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By: Roger Ewing
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN0q8SvlQAk&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
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New Valley Performing Arts Center
On the way to completion–The project had a short stall during the state budget challenge and now four months behind schedule and now looking at completing August 2010.
This picture is from my tour last week
By: Kenny Melcombe
Instead of a long drive to Hollywood or Downtown we will soon have a first class venue right here in the valley. This 165,000 square foot, State of the Art eco-friendly structure is in progress. The main stage is about the same size as the entire 1,700 seating area complete with a trap below stage and an orchestra pit that can be raised for more seating as well. Besides the main auditorium, the center will include the campus radio station KCSN-FM, two rehearsal rooms, a smaller 178 seat theater, instructional lecture hall class rooms, stagecraft labs, costume labs and much more. The construction pictures are from my tour last week.
The whole project costs approximately $125 million. So far, community fundraising has brought in over $20 million and the state has funded $75 million. The school is looking for contributors to help fund the remaining $28 million.
We will soon have a destination spot to see Broadway plays, modern dance performances, ballet, concerts and much more. Grand Opening is tentatively scheduled for January 2011. To learn more about the Valley Performing Arts Center go to www.csun.edu/imagine and for current event information at CSUN go to www.artsnorthridge.csun.com
EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.
New Web Site Design Coming Soon
I am excited to announce the launch of our new web site design, including new features.
By Roger Ewing
In a short time we will be launching our newly redesigned web site at ewingSIR.com. It may take us a few days to get the kinks out and some of our links may temporarily not work as a result of the new theme installation. Please be patient with us, we are doing our very best to make the transition as seamless as possible.
Over the coming weeks, we will also be updating our Community Blog sites as well.
We will be adding a new link to our Community Newz sites, where you can subscribe to receive current statistics for your community by zip code.
When our new site is launched, please let me know your thoughts and your feelings about the new design. We greatly value your input and recommendations.
If you would like to see your community featured on our community blog list, or if you would like to become a Community Newz contributor for your neighborhood, please let us know.
Best wishes,
Roger Ewing
SHERMAN OAKS/VAN NUYS CRUISE NIGHTS RETURN
Come cruise the Burbank Blvd.
By: Dee Nep
Ok, let’s all have some fun and regress and remember that yes, WE DID CRUISE VAN NUYS BLVD. IN THE 60′S. Well I was there too with my ’63 white Corvette, hardtop/convertible and actually met my husband there.
Van Nuys Cruise night is back on the second Wednesday of every month from 6pm-10pm but most action is from 7-9p. Now gathering at the former Rydell Chevrolet corner at Van Nuys and Burbank, which is now ‘Sherman Oaks,” you will find hundreds of cars parked. They also gather across the street in the West parking lot of Ralphs for the overflow. Cruisers displaying ALL types of vehicles head North to Victory/Vanowen and return to Burbank Blvd. LAPD is very supportive and most present to maintain the fun and excitement of the evening. Mark you calendars for October 14th and Let the Good Times Roll !
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbN4tLNqgJk[/youtube]
EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.
LA Rainwater Harvesting Program
$250 City Giveaway for Rainwater Conservation.
By Gary Krieger
The City of Los Angeles has a pilot program to conserve rainwater for residents and local businesses. The purpose of the program is to prevent water runoff and the contamination the runoff water carries with it to the drainage system. By recycling the rainwater for use in your gardens, it reduces the amount of runoff entering the storm drains and eventually the ocean.
The City is providing installation and equipment, the value of which is estimated to be $250 per household. If you’d like to sign up, or for more information, go to http://www.larainwaterharvesting.org/ or call 562-597-0205.
EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.
Train Free for Calabasas Classic
By: Serena Scott Thomas
We are so lucky to live in one of the best climates in the world for outdoor activities. Whether it’s running, cycling, surfing or skiing, it’s right here in our big back yard! In honor of our mild climate, we should all know about the upcoming Calabasas Classic 2009. This annual event, hosted by the Talbert Family Foundation, offers both 5k and 10 k races. The Talbert Family Foundation is a philanthropic organization dedicated to providing direct financial support to local families with members suffering from catastrophic illnesses, primarily cancer. So, both sides win. Families benefit while you get a shot at achieving a personal goal.
Maybe the idea sounds intriguing but difficult to attain? Maybe you’re shy or unversed on the correct way to train? With the help of Future Track Running Club and Coach Bill Duley, you can train your way to a successful race. The training program meets every Wednesday night at the Calabasas library at 6.30pm and the first month is FREE! It covers walkers as well as runners and will prepare you for the event on November 9. Check it out at:
http://www.futuretrackrunning.com/cctraining/
Call or visit FutureTrack:
30125 Agoura Rd # A
Agoura Hills, CA 91301-4337
(818) 991-4786
EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.
California Legislation Voting To Renew $10,000 Home Buyer Tax Credit
The Vote Is Friday September 11
By Tina Stern
The California legislature is voting on Friday September 11, 2009 to renew the California $10,000 home buyer tax. It is widely believed that an extension will be approved. The credit applies to newly constructed, previously unoccupied homes. Condominium conversions also qualify. Californians do not need to be first-time home buyers to take advantage of the credit; nor do they need to meet income requirements.
Requirements For The Credit
1. The home must be a “qualified principal residence” as defined under California Revenue and Taxation Code Section 17059(b)(1). The home must:
- Be a single-family residence, whether detached or attached.
- Never have been previously occupied.
- Be occupied by the taxpayer for a minimum of two years.
- Be eligible for the property tax homeowner’s exemption under California Revenue and Taxation Code Section 218.
2. For over three successive taxable years, the total credit allocated among owners that occupy the home must not exceed $10,000. (Multiple qualified buyers that occupy the home will be allocated credit based on the amount paid and their percentage of ownership.)
3. Any credit that reduced tax on a tax return must be repaid if the buyer does not occupy the home for at least two years immediately following the purchase date.
4. FTB may request documentation to ensure buyers have complied with the requirements of the credit.
To learn more visit New_Home_Credit.shtml
EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.
TreePeople And Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
Thinking of Volunteering? Think TreePeople.
By Gary Kreiger
The nonprofit TreePeople organization was instituted to unite the power of trees, people and technology in order to grow a sustainable future for Los Angeles. Their work and their message is to help nature heal our cities. Check out their website at www.treepeople.org.
Located at the top of Coldwater Canyon, TreePeople is on the east side of the canyon where Coldwater Canyon, Mulholland Dr. and Franlkin Canyon intersect. Their mission is to “inspire, engage and support people to take personal responsibility for the urban environment, making it safe, healthy, fun and sustainable and to share the results as a model for the world”. If you go to the TreePeople site, you’ll find an outdoor classroom, hiking trails and a beautiful park. TreePeople is a favorite of local residents in the Longridge Estates area of Sherman Oaks, the Dixie Canyon Estates area of Sherman Oaks and people throughout the Studio City, Sherman Oaks and surrounding communities.
Consider volunteering at TreePeople as they are always looking for help and support!
EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.
BLOGGING: Lessons from the film Julie & Julia
JULIE & JULIA: “If no one’s in the kitchen, who’s to see?
By Roger Ewing
I put on my sunglasses and fake moustache, and walked quickly through the parking lot with my head down, thinking no one would recognize me when I went into the theatre. For two weeks my wife had been asking me to see the movie Julie & Julia with her and my 86-year-old mother-in-law. Not that I mind going out with the two of them, but being seen entering a theatre in my home town to see a movie about Julia Child and cooking was, well, somehow not very macho.
The Nora Ephron written and directed movie features Meryl Streep as Julia Child and Amy Adams as Julie Powell. The film is actually two stories in one. It flashes back and forth between Julia, as she begins her cooking career in 1949 Paris, contrasting her life to Julie, a woman in 2002 Queens, New York who aspires to cook all 524 recipes from Child’s cookbook. Stanley Tucci, brilliantly plays Julia Child’s husband Paul Childs, opposite Streep.
Less than ten minutes in, I suddenly realized this film is the first major motion picture based on a blog. Off came the sunglasses and fake moustache; on went the light bulb inside my head, blogging is something I could wrap my brain around.
It turns out, the real life Julie Powell started to blog as a means of getting in touch with her inner desire to someday become a writer. Her life had led her to an unhappy place. She lived in an apartment above a pizza parlor and spent her days in a sad cubicle-job working for the city of New York. She was in desperate need of some self-realization. Blogging became Julie’s passport to a meaningful existence. Her goal was to cook all of Julia Child’s recipes inside one year and to blog about it each day. The project quickly became an obsession for her.
I checked out Julie’s original blog, The Julie/Julia Project. Not that impressive. No exotic links, no theme, other than her first person rambling about life and cooking. Which leads me to an important conclusion for my own blog, www.rogerewing.wordpress.com.
There is no need to be fancy in delivery, only a desperate requirement to connect to your readers on a level they understand and identify with.
Compelling content is a constant requirement for successful blogging. Julie’s blog is very conversational. It’s as if I am in her kitchen listening to her while she cooks. Her written words are merely the extrapolation of her thinking onto a computer screen. Why is this so readable and why is everyone so interested in what she is thinking on any given day?
On Friday, August 13, 2004 Julie writes, “Without you here (Julia Child), I would be a different person – a smaller, a sadder, a more frightened person.” There were 238 comments posted to this particular blog. That’s impressive. It is clear she is willing to expose her true feelings to the world and has no fear of transparency. This is an important point.
One must blog from their true heart, without fear. Be willing to commit to treating the world as a welcome friend.
Julie Powell’s blog became a memoir for “Everywoman”. Julie’s writing is simply a revealing expose of a year in the life of someone just like you or me. She writes about herself, a real person, whose life is filled with joy, sadness, fear, pain, exhilaration, passion, and every other emotion that makes the human condition so complicated and entertaining.
This is a wonderfully simple film that is filled with delights, as well as a realistic sampling of the kind of challenges we all face in our everyday lives. It is also a lesson on the strength of social media and the power of the written word. I highly recommend Julie & Julia.
See it, you’ll be better for it.
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