Richard

Michele and Russell Poland's credit was shot, but they managed to buy their suburban dream home anyway. After a business bankruptcy and a home foreclosure, they turned to a rare option in this era of tightfisted banking - a subprime loan. The Polands paid nearly $10,000 in upfront fees for the privilege of securing a mortgage at 10.9% interest. And they had to raid their retirement account for a 35% down payment. Most borrowers would balk at such stiff terms. But with prices rising, the Polands wanted to snag a four-bedroom home in Temecula near top-rated schools for their 5-year-old son. By later this year, they figure, they'll be able to refinance into a standard loan.

SAN JOSE - Dustin Brown could have gone into a long explanation, an overly technical breakdown or simply resorted to a few well-worn hockey clichés. Instead, the Kings' captain opted for one word when asked about necessary mind-set for Game 5 on Thursday in Los Angeles. "Win," he said. That would reverse the Kings' fortunes in a series suddenly gone south. San Jose pulled even in the Western Conference semifinal at two games each with a 2-1 victory on Tuesday night at HP Pavilion.

MEXICO CITY - Mexico's giant Popocatepetl volcano may generate lava flows, explosions of "growing intensity" and ash that could reach miles away, the National Center for Disaster Prevention said Monday. Officials were preparing evacuation routes and shelters for thousands of people who live in the shadow of Popocatepetl, located 40 miles southeast of Mexico City. Officials have created a 7.5-mile restricted zone around the cone of the volcano. Popo, as the volcano is known, has displayed a "notable increase in activity levels" in the last few days, including tremors and explosive eruptions, according to a statement from the federal government.

A shutout victory might look dominant on the scoreboard, but the Kings' players and coaches saw room for improvement after Tuesday night's 2-0 win over the San Jose Sharks. Mike Richards, who scored midway through the second period, did not like the way his team started out, with San Jose forcing most of the action in the first 10 minutes. "They had a lot of time to make plays," Richards said. "At the beginning of a series, it sometimes feels like you're trying to feel out people, but luckily it didn't cost us. " The Kings not only managed to score at the end of the first period, they also found a rhythm in the second and shut down a Sharks power play that has been very effective in this postseason.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the supplement nitric oxide? Richard Sunland Nitric oxide is a gas naturally found in the body; its function is conveying information between cells. One of its main jobs is increasing blood flow by dilating blood vessels, and that's why it's sometimes given in supplement form to heart patients, orally and intravenously. In at least one study it's been shown to be effective for lowering blood pressure.

WASHINGTON - President Obama forced out the head of the IRS on Wednesday, seeking to restore the public's faith in the tax agency while asserting a measure of control over a rapidly growing political problem. Making a hastily scheduled statement at the White House, Obama denounced the targeting of conservative groups by the Internal Revenue Service as "inexcusable" and pledged to "do everything in my power to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. " "Americans are right to be angry about it, and I am angry about it," he said.

Bank of America Corp., which handles customer service on about 15% of U.S. home loans, has accounted for 30% of the mortgage complaints logged by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, according to a new database made public by the federal watchdog. The level of customer discontent - far greater than at home-lending rivals Wells Fargo & Co. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. - reflects BofA's struggles since its 2008 acquisition of Countrywide Financial Corp. in Calabasas. Countrywide had become the No. 1 mortgage firm by specializing in subprime and other high-risk loans.

The most powerful labor organization in Los Angeles refused Friday to back away from a campaign mailer in which it urges voters to support Wendy Greuel for mayor because she "will raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. " Even though Greuel has said she supports the higher "living wage" only for workers at large hotels, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor chief Maria Elena Durazo accused the media of "nitpicking" when she was questioned about the accuracy of the mailer, which went to Latino voters.

Olympic sprint champion Florence Griffith Joyner died after suffering an epileptic seizure, according to autopsy results released Thursday, and her family and friends say they hope the findings will put to rest rumors that drug use contributed to her death. Griffith Joyner died last month in her sleep at age 38. Her husband, Al Joyner, bitterly criticized those who suggested that she took performance-enhancing drugs.

Lloyd Charton recalls a fateful knock on the door. At his Dana Point home stood a cheerful man with an impressive knowledge of Charton's personal life. It was a neighbor, Dan J. Harkey. Harkey congratulated him on his retirement and asked about a recent vacation. He told him about his company, Point Center Financial Inc., which raised money from private investors and lent it to real estate developers.

In normal circumstances, it's the bullpen that comes to the aid of a starting pitcher. But there's nothing normal about the circumstances surrounding the Angels' pitching staff these days. So Manager Mike Scioscia said Friday he'll try to right the staff with the second-highest earned-run average in baseball by using one of his starters to bail out his ailing relief corps, moving right-hander Garrett Richards from the rotation to the back of the bullpen. Right-handed Jerome Williams will start in Richards' place Sunday.

A jury has convicted a man in the 1987 murder of an Orange County strip club owner, a case that stymied investigators for more than 20 years. Richard Morris Jr., 59, was found guilty Tuesday in Orange County Superior Court of killing James Stockwell, who owned the Mustang Topless Theater in Santa Ana and went by the name Jimmy Casino. Casino, 48, a convicted felon who bragged that he had influence with organized crime figures, and his 22-year-old girlfriend were ambushed by two men at his Brea condo.

He was a smooth-talking swindler who operated Orange County's most notorious and lucrative strip club, the Mustang Topless Theater. Born James Stockwell, he rebranded himself Jimmy Casino and lived the extravagant lifestyle of a character from an Elmore Leonard novel. Expensive cowboy couture. Luxury cars. Enemies who wanted him dead. After years of staying a step ahead of the law and the people whom he owed money, Casino, 48, was ambushed at his Buena Park condo Jan. 2, 1987.

Kevin Harvick won Saturday night's race at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway by plowing through traffic on a two-lap sprint to the finish. Juan Pablo Montoya was trying to hold off Harvick for his first win since 2010 when the caution came out with four laps remaining. It sent the race into two laps of overtime, and most of the field gave up track position to pit for tires. Montoya came off pit road in sixth and Harvick was seventh for the restart. But Harvick rocketed through the field to snatch away the win. Clint Bowyer was second, Joey Logano third, and Montoya settled for fourth.

It's rare for a talky, character-driven drama to be given one sequel, let alone two. Yet with "Before Midnight" - Richard Linklater's reprisal of characters he first made famous 18 years ago in "Before Sunrise" - the director has done just that. The film, which opens May 24, returns us to the lovelorn Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy). This time, the pair - he darkly comic, she earnest and idealistic - aren't meeting by chance but are vacationing on a Greek island, having gotten together nearly a decade ago. Now in their 40s and a little wiser for it, they're living together in Paris and raising twin daughters - a turn that resolves the question about their collective fate posed at the end of the second film, "Before Sunset," all the way back in 2004.

Richard Curtis is indisputably one of the good ones. A British screenwriter who helped give the world the comic genius of "Black Adder" and delivered a string of smart rom-com hits including "Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Bridget Jones's Diary" and "Love Actually" while writing for television shows as varied as "Mr. Bean," "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" and "Dr. Who," Curtis is also a founding member of Comic Relief, which, since 1985, has...

With "The Da Vinci Code" author Dan Brown's news Tuesday morning that he would be releasing a new Robert Langdon adventure in May, we thought it wise to check in with the movie prospects for Brown's last Langdon tale, "The Lost Symbol," which resided on the New York Times hard-cover fiction bestseller list for 29 weeks and has 30 million copies in print worldwide. Sony's Columbia Pictures, which released the previous two films, "The DaVinci Code" and "Angels and Demons," owns the option to all of Brown's future projects involving Langdon, including "The Lost Symbol" and the upcoming "Inferno.

Kenneth Turan's review of Al Pacino's "Looking for Richard" is gratuitously mean-spirited (" 'Looking for Richard' but Finding Only Pacino," Oct. 25). It plays on the oldest prejudice in show business--"all actors are children." This is demeaning to the members of that profession and one wonders why Turan has chosen to work in a field where he apparently has nothing but scorn for those who toil there. First and foremost, "Looking for Richard" is not a film about deconstructing "Richard III."

If this keeps up - and the Angels certainly hope it will - they might have to explain to their fans why they yanked their most effective pitcher out of their starting rotation. Garrett Richards dominated the Detroit Tigers on Saturday, pitching seven innings without giving up a run or a walk. The Angels scored nine runs in the first inning - highlighted by Mike Trout's first grand slam - and rolled to a 10-0 rout at Angel Stadium. The Angels scored more runs in the first inning Saturday than they had totaled in any of their first 15 games this season.

In his new biography, "Farther and Wilder: The Lost Weekends and Literary Dreams of Charles Jackson," Blake Bailey explores the tormented life of the author of "The Lost Weekend" - the once-celebrated 1944 novel that led to the Oscar-winning film - and his plunge into literary obscurity. The Portsmouth, Va.-based biographer has also written extensive books about John Cheever, winning a National Book Critics Circle Award, and of Richard Yates, for which Bailey was a finalist for the honor.