World

California taxpayers are on the hook when the state's giant public pension system — lately plagued by corruption scandals and huge losses — makes a bad investment. Yet they are permitted to see little of what goes into its investment decisions. Officials at the California Public Employees' Retirement System have shrouded many of their multimillion-dollar transactions in secrecy, refusing to release analyses of potential investments, meeting materials and correspondence relating to venture capital, real estate and other private equity holdings.

Muslims throughout Temecula and Murrieta have saved up for years to build a mosque to replace the plain white industrial building, tucked between a pipeline company and packaging warehouse, where they now gather to pray. But as the Islamic Center of Temecula Valley moves ahead with plans to build on a four-acre plot of vacant land near Temecula's gentle hills and invading housing developments, plans for the new mosque have stirred hostility in this mostly conservative community in southwest Riverside County.

Boeing Co's new 787 Dreamliner touched down in Britain on Sunday on its first trip outside the United States, thrilling hordes of eager planespotters who came out to see the breakthrough carbon-composite plane. A media circus ensued as Boeing executives, including CEO Jim McNerney, emerged smiling from the plane, though McNerney did not actually fly to England with the plane, instead getting on board after landing. Social media was active with blow-by-blow coverage of the arrival, pointing to the intense interest in the plane not only within the business but also in the flight-enthusiast community.

When an airport that symbolized the sweep of 20th century German history shut down in the capital of this industrious nation two years ago, everyone had an idea about what to do with the colossal piece of prime real estate. Turn it into a shopping center and amusement park, one famous architect urged. Nonsense, others scoffed — we need more affordable housing. Or how about a scientific research center with giant satellite dishes connecting Berlin to the heavens? Or maybe a giant artificial lake with a beach at one end?

Oakland could approve a plan Tuesday to set up four marijuana factory farms, a step that could usher in the era of Big Pot. The proposal is a testament to just how fast the marijuana counterculture is transforming into a corporate culture. And it has ignited a contentious debate in Oakland that could spread as cities face pressure to regulate marijuana cultivation and find ways to tax it. "Everybody knows it's going bigger and big money is moving in," said Dale Gieringer, an Oakland resident and prominent marijuana activist.

David Perel's celebrity news and gossip website, RadarOnline.com, was so overrun with Internet traffic Friday morning that it temporarily crashed. "It was the longest 20 minutes of my life. The tech people were telling me not to pull my own Mel Gibson," joked Perel, the site's executive vice president. He was, of course, referring to Gibson's angry language in a series of audio tapes released by Radar, in which the actor loudly berates his former girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva and spews racial slurs.

When I was a kid in the 1970s, I loved reading accounts of American bravery during World War II. And I was proud that my uncle had earned a Bronze Star for his service on Guadalcanal. So it came as something of a shock when, in 1980, I first heard Yoda's summary of warriors and war in "The Empire Strikes Back." Luke Skywalker, if you remember, tells the wizened Jedi master that he seeks "a great warrior." "Wars not make one great," Yoda replies. I was struck by the truth of that statement even then, as I was preparing for a career in the military.

He was the local weatherman, sending up weather balloons twice a day above this remote community of 450 full-time residents near Bristol Bay and preparing short-term forecasts for pilots and fishermen. She was a stay-at-home mom who drove their 4-year-old to preschool, sang in the town choir and picked berries with her girlfriends. She took part in the community play, in which she portrayed a fairy godmother who acted as a prosecutor in court, confronting the Big Bad Wolf for his crimes against Little Red Riding Hood, the Three Little Pigs and the Boy Who Cried Wolf.

Pain. It stabs. It burns. It aches. It throbs. It gnaws at you. It knocks you for a loop. But, sooner or later, it goes away. Unless it doesn't. That's a nightmare come true for millions of Americans who spend every day in a world of hurt. And the problem will get only bigger. "As our demographics change, and we live longer, more people will experience chronic pain," says Dr. Lynn Webster, medical director of the Lifetree Clinical Research and Pain Clinic in Salt Lake City.

Emma Teitgen, 12, thought the chemistry book her teacher recommended would make perfect bedside reading. Perfect because it might help her fall asleep. Then she downloaded "The Elements: A Visual Exploration" to her iPad. Instead of making her drowsy, it blossomed in her hands. The 118 chemical elements, from hydrogen to ununoctium, came alive in vivid images that could be rotated with a swipe of the finger. Tapping on link after link, Teitgen was soon engrossed in a world of atomic weights and crystal structures.

Whether they loved it or loathed it, critics appear to agree on one thing about Martin McDonagh's black comedy "The Lieutenant of Inishmore," the Mark Taper Forum's current offering: It's the goriest play they've ever seen. The Times' Charles McNulty wrote about "violence, torture and a tidal wave of bloodshed." The word "carnage" pops up often in reviews. As Center Theatre Group Artistic Director Michael Ritchie wrote of his first reaction to the Broadway production of "Inishmore": "I literally remember thinking, '…you are NOT going to do that… you're not really going to do what I think you are about to… are you?

Tony Robbins, the multimillionaire "Father of the Coaching Industry," to use his own phrase, has a reality show, "Breakthrough With Tony Robbins," premiering Tuesday on NBC. (The network describes the series as "six one-hour specials.") It is not, except incidentally, an infomercial, Robbins' customary form of televisual expression, but rather a stunt-filled life-makeover show in which Tony — you don't mind if I call him Tony? — helps "families in crisis" work through their problems in colorful ways that look good on TV. And in only 30 days.

The economy could be teetering on the edge of a double-dip recession, and theme parks are still tossing discounts at reluctant travelers. But there are encouraging signs from at least one small segment of consumers: the super-rich. New data compiled by American Express Business Insights, a unit of credit card giant American Express Co., suggests that what the company calls "ultra-affluent" consumers are beginning to open their wallets wider when inside theme parks — much more so than everyone else.

By Tim Cocks, Reuters They inhabit a polluted part of Ivory Coast's main city with few jobs and a swelling population, but residents of Abidjan's slums have a rare respite: a stretch of pristine rainforest. From their wooden shacks and unpainted concrete houses beside motorways on the edge of Banco National Park, the millions who live in north Abidjan need no lesson on its worth. "This forest is a great thing," textile worker Sebastien Coulibaly, 35, said of the sky-scraping green mass of vines and broccoli-shaped trees.

To frequent fliers, the proposal to replace Los Angeles International Airport's stale array of restaurants and shops probably doesn't seem very controversial; in a recent J.D. Power survey of airport quality, passengers ranked LAX 19th out of the 20 biggest airports in the U.S., and gave its fast-food chains and other eateries two stars out of five. But then, those fliers aren't subject to a big lobbying campaign by the current operators, which stand to lose six-figure contracts if city officials kick them out. What seems like an easy decision is clearly tormenting City Councilman Tony Cardenas, for example.

As you're cruising into the second or third hour of a typical Very Be Careful show — tequila scorching your tongue, perspiration drenching your torso, accordions and cowbells rattling your ear drums — it may not occur to you that you're actually listening to some pretty savvy and skilled musicians. This isn't something that band founders Arturo Guzman, a bassist, and Ricardo, his vocalist-accordionist brother, necessarily want to publicize. Such awareness might compromise the Eastside quintet's image as an easygoing, good-times bar band, dispensers of irrepressible dance grooves for midnight mobs of well-lubricated party animals.

Breakthrough With Tony Robbins: The motivational speaker tries to help a man who has used a wheelchair since breaking his neck on his honeymoon on the premiere of this new series (8 p.m. NBC). Hell's Kitchen: The contestants try to teach bachelors with no cooking experience how to prepare a monkfish and one contestant is accused of sabotage in this new episode (8 p.m. Fox). MasterChef: Amateur chefs compete to become a culinary master and earn the title of MasterChef in this new unscripted competitive series hosted by intimidating chef Gordon Ramsay (9 p.m. Fox)

Rare 'View' of Obama President Obama has many "firsts" in his list of accomplishments. Now he's got one more: On Thursday, he will be the first sitting U.S. president to be seen on a daytime talk show. Obama will appear on "The View" as part of the program's "Red, White & Blue View" campaign, which is dedicated to political guests and discussions. He'll tape his interview on Wednesday and, according to ABC, is expected to cover such topics as jobs, the economy, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and family life in the White House.

A former Khmer Rouge prison chief convicted of crimes against humanity will serve little more than half of his 35-year sentence, a penalty that many victims said Monday was unthinkably lenient. Kang Kek Ieu — known in tribunal filings as Kaing Guek Eav but best known by his revolutionary name, Comrade Duch — had his sentence reduced to 19 years by the U.N.-backed tribunal that convicted him, in part because he has already been behind bars for 11 years. Duch, 67, who presided over the grisly torture and execution of more than 14,000 Cambodians, could have received a life sentence.

Driving around certain parts of Abu Dhabi is like driving around a gigantic construction site. It's a striking contrast from just a few years ago. From about 2003 to 2008, Abu Dhabi sat calmly on the sidelines as its economically ambitious neighbor, Dubai, underwent staggering changes. In the last few years, those roles have practically reversed: In Dubai, much construction work has stopped while work in Abu Dhabi has gone into full swing. But Abu Dhabi has an advantage Dubai did not: a front row seat on a neighbor's experience and the invaluable hard-learned lessons that came with it. Abu Dhabi leaders witnessed Dubai's somewhat laissez faire approach to construction, followed by its introduction of freehold real estate.