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The tradition of gift-giving is becoming increasingly difficult in these modern times. With the financial status of the globe on the downfall, we have to scrape pennies together to buy our loved ones gifts. In order to save on time and money in your shopping endeavors, you should research discount gift cards.

Since there is such a large market for consumer goods these days, it is nearly impossible to find a perfect gift that the receiver will not want to exchange for something better. To avert this catastrophe, you should buy the person a retail voucher instead. Not only can you find them for cheaper prices than they are worth, but you can also guarantee that they will find something they like at the store you select. It is a win-win situation.

However, investigating how to access these legendary discounted retail vouchers is the first real feat of the shopper. Thankfully, there is a wonderful invention called the internet.

The internet is the main source for locating and buying these cards. You can find a certain type that corresponds to almost any large retail location from where you would like to shop, or to give the gift of said location to a lucky gift receiver. When investigating these options, always exercise caution in where you choose to do your discount shopping.

Scam sites are one of the top places for identify theft these days. When shopping online, you can never be too careful about what site to which you give your information. In order for you to not become a victim of these horrendous scams, you should always check the website for verification seals. The most legitimate sites carry seals from the Better Business Bureau and from PayPal. If there is an absence of any sort of verification, or the link to the verification seal does not work, immediately exit the site. You most likely avoided a chance encounter with site scammers.

Having conquered that step in security, it is now time to shop for discounted retail vouchers. These cards can not only save you money on gifts for other people, but they can save you money as you shop for yourself as well. You pay a cheaper price for the card, and then you can spend the full amount that is on the card when you shop. It really is that easy.

The cards with credit can also be utilized to gain a small profit. If you buy a card for a cheaper price than it is actually worth on one site, you can visit another verified site to sell it back. Since you are selling it back for the actual worth, you can gain a small amount of money. If you do this frequently, you can make quite a large amount of cash.

Another benefit to these cards is their versatility. If you receive one that you no longer want, you can exchange it for another one on the website. You can do this even without buying a a card on the internet; for example, if someone thrust a card into your hands that you had no use or desire for, you could exchange it on a website for a retail voucher belonging to a retail location for which you yearn.

Gift cards are a perfect gift for either yourself or someone else you know. If you want a real deal, look for discount gift cards on the internet. You will be sure to make someone happy, even if it is yourself.

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Millions of people around the world are switching off their lights for Earth Hour Saturday night in a growing grass-roots effort to conserve energy and draw attention to global warming.

But can they also stop eating shark soup or sushi made from bluefin tuna?

That kind of consumer action may be what it takes to save certain endangered marine animals, because governments decided this week not to come to their rescue. about a half-dozen shark species, the bluefin tuna, various corals (yes, corals are animals), and the polar bear all failed to receive international protection at the meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

(For Monitor coverage of the CITES meeting, click here.)

This United Nations wildlife group meets every few years to consider whether to restrict the international trade of threatened plant and animal life. over 35 years, CITES has helped preserve 5,000 animal species and 28,000 plant species by limiting their harvest and sale.

At the meeting just ended, the 175 countries that gathered in Qatar, United Arab Emirates, beat back efforts to relax the trade ban on elephant ivory. and they added protections to for rhinos, various reptiles sold as pets, and wild tigers.

But conservationists were deeply disappointed by the inaction on marine life, which took up more of the CITES agenda than ever before. the threat in oceans and seas has grown. Stocks of the bluefin tuna, for instance, have fallen more than 80 percent since 1970, much of it during the last decade. the fish is a big money-maker, and can sell for $100,000 per fish.

Japan, which imports most of the tuna, led the fight against a proposed ban. Nations where livelihoods depend on fishing the tuna and on harvesting other marine species held sway over countries, including the US, that pointed to scientific evidence of drastically dwindling populations.

Commerce vs. conservation is often at the center of environmental battles, whether they involve global warming or the spotted owl.

Over the years, environmentalists have learned that arguing solely on behalf of other life forms is not enough. They’ve had to earn degrees in economics and sociology to learn to marry their causes with the human one – explaining, for instance, that humans depend on bats to pollinate or on coral reefs to support other marine life that is advantageous to mankind.

In Qatar, the concern about lost livelihoods during difficult economic times was particularly acute. But jobs that depend on harvesting endangered species will quickly disappear if those species are not protected.

Governments should provide incentives to manage endangered ecosystems, and to help people transition into other kinds of work. Instead, they’re hastening the demise of species and the jobs related to them.

As countries prepare for the next CITES meeting in Thailand in 2013, they should not forget the marine species that were turned down this time. Grass-roots pressure can do much to push governments toward a more responsible approach to marine life management. on Saturday, when people switch off the lights at 8:30 p.m. for Earth Hour, they should also consider switching off their appetites for bluefin tuna or pink and red coral jewelry. and for longer than just an hour.

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Landmarks such as Sydney’s Opera House, Beijing’s Forbidden City and Taiwan’s Taipei 101 office tower temporarily went dark on Saturday as nations dimmed the lights for Earth Hour 2010 to call for action on climate change.

The symbolic one-hour switch-off, first held in Sydney in 2007, has become an annual global event and organizers World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said they expect this year’s to be the biggest so far.

The remote Chatham Islands was the first of more than 100 nations and territories to turn off the power at 8.30 p.m. local time, in a rolling event around the globe that ends just across the International Dateline in Samoa 24 hours later.

Tiny Tuvalu, which fears being wiped off the map from rising sea levels, tried to go carbon-neutral for the event, pledging to cut power to its nine low-lying Pacific atolls and asking car and motorcycle owners to stay off the roads, WWF said.

Far to the south in Antarctica, Australia’s Davis research station pledged to dim the lights.

Event co-founder Andy Ridley told Reuters that 126 countries and territories had so far signed up, with thousands of special events scheduled, including a lights-out party on Sydney’s northern beaches and an Earth Hour ’speed dating’ contest.

The number of participants is significantly up on 2009, when 88 countries and territories and more than 4,000 towns and cities took part. Organizers have estimated between 500 million and 700 million people were involved last year.

In Singapore, more than 1,000 people gathered for an Earth Hour carnival in the city center to watch the lights go out at office towers, hotels and other landmarks.

However, lights could still be seen from some buildings and construction sites, disappointing some in the crowd.

“I’m disappointed because most of the buildings’ lights are not switched off,” said Mat Idris, 26. “I had expected more support from companies,” he added.

Thousands, many of them wearing black Earth Hour T-shirts, joined the main switch-off event in the Philippine capital Manila at the sprawling SM Mall of Asia.

Around 15 million Filipinos were expected to participate, according to WWF, to save the equivalent of 5 million pesos (nearly $110,000) worth of electricity.

Taipei 101, the world’s second tallest building, turned off all exterior lights and persuaded 99 percent of its tenants to do the same for an hour, the tower’s spokesman said.

Ridley, WWF’s executive director of Earth Hour, said he believed the perceived failure of last year’s Copenhagen conference on climate change had stimulated interest this time.

“There is real frustration with the politics around climate change,” Ridley told Reuters.

Business had shown strong support, he said, including the world’s major hotel chains, which he said are responsible for a significant chunk of global emissions.

In India, Delhi’s Red Fort will go dark, as will the pyramids and the Sphinx in Egypt and Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue.

Lights will also go out on all the bridges over the Seine in Paris, London’s Buckingham Palace and Tower Bridge, while in the United States, more than 30 of the 50 state governors have lent their support.

Some, though, criticized the event.

“To hold a candles-and-champagne party indoors, on the mildest night of the year, for just one hour, shows that the whole thing is green tokenism,” said Viv Forbes, chairman of climate change skeptic group the Carbon Sense Coalition.

(Additional reporting by Clement Quek in Singapore, Michael Perry in Sydney, Manolo Serapio Jr. in Manila and Ralph Jennings in Taipei; Editing by David Fogarty)

Shocking videos are all over the.

LondonMarch 27 Pop singer Lady Gaga has been compared to Michael Jackson by producer Rodney Jerkins who worked with. Gaga even posed for a picture above with a cute Koala bear.

Lady Gaga is set to create her own range of sunglasses. Gaga is a 100 bonafied jacked in the head girl.

LADY GAGA VISITS AUSTRALIAN ZOO Lady Gaga took some time out from her Monster schedule in Australia yesterday and she visited Steve Irwins Australia Zoo at Beerwah.

Donny Osmond is not liking the Lady Gaga Telephone video you guys.

Lady Gaga couldnt get that many people watching her unless there are a lot of braindead idiots out there. on his morning radio show Drivin With The OsMan Osmond recently made the following declaration Shocking videos are nothing new. is reportedly teaming up with Linda Farrow not Elton John then go 12 mins ago Joaquin Phoenix is new PETA host for expos of the exoticanimal skin trade is sending video to.

London Mar 27 Comparing Lady Gaga to Michael Jackson superproducer Rodney Jerkins has said that the eccentric singer could.

Lady Gaga third album Telephone Australia interview in a new interview with Australian radio personalities Kyle and Jackie O mostparodied pop star of the week Lady Gaga talks about commissioning a 30foot statue of herself. We are losing everything.

LONDON Comparing Lady Gaga to Michael Jackson superproducer Rodney Jerkins has said that the eccentric singer could build a career to rival the late King of Pops.

Can you believe that Lady Gaga is already on her third album The Gaga is very excited about her album and she told an Australian radio show that it is certainly her best work yet. and you fools cant even partake in real music.

A duet featuring Lady Gaga and Elvis Presley has been voted fans ultimate collaboration in a new poll. Music lovers were asked to pick the two singers they would most like to see team up for a t. The album is set to drop in the fourth quarter of this.

Lady Gaga (born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta; March 28, 1986) is an American recording artist. She began performing in the rock music scene of new York City’s lower East Side. She soon signed with Streamline Records, an imprint of Interscope Records, upon its establishment in 2007. during her early time at Interscope, she worked as a songwriter for fellow label artists and captured the attention of Akon, who recognized her vocal abilities, and had her also sign to his own label, Kon Live Distribution.

Her debut album, The Fame, was released on August 19, 2008. in addition to receiving generally positive reviews, it reached number-one in Canada, Austria, Germany, and Ireland and topped the Billboard top Electronic Albums chart. Its first two singles, “Just Dance” and “Poker Face”, co-written and co-produced with RedOne, became international number-one hits, topping the Hot 100 in the United States as well as other countries

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OLNEY – Sara Stevenson never remembers dictating defenses withher ball handling the way her sister Taylor does.

Eight years removed from being H&R’s Area Player of the Yearand four years since playing at Illinois State, Sara sees thatTaylor’s taken her game beyond what she ever did in highschool.

It’s the “total package,” according to Sara, who admitted shewas more of a shooter.

Taylor’s all-around game that features the area’s best pointguard abilities helped another Stevenson win Herald & ReviewArea Player of the Year honors this season.

“She is very unselfish and can pass the ball, and her ballhandling skills are great,” said Sara, who watched Taylor and OlneyEast Richland play against Bloomington Central Catholic in thesuper-sectional. “You can tell she has developed her ball handlingskills, and that’s what you need to be a great point guard.”

As a junior, Taylor is the cornerstone of one of the area’s bestprograms.

Olney coach Brent McKinney points to Stevenson as the commondenominator between back-to-back super-sectional runs for theTigers. In 2009, they reached the state tournament with her in thestarting lineup as a sophomore, averaging 11.5 points and thesecond-most assists behind a senior. In 2010, Olney’s statetournament run was cut short by No. 1 Bloomington Central Catholic,the eventual Class 2A state champ. the season did include 25 wins,including one against state-ranked Teutopolis to win asectional.

But Stevenson’s role on the team grew as she averaged ateam-high 15 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.7 assists agame. all of that came while running the show and committing only1.5 turnovers a contest.

“It makes the coaches look that much better when you have a girlwho can handle the ball,” McKinney said about the value ofStevenson on the floor. “Maybe some teams like to press, and nowthey have to change their game plan because of what she can do inthe open court with the ball.

“She’s a special kid, and I love having her in the program.”

When McKinney took over three years ago, he saw Stevenson hadthe potential to be something special.

That’s because Stevenson hit the court as a freshman who grew upin gyms. She first played competitively in fourth grade and hit theAAU circuit as an eighth-grader. She was busy looking up to her twoolder sisters, who both got Division I scholarship offers.

“I always wanted to practice and be as good as them,” saidStevenson, who talks like a seasoned basketball veteran. “I alwaysfollowed basketball and I knew it took a lot of hard work, and Ienjoyed that.”

Often times, high school players plateau after a season or twoat the varsity level, but that hasn’t happened with Stevenson.McKinney has seen her put in enough work to reach her potential andredefine what her capabilities are.

“It’s been nice to see her progress, and to her credit, she’sdone a great job to get in this situation,” McKinney said. “Shelived in the gym and was going to put the time in it.”

With both her sisters being D-I athletes, Stevenson knows hercareer won’t end after her senior season. That’s why she’ll befound in the gym working on her mid-range jumper during the summerand showcasing her talent in AAU.

So far, she’s gotten interest from Lipscomb (Division I), Penn(D-I), University of Maryland-Baltimore (D-I), IndianaUniversity-South Bend (NAIA) and Missouri Western State (D-II)

“I do think she can play D-I,” Sara said. “It’s huge for herthis summer to get exposure while playing AAU.”

Stevenson is the third player from Olney in the past nine yearsto win area honors. Sara won it in 2002, and Brittany Johnson, nowplaying at Ohio State, was a four-time winner from 2004-07.

lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

MUNFORDVILLE, Ky. — A truck crossed a Kentucky interstate median Friday and slammed head-on into a church van carrying a Mennonite family on its way to a wedding, killing 11 people.

State police Trooper Charles Swiney said two children survived the crash with the tractor-trailer on northbound Interstate 65.

A pastor for the family in the van said they were Mennonites on their way to a wedding in Iowa. Authorities say the truck driver, who was from Alabama, was also killed.

Officials say the tractor-trailer crossed the median and struck the van head-on around 5:30 a.m. CDT near Munfordville, about 75 miles south of Louisville.

Traffic on the interstate remained at a standstill at mid-afternoon, with backups up to 5 miles long on the closed northbound side. Wreckage from the tractor trailer was strewn across the northbound I-65 lanes.the heavily damaged van was mostly shrouded with tarpaulins. A van bench seat rested on the road with two childrens’ car seats attached.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was dispatching a team to investigate the crash.

Pastor Leroy Kauffman with the Marrowbone Christian Brotherhood in Burkesville, about 55 miles southeast of the crash site, says the two surviving children were taken to a nearby hospital.

Joe Middleton, a supervisor at Caverna Memorial Hospital in Horse Cave, said two survivors from the accident were taken there and released around 10 a.m.

He couldn’t confirm their identities or injuries due to privacy laws, but said it was his understanding they were the only two survivors of the crash.

In a statement, Gov. Steve Beshear called the crash terrible.

“Our entire state grieves with the community and all the families will remain in our thoughts and prayers,” Beshear said.

Kauffman said there were three young children on board ages 1, 3 and 5. He said the father was an assistant pastor at the church and there was also a couple on board the van who were engaged to be married, although they were traveling to someone else’s wedding.

“They had a July wedding planned but they won’t need that now,” Kauffman said. “They’ll have a wedding in heaven I guess.”

He said the family’s house burned down in December and they had just moved into a new home built by church members.

“We’re experiencing a lot of heartache and a lot of sadness, but with that a hope,” Kauffman said. “We know where these people are going, they were all saved Christians and walking with the Lord.”

The crash is one of the deadliest traffic accidents in recent Kentucky history. On may 14, 1988, 27 people were killed in a fiery bus crash caused by a drunken driver going the wrong way on Interstate 71 in Carroll County. that bus was owned by the First Assembly of God church in Radcliff and was filled with youths returning from an amusement park.

Associated Press writers Dylan T. Lovan and Janet Cappiello Blake in Louisville, Ky.; Randall Dickerson and Kristin M. Hall in Nashville, Tenn.; Jeffrey McMurray in Lexington, Ky., and Nigel Duara in Iowa City, Iowa, contributed to this story.

Q: I have heard that there has been some controversy about academics in college basketball. What is all the hoopla about?

A: Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has proposed a new rule that could bounce some of the top-seeded college basketball teams out of next year’s NCAA Division I Basketball (March Madness) tournament.

According to a recent abcnews.com article, “Duncan has proposed that the NCAA bar any team from participating in the post-season tournament if they fail to graduate at least 40 percent of their players. Duncan called 40 percent ‘a low bar’ that should be easy for athletic programs to achieve, and he thinks such a rule would immediately improve academic results.”

Interestingly, inside Higher Ed, an online education publication, put together last week its fifth Academic Performance Tournament, which is “a unique look at what the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament would look like if teams advanced based solely on their outcomes in the classroom.”

When I first heard about the Academic Performance Tournament, I immediately assumed schools with great academic reputations such as Cal would be at the top, but I was surprised by some of the results. In fact, Cal loses to Louisville in the first round of the Academic Performance Tournament. if Arne Duncan’s 40 percent graduation rate rule went into effect for this year’s real March Madness

tournament, Cal would be one of 12 schools left out of the tournament; the others would be Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Baylor, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Missouri, new Mexico State, Tennessee and Washington.

The winners of inside Higher Ed’s Academic Performance Tournament were determined “using the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate, a nationally comparable score that gives points to teams whose players stay in good academic standing and remain enrolled from semester to semester. When teams had the same Academic Progress Rates, the tie was broken using the NCAA’s Graduation Success Rate — which, unlike the federal rate, considers transfers and does not punish teams whose athletes leave college before graduation if they leave in good academic standing.”

The Final four of this year’s Academic Performance Tournament are BYU, Duke, Kansas and Texas. Duke and Kansas meet in the National Championship game and Kansas is the National Champion.

Duncan might be happier if the real March Madness tournament played out like the Academic Performance Tournament.

“If you can’t graduate two out of five of your players, I just think your priorities are out of whack,” Duncan said. “What it tells me is there is a lack of institutional committment.”

Jason Katz is an independent college counselor and is founder of JKatz College Counseling. He works with students throughout the Bay Area and beyond. E-mail Katz at jkatz@jkatzcollegecounseling.com.

USAC MIDWEST/CAROLINA FORD FOCUS RACE RESULTS: March 24, 2010 — Hickory, North Carolina — Hickory Motor Speedway

QUALIFICATIONS:1. Bradley Riethmeyer, 11, Trotter – 15.1142. Jeremy Frankoski, 96, Noffsinger/Brown – 15.2673. Justin Hommel, 97, Noffsinger/Brown – 15.2774. Eric Coomes, 45, MacMillan – 15.3315. Chris Lamb, 19L, Lamb – 15.3636. Scott Hunter, 14, Brown – 15.3807. Ronnie Wuerdeman, 4x, Wuerdeman – 15.4388. Andy Nock, 14x, Rankine – 15.5159. Nick Drake, 55, Cline – 15.53110. Tim Craver, 27, Craver – 15.55911. Adam Wilsdon, 9, Wilsdon – 15.58612. Mike Ward, 80, Ward – 15.59913. Shane MacMillan, 43, Fedrizzi – 15.61214. Tyler Corriher, 12, Noffsinger/Brown – 15.70815. Jake Blackhurst, 25, Blackhurst – 15.76516. 16. Joe Liguori, 22, Givens – 15.81417. Tyler Cottongim, 28, Cottongim – 15.83118. Jack Roush Jr., 98, Noffsinger/Brown – 15.90019. Kyle O’Gara, 4, Beast – 15.90320. Amanda Quinones, 00, Quinones – 16.05421. Tim Perry, 39, Moore – 16.183;.22. Billy Gaule, 22x, Gaule-NT.

FIRST HEAT:(8 laps)1. Craver2. Riethmeyer3. Coomes4. Wuerdeman5. Liguori6. O’Gara7. MacMillan. NT

SECOND HEAT:(8 laps)1. Wilsdon2. Frankoski3. Lamb4. Nock5. Corriher6. Quinones7. Cottongim. NT

THIRD HEAT:(8 laps)1. Ward2. Drake3. Hommel4. Hunter5. Blackhurst6. Roush7. Perry. NT

FEATURE:(30 laps)1. Jeremy Frankoski2. Scott Hunter3. Adam Wilsdon4. Mike Ward5. Andy Nock6. Joe Liguori7. Chris Lamb8. Jake Blackhurst9. Tim Craver10. Nick Drake11. Jack Roush Jr.12. Tyler Cottongim13. Ronnie Wuerdeman14. Tim Perry15. Tyler Corriher16. Kyle O’Gara17. Justin Hommel18. Amanda Quinones19. Shane MacMillan20. Eric Coomes. NT (NOTE

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-9 Hunter, Laps 10-30 Frankoski.

NEW MIDWEST FORD FOCUS SERIES POINTS: 1-Frankoski-72; 2-Hunter-63; 3-Wilsdon-62; 4-Ward-59; 5-Nock-53; 6-Lamb-51; 7-Liguori-49; 8-Craver-44; 9-Blackhurst-43, 10-Drake-40.

NEW MIDWEST PAVEMENT FORD FOCUS SERIES POINTS: 1-Frankoski-72; 2-Hunter-63; 3-Wilsdon-62; 4-Ward-59; 5-Nock-53; 6-Lamb-51; 7-Liguori-49; 8-Craver-44; 9-Blackhurst-43, 10-Drake-40.

NEW EASTERN FORD FOCUS SERIES POINTS: 1-Frankoski-72; 2-Hunter-63; 3-Wilsdon-62; 4-Ward-59; 5-Nock-53; 6-Lamb-51; 7-Liguori-49; 8-Craver-44; 9-Blackhurst-43, 10-Drake-40.

NEW CAROLINA FORD FOCUS SERIES POINTS: 1-Frankoski-72; 2-Hunter-63; 3-Wilsdon-62; 4-Ward-59; 5-Nock-53; 6-Lamb-51; 7-Liguori-49; 8-Craver-44; 9-Blackhurst-43, 10-Drake-40.

NEXT MIDWEST PAVEMENT FORD FOCUS RACE: March 25 — Hickory (NC) Motor Speedway

NEXT CAROLINA FORD FOCUS RACE: March 25 — Hickory (NC) Motor Speedway

-source: usac

LOS ANGELES – Kobe Bryant scored 20 of his 24 points on a variety of jump shots during a dynamic second quarter, and the Los Angeles Lakers sent the Washington Wizards to their 11th straight loss, 99-92 Sunday night.

Pau Gasol had 28 points and 12 rebounds for the Lakers, who won their sixth straight after a three-game skid. The defending NBA champions had little trouble with woeful Washington in the first three quarters, jumping to a 26-point halftime lead after another memorable quarter by Bryant.

After hitting four 3-pointers and scoring 16 points in the final 5 1/2 minutes before halftime alone, Bryant fell one point shy of matching Alex English for 12th place on the NBA’s career scoring list when he scored just two points in the second half.

Former USC guard Nick Young matched his season high with 22 points for the Wizards, who are two losses shy of tying the worst skid in franchise history, established in 1967 and matched in 1995.

Al Thornton had 18 points, and Andray Blatche added 16 points and 12 rebounds as Washington wrapped up a four-game road trip with its seventh straight loss to the Lakers.

Bryant’s perimeter accuracy propelled the Lakers on a 25-6 run to a 59-33 halftime lead. he did it all on shots longer than 12 feet, including three consecutive 3-pointers in the final minutes.

Bryant then shut it down in the second half, taking his only shot in the opening moments of the third quarter. Washington outscored the Lakers 32-17 in the fourth to trim the margin of victory.

The Lakers played the first of several games without starting center Andrew Bynum, who could be out for more than two weeks after straining his left Achilles’ tendon in Friday’s win over Minnesota. Bynum, the Lakers’ third-leading scorer (15.0) and rebounder (8.3), might be sidelined until shortly before the playoffs with his third significant injury in three years.

Lamar Odom took Bynum’s spot in the Lakers’ starting lineup, getting four points and 13 rebounds. Ron Artest scored 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Bynum’s absence also meant 19 minutes for Josh Powell, who scored five points.

Los Angeles improved the Western Conference’s best record to 52-18 with a league-best 32nd home victory. The Lakers lead Denver by five games in the conference standings with 12 to play.

The Lakers got a comfortable win before starting the biggest remaining test of their regular season: They’ll open a five-game road trip in San Antonio on Wednesday, with future stops in Oklahoma City and Atlanta. The Lakers play just four of their final 12 games at Staples Center.

NOTES: Thornton played his first game back at Staples Center since the Clippers traded him on Feb. 17. … Lakers coach Phil Jackson said they can’t predict a timetable for Bynum’s return. he missed 46 games during the 2007-08 season with a dislocated left knee, and he sat out 32 games last season with a torn ligament in his right knee. … Courtside fans included actors Gerard Butler and Adrien Brody, and California’s first lady, Maria Shriver.