Th red flag warning will be in effect in Los Angeles and Ventura counties from noon Monday until 6 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. The warning goes into effect at 11 a.m. Monday and expire at 5 p.m. Tuesday in Orange, San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Santa Monica Mountains, Santa Clarita and other wind-prone areas can expect 60 mph wind gusts and “fire weather” in Tuesday’s predawn hours, the Weather Service predicted. The Weather Service also predicts wins speeds in excess of 50 miles per hour for Inland valleys.

The winds are forecasted to also strike the mountains near Malibu and north and northeast of Los Angeles. The San Diego, California forecast office said most areas south of Los Angeles can expect wind gusts of 35 mph. San Diego and Riverside counties are predictated to see gusts of 70 mph in wind-prone areas on New Year’s Day.

Liza Minnelli is an icon of stage and screen and has won virtually every award
possible, including three Tonys, an Oscar, two Golden Globes and an Emmy. Her performances of trademark songs from the musicals, “New York, New York” and “Cabaret” are legendary and watching her perform a live show is an experience that you will not forget. Liza Minnelli continues her extraordinary music career with concert tours in the U.S. and Europe, as well as recording a new album.

Ticket Prices: $65 VIP, $55 Reserved, $45 General Admission (Members of
The Club save $5, Platinum Players save $10). Must be 18 years or older to
attend. No refunds, cameras or videos. Tickets are on sale now at the Main
Casino Cage and tmcasino.com.

Table Mountain Casino Event Center
(800) 541.3637 or (559) 822.7777
8184 Table Mountain Road
Friant, CA 93626

Candidates dropping out like flys after some heavy losses in Florida. It is expected that Former New York City Mayor to drop out and not participate in tonights Republican debate. Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards has dropped out and will not particpate in Thursday nights Democratic debate. There are some political analysits are saying that quite possibly that Romney will win the Republican debate and I think it will be a toss up between Clinton and Obama for the Democratic debate.

From what I see, that the following candidates will participate in the Republican Debate will be:

Senator John McCain

Representative Ron Paul

Mitt Romney

Mike Huckabee

For the Democratic Debate:

Senator Hillary Clinton

Mike Gravel

Barack Obama

I know that many of the presidential candidates even have Myspace profiles. Anything to get their faces and agenda’s out to the younger votes. Something to the effect of what Rock The Vote did in the 1990’s which helped register over 2 million voters. Rock The Vote organization was organized in 1990 in Los Angeles. Another way to reach out to the public and the younger vote is to implent questions from voters who post them on Youtube. You may find the Rebulican Debate page as well as the page for the Democratic Debate page at YouTube.

The final outcome of who be the final two candidates to battle it out for the November 2008 Presidential elections will be decided at the Parties Conventions. The Democratic Convention will take place in Denver, Colorado from August 25- 28, 2008. The Republican Convention will take place in Saint Paul, Minnesota, September 1 -4, 2008.

The California Primaries will take place on Tuesday, February 5, 2008.

Barack Obama is holding a town meeting at Los Angeles Trade Tech meeting(LATT) on Thursday, January 31, 2008. Doors open at 8:00 AM in the morning and is by personal invite only. My first thought about the town meeting being at LATT was about an racial profilling incident that happened late last year(Fall – 2007) on campus. A LATT student caught the incident on his cell phone and taped it. LATT Racial Profiling. But I am sure that is not the main reason that Barack Obama is having a town meeting there other than to answer questions in a Los Angeles community area.

Here’s one of the reviews from Los Angeles Citisearch:

Forget the $9.00/bowl chi-chi hipster junk and try this authentic little joint. The extensive menu offers much more than just pho and the meals are true-to-form with a distinctly Vietnamese taste (as opposed to a more Americanised or Pan-Asian spin). The noodle bowls and hot seafood dishes are a treat. And although I have yet to try it, the “Beef 7 ways” meal is offered for those into the more elaborate end of the menu. I’ve been coming here for years and it’s always consistently outperformed the competition in town.

Although this place gets mixed reviews, I just love how comforting the food tastes for me. We did tried their “7 courses of beef” menu once and it was ok, but I end up ordering the same thing each time, as you will see in the video. The food is delicious, cheap and we used to go there almost once a week and never got tired of it. To me, that says a lot.

So…check out my first posted cellphone flick (shakey, but I am going to get better!) and meet David, my former boyfriend.

Pho 999

6411 Sepulveda Blvd # 1K1L
Van Nuys, CA 91411

see you on the freeway…

I know that some people just aren’t “joiners”, but I am, and I am a HUGE extrovert, so a fun, lively gathering of interesting people calls to me. If you need a little jolt to spur you to action, here are some ideas…

There are networking meetings for business, there are singles gatherings, there are social groups to find new friends and then there are plenty of special interest groups like the Sierra Club, etc.

The other night, I attended my first meeting of a business networking group that I recently joined called Ladies Who Launch. More about the organization in a minute, but this gathering was held in a retail store. Not just any store, but the fabulous Three Dots, home of the famous delicious high end T Shirts and comfy, hip easy to wear clothing that feels like you’re in your pjs, on Melrose near Crescent Heights.

The founder of Three Dots, Sharon Lebon and her creative director Yuchin Mao were on hand to tell the fascinating tale of rags to riches (Yuchin recently came on board, previously designing for the likes of Helmut Lang and Prada). There were about 75 high-powered business-owners and would-be start-ups and a good time was had by all. Most inspiring to me was Sharon’s humble account of the last 10 years, growing the company from having $4000 in the bank to an expected gross next year of over $100,000,000. That’s ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS. Wow. She made it really clear that if SHE could do it, we could do it and each one of us went away with a feeling of true inspiration. If you’re interested in hearing an interview with the innovative young designer Yuchin Mao, go here: Three Dots Creative Director Yuchin Mao. There are many amazing stories in Los Angeles, it was extraordinary to get such an up-close and vulnerable peek into a superstar in the fashion industry’s business.

Ladies Who Launch, the group I mentioned, is for women only (sorry, gentlemen, there are plenty of places for you guys to gather!), particularly women who have the intention of launching a business or who are ready to jumpstart a business they already have. They offer a four week program called an incubator, where you declare your idea and get support, homework and a shot in the arm from the leader and the other participants. MANY women-owned business, as well as friendships, partnerships and affiliations have started from these impactful groups!

Pictured here is LA Chapter Founder Amy Swift (on the right) and Jen Sincero, sex columnist and Incubator leader extraordinaire. They are modeling Three Dot dresses, hence the title of this post. If you are interested in finding out more about this amazing group, go ahead and check out their website. And if you don’t live in Los Angeles, they have chapters in most of the major cities in the US.

I feel so great about being a member of this national organization that boast some powerful movers and shakers in their membership.

Here are a few other resources for connecting with people in LA:

My People Connection

My People Connection features weekly events for friends in most of the major cities, including LA. With thousands of subscribers and thousands of events in the past eight years, MyPC brings together friends from diverse backgrounds and communities. It’s still FREE to belongno mandatory membership fees, since 1999!

These events are for any age, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, etc. It’s just people getting together to have fun and to meet others in this vast metropolis of ours.

Meetup Groups

Time magazine says MeetUp is:

Meetup is a website where anyone can create an interest group and for a small fee, post their ongoing event or meeting on the site. There are so many interesting and quirky things going on here, such as Santa Monica DEPECHE MODE Devotional Group or the Gin in North Hollywood group for those gin rummy enthusiasts in the San Fernando Valley, that you are sure to find one to suit your lifestyle!

In fact, all you have to do is go to Yahoo Groups or Google Groups and type in Los Angeles, and you will be shocked at all the people meeting all over this city!

So, have fun, and if you have any other great resources or ideas…let me know!

see you on the freeway

Home Depot Center Job Fair
Located in the Main Plaza of The Home Depot Center soccer stadium.
(Please enter the facility thru Gate A off of Avalon Blvd.)
Feb. 6, 1 p.m.-6 p.m.; Feb. 7, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
(Times subject to change.)
Questions? Please call 310-630-2000

Available Part Time positions include:

• Guest Service Representatives/Ticket Takers
• Box Office Ticket Sellers
• Security Officers
• Concessions Cashiers/Supervisors
• Restaurant positions (Bartenders, Servers, Cooks)
• Retail Sales Associates

The Home Depot Center soccer stadium
18400 Avalon Blvd
Carson, CA 90746
www.homedepotcenter.com

Home Depot Center is home to the MLS Cup Champion Los Angeles Galaxy. The Home Depot Center is 125 acre complex featuring a 27,000-seat soccer stadium, 8,000-seat tennis stadium, 10,000-seat track & field facility and a 2,450-seat indoor velodrome.

Courtesy: Los Angeles Jobs

“I have made it a point to come to the Los Angeles Mission at Christmas,” said Hewitt, who stars in the TV show “Ghost Whisperer.”

“There are so many hurting people on the streets of our city, but when I’m here I get to see the smiles of the children and the great food for everyone. I think they are getting real help from the staff and volunteers. I come to give something back, but invariably I get more blessing than I give,” she said.

The menu included rotisserie chicken, glazed ham, three-cheese macaroni, mixed vegetables, dinner rolls, cranberry relish and chocolate cake for dessert. Santa was on hand to greet the children and pass out gifts donated by area businesses and individuals. The mission expected to serve about 3,000 meals and give out more than 1,000 gifts to 600 children.

The Los Angeles Mission mission serves the homeless living on the streets of downtown’s Skid Row by providing shelter, food, clothing and professional medical and dental care. In addition, the Los Angeles Mission also offers long-term residential rehabilitation programs through its Urban Training Institute, including education, job training, transitional housing and counseling.

The issue at large about the beef that the processing company Hallmark Meat Co. and their distrubuter Westland had provided was that many of the cows were downed cattle. The downed cattle pose health risks or pose a higher risk of contamination of E. Coli, Salmonella or mad cow disease. The downed cows wallow in feces and their immune systems are low and or weak, hence picking up such diseases.

The USDA is investigating into the issue along with Senator Diane Feinstein of California. The USDA has suspended the operations of Westland and Hallmark until the federals have completed a full investigation. Jack In The Box, the fast food chain is also affected by the downed cows and has stopped taking orders from the companies.

Meanwhile, over the last few weeks, I have been busy taking some great cellflix that I will be sharing with you over the next few days.

Right now, though, I want to give you something to “chew” in (no pun intended), a short (and growing!) list of cool websites that give you the scoop on what you need to know in Los Angeles. Please feel free to add to this list in the comments section.

1. Apartment Therapy L.A. everything you need to know about decorating your space, great stores, great suggestions, great finds, all in the LA style. I never knew I cared so much, but I am an addict now!

2. BargainsLA.comas they call themselves: The Premiere Bargain Hunting, Bargain Shopping & Sample Sales Guide to the Los Angeles Area!

I found this site through Apartment Therapy LA. You can sign up for Suzanne’s bargain tips on everything from bargain shopping for furniture, electronics, pet supplies and more! This is a treasure trove of information for the bargain hunter.

3. Daily Candy LA wanna know what’s hip, what’s happening, what’s hot? Sign up for this daily tip and you will be THERE! (along with the 150K+ others who are on the list). Whether you are a service, have a product or a storefront, one small mention in Daily Candy, and you are ‘in like Flynn’. (note the old Hollywood reference)

4. Chowhound’s LA message board leave the restaurant reviews to the reviewers and check out what the real people are saying about the chow in your neck of the woods.

5. Metroblogging Los Angeles– a sort of portal of a variety of L.A. bloggers. Most of them seem to be hip 20-somethings, but I met Heather from heathervescent last summer at the BlogHer conference in San Jose, drinking bright purple-rimmed ‘Yahootinis’ by the pool, so I feel a warmth for her blogging. Check it out, it’s an interesting look at what is happening from many different perspectives. ok, so maybe not so different, but in different voices for sure.

(hey, speaking of BlogHer, the blogging conference that had over 700 WOMEN in attendance last year, will be having it’s business version in NYC in March and yours truly is thinking of showing up. My dad will be out of town and so I would have his delightful 32nd floor apartment all to myself. yes.)

see you on the freeway

see you on the freeway