Presidents Day and U.S. History with a twist @ Rancho Santa Fe Senior Center Feb. 24

 Richard Lederer who co-authored “American Trivia: What We Should All Know about U.S. History, Culture and Geography.” with Caroline McCullagh, Lederer will speak about U.S. presidents and their role in history at 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24 at Rancho Santa Fe Senior Center.

Lederer will offer “a treasury of fascinating firsts, mosts, and onlys about American presidents,” according to event organizers program staff. He has written more than 40 books about language, history and humor. Drawing from what he learned while researching his newest book, Lederer will regale listeners with other interesting tales that slipped between the cracks of history.

“Writing is an amazing way to learn,” Lederer said. “I discovered a wealth of things I didn’t know before, and it’s a lot. For example, take the interesting deaths of presidents 20 years apart.”

Lederer... (more)

New York Fashion Week Goes to the Dogs at Helen Woodward Animal Center

Last week so many wonderful things happened for dogs, many I was able to report to you on a very timely basis, this event actually occurred on February 15th and was inspired by Fashion Week and the models hitting the runways in New York.  The emphasis last week during this fashion event was that ‘Saving Lives Never Goes Out of Style!’

The Helen Woodward Animal Center out of Rancho Santa Fe, California mimicked Fashion Week and conducted their very own extremely special photo shoot.  The fashion models that strutted their stuff in California were more of the furry canine variety though.

The wonderful Jessica Gercke, Public Relations Manager of the Helen Woodward Animal Center provided me with all of the details.  With every other good dog thing going on locally and throughout the U.S., I certainly wanted to give this event the due it deserved albeit a few days after it occurred.  It is wonderful to be able to pay respects to those whose hearts exist in the canine world; appreciating all of the great efforts that are made by outstanding individuals each and every day of the year!

Ricki Douglas, Volunteer Photographer for the Helen Woodward Animal Center caught the swankier-sides of adoptable canine friends.  Ricki’s intention was to capture the sweet dispositions displayed candidly so that potential adopters would be just begging to meet these beloved pets and make them a forever family member rather than seeing them as abandoned.  Just because the animal was left on its own to defend its own life, does not mean that the animal is not deserving of love and attention!

As with training, metrics display proof positive that adoption rates increase when an animal has a great photo of it as opposed to showing a photo of the animal in its original surroundings; those photos proving much less flattering.  Just as with a home that is up for sale but untidy, people have a hard time imagining an animal being happy when its photo displays it as unhappy and solemn, appearing behind bars many times.  Seriously, wouldn’t you rather see an animal displaying its gentle nature and true beauty in a photo where the dog has been saved and is ready to love again?

Ricki Douglas, of Ricki Douglas Photography, agrees that photo shoots in pleasant settings with the focus on happiness and love, are much more appealing and she was thrilled at the opportunity to be able to provide the photos that could potentially help these animals locate their forever homes.  Ricki also provides Pet-of-the-Week photos for the Center, helping to increase the turn-around time for many pets; helping place abandoned animals more frequently.

Where fashion goes in and out of style, the love of an animal, a devoted companion, will always be in style!  There is great footage of this adorable, trendy photo shoot available at:  http://youtu.be/CFXp_ICGZCc  (Please click on link).

 To review more in depth data on this event, to adopt, make a donation, or would simply like more information, please contact the Helen Woodward Animal Center Adoption Department at  858.756.4117, extension #313 or visit them online at  www.animalcenter.org or stop by at 6461 El Apajo Road in Rancho Santa Fe, California – if you just happen to be in their neighborhood!  Thank you, Jessica, for all the details!

Rancho Santa Fe Association Trails Committee LAYS DOWN THE LAW in 'TRAIL SAFETY' 

The Rancho Santa Fe Association maintains 50 miles of the finest trail system within San Diego County, strictly limited for use by RSF Association members and their guests. Over the years, the Trails Committee has developed the “Trail Rules and Etiquette.” These rules are meant to enhance safety among all the users on the trails and minimize disturbances to homeowners, many of whom have provided easements for the trail system to cross their property or simply own property adjacent to the trails.

Thankfully, most Association members and their guests are respectful and very considerate to other trail users. There is nothing more enjoyable than riding or walking around the golf course on a weekend morning, greeting neighbors and friends, and taking in the scenery. There are, however, some safety guidelines that are worth highlighting from time to time.

The “Trail Rules” are easy to learn and simple to follow and are for everyone’... (more)

General plan, Cielo sign, tiered equines: San Dieguito Planning Group meets 7 p.m. 2/16 ...

PUBLIC NOTICE

SAN DIEGUITO PLANNING GROUP

P.O. Box 2789, Rancho Santa Fe, CA, 92067

February 16, 2012

Place of Meeting:    RANCHO SANTA FE FIRE STATION  (meeting room), 16936 El Fuego, Rancho Santa Fe, California.  TBM 1168-D3, (El Fuego intersects Linea del Cielo at the west end of the village.)

Preliminary Agenda --- REGULAR MEETING

A final agenda, including changes and additions if any, may be posted in front of the U.S. Post Office, Rancho Santa Fe, seventy-two (72) hours before the meeting.   Certain matters, as may be noted, will be set for a time certain.  Matters on the agenda are NOT necessarily heard in the order listed.  Continuances, if any, will be announced at the start of the meeting or may be contained in a final agenda.  Time devoted to an item will vary depending on its complexity, importance to the group and public, and the length of the agenda.... (more)

Sneak a peak at Helen Woodward Animal Center's new high-tech hospital on Feb. 25

 Helen Woodward Animal Center will offer the public a chance Feb. 25 to view its new 10,000-square-foot animal hospital.

Donors paid for the high-tech hospital, which has nine exam rooms, a dental ward, surgery rooms, an isolation area for infectious cases, and a natural healing center.

The hospital, which will offer lease space to local veterinarians, will open for business March 5.

The public is invited to take a peek from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Feb. 25 at the hospital on Helen Woodward Way in Rancho Santa Fe.

(Video above: Mercury's "farewell" weekly astrology roundup. He temporarily retired 1 1/2 years ago to complete work on personal and literary projects. However, as an Ah-Ha Rancho Santa Fe News tradition, he looks ahead to the new year around The Occupied Zone.)

A visionary in more ways than one, Michael Mercury had a lot to say about the Ranch and its "ambiance" as well as future when he did a "community reading" recently.

"I really don’t know anything about Rancho Santa Fe," Mercury said. "I made sure not to look it up on the Internet so I could let intuition guide me. But, I feel I really tapped into the community."

Accepting the challenge to read the community, Mercury used 1 p.m. June 7, 1922 as the community’s birth date. That is the moment groundbreaking occurred for the new community of Rancho Santa Fe, according to Elise Esprit of Ah-Ha, based on Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society documents.

Mercury, who also goes by Clint Cochran, mystic, is a yoga instructor and former restaurant owner, A Sacramento resident who has developed a wide and enthusiastic following among astrology enthusiasts. For many years, he hosted America’s only radio astrology call-in show at KDVS-FM, the UC Davis station.

Mercury is further known around the state Capitol for his weekly astrology forecasts on KXTV-Channel 10, Sacramento’s ABC affiliate. He continues his radio astrology experience with "Spirit Speaks" that can be accessed at his Web site www.michaelmercury.com and is a member of the Conscious Media Network.

And now...The Mercury Report on Rancho Santa Fe, now and in the years to come... 

FIRST OF ALL let me state up-front, what I am going to try to do here actually what I am going to do here not just try, but what I am going to do is read the chart of Rancho Santa Fe as if it were a person and see how I can relate to the community at large what’s going to happen to the community in this coming year.

OK, so, Libra rising is the ascendant of Rancho Santa Fe, so the personality of Rancho Santa Fe is considered to be Libra-like and what does that mean, it means that relationships are very important. What is also interesting about this chart is that Saturn, the planet Saturn which deals with limits, limitations, authority, structure, is sitting right on the ascendant.

This is a very powerful position, so it kind of indicates that people who live in this community relationships are very important, however also finding balance within this community is extremely important as well.

There is a tendency within this community to maybe be a little bit one-sided in its presentation in the way it represents itself. If it’s extremely affluent maybe it is in its best interest as a community to make sure that those who are in need within this community are also being taken care of, not that it isn’t being done but that there seems to be a lack of variety, or dexterity of many, many social levels in this community due to there’s a need, an interest in doing this but it’s kind of like there is a contradiction in this community as well.

It’s kind of like it wants to expand, but it wants to contract. It wants to follow the rules, but it also wants to make rules. It doesn’t want to live by rules but somehow it wants to get around and somehow have its cake and eat it too by being unique being unusual and yet being structured. There seems to be this quality about this community.

The moon is in Scorpio in the second house of property, money and resources. There’s a strong emotional tie to the property, money and resources. People really love their homes. People come to this community to find their soul in their home, to make their home more than their castle but to represent who they are. There is a sense of secrecy, a sense of privacy in this community. People tend to be very private.

People don’t want other people necessarily unless they are invited to know about themselves. They want to keep themselves private. This is a community on the one hand wants to welcome the outsiders but at the same time want to be very private.

Mars in the third house, this is the natal chart I’m talking about, I’m just giving you a glow then I will talk about maybe what’s coming up in the next year. Mars in Sagittarius makes it a more philosophical open intellectual curiosity in terms of the community at large. It can have a very vocal voice in terms of what it represents and what it believes in and what it thinks should be done. It tends to be more open-minded, not necessarily liberal or conservative but certainly having an open mind from either camp.

Uranus in the sixth house really speaks to the idea of electronics of advancements. Uranus in Pisces in the sixth house of this chart of Rancho Santa Fe indicates that, again, innovative technology is a part of this community, but at the same time there is this kind of hometown kind of feel so that it wants the advances of the future but it wants the feel of the past. It wants to have a sense of community like in the old school but at the same time it wants to take advantage of all the high tech gadgets and technology that helps make life so much more pleasant.

Now, when it comes to relationships, we have Chyron, the south node in the seventh house of relationships, partnerships, marriage, all this kind of thing. One has to kind of be aware relationships, partnerships, things of this sort, it kind of makes the community a little bit, oh what’s the word, maybe a little bit apart from other communities, yet it wants to be a part of other communities, but at the same time it doesn’t want to be a part of the other communities.

So, there is kind of, again, contradiction within this community because of what one would call affluence. Based on this chart there is a real positive sense of affluence in this community but there is also a contradiction here, not that it feels guilty about it but there is a responsibility that comes with having so much.

The sun in Gemini -- the sun. What is the sun sign of Rancho Santa Fe, it’s Gemini. The sun sign is in Gemini. The rising sign is in Libra and the moon is in Scorpio. These are three important positions for this chart. It speaks to more air than water and no fire in the three important elements. However, Mars which represents fire in Sagittarius gives it a nice balance.

The real focus also is at the crown of this chart and we’re talking about Venus, Pluto, Mercury are all in Cancer. The sun is in the ninth house of education and travel. Mercury is a the crown of this chart in cancer, so home schooling looks like it is going to be a very important part of this community.

There is probably more people doing home schooling than people would recognize. Education is extremely important in this community, but at the same time there seems to be two sets of forms of communication. There is maybe the formal, regular type of schools, high schools, public schools, but there seems to be a really strong private school element in this community as well.

Pluto, Venus in Cancer in the 10th House of home, communication. Tenth House represents vocation, but with Venus in Pluto in Cancer, a very family oriented sign Cancer, it tells me that people are working out of their homes a lot more in this community than most communities, that authority can be derived, because of technologies concerning this community that one is maybe running their businesses out of their homes more than one would realize or that is certainly going to be an important part of this community as time goes on with technologies the way they are.

Neptune is in the Eleventh House of friendships so there is a real romantic quality, a charmed quality to this community. There is a basic feel if you will that borders on quality, romance, story-like making it a much more of a visual as well as a heartfelt community,. There is a real sense of sentiment also in this community. So, this is kind of a quick overview what I look at the natal chart of this community to be.

THE FUTURE, MICHAEL... 

Now, what’s happening right now in this coming year as we look into the year 2012, the real focus is going to be on work and health issues. I’m just pointing out that Uranus, this year, Rancho Santa Fe is coming up to what is a very unusual return and that’s what we call Uranus return. It takes approximately 84 years for Uranus to arrive at the same location as when it was born.

When you gave me the date for June 7, 1922 when the breaking of the ground, Uranus was at 13 degrees Pisces. Right now in the sky Uranus is at 11 degrees Pisces. So, in this year it is going to have a Uranus conjunct. It is going to return to its original position. So, there is a major cycle that is being completed in this community.

It is a cosmic cycle. It is a larger cycle. It is an evolutionary cycle of this community. This community has now matured in a complete way and at the same time now it’s trying to look at how do we continue into the future with our boundaries set, with our limits set. We have our personality is set basically.

It has an ambiance that has evolved organically and now where do we go. So, there is a completion that is literally happening in this community as we go into the year 2012, a total recognition that OK we’re saturated, we’re terrific, we have all these things, now where do we go from here, how do we refine the qualities the joys the things we associate with family with home with community, how do we address this in a new way in an innovative genius-like unique way without destroying the home sentiment, the communal sense of family that we have established for this community.

There is also Neptune is going through the Fifth House of children, of recreation of short trips and I have to say now my intuition is kicking in here somewhat and I am also saying this because of what I anticipate in 2013. Pluto, the planet Pluto will go into the Fourth House of home concerning, so I am looking a little bit further ahead besides the year 2012 because what I am anticipating here is that if you maybe you already have a sister city, maybe Rancho Santa Fe has a sister city somewhere in the world.

You may Want to take a look at this to see what is their sister city, but it seems to me there is going to be more of a focus here on if they haven’t picked a sister city they are not sharing with whether it is in Africa or Europe or South America wherever they have chosen to adopt another city and kind of exchange keys and all of that stuff for some reason that is coming up in this chart for me. I am either seeing there is going to be a renewal of that, there is going to be some kind of recognition of that coming up or there might be an establishment of that if that hasn’t happened already. Or maybe the city adopts another sister city or vice-versa, a kind of city exchange. I don’t know why this is coming up, but it is.

If it doesn’t happen this year, I see 2013 will become a very important year because Pluto goes into the Fourth House of home and Pluto represents revolution, change, death, rebirth, so there might be in 2013 looking down the road because of the concept of real estate, the concept of housing, the concept of family that there could be some kind of new revolutionary approach as to how families are going to deal with families, properties and their homes in the year 2013. This could be technologically related or this could be some sort of philosophical awareness that this community is going to re-evaluate where do they go from here.

There seems to be a real emphasis that keeps coming up in this chart of some kind of pinnacle, some kind of peak, like this community is reaching the top of the mountain. It can see, start looking at what it could be like going down the other side of this mountain but it hasn’t quite reached the end and is preparing for some kind of awareness of some kind of overall view of ah-ha, here we are, now what.

A culmination is also indicated in this chart that this community is coming to some kind of saturation, some kind of total blossoming of fullness, of ripeness, something that is being ripe is ready to drop from this community. Jupiter is moving through the Third House of communication right now as I look at this chart. Mars has been as it ends the year of 2006 has been going through the Third House of communication. Pluto is going through the Third House of communication. Mercury also and the sun leaving the Third House of communication as the year ends and the new year begins it all goes into the fourth house.

This new year we have the sense of structure, of family, of a movement going forward but again putting a focus on home, on family, the importance of family in this community. So, this community has the opportunity it seems to me embrace itself in a unique way reinforcing its values but also having an eye toward the future.
Saturn by the way is moving through the eleventh house of friendships, of hopes, of dreams so there is a realistic approach to what the hopes and dreams for this community can be making it structured, making it work making it practical so this is a community that has not only imagination but also has the talent and the financial wherewithal to make things practical and yet idyllic at the same time. That is also being emphasized and being realized at this time.

I would say, however, that starting at the end of 2011 going into 2013 this is going to be a kind of a plateau period in this community where more examination rather than results will start to take place. I think that the community is getting ready to re-examine where it’s been, where it’s going and do this for many years. If a new master plan hasn’t been done, or is being spoken of maybe it’s time for a new master plan to be looked at of where this community is going to be going 10, 20, 30 years from now or if that hasn’t been done maybe that is being re-looked at this time to see OK we made this plan X number of years ago how will we have fulfilled those plans to where we are now.

That also seems to be an emphasis for the community from the governmental bureaucratic point of view of what’s happening with this community. If there isn’t a city council or something, there seems to be some need of some kind of government structure. If it’s not there it needs to be created.

If it’s informally loose, some kind of guidance to who or what is this identity. Do we become our own city, Do we create our own community. Do we have our own city council or how are we relating to the overall neighborhoods that we are sharing.

That’s pretty much, a lot of material to work with...

Ken Blanchard : Servant Leadership for the Workplace and Life

For more information, contact: Sharon Omahen, Executive Director of Coastal Community Foundation Phone Number: (760) 942-9245. Email: Sharon@coastalfoundation.org

Ken Blanchard : Servant Leadership for the Workplace and Life

Dr. Ken Blanchard is a gregarious sought-after author, speaker and business consultant. He is the #2 most influential leadership guru in the world. He has coauthored over 30 best-selling books, including The One Minute Manager, which has sold more than 13 million copies and has been translated into more than 37 languages.

Ken Blanchard will be in Solana Beach Wednesday, September 21 at the Lomas Santa Fe Country Club to speak about “Servant Leadership for the Workplace and Life.” Check in will begin at 11:30am and lunch will run from 12:00pm-1:30pm. Ticket cost is $65 per person which includes lunch and a copy of Ken Blanchard’s book The Generosity Factor that he wrote with S. Truett Cathy about the... (more)

The heck with planking, we're talking BATMANNING around town this week...

San Elijo Conservancy WANTS YOU to be a decent docent. Deadline Sept. 16 - Sign up today!

                                San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy  Docent Class of 2010

San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy is looking for a few good --no, make that GREAT! -- docents.

These guides help people make the most of their hike, pointing out the nuances and history there missed by many. 

The San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy is ooking for a few good volunteers to serve as nature ambassadors. A comprehensive training program will prepare docents to lead interpretive walks for school and scout groups, as well as for weekend visitors and other community groups. Previous interpretive experience is not required.

“I think we’re all a little nervous at first,” said Elizabeth Venrick, a retired oceanographer who donates her time to the conservancy as a volunteer docent. “Every tour I do I... (more)

Casey Gerry Announces $1.25 Million Settlement Following Mediation with Troon Golf, LLC, The Crosby National Golf Club, LLC...

Northridge Woman Awarded Settlement Following Rancho Santa Fe Accident

In a case that reaffirms the right to safe public access for the physically disabled, Casey Gerry announced today that  a $1.25 million out-of-court settlement has been reached in a lawsuit involving the country’s longest survivor of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) — a disease in which victims progressively lose muscle control.

Defendants Troon Golf, LLC and The Crosby National Golf Club, LLC agreed to pay more than $1.1 million to Northridge, Calif. resident Marilyn Cooper, 67.

The rest of the settlement was paid by Summers/Murphy & Partners, Inc., a landscape architect and Masson and Associates, Inc. an engineering firm. According to attorney Robert J. Francavilla, a partner with Casey Gerry, his client Marilyn Cooper, who has had ALS -- also known as Lou Gehrig's disease -- for 36 years, suffered... (more)

Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society home tour goes around town on Saturday, July 16

 The Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society will hold its annual self-guided home tour from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, July 16.

The featured homes were designed by historically significant architects, including Lilian Rice, Gordon B. Kaufmann and Richard Neutra.

 The Osuna Adobe, erected in 1831 as the first house in the area, will be available for viewing. Home styles on this year's tour range from Spanish Colonial Revival to Mediterranean and Art Deco.

Tickets cost $30 for members and $40 for nonmembers. Proceeds help cover operating costs for the society's missions to preserve local history and educate the public.

Tickets may be purchased at La Flecha House, the society's office and museum at 6036 La Flecha. Checks may be sent to the Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society, P.O. Box 1, Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067. Call 858-756-9291

A morning at BlogPaws conference with Mike Arms, Helen Woodward Animal Center director...

City of Solana Beach, Calif. 25th Anniversary Parade steps off 9 a.m. Saturday, June 4 @ City Hall

City of Solana Beach 25 Anniversary Parade Come Celebrate With Us! City Hall: 635 S. HWY 101 Solana Beach, CA 92075

To commemorate the City of Solana Beach's 25th Anniversary, the City is excited to announce a fun-filled community parade. Please join us as we celebrate this exciting time in our City's history and look forward to another successful 25 years. Date: Saturday, June 4th Time: 9:00 a.m. Route: Hwy 101 from City Hall to Plaza St. Click here for the parade flyer Click here for the 25 Anniversary page on Facebook

PLUS BONUS COVERAGE OF 'THE ACCIDENT' AT THE LAKE...Featuring the Del Dios Bicycle Players.

As fortune - bad - would have it, a bicyclist suffered a fall at the right place with hundreds of EMTs around.

So, as an added busines we bring your photos from 'The Accident' as well.

Last but least, the lake as it stands Monday, May 16, 2011

Enjoy?

Not Just Playing Dance but Living Dance at Danceology Performing Arts Campus

Danceology Performing Arts Campus
10750 Thornmint Road Suite 102
San Diego, CA, 92127

Phone: 858-613-1155
Fax: 858-613-1145

A Rancho Bernardo native, Nicole (Niki) Lucia grew up dancing.

From the moment she took her first steps through the day she opened Danceology Niki has been passionate about dance. Taking her first dance class at the age of 3, Niki’s mother and prominent member of Rancho Santa Fe society, Jeanne Lucia, says that “Niki shines when she dances, her energy and vitality is unmistakable.” 

Due to this clear passion, Niki fulfilled a lifelong dream in 2003 and opened up Danceology Performing Arts Campus.

“I never thought that opening a dance studio would be like this” Niki says of her adventures as a business owner. 

Dancing for the San Diego Charger Girls Dance Team and being chosen as a Pro Bowl Cheerleader gave Niki the courage to turn dance from a serious hobby into a successful business. While she easily excels at constructing the creative elements of the business, the business part of dance is what really keeps her toes tapping.

In the effort to offer a well rounded campus based on creative expression, Niki has ensured Danceology PAC offers the best possible variety and levels of dance classes in San Diego County. Six days a week over 500 registered students file through the doors of Danceology for everything from Jazz and Lyrical to Tap and Ballet. To sit in the studio as the students come in is quite a scene. Tiny tots at the age of 3 enter the main dance room with flouncing tutus and the muffled sound of ballet slippers while high school students in the rooms upstairs tap out a continuous staccato on the polished wooden floors.  With 6 classrooms, a full snack bar, dressing facilities and enforced safety protocol Niki has made Danceology a studio to be proud of...

About DPAC

Campus Hours
Feel free to come in and speak with our courteous and helpful front desk staff during our hours of operation! Danceology prides themselves in customer service and we will be happy to speak with you in person or on the phone and answer all of your questions and concerns.

Times of Operation
Monday  3-9pm
Tuesday 9-12pm/ 3-9pm
Wednesday 3-9pm
Thursday 9-12pm/ 3-9pm
Friday 9-12pm/ 3-7pm
Saturday 9-12pm

Address
Danceology Performing Arts Campus
10750 Thornmint Road Suite 102
San Diego, CA, 92127

Contact Numbers
Phone: 858-613-1155
Fax: 858-613-1145

Website
Email: frontdesk@danceology.biz

Please click this link for a map to Danceology  http://www.mapquest.com

Please click on links below for the Danceology Policy and Procedure Forms

10-11 FALL TUITION

Fall 10 Tuition Policies

Helen Woodward Animal Center Dedicates New Worldwide HQ With Pomp And Circumstance

 Helen Woodward animal center's new multimillion dollar headquarters was dedicated Saturday, April 16 with speeches and festivities. The new address is 6523 Helen Woodward Way -- formerly Calle Del Nido.

“It’s not exactly Noah and the Ark,” said John Van Zante,  Helen Woodward Animal Center spokesman. “But this move is a major undertaking after more than 35 years in the first building that Helen erected to care for orphan animals and to educate children.” 

Bryce Rhodes, Chairman of the Center’s Board of Directors and grandson of Helen Whittier Woodward, believes his grandmother would be pleased. “She had a great love of animals. It would definitely make her happy to see what has become of the work that she began when she bought this property 40 years ago,” he said.

HWAC President Mike Arms says that the new facility has been a long time coming. “Even before I arrived at HWAC in 1999 there was already talk about the need to expand in order to continue serving the community that has grown around the Center," Arms said. "It’s been my honor to lead us through this phase of construction and into the future of the Center.” 

The new building, located near the original entrance of the center on San Dieguito Road, covers 20,358-square feet., acording to Van Zante.

While the mailing address for HWAC will remain as P.O. Box 64, Rancho Santa Fe, CA, the physical address will become 6523 Helen Woodward Way, Suite 100. 

Phone service and computer operation will be temporarily interrupted on Monday morning, April 18 as communications links are moved to the new building. Until that time, contact Helen Woodward Animal Center at 858-756-4117 for more information.   

Rotarians at Work Day is April 30, 2011 for some RSF Senior Center landscaping and such; PLUS Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Club Foundation Helping Others Update...

For more visit the Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Club Website at: http://tiny.cc/xyqbm

-- LORI BROCKETT

RSF Rotary Club Foundation

The Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Club Foundation has been in existence for many years and serves three main functions:  It is the entity into which charitable donations to the Club are accepted; it is the entity that facilitates the charitable grants from the Club; and funds that are to be placed into permanent endowment also flow through the Rotary Foundation to the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation, which is the steward of the Club's Endowment.

The RSF Rotary Foudnation has been very successful over the years as the Club has supported:

• Blanket and food programs in Rosarito BEach, Baja California
• Given thousands of dollars worth of grants to individual non profit organizations in the San Diego County Region
• Supported Water for Sudan
• Facilitates grants to military organizations with the guidance of the Military Advisory Committee

The RSF Rotary Fuundation is a way for every Rotarian to participate in the work of our club, in our community, in the nation and around the world.

UPDATE - WATER FOR SUDAN - In 2010 a total of 49 wells have been drilled and an estimated 300,000 lives have been saved because of this project.

UPDATE - PROJECT AMIGO - Colima, Mexico went from no education to College Degrees in impressive numbers.  From 2009 - 2010, one law degree, and seven other degrees from the University of Colima were granted.  Numerous others were able to attend Jr. High an dHigh School with the assistance of Rotary financial aid.  Without this aid, no educations! 

Military dogs to be honored with memorial at Encinitas, Calif., 9 a.m. Saturday, April 16...

 A local humane society is dedicating a memorial on a portion of its property to dogs that have served in the nation’s armed services and is inviting the public to get involved.

The dedication ceremony Saturday for Military Working Dogs memorial will mark the first private memorial of its kind west of the Mississippi, according to Simran Noon of the Rancho Coastal Humane Society.

The memorial has dual purpose for dog enthusiasts.  First, it allows the public to honor highly trained companions, who have saved an average of 150 lives during their careers, Noon said.  The other is to educate the public on the need to adopt these animals.

The public is welcome to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Rancho Coastal Humane Society at 389 Requeza Street in Encinitas.

Eggs But How? Hens Only, No Roosters Allowed on 20,000-square foot Solana Beach properties as residents try to allow home range chickens for almost anyone...

Chicken feathers? Chicken S***? Chicken fight at Solana Beach. In a reversal of the commonly held theory that only poor people keep chickens at urban homes due to its class implications, you have to be wealthy to have LIVE chickens at Solana Beach. Cluck cluck. Chickens are allowed only on lots more than 20,000-square foot in nature. Some chicken-pickin' residents want to change that and let most people have chickens. Really? Rise and shine...

The Cardiff, Calif. Kook and His Magic Carpet Ride

For more on the Cardiff Kook, go to the source, visit thecardiffkook.org

 Cardiff California is where the Cardiff Kook resides. Forever frozen in time,16 feet of hard bronze. A statuesque resemblance of a novice learning to surf.

The bronze statue was commissioned by the Cardiff Botanical Society and created by artist Matthew Antichevich, a local surfer. The statue was officially named The Magic Carpet Ride and erected in 2007 near San Elijo State Beach on Pacific Coast Highway in San Diego, Ca.

The artists intent was to portray a novice learning to surf as the area attracts many beginning surfers. When The Cardiff Botanical Society ran out of money they decided to downsize. So the statue is missing any actual surf.

The Cardiff Kook's magic carpet ride has been a very bumpy one. The locals unofficially renamed him The Cardiff Kook. Surf slang for a wannabe surfer. He's faced many a criticism from the local Cardiff community for his unrealistic portrayal of surfers. He's been shunned, labeled a ballerina not a surfer. The Kook has been repeatedly vandalized. Or in surf slang punked, gnarly bro.

The Kook has been mysteriously dressed up in a pink pleated skirt and bikini top, a Lucha Libre wrestling mask, and a Zorro costume. Once he was almost eaten by a papier mache shark about to swallow him from beneath. Fortunately, or unfortunately for some, he escaped jaws.

Many a holiday The Kook has been magically dressed up for the season. A pumpkin head for Halloween, a Santa Claus hat for Christmas, Uncle Sam for the fourth of July, and Cupid for Valentine’s Day. Most recently he dressed up in support of San Diego State in the NCAA Sweet 16 basketball conference. Sadly SDSU lost but his outfit was marvelous! This was my personal favorite.

 

The City of Cardiff officially discourages these pranks. However, they boost the tourist trade in Cardiff. The Kook even has his own calendar for sale in local shops. Love him or hate him, The Cardiff Kook is here to stay. Can't we all just get along?

BONUS COVERAGE:

The Cardiff botanical society  thought it was honoring surfers when it spent $120,000 to erect a 16-foot tall statue of one riding a wave. Instead, it inspired a wave of humiliation for the hapless bronze dude.

Locals nicknamed it the "Cardiff Kook," derisive surfer slang for a wannabe surfer.

Critics also took to the Internet, creating a MySpace page for the adolescent-looking Kook, which reads in part: "I've never surfed in my life, but I would love to." But the main blowback has been an ongoing campaign that has seen the Kook dressed like a clown, a ballerina and topped with a pumpkin head. The most notorious act happened in July, when a local sculptor encapsulated the entire statue so it looked as though it was being devoured by a great white shark.

The Kook—its official name is "Magic Carpet Ride"—was erected in 2007 alongside Highway 101, just steps from the beach. Complaints rolled in immediately. Surfers mocked its poor form, including "limp" wrists and arms that extend at odd angles. They also gripe that instead of being portrayed atop an epic wave, the Kook is on a fizzling spray.

Rob Machado, a professional surfer from Cardiff, grumbles that the botanical society didn't seek enough input from locals. "I can't even tell you what that statue stands for," he says.

Shortly after the statue's unveiling, surfers displayed bumper stickers imploring the city to "Remove the Kook." On the Internet, anonymous critics threatened to use a truck and cable to tear the statue from its granite pedestal. Mr. Clark says a tide of emails flowed into the botanical society's inbox, most of them blasting the design and demanding the Kook's removal. "They were saying things like 'Why are you polluting the view of the ocean with this horrible piece of art?' " he says.

Despite the harsh vibes, the Kook has never been permanently damaged...

Surfing is a way of life in Cardiff, which was originally named for the Welsh city but later added "by the sea." The town is home to some of the region's most popular surf spots.

The Botanical Society's Mr. Clark says he was initially depressed when locals declared the statue a wipeout. His group spent three years bringing the Kook to fruition, he says, and most of the criticism misses the mark. The intention was to show the joy, and awkwardness, of learning to surf. "It's not the most elegant moment on a surfboard, but it does represent a kid learning how to surf," he says.

As the statue has gone from a surfer's eyesore to a public discussion, pranks have become much more elaborate. Eric Hardtke, 36, a local artist who normally sculpts in bronze and stone, has staged two of the most elaborate assaults.

About a year ago, Mr. Hardtke added a massive wave to the city's statue. The wave—made from wood, paper and chicken wire—towered above the Kook and depicted a more aggressive surfer about to cut him off. "It was to make the point that you could make a better sculpture for less money," says Mr. Hardtke.

Recently, Mr. Hardtke topped his wave with a new piece: Just before dawn on July 24, he and a dozen friends carried the 15-foot shark—crafted out of papier-mâché over a wooden frame—a few blocks to the beach, installing it in just 15 minutes. Those were merely the final moments of a two-week project for Mr. Hardtke, who guesses he spent roughly $450 building the shark.

The week before the prank, Mr. Hardtke laid some fins across the street from the Kook. Over the next few days, the fins were moved closer and closer until they sat at the base of the statue.

"I was inspired by those nature videos of sharks jumping out of the water," says Mr. Hardtke, a surfer who lives just a few blocks from the statue. The city removed his handiwork a few days after installation.

Despite his artistic ridicules, Mr. Hardtke says he thinks the Kook is actually a decent representation of everyday surfers being their average selves. "I'm sure I look like that," he says of the Kook's awkward form. "That's why everybody is so down on it. They like to think they don't look like that, but they do."

Police have mostly ignored pranksters like Mr. Hardtke, and local officials have quietly praised the various Kook-inspired works because they bring attention to their tiny beach town. In fact, Mr. Hardtke recently learned the city has been storing his wave sculpture inside at a dusty warehouse that belongs to Paul Ecke Ranch, a grower of poinsettias and other flowers in Encinitas, Calif., the city which surrounds the community of Cardiff.

Yo-Up! Vote for Most Heartwarming Pet Adoption Story @ Helen Woodward Animal Center.com

What's the most heartwarming pet adoption story of 2010?  Helen Woodward Animal Center is inviting the public to help make that decision by casting their vote for one of the top four stories of the holiday season!

TIPS FOR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS FOR PETS FOLLOWS AS WELL...

 Each year Iams Home 4 the Holidays (IH4TH) creator Helen Woodward Animal Center invites participating animal shelters and pet rescue organizations worldwide to submit the adoption stories that touched their hearts.

Our judges have selected four amazing pet adoption success stories (two about dogs and two about cats) that took place during the 12th annual Iams Home 4 the Holidays adoption drive.

The public is invited to log on to http://helenwoodwardanimalcenter.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/ih4th-most-heartwarming-story-contest,  read the four contest finalists, and cast their vote for the most heartwarming story.

Deadline for voting... (more)

Coast News 'publisher' Jim Kidd, from Encinitas, catfights it out with Carmel Valley (RSF) Review 'publisher' Tony Allagreedi of Gilroy for dying Rancho Santa Fe newspaper market carcasses...

[Editor's Note: It's official. The two biggest pigs in local faux journalism in a catfight to the death. Why support either of these greedy non-Rancho Santa Fe publication owners at their overblown, overhead prices when Ah-Ha Rancho Santa Fe News has better, more relevant information provided by the actual journalists who once made these clowns look semi-serious?

We are the new media going forward with more views per day than both these dinoaur rip-offs combined in a month. No-brainer.  D'uh #WINNING...We tried contacting Allagreedi, but the little weasel is ducking our calls, darn.]

(Actual size photo of Tony Allagreedi, 5-feet tall, full of faux community journalism fury. For more read fellow 'publisher' Jim Kidd's view below...) 

BY JIM KIDD, COAST NEWS PUBISHER. (Photo left, for more visit here...)

I rarely get on the pulpit. It takes something really, really wrong to get me going.

Enter Anthony Allegretti, the bully.

He is the CEO of the Rancho Santa Fe Review.

He is bullying me to “fix” my advertising prices to be as high as his are.

This is a direct attack against all Rancho Santa Fe advertisers — present and future. If I were to cave in, he would have no competition in the marketplace.

Here’s what he’s doing.

Last Friday I received a package of documents from Allegretti, who publishes numerous publications here in San Diego and elsewhere.

He is a big-time publisher compared to me and is backed by well-funded investment bankers. We’re talking billions here.

This “nice” package I received from Allegretti dated Feb. 14 — my valentine, I guess — contained a threat to sue me and the Rancho Santa Fe News for a violation of the California Fair Practice Act and various violations of other antitrust legislation.

He alleged I was charging too little for my ads in 2010, thereby causing him to lose money. He said that if I didn’t raise my rates he would sue me for $900,000 (three times his lost revenue) and my legal fees would be around $2 million.

That is his position.

That is also a threat.

I used to have five newspapers. I closed three of them and one office because they weren’t profitable.

If the Rancho Santa Fe News’ low ad rates were causing me to lose money, as his threatened lawsuit implies, why would I keep publishing it?

                       (Photo: Dumpster at Rancho Santa Fe Village primed for residue of Kidd-Allagreedi Catfight.) 

His “package” is nothing but a scare tactic and also smacks of price collusion. If I were to charge what he wants me to charge for advertising, what happens to “fair competition in the marketplace?” All advertisers will be forced to pay the same rate, which will be set by Allegretti.

I run a tight business and don’t have any debt service or investment bankers to pay off. Allegretti does, so maybe that’s why he has to charge more for his ads.

Maybe he just wants no competition so he can price “gouge.”

In the end, it will be the advertiser that will be hurt.

My only reason for writing this editorial is to expose Allegretti as a mean-spirited scoundrel of a businessman and to warn current and prospective advertisers of his tactics.

I just recently learned that Allegretti served the same Valentine’s Day package to a fellow publisher who competes with Allegretti in La Jolla.

This time he got the desired reaction. Already struggling with the economy, this publisher became very upset that he could face the possible loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars and the cost of $2 million in legal fees.

Here comes the good part.

Allegretti meets with this publisher and offers to buy the competing paper for a fraction of its value or says he will sue.

If you ask me, that is also an unfair business practice and just plain mean.

If he buys it, he will probably close it, creating a price fixing situation much the same as he is trying to do in Rancho Santa Fe. La Jolla advertisers will suffer.

If you currently advertise with the Review, I just want you to know where your money is going — to Allegretti and his investment bankers.

Perhaps when your contract is up with the Review, you might want to give us a call.

Obviously we charge less. We also give more.

In addition to being distributed everywhere the Review is, the Rancho Santa Fe News is mailman-delivered to 1,100 homes in the Santaluz area and 500 homes in the Rancho Pacifica area. The Review leaves these areas out of their circulation.

I am not going to allow Allegretti and the Review to scare me into raising my ad prices.

I’ve consulted a friend in the San Diego District Attorney’s office. I was advised to have my lawyer send a warning to Allegretti and his backers that they should cease any further action. Perhaps they aren’t smart enough to know that what they’re doing is illegal, so my lawyer is currently drafting a letter to them explaining the law.

They are leaving themselves open to some very serious legal ramifications and all advertisers will suffer.

(Add: Photo below shows reality of people not bothering to take home FREE copies of both these disgraceful faux journalism products...)

San Diego Botanic Garden presents herb festival, Susan Belsinger, gourd basket workshops

Award-winning cookbook author and herbalist Susan Belsinger to give two presentations at San Diego Botanic Garden's Herb Festival, March 19 - 20, 2011

Award-winning cookbook author and herbalist Susan Belsinger to give two presentations at San Diego Botanic Garden’s Herb Festival, March 19 – 20, 2011

 Growing vegetables, herbs, and flowers organically, harvesting them at their peak, and bringing them into the kitchen to create healthy, good-tasting dishes is a way of life for Susan Belsinger. She is a culinary herbalist who delights in kitchen alchemy—the blending of harmonious foods, herbs, and spices—to create real, delicious food, as well as libations, that nourish our bodies and spirits and titillate our senses.

Susan teaches, lectures, and writes about gardening and cooking, and is a food writer, editor and photographer who has authored/co-authored 20 books and been published in...

March comes in like a lion and also is 'Sustainability Month' at Solana Beach, Calif.

This month is Sustainability Month in Solana Beach.  The Kick-off event is an environmental forum (and surfboard raffle) for youth, students, and environmental professionals to discuss career opportunities and the future of community sustainability.  Panelists include Lesa Heeber-Mayor of Solana Beach, Len Hering - retired Admiral, VP of Business Services at USD and leader of the USD sustainability program, along with teachers, and environmental scientists.

"The City and Clean and Green Team has once again partnered to develop relevant and timely events promoting the continued implementation of environmental sustainability programs throughout the community. The kick-off event will be an environmental forum which will include organizations from all over the County and feature a moderated discussion between active youth members and environmental professionals.

"The forum discussion will focus on environmental sustainability efforts and potential career opportunities. This forum will also include a raffle, with the grand prize being a brand new Firewire surfboard.

"Other events planned for the rest of the month include beach cleanups and school programs with the culmination of the widely popular Green Fair and Earth Hour events to be held at Fletcher Cove Park."

-- Solan Beach city people

Contacts: Dan King DKing@cosb.org  (858)720-2477 or Lane Sharman, Clean and Green Committee, lane@solanaenergy.com  (858)755-2868.