Quality Of Like

Life doesn't get any better than this. Orange County, declares the latest edition of the Places Rated Almanac, is the greatest place to live in North America. By comparison, that neighboring metropolis Los Angeles County ranked 34th with this blunt observation from the book's authors: "extremely abnormal." But for great weather, top-notch universities and superior arts, few other metropolitan areas topped Orange County's scores in this book, which went on sale Wednesday.

Life doesn't get any better than this. Orange County, declares the latest edition of the Places Rated Almanac, is the greatest place to live in North America. By comparison, that neighboring metropolis Los Angeles County ranked 34th with this blunt observation from the book's authors: "extremely abnormal." But for great weather, top-notch universities and superior arts, few other metropolitan areas topped Orange County's scores in this book, which went on sale Wednesday.

From the outside, Jose and Kitty Menendez had "this quality of power, like movie stars," a former neighbor testified Monday, but up close they were cruel, intimidating people guarding a secret life. "How would you describe the Menendez family regarding being secretive?" asked Jill Lansing, a defense attorney in the trial of the two brothers accused of murdering their wealthy parents. "Hermetically sealed," said Alicia Hercz. "Whatever they wanted you to know you knew."

Opus One is an oddity in the world of table wine: It is very expensive, yet not from a single vineyard. Other than premium Champagnes, such as Dom Perignon, virtually every other great, noble and expensive wine is based around a specific plot of soil. Someday, when the Opus One vineyard is in full production, Opus One will be too.

Regarding your editorial comments on legalization of drugs ("Legalization, No; Policy Overhaul, Yes" Jan. 4): Your solid stand against drug legalization is remarkable considering the number of commentaries that have appeared in The Times since Judge (James P.) Gray initially proposed legalization several years ago. I had hoped you would have been more convinced by the logical arguments that have been presented in favor of legalization. It is incredible that our society has not learned the lessons of Prohibition and continues to repeat that failure of history.

Humor is the best medicine, a Boston physician has found in his studies into brain damage suffered by stroke patients. Using a battery of rib-ticklers, Dr. Hiram Brownell of the Boston Veterans Administration Research Center becomes part comedian, part neuropsychologist as he reels off punch line after punch line and studies whether his patients get the joke.

County supervisors voted Tuesday to increase a number of fees, including greens fees at public golf courses. Outrageous? No. Smart. And appropriate. Few but avid golfers ? the enthusiasts of more typical means, not the rich ones who can join private country clubs ? may be aware that Los Angeles County provides public courses for modest greens fees. It's one of those things that, for golfers, enhances the region's quality of life. Like tennis courts and other public sports facilities, the county Department of Parks and Recreation's 17 public golf courses provide recreation, not in more developed and more expensive urban areas but generally in smaller, less built-up cities and unincorporated areas.

Residents of Del Mar and Solana Beach have recently been offered a deal they can't refuse: cut-rate ear plugs, free "relocation" out of their homes for two weekends and a resident biologist to sit in the lagoon to monitor the effects of noise on the creatures that inhabit that sanctuary. Some may ask how did this happen? How could this happen? How could two small residential communities suddenly find their tranquility, their quality of life, shattered?

The following commentary is from Valley VOTE, an organization that seeks a study of cityhood for the San Fernando Valley. It was signed by Jeff Brain, president, Richard H. Close, chairman, Bruce Bialosky, treasurer, and the organization's six area vice presidents. * Last year the big issue for the San Fernando Valley was restoring the people's right to vote on creating our own city. This year the issue is our right to fully study the facts about creating our own city.

Supporting the public's suspicion that pleasing shareholders and delivering high-quality care may be clashing goals in the world of managed care, a study released today reports that for-profit HMOs, which dominate the health care market, deliver lower quality care than not-for-profit HMOs. The findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Assn., substantiate previous work suggesting a negative influence of investor-ownership on the quality of HMOs.

Not again, Southern California leaders groaned Friday as they absorbed the Census Bureau's recommendation against nudging its 2000 head count upward to factor in more than 3 million overlooked Americans. As it did in the 1990s, the region may lose hundreds of dollars in federal funds if Congress and the Bush administration accept the recommendation and extend it beyond the realm of election redistricting.