TUESDAY BRIEFING

A word of caution from black leaders

In a reaction to the racial diatribe launched by “Seinfeld” actor Michael Richards at a comedy club recently, African American leaders call for rap stars, comedians and everyone else to stop using what is semi-politely known as the “N-word.”

How this will play out in the rap and hip-hop world remains to be seen. A Harvard law professor who has written a book about the word says rappers often contend that they use it as a symbol of solidarity, not disparagement.

That used to be the attitude of comedian Paul Mooney, too. But he now says he’ll refrain from using it. “I’ve used it and abused it, and I never thought I’d say this,” but Richards “is my Dr. Phil -- he’s cured me.” Page B1

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Muslim students in a Catholic world

A handful of Muslim college students are attending Vatican schools in Rome, taking lessons from nuns and priests and sitting in classrooms decorated with crucifixes. Officially, they’re learning about Christianity, but in reality, they’re serving as liaisons between the two faiths.

“Generally I’m the first Muslim person they have met and they ask lots of questions,” one student says. As Pope Benedict XVI travels to Turkey today, they could be fielding more inquiries. Page A4

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From the desert to the sea via rail

Every few years someone proposes building a so-called maglev rail system through Southern California, and now another plan might be on the way. But this one wouldn’t be for passenger service; it would carry cargo.

Researchers at Cal State Long Beach are looking into whether the trains, propelled by magnetic fields, could carry freight from the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports to terminals located as far away as the high desert. Will such lines ever be economically feasible? Page B2

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Court clarifies medical pot rules

California’s Supreme Court rules that people transporting marijuana -- even relatively large amounts -- can avoid conviction if they can show that it is for personal medical use.

But the court refuses to overturn the conviction of a Huntington Beach man who had been arrested while carrying a pound of marijuana in his truck. Page B3

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New runway work proposed for LAX

Two parallel runways at LAX need to be moved farther apart, airport officials will say in a proposal to be unveiled today.

Such a move could result in more noise near homes in the community of Westchester, whose residents say that altering the north side of the airport is unnecessary because most near-collisions occur on the facility’s south side. Page B1

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William Diehl, novelist, dies

Turning 50 and without a steady job, William Diehl found himself staring at an ice cream cake shaped like a typewriter in an allusion to his unfulfilled dream of becoming a novelist.

Before he could eat, the cake melted. And that inspired Diehl to make his dream come true. By the time he died last week at 81, he had published nine novels, some of them bestsellers, including “Sharky’s Machine” and “Primal Fear,” which later were made into films. Page B8

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10 killed in Missouri

A nighttime fire at a residential-care facility for the mentally disabled near Joplin, Mo., kills one employee and nine residents and injures 24. “The entire neighborhood was glowing orange,” a neighbor says. Page A12

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THE CRITIC: ‘It takes an episode and a half, roughly, but “My Boys” grows on you. “Big Day” grows on you, too, but more like a foot fungus in a locker room.’ TV critic Paul Brownfield reviews those new television sitcoms, plus a third one called “10 Items or Less,” another new single-camera sitcom. Calendar, E1

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CALENDAR

One, two, three, kick!

What a contrast between two casting calls in Los Angeles. There was an open casting call for the Broadway and touring productions of “The Lion King.” More than 100 dancers of all shapes and sizes showed up, knowing there are six hungry “Lion King” companies worldwide and two more to come in 2007. And then there was an audition for a modern dance concert tour. Two dancers presented themselves. One reason for the disparity: the salaries, which can reach $2,000 a week for a touring company compared with little or nothing for the concerts. Page E1

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SPORTS

Racing with a smile -- and a goal

Russell Baze grew up around Granger, Wash., with horse racing and jockeys. His grandmother rode in match races until she got thrown while pregnant. And his father was a successful jockey.

Now comes the 48-year-old son. Baze has been racing since 1974, and on Sunday at Bay Meadows in San Mateo, Calif., he drew closer to the all-time wins record of 9,530, held by Laffit Pincay. Baze is two wins short at 9,528. Racing resumes Wednesday and Baze has six mounts. Pincay himself will be there to see if his record is broken.

Baze handles the pressure the same way he handles hecklers -- with a smile and a sense of humor. Yet he can still remember victory No. 1 on a horse named Oregon Warrior. Page D1

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Relationships within the rivalry

It’s a familiar factor in the annual cross-town USC-UCLA clash, the intertwined relationships of players, coaches and even spouses.

The USC tight end with a defensive end brother at UCLA. The father who played for one school, his son for the other. USC Coach Pete Carroll calls the whole good-natured thing “kind of fun.”

But for Pat Ruel, it’s kind of strange.

He’s the offensive line coach for USC. His wife Marti now works for UCLA. She owns a UCLA sweatshirt and coffee mug but tries to keep a low profile. Come Saturdays her husband says he knows her loyalty. “On the weekend,” he says, “my wife is a Trojan.” Page D1

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BUSINESS

Pollo Loco goes national

El Pollo Loco, the “crazy chicken” chain that produces flame-grilled, marinated chicken and Mexican fast food, gets 85% of its sales in Southern California. But that may be about to change, and the risks for the company are enormous.

The Irvine firm is launching an ambitious nationwide expansion. But can it transplant success from a region where lines between mainstream and ethnic food are blurred, into areas like the Northeast, which is more oriented toward burgers and bagels? Page C1

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Fears boost oil prices

Renewed nervousness is being seen in the energy markets.

Light sweet crude closes at $60.32 a barrel, its highest level since Nov. 9. Two of the reasons for the rise: Saudi Oil Minister Ali Ibraham Naimi says his country might support another round of oil productions cuts, after OPEC’s 1.2-million-barrel-a-day trim in October. And the National Weather Service predicts colder-than-normal temperatures in early December, which is likely to intensify demand for home heating oil. Page C2

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The stock market sags

For the first time since mid-July, the Dow Jones industrial average and the Standard & Poor’s 500 index each dropped more than 1%.

Tepid early holiday sales at Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, and the weakening U.S. dollar were blamed for the sharp sell-off.

The drop, also attributed to institutional profit-taking, was not unexpected after a strong four-month market surge. The losses were spread across many sectors, and overseas markets also retreated. The Dow sank 158 points, or 1.3%, to 12121.79. Page C1

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LATIMES.COM

Liza’s gift to Las Vegas

Movable Buffet blogger Richard Abowitz writes that he attended a truly special show in Las Vegas this weekend -- a free Liza Minnelli concert staged just for other performers on the Strip.

“Most everyone I spoke to was so excited in part because no one had ever seen such a gathering of the tribe, a huge collection of enormously talented and dedicated entertainers who work in all of the shows on the Strip,” Abowitz writes.

latimes.com/vegasblog

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HBO’s broadband play: Are networks doing enough to make their shows available online? Bit Player blogger Jon Healy isn’t impressed by HBO’s latest attempt. He writes, “Maybe content isn’t really king, as Sumner Redstone has famously declared. Maybe it’s just a regent, or a viscount with seats in the royal box. Otherwise, why would so many top content owners be such wussies in the face of their distribution ‘partners’?”

latimes.com/bitplayer