N-Irvine-a

The Blue Carpet at Disneyland; Finding Nemo Ride Opens

2007-06-11T12:40:00.001-07:00

Dawn, Maddie and I attended the media preview for the new Finding Nemo sub ride at Disneyland; we made it to the Blue Carpet to see the celebs get their peek too. Here are a few photos.

Actress Geena Davis from "Commander-in-Chief"

Thomas Jane (The Punisher) and Patricia Arquette

Friends actress Courtney Cox

NBA Star Kobe Bryant from the Lakers was there with his family.

Actor and director David Arquette.

More Finding Nemo

2007-06-11T12:54:00.001-07:00

While celebs might be one thing at Disneyland, nothing compares to watching my kids enjoy it. With Alex home cramming for finals, Maddie had mom and dad all to herself at Disnelyand.

Bill Clinton comes to the OC

2007-06-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

President Bill Clinton delivered a fantastic speech in Newport Beach. Some pics below...

ComicCon 2007

2007-07-29T16:14:00.000-07:00

Took the kids to Comic Con...here are the pics; and yes, that's actor Michael Madsen (Sin City, Kill bill and Reservoir Dogs) with the kids.

Hillary Leads in California

2007-08-17T09:44:00.000-07:00

Clinton top pick of state Demos
LEAD OVER OBAMA GROWS, POLL SHOWS
Article Launched:08/17/2007 06:08:05 AM PDT
Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign is red-hot in California, driven by her wide popularity among the state's female and Latino voters, according to a new poll released today.
The New York senator has opened up a 30 percentage point lead over Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, challenging earlier predictions that California would be a competitive battleground for the Democrats ahead of the Feb. 5 primary.
"Hillary, Hillary, Hillary, that's what this poll is all about," said Field Poll Director Mark DiCamillo.
The Field Poll shows that 49 percent of likely Democratic voters plan to vote for Clinton, up from 41 percent in the March poll. Support for Obama has dropped from 28 percent in March to 19 percent in the new poll.
And former vice presidential candidate and North Carolina Sen. John Edwards now has dropped to 10 percent of the vote, down from 13 percent.
Yet, the race among Clinton, Obama and Edwards remains much closer when measured by polls conducted in the key early caucus and primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.
In California, it is Clinton's appeal to women and Latino voters, strong from the start, that is crucial to her lead, DiCamillo said. But she has seen gains since the March poll in a fairly long list of sectors: Bay Area voters, college-educated voters, non-Hispanic white voters and younger voters. She has captured at least 40 percent of those subgroups, "an enviable profile," DiCamillo said.
Women typically make up at least 55 percent of the electorate in the Democratic primary. Latinos are less reliable to vote in the primary, but Clinton enjoys 63 percent of support from that group. And their growing influence in statewide politics could mean increased participation.
Key endorsements
Unlike her rivals, Clinton also has built a well-staffed operation in California, and has nailed down important endorsements, including several high-profile Latino and women leaders. Even though her public events have been scarce, her campaign is disciplined, with the candidate appearing at carefully crafted events and dozens of fundraisers.
Over the summer, Clinton also has seen her popularity grow in national polls after a series of debates and forums in which she received good reviews. And a spat with Obama over foreign affairs policy is playing into her campaign theme of experience.
If Clinton "is hitting on all cylinders" in California, as DiCamillo described it, Obama has seen some early support erode.
"In March, Obama was the new kid on the block," DiCamillo said. "But now, as voters get to know a little more about him," fewer are sticking with him.
Obama's strategy
Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt downplayed Clinton's lead, predicting it won't hold. He suggested almost everyone knows her, but have yet to learn about Obama. "Name ID is king right now," he said. Obama on Thursday announced his first California campaign director, Mitchell Schwartz of Los Angeles, an experienced political veteran who has worked for Bill Clinton.
LaBolt said the Obama campaign's strategy is to build a large grass-roots organization to spur enthusiasm and turnout, and in recent months held so-called "Camp Obama" sessions to recruit volunteers in Los Angeles and the Bay Area.
Meanwhile, Clinton's campaign credits her lead to the large amount of time and effort she and her staff have spent in California.
"We're going to run like we're behind," said Luis Vizcaino, the Clinton campaign's California spokesman. "The more people hear her, the more people understand she has the experience to lead."
That's the message that has won over Barbara Halloran, a Democrat who lives in Redwood City. Halloran is choosing Clinton because of her experience. "I feel that before someone runs for president, (that person) has to have world connections."
Jason Belcher, a Santa Clara real estate broker and Democrat, likes the idea of getting "a team with Bill and Hillary."
"It wouldn't matter if Bill was re-elected for a third term or she were elected for a first term." And, he added, "having the first woman president would be really great."
But Peter Leroe-Munoz, a Democrat from Gilroy, said he is having a hard time choosing among the three front-runners. "It's a dead heat for me."
And what he's most concerned about, he said, is restoring the nation's global reputation and getting a Democrat in the White House.
That sentiment is shared by a majority of Californians, the poll found. In hypothetical November general election matchups, the three leading Democrats out-poll the top GOP candidates, with significant backing from voters who decline to state a party affiliation.
DiCamillo said he was surprised by Clinton's ability to draw about one in five Republicans when matched up against former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the leading GOP candidates.
The perception that Clinton is an intensely polarizing figure is dissipating somewhat, he concluded.
Maybe.
GOP voter Annette Cook of Livermore has yet to make up her mind about which Republican she'll support, but of Clinton, she said, "I'd rather die and go to hell than see Hillary Clinton win. I wouldn't trust her to take my garbage to the street."

Thank you firefighters

2007-11-18T22:07:00.000-08:00

My daughter's Brownie Troop thanked the firefighters from Station 27 at Portola Springs in Irvine for their hard work during the dangerous Santiago Fire that broke out on October 21.

The firefighters were treatede to a hot meal of baked ham, mashed potato casserole, green beans, salad, rolls and dessert from Troop 808.

2007-12-07T11:04:00.000-08:00

Support Measure M

2008-05-08T16:22:00.001-07:00

MAPA

2008-06-03T16:41:00.000-07:00

ComicCon 2008

2008-07-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

another year, another ComicCon. Here are some pics from the 2008 evet

KeepIrvineGreatin2008

2008-08-05T16:17:00.001-07:00

Group Photo

Thanks Mayor Krom

2008-12-09T13:11:00.000-08:00

As she prepares to hand over the Mayoral gavel to Sukhee Kang tonight, let's not forget what a wonderful job Beth Krom did as mayor from 2004-2008. She has set the bar high for performance and results. And I'm happy she'll continue to serve citizens of our city in the next four years as a city council member.

2008-12-09T14:51:00.000-08:00

Shea Ticket Libels Todd Gallinger

2008-10-31T10:56:00.001-07:00

My Maverick Photo

2008-10-06T17:17:00.001-07:00

Checking in

2007-04-26T09:10:00.001-07:00

see my posts over at www.theliberaloc.com

Family Letter

2006-12-19T21:31:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays - 2006

For those of you Internet-enabled, I'm forgoing the copying and folding of Holiday letters to truly go paperless this year.

We've had a great year and we're really looking forward to 2007.

I'll start with the kids. Madison is in 2nd grade at Canyon View Elementary; we just wrapped up our soccer season and she is now playing basketball (she loves it). Maddie is very competitive and hates to lose, so its going to be a real challenge workig with her as she progresses. Maddie is also missing her two front teeth this Christmas. I'd pay anything to get that song out of my head. Maddie is also active in Girl Scouts and has more friends than I can count. She also spent 2-1/2 weeks in Florida with her Nanny, Silvia.

Alex is in high school. I'll type that again. Alex. Is. In. High. School. His hair looks like it came from the 1970s. He finished her first season of high school football playing fullback, defensive end and was on the special teams. He started a game against Huntington Beach and even caught a pass. He's way taller than Dawn now and wears a size 11 shoe. Alex continues to play guitar, collect warhammer figures, and hangs with a good group of kids.

Dawn had a great year at the LA Times; she racked up 18 page one stories and has really gotten off to a super start. She is going to CES in a couple of weeks and will moderate a panel. The TV show she signed for is on hiatus until they can find a home in syndication or on cable somewhere. She also competed in her first triathelon this year and is in training for her next one.

My business is going very well. I'm up to more than 10 retainer clients and actually have four people working for me on different aspects of the business. I put in a lot of late nights and weekends, but I honestly love it. I coached basketball for Alex last spring and was soccer commissioner for the girl's U7 division this fall. I also blog regularly for www.theliberaloc.com.

Both Dawn and I were selected at Raymond Simon Institute's 2007 Alumni of the Year at Utica College; we will be going back to UC in mid-April to accept our awards, spend time with students and see some old friends.

We took a family vacation to Maui this year and loved it. Dawn and Alex learned to surf. Alex did some parasailing too. Maddie got her hair braided and I got food poisoning. We snorkeled in a couple of spots and just enjoyed relaxing.

We wish each of you the best this holiday season can offer and hope you have a wonderful 2007.

Maui

2006-08-09T10:22:00.000-07:00

Just got back from Maui after a short vacation with the family. Getting caught up on everything.

More Comic Con photos

2006-07-24T16:55:00.000-07:00

This is the only chracter Maddie wanted to see; Wonder Woman. Love that smile on my daughter.

To Boldly Go where everyone at ComicCon has gone before

2006-07-24T16:50:00.000-07:00

Q from Star Trek: the Next Generation. He was actually a very nice guy. The kids have no idea who is he, but I did.

ComicCom photos IV

2006-07-24T16:44:00.000-07:00

The kids meet Jango Fett...or his clone

ComicCom photos III

2006-07-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

I canonly post one pic at a time; so be patient with me.

Hard to tell which one has more hair.....

ComicCon 2006 photos, part II

2006-07-24T14:07:00.000-07:00

My son Alex with actress Carrie Fisher at ComicCon 2006 in San Diego; he's a huge Star Wars fan

ComicCon 2006

2006-07-24T14:03:00.000-07:00

Spent two days at ComicCon 2006 in San Diego and had a great deal of fun. The highlight: meeting Carrie Fisher, Princess Leia from Star Wars. Also met David Prowse, the actor in the Darth Vader costume. The actor who played Jango Fett, Q from Star Trek: TNG, and Lou Ferrigno, the Incredible Hulk. Seth Green from The Italian Job and Scooby Doo 2 ran by us (he's wicked short). Lots of fans and pro models dressed as superheros or SciFi charaters. I am trying to remember how to post some pics....stay tuned while I figure it out.

Read the Paper

2006-07-18T15:27:00.000-07:00

I spend considerable time reading Ann Coulter, Hugh Hewitt and Michelle Malkin and listening to Limbaugh and Hannity when I can. I will take in O'Reilly on occasion. And I also read Krugman, Dowd, Rutten, Alterman and Boehlert (his current book, "Lapdogs" is a must read.)

I remember when Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 came out and a number of my conservative friends blasted the film as "full of lies" without having seen the film. This is why I read and listen to and watch conservative media; because you can't criticize it unless you know it.

A letter in today's OC Register (a paper that will never be accused of having a liberal bias) from G.W. Carlyle of Newport Beach states:"The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times have failed to enunciate a standard by which to judge when a story involving national security should be published and when it should not be."I have to wonder if G.W. reads either paper, because the editors of both papers co-wrote two editorials explaining their decision to publish the banking surveillance story.

The program itself isn't really a secret because President Bush openly discussed efforts to track terrorist financing more than a dozen times dating back to mid-September 2001. Both papers also regularly withhold publication of specific stories based on national security concerns (the NY Times sat on the NSA telephone spying program during the 2004 presidential election).

I have to conclude that G.W. didn't read the paper and didn't read either editorial.

The banking surveillance story, like the NSA surveillance program, may have overreached. From the a GulfNews.com story about SWIFT: "But privacy campaigners fear that the sheer amount of data submitted to US authorities indicates a massive trawling exercise of financial records across the globe. It means Washington may have access not only to financial data on its own citizens but everyone else's too. Privacy International, a campaign group, has now filed simultaneous complaints with 33 national data protection and privacy regulators, in an attempt to uncover the scale of the exercise. Simon Davies, the group's director, said: "We know very little, but it seems that the data are being sent regardless of people's nationality. If blanket authorisations are being given for millions of records, it would be impossible to separate them out." Privacy International argues that the monitoring was carried out illegally, and that "the scale of the operation, involving millions of records" showed that it was "a fishing exercise rather than a legally-authorised investigation".

Rep. Peter King (R-NY), current chairman of the House Subcommittee on Homeland Security (a post once held by former Rep. Chris Cox), has accused the NY Times of treason by publishing details on this story and believes the editors should be prosecuted under provisions of the 1917 Espionage Act.The problem with that is in September 2004, Rep. King co-chaired a hearing where U.S. Treasury Department officials explained how Treasury Department programs were driving Terrorists from the banking system.

USA Today reported that Terrorists are now financing their efforts largely through cash based transactions.MSM bashing and accusations of liberal media bias are long standing attack techniques of the right wing. Ann Coulter can attack the Jersey Girls for cutting campaign commercials for John Kerry but President Bush can certainly use 9/11 widows and children in his own ads without a problem. Conservative media bias never seems to be a problem with these people.

Now, more than ever, we need the press to have a strong backbone and truly serve its watchdog function.

From Justice Hugo Black: "The guarding of military and diplomatic secrets at the expense of an informed representative government provides no real security for our Republic."