The leaders of the worlds two most powerful countries conducted business at the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands, bringing international attention to the serene Coachella desert valley. And a successful summit has the potential to have a lasting impact thatll make overseas investors and tourists want to put their money into the region.

The next time I go to China, Ill have these front page headlines with Xi and Obamaand Im going to sell that, said Wes Ahlgren, Chief Operating Officer of the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership, which helps locals get foreign investments and agreements to start their own businesses.

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If you have government backing, or appear to be related to government, Chinese businessmen trust you and youre more likely to get investors, he explained. If youre in with the government, youre in with business.

Small businesses may not have seen a direct boost in sales or customers as a result of the presidential summit, but local business owners from a variety of industries say the international exposure in the long-term will be the biggest benefit of this high-profile visit.

Andy Jessup Jr., General Manager of Jessup Auto Plaza said his company doesnt do any direct business with China since his inventory primarily consists of American models such as Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, and GMC. But he still thinks the summit will increase future economic prospects.

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We may not be able to track a return on investment within the weekend the presidents stay here, but I am sure the significant exposure builds a momentum of interest for future visits by families and consideration of relocation by businesses, he said.

This meeting brings notoriety back to the desert, said Larry Davis, Vice President of Forest Lawn Memorial Parks and Mortuaries, and former Chairman of the Cathedral City Chamber of Commerce. It was called the playground of the presidents. President Ford, President Nixon, President Kennedy and President Reagan spent a lot of time here, so I think this re-emphasizes the wonderful community we have.

Cellos Restaurant owners Bonnie Barkley and Tom Stefernak havent seen the economy picking up in their industry and they expect to continue struggling through the summer months without much of a bump in business from the presidential summit. But they dont see a downside of their region hosting the meeting.

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"I think it's exciting and it showcases our valley, Barkley said. I think its more important that they are marketing [Sunnylands] as the White House of the west. Its a brilliant plan, which she hopes will help drive future tourists to her restaurant.

And that might just happen, if the projected numbers turn out to be correct.

This [meeting] will have a big impactwere looking at tourism growing by the hundreds of thousands over the next five years, Ahlgren said with a smile.

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(Reuters) - The last thing that Brazil need when they try and win a sixth World Cup on home soil next year is for their players to lose their cool at a crucial moment in the tournament.

Brazil should have learned the lesson in 2010 when they imploded in the second half of the quarter-final against the Netherlands after the whole team, including coach Dunga, let their anxiety get the better of them.

Yet, there were worrying signs in Sunday's 3-0 friendly win over France that it has not been heeded.

Central defender David Luiz, a pivotal member and leader of the Brazil team, showed the tempestuous side of his character which he appeared to have largely subdued with Chelsea this season.

Early in the game, he took a wild hack at French striker Karim Benzema's leg in an incident which happened near the halfway line.

Having somehow escaped a booking for that offence, he made sure of a yellow card a few minutes later with another crunching tackle from behind on Dmitri Payet.

Again, there was no danger to the Brazil goal whatsoever when he did it.

If it had been a World Cup match with a stricter referee, Brazil would have been down to 10 men in less than half an hour.

The Chelsea defender also produced France's best scoring opportunity when he diverted Mathieu Balbuena's cross straight towards his goal and was only saved by goalkeeper Julio Cesar, who pulled off a point-blank reflex stop to keep the ball out.

David Luiz has improved enormously this season with Chelsea under the guidance of the now-departed interim manager Rafael Benitez, who appeared to have curbed his wilder excesses.

Apart from a few incidents, including a shocking tackle on Jack Reeves during the 4-0 FA Cup win over lower tier Brentford, he made far more of an impression with his leadership, grit and marauding runs upfield.

PRESSURE COOKER

"I've always said my shoulders are broad and I can take on that extra responsibility," he told the Guardian in an interview in December.

"I love it. I want it. I prefer to take it on myself to help the other guys, who can then go out and play with their heads clear and calm."

However, the pressure-cooker atmosphere of playing for Brazil in front of a home crowd once again brought the worst out of him against the French.

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari could lessen the risks by following Benitez and moving David Luiz into a midfield role, but said it is not something he intended to do for the time being.

"In principle, I'm not thinking of starting with David Luiz as a midfielder," he said. "But he has showed that he can play very well in that position and, depending on our results and one or other two details, it could be a useful option."

The World Cup, with a group stage following by a knockout contest, can be a cruel competition where a single slip-up or loss of temper can undo all the previous good work.

That was more or less what happened to Brazil three years ago.

They powered through their group and round of sixteen match and looked in little danger at halftime against the Dutch as they led 1-0 after dominating the game.

But they collapsed after a defensive mix-up allowed the Dutch to equalize and went on to lose 2-1, with midfielder Felipe Melo sent off for petulantly stamping on Arjen Robben.

Melo, who like David Luiz plays with his heart on his sleeve, quickly became the scapegoat in Brazil, where anything but winning the competition is regarded as failure.

After a hostile reception on his return, Melo has not played for his country since.

(Editing by John O'Brien)

Rhode Island lawmakers, many of them Catholic Democrats, legalized same-sex marriage in early May, making Rhode Island the sixth and final New England state to allow gay couples to marry.

The vote followed years of aggressive lobbying from church leaders.

Experts say that gay marriage offers the latest example of a widening divide between the church hierarchy and its members that threatens to diminish the Catholic influence in American politics. Recent polls show that most American Catholics believe the church is out of touch with their views.

From Maine to California, church leaders have used the power of the pulpit and substantial financial resources to fight gay marriage.

The British comedian announced Thursday that he's launching a world comedy tour focusing on Che Guevara, Gandhi, Malcolm X and Jesus Christ. Brand says the show examines "the importance of heroes in this age of atheistic disposability."

The 38-year-old says he plans to perform in theaters as well as "prisons, drug rehabs ... nationalist organizations, Mosques, foreclosed houses, protest sites, Synagogues and in people's private homes."

The "Messiah Complex" tour is set to begin Aug. 15 in Abu Dhabi and wrap up Dec. 9 in Iceland.

Brand's FX show, "Brand X," concluded last month.

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Online:

www.russellbrand.tv

Brown will return in an unspecified role with the Cleveland Browns, who will formally reunite with the Hall of Fame standout at a news conference on Wednesday. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is expected to announce Brown's new position with the team he starred with from 1957-65 before retiring to pursue an acting career.

"We're excited to have him back a part of us," Browns CEO Joe Banner said. "It's important to me because he's clearly in the top couple, if not the single most important part of the history of the franchise, and it's the right thing to do."

Brown previously worked as a senior adviser with the Browns. However, his role was eliminated by former team president Mike Holmgren and Brown had been estranged from the team for a few years. He returned to play in an alumni golf outing and was introduced on the field at halftime at a game in September, when he met with Haslam, who had just bought the team from Randy Lerner.

At the time, the outspoken Brown talked about his desire to work again with the team.

"I would love to have a role with the Browns," he said. "I think that's what every ex-player would like to do most of all, to be a contributor to the success of an organization. I'm stuck with being No. 32 of the Cleveland Browns and I can't do anything about it. I don't want to do anything about it. If you didn't like the ball, that's one thing. You're not going to always like my politics, but we are married because of that history. If I can be a part of the development of a new winning attitude and help get some victories, man that would be fantastic.

"Imagine us having a championship team here again?"

The Browns last won a title in 1964.

Brown is the team's career rushing leader with 12,312 yards and 106 touchdowns.

Haslam's arrival seemed to help the Browns patch up any differences with arguably the greatest player in their franchise's history. Haslam said at the NFL owner's meetings in March that he anticipated Brown coming back to work for the team.

Browns linebacker D'Qwell Jackson is thrilled to learn Brown will be back with the team.

"With everything that is moving in the right direction, it's only right to bring Jim Brown back," Jackson said. "It's the perfect time for it because he did a lot when he was here, just his presence alone for a young guy, to be able to have a conversation with him, I was in awe after being around him for three years.

"I want him back."

Brown was at the Browns' stadium on Tuesday to film a scene from the upcoming movie "Draft Day" starring Kevin Costner. Brown acted in a scene with former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar, who said the return of the famed No. 32 was overdue.

"It's exciting," Kosar said. "It's great. I think the influence he can have on some of the younger kids and some of the younger players is great."