Pool" of sexual provocations comes to mind. But the filmmaker has an especially deft touch when a dash of comedy is mixed in. He uses this to delicious effect in his latest, "In the House. " Adapted by Ozon from Spanish playwright Juan Mayorga's "The Boy in the Last Row," the literary conceit upon which this "House" stands required some maneuvering to open up the world of Claude Garcia (Ernst Umhauer)

A man who apparently blew himself up with explosives in his Costa Mesa home was known to record video of his neighbors from his property, prompting calls to police from residents, authorities said Monday. Neighbors described Kevin Harris, 52, as odd but harmless with a history of mental illness. They made a point to walk at a brisk pace past his house, which was wrapped in foil, neighbors told The Times. Cryptic notes would appear, taped to a tree in the front yard. A neighbor showed The Times one such note taped to the tree Saturday morning.

The contents of a long, rambling essay written by a Costa Mesa man who likely blew himself up in an apparent suicide are concerning police, authorities said Monday. The 17,000-word essay, titled “The Pricker: A True Story of Assassination, Terrorism and High Treason,” includes references to aliens, the  O.J. Simpson  trial, the U.S. government and “the pricker,” which the author describes as “an assassin's weapon that deposits biological agents into a victim's skin, on contact, without their knowledge.” Though its author, 52-year-old Kevin Harris, apparently killed himself Sunday evening, elements of it are still of concern, said Lt. Jerry Hildeman.

A Costa Mesa man who police believe blew himself up inside his home wrote extensively about his fear of government. He wrote that the government was behind the killing of Nicole Brown Simpson and John Lennon, the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the death of Righteous Brothers singer Bobby Hatfield. The 17,000-word essay titled “The Pricker: A True Story of Assassination, Terrorism and High Treason” includes references to aliens, the O.J. Simpson trial, the U.S. government and “the pricker,” which it describes as “an assassin's weapon that deposits biological agents into a victim's skin, on contact, without their knowledge.” Although its author, 52-year-old Kevin Harris, apparently killed himself Sunday evening, elements of it are still of concern, Police Sgt. Jerry Hildeman said.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are a powerful economic engine for Southern California. They produce more jobs than the entire movie business, and they connect the United States to ports across the Pacific Ocean. The hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of goods that pass through them are an essential source of economic livelihood, and yet at times the ports impose a burden on those who live closest to them, forcing policymakers to weigh what is best for the nation and the region against what harm it might do to neighbors.

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe set out on a tour of South America last week to reassure his counterparts that the looming U.S. military buildup in his country poses no threat to them. But it's not just Uribe who needs to be soothing and -- dare we employ one of President Obama's favorite words -- transparent. Washington too should be working hard to quell the fears it has raised in the region. Details of an agreement giving U.S. personnel access to Colombian military bases are not finalized, but the United States is expected have a significant presence at three air bases and two naval bases, greatly increasing its capability to monitor not only local drug traffickers but neighboring countries.

Re "Expansion of museum opposed by neighbors," Feb. 9 Simon Wiesenthal advocated human rights. So why is the Museum of Tolerance violating the rights of its immediate neighbors by pushing forward with an ill-advised expansion? Is it institutional arrogance? Clearly the museum has lost sight of its responsibility to Holocaust survivors and its neighbors. Los Angeles must protect nearby residents from the effects of the increased traffic, noise and inconvenience to their daily lives.

SEOUL - When North Korea last weekend declared it was in a state of war, threatening to use nuclear weapons against South Korea, reduce its presidential palace to ashes and mercilessly sweep away the warmongers, residents of Seoul reacted much as they always do. They yawned. Decades of living in the shadow of an erratic, menacing neighbor have made South Koreans almost deaf to the rhetoric from the North. Many people maintain a blase attitude, shrugging off the bombastic threats as another case of "the boy who cried wolf.

The hypnotic pull of Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho's remarkable, award-winning "Neighboring Sounds" - one of the strongest feature debuts of the last decade - is in its mysterious density of techniques. Set in seaside Recife on street of high-rises occupied by wealthy owners, well-off renters and the underclass that cleans for them, the film dips in and out of their lives and gender, race and socio-economic issues. There's the dissatisfied housewife who smokes pot, the sugar magnate's grandson who amiably oversees the patriarch's properties, the maid who likes to tryst in a day-vacated condo.