Smell

Until recently, very few people had ever heard of raspberry ketones, the aromatic compounds that give the berries their distinctive smell. Today, health food stores have trouble keeping the capsules or drops of the stuff on their shelves. Almost overnight, an obscure plant compound became the next big thing in weight loss - and all it took was a few words from Dr. Oz. In a February episode of "The Dr. Oz Show," Mehmet Oz told viewers that raspberry ketones were "the No. 1 miracle in a bottle to burn your fat. " Once Oz calls something a "miracle," it doesn't remain obscure for long.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- A former aide to John Edwards testified Tuesday about the lengths the former presidential candidate went to to hide his affair with a campaign videographer, including raising money from wealthy benefactors to help support the woman, developing code words to conceal his communication with her and crafting an elaborate payment scheme to route money to her. In his second day of testimony, Andrew Young said he felt uneasy about...

Auto leasing deals abound these days, with offers that often seem too good to be true. How about a well-equipped Honda Accord for $250 a month with no down payment or any other drive-off fees? Or better yet, $199 a month for a Chevrolet Malibu? So, what's the catch? There isn't any if you know what you're getting into. There are always details. You need top-tier credit to qualify. You pay a penalty if you turn that Honda in with more than 36,000 miles. And the payment is not $250 a month because of that little matter of tax. It is more like $275, depending on where you live.

Kona on the Big Island is known for its coffee. But almost as impressive is its landscape, which rises from the ocean to more than 6,000 feet high in just a few short miles. The best way to get your arms around both of these attributes at the same time is by taking the Kona Coffee & Craters tour offered by Hawaii Forests and Trails. Start by piling into the back of an open-sided Pinzgauer all-wheel-drive touring vehicle and bouncing through what seems like every one of the island's climate zones from rain forest to alpine peak in the short 45-minute drive up the side of the mountain Hualalai volcano.

There are two kinds of eaters in this world: the kind who want everything to taste pleasant and the kind who find themselves unnervingly attracted to the funk. Sometimes it almost happens against your will; you find yourself craving the tang of a wild sourdough or a good nose throttling from a ripe Roquefort. For those of you possessed by the spirit of the stank, we give you the brand-new Arcadia branch of Tofu King. Tofu King is one of our few purveyors of that peculiar, pungent, fermented delight: Taiwanese stinky tofu, deep-fried to a crisp and full of oddly charming fragrance.

MUSIC The local art-noise duo No Age made its name at the grotty downtown venue the Smell, and they'll headline the club's 14th anniversary show (which, in fast-moving punk circles, makes it practically from the Mesozoic). Guests include Heller Keller, Palm Reader and others. The Smell, 247 S. Main St., L.A. 9 p.m. Thu. $5. thesmell.org.

The local combo So Many Wizards has a bit of Vampire Weekend's humid single-string guitar riffery to it, but the band approaches songwriting in a nonlinear fashion that makes the twee-ness of its vocals seem studied and wry instead of cloying. Here the band releases a new single, "Inner City/Best Friends. " The Smell, 247 S. Main St., L.A. 9 p.m. Fri. $5. thesmell.org .

Moviegoers, at least in the United States, are showing a waning interest in 3-D. So Hollywood is looking to solve the problem as only it can: by adding a new dimension. This time, it's not your sight but your smell that's being brought into the equation: "Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D" director Robert Rodriguez is promising to throw audiences "nose first into the fourth dimension" this weekend when the latest installment in his family-friendly series debuts with "Aroma-Scope," a scratch-and-sniff experience.

POP MUSIC Do some giving and terrify your parents with punk rock at the third annual Riot Grrrl X-Mas Carnival. Smash your head and the patriarchy to the carnal sounds of the Splinters, the Outskirts and more. Proceeds benefit the Downtown Women's Center. The Smell, 247 S. Main St., L.A. 9 p.m. Sun. $5. http://www.thesmell.org .

Want to reduce your portion size? Try eating food that smells good. A study published Wednesday by the new journal Flavour has found that people took smaller bites of vanilla custard when it was accompanied by a more intense aroma. "Smaller bite sizes are known to elicit weaker food sensations, lower flavor release and more satiation," writes lead auhor René de Wijk of the Netherlands' Top Institute Food and Nutrition. Smaller bites, then, could help make people more satisfied with their meal - and want to eat less.

Forget new car, percolating java or even newborn baby. I realize it now: I love the smell of fresh MacBook in the morning. "A distinctive scent can be observed when unwrapping a newly purchased Apple product from its packaging," according to Air Aroma's blog post .  "Apple fans will certainly recognize this smell. " Although I do distinctly remember the smell of my most recent MacBook's unwrapping in November, I think I mistook that for excitement and elation -- and the smell of $1,100 leaving my account.

Want to reduce your portion size? Try eating food that smells good. A study published Wednesday by the new journal Flavour has found that people took smaller bites of vanilla custard when it was accompanied by a more intense aroma. "Smaller bite sizes are known to elicit weaker food sensations, lower flavor release and more satiation," writes lead auhor René de Wijk of the Netherlands' Top Institute Food and Nutrition. Smaller bites, then, could help make people more satisfied with their meal - and want to eat less.

Lately, it seems you don't have to be anywhere near a garden to stop and smell the roses. Smell is the latest way that businesses are attempting to woo customers, whether it be the vanilla and cloves wafting through the air at Williams-Sonoma or the pungent smell of colognes at trendy clothing chains. Technology to spread the scents has become more elaborate and includes a device that pumps fragrances through ventilation systems. And it's all in an effort to create scent branding that helps to attract and keep customers.

Dennis Montano stood on a corner in Granada Hills one recent brisk morning, lifted his nose to the sky and sniffed. "Right now, I don't smell anything," Montano said. That was good news for the embattled Sunshine Canyon Landfill. The disposal site operates roughly a mile away in Sylmar but has roiled the Granada Hills North neighborhood with a potpourri of foul smells. In the face of numerous complaints and dozens of public nuisance violations, the company has organized an "odor patrol team" in an effort to improve community relations and comply with state regulations.

MUSIC The local art-noise duo No Age made its name at the grotty downtown venue the Smell, and they'll headline the club's 14th anniversary show (which, in fast-moving punk circles, makes it practically from the Mesozoic). Guests include Heller Keller, Palm Reader and others. The Smell, 247 S. Main St., L.A. 9 p.m. Thu. $5. thesmell.org.

DJ David Scott Stone @ The Smell DJ David Scott Stone (a.k.a. Sir DSS) performs his textured electronica/acid techno tunes for a night of joyful noise. Stone is known for his collaborations with alt rock group the Melvins and creating his own synth style with guitars, oscillators and his self-made instruments like the electric thundersheet. The Smell, 247 S. Main St., Los Angeles. 9 p.m. $5. http://www.thesmell.org

What's that smell? That's what the people of Mission Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita wondered as a rotten egg odor started wafting in thick pockets last week into their yards, garages and living rooms. Some in the south Orange County suburbs called Public Works to report a sewer backup. But that wasn't the problem. Others called the Fire Department, suspecting a gas leak. False alarm. They were baffled. What was making the evening air hang heavy with that overwhelming stench?

As a connoisseur of kimchi, South Korea's national dish, Kim Soon-ja takes a package of the fermented cabbage everywhere -- even overseas. But there has always been one indelicate matter: how to mask the garlicky and often offensively pungent odor. "My tour guide asked me not to take out my kimchi in public because it can be distasteful to foreigners," Kim, 56, says of a trip to Europe several years ago.

MUSIC Sissy Spacek No, the actress hasn't started a sideline in noise-rock. But Sissy Spacek is the new collaborative project from local avant-garde composer John Wiese, whose hand-modded synthesizer explorations can veer from the ephemerally beautiful to absolute mangled destruction. The Smell, 247 S. Main St., L.A. 9 p.m. $5. thesmell.org. Brian Wright The plain-spoken singer-songwriter relocated to Los Angeles from Texas years ago, making a name for himself in the local scene with his band, Brian Wright and the Waco Tragedies.