Vacation

It was billed as a "shocking tell-all" and a "world exclusive," but the National Enquirer's March 26 cover story landed with a thud. TMZ, Page Six and other major players in celebrity gossip ignored the article in which a masseur claimed John Travolta offered money for sex. FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of this article used the term "masseuse"; it should have said "masseur. " Five weeks after the issue left the checkout aisle, a DUI attorney from Pasadena put the anonymous masseur's tawdry tale in a lawsuit and it became an overnight pop culture sensation, topping Google News, trending on Twitter and meriting a segment on "Good Morning America.

On Tuesday morning, 80-year-old Bobby Salisbury took the last of his items from his boat moored at Colonial Yacht Anchorage in Wilmington and stuffed them inside his gray Nissan off-road truck. "I'm the happiest guy today," he said sarcastically. For years, Salisbury has lived at the marina. Then last month, the Los Angeles Harbor Department ordered him and more than 90 other tenants to leave by May 1, calling the dock and 138 slips in Berth 204 too dilapidated to be safe.

The world-famous Mark Zuckerberg can't really go anywhere incognito anymore. This time Facebook's globe-trotting chief executive has been spotted in China . Chinese paparazzi snapped pics of Zuckerberg with girlfriend Priscilla Chan around Shanghai. Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook is also paying a visit to China. Facebook said Zuckerberg is on vacation. Zuckerberg has traveled to China before and was rumored to have met with the populous country's Internet players Alibaba, Baidu and Sina.

The gig: Ed Kushins, 65, is the founder and president of HomeExchange.com, based in Hermosa Beach. It is one of the nation's largest members-only home exchange businesses. What is a home exchange? With 43,000 members, HomeExchange helps participants reach agreements to swap their homes for vacations or business trips. The deal provides each with a house or apartment, and it eliminates the need to pay for hotel rooms. Members pay about $120 per year for access to the company's member database.

President Obama made his first foray out of his vacation compound Friday with a trip to the legendary Bunch of Grapes bookstore in Vineyard Haven. Bystanders who had been browsing upstairs at the two-story bookstore rushed to the windows as crowds gathered on the street. Obama, in a blue polo shirt, jeans and sneakers, wandered in with his daughters. After telling some customers that Sasha was going to browse, he wandered the store with a staff member while discussing his choices with one of the employees.

Got stress? If you answered no, hooray for you! (And, by the way, what planet are you from?) But if you answered yes (like any normal member of the human race), you're likely heartened by the arrival of vacation season. Just the ticket for a little stress-reduction. And that can have some big payoffs. It can lower your blood pressure, boost your immune system and help you live longer. It may even make you smarter. "A vacation is not a luxury," says Jens Pruessner, an associate professor in the departments of psychology, psychiatry, neurology and neurosurgery at McGill University in Montreal.

Air Force One touched down at Andrews Air Force Base at 11:03 am Eastern on Tuesday, bringing the first family back to Washington after what the president called a "terrific" holiday vacation in his home state of Hawaii. As he settles back at the White House to prepare for battles ahead, here's a look at some statistics from his getaway. 12 : Number of days Obama spent in Hawaii, one more than in 2009 when the trip was consumed with responding to the attempted Christmas Day bombing of a U.S.-bound jet. 5 : Days the vacation was delayed because of the lame-duck session of Congress 2 : Number of days he extended his stay, eventually leaving Jan. 3 instead of Jan. 1. 116 : E-mails from the White House press office sent between the time of Obama's departure for Hawaii until his return.

President Obama and his family depart for Martha's Vineyard on Thursday - a vacation that has become a source of political contention as Republicans accuse the first family of frolicking while the rest of the country struggles through economic hard times. The Obama administration is standing its ground, with White House spokesman Jay Carney telling reporters  last week that “I don't think Americans out there would begrudge the notion that the president would spend some time with his family.” Let's hope Carney is right about that.

Wall Street's stock traders and investment bankers are putting off their usual August vacations this year. That's great news for the city's pizza delivery guys, the bartenders and hot dog vendors. The stock market's wild roller coaster ride has caused financial workers to postpone trips to the Hamptons and roll up their sleeves at work. This rush of activity has given Manhattan a spark of life in what has historically been a sluggish month for the financial industry. And that's helped the business prospects of places such as The Grotto pizzeria and restaurant, just around the corner from the New York Stock Exchange building.

We asked readers where they would go if money and time were no object, and where they were likely to go in 2011. Thailand for dental work, one said. A trip with a friend to France, another said. Here are some of the other responses. Bon voyage! Waking in an Amazon tree house My fantasy travel trip is the Amazonian rain forest. I have been fascinated by wild jungles, the Amazon River and Mother Nature's vast wonders since childhood, so this remains a mesmerizing and mysterious part of the world that I fantasize about.

No doubt about it: Peer-to-peer vacation rentals - that is, short-term rentals done through such sites as Airbnb or Wimdu - usually are a bargain. They enable you to save money by letting you dine in for a meal or two because most come with access to a kitchen. But some are far away from the attractions that were the impetus for the vacation in the first place, which means getting there can cause the bargain to lose some luster. Further, some owners have found they are at risk: In a case that created plenty of social media buzz, one owner in San Francisco complained that her place had been trashed.

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - In a landmark ruling, a North Carolina judge on Friday vacated the death penalty of a black man convicted of murder, saying prosecutors across the state had engaged in deliberate and systematic racial discrimination when striking black potential jurors in death penalty cases. The ruling was the first under North Carolina's Racial Justice Act, passed in 2009, which allows judges to reduce death sentences to life in prison without parole when defendants can prove racial bias in jury selection.

Here is a roundup of alleged cons, frauds and schemes to watch out for. Mortgage relief: One of the most common scams in recent years involves companies that promise to provide debt relief to homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgages. Avoid any company that asks you to pay an upfront fee for this kind of service — instead, fees should be paid only after the firm is able to reduce monthly payments or provide other favorable results. The Federal Trade Commission recently obtained a $3.9-million judgment against three firms that charged homeowners as much as $4,000 apiece, promising to reduce mortgage payments and interest rates but failing to deliver.

If you're hoping to book airline tickets for your summer vacation, you may be feeling some extra pain in your pocketbook. A trifecta of factors is playing havoc with airline ticket prices ($1,400 round-trip from LAX to London's Heathrow? Really?) and pinching penny-pinchers' budgets. Airline experts say you can pinch back. Here are some suggestions. Don't go. The consumer can express his displeasure about airfare prices by boycotting. That's easier for the leisure traveler, of course, but decreased passenger counts could make airlines sit up and take notice.

NEW DELHI — Child welfare officials filed suit Friday against a couple whose 13-year-old domestic worker was found locked in their house for several days without food while the family reportedly vacationed in Bangkok, an incident that raised questions here about the values of India's expanding middle class. The alleged mistreatment was even more shocking to many because the husband-and-wife employers were both doctors. The girl, who was not identified, told local television reporters her food ran out soon after the family left on an extended holiday.

Vacation? Who's got time for a vacation? That seems to be the attitude of many Americans, according to a new national survey that shows 48% of adults passed up on using at least half of their vacation time in 2011. The survey of 1,000 adults by Los Angeles-based Kelton Research for Radisson Hotels & Resorts found that Americans are given an average of 18 vacation days a year. But those Americans who said they passed on using half or more of their vacation time blamed a heavy workload and not wanting to play catch-up after returning to work.

As the economy endures high unemployment and a jittery stock market, President Obama has preached sacrifice and fiscal discipline. But the pictures coming out of a sun-splashed Spanish resort this week may be sending a different message. First Lady Michelle Obama is in the midst of a five-day trip to a luxury resort along with a few friends, her youngest daughter, aides and Secret Service personnel. Her office said the family will pay for personal expenses, but won't reveal the taxpayer cost for the government employees.

In this political season, even vacations are fodder for political attacks. Mitt Romney on Tuesday blasted President Obama's planned Christmas holiday trip to his native Hawaii, and the golf games that go with it (see video below). During an appearance on Fox News Channel, host Neil Cavuto mentioned reports that Obama is slated to take a three-week trip to Hawaii this time, and asked Romney how long a break he would take if elected president. "A lot shorter than that, I tell you that," he said, pledging to "work my day and night off" to help rebuild the American economy.

The world-famous Mark Zuckerberg can't really go anywhere incognito anymore. This time Facebook's globe-trotting chief executive has been spotted in China . Chinese paparazzi snapped pics of Zuckerberg with girlfriend Priscilla Chan around Shanghai. Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook is also paying a visit to China. Facebook said Zuckerberg is on vacation. Zuckerberg has traveled to China before and was rumored to have met with the populous country's Internet players Alibaba, Baidu and Sina.

Malia Obama, President Obama's eldest daughter who is on spring break in Mexico, is safe after a powerful earthquake shook the region this afternoon, First Lady Michelle Obama's office said in a statement. "In light of today's earthquake, we can confirm that Malia Obama is safe and was never in danger," said Kristina Schake, communications director for the first lady. The first daughter, 13, is reportedly traveling in Oaxaca with friends, accompanied by the Secret Service. In commenting on her safety, the White House also reiterated its longstanding request for reporters to "respect the privacy and security of the Obama children and not report on or photograph the girls when they are not with their parents.