Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is teaming with producer Andy Heyward and Marvel Comics genius Stan Lee for an animated TV series and comic book called The Governator.
Debuting in 2012, the television show will follow the Governator as he trades a political career for crime-fighting from the Arnold Cave, a high-tech center hidden under his home in Brentwood, California.
The Governator superhero comes with a collection of super cars, super suits and sidekicks which include a teenage computer geek who will help him fight super villains, like the G.I.R.L.I.E. Men.
"I started hearing people talking about the 'Governator'. I thought the word was so cool," Schwarzenegger stated.
The superstar continued:
"The cartoon brings everything together. It combines the governor, The Terminator, the bodybuilding world, the True Lies."
Animation is hot in today's Hollywood and, with Arnold Schwarzenegger turning 64 in July, the concept is 'win-win' all the way to the bank...
...and possibly the Emmy Awards.
Arnold Schwarzenegger will reveal more about the animated TV series in a press conference on April 4th.
Russian investor Yuri Milner has bought a French chateau-style mansion in Silicon Valley for $100 million.
The Russian billionaire purchased the California mansion through an LLC, and the deal is the biggest residential real estate sale of the year in California.
The opulent Los Altos Hills limestone mansion, built in 2009, provides 26,000 square feet and stunning views of the San Francisco Bay.
Milner is the billionaire CEO of Digital Sky Technologies, whose investments include Facebook, Groupon and Zynga.
Designed by architects William Hablinski and Richard Manion, the estate has a ballroom, home theater, wine cellar, tennis court, spa, gym, indoor pool, outdoor pool, car wash and formal gardens.
Catherine Marcus of Sotheby's International Realty and Ken Deleon of Keller Williams Realty handled the real estate deal.
Located on Paloma Road in Los Altos, the $100 million 5-bedroom, 9-bathroom, 11-acre estate was purchased from Fed Chan, founder of ESS Technology.
For the record, Facebook shares were NOT used in the transaction.
Yuri Milner, his wife and two daughters will certainly enjoy exchanging Russian winters for California weather and the innovative excitement of Silicon Valley in 2011.
Tesla Motors has filed a lawsuit against the BBC and its automotive television program Top Gear for libel and malicious falsehood.
The Silicon Valley, California-based electric car maker stated in the claim that the BBC Top Gear review of its Tesla Roadster "contained lies and misinformation about the Roadster's performance, behavior and reliability."
"The program's lies are repeatedly and consistently re-broadcast to hundreds of millions of viewers on BBC channels and web sites, on other TV channels via syndication," Tesla VP Ricardo Reyes declared from California.
During the program episode in question, Tesla Roadsters were shown as suffering several alleged 'breakdowns' during track driving.
BBC host Jeremy Clarkson closed the episode by declaring that the Tesla Roadster doesn't work.
It may be proven in court that BBC's Top Gear misrepresented that the Tesla Roadster:
ran out of charge and needed to be pushed into the hangar by several men;
has a true range of only 55 miles per electric charge, instead of 211 miles;
suffered an overheated motor and was immobilized as a result;
had faulty brakes which made the car inoperable;
was unacceptable for test driving due to these alleged 'failures'.
Tesla Motors claims that the 'breakdowns' were faked.
Tesla is demanding in the suit for the BBC and Top Gear to cease and desist from rebroadcasting the episode in question --- and to correct its review of the Tesla Roadster.
Tesla has experienced conflict with the BBC television show since a 2008 review of the famous California electric vehicle --- when the Roadster supposedly ran out of energy on the track.
Tesla suspects that Top Gear wanted to show that electric vehicles are useless and that BBC staged the TV show to prove it.
Tesla's Ricardo Reyes asserts that the show's script, written BEFORE the cars were tested, has host Jeremy Clarkson ending the segment by saying, "in the real world, it doesn't seem to work".
A Top Gear spokesman told the British Broadcasting Company's news department, "The BBC stands by the program and will be vigorously defending this claim".
For the record, my colleagues here in California who own Tesla Roadsters have never had any problems at all with their cars.
It will now be up to the courts to sort out the case of Tesla vs BBC.
Fred Smith, chairman, president and CEO of FedEx Corporation, was presented with the Howard Hughes Memorial Award by the Aero Club of Southern California.
The annual award, which Smith has received in Los Angeles, recognizes distinguished leaders who have made important contributions to aviation and space technology advancement.
Nissen Davis, president of the Aero Club, spoke proudly of Fred Smith:
"After an extensive review by the award committee, which includes 14 past honorees, we concluded that Fred Smith best represents sustained aviation excellence. He joins an exclusive roster of aviation and space pioneers like Jack Northrop, Jimmy Doolittle, Simon Ramo, Neil Armstrong, Bob Hoover and Chuck Yeager," declared Davis.
The 32nd recipient of the Howard Hughes Award, Frederick W. Smith heads a $35-billion global operation and directs FedEx companies in 220 countries, with 664 aircraft, 81,000 vehicles and 281,000 team members.
Fred Smith, a Yale economics graduate, has been friends with George W. Bush and John Kerry since the 1960s. A veteran of Vietnam, Captain Smith received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and two Purple Hearts.
Since founding FedEx in the early 1970s, billionaire Smith has promoted regulatory reform, free trade, 'open skies' agreements for aviation, and he has been a strong advocate for vehicle energy-efficiency standards and a U.S. national energy policy.
Smith later purchased two other dynamic California companies --- the air cargo transport company Flying Tiger Line of Los Angeles in 1989, and the office services company Kinko's of Ventura in 2004 --- both very profitable acquisitions.
In the political arena, Fred Smith was the national co-chair of the McCain-Palin 2008 presidential campaign.
Smith has enjoyed much success and many accolades during his lifetime.
Now, in March 2011, he has been bestowed with a very distinguished honor in the memory of another billionaire aviation enthusiast.
A commemorative sculpture bearing Frederick W. Smith's name will remain on display, permanently, at the Flight Path Museum at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
During the banquet, the Aero Club of Southern California honored Fred Smith, 66, with the coveted solid silver medallion.
The most distinguished award which Smith received features the image of the legendary Howard Hughes, along with several accomplishment depictions.
The Aero Club of Southern California, a nonprofit charitable organization, was founded in 1925 to increase public awareness of the uses of aviation.
The club advances aviation and aerospace, honors outstanding contributors to both fields, and supports speaker and scholarship programs.
"California" is a 2007 rock California song by Grammy and Oscar-winning singer/songwriter Melissa Etheridge from Los Angeles.
A strong track from the album, The Awakening, "California" lyrically describes Etheridge leaving her native Kansas for somewhere she could feel spiritually liberated and emotionally free.
Melissa Etheridge's lyrics strongly proclaim the coming to terms with one's personal goals and aspirations that lead to the Great Westward Decision:
"I took my family's burden; strapped it to my chest; a few hundred bucks and a kiss for luck; and I pointed my dreams west --- to CALIFORNIA."
Seeking freedom and truth in the land that famously encourages individual self-expression, Etheridge accurately communicates both the hope and the fortitude required for such a journey.
As she follows the setting sun like millions before her have done, she is "almost free".
The video to "California" (below) features Canadian singer/guitarist Philip Sayce on backing vocals during the song's chorus.
One of the most anthemic California songs ever recorded, "California" contains the strongest vocalization of the word CALIFORNIA ever sung --- like onlyMelissa Etheridge can sing it.
Elizabeth Taylor was Cleopatra and Cleopatra was Elizabeth Taylor.
Cleopatra was the most expensive movie ever made, starring Elizabeth Taylor, "The Most Beautiful Woman In The World" and the highest paid actress in the history of Hollywood.
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton not only co-starred in the epic motion picture together, the two famously married and divorced each other --- twice.
One of their two marriages eerily echoed the dynamics between the legendary Mark Antony and Cleopatra.
Cleopatra of Egypt was known for her beauty, wealth, affairs, scandals, glamor and power --- as Elizabeth Taylor of California was.
Cleopatra's stage was the Roman Empire and Elizabeth Taylor's was the Californian Empire.
As Cleopatra, Queen Elizabeth of Hollywood ruled Los Angeles the City of Isis in California, the land symbolized by the goddess Minerva.
Ironically, the current upheaval and turmoil in Egypt coincides with the eclipsing of the Hollywood Cleopatra's earthly life.
The old Egypt and the old Hollywood have now passed through the portals of time together as one.
California Governor Jerry Brown and First Lady Anne Gust Brown honored 11 soldiers who lost their lives in service to California and the U.S., extending condolences to those mourning the ten fallen men and one woman.
Governor Brown ordered all flags flown at half-mast over the California State Capitol in memorium. Families will receive official letters of condolence from the Governor and First Lady.
Here are the 11 California soldiers honored, who lost their lives in either Iraq or Afghanistan:
Pfc. Arturo E. Rodriguez, 19, of Bellflower, CA died March 12 in Afghanistan of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire.
Staff Sgt. Eric S. Trueblood, 27, of Alameda, CA died March 10 in Afghanistan of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
Staff Sgt. Mark C. Wells, 31, of San Jose, CA died March 5 in Afghanistan of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
Cpl. Jordan R. Stanton, 20, of Rancho Santa Margarita, CA died March 4 while conducting combat operations in Afghanistan.
Spc. Jason M. Weaver, 22, of Anaheim, CA died March 3 in Afghanistan of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.
Spc. Rudolph R. Hizon, 22, of Los Angeles, CA died February 28 in Afghanistan of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.
Sgt. Jason G. Amores, 29, of Camp Pendleton, CA died January 20 while conducting combat operations in Afghanistan.
Petty Officer Dominique Cruz, 26, of San Diego, CA was found during search and rescue operations January 19 in the Gulf of Oman after being reported missing January 18.
Spc. Martin J. Lamar, 43, of Sacramento, CA died January 15 in Iraq of wounds suffered when an Iraqi soldier from the unit with which they were training shot him with small arms fire.
Spc. Jose A. Torre, Jr., 21, of Garden Grove, CA died January 15 in Iraq of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with a rocket-propelled grenade.
Maj. Evan J. Mooldyk, 47, of Ranch Murieto, CA died January 12 in Afghanistan in a non-combat related incident.
As the 39th Governor of California, Jerry Brown and First Lady Anne Gust Brown officially honored the fallen California soldiers on behalf of all Californians.
California Governor Jerry Brown took the California budget war online with a no-nonsense YouTube video appeal to California voters.
Jerry Brown has vowed to balance the state budget deficit by any means necessary to close a gap of $26-billion.
The California State Legislature is halfway there, agreeing to cuts in services for the poor, the disabled, college students, state parks and health care.
In Governor Brown's own words, the cuts will cause "drastic alterations in the very fabric of our public service" but are necessary in a fiscal emergency.
State Republicans are against the temporary tax extensions Brown wants and they are blocking the governor's attempt to put them on the ballot.
The YouTube video (below) is Jerry Brown's way of confronting obstructionists.
"We've been kicking the can down the road. You've been treated with evasions, and gimmicks—smoke and mirrors... There's been a tendency to avoid reality, and you can't do that forever," declared the 39th Governor of California in his video statement.
Governor Brown continued, "This is a matter that is too big, too irreversible to leave just to those you have elected... So let me know, let your legislators know, would you like the chance to cast this vote, or would you feel it's appropriate to shut out the people of California?"
Taking the case directly to the voters with a YouTube video is a bold and unprecedented move by a governor, but Jerry Brown has always marched to his own drummer.
'Beating around the bush' is definitely NOT this California governor's forte. If you like it straight-up, with no chaser, enjoy Jerry Brown at his best.
"California Wildflower" is a 2011 California song by Los Angeles singer/songwriter Ted Russell Kamp.
A cool California country-rock song, Kamp's "California Wildflower" is from his 2011 album, Get Back To The Land, which has already debuted at #1 on at least one Americana music chart.
While Ted Russell Kamp sounds great with his fantastic band, I chose to feature a video (below) of Kamp belting out "California Wildflower" solo with an acoustic guitar.
The raw passion of the songwriter is very hip.
Kamp sounds a little Springsteen-ish, the song is slightly Eagles-ish, and the guitar is a tad Mellencamp-ish, but it's totally digable.
This catchy new song is one of the many cool songs about California being released these days, though it doesn't sound like the others. Kamp's tune is grittier, which is way cool.
"California Wildflower" is a freshly hand-picked bloom by Ted Russell Kamp, so enjoy the fragrance.
California exports are at an all-time high as the Golden State announces the 15th consecutive month of year-over-year trade increases.
World demand for California products is escalating, according to Beacon Economics, which produces a monthly California analysis of foreign trade data released by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
"California's exporters firmly put the Great Recession behind them in January," declared Beacon Economics international trade advisor Jock O’Connell.
In January, the Golden State's export trade approached $12 billion, a 14.5 percent increase over the $10.26 billion in January last year.
California's manufactured exports rose 11.6 percent and non-manufactured exports jumped 18.9 percent.
"It isn't clear what is driving these trends as manufacturing in California overall seems to be doing better than the national average," said Beacon Economics founding partner Christopher Thornberg.
Seaports and airports up and down the Golden State are swamped with international trade and are hiring in 2011.
In Southern California, the number of loaded outbound containers from the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach was up by 12.6 percent from last January.
Los Angeles International saw an 18.2 percent increase in air freight export tonnage.
Air freight tonnage through San Francisco International was up by 11.9 percent over last January, while outbound loaded container traffic at the Port of Oakland rose by 7.6 percent.
California's agricultural exports continue to increase and the most rapid growth is in nut sales. Almonds, walnuts and pistachios are now some of California's top exports.
Miss California Arianna Afsar, a former American Idol contestant, has adopted pistachios as her official snack and is embarking on a 2011 pistachio marketing tour of Asia.
California has beaten Iran as the world's #1 pistachio exporter, and the Ayatollah is not pleased, reportedly.
Chinese movie star Gao Yuan Yuan added glamor to blooming almond trees while television crews filmed her new documentary and TV series about California's almond country.
In India, the Almond Board of California has Bollywood actress Karisma Kapoor appearing in TV commercials dressed in a Hindu sari, displaying the health and beauty benefits of California almonds.
On the employment front, California can expect an increase in jobs through 2012, according to Jerry Nickelsburg, senior economist at UCLA Anderson Forecast.
Nickelsburg also predicts that the California economy will grow faster than the rest of the nation throughout 2012.
Southern California, the nation's largest manufacturing economy, is gaining tremendous confidence as Los Angeles County's jobless rate continues to drop.
The California economy is standing up and swinging back with full vengeance.
The University of Southern California is receiving the biggest donation in the history of the Los Angeles university, a $200 million gift from businessman David Dornsife and his wife Dana Dornsife.
The Dornsifes' donation will support the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences without any spending restrictions.
USC President Max Nikias praised the donors, saying:
"Especially in the economic environment we are in, this gift makes a big statement about the importance of the humanities and social sciences in the university, not just the sciences," Nikias said. "It's a very, very transformative gift."
A 1965 USC business graduate, David Dornsife is chairman of Herrick Corporation, a Stockton-based, privately held steel fabrication company.
David, 67, and Dana, 49, have six children and eight grandchildren between them. The couple are residents of the Northern California community of Danville.
The record-breaking $200 million donation from Dana and David Dornsife to USC exceeds the university's previous record of $175 million from fellow alumnus George Lucas.
The #1 California blog joins Californians in acknowledging the Dornsifes' extremely generous gift to higher education while congratulating the USC College of Letters, Arts & Sciences.
California Census results have been released by the U.S. Census Bureau, complete with detailed 2010 Census population totals for the state of California.
The Golden State's new official 2010 population of 37.3 million is a 10 percent increase over 2000.
According to the 2010 California Census statistics, here are the top-five most populous incorporated cities in the nation's most populated state:
Los Angeles | 3,792,621 | 2.6 percent increase
San Diego | 1,307,402 | 6.9 percent increase
San Jose | 945,942 | 5.7 percent increase
San Francisco | 805,235 | 3,7 percent increase
Fresno | 494,665 | 15.7 percent increase
California census data shows that the top-five most populous counties in the state are:
Los Angeles County | 9,818,605 | 3.1 percent increase
San Diego County | 3,095,313 | 10.0 percent increase
Orange County | 3,010,232 | 5.8 percent increase
Riverside | 2,189,641 | 41.7 percent increase
San Bernardino | 2,035,210 | 19.1 percent increase
The Census Bureau collected race and origin information on five ethnic groups: White, Black/African-American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. The Census Bureau also utilized a sixth category --- "some other race".
Human-alien hybrids and transgenic humanoids (including nephilim) checked that rather ambiguous box, no doubt.
According to the 2000 Census, however, most respondents reporting their background as "some other race" were of Hispanic/Latino origin.
The new (ethnically detailed) data will be utilized by California's independent redistricting commission to draw new legislative, congressional and Board of Equalization districts for the 2012 elections.
This California blog does not divide genetic humans into races, so you must visit the 2010 Census Data web page for arbitrary skin color data among Californians.
Millions of fish have died in a Redondo Beach, California marina, completely filling the water's surface with dead bodies.
Southern California boaters awakened this morning to a shocking number of silvery fish surrounding their sailboats and yachts.
The sea of fish carcasses was so thick that boats could not escape the Redondo Beach harbor.
"We need to get rid of them," declared Sgt. Phil Keenan of the Redondo Beach Police Department. "This is going to create a terrible pollution and public health issue if we don't."
Fire and police officials have not determined a definite cause of the plague of dead fish that caught Californians by surprise.
"Yesterday, everything looked absolutely normal," stated harbor resident Walter Waite. "This morning when I got up, there were millions and millions of them floating everywhere."
A hazardous materials crew is testing the water for toxicity, and locals are being warned not to touch the water in the Redondo Beach harbor.
"There’s basically fish everywhere you go in the harbor," said harbor assistant manager Jason McMullin.
What comes next is the challenge of removing millions of dead fish before flocks of countless seagulls show up for a feast, blanketing Redondo Beach with their waste.
Theories abound, including electromagnetic manipulation, gases emitted from earthquake fault movement, and poisoning.
The Redondo Beach Apocalypse is a mystery that locals are angrily demanding a full investigation into.
Contrary to what some in positions of temporary power would like you to believe, California is not broke. The Golden State is so rich that it's drunk on its own wealth and power.
One out of ten billionaires on earth today is a Californian, my friends.
Where's your share of this massive wealth? Has it been transferred from workers and consumers to bankers and billionaires?
Have you surrendered your power to the banks, Wall Street and the corporations of the Fortune 500? Have you been reduced to a helpless child, unable to do anything about it?
Are you really powerless and worthless?
The answer is "yes" only if you believe it.
California is broke? LOL. What a scam.
There's more than enough wealth to go around. The greedy have temporarily redirected that wealth into reservoirs that sit on their gated California estates.
By owning most media and information outlets, they have convinced most Californians that the California Dream must be PURCHASED.
Their version of the California Dream says that you, too, might be rich some day if you simply keep your head down, nose to the grindstone, don't rock the boat --- and keep making those PAYMENTS.
As long as you are a 'good employee' who continues to generate profit for the corporation, you always have hope for success and a bright future, right? Wrong. That's a load of crap.
Make your own fortune from your own ideas. That's how you make your personal economy grow. That's how California's economy really grows.
It grows further when a new generation of artists, inventors, entrepreneurs, writers and scientists are encouraged to come up with the next great idea. Those new ideas create new jobs, wealth and stability.
Exploiting others is exhausting, counterproductive and burdened with guilt. Don't steal other people's thing. Do your own thing.
Get with your own Creator if you want original ideas. God never runs out of creative solutions, my friends.
Hook up with the Source and you will never pay interest for your success and happiness.
Do not let anyone take your own power from you anymore. Do not believe liars who steal from you. Don't let them escape justice with your power.
Listen to what you KNOW is right, and shut out everything else.
"California Calling" is a 2011 folk California song by singer/songwriter Olof Göthlin from Skåne län, Sweden.
A modern classic among countless songs about California, Göthlin's "California Calling" sensitively expresses the longing of one who yearns for a feeling of belonging in an atmosphere of fulfillment.
Olof Göthlin is talented at taking the mental logic of a journey to California and then voicing it as a deeply emotional need which can only be met by self-discovery in the Golden State.
I like the raw YouTube-ness of Göthlin's self-made video (below) as it creates a genuinely 'unplugged' experience which is reflective, contemplative and primal in its emotional intimacy.
I really like the authentic folk style of Sweden's Olof Göthlin. This young artist will certainly be signed by a record label quickly.
"California Calling" represents the timeless 'sensitive singer/songwriter' genre in the most classic fashion.
It's a pleasantly enjoyable and marketable song that can be easily covered by many different recording artists. I love it.
Olof Göthlin is a talented singer and songwriter who gives a satisfying performance of a great musical tribute to California.
California Conservation Corps member Chris Thomas has been honored as a 2011 National Corpsmember of the Year in a ceremony at the nation's capitol.
Mr. Thomas, 23, received his award from the national Corps Network organization and is the only honoree from California.
In Washington, Thomas' speech before hundreds of federal and corps representatives prompted several offers of career positions for the accomplished Northern California military veteran.
Chris Thomas also toured Capitol Hill, meeting the distinguished Northern California Congressman Wally Herger (R-Chico) and House Speaker John Boehner.
Thomas has been with the CCC in Chico for the last two years. He joined the program after serving three tours with the Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the Northern Californian was wounded twice.
The California Conservation Corps had promoted Thomas to crew leader before he began work on natural resource projects for the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Department of Water Resources and California State Parks.
The Corps Network, a national organization for service and conservation corps throughout the country, funded the travel and expenses for Thomas' round-trip from Lake County, California to Washington DC.
The California Conservation Corps is a state agency hiring young men and women, ages 18 to 25, for a year of natural resource work and emergency response. It is a quality program of which my own sister is a past member.
The CCC was started in 1976 by California Governor Jerry Brown and is more successful than ever today.
Mr. Thomas is the son of a very proud Jean Bolding of Clearlake Oaks, where Lake County residents are excited that one of their own was honored at the U.S. Capitol.
This California blog joins all proud Californians in celebrating Chris Thomas as an outstanding young hero who represents the Golden State with dignity and honor.
Californians are pushing to strip out of the Patent Reform Act one of its key elements, siding with entrepreneurs who insist that patents should be awarded to the first inventors.
Giant multinational corporations that want a first-to-file system do not agree.
Obviously, somebody from California --- the land of inventors, innovators and entrepreneurs --- needed to jump on that quickly.
Much to her credit, California's very own Dianne Feinstein did.
U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California) wasted no time in speaking out against the Patent Reform Act on the Senate floor today, arguing a central provision would spoil fertile soil for start-up companies.
"This proposed transition from our first-to-invent system to a first-to-file system would be severely harmful to innovation," Senator Feinstein declared. "Under first-to-invent, we have been the world's leader in innovation and the first-to-file countries have been playing catch-up with our technological advances."
Feinstein argued the first-to-file system would force inventors to file patents on ideas that had not been fully vetted in order to prevent competitors from getting a patent first. Patent fees and attorney fees are expensive.
The California Senator also worried the first-to-file system would clog the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by throwing inventors into a heated race to file patents, ready or not.
"First-to-file incentivizes inventors to race to the patent office so they aren’t beat to the punch by a rival," said Feinstein. "Thus first-to-file will likely result in overfiling of dead-end inventions."
The Patent Office has a backlog of 750,000 patents, and it takes two years before most patent applications are even read for the first time by a patent officer.
The Patent Reform Act is currently pending on the Senate floor.
Caterpillar, 3M and GE, among other corporate heavyweights, are members of a coalition that is backing the shift to a first-to-file system.
Small inventors say that they would be at an extreme disadvantage under a first-to-file system because they lack the resources to rush applications to the Patent Office.
Our current system still grants patent rights to the first inventor.
The U.S. House of Representatives has yet to unveil its own patent legislation, though a bill may be introduced and a vote could take place by the end of April.
Thank you, Senator Feinstein, for stepping up to the plate on behalf of California's REAL job creators.
The Patent Reform Act is seen by many to be an "act" of greed against inventors, innovators and entrepreneurs, designed to corral creative talent into multinational corporate cells to be controlled.
(Senators ended up voting 87-13 against the amendment by California Democrat Dianne Feinstein.)
Jane Russell, the Hollywood legend, adoption activist and Christian television personality, has died.
Like fellow actress Mamie Van Doren, Jane Russell was discovered in Hollywood by Howard Hughes when she was a young and ambitious starlet.
Miss Russell became a successful leading lady in films and, like her co-star Marilyn Monroe, was one of the most famous sex symbols in Hollywood history --- something that Russell was never comfortable with.
More than a talented actress, she was a devoted wife, mother to three children, and an adoption activist.
Jane Russell could not physically have children, so she and her husband adopted and raised children as their own.
Frustrated by adoption's inefficient paperwork requirements, and angered at how long the adoption process took, Russell became a passionate activist for change.
Jane Russell founded the World Adoption International Fund, a nonprofit which eventually made 50,000 child adoptions happen.
As a tireless activist, Russell testified before the U.S. Congress as a supporter of the Federal Orphan Adoption Bill which allowed for foreign children of U.S. soldiers abroad to be adopted by American parents.
In the 1980s, Jane Russell was an important part of the lobbying efforts for the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act, which reimbursed parents for medical expenses incurred by adopting handicapped children.
Jane Russell was a genuine California hero who impacted our state and the world in powerful ways.
Instead of flowers, Jane Russell requested donations be made in her name to: CASA of Santa Barbara County, (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children) 120 East Jones Street, Suite 130, Santa Maria, CA 93454
#1 California Poem on the Internet Exclusively on Californiality.com
"I AM CALIFORNIA"
I am the creative genesis persisting amid chaos; the idea made manifest.
I am the eternal state of "becoming".
Ever changing, morphing and mutating, my essence reflects the mind of my Creator.
Purity, perfection and productivity are my principles.
I am innovation; the perennially new. I am relentless forward momentum.
I am the unity of the spiritual, the mental and the physical. I am symmetry and balance.
I am the created who recreates; the blessed who blesses; the beloved who loves without prejudice.
I am expression; the vision seen; the voice heard; the thought interpreted.
Races, religions and cultures are my colors, hues and shades. Variety is my lifeblood.
I am the portrait of humanity which beckons an impassioned brush stroke from every hand.
I am relationship; always conversing, sharing, belonging, reciprocating, accepting and providing.
I am contrary; an oasis in the desert; order from chaos; beauty from ashes; hope from despair; unity from diversity; light from darkness.
I am information, communication, technology and intelligence always seeking Wisdom.
Ever the student of the Eternal, I instruct willing minds through my failures and successes.
I am the experience; the be-in; the adventure; the journey; the trip. I am interactivity and participation.
I am the ultimate; the zenith; the apex; the extreme; the max. Limitless minds are my companions into the timeless unknown.
I am to be merged with; not to simply be admired from afar. My visions are to be shared; my dreams are to be realized; my desires are to be consummated.
I am the fruit of ambition, effort and achievement. I am the rarest wine to be tasted, savored and thoroughly enjoyed, not merely collected.
Golden, priceless and breathtaking, I am the star-studded dream, the quaking vision, and the imagination on fire.
