Los Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the American West as well as second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels. Los Angeles was founded September 4, 1781, by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. Los Angeles is one of the world’s centers of echo park.
Archive for September, 2008
City of Los Angeles
Sunday, September 14th, 2008Gigantic Mega-Development Coming!!!
Sunday, September 14th, 2008Maybe you missed it, I almost did too. The news item in the L.A. Times made it seem like a joke. But they are in escrow for 55 acres and plan to spend $3.55 billion (with a B) on this development. This is the “City of Angeles Monument” that will take over Crown Hill. The map shows the development taking all the land from 1st St./Beverly Boulevard on the north to 3rd St on the south. (more…)
Central City Action
Sunday, September 14th, 2008Well, it’s summer at CCAC again. You can tell by all the kids that are at the center. Some come at 8 am to start work with SYEP (the summer youth employment program for kids that the City of Los Angeles sponsors). We have about 75 youth working out of our center. Some are placed at the childcare centers in Echo Park, others are at the Methodist Church and Hollywood Sunset Free Clinic and the rest work at the center. Most of the kids who work at the center are painting out graffiti and sprucing up Echo Park and some are working in the office for Gloria and other staff.
Besides working with the kids, we planned another Summer of Fun for our younger ones. We started off by having a great and profitable weekend at the Lotus Festival. So far we have been bowling, swimming, attended movies, had a few beach trips and even went fishing. (more…)
Green world : An echo revaluation in chemical & construction sector
Sunday, September 14th, 2008With green chemistry, leverage innovation and competitiveness for European industry, chemical industry provides solutions and production methods (E.g.- outdoor fountains) which respect the environment.
Today, the chemical industry is involved, directly or indirectly in the production of essential products that surround us. That is why it is at the forefront of concerns for sustainable development. In the early 1990s was born the concept of green chemistry in the United States. It aims to develop products and chemical processes to reduce or eliminate the use and synthesis of hazardous substances.
Interview with Yves Chauvin Nobel Prize in chemistry 2005The 12 recommendations of green chemistry
This green chemistry is guided by a list of 12 recommendations proposed in 1998 by Paul Anastas, director of the Green Chemistry Institute in Washington and his colleague John Warner.
Focus on prevention is to reduce pollution at source rather than having to invest in sanitation or waste disposal.
By saving the atoms used in the synthesis, the chemical industry reduced the amount of residue of reaction, or suppress them altogether.
The design of less hazardous chemical synthesis is reflected in the use of new processes to create and use low-toxic substances – even non-toxic – for human and environmental impact. (more…)
Library Happenings
Sunday, September 14th, 2008You probably remember the “Summer of Love.” This year, at the library at least, it’s the “Summer of Youth”! The library is hosting lots of interesting events just for Echo Park teens.
The Echo Park Branch was recently awarded recognition by the American Library Association for its “Service Volunteer Program” for high school students. Named as one of the nation’s top thirty youth programs in libraries, the Echo Park Branch program will be featured in the Spring 2000 edition of Excellence in Library Service to Young Adults.
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Echo Park Tours
Sunday, September 14th, 2008The Los Angeles Visitors & Convention Bureau has selected Echo Park as one of about two dozen communities that will be featured in a $2.5 million campaign to promote neighborhood tourism.
The program–which is called `LA Lifestyles: The Neighborhoods of Los Angeles? is aimed at the growing number of travelers who want to go beyond the traditional tourist destinations–such as amusement parks and the beach–and explore areas with a rich variety of history and culture. Echo Park is that kind of place, say people at the convention bureau.
As part of the program, Echo Park and the other neighborhoods will be promoted in local and national travel and entertainment publications as well as in a series of colorful street banners. In addition, the convention bureau will also publish and distribute an Echo Park guide with a description of the neighborhood and a suggested itinerary. How about a paddle boat ride across the lake, followed by a shopping trip on Antique Row and then drinks at Les Freres Taix?
The convention bureau will rely on local Neighborhood Tour Organizations to come up with the itinerary and identify events–such as the Echo Park Arts Festival and The Cuban Festival–that would be of interest to visitors. Also, local organizers would be called upon to put together a guided tour for groups that express interest in exploring local historic sights or artist studios.
If you have any suggestions for stops on guided or self-guided tours, please contact Jesus Sanchez at (213) 250-4155 with your suggestions. Also, volunteers who are knowledgeable about the neighborhood are needed to lead small group tours.
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME!
Sunday, September 14th, 2008Echo Park Night at Dodger Stadium will be held on Monday, August 30 at 7:00 P.M. when the Dodgers play the Brewers at our local ballpark.
The baseball game has been sponsored by the Echo Park Chamber of Commerce for many years. It is a great time to get together with friends and neigbors and enjoy a good old summer pastime. A portion of you $8 ticket price funds local activities such as the annual Holiday Parade. (more…)
ECHOES FROM THE PAST
Sunday, September 14th, 2008Visitors to Echo Park have long enjoyed a variety of recreational activities. A swimming pool, tennis courts and a softball diamond may be found on park land south of the lake, while picnic areas and a children’s playground can be enjoyed alongside anglers fishing for trout and catfish in the well-stocked lake.
It is boating, though, that has always captured the imagination of visitors to Echo Park. The original wood frame boathouse built in 1921 featured a functional watchtower and rented wooden canoes. It burned down later but by the mid1930s had been rebuilt in the popular Mission Revival style complete with arched windows and a clay tiled roof.
The lighthouse is now strictly for show and the canoes have been replaced with sleek, pedal-powered fiberglass boats, but the old-fashioned charm of boating on Echo Park Lake has changed little over the years.
(Excerpt from “Ghosts of Echo Park”. Only a few copies are left! Final orders will continue to be taken via the mail. Send $15.00 to Echo Park Publishing, P.O. Box 261021, LA 90026.)
ECHO PARK DOES ITS PART
Sunday, September 14th, 2008A recent article in “US News” discussed the alarming tree loss in American cities. Satellite images taken in 1972 of Puget Sound in the Seattle region were compared to images taken in 1996. The results were startling. The amount of land with less than 20 percent tree coverage more than doubled during the period studied and the land with more than 50 percent tree cover dropped from almost 50 to 23 percent during the same time.
It is difficult for the average person to appreciate the importance of trees. Trees benefit us by filtering tons of pollutants from the air, absorbing storm water runoff, insulating houses, and absorbing carbon which help limits global warming. Tree loss has been so gradual that most people have not realized how dramatic the decline of the number of trees has been. It is also surprising to learn that only 10 percent of urban trees are owned by cities–the rest are privately owned.
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L.A. Volunteer Festival
Sunday, September 14th, 2008Make a Difference LA has a message for all of us ? VOLUNTEER! And to let us all know about volunteer and service opportunities, the Volunteer Bureau of Mayor Richard Riordans office will hold its 2nd Annual Volunteer Festival on Sunday, October 3.
Hundreds of community organizations will participate. There will be food, entertainment, and displays of city services as well as pet adoptions.
The Festival will be held at two sites: L.A. Valley College in the San Fernando Valley (5800 Fulton Avenue) and Museum Row at Wilshire and Curson on the Miracle Mile (5801 Wilshire Blvd.). Parking is free at both locations.
For further information regarding festival participation, contact the Volunteer Bureau at (213) 485-6984 or 1-888-CARE-4-LA.