The film industry attracts some interesting opportunists that can play on the excitement most people experience when they think of Hollywood and film production. Fortunately, we don't experience so much of it here in San Diego, even though we are the second production center to Los Angeles in California. Although sometimes these opportunists are unethical, they can pass on being legal and thus miss the "scamogram" test. The more production that is attracted to an area, the more inspiration for these people to work their ideas for profit and there is also a natural cover for them with so much production filming. With so many people focused on the busy production, they can slide along undetected.

Right now I'm using three computers -- a MacBook, a desktop iMac with a 24-inch monitor and a Lenovo X300 ThinkPad PC.

It is not a mystery why so many well-connected people want City Attorney Michael Aguirre out of office. And the fact that people at City Hall, the downtown power establishment and the Union-Tribune want him out of office is a sign he is doing the job well.

A funny thing happened on the way to the complete collapse of the real estate market. To the surprise of just about every economist on the face of the earth, the Commerce Department reported this morning that new home construction activity rose by 8.2 percent in April to a seasonally adjusted rate of 1.032 million units. Most of the "experts" had called for another decline in housing starts that would have pushed the unit count to 939,000. Most of the increase was attributed to an increase in construction of apartments, but construction is construction. In addition, building permits -- an indication of future construction activity -- rose by 4.9 percent in the month.

If I were a millionaire or a supermodel, I could get elected mayor, or so it would seem. In a world in which it is now commonplace to demand perfection in a way that outstrips the practical world's ability to perform, it appears that only the extremely successful can operate to gain more success.

As reported by columnist Sharon Nelton in a recent issue of Family Business Magazine, over the last century, the average American's life span has increased by almost 30 years.

No defense contract in recent years has spurred protests from politicians and just plain people to match the outcry over this spring's Air Force decision to have its next fleet of 179 aerial tankers built by a partnership of California-based Northrop-Grumman Corp. and the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co., the French-German-Dutch makers of Airbus passenger and cargo jets.

Conflict of interest is front-page news. Are you comfortable with how you are managing this potential problem at your workplace?

Before the heat turns up on city elections is a good time to review Jerry Sanders' record for city administration reform. Elected in 2005 to fill the gap left by a mayor who resigned under a city fiscal crisis, what has the new "strong" mayor accomplished?

A sales principle that leads to wealth: It's all about them.

To paraphrase an old adage, ignorance of blog law is no excuse.

Short of which contestants are being voted off "American Idol" each week, the most pressing domestic issue in the news these days is the distressed condition of the real estate and mortgage markets.

Frustrated by the influx of undisciplined workers, more and more managers these days are abdicating their responsibility for addressing poor performance and correcting inappropriate behaviors. Opting instead to report either them to the HR department or simply ignore them in the mistaken belief, they'll get the message and leave.

The U.S. Army's Soldier's Creed, adopted in 2003, include these words, "I will never leave a fallen comrade." All branches of the military have lived, and sometimes died, by what these words mean even before formally adopted.

If you thought the soft-porn image of Disney teen queen Miley Cyrus - wearing nothing but ruby-stained lips and a bedsheet - in Vanity Fair magazine was disturbing, you ain't seen nothing yet.

A great many Democrats are increasingly worried that by the time their party gets to its national convention this August in Denver the level of ill-will between the Clinton and Obama camps will be so toxic the nomination may not be worth accepting -- whomever wins.

I'd like to suggest Earth Day be called Oceans and Earth Day from here on out. Is that cheesy?

Not even one week in to its worldwide release, and "Grand Theft Auto IV" (GTA IV) has already managed to gain the ire of everyone from MADD, to police and feminist groups, in spite of shattering sales records in the United Kingdom and giving the Hollywood release of "Iron Man" a run for its money.

Many lawyers pick juries the same way case after case. They use seating charts and little yellow Post-it notes, and as the potential jurors go down the list of routine questions and provide information, they furiously cram as much handwriting as they can fit on the note in order to remember what they said.

The other day, on a speaking trip to the Oakland area, I met a lady on the plane named Anne. After hearing her story, I wanted to share it with you with the thought that it might be a source of inspiration for others. I will let her tell you what happened:

The federal government has recently implemented new rules that are directed at preventing identity theft and these regulations may affect your business if you issue credit to consumers.

It's a very interesting turn of events in the world of entertainment. The "reality" programming has taken the lead on presenting a compelling business argument for advertisers. First, the cost of production is much, much less than for scripted storylines. You need a willing cast of amateurs, who fight each other to participate. You need a soundstage. You need cheap locations that require little if any modification. You don't need special effects, expensive stunts or big-name stars who demand huge paychecks. The best of these reality shows is essentially a replay of the old "Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour" which debuted in 1948 on television, a continuation of a radio program that started in 1934, hosted by Major Bowes. That program was the first experiment in creating a path to fame for hopeful performers and literally set the stage for other programs to follow. The ratings attest to the fact that we all like to see the common person succeed, because we live vicariously in this media-intensive culture.

Calling them "unrecognized investment gains" the Board of the San Diego County Employees Retirement system (SDCERA) has declined to include a whopping $905,200,000, around 10 percent of overall assets, when calculating SDCERA's all-important funded ratio.

Recently, an array of statistics and policy actions were reported that failed to satisfy the gloom and doomers. Economic statistics, while weak, are generally not falling off a cliff, and continue to support my view that we can avoid an economy wide recession.