Pacific Coast

In these troubled economic times, it's not hard to understand why people might want to protect their life savings by purchasing a hard asset like gold or silver. At least, that's the pitch of Monex, the big Newport Beach investment firm, which bills itself as "America's trusted name in precious metals investments" and assures clients that it's "committed to customer service. " So let's take a look at the experiences of some customers who say their trust in Monex was misplaced.

SICILY Slide show Photographer Warner LeMenager will look at Sicily's capital city, Palermo, and nearby Monreale, with its magnificent cathedral and cloister. When, where: 7:30 p.m. Monday at Distant Lands, 20 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. Admission, info: Free. RSVP to (626) 449-3220. PACIFIC COAST TRAIL Slide show Shian Sung will offer tips for gear and planning and present a slide show on his five-month hike from the Mexican border to the Canadian border, a distance of 2,650 miles.

Hurricane Rick pounded the southwestern Pacific coast, cutting off villages, closing ports and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people. The storm touched land in the afternoon about 12 miles west of the tourist center of Puerto Escondido after forming over the Pacific Ocean, officials said. Authorities began evacuating people in the state of Oaxaca as the hurricane battered villages with high winds and intense rain.

John "Rod" Rodrigues photographed this scene of Pacific Coast Highway near Point Mugu, which he regularly passes on his daily commute, on March 2. "I decided to stop and watch the sun go down this particular night and tried a few long exposures before heading home," he said.  Rodrigues used a Canon EOS 50D. Each week, we're featuring photos of Southern California submitted by readers. Share your photos on our Flickr page or reader submission gallery . Follow us on Twitter or visit  latimes.com/socalmoments for more on this photo series.

A private nursing school shut down Friday, closing the doors on nearly 600 students who attended classes at campuses in Santa Ana and Chula Vista. Pacific Coast College officials disclosed little information about the closing, referring all questions to the school's corporate parent in Los Angeles, United Education and Software.

A strong offshore earthquake shook Mexico's southern Pacific coast Monday night, panicking villagers and knocking out power to dozens of towns. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Mexico's National Seismological Service put the preliminary magnitude at 6.4. The temblor was felt as far away as Mexico City, more than 300 miles north of the epicenter.

1990 RECORDS OVERALL LEAGUE 2-8 1-4 COACH RECORD AT SCHOOL John Liebengood 21-30-1 RETURNING STARTERS OFF DEF 5 9 TOP RETURNERS OFF DEF YR Ricardo Aguilar, 5-10, 190 -- LB Sr. Peter Banjaga, 5-10, 200 WR LB Sr. Richard Buday, 5-11, 185 QB DB Sr. Carlos Cornejo, 5-11, 230 OG DT Jr. Matt Johner, 6-0, 170 QB -- Jr. Eric Linares, 5-8, 155 -- DB Sr. Tony Naranjo, 5-10, 180 RB LB Sr. Jessie Nuno, 5-11, 215 OG -- Sr. Brian Oberreuter, 6-2, 240 OT LB Sr. Albert Rojas, 6-0, 215 OG DT Sr.

Environmentalists raised the alarm about the killing of nine grizzly bears that were driven to forage for food in a Pacific Coast village because there were almost no salmon in the rivers for them to eat. Canada's stocks of salmon have dwindled due to overfishing, environmental changes and the destruction of the fish's river breeding grounds.

Loren Jundy continued his hot pitching and his teammates supported him with torrid hitting as the Valley Dodgers swept a Golden State League doubleheader from the Pacific Coast Earthquake, 11-1 and 10-0, Saturday at Cal State Northridge. The defending league champion Dodgers (15-4, 10-0 in league play), ranked 11th nationally among semipro teams in the National Baseball Congress poll, recorded their 12th and 13th consecutive victories.

The on-again, off-again merger of bankrupt Imperial Airlines and Pacific Coast Airlines in Santa Barbara may be on, again, according to sources close to the companies. "The Pacific Coast deal is still in the making and something should come together very soon," Art Ulloa, Imperial's vice president, confirmed Wednesday.

MEXICO CITY - A deadly earthquake rattled Guatemala on Wednesday, knocking out electricity, destroying dozens of buildings, and killing at least 39 people, with many more missing or buried, President Otto Perez Molina said. The quake, which officials called the most powerful temblor to hit the Central American country in 36 years, occurred at 10:35 a.m. along the northern part of Guatemala's Pacific coast. The U.S. Geological Survey measured it as magnitude 7.4, while Guatemala's National Seismological Institute ranked it as magnitude 7.2. Guatemalan officials initially confirmed three deaths in San Marcos, a city in the country's western interior, but continued revising the number upward as the day went on. "We must regret the deaths of 39 people," Perez told journalists during an afternoon tour of some of the worst-hit areas, according to the newspaper El Nuevo Siglo.

Should the auto industry be worried about the Internet? It seems that the more time young people stay digitally connected, the less time they feel they need to be together physically, and that results in less interest in driving, according to researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. “We found that the percentage of young drivers was inversely related to the proportion of Internet users. Virtual contact, through electronic means, reduces the need for actual contact," said Michael Sivak, a professor at the institute.

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail Cheryl Strayed Alfred A. Knopf: 336 pp., $25.95

Woodstock, it's not. And therein lies much of the appeal of a once-obscure Afro-Colombian music festival that, despite being held in this out-of-the-way corner of the Andes, attracts increasing numbers of international visitors, in addition to die-hard locals. The common thread that ran through most of the Petronio Álvarez Music of the Pacific festival, which ended last weekend, was acoustic marimba music from the Pacific coast. There, inhabitants of poor, isolated Afro-Colombian communities located amid mangroves and estuaries have clung to music styles their forefathers brought with them as slaves two or three centuries ago. Among the 18,000 cramming Cali's Pascual Guerrero soccer stadium for five days running were foreign documentary filmmakers, DJs, tour packagers and talent scouts.

It's an early morning after a late night, yet Tim Wallach's dark blue Chevy pickup rolls into the restaurant parking lot right on time. Paying attention to detail is important if you want to be a major league manager. And Tim Wallach wants to be a major league manager. "That's my No. 1 goal," he says over coffee. The only questions are where and when. Six teams have changed managers this summer and could be looking for permanent replacements this winter. There will also be openings in Toronto and Atlanta, when Cito Gaston and Bobby Cox retire after the season.

The cast and crew from the television show "Survivor" have moved into this southern Nicaragua beach town. But don't talk about it! It's all very hush-hush. CBS refuses to discuss it. Any locals receiving a paycheck have been ordered to mum the word. As though the presence of a bunch of gringos, television cameras and strapping work crews, zipping up and down streets in late-model pickup trucks, would go unnoticed in this town of 18,000, best known for surfing and summer homes.

If you plan a quick jaunt to an accessible lighthouse near you, or a tour of many, here are a few along the Pacific Coast. Even if you head out when skies are clear, be prepared for bitter winds and rain in winter, wear sturdy, comfortable shoes and take along binoculars. Restored to its original appearance as a tourist attraction, the old Point Loma Lighthouse is the focal point of the Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma in San Diego. "The last lighthouse keeper was Capt.

Pacific Coast Highway is many things to the tens of thousands of people who traverse it daily. For the day trippers who park on the shoulder and haul their coolers across the roadway, it's the route to some of the best beaches around. For the "Z drivers" — commuters who take the canyon roads west over the mountains to PCH en route to Los Angeles — it's the quickest way to work. For the cyclists who ride along the shoulder, it's a workout and a rush. For the 13,000 people who call Malibu home, PCH is their main street and the only route through town.

YERMO, CALIF. Calico Easter Celebration When, where: April 3 and 4, Calico Ghost Town Highlights: An Easter egg hunt in the Calico Mountain foothills, a baby-animal petting zoo, photos with the Easter Bunny, kid-friendly musical performances and an Easter Sunday sunrise service. Cost: $10 per car; $5 for motorcycles with two riders; $3 for motorcycles with one rider Info: (800) 862-2542, http://www.calicotown.com LOMPOC, CALIF. Santa Barbara County Vintners' Festival When, where: April 17, River Park Highlights: This annual event features more than 130 vintners pouring their newest offerings, as well as more than two dozen local chefs providing culinary samples.