Off Limits

The temporary closure of a popular rock-climbing spot in the Angeles National Forest has been extended for one more year to protect an endangered frog species inhabiting the area, officials said Tuesday. Damage to the forest from the Station fire, which has increased the risk of mudslides, has made that area an even more crucial habitat for the frog, authorities said. About 1,000 acres north of Angeles Crest Highway, including Williamson Rock, were closed in 2005 because of the presence of the endangered mountain yellow-legged frog.

Tell people you're going to Niihau, and they invariably exclaim, "No way!" Or, "Do you know the Robinsons?" Yes, way, and I do not know the Robinsons. And even though I've now been to Niihau, I can't really say I know it either. But I do know that there are few places in the world that I have anticipated visiting for as long and from which I've come away so changed. Since my days as a child on Oahu, I've known Niihau as the Forbidden Island. It has been privately owned since 1864, when Elizabeth Sinclair bought it from King Kamehameha V. Her descendants, the Robinsons (brothers Bruce and Keith)

Visiting North Korea is like peering in the window of a store that closed long ago but where old merchandise mysteriously remains. I walk through the aisles feeling privileged, fascinated and curious, a little nervous, but not scared. It is unlike any other place in the world. Communications and information technology most of the rest of the world takes for granted -- the Internet, cellphones, GPS systems -- are unavailable to civilians. North Korean-sanctioned news about Western nations often is characterized by violence and aggressive government actions.

Keiko Hirao sits on pebbly Whale Beach in the late morning sun, taking in this town's main summertime attraction -- two playful dolphins swimming alongside tourists in a picturesque cove. The creatures flap their tails and perform acrobatic jumps as dozens of delighted children tread water in the aquatic petting zoo. But Hirao is troubled. She knows something that many other tourists here don't. "When I found out," the Osaka resident said, "I cried." Each September, Whale Beach is closed to swimming.

More than 30 years ago, in Arkansas, a sociologist proposed to a group of nursing home operators that they set aside "privacy rooms" for their residents to do whatever it is that consenting adults do in private. Professor Eddie Hargrove maintained that hand-holding, kissing and petting "probably would go further than a little medication at 10 o'clock at night," according to the New York Times.

When Nasser Qaout went to investigate strange sounds in his sheep pen late at night, a gang of armed thieves shot him in the leg and made off with half his flock. He and Palestinian police know who the thieves are -- and even where they are -- but a year and half later, they're still in their homes about three miles down the road. Police say they can't arrest the crooks because they live in an Israeli-controlled area, which Palestinian forces can't enter freely. It's a unique dilemma for Palestinian law enforcement: how to maintain security when criminals have more freedom of movement than police do. The international community considers the Palestinians' ability to handle internal security a prerequisite for independence.

Blending commerce with politics, Orbitz Worldwide has launched a campaign to reverse a law that prohibits travel to Cuba for most U.S. citizens and green-card holders. Through the Open Cuba website, visitors can petition the White House, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and members of Congress to eliminate the Kennedy-era trade and travel restrictions. U.S. airlines and cruise and tour operators are eager to launch travel to the Caribbean's largest island.

For more than 2 1/2 years, Farrah Fawcett's battle with cancer has sparked a flurry of headlines for celebrity tabloids. But it has also stripped the actress of her ability to seek treatment while maintaining her privacy, she said in an interview.

Re "FBI losing trust of some Muslims," April 20 I was surprised by the statement by Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations for Greater Los Angeles, that "our mosques are off-limits ... our Koran is off-limits." If Islam is a universal religion, why would a Muslim spokesperson declare their mosques and their sacred book off-limits? On the other hand, if Islam is a political force, intending to subject us all to harsh Sharia law, then it is understandable that Muslims would want to keep their meetings closed and their handbook for accomplishing their objectives out of the hands of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

While President Obama has made development of cleaner energy sources a priority, an effort is underway to close off a large swath of the Southern California desert to solar and wind energy projects. In a move that could pit usual allies -- environmentalists and the solar and wind industries -- against each other, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is preparing legislation that would permanently put hundreds of thousands of acres of desert land off limits to energy projects.