Advice

NEWPORT BEACH — Sitting on an oversized plush chair in baseball legend Chuck Finley's Newport Beach home, actress Tawny Kitaen seems to be in a much different place than she was eight years ago. A soccer goal is visible in the backyard, and her daughter's art covers the refrigerator in the family home. Her adopted dog, Woody, nuzzles Kitaen as she talks about a new off-camera passion: helping others. A volunteer at Kathy's House, a shelter for at-risk women in San Juan Capistrano, and a member of the board of directors at Testimony Life Resources, an alternative counseling center, Kitaen appears to be a far cry from her role as the eccentric star of "The Surreal Life," or the woman battling a dependency on prescription pills on "Celebrity Rehab.

One can't but notice the blatant corruption and hypocrisy that has become the new global norm. Not just for the elite leaders, but for the lesser leaders as well. In the case of Egypt's uprising, the Egyptian people want to see an end to the political corruption and the removal of their president. President Obama is telling Egypt's president to listen to will of the people. Great advice from an eloquent hypocrite who refuses to listen to his own countrymen, who are questioning and objecting to his socialist leadership policies, which threaten to collapse our county.

Young Chang Nancy Robison and her husband Bob laugh good naturedly about how children just don't seem to accept advice from their own mother. From an uncle, maybe, but rarely from mom. They chuckle like people who've been around the block, like members of an older, wiser generation who have accepted their roles and figured out how to be heard. Nancy Robison has. She got around the problem -- the one where information goes straight into a child's left ear and then out the right -- through writing.

No doubt the hundreds of Newport-Mesa students who tossed their caps in the air in graduation ceremonies Thursday have received more advice over the last few days than they really wanted to hear. But that's not going to stop us from giving them a little more. After all, we were grads once too. Yeah, yeah, that was a long time ago, but that doesn't mean the lessons we learned can't be applied today. So here goes. The lesson we learned is don't listen to all those people giving you advice.

Mark Gleason We asked our parent panelists: As the school year heads toward the end, many high school students are making plans for proms and grad-night festivities. This always raises the danger levels for students who may be tempted to drink and drive. What advice do you have for students to have fun but be safe at their end-of-high-school celebrations? I have a lot of great advice. Since I've already lived through the whole teen and young adult years and have taken extensive mental notes, I know exactly what to do and what not to do. I learned a whole heck of a lot during that time -- about people, situations, choices, directions and life in general.

Hanging near his diploma from the University of Miami School of Medicine, Dr. Jorge Rodriguez displays a less conventional credential at his internal medicine practice in Newport Beach. A 3-by-4-foot, black-and-white photograph of Whoopi Goldberg sitting on a taxi cab takes center stage in his office, inscribed with a message on the AIDS epidemic. "Things are better, but honey … it ain't over yet," reads the inscription. It's a fitting dedication to the HIV specialist and president of AIDS Services Foundation Orange County, a nonprofit foundation that provides care and services to people with HIV, as well as educational outreach.

STEVE SMITH They are newlyweds, a couple in their early 30s who eloped in Las Vegas just a few months ago. A few days ago, the husband was waiting to hear the verdict in a trial in which he was accused of a very serious crime. If found guilty, he was expected to receive a jail term of no less than three years and no more than eight. I know this couple. I know the husband much better than I know the wife, but during this nightmare he has told me much about her and although we've met only twice, I feel as if I know her fairly well.

Wherever you are on the corporate ladder, keeping your edge in jittery economic times can take a little luck and a lot of work. For job hunters looking to climb the ladder, Pierre Mornell offers street-smart advice for winning big in the hiring game in "Games Companies Play." From interview strategies to salary negotiation, this new volume is packed with tips about cover letters, resumes and closing the deal on a dream position. Detailed descriptions of 16 personality types offers help for analyzing strengths and weaknesses, while dozens of anecdotes provide information about making good in today's corporate culture.

Aries (March 21-April 19): Daydreams don't pay the bills. There may be a tendency for the mind to wander when focus and concentration is a must for a project to succeed. Put nose to grindstone and get the job done no matter how difficult it seems. Taurus (April 20-May 20): Carve out your own little niche. Getting anything done could be nearly impossible in an environment of endless distractions and pressure from superiors. Find your own private place and perform your duties with ease.

The first paragraph of Pat Welsh’s new book says it all: “Gardening is different in Southern California. Anyone who’s ever gardened elsewhere will tell you that. It’s not like back East ... it’s not like England ... it’s not even like Florida. “Even people who have never gardened anywhere else soon realize how different Southern California gardening is; all you need to do is flip through any book on basic gardening to realize that much of its advice just doesn’t apply here.

Question: My daughter is 4-foot-7, and weighs 132 pounds. She also has high blood pressure and reflux. I've been trying to cut back on sugar drinks and fried food. Can you suggest any other changes to her eating plan to help? Answer: It's great that you're working on improving your daughter's diet! Cutting back on sugared drinks and fried food is a good way to start. Sugared drinks are the largest source of added sugars in children's diets. They add many calories, but little or no nutrition.

COSTA MESA - Huy Pham, the Costa Mesa city maintenance worker who committed suicide in March, struggled with emotional problems in the months before his death, according to his personnel file. The records, which became public after he died, were provided to media outlets by city officials this week. While nobody will know exactly why the 29-year-old from Fountain Valley leaped off the five stories of City Hall's roof, many have speculated that he was reacting to the City Council's outsourcing plans.

In an effort to block the possible layoffs of 213 city employees, the Costa Mesa Employees Assn. has filed a complaint with the Orange County Superior Court, according to a news release issued by the group Monday. The complaint includes a request for an immediate temporary restraining order, according to the release, which named Costa Mesa Chief Executive Tom Hatch. "As we have said since the very beginning, the city did not have legal authority to take this action," Nick Berardino, the association's general manager, said in a prepared statement.

Wives are more likely than husbands to enter into a divorce ill-informed about personal finances and unprepared for life after marriage, according to some divorce experts. Family law attorney Karen Rhyne of Michel & Rhyne in Newport Beach and Megan Stirrat, a certified divorce financial analyst for the Laguna Hills Merrill Lynch, plan to speak at "What Women Need to Know in a Down Economy," a free seminar from the Women's Institute for Financial Education. The seminar is this Saturday at the Newport Beach Merrill Lynch on McArthur Boulevard and will discuss the legal, financial and personal elements of divorce.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Born to be wild is more than just a song. Your love of excitement and the latest fads is just beginning to take hold. You are ready to take charge of your life and make changes you once thought impossible. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): New perspectives could bring fresh opportunities. Deep inside you may be restless for a change or ready to try something new. Sit down with pen and paper and create a bucket list for the future. GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

One can't but notice the blatant corruption and hypocrisy that has become the new global norm. Not just for the elite leaders, but for the lesser leaders as well. In the case of Egypt's uprising, the Egyptian people want to see an end to the political corruption and the removal of their president. President Obama is telling Egypt's president to listen to will of the people. Great advice from an eloquent hypocrite who refuses to listen to his own countrymen, who are questioning and objecting to his socialist leadership policies, which threaten to collapse our county.

COSTA MESA — The Newport-Mesa school board plans to meet in closed session at 6:30 p.m. Monday to discuss two felony counts filed this week against Supt. Jeffrey Hubbard. The charges, filed by the Los Angeles County district attorney, concern Hubbard's performance in his previous job as superintendent of the Beverly Hills Unified School District. Decisions on the matter could range from administrative suspension to "business as usual," Newport-Mesa Board of Education President Karen Yelsey said.

NEWPORT BEACH — Ronnie Black said to have a shot to win the 16th Toshiba Classic at Newport Beach Country Club Sunday he would have to shoot a 63 and Fred Couples not show up with his putter. Well, Black arrived with his putter and he maneuvered the poa annua greens with near precision en route to a six-under-par 65 and a solo second-place finish (14-under; 67-67-65 – 199) in his second Toshiba Classic. Black finished four shots behind Couples, who claimed his second straight Champions Tour title in three starts (18-under; 66-64-65 – 195)

In the aftermath of the storm surf and the unfortunate loss of a local surfer several people asked me about safety and surfing. My girlfriend told me that if I were missing she wouldn’t know what to tell the police other than, “He’s parked near the beach somewhere between Palos Verdes and San Onofre.” She’s only exaggerating to make a point, but in reality I rarely know where I’ll end up going out and almost always I’m traveling by myself.