Friday, July 25, 2008

New York (Tadias) - U.S. Doctors for Africa (USDFA) announced earlier this week that it will be hosting the first Annual African First Ladies Health Summit in Los Angeles in April 2009.

USDFA in collaboration with African Synergy, an NGO founded by African First Ladies, has formed a strategic partnership to efficiently mobilize and deliver needed medical resources to African countries. The summit will highlight current and prospective projects to be taken by USDFA and African Synergy.

"This is probably one of the most empowering initiative we have ever been involved in," says Ted Alemayhu, Executive Chairman and CEO of USDFA. "What is exciting about this particular partnership is that the entire movement is initiated and mobilized by the First Ladies themselves. And it is a great testimony, commitment, and dedication that needs to be encouraged and supported by all stake-holders around the world."

The summit is held in collaboration with the African Synergy Against AIDS and Suffering, an NGO founded by African First Ladies. Mr. Alemayhu described this strategic partnership as a way to re-ignite the dialogue and work on key African health initiatives. "It would help to mobilize women's strength & commitment to a better Africa" he said.
USDFA seeks to help advance the First Ladies efforts to create an effective and sustainable complementary approach in the fight against public health issues affecting Africa's development.

The first Annual African First Ladies Health Summit will particularly focus on the threat of HIV/AIDS on children in Africa. "USDFA is prepared to be engaged in the helping the people of Africa with the full support and direct assistant & participation of the First Ladies" Mr. Alemayhu told Tadias. "USDFA and African Synergy share the common belief that healthcare is a basic human right, and recognize that a healthy population is essential for growth, development, and prosperity in every society."

In addition to the summit, USDFA will mobilize volunteers and other resources from the United States and strategically distribute these resources in regions where they are most needed, in accordance with African Synergy's recommendations.

Read the rest of the story at Tadias.com

In other words, you’re looking for costumes, masks, face and body paint, performers of all kinds, art, live music, dancing. And probably more – sequins and glitter? In fact, the food will be good. No doubt, the drinking will be better! 

The festival focuses on the cultural and artistic diversity of the Venice citizenry and certainly welcomes and entertains all Venice visitors. It’s also the chance to celebrate the history and traditions of one of Southern California’s “most diverse and unique neighborhoods.” For proof of all that, I’m told you only need to see the Costume Contest.

Miriam More and Brady Walker, in association with the Venice Chamber of Commerce, and with generous funding from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, are putting this shindig on. So go, look, dance around, thank the sponsors and have fun. Oh – and take pictures for us, please.

Pretty killer (the phrase, not the band). 

Some of my favorite bands like Sea Wolf and The Bronx played here when they were up and coming on Monday nights – which is a free night for local bands.

Increase your Hipster Quotient and go to Spaceland. Even if you aren’t familiar with the band playing, it is guaranteed to be a good time.

Spaceland is located in the equally hip and creative 'hood of Silver Lake (not to be confused with Silver Lake, KS - which is not so hip). Residents of Silver Lake have included Karen O, Beck and Elliot Smith.

Spaceland is open 7 nights a week from 8:30pm – 2am. Age limit is 21+. And of course, valet parking is available.

Club Spaceland
[where: 1717 Silverlake Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027]
323-661-4380
www.clubspaceland.com

The Alex Haleigh Gallery in Garden is open from:
Tuesday through Friday Noon to 5pm
Saturday Noon to 5pm

Photo from: Alex Haleigh Gallery Website

Hubbuzz has Green apartments and energy efficient apartments in Los Angeles. Check out these Los Angeles apartments for rent that may have some of the following environmentally friendly features. Remember, hubbuzz.com is a free apartment search website, and when you lease an apartment you found on hubbuzz.com, we'll send you $100 just to say thanks.

RECYCLING
On-site recycling
Battery and cell phone disposal location
Use of recycled paper in offices and on promotional materials

ENERGY
Motion detectors
Ceiling fans
Energy efficient appliances and lighting

ENVIRONMENT
Environmentally friendly cleaning products
Low-VOC paint
Renewable resource for interior structures

WATER
Reclaimed water for irrigation
Water-wise landscaping
Low-flow toilets and shower heads decrease water consumption

TRANSPORTATION
Carpool organization
Locations near public transportation

Emerald Terrace Apartments (Westlake)
160 S Virgil Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90004

Milano Apartments
20900 Anza Ave
Torrance, CA 90503

Park Catalina Apartments (Koreatown and Wilshire Center)
690 S Catalina St
Los Angeles, CA 90005

Rancho Corrales Apartment Homes
643 Country Club Dr
Simi Valley, CA 93065

Rockwood at the Cascades Apartments (Northeast Valley)
16613 Foothill Blvd
Sylmar, CA 91342

The Gallery at NoHo Commons (North Hollywood)
5416 Fair Ave
North Hollywood, CA 91601

The Grand Apartments
4735 Sepulveda Blvd
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

I think I’ve done a great job at not letting the clutter of the LA freeways affect my overall mood. However, I’ve realized that it is impossible to never let it get to me. I’ll sum it up: the only time I let the traffic actually get to me is when I’m late or in a hurry. Whenever I have to get somewhere in LA, no matter if my final destination is 10 or 50 miles away, I give myself at least one hour.

In an all around unpredictable city, transportation is no different. I drive the same route to work every day. I take my street (36th Place) west to Normandie, go North on Normandie to the 10 West. I take the 10 West all the way to the 405 North and end my journey at Ventura Boulevard. This is an approximate 17 mile drive. On Wednesday afternoon I left at 2:00 p.m. The roads were wide open and I was able to drive at least 70 MPH on both the 10 and the 405. I arrived at work at 2:14 p.m. The next day, Thursday afternoon, I left at 2:15 p.m. to find all the roads cluttered and slow. There was an accident on the 10, and consequently, I was never able to go faster than 40 MPH. The 405 had its usual clutter and was bumper to bumper almost all the way. I did not arrive at work until 3:19. Leaving at approximately the same time, driving the exact same route, it took me an hour and four minutes longer on Thursday than it did on Wednesday!

I was supposed to be at work at 3:00 p.m., and when 2:45 rolled around, I started to lose my patience. I left home with more than enough time to make it to work on time, yet I still managed to be 19 minutes late!!! The very worst part was that there was nothing I could do to remedy my dilemma. I became quite irritable and did not calm down until I realized, after an hour of pain-staking work, that it was not my fault, that there was nothing I could have done differently to fix the problem. But then I remembered that I only gave myself 45 minutes to make it, instead of an hour. If I had left only 15 minutes earlier, I would have only been four minutes late instead of 19.

So that’s my remedy: just give myself an hour.

Coming home from work at 11:00 p.m. usually is not “rush hour”, but two nights out of five last week I ran into gut-wrenching traffic after 11 p.m. There is nothing worse in the entire world than drowning in the endless sea of red that floods the night causeways after a full day’s work. Luckily, LA also has some of the best radio stations in the entire world. The stream of red is definitely the ugliest part of Los Angeles, but with the bad and the ugly inevitably comes the good. There’s just no way around it. Stay tuned for details…

La Poubelle

[where: 5907 Franklin Ave., Los Angeles, CA  90028]

As a decorative furniture, Tall&Tiny answers the desire/need for home furniture while considering the problem of ever-decreasing living space. 

Check out Tall&Tiny lamps online at www.alicerosignoli.it

and/or

Area Night Club
[where: 643 N La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90069]

If you have the cash (for bottle service), connections, comely looks or can take waiting in line, these might be stops 1 and 2 for you. If not, you might want to head on up to stop #3

Stop #3
The Belmont
[where: 747 N La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90069]

Ahhhh, a neighborhood bar - actually an upscale neighborhood pub. Excellent food, comfortable décor and friendly faces. This is just what you will need if you decided to stop by Republic or Area.

Stop #4
Stone Fire Pizza Co.
[where: 829 N. La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90069]

An Italian style pizzeria and bar done up LA style. If you haven’t yet grabbed a bite to eat, do so here. But $100 for their special gourmet pizza? Stick with Pizza Margharita!

Stop #5
The Spanish Kitchen
[where: 826 N La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90069]310-659-4794]

This bar closes at 1:00am, so you could end the night here. With a bar crawl done right, you shouldn’t be able to last much longer anyway. Grab a margarita and then go home.

Speaking of home, if you live in a West Hollywood apartment, then you can just walk home (which is safer, easier and don’t have to deal with parking. In West Hollywood you could do a bar crawl every night and still never run our ways to mix and match. Find West Hollywood apartments for rent on Hubbuzz.com.

To see the full bar crawl write up on Metromix, click here.

Photo credit: www.sofitella.com

I stumbled upon Apartment Therapy a few days ago and can't get enough of it. In addition to L.A., it also serves other design havens such as Chicago, New York and San Francisco.

The coolest part about the site is the "House Tours" which let you take a peek inside some of L.A.'s poshest pads. You can even submit photos of your own abode!

The site also offers weekly contests, giveaways and projects to participate in. This week you can register to win a gorgeous duvet cover for the "Thursday Giveaway" promotion.

It is very community focused, alot like hubbuzz.com, and most of the content is produced by local users. They post decorating tips, reviews about their favorite furniture shops and products, and anecdotes from travels and moving experiences.

Check out the posts "Store your books in the rafters" and "Inspiration: Writing on the walls."

This site is also a big supporter of finding affordable apartments that have some character to them. Check out hubbuzz.com's L.A. neighborhood pages to find a great apartment in hip areas. Not all cool apartments are cookie cutter! Find some interesting ones here.

The following announcement is from the Dutton’s Brentwood Books website:

It is with profound regret and sorrow that Dutton’s Brentwood Books must announce that it will be closing on April 30, 2008.

As our regular customers and friends well know, the past year for the store has been one of upheaval and turmoil. Hard on the heels of the closure of the Dutton’s Beverly Hills location came word that the Brentwood property had changed ownership, and the new owner, Charles T. Munger, announced plans to redevelop the property. The multiple uncertainties of the bookstore’s future, combined with the encumbrances associated with the closure of the Beverly Hills store have crippled the store’s ability to provide the kind of immediate service and depth of inventory that our customers have come to rightly expect.

It is no secret that the store today is a shadow of its former self. Given our situation as it now stands, the pride we feel in our past achievements, and the vagaries of the current book market, shuttering our doors seems the only realistic solution. It is important to note that Charles Munger has committed to a significant amount of financial support for the difficult process of closing the store, and we appreciate his generosity.

Be assured, especially those of you who have regularly asked, “How are things going at the store,” that every effort has been made to try to sensibly and rationally save this enterprise. Those efforts continued up until last week. It is the uncertainty that has, more than any other factor, led us to this painful decision. It has arrested improvement to the physical property, impacted inventory, and made it impossible for our extraordinary staff to provide the level of service that they are accustomed to giving.

We have been asked if the store will reopen in the proposed new development, or at another site in the area. At present, any plans to reopen or relocate will have to await a real offer in a real situation, combined with a sober assessment of the realities of the book world. That said, we have not said “no” to any future possibility.

The one certainty that we have relied upon for our many years at this location is the honest and dedicated support by this community to the value of books and bookstores in general, and to this one in particular. This is a demonstrable fact, proven repeatedly, and while we openly acknowledge our debt to our customers for their years, and even decades, of support, we further ask for your understanding and forbearance in the extremely difficult months ahead.