The SideWalk Astronomers  and The Arroyo Seco Branch Library will be hosting a Telescope Night from 6:00 to 7:45pm today, Monday, February 9. Here's a chance to gaze through a telescope at the moon, planets, & stars. Bring questions for the Sidewalk Astronomer!All are welcome. Maybe someone in the neighborhood with a camera can stop by and shoot some photos for the Gallery on the Sidewalk Astronomer's Website?The Arroyo Seco Library is located at 6145 N. Figueroa St., 90042.Call 323-255-0537 with any questions. 02/08/2009

A few days ago the City of Los Angeles demolished a privately owned home that was allegedly a home base for drug dealing and gang activity.  Article from Eastern Group News HERE The vacant property had been listed for sale at $565,000 in 2006, then at $399,000 at the end of 2007.  I wasn't able to find a current listing. I understand and agree that the City absolutely has to crack down on drug and gang activity. On the other hand, I am a little uncomfortable with what is happening to the property owner's rights.  And speaking as a property owner myself, I ~know~  how very difficult it can be to remove problem tenants.   02/07/2009

Here's a sunset image, taken in the waning days of December 2008, along the North Figueroa business corridor in Highland Park (a community in Northeast Los Angeles, CA) For the Spectacular Sunsets & Sunrises Group.... 02/07/2009

Market Update Highland Park 90042 From our spiffy Multiple Listing Service that has all the listings in one place, no matter what far-flung MLS an agent might put a listing in, our sales data are now much more complete. The following table is a sales overview comparing 2007 to 2008: Highland Park has really been through the wringer, as we say in professional Realtor terms. From the beginning of 2007 to the end of 2008, the number of sales dropped 36%, and the lowest sales price dropped 56%! Wow, though the low sales price isn't as meaningful as the median and average prices which dropped by about 30%. The high sales prices of $950,000 in 2007 were mostly in the new development in the Monterey Hills, and that wasn't the case in 2008. In fact, the last house that sold over there was a for... 02/06/2009

Want to watch some of the ads again? The Ad Adge list seems to me to be the easiest to use (no searching or clicking thru to other pages needed - the ads are listed alphabetically by sponsor name) http://adage.com/article?article_id=134136 I think my favorite is Alec in Hululand (Hulu), altho I really liked Clydesdale Circus (Budwieser) and Refresh Anthemn (Pepsico) 02/02/2009

OK.  This morning Punxsutaweny Phil, the nation's original weatherman, saw his shadow, indicating "six more weeks of winter".  Think this through: When you see shadows, it is a bright, sunny day.   If you don't see shadows, it is cloudy and overcast.  So, "sunny" equals more winter?  What's with that? February 2 is a middle point between Winter Solstice on December 21 and Spring Equinox on March 20. (Note to enquiring minds:  Soltices and Equinoxes do NOT occur on the same date each year due to the nature of the Earth's orbit around the Sun.  More here.  And here.) And forklore has it that if the midpoint of Winter is bright and sunny, the remaining weeks of Winter will be harsh and stormy.  So ... Seeing a shadow on February 2 equals "bright and sunny" which equals more more harsh Wint... 02/01/2009

Intensidad an exhibit opening at Avenue 50 Studio on February 14 Featuring artists: Barbara CarrascoJ. Michael WalkerElizabeth PerezJohn Valadez With poetic responses from: Gloria Enedina AlvarezAbel SalasPeter J. HarrisRubén Funkahuatl Guevara Opening Night Reception:  Saturday, February 14, 2009 from 7-10 pm February 14 through March 8, 2009   01/27/2009

Last month, walterrrrr proposed a photo survey of Highland Park during the last week of 2008.  That was during the really intense period of my relationship with MU, and consequently, I didn't attend any of the meetups. I did however manage to cruise around the neighborhood and shoot a few snaps for a little while on Christmas Day (it was raining).  And I finally today uploaded them to the Highland Park Survey 2008 Flickr Group. Better late than never.  :-) 01/25/2009

Center for the Arts, Eagle Presents Needle in a Haystack Where:  Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock 2225 COLORADO BLVD. LOS ANGELES CA 90041 323.226.1617 When:  January 24 - February 28, 2009Opening Reception Saturday January 24, 2009 7pm-10pmClosing Reception Saturday February 28, 2009 7pm-10pm Curator: Nate GarciaParticipating Artists: Edgar Arceneaux, John Barlog, John Burtle, Harrell Fletcher, Allan Kaprow, Ari Kletzky, Erik Knutzen, Rick Lowe, Elana Mann, Linda Pollack, Sea and Space Explorations (Adam Overton, Asher Hartman/Haruko Tanaka), special collaborative project by Suzanne Lacy and the Otis Public Practice Program. Performance by DJ Nobody. Needle in a Haystack is a multivalent exhibition of historical documentation, artifacts (photographs, video, ephemera) of socially-engaged... 01/23/2009

A few days ago Mike Jones wrote a post about homeowners obtaining income from allowing their homes to be used for filming. I commented: "In our neighborhood, we get calls from location scouts fairly often.  When clients ask us for advice when approached by a filming crew, we always advise them to have their attorney review the contract ~~especially the liability clauses~~ carefully. You want to be sure the homeowner is held harmless in case anyone is injured on the property during the filming, you want the filming company to provide you with their certificate of workmen's compensation insurance, and you want to be sure the filming company assumes responsibility for repairing any damage to the property the occurs in the course of filming....  those are the biggies ... and of course adequ... 01/19/2009

Are your Christmas lights still up?  Seems to me that lighting up the Christmas lights on Inauguration Day could be seen as a display of hope and support for the new incoming President.   (Just the lights, tho... hold the Santas, the reindeers and camels. ) I suppose that's an unconventional thought,  does anyone else feel that way?   01/18/2009

I just voted in Care2.com's "A New Year of Hope for Animals" contest to help my favorite local group, North Central Animal Care Center - Los Angeles Animal Services, win a grand prize of $10,000. Think of the homeless pets we could save with $10,000! But we need your help to get enough votes to help North Central Animal Care Center - Los Angeles Animal Services win. Please vote here:http://tinyurl.com/a7ov7hThank you for helping the animals! 12/26/2008

For the next few days, the office of Bob Taylor Properties will serve as a drop off point for Operation Santa Paws. OPERATION SANTA PAWS seeks donated pet toys for shelters and rescues to improve the health and demeanor of those pets while reducing their stress to increase the animals' chances of being adopted. The simplest toys can make the animals much more comfortable. Cats enjoy rolling toys, such as small plastic balls or other "batting" toys that can be hung from cage doors, while dogs tend to prefer items like the heavy-duty Kong rubber chew toy. NOTE Because of safety and/or housekeeping concerns, stuffed toys, tennis balls, rawhide items and pig ears can not be accepted. Here is Santa Paw's Wish List: · Durable puppy/dog toy, such as indestructible Ball, Nylabone, Kong, Booda, ... 12/16/2008

Celebrating a wonderful year of art and community Avenue 50 Studio and She Rides the Lion cordially invite you The Fourth Annual Holiday Sale & Party!   Saturday, December 20, 2008 from 7-10 pmSunday, December 21, 2008 from 11-4 pm Original and affordable prints, paintings, jewelry, scarves, etc. by the following artists: Lalo AlcarazCarmen ArgoteJack FennRoberto GutierrezCidne HartKevin HassAmy Inouye/Stuart RapeportLos De Abajo Printmaking CollectiveMargaret GarciaLeo Limon Jose LozanoLeora LutzStephanie MercadoJuan SigalaHerbert SiguenzaUlises Ramirez with "Food Not Bombs"Romero Family:  Frank, Sharon, Nancy, Rosie and SoniaJ Michael Walkerand more! Music, spiced eggnog, holiday refreshments and frivolity! Festive Attire encouraged! Avenue 50 Studio, Inc.a 501(c)(3) non-profit art ga... 12/15/2008

"A Little Piece of my Soul", Paula Banqueiro  Opening Reception, Saturday night, December 13, 2008 7 to 10 pm  The Avenue 50 Studio is proud to present Silent Testimonies - Contemporary Ex-Votos.  Artists and community members were asked to interpret the uniquely Mexican art form known as ex-votos with contemporary themes. The artists and community members are from various cultural and ethnic backgrounds.   Artists Katrina Alexy, Paula Baqueiro, Barbara Carrasco, Ana Flores, Frank Gutierrez, Lucy Hagopian, Amy Inouye/Stuart Rapeport, Pola Lopez, Isabel Martinez, CCH Pounder, Joseph Sims, Cindy Suriyani, Eloy Torrez, Richard Valdes, Sergio Vasquez, along with Board Members Vanessa Acosta, Raoul De la Sota, Ulises Diaz, Kathy Mas-Gallegos, Poli Marichal, Lara Medina, Ricardo Muñoz, David ... 12/13/2008

Every year when I purchase a new wall calendar, the first think I do is flip to December and mark off the first Saturday. The first Saturday of December is the annual USC-UCLA Rivalry Game. The streets are empty.  Not a lot of business gets done.  I love it!!!   12/06/2008

In 1966 the Chilean songwriter Violeta Parra composed perhaps the most enduring and enchanting song of her time - Gracias a la Vida (Thanks be to Life) - wherein she expresses undying gratitude, at an almost mystical level, for all the miniscule beauties and unexpected joys of a fraught and troubled existence.  In 2008, we confront a failing economy, harrowing world violence, troubled and troublesome relationships; and an endangered, fragile natural world; and still we seek those poignant moments and scenes which enrich and nourish us. This Thanksgiving season, artist-author J Michael Walker - fresh off his exploration of Los Angeles' cultural heritage in "All the Saints of the City of the Angels" - gathers local artists and poets to seek, as Violeta Parra did four decades ago, the quie... 12/04/2008

Opening Reception, Saturday night, December 13, 2008 7 to 10 pm Curated by Raoul De la Sota The Avenue 50 Studio is proud to present Silent Testimonies - Contemporary Ex-Votos.  Artists and community members were asked to interpret the uniquely Mexican art form known as ex-votos with contemporary themes. The artists and community members are from various cultural and ethnic backgrounds.  Artists Katrina Alexy, Paula Baquiero, Barbara Carrasco, Ana Flores, Frank Gutierrez, Lucy Hagopian, Amy Inouye/Stuart Rapeport, Pola Lopez, Isabel Martinez, CCH Pounder, Joseph Sims, Cindy Suriyani, Eloy Torrez, Richard Valdes, Sergio Vasquez, along with Board Members Vanessa Acosta, Raoul De la Sota, Ulises Diaz, Kathy Mas-Gallegos, Poli Marichal, Lara Medina, Ricardo Muñoz, David Stowe, and J. Michae... 12/03/2008

  The 64th Northeast Los Angeles Holiday Parade will officially bring in the holiday season on Sunday, December 7, 2008 at 1 p.m. The city's second oldest annual holiday parade has become a great attraction for entertainers and audience alike! The list of parade participants has multiplied in the past two years, offering more marching bands, drill teams, dancers, musicians, floats, equestrian units, celebrities and community representatives, including the many elected officials who serve the Northeast L.A. communities. As in year's past, Saint Nickolas has already confirmed his visit to Northeast L.A.  and will be accepting letters from children as part of the Holiday celebration. Lots for the kids! Including the Parade Ambassador of Peace through Literacy - NORKY the Hybrid Peneagle f... 12/01/2008

Every year about this time, I think about this. There are dozens of boxes of old files and documents and stuff ready to be shredded at the end of the year. I think it would be more fun to burn them. In fact, I'd love to have a community bonfire to dispose of all this stuff.  A celebration in the style of Burning Man. One special day would be designated.  The city could close off some streets, designate a large parking lot, or other concrete area for fire safety.  The fire department could stand by in case of any problem. People would bring their boxes of old stuff to burn, and toss it all into the bonfire. Imagine how good that would feel, seeing old love letters, old income returns, and other old crap go up in flames. A street fair or festival could be scheduled around the event. Yeah,... 11/26/2008