SONORA, Calif. — A 65-foot white fir tree selected as the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree was cut down and removed from a picturesque setting in the Sierra Nevada mountains on Saturday, then loaded on a truck for a 4,500-mile journey from Northern California to Washington, D.C. When crews arrived at the tree Saturday morning they found it covered in snow, said Jeff Crider, a spokesman for U.S Capitol Christmas Tree Tour, a nonprofit project overseen by the U.S. Forest Service. “It was 18 degrees, with four inches of snow,” Crider said. “It’s freezing up here and getting ready to snow again.” The Stanislaus National Forest tree was selected based on its shape and fullness and color, officials said. Work crews will box it up on Sunday, with a portion encased in Plexiglas so that people can view it during its upcoming nationwide tour. A bladder bag attached to its base will be filled with water on a daily basis to keep the tree fresh, Crider said. The tree is scheduled to arrive in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 28, with a lighting ceremony at the front of the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 6. It will be decorated by 5,000 ornaments handmade by California residents, and House Speaker John Boehner and a child from California will light it. Read the rest here: Christmas Tree For US Capitol On Way From California
Posts Tagged ‘ house ’
‘Occupy’ Hits The Valley
The Occupy San Fernando Valley, with about 20 people in the group,began its protest by targeting major banks in Van Nuys. After forming up outside Van Nuys City Hall about about 12:30 p.m., the protesters marched north on Van Nuys boulevard, and stopped in front of the Wells Fargo Bank branch on the corner of an Vanowen Street. More: ‘Occupy’ Hits The Valley
1969 Time Capsule
Rep. Mike Honda: Protecting the Land and Water Conservation Fund: A Win for the Environment, a Win for the Economy
As Californians, we are fortunate to enjoy some of the most breathtaking landscapes and pristine wilderness in the country, from Muir Woods in the north of our state to the Santa Monica Mountains in the south. The continued preservation of these and many other sites of great natural beauty across California and the United States is thanks to wise investments made through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Funded by royalties paid by energy companies drilling for oil and gas on federal lands, the LWCF provides matching grants to states and local governments for the acquisition and development of public outdoor recreation areas and facilities without using a penny of tax dollars. These grants are also an investment in our economy. Outdoor recreation contributed $46 billion, including $28.1 million in retail sales and services, to California’s economy this year, and this economic activity supports approximately 408,000 jobs throughout the state. Given California’s and our nation’s unemployment rate, it’s all the more disturbing that Republicans in the House of Representatives are attempting to gut the Land and Water Conservation Fund this year. If successful, their actions will not be without consequences; cuts to the LWCF risk further damage to our state’s fragile economy and the communities that depend on revenue generated by outdoor recreation. Many of these communities already suffer from high unemployment, and cutting off funding for projects that help create jobs is unconscionable. The debate around conservation funding will soon become critical as Congress gears up for the final steps in the Fiscal Year 2012 appropriations process. In the Senate, a draft version of the bill that funds the Interior Department, including the LWCF, was recently released and established the Senate’s priorities for the agency. We recently sent a letter with 30 of our colleagues to Senators Feinstein and Boxer letting them know that California House Democrats stand with them against attempts to undermine these essential investments in our natural heritage. We have entered a dangerous period for the future of public lands in California and across the nation. Congressional Republicans are intent on undermining our ability to safeguard irreplaceable landscapes and advancing legislation that will result in paving wilderness with development, polluting our clean air and water, and cutting funding for ball fields, playgrounds and national parks statewide. In the days and weeks ahead, we will keep fighting to preserve California’s natural heritage. Protecting the great outdoors is good for our economy, helps create jobs, and ensures that the scenic landscapes that millions of people enjoy in California each year will be here for generations to come. Rep. Honda represents California’s 15th district, and Rep. Roybal-Allard serves California’s 34th district. Follow Rep. Honda on Facebook and Twitter . This Op-Ed first appeared THE HILL’s Congress Blog on 10/28/11 . More: Rep. Mike Honda: Protecting the Land and Water Conservation Fund: A Win for the Environment, a Win for the Economy
Weho Area Real Estate Open House List for Oct 23
Most of the following properties are open from 2pm to 5pm on Sunday. Double check the properties you are interested in to be sure that they are not open at a different time, or on Saturday, by clicking through on the property image to the full listing. Read the original here: Weho Area Real Estate Open House List for Oct 23
Too Much Lead At Disneyland?
What are the scariest attractions at Disneyland? It may not be the roller-coasters, if an environmental group’s accusations are well-founded. The Mateel Environmental Justice Foundation filed an injunction last week that would require the Anaheim, Calfornia park to post warning signs or cover surfaces found to contain lead. According to the Los Angeles Times , Mateel had filed a lawsuit in Orange County court in April, alleging ” excessive levels of lead in such commonly touched objects as the Sword in the Stone attraction,” along with brass door knobs at Minnie’s House, stained-glass windows in a door at the entrance to a beauty salon in Cinderella’s Castle” and several other locations. Last year, Mateel sent individuals to conduct “wipe testing” of various surfaces at Disneyland . They found that a number of surfaces contained many more times the amount of lead than that which requires a posted sign. According to the International Business Times , signs are required when “average exposure exceeds 0.5 micrograms per day.” Disney has claimed that they have posted warning signs and are not violating California law. A Disney spokeswoman told the Los Angeles Times , “We have not seen the papers that we are told are being filed, so we cannot comment specifically. However, we believe that Disneyland Resort is in full compliance with the signage requirements.” The research director at the Center For Environmental Health said in a press release, “It’s disappointing that a $38 billion company like Disney canât be bothered to clean up their parks so they’re safe for children. Weâre telling our supporters to send a message to Disney today: there is no place for lead poisoning at the world’s happiest place.” Lead is on the list of chemicals covered by California’s 1986 Proposition 65 that requires the labeling of products or places that contain “chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.” According to health experts , lead poisoning occurs when individuals’ blood contains 10 micrograms per deciliter. This week is the CDC’s National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week . The CDC reported this summer that lead poisoning among American adults has dropped by over 50 percent in the past 15 years. Read The Mateel Environmental Justice Foundation’s “Danger at Disneyland: Lead Hazards At The Happiest Place On Earth” here . Read more: Too Much Lead At Disneyland?
Tuesday Tidbit: Ellen Degeneres
Late last week Your Mama discussed the 26-acre equestrian extravaganza in Thousand Oaks, CA that chat show host Ellen Degeneres and her actress wife Portia de Rossi have on the market with an asking price of $16,500,000. Celebrity real estate gossips and watchers know the horsey spread in Thousand Oaks isn’t the only posh property in the Los Angeles area the Missus Degeneres and de Rossi own but want to unload from their property portfolio. Rumors started to slip and slide down the celebrity real estate gossip grapevine in early 2011 that the couple desired to divest themselves of the deluxe Beverly Hills, CA compound they’ve spent many tens of millions of dollars amassing and customizing. In the fall of 2007 the property mad pair coughed up an almost unbelievable $29,000,000 for the main portion of the compound, which they bought from residuals rich Will & Grace co-creator Max Mutchnick . A few months later the compound loving ladies shelled out an additional $8,500,000 for the property next door that they razed and replaced with a serene, watery garden with long views down the rugged, mansion-dotted canyons and over the twinkling lights of Lala Land. The following June the real estate flip-floppers spent $5,000,000 for an adjacent fixer upper and just a month later they shelled out another $5,500,000 for a hillside house with oblique views into the backyard of the main house. Altogether, according to our ever-present bejeweled abacus, the Missus Degeneres and de Rossi dumped an astonishing forty-eight million clams for the various properties that comprise the compound, not counting renovation and customization costs. In late May (2011), the swankety -swank Degenere – de Rossi compound finally hit the open market with an undisclosed price that several sources swear was $60,000,000 for the entire multi-parcel, multi-residence compound. A few weeks ago, amid rumors that Formula One Racing heiress Tamara Ecclestone rejected the compound as not grand enough for her grandiose real estate tastes, the property disappeared from the listing agent’s website. Lo and behold, yesterday the couple’s compound popped back up on the market with an official asking price of $49,000,000. New listing information shows the compound contains a total of 9 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms spread throughout a sprawling single-story a main house, a detached guest house tucked into the hillside at the front of the house and and guest/staff apartment, fitness facility and underground parking garage tucked discretely underneath the swimming pool with its adjacent pavilion. The compound includes an additional and separate 3 bedroom house for staff, security, extended family, or whatever. Listing information goes on to reveal there are more than half a dozen fireplaces on the property, lavishly landscaped grounds that include a meandering pond and grassy back yard with infinity-edged swimming pool and spa, and state-of-the-art security systems. Certainly the Missus D. and de R. sit high on a mountain of money that would make the knees of ordinary rich people turn to jelly with envy and Your Mama needs a god damn nerve pill to smooth out the bitter agita caused by the financial flabbergast that overwhelms us when we consider the the monetary resources it takes just to pay the taxes and upkeep costs for their high-maintenance Beverly Hills compound as well as their Thousand Oaks horse farm. It not known where Miz Degeneres and Miz de Rossi would like to reside next but Your Mama has heard–but can not confirm–from someone in a position to know such matters that the couple would like to simplify their real estate lives with the acquisition of an in-town estate/ ranchette where they can both live and house their horses. We shall see, puppies, we shall see. listing photos: Westside Estate Agency See the article here: Tuesday Tidbit: Ellen Degeneres
Homeowners Insurance 101
Learn the basics about homeowners insurance in a flash. Hear from a one of the nation’s top insurance advisors who will explain why homeowners insurance is so important, help demystify the homeowners insurance process and quickly provide you with a good understanding of important insurance terms and concepts. www.lifehappens.org