We've Moved!

to awstories.wordpress.com, where the air is fresh and the blogging is cooler.

NAMM 2008 Videos

More NAMM Show 08

Leo Fender's wife, Phyllis, with her special edition Blondie guitar made by G&L Guitars in Fullerton. G&L was Leo's second venture. His lab is still intact at G&L's headquarters, where the McClaren family now runs the business. Photo courtesty of G&L

More NAMM photos

NAMM Show 2008

More Namm

Cabana Boys, Fullerton College

Refrigerators and Guitars

Cookie and Elmo start the show, followed by the NAMM band

Pelican

NAMM 2008

Update: NAMM!See photo blogThat's right, it's NAMM time again. Keep a look out. I'll post photos from the show here on Thursday. The show runs through Sunday at the Anaheim Convention Center. NAMM is one of my favorite conventions. Music retailers come to get a look at the latest musical instruments and other products -- guitar straps, metronomes, deejay turntables.

Black Friday

Good Friday. Shoppers still doing their thing today in Orange County.

Newport Beach

Orangey Sky

Newport Beach this morning....

Water dropping helicopters on their way to the fires

Newport Beach Concours de'Elegance

Story in this week's OCBJ.

Orange County Auto Show

Here are some of the autos, robots and creatures at the show, which started today at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Brasher Falls, New York

The Village of Brasher Falls, where life is slooooow, cell phones don't work and everyone sells worms!

Four Pigs

Astor Classics Event Center and museum

If you ever get the chance to visit, say you're in Anaheim for Disneyland, make sure you check out the museum.

More on Art Astor

Here is a side story I wrote about Art Astor's 100,000 square foot event center and museum:
On a tour through radio station owner Art Astor’s Astors Classics Event Center—home to his auto and communications museum—it’s hard not to be astonished at the breadth of his collection.

“Everything works,” he says.

And everything has a story.

He’s got a 1921 Rolex watch still in its original box, a round silver pocket watch that Adolph Hitler gave away. Slot machines from 1916, and some that you play for cigarettes.

There are radios: Detrola radios made by the Detroit Radio Co., Jackson-Bell radios, GM (the automaker) radios, a $40,000 Zenith Stratosphere radio.

Room after room, there’s another display. He’s got the first TV displayed at the World’s Fair, binoculars from World War I, a bar radio, early portable record players, a contract signed by Lucille Ball, a $50 check signed by Mae West, electric trains, tennis rackets, a 1925 Hush-A-Phone that you could speak into and no one around could hear, a 1905 dial phone that was invented by a mortician and a collection of colorful, plastic radios from the 1930s to 1950s.

The radios are encased in intricately carved and varnished wood furniture. Radios back then were made to be heard and not seen. Radios often were disguised as a piece of furniture or something else, such as a teakettle or an ashtray. Brunswick Corp., the bowling ball company, made a radio that was tucked in a pullout drawer.

Astor’s meticulous side is apparent when you see the 275 cars—shiny and well kept—lined up by year. “You have to be appreciative of things and keep them in good order,” Astor said.

“He’s a real car nut,” says Randy Ema, who restores Deusenbergs in Orange. “He’s a go-getting guy. He lives for the deal. It’s keeping him youthful.”

Astor’s got Western actor Tom Mix’s Rolls-Royce and Gary Cooper’s 1938 Cadillac.

“That’s one of my finest,” he says.

In his Chrysler room, there is a 1936 Chrysler Airflow designed by Walter Chrysler, which looks like a PT Cruiser.

“It didn’t do well,” he said. “The style was ahead of its time.”

In 1934, the Orange County Packard dealer only sold one car that year—bad economy—and Astor has it.

Art Astor, Robert Escalante, a couple of car guys

Read in this week's OCBJ: SoCal radio station owner and collector extraordinaire Art Astor, and Robert Escalante's Custom Auto Service, which restores Packards.
Astor Classics Event Center and Living Automotive and Communication Museum in Anaheim is one of California's treasures, for sure. Astor has an expansive collection of antique everything.

More on Astor

Custom Auto Service in Santa Ana restores and fixes Packards for Johnny Depp, business bigwigs and others

Wartime Radio Revue

Photo credit, WWR
In this week's Orange County Business Journal:

In a perfect world, Pete Jacobs would like his 16-piece Wartime Radio Revue swing band to play in front of dancers who plunk down a $7 cover charge. But in reality, his band and others know corporate gigs pay the bills.

Companies need bands for holiday parties, fund-raisers and sales meetings.
Wartime Radio Revue, which plays big band music heard on the radio during World War II, has performed at swing dance haunts in Orange County—the Atomic Ballroom and Tia Juana’s Long Bar & Grill, both in Irvine.

“We are trying to keep a culture alive—the music, dance, dress—everything that was part of the scene,” Jacob said.

The band has played venerable venues, such as The Derby, El Capitan Theatre and the Hollywood Bowl. In July, Wartime is set to play at A Midsummer Night Swing at New York’s Lincoln Center. It spent eight years playing at Disneyland.

The best paying gigs are the ones the boss springs for. Depending on the event and the company’s budget, Jacobs has two other bands at the ready—the Class of ’69 and the Pete Jacobs Quintet.

Corporate gigs typically pay $3,500 to $5,000 and sometimes more. Aliso Viejo-based Quest Software Inc. paid the Tijuana Dogs, another local band on the corporate circuit, significantly more to play retreats in the Caribbean. Next week, the band is off to the Bahamas for a Quest gig.
read the rest here.

Dawn Gibbons' ties to Sierra Nevada

A followup on the story I wrote for Nevada Today on the Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons - Warren Trepp - eTreppid saga.
This today from the Wall Street Journal:

Nevada Company's Capitol Ties
Defense Contractor Paid
Gov. Gibbons's Wife
For Consulting Work
By JOHN R. WILKE
March 30, 2007; Page A4

The wife of Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons was hired as a consultant to a defense contractor at the same time that her husband, who was then a member of Congress, helped the company get funding for a no-bid federal contract.

Dawn Gibbons got about $35,000 in consulting fees in 2004 from Sierra Nevada Corp., of Sparks, Nev., the company said. Mr. Gibbons, a five-term Republican who served on the armed services and intelligence committees, sought funding that year for Sierra Nevada for a $4 million contract to develop a helicopter radar-landing system.

The consulting fees paid to Mrs. Gibbons could draw new scrutiny from federal investigators already examining ties between Mr. Gibbons and another Nevada defense contractor, eTreppid Technologies, and Warren Trepp, its majority owner. Mr. Trepp, a big campaign contributor to Mr. Gibbons, is former chief trader for collapsed junk-bond dealer Drexel Burnham.

A federal grand jury in Washington has begun to issue subpoenas for documents, according to witnesses contacted in recent weeks. The case arose after a former business partner sued Mr. Trepp over the ownership of valuable software algorithms; he also alleged that the congressman helped eTreppid win secret defense contracts and that Mr. Trepp gave Mr. Gibbons gifts including private jet flights, a Caribbean cruise and casino chips, in addition to $90,000 in campaign contributions through firms he controls.
read the rest here.

Other updates:
Las Vegas Sun
Review Journal
The Review Journal story links Michael Milken to eTreppid
Mike Milken Myths, according to Mike Milken.
His note to editors and reporters.
(As an interesting side note: Milken's argument for why Boomers don't need to worry about social security in a WSJ story.)
Warren Trepp's new production: Legally Blonde on Broadway
Den of Thieves excerpt

Sun Worshipping Seal

Wow, another seal at Newport Beach. This one climbed up on the rocks and raised his head to the sun, then laid down to rest.

Surfer Cuffed

During today's fishing boat episode in Newport Beach (see prior post), this surfer ran past the yellow caution tape and went surfing because.... he wanted a wave to himself? He wanted to showoff? He thought it might be funny? It was sort of funny. He ignored (or didn't hear) the lifeguard hollering for him to get out and was subsequently cuffed and put in the backseat of the police truck. He seems to have taken it in stride.

There he is

Beached Fishing Boat in Newport

Action at the beach. The captain of this fishing boat, Emerald Sea, apparently fell asleep and ran ashore (that's the rumor version). Here's what the Register says. The boat was tied to the tugboat out yonder to keep it from moving any closer. Apparently, they were awaiting some more pulling power to yank it out of there.

Dolphin Pods

Over the past week, Dolphin pods have dotted the Newport Beach ocean. These were taken along lifeguard tower 48-62. Mating season? I've never seen them gather and just hang out for hours like that.

By the way, it's the year of the dolphin. That's according to the international Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society.

You'll have to click on these photos to see more clearly.

Seal Squad Newport Beach

Update: The dispatcher at animal control said the seal went back in the water. She said sometimes seals or seal lions look ill but they're not. If they are sick they might beach themselves and rest, then go back in the water. But the thing to do is call City of Newport Beach's animal control at 644-3717 or Friends of the Seal Lion in Laguna Beach, 949-494-3050.
Friends of the Sea Lion said seals are mostly solitary beasts and the seal could've been molting.
Or he could've just needed a nap.
About 2:30 pm today, a seal beached himself in Newport Beach between lifeguard tower 44 and 48. Seal sightings in Newport are rare. The seal didn't look well. He had tags on his tail. A prior stint in rehab?

A squad of about 40 or so barking seals not far from the shore waited for the seal to return to the water. Dolphins swam with the seals and birds flew over head.

The City's marine/animal control department said they were on their way to rescue the seal. But by about 3:30 the barking seals left and the beached seal looked as though he was fading quickly. Sad and beautiful it was.








This from City of Newport Beach:

What should I do if I see a Sea Lion on the beach?


Pinnipeds divide their time between the ocean and the beach, returning to shore to rest, mate, give birth, and for some species molt their fur. Seals and sea lions will come ashore, as well, to stay warm and dry when feeling ill. Because they seek rest on the beach for a variety of reasons, not all seals and sea lions on the beach require intervention. Below are steps to follow if you DO see a seal or sea lion on the beach:

KEEP YOUR DISTANCE:

Marine mammals are protected by Federal Law and it is unlawful for unauthorized persons to handle them. Do not touch or feed the animal. Do not try to return the animal to the water. If the animal is ill, it has come on shore to be warm and dry. Feeding a severely malnourished animal can actually hurt them!

KEEP OTHERS AWAY:

To assure the safety of the public and the animal, please keep others and their pets away from the pinniped. These are wild animals and they do bite, allowing the opportunity for disease transmittal.

MAKE NECESSARY OBSERVATIONS :

From a minimum distance of 50 feet, observe the animal's physical and behavioral characteristics such as approximate length, fur color, and the presence or absence of external ear flaps. This will help us determine the rescue equipment and volunteers needed. Observe the overall appearance of the animal. Is the animal so thin that you can see its ribs and spine? Are there visible wounds? Does the animal have any identification tags or markings?

DETERMINE THE EXACT LOCATION:

For accurate directions, determine the exact location of the stranded animal. We will not be able to help the animal if we are unable to find it.

LOCATE THE NEAREST PHONE:

From the nearest phone, call Pacific Marine Mammal Center at 949-494-3050 or Newport Beach Animal Control at 949-644-3717.

Mighty Mama Skate-O-Rama 2007

Once again, it's almost Mother's Day and it's time for the skateboarding moms (newbies, pros and everyone in between) and "aunties" (those who aren't moms) from all over the world to join together. From Barb Odanaka, founder of the group:

The International Society of Skateboarding Moms is proud to present the fourth annual MIGHTY MAMA SKATE-O-RAMA, Sunday May 13th (Mother's Day) at the Laguna Niguel skateboard park in Orange County, Calif.

The MIGHTY MAMA SKATE-O-RAMA is party on wheels for Women Who Dare To Have Fun. The event (which starts at 10 am, with introductions of the skate moms at 11 am) features skateboarding women of all ages and abilities, in a non-competitive, family-friendly atmosphere. You don't have to be a "mom" to participate--all women are welcome, along with their supporters. As always, the event will feature a rockin' raffle of great skate gear and other cool stuff with all proceeds benefitting children's literacy programs. Spectators are welcome!

The 20,000-square foot Laguna Niguel skateboard park is located at 27745 Alicia Parkway in Laguna Niguel, CA. The skatepark charges a $10/person daily fee (or $60 for an annual pass) and requires full safety gear (knee pads, elbow pads, helmet) and a signed liability waiver.

For more information on the International Society of Skateboarding Moms or the MIGHTY MAMA event, please visit www.skateboardmom.com. Or check us out on MySpace.

Some of the fun

eTreppid Unsealed?

Documents in the case of eTreppid and Dennis Montgomery, former partner of eTreppid's chief, Warren Trepp may be unsealed.
More eTreppid.

eTreppid, The Life and Times

More about eTreppid, the company behind the scandal, in Nevada Today.

Before it was at the center of a scandal involving a federal investigation of the governor of Nevada, eTreppid Technologies LLC was once a run-of-the-mill company, developing software and vying for business through licensing deals.

eTreppid makes data compression software, which shrinks images, audio and video data so that it can be transmitted faster through technologies such as video cameras, cable and media players.

The Reno-based company, founded in 1998, doesn't appear to have been wildly successful. It announced one deal in 2002 with General Electric Co.'s subsidiary GE Security Inc., which used eTreppid's technology in its ClearCast line of video surveillance cameras that were marketed to casinos.

GE has since discontinued the ClearCast line and is now using VisioWave technology in a new camera. "We acquired more capable video technology, more suitable to the needs of our customers," said Steve Hill, a spokesman for GE.

eTreppid also made a run at the movie industry but it didn't win that business, according to a story in the Hollywood Reporter.

Alas, things turned around for eTreppid in 2004 when eTreppid and U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) announced a $30 million military contract win in a press release dated Feb. 18 that year.

What was unusual about the win is eTreppid didn't have to compete for the contract. Other companies weren't considered. Which begs the question: Is eTreppid's technology so superior that only eTreppid could have done the work?

We don't know because the contract was obtained under Federal Acquisition Regulation code 10 U.S.C. 2304(c) (6), which says contracts that need to be secret for "national security" reasons may be awarded to a sole source if it "demonstrates a unique and innovative concept" and certain other criteria are met: "This authority may be used for any acquisition when disclosure of the Government's needs would compromise the national security."

eTreppid's chief executive Warren Trepp got help winning the contract from a powerful friend, Gov. Jim Gibbons. Then a congressman, Gibbons was a member of the House Armed Services Committee, which oversees the Department of Defense and doles out defense money.

eTreppid's mirror
eTreppid's patents
Dennis Montgomery's press release
eTreppid's registration with lobbyist

data compression sources
JPEG
MPEG-4
MP3
BitJazz
xiph.org
one river media

King Doublebass

photos top right, Brad Johnson, partner; bottom, Jason Burns, founder



My latest story at the OCBJ:

Miles Mosley needed a new upright bass for a big gig—playing with retro soul act Gnarls Barkley at the Grammys. He wanted the best of both worlds: a new bass with the feel of an old one.

“So we took a new bass and beat the crap out of it,” said Jason Burns, founder of Santa Ana’s King Doublebass.

Now that’s customizing.

King Doublebass makes upright basses, the cool kind with custom-painted flames that a Stray Cat might play. Indeed, it counts Lee Rocker of the Stray Cats as a fan. Other King players include Tim Skold of Marilyn Manson and Mike Kroeger of Nickelback.

Upright basses are a jazz staple. Rock musicians tend to use them as showpieces, according to Brad Johnson, Burns’ partner in King Doublebass.

“It attracts a lot of attention,” he said.

Especially when a bass has a snazzy paint job or glows in the dark. Players can twirl it, hop up on the side and “slap” it—an exaggerated way of plucking the strings. For rockabilly bands and others, the upright bass becomes a performance prop. Read the rest here.

King Doublebass

This week in the OCBJ, read about Dwight Manley, head of the Jockeys' Guild, a Numismatist (student of coins), one time sports agent for Dennis Rodman and a Brea developer. He became part of coin-collecting history after selling his 1913 Liberty Nickel in 2003 for a then-record $3 million.

Next week, in the OCBJ, it's upright bass maker, King Doublebass of Santa Ana.

Jason Burns, founder

Who is Warren Trepp

My story from Nevada Today:

Warren G. Trepp is king of scandalous headlines these days. But in his community, the Friend of Jim’s is known as the “king of hearts” for his philanthropic work.

Trepp is entangled with Gov. Jim Gibbons in a possible ethics violation, first reported by the Wall Street Journal Nov. 2006. Gibbons helped Trepp get lucrative government contracts for his Reno-based company eTreppid Technologies LLC. Trepp financially supported then-congressman Gibbons' election campaign. But was it a quid quo pro? And did Gibbons break any rules? The FBI is investigating.

Trepp and Gibbons, good friends, deny the allegations.

Trepp’s wife of nine years, Jâlé, also has been dragged into the scandal, following the release of an email exchange between she and her husband that had the appearance of bribing Gibbons. Trepp has questioned the authenticity of the emails.

Making matters worse, Trepp is involved in a civil suit with his former business partner Dennis Montgomery, inventor of eTreppid’s technology. Montgomery alleges he was forced out of the company January 2006 and that Trepp prompted his home to be raided. Trepp denies those charges. They are fighting over software code.

Normally, Trepp’s company keeps a low profile, said George Bebis, director of the Computer Vision Laboratory at the University of Reno, Nevada. ETreppid has hired about three of Bebis’ students.

“They do a lot of classified work for the Army – they don’t want a lot of publicity,” Bebis said. ETreppid makes audio, video and data compression technology, which allows high quality transmission at lower costs.

For Trepp, his business endeavors have been marked by scandals. This happens to be his third. But who is Warren Trepp?

Some people walk into a room and command attention, said Catherine Atack, executive director of the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival. “That’s not Warren,” she said. “He’s unassuming. He’s extremely modest,” she said. Trepp and Atack meet weekly to talk theater. “He definitely guides us in that respect,” she said.

“He’s been great to us,” said George LeBard, executive director of Project Mana, a non-profit that helps feed people. “He’s very supportive, willing to listen to our story.”

LeBard has met Trepp on several occasions. “He’s a nice guy,” he said. “He’s not real talkative. He’ll shake my hand and say ‘Keep up the good work.’”

Read the rest here.

more eTreppid.

Meth Mouth Mania

Meth draws a lot of attention in Nevada. But it's just part of a larger drug problem in the state. Here is my latest story. Read it in Nevada Today:

“Meth mouth” is a ghastly thing.

Surely, you’ve seen the before and after photos of how the drug meth—short for methamphetamine—rots a user’s teeth. Lately, the state has been blanketed with frequent and graphic media coverage of meth’s toll.

The drug speeds users to zero in a matter of months. That’s because it’s easier to get hooked on meth. It messes with dopamine levels in the brain and creates a “seeking behavior.” Users often end up chasing the original high, never to be achieved again. Meanwhile, the addiction devastates a user’s body, mind and spirit.

Meth mouth screams for attention.

But is it the “colossal struggle of our times” as framed by Gov. Jim Gibbons?

How about problem gambling or prescription drug addiction, both more frequent for Nevadans than meth? What about the ravages of poverty or homelessness, felt by so many Nevadans? Death by alcohol kills more people in Nevada than meth.

Don Richter, at the forefront of the anti-meth campaign, puts it this way: “We think the meth war is going to be long term.” Richter, founder of Reno-based Secret Witness, a crime solving organization, said the problem is at the U.S. border – meth is now being made in Mexico.

“They’re just coming in with backpacks full of it.”

And so, in the past year, meth has moved to the top of the list of things to care about in Nevada. How did that happen? More on that later.

First, let’s put the meth problem in perspective. The number of meth users in Nevada is estimated to be about 40,000, according to the federal National Survey on Drug Use and Health (based on annual averages for 2002 through 2004). That number is small compared to the number of people who abuse alcohol and other drugs. Nationally, the estimated number of meth users is 1.3 million and use is declining. That’s right, declining.

Michael Pollan

A brilliant piece of journalism in the New York Times Magazine: Unhappy Meals by Michael Pollan.
It's 15 pages but well worth the read.
The lead

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

says it all. Then Pollan gets into the nitty gritty.
He will be in Newport Beach March 16 and 17

Las Vegas Yet Again

NAMM 2007 Clayton Cameron

Clayton Cameron, drummer for Sammy Davis Jr., Tony Bennett and others giving a brushing demo




Peruvian skeletons imported by Inter-American Trading Co. Aren't these the coolest things? A Peruvian family makes them and the Denver, Colo. company imports them. They cost between $10 and $22.