OPEN MIC NIGHT AT THE SPACE BAR JULY 26
July 24, 2012 (La Mesa) – The Space Bar Internet Café presents Open Mic Night with Jihmye on July 26 from 7:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at 7454 University Ave., La Mesa. Brandon Cesmot is the featured poet and Jim Moreno is hosting. Cesmot has been among California’s most active poets and has won four San Diego Book Awards. His poems have appeared in California Quarterly, Prism Review and Homestead Review among others. All are welcome to express themselves in spoken word, poetry song, comedy or dance. Coffee, tea, smoothies, etc. will be available for purchase. Visit http://www.atspacebar.com/home.php for more information.
IT’S OFFICIAL: GROSSMONT COLLEGE HAS SET A NEW WORLD RECORD
July 24, 2012 (El Cajon) — Officials at Guinness World Records in London have confirmed that Grossmont College in El Cajon was successful in its bid to set a world record for the most signatures on a birthday card in one day. The record was set at the community college’s 50th anniversary open house held on April 14, when a total of 1,821 people signed a four-foot-tall card, including 174 well-wishers who submitted their greetings on Grossmont College’s Facebook page. The previous record was 1,468 signatures on a card in one day. “Setting the record is like icing on the birthday cake of our yearlong celebration of Grossmont College’s first 50 years,” said Grossmont College President Sunita “Sunny” Cooke. “We are grateful for everyone’s support for our college and helping us set the record. Here’s to the next half-century of excellence in serving our community.” The signatures had to be posted during the five hours of Grossmont’s open house, held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. A team of about 25 volunteers helped with registration and served as witnesses as they followed meticulous procedures laid out by Guinness World Records. They also kept tabs of the greetings posted on Facebook. Cooke said the official certificate from Guinness will be on display at a prominent location on campus when fall semester classes begin Aug. 20.
INTOUCH AT HOME APPOINTS STEVE SCHWEITZER DIRECTOR OF OUTREACH & CLIENT SERVICES
Appointment reflects need for quality home care services for San Diego region July 24, 2012 (San Diego) – Retired Marine Corps veteran and senior advocate Steve Schweitzer was named Director of Outreach & Client Services for InTouch at Home, a Senior Resource Group, LLC (SRG) company based in Solana Beach, California. Schweitzer will act as InTouch At Home’s representative with community partners, concerned advocates and medical professionals throughout San Diego working to provide resources for seniors who need assistance to continue living independently. For more than 20 years, SRG has provided exceptional service and quality care each and every day through its 18 senior living communities nationwide, including La Vida Real in Rancho San Diego and La Vida Del Mar in Solana Beach. And now through InTouch at Home, this outstanding service is being extended into the fast growing home care market. “Steve brings proven abilities from his background as a Marine Corps veteran and from his previous experience in the home care industry to his new role with InTouch At Home,” said Michael Grust, President and CEO of Senior Resource Group, LLC, parent company of InTouch At Home LLC. “We are impressed not only by his track record, but by his sincere respect for seniors and his desire to improve their quality of life. We expect him to be a powerful contributor to our mission.” “I’m grateful to have the opportunity through InTouch at Home to improve the lives of San Diego seniors,” said Schweitzer. “During visits to SRG’s communities I have come away impressed with the quality of care and the professionalism and warmth of the staff. I couldn’t be more proud to represent InTouch At Home and look forward to working with so many other individuals and organizations doing what they can to make every day a good day for San Diego’s seniors.” Biography: Steve Schweitzer Steve Schweitzer served his nation in the United States Marine Corps for 27.5 years, retiring in 2005 at the rank of Master Gunnery Sergeant. He served in numerous leadership positions and was part of the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, acting as an embedded reporter liaison. He holds the distinction of marching in 19 Tournament of Roses Parades as part of the Marine Corps West Coast Composite Band. Upon leaving active duty, Schweitzer entered the private duty home care profession, quickly rising through the ranks becoming an industry ambassador and outreach director. In addition to his professional experience, Schweitzer has served as President of the national Marine Corps Musicians Association, and currently serves as the organization’s Vice President. He is a former American Red Cross disaster services public affairs officer, including assignments to Hurricane Katrina in Baton Rouge, Louisiana as well as a 300-plus platelet donor. He has been a Point Loma resident for over a decade. About InTouch at Home InTouch at Home is a Senior Resource Group, LLC (SRG) company . Serving the needs of seniors and their families for more than 20 years, SRG delivers on the promise of exceptional service and quality care each and every day through its 18 communities including La Vida Real (Rancho San Diego) and La Vida Del Mar. Now through InTouch at Home, this same outstanding care and service is available to you in your home, wherever it may be. For more information, call 855-448-8900 or visit www.InTouch-at-Home.com.
EARTHTALK®: EFFICIENT AIR CONDITIONING, E – THE ENVIRONMENTAL MAGAZINE
Written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss July 24, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) — Dear EarthTalk: Has an alternative to air conditioning to keep rooms cool been invented that is significantly cheaper and/or that uses significantly less energy than traditional air conditioning? — Ashutosh Saxena, Allahabad, India Unfortunately the modern day air conditioner, with its constantly cycling, energy-hogging compressor and environmentally unfriendly chemical coolant, still reigns supreme throughout the world—and increasingly so in rapidly developing countries like India and China where possession of air conditioning connotes middle class status. And while the chlorofluorocarbon coolant widely used in air conditioners through the 1980s was phased out because its emissions were causing damage to the globe’s protective ozone layer, the chemicals that replaced it worldwide, and which are now in use in hundreds of millions of air conditioners, are some 2,100 times stronger as greenhouse gases than carbon dioxide. We may have saved the ozone layer, but—whoops!—there goes the climate. Just because people aren’t using them much doesn’t mean there aren’t some good alternatives. The best known is an evaporative cooler (AKA swamp cooler). Better for hot, dry climates, these electrified units cool outdoor air through evaporation and then blow it inside. They make for a nice alternative to traditional air conditioners, using about a quarter of the energy overall. They are also quicker and cheaper to install, and can be moved around to different rooms as needed. But swamp coolers can require a lot of maintenance and may not keep the interior space as cool as some AC-hungry inhabitants might like. Apartment/condo and commercial/industrial buildings might consider augmenting their existing roof-top air conditioning systems with the cooling power of ice. California-based Ice Energy makes and sells the Ice Bear system, essentiallya large thermal storage tank that makes ice at night—when the cost and demand for energy is lower—and then doles out ice water into the air conditioning system during the day to efficiently deliver cooling whenit’s needed. Since the air conditioner’s energy-intensive compressor can remain off during peak daytime hours, the electricity required for cooling can be minimal, with some customers achieving 95 percent electricity savings using the system. And utilities across the country are starting to encourage its use by large customers. Stanford University has been utilizing its own version of similar technology since 1999 to keep its campus buildings cool. Since upgrading to an ice-based cooling system, Stanford saves some $500,000 a year on its campus cooling bill. If such technology could be adapted to augment home air conditioning systems, it could go a long way toward reducing air conditioning’s environmental footprint overall. Of course, let’s not forget that a small investment in a fan or two to create a breeze or wind tunnel through inhabited interior spaces can go a long way to offset summer heat. Even better, get a professional to install a “whole-house fan,” which draws in cooler air through lower level open windows and exhales hotter air through specially designed attic vents synced to open when the system is operating. The race has been on in the air conditioning business for some time to find a coolant that doesn’t destroy the ozone or add to global warming, but progress has been slow. Meanwhile, global warming itself will beget the need for more air conditioning, which will only exacerbate an already dire situation, especially as the rest of the world starts to demand artificial cooling just like we’ve enjoyed in the West for decades. CONTACT: Ice Energy, www.ice-energy.com. EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E – The Environmental Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe. Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.
ALL LANES BLOCKED ON I-8 IN EL CAJON
July 23, 2012 (El Cajon) –All westbound lanes of I-8 are blocked at Johnson Ave. in El Cajon due to a crash involving a van and another vehicle on the center divide. Traffic is also slow on eastbound I-8, an eyewitness at the scene told ECM at 9:45 p.m. No emergency vehicles had arrived yet as of this report; avoid area if possible. Sign up to receive free Viejas Wildfire & Emergency Alerts and a free weekly copy of East County Magazine at the top right side of our homepage. You can also get free text alerts on your mobile device by following ViejasAlerts at Twitter. We recommend both, to get detailed alerts as well as quick notifications on the road — and to assure that you have multiple means of communications during a major regional emergency, when power interruptions may disrupt some forms of communications.
POWER OUTAGE PLANNED IN LA MESA JULY 28 AND AUGUST 4
July 23, 2012 (La Mesa) – SDG&E announces a power outage is scheduled for Saturday, July 28 at 3:00 am lasting up to four hours and a second power outage on Saturday, August 4 at 2:30 am lasting up to five hours in La Mesa. The outage will affect the following streets: Annapolis Ave, Apore St, W Arrieta Cir, Arrieta Cir, Avon Dr, Berkeley Dr, Boston Ct, Brooke Ct, Chicago Dr, Cinnabar Dr, Cinthia St, Cobalt Dr, Corolyn Dr, Dale Ave, Denver Dr, Eastridge Dr, Garnet Ct, Harbinson Ave, Hartford Ct, Harvard Ave, Highwood Ave, Hurley Dr, Kemper St, Lava Ct, Lowell St, Maple Ave, Massachusetts Ave, Milwakee Ct, Muriel Pl, Murray Hill Rd, Normal Ave, Olive Ave, Orien Ave, Ouro Pl, Oxford St, Parks Ave, Phoenix Dr, Pomona Ave, Princeton Ave, Purdue Ave, Rosarita Dr, Rosebud Ln, Sacramento Dr, Schoolride Ln, Seattle Dr, Shadow Hill Dr, Sono Place, Stanford Ave, Sturgess Ave, Summitt Dr, Topaz Ct, University Ave, Valley View Cir, West Point Ave, Wetherley St, Yale Ave. Traffic signals at University Ave. and Lowell St. and University Ave. and Parks Ave. will be affected. Please observe red-flash stop signs at these intersections. SDG&E will work to restore the service as safely and quickly as possible. For any questions please contact Linda Barajas-Rodriguez at 858-654-1197 or Michael Kinnard at 619-667-1155. For more information, contact Linda Barajas-Rodriguez at SDG&E: 858-654-1197 lbarajas@semprautilities.com
FAST FORECAST FOR TUESDAY
July 23, 2012 (San Diego)–Your Online Weather forecasts warm weather through Wednesday with isolated thunderstorms over the mountains and deserts Monday night. On the coasts and in inland valleys, expect night morning low clouds with minor cooling and drier through the weekend. On the coast, expect cloudy weather Tuesday, gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 71. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Inland on Tuesday will be mostly sunny with a high near 87, light and variable wind west 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. In the mountains, expect sunny temps on Tuesday with a high near 83. West winds will be around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Deserts will be mostly sunny Tuesday, with a high near 108 and light, variable winds. The latest updates are on www.YourOnlineWeather.com