Author Archive
311 App
MyLA311 links Angelenos with the services and information they need to enjoy their city, beautify their community and stay connected with their local government.
The ‘Submit Service Request’ feature allows you to quickly and easily request the City’s most popular services, including graffiti removal, pothole repair, and bulky-item pickup.
You can keep up to date with the latest City Hall News by browsing through our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube feeds.
No more stamps and envelopes needed! MyLA311 also allows you to pay your Los Angeles Water and Power Bill right from your mobile device.
Looking for the nearest park? Want to cool off on a hot day? Need to return a library book? The ‘Find City Info’ feature conveniently maps the closest parks, libraries, fire and police stations, golf courses, public pools, tennis courts, golf courses, parking lots, and more.
Vintage Brentwood
Handsome unused 1907-1915 postcard of the Grand Boulevard offices of the Pacific Electric Railway in Brentwood Park, Los Angeles, California! Very little development yet, just two or three large homes. The “scenic trolley trip” offered a 101-mile ride for one day and one dollar, visiting 10 beaches and eight cities along the route. The route paralleled the mountains from Los Angeles to the ocean and then traveled 36 miles along the seashore. Part of the trip was “an ocean voyage on wheels, the cars running a mile into the ocean on Long Wharf, Port Los Angeles.” The trip also gained the traveler admission to the largest aquarium on the Pacific Coast, a ride on the L. A. Thompson Scenic Railway at Venice and admission to Camera Obscura at Santa Monica. Cars departed from 429 S. Hill St. in Los Angeles. Published by Jack Parsons, and a desirable railroadiana or Los Angeles County collectible in excellent condition. More info HERE
How to Fit Your Suit
via Esquire.com
A great suit doesn’t look so great if it doesn’t fit. Seven ways to tell if it does.
1. Shoulder pads end with your shoulders.
2. Your flat hand should slip easily into your suit under the lapels when the top (or middle) button is fastened. If you put a fist in, the suit should pull at the button.
3. The top button of a two-button suit — or the middle button of a three-button suit — should not fall below your navel.
4. With your arms at your sides, your knuckles should be even with the bottom of your jacket.
5. Jacket sleeves should fall where the base of your thumb meets your wrist.
6. Between a quarter and a half inch of shirt cuff should be visible.
7. One inch of break.
Villa Le Rose
The aura of the Italian Renaissance pervades Villa Le Rose, one of the luxurious properties in the Ferragamo family’s Lungarno Collection. Here in the 15th century, Marchese Niccolò Tomaso Antinori, a forebear of the noted winemaking clan, chose a serene location in the rolling green hills on the southern outskirts of Florence for his Tuscan country estate. The aristocrat’s two-story villa would remain in the family for some 400 years before passing into other hands.
Fast-forward to the 1980s, when Leonardo and Beatrice Ferragamo acquired the villa and began to renovate it, adding the amenities needed for contemporary life but always keeping in mind the home’s charm and historic ambience. Today the residence shares the craftsmanship and impeccable location that are the hallmarks of the Lungarno Collection.
via Robb Report
Vigil held for victims of Santa Monica shooting
Corey Moore, Ed Joyce, and Brian Watt with AP | June 10th, 2013, 8:06pm
Hundreds of people held a vigil Monday night on the Santa Monica College campus for the victims of Friday’s shooting spree.
Students and faculty remembered 67-year-old Margarita Gomez as an older woman who collected recyclables on campus. Her son, Gabriel Torres, says his mother wasn’t doing that to support herself.
“She would donate either the money or the collectibles to the Church, you know, to help them out. To help out the community. She had her own means. She rented an apartment. She was stable. She didn’t need to do this. This was just a hobby, to keep her busy, just to keep her moving,” Torres said.
Family members of victims Carlos Franco and his daughter also participated. The group walked from the college’s library to its football stadium.
Meanwhile, the mother of shooter John Zawahri had returned from a trip to Lebanon but was keeping her distance from reporters. She released the following statement through a neighbor:
“As may be assumed, I am in mourning for my family and those who were also affected by this horrific tragedy over the past few days. I cannot express my great sadness for the families who are also suffering at this terrible time. I do ask the media to please give me time to grieve and come to grips with the overwhelming sorrow. This has befallen all of us.”
California State University, Dominguez Hills has taken up a collection to help support the family of Marcela Franco, the 26-year-old daughter of Carlos Franco.
“As a campus community, our thoughts, prayers, and sympathies are with the Franco family and all the victims and families affected by this senseless act of violence,” said CSU Dominguez Hills President Willie J. Hagan in a statement released Monday. “Finding the right words or actions to express the most heartfelt response to such unthinkable tragedy is not easy, but given Marcela’s direct ties to CSU Dominguez Hills, our hope is this gesture from the university community can in some way help her loved ones during this difficult time.”
To make a donation, the university asked for checks payable to CSUDH Foundation/Marcela Franco Memorial to be mailed to Marcela Franco Memorial, CSU Dominguez Hills Office of Development, 1000 E. Victoria St., Welch Hall A-425, Carson, CA 90747. Donations can also be made online at www.csudh.edu/onlinegiving.
Breaking Bad Creator Vince Gilligan on Why Binge-Watching Saved His Show
Via BY ANGELA WATERCUTTER | WIRED
Breaking Bad is a show that revolves around addiction. Not just the plot, mind you, but the way its fans consume it. There are no casual users. Once you start watching it, suddenly you find yourself sifting through each new episode and plot point with the rigor of a junkie looking for a lost crystal in the carpet.
But no matter how addictive the show may be, you can’t get people hooked on something they won’t sample, and getting viewers to try a new show isn’t easy. Luckily, in the case of Breaking Bad it came along at a time when TV fans were just becoming accustomed to all-you-can-eat viewing thanks to services like Netflix, iTunes and – later – Amazon Instant. It was those services that, according to Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, allowed fans to catch up on his acclaimed AMC show and join it in later seasons.
“I don’t really have a complete understanding of it or a complete metric for it but I got to believe – my gut tells me–that it’s very possible we wouldn’t have made it to 62 episodes without this creation of these technologies and this cultural creation of binge-watching,” Gilligan told Wired. “Under the old paradigm – using the old technology of simply having first runs and then reruns on networks – I don’t know that we would’ve reached the critical mass that we reached.”
Read more HERE
Kennedy Compound
The Kennedy Compound or Hyannis Port Historic District is the name given to six acres (24,000 m²) of waterfront property on Cape Cod along Nantucket Sound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, United States. It was once the home of American businessman and political figure Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., his wife Rose, and two of their sons, Jack and Bobby. Their youngest son, Ted lived in his parents’ house, and it was his main residence from 1982 until his death in 2009.
John used the compound as a base for his successful 1960 U.S. Presidential campaign and later as a summer White House and presidential retreat until his assassination in 1963. Ted died at the compound in 2009 and in 2012 the main house was donated to the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, which said the house would eventually be opened to the public.
wikipedia
Beverly Hills Historical Society Seeks 100 Great Stories
Beverly Hills turns 100 on January 28, 2014. The Beverly Hills Historical Society is launching a special centennial video project as part of the celebration.
It’s called “Beverly Hills: 100 YEARS, 100 STORIES,” and it will give locals with long memories the chance to contribute stories, home movies, videos and memorabilia that can be digitally preserved and presented.
“We want to record great personal stories about Beverly Hills,” said project director Phil Savenick in a statement.
“Experiences can range from memories of inspirational teachers to long lost favorite shops and restaurants–favorite party places and events to the anticipation of visiting Uncle Bernie’s lemonade tree or having a burger and Susie Qs at Delores’ Drive-in,” Savenick said.
Read more about 100 YEARS, 100 STORIES here.
To share stories, contact the Society at 100stories@beverlyhillshistoricalsociety.org or (213) 792-BHHS (2447).
The Society will also have a booth next Saturday and Sunday at the Spring artSHOW at Beverly Drive and Park Way.
Memorial Day Events
Queen Mary Salutes U.S. Military Personnel
The Queen Mary will offer FREE admission to all U.S. active and retired military personnel on Memorial Day. General Admission includes a self-guided tour and the Ghosts & Legends Show.
When: Memorial Day Monday, 10 am – 6 pm
Where: Queen Mary, 1126 Queen’s Hwy, Long Beach, CA 90802
Cost: Free for retired and active military with ID, regular price for all others
Parking: $12
Info: www.queenmary.com
Check out my Queen Mary Visitors Guide.
Patriotic Memorial Day Programs at Forest Lawn
Patriotic ceremonies honoring veterans.
When: Memorial Day Monday
Where: Various Forest Lawn locations
Info: www.forestlawn.com
Fiesta Hermosa in Hermosa Beach
Seaside arts and crafts festival with multiple entertainment stages and over 400 vendor booths. There’s also a kiddie carnival, petting zoo, extensive food court and Beer and Wine Garden.
When: Memorial Day Weekend, Saturday through Monday
Where: Directions and Map
Info: www.fiestahermosa.com
Canoga Park Memorial Day Parade
The annual parade includes military marching units, bands, floats, dignitaries, antique cars, classic cars, youth groups, flyovers by military aircraft, and equestrian units. The procession is followed by a car show and entertainment in the Parking Lot of the First Baptist Church. .
When: Memorial Day Monday, 11 am parade, 1:30-4 pm festival
Where: Begins at the corner of Sherman Way and Owensmouth Ave and proceeds east on Sherman Way to Mason. After-fest at 20553 Sherman Way, Canoga Park 91306.
Info: www.canogaparkmemorialdayparade.com,
Garden Grove Strawberry Festival
Four day festival celebrating everything to do with the humble strawberry. Carnival rides, pageants, Strawberry Idol karaoke contest, Red-Head Roundup Contest, Berry Beautiful Baby Pageant, and, of course, a strawberry-themed parade on Saturday.
When: Memorial Day Weekend, Friday through Monday
Where: The Festival is held at the Village Green, between Euclid and Main Street Streets in downtown Garden Grove, CA
Info: www.strawberryfestival.org, 714-638-0981
Cajun Creole Music Festival in Simi Valley
A full schedule of Zydeco music interspersed with dance lessons, demonstrations, kids area, dog team demonstrations.
When: Memorial Day Weekend, Saturday and Sunday
Where: Rancho Santa Susana Community Park, 5005 Los Angeles Avenue, Simi Valley, California 93063, see web site for directions and parking.
Info: http://simicajun.org
St. Nicholas Valley Greek Festival
When: Memorial Day Weekend, Sat-Mon 1-9 pm
Where: 9501 Balboa Blvd., Northridge, CA
Info: www.valleygreekfestival.com(818) 886-4040
Annual Topanga Days Country Fair:
A new-age hippy hillbilly jamboree including multiple stages of entertainment, fine arts and crafts fair, healing. Think belly dancing to Old Timey music, with a Monday morning parade for good measure.
When: Memorial Day Weekend, Saturday through Monday. Parade – Monday, 9 am.
Where: The Topanga Community House, 1440 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, CA 90290
Info: www.topangadays.com
Scotsfest Scottish Fair and Highland Games
An annual celebration of Scottish and Irish music, dance, sports and culture in Orange County.
When: Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend
Where: The Orange County Fairgrounds, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA
Info: www.scotsfest.com
