Wednesdays

It's strange how "scandal" gets defined these days in Washington. At the moment, everyone is screaming about the "scandal" of the Internal Revenue Service scrutinizing conservative nonprofits before granting them tax-exempt status. Here are the genuine scandals in this affair: Political organizations are being allowed to masquerade as charities to avoid taxes and keep their donors secret, and the IRS has allowed them to do this for years. The bottom line first: The IRS hasn't done nearly enough over the years to rein in the subversion of the tax law by political groups claiming a tax exemption that is not legally permitted for campaign activity.

The furor over the Benghazi talking points continues. Republicans still see them as the main event in a campaign to embarrass President Obama. The president, for his part, calls them a "sideshow. " Finally, on Wednesday, the White House released more than 100 pages of internal emails that showed, in excruciating detail, exactly how the talking points were edited - and the emails, at least to our reading, supported the president's characterization. Prepared by intelligence officials and revised in interagency discussions, the now-famous talking points were the basis for U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice's comments five days after the 2012 attack on the diplomatic compound in Libya that the siege had grown out of a spontaneous reaction to protests in Cairo over an anti-Muslim video.

Anyone who has booked a last-minute flight knows you pay more when you wait. But you also pay more if you book too early. What's too early? What's too late? Pity the poor fare geek trying to hit that elusive sweet spot. Discount travel site Cheapair.com has crunched a year's worth of booking data and found some answers to these and other eternal travel questions, including: - Best time to book a domestic flight? Seven weeks in advance. - Best time to book an international flight?

GALAXY AT PHILADELPHIA When: 4:30 p.m. PDT. Where: PPL Park. On the air: TWC SportsNet, TWC Deportes; Radio: 1330. Records: Galaxy 4-3-2, Union 4-3-3. Record vs. Union (2012): 0-1-0. Update: "There will be changes in Philadelphia," Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena said after his team suffered its second consecutive loss Saturday, a 3-1 defeat to the Whitecaps in Vancouver. Arena was particularly annoyed that the Galaxy gave up all the goals in the last half hour of the game, which he partly blamed on his players' lack of concentration.

In these troubled economic times, it's not hard to understand why people might want to protect their life savings by purchasing a hard asset like gold or silver. At least, that's the pitch of Monex, the big Newport Beach investment firm, which bills itself as "America's trusted name in precious metals investments" and assures clients that it's "committed to customer service. " So let's take a look at the experiences of some customers who say their trust in Monex was misplaced.

Tom Plate's Pacific Prospect columns will appear on Wednesdays hereafter.

OK, so I'm in the minority. I loved "Cop Rock" and the week will seem so much longer when it's not there at 10 p.m. on Wednesdays. Ann P. Wilson, Santa Barbara

One-Eyed Gypsy Where: 901 E. 1st St., L.A. When: Wednesdays through Saturdays, 5:30 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Price: Cocktails, $8 to $11 Info: one-eyedgypsy.com

'The House That Sam Built: Sam Maloof and Art in the Pomona Valley, 1945-1985' Where: The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens When: Noon to 4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays through Fridays. 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Closed Tuesdays. Through Jan. 30. Contact: http://www.huntington.org or (626) 405-2100

No sooner had the Greyfield Inn ferryboat chugged out of the Fernandina Beach, Fla., marina when somebody popped the question. "All right, let's get this over with," said Jerry, a brash, 40-ish businessman on vacation from Atlanta. With a cold Busch beer in one hand and a bag of boiled peanuts in the other, he looked at the young woman in the Greyfield Inn uniform, offered a charming, crooked smile and asked, "Did you see any of them from the wedding?"

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - Even though its ubiquitous Internet search engine practically mints money, Google Inc. was widely seen as a company whose best days were behind it. It was written off as the next Microsoft Corp. - a staid high-tech giant in the shadows of Apple Inc. and Facebook Inc. that had lost its sense of urgency and innovative edge. But that sentiment has shifted dramatically over the last year, and when Google swings open the doors to its annual conference for software developers Wednesday, it won't just be showcasing its latest products.

The Dodgers are sending Zack Greinke back to the mound Wednesday night, more than three weeks ahead of his scheduled return from a fractured left clavicle. But the right-hander said he'll be pitching with some restrictions. "I know they don't want me running into people," Greinke said. "But it's not a common thing that you run into someone. " The Dodgers' caution is understandable given that they signed Greinke to a $147-million free-agent contract in the off-season, then watched him go on the disabled list after his second start when he was knocked hard to the turf by the San Diego Padres' Carlos Quentin during a bench-clearing brawl.

Corey Perry wanted to carry the Ducks on his shoulders in the Stanley Cup playoffs. At least that was his plan leading into the first-round series against Detroit. Four games later, Perry has produced just one assist and the Ducks now are in a best-of-three fight against the Red Wings, with Game 5 on Wednesday night at Honda Center. "Obviously, it's not the start that I wanted, we're tied 2-2," Perry said. "Hopefully, I can get it going and we'll take things from there.

The Angels' bullpen has been bruised and battered this season. And there's a chance things could get worse before they get better. Two of the four relievers on the disabled list - right-handers Ryan Madson (Tommy John surgery) and Kevin Jepsen (shoulder strain) - threw lightly on flat ground Thursday, the first time either of them has thrown in two weeks. But because neither has a timetable for getting back on a mound, it's likely both pitchers are weeks away from being reactivated.

NEW YORK - Considering Ted Lilly hadn't pitched in more than 11 months, considering he was recovering from shoulder surgery and considering no one really knew what to expect from him, his start Wednesday marked a minor victory for the Dodgers. Lilly pitched the first five innings of the Dodgers' 10-inning, 7-3 defeat to the New York Mets at Citi Field, holding the home team to a run and six hits. Only a week ago, the 37-year-old left-hander appeared as if he wasn't part of the Dodgers' plans.

An adult school student was stabbed Wednesday afternoon in an altercation at Cleveland High School in Reseda and later died of his wounds, law enforcement authorities said. The victim was a student at West Valley Occupational Center in Woodland Hills, according to Los Angeles Police Department Cmdr. Sharon Papa. He was believed to be 18. The student was attacked on one of the school's handball courts about 4 p.m. after an argument with two men who were described as being between 18 and 20, authorities said.

It's a question faced by countless travelers headed overseas: What's the best source for travel immunizations? Private physicians are one option. Private clinics specializing in travel medicine are another. But both can be expensive. For travelers flexible enough to make an appointment during somewhat limited business hours, a visit to one of the handful of county and city health clinics that offer immunizations could be the answer.

Here's a way to beat the high price of gas on your next road trip to Las Vegas: Take a bus, specifically a bus-hotel package. GotoBus.com offers a bus tour that includes two nights in Vegas and a day spent touring the south rim of the Grand Canyon. The cost is $99 per person -- and a third person goes free. The deal: Two people pay $99 each and score the free third spot. You all have to stay in the same hotel room, but it's an inexpensive way to go -- particularly with all the sightseeing stops included (provided you like to pack a lot into your vacation days)

NEW YORK - Chad Billingsley will sit out the remainder of this season, as well as part of the next, as he is scheduled to undergo surgery Wednesday for a partially torn ligament in his throwing elbow. The Dodgers expect Billingsley to return to competition in 12 months. "Obviously, we're disappointed, knowing it's not a start, it's the year," Manager Don Mattingly said. BOX SCORE: Dodgers 7, New York Mets 2 Before the Dodgers' 7-2 victory over the New York Mets on Tuesday at Citi Field, the 28-year-old right-hander was examined by team physician Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles.

Allen Ginsberg's "Kaddish: For Naomi Ginsberg (1894 - 1956)" is not a great poet's loudest howl. Ginsberg howled for joy throughout his life and work, the cry of bliss. He howled out of physical pleasure and spiritual pain. He howled to tune into the core sound of the universe, to become one with its core chord. "Kaddish," which was given an unusual theatrical performance at UCLA's Royce Hall on Wednesday night in a project put together by the wonderfully eclectic music producer Hal Willner, does end loud.