Weather

On busy Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, some well-kept facades conceal a secret. Behind the Mediterranean with wooden doors, the white stucco two-story with a red tile roof, the long wall obscuring a three-structure compound, hides a singular, massive wealth fueled by obsession. This is Larry Ellison territory, where a Bay Area billionaire with seemingly endless patience and resources is buying up the best spots along Malibu's 21 miles of coast. PHOTOS: Expensive things Ellison has bought The Oracle Corp.

Switching from cold, snowy vistas to the backdrop of a Pacific sunset, the NHL on Monday confirmed the Kings and the Ducks will face off in an outdoor game Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. Dodger Stadium. The contest, the first regular-season NHL game scheduled for an outdoor venue in a warm-weather city, will be played on a portable rink laid out from first base to third base. Contingency plans will be made for rain or other issues. "I think that's a perfect setting for a hockey game," said Kelly Cheeseman, chief operating officer of the Kings' parent company, AEG. "With the mountains and the palm trees in the background, you couldn't ask for a more magical setting.

Many hard-working people need access to short-term credit in a pinch to cover the cost of an emergency room visit or replacing a busted stove or carburetor. Yet apart from asking friends and relatives for assistance, a wellspring that comes with its own costs and often runs dry, many families turn to alternative, "predatory" lenders to finance unexpected expenses. Although the products offered by these alternative lenders — such as payday or car-title loans — can help families weather a financial emergency, the eye-popping interest rates can be devastating.

Aided by calmer winds and cooler temperatures, fire crews began gaining control Saturday of a fast-moving blaze that scorched large swaths of rugged mountain terrain and forced mass evacuations in Ventura County. By late afternoon the so-called Springs fire, having engulfed about 28,000 acres since its Thursday start, was 56% percent contained and all mandatory evacuation orders were lifted. Though the blaze has damaged 15 homes and five commercial buildings, no residences have been destroyed and no injuries have been reported, officials said.

Khushwant Singh halted his tennis serve in mid-swing and cupped his ear. As his playing companions steamed in the already blazing morning sun and shuffled their feet impatiently on the red clay courts of the Gymkhana Club, Singh let out a jubilant shout: "The monsoon bird is here! Hail clamator jacobinus, the monsoon is coming!" In the excruciating pre-monsoon temperatures of northern India, when 110-degree heat is just a starting point, there are no sweeter words.

A variety of headache triggers are relatively well-known: red wine, chocolate, soft cheese and the beginning of the menstrual cycle. But although weather, especially changes in air pressure, is frequently cited as a headache trigger, the connection has not been shown in a large, well-designed study.

"Don't go there," a well-traveled friend said when I mentioned my plans to visit Capri, a sunny island off southern Italy. Why? "You're not going to want to come home," he said. I laughed. My friend, a know-it-all author, loves to give advice. I didn't need it; I already knew I would fall in love with Capri. It's been one of Europe's favorite island getaway for more than 2,000 years, enthralling a cast of characters ranging from Roman emperors to 21st century luminaries and A-listers.

Dicey. That's the word Doug Thompson used to describe the strenuous 11-mile hike to the summit of Mt. Whitney in October, a month of unpredictable weather that can make the first step up the trailhead near Thompson's rustic convenience store the start of a death trap. About 25,000 people ascend the 14,494-foot mountain each year, and "while a lot of them are physically strong, they don't always have much experience or the proper gear," he said. "A year ago this very week, we had a fatal accident up here.

Forecasters say this winter's El Nino just may be the climate event of the century. If it is, it will show how a weather change in one part of the world can affect climates in other places. El Nino is a change in the ocean-atmosphere system of the tropical Pacific, but its impact can be global. What will it mean for Southern California this year? Probably lots of rain. To learn more about weather, use the direct links on The Times' Launch Point Web site. http://www.latimes.

In the snow-hushed woods on Moscow's northern edge, scientists are decades deep into research on bending the weather to their will. They've been at it since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin paused long enough in the throes of World War II to found an observatory dedicated to tampering with climatic inconveniences. Since then, they've melted away fog, dissipated the radioactive fallout from Chernobyl and called down rains fierce enough to drown unborn locusts threatening the distant northeastern grasslands.

Hundreds of battle-weary firefighters made the transition to mop-up mode Sunday as the 28,000-acre Springs fire in Ventura County was declared 75% contained, with full containment expected Monday. Several engine companies were sent home Sunday as hand crews worked to establish a fire break more than a mile long in the Hidden Valley area to complete containment of the blaze, which burned from Thousand Oaks to the ocean. "We're going to have this thing out by tomorrow," Ventura County Fire Capt.

The second day of searing temperatures and unseasonably strong Santa Ana winds kept firefighters busy Friday battling blazes that threatened homes in Ventura County, Glendale and Walnut, but the day ended with hope that cooling conditions would ease the siege. The day was filled with tense moments as the Springs fire lurched closer to homes near Thousand Oaks and a fast-moving blaze in Glendale prompted evacuations and temporarily shut down parts of a busy freeway interchange. Although the amount of burned acreage increased significantly Friday, the fires did not cause major damage to structures.

KABUL, Afghanistan - At a pivotal moment when U.S. forces are winding down combat operations in Afghanistan and handing over the lead security role to the Afghan government, Taliban insurgents announced Saturday the launch of their annual spring offensive. In an elaborately worded statement, the Taliban proclaimed that a "monumental spring operation" would begin Sunday with the goal of "defeating this era's Western invaders. " The Islamist insurgent group, tossed from power by U.S.-led forces in late 2001, is threatening a new round of mass suicide bombings and "insider" attacks on American and coalition forces.

Southern Californians will get a sneak preview of summer this weekend when temperatures climb to 10 degrees warmer than normal for the time of year, forecasters said. “You have very nice weather in store for today and the weekend,” said National Weather Service meteorologist John Dumas. Temperatures are expected to be in the mid-80s Friday through Sunday, with clear skies in downtown Los Angeles, Dumas said. The weather will cool slightly to the upper 70s and then eventually into the mid-70s by early next week, he said.

Southern California is marching toward its fourth-driest year since 1877, and that has firefighters increasingly girded for battle. In the hills of Los Angeles County, tests show the brush is drying out at a significantly quicker rate this year because of the lack of rain. In Ventura County, firefighters say the parched conditions feel like what they typically see in June or July. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, which handles fire protection for about a third of the state, said it has dealt with 150 more blazes so far this year compared with 2012.

Consumers shopping during a chilly March gave retail sales for the month a half-hearted push, with spending weighed down by the bitter weather, sequestration worries, ongoing economic weakness and an earlier Easter that shaved off a full selling day. “The deck was stacked against both retailers and consumers alike,” said Ken Perkins, who puts out a set of sales data through Retail Metrics Inc., in a statement. Sales at stores open at least a year rose 1.5% in March, in line with expectations but much more muted than the 3.9% bloom during the same month in 2012, according to Perkins.

Some of the highs and lows of watching Dodgers-Phillies Game 3: Say Hey "Beat L.A., beat L.A., beat L.A." That's the first thing you heard as TBS began its coverage. Don't Philadelphia fans realize that's a Boston Celtics thing? And Philly fans hate Celtic fans. Say what? Chip Caray, on the play-by-play, said Shane Victorino "Helicopters his way" to the Phillie dugout after a strikeout. It was the second time Caray used "helicopter" as a verb. Weird. Replay this The TBS pitch sequence of Cliff Lee retiring Manny Ramirez in the top of the seventh.

Consumers shopping during a chilly March gave retail sales for the month a half-hearted push, with spending weighed down by the bitter weather, ongoing economic strains and an earlier Easter that shaved off a full selling day. "The deck was stacked against both retailers and consumers alike," said Ken Perkins, who puts out sales data through Retail Metrics Inc. Sales at stores open at least a year rose 1.5% in March, in line with expectations but...

A fierce storm hugged the eastern portion of the nation in an icy, wet grip Thursday, spawning strong winds, tornadoes and the possibility of floods through the region where just days ago spring was beginning to bloom. At least one death related to tornado activity was reported in Mississippi, bringing the toll from this week's freakishly winter-like weather to two. Tornado watches remained in effect in Mississippi and next door in Alabama while Missouri had declared a state of emergency because of drenching rains.