Did U Know?: L.A. Dodgers Name Origins

Whether you're a Dodgers fan or not, everyone knows the Dodgers came from Brooklyn, New York. But do you know how they got the name 'Dodgers'?

Well, I'll tell ya, since I know alot of people do not know. They were formed (obviously) in Brooklyn during the year 1890. At that time, Brooklyn had hundreds of trolleys zig-zagging through its streets, and pedestrians were constantly scurrying out of their way. That's why their baseball team was called the 'Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers' (Later shortened to just 'Dodgers'). The team moved to L.A. in 1958.

Too Early For Christmas Decorations, No?

There are people starting to put up Christmas decorations around Southern California already... it's not even Thanksgiving yet! Damn you Target & WalMart and you greedy stores putting stuff out so early! I remember in late August already seeing some Halloween stuff out at stores.

Anyways, don't put your stuff up until after Thanksgiving please, or else you might be like this unlucky fellow:

Claremont Weekend Happenings

Looks like a busy weekend as the first weekend of the month arrives in Claremont. For those of you coming from L.A. or anything west of here, take the 10 east and exit Indian Hill making a left. After you pass Arrow, it's right after the train tracks. Fairly simple to get there.


FIRST FRIDAY ART WALK: 5:30-8:30 pm
(Special events held at The Claremont Forum and at select Village locations.)
The ART WALK is a FREE EVENT held at The Claremont Forum in The Packing House, 500 W. First St, Claremont and various businesses throughout the Claremont Village. Phone Claremont Forum (909) 626-3066.

FIRST SATURDAY VILLAGE WALKING TOUR: 10:00-12:00 noon
Sponsored by Claremont Heritage. Tour begins in front of the historic Claremont Metrolink Depot, 200 West First St. and ends with a tour of the newly restored College Heights Lemon Packing House, 500 W. First St. Led by a Claremont Heritage tour guide, this enjoyable walk includes the city's commercial, civic and college buildings bringing to life more than a hundred years of Claremont's history.
Cost: $5 per person. Reservations recommended.
Call (909) 621-0848. View website

see ya there!

Chardonnay Or Cab, By 7-Eleven?

Yes, 7-Eleven, the mini marts with the panhandlers all over town, are now making their own wine. It will be labeled as 'Yosemite Road' and available in Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. The price? It will be selling for $3.99. At that price, I might as well get some Sutter Home... or go even cheaper and pick up some 'Boones Farm'.

Oh, and it won't be available until next week. I'm sure you are anxiously waiting for it's release.

Don't believe me? Here's the Press Release.

I Feel The Same Way

Election Results For Pomona & Claremont

CLAREMONT UNIFIED SCHOOL - GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER

Winner:
MARY A CAENEPEEL
Votes: 3,023
Percent: 30.31%
Losers:

JEFF K STARK
Votes: 2,975
Percent: 29.83%

STEVEN LLANUSA
Votes: 2,121
Percent: 21.27%

JEFF HAMMILL
Votes: 1,855
Percent: 18.6%


POMONA UNIFIED SCHOOL - GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER

Winner:
ANDREW S WONG
Votes: 3,014
Percent: 20%
Losers:

ROBERTA A PERLMAN
Votes: 2,897
Percent: 19.22%

ADRIENNE K MACKLIN
Votes: 2,309
Percent: 15.32%

JOHN J AVILA
Votes: 2,186
Percent: 14.5%

FRANK C GUZMAN
Votes: 1,914
Percent: 12.7%

HANK MOLLET
Votes: 1,768
Percent: 11.73%

ROBERT S TORRES
Votes: 985
Percent: 6.53%



POMONA UNIFIED SCHOOL - GBM TERM ENDS 12/11

Winner:
JASON A ROTHMAN
Votes: 2,113
Percent: 36.16%
Losers:

STEVE LUSTRO
Votes: 1,984
Percent: 33.96%

NANCY A MATARRITA
Votes: 1,746
Percent: 29.88%


POMONA CITY SPECIAL MUNI - MEASURE
PC - UTILITY TAX ORDINANCE

Winner: YES
Votes: 2,668
Percent: 59.65%

Loser: NO
Votes: 1,805
Percent: 40.35%


OTHER:

For other races such as Mt. Sac, Chaffey, Citrus Colleges, please visit: Daily Bulletin's All Precincts Results.

(Some of these board elections might result in 2 positions as opposed to only 1. But for numbers sake, I just listed the actual winner of votes/percentage.)

Sources: Daily Bulletin
Heads Up Thanks to M-M-M-My Pomona

Did U Know?: Caesar Salad

Did you know that the name of this one of a kind salad doesn't refer to the famous Roman conqueror, but to a man from Tijuana who created it? This restauranteur's name was Caesar Cardini.

"Cardini started several restaurants in Tijuana, Mexico in the early 1920's. He devised the salad in 1924 during the 4th of July weekend at Caesar's Place. He served it as finger food, arranging the garlic-scented lettuce leaves on platters. Later, he shredded the leaves into bite-sized pieces. The salad quickly became a hit with the Hollywood movie stars who visited Tijuana, and soon enough it was a specialty of such prestigious restaurants as Chasen's and Romanoff's."

(Food for thought, literally... I didn't know until recently, thought I'd share it with anyone out there. In fact, I should do these little 'Did U Know' segments once in a while... hmm, nah.)

So-Cal Weather With A Dash Of Global Warming

Amazing isn't it? The last few days its been about 90-92 degrees in the afternoon, with a low of 50 degrees give or take at night. Thats a frickin' 40 degree weather difference every day. This type of day isn't necessarily unusual, for a day or two at most. When we're doing this for several days and even a week or longer, this is just nuts.

The plus side of it is the garden confusion. It wants to go dormant at night, but the day brings in sun, so it doesn't. I guess we should be thankful for this weather compared to the east and north parts of the country. I can't be thankful if it's killing our planet. But might as well enjoy it for now.

Bud Light Wheat... It's Here.

Something new from A/B has hit the shelves. They seem to notice how Coors' Blue Moon has been a big hit. This is their version, or light version of that wheat beer sensation that's sweeping the nation (or night clubs & bars). At least I think it is, again, I'm no expert.

Well, how does it taste? I don't mind a regular Bud Light once in a while, they're okay when ice cold. I am also not a snotty beer person, I will drink whatever ya got as long as it's cold, but I do prefer pale ales and other micro brews. Getting back to the question, this isn't bad at all.

At first, it tasted like someone dropped a bunch of cheez-its into the beer and let them soak. It sounds gross, but it has a nice flavor to it. Although it seems that if you drink these all night, ya might get some funky garlicky breath. But after my 2nd one, it is a smooth drink with a salty-like flavor. I am trying desperately to taste the oranges and coriander. I can barely taste any coriander, and a very light orange taste. I expected the flavor to come through like Wicked's Strawberry Blonde, where you instantly taste strawberries.

I generally love to mix Clamato Juice with my Bud Light and add a splash of lime and some hot sauce (called Michelada in Spanish). Bud Light wheat for some reason seems similar to it, but a very very light version of it. Anyways, Bud Light Wheat is a step up from it's regular beer. A delight that I think may stick with men and women alike. I would buy this again! For a light wheat lager, I give this a 4 out of 5.

Pictures: Pollution in China

This article from China Hush: Stories From China made me sick to my stomach. It's the side we don't really see here in the USA. This pollution affects us all. This is what such things as lower prices at Walmart brings. We need to understand the damage we are doing to our world and ourselves. It's so frustrating that we're so stupid to expand our minds and look deeper into things. Fortunately, there are people out there trying to do this for us. They don't have the power of a corporation to make us believe whatever they're selling. But still, I am thankful for photographers like Lu Guang, who somehow manage to get these things out.

Here are some examples of this silent pollution:

Guiyu, Guangdong province, (广东省贵屿镇) rivers and reservoirs have been contaminated, the villager is washing in a seriously polluted pond.
November 25, 2005:


In Ma’anshan, Anhui province (安徽马鞍山), along the Yangtze River there are many small-scaled Iron selection factories and plastic processing plants. Large amounts of sewage discharged into the Yangtze River
June 18, 2009


Jiangsu province Changshu City Fluorine Chemical industry land sewage treatment plant (江苏省常熟市氟化学工业园污水处理厂) was responsible for collection and processing of the industrial sewage. However they did not, the sewage pipe was extended 1500 meters under the Yangtze River and releasing the sewage there.
June 11, 2009


For more the whole article: CLICK HERE

Q3 Foreclosure Update

The latest word is that there's some good news out regarding foreclosures.


Well, guess what? It's the exact opposite, in fact, for the 3rd Quarter of 2009, there were a total of 937,840 homes foreclosed. Yes, you read that right. 1 in every 136 homes NATIONWIDE received a foreclosure filing!

According to this article from the consumerist, in California that means 1 in every 53 homes! And poor Nevada, they get 1 in every 23! Check out the following chart:

(Click image to enlarge)

Looking At The Garden With A Fisheye

Got a new toy for our camera, a 0.35 HD fisheye lens! Went out for a quick test in the garden this afternoon. Here are 2 images, edited slightly for color:

(click image to enlarge)


This thing looks like it's going to be fun!

Nah, They'd Never Take Advantage Of Me...

Good Advice Business Card

Tower IPA & Red Trolley Ale

After dropping my son off for his evening football practice in La Verne, I decided to stop by North Pomona's Albertsons, located on Foothill & Garey. I Picked up some home necessities as usual. And as I always do, took a stroll by the beer section. Took a look, some decent brews displayed. Saw the great Stone Brews for $10 a 6-pack. Nah, look for a bargain, there must be one somewhere.

Wait? What's this? Red Trolley Ale? Hmm, I remember the Red Trolley in San Diego when I used to visit relatives as a kid. I looked closer, and San Diego it is! Right next to it, an IPA named Tower 10, by the same brewer Karl Strauss of San Diego, CA. To my dismay, on sale for $7.99 a 6-pack. Done, it is purchased and hauled off home for a taste of the ol' Skrip palate.

According to Karl Strauss, The Red Trolley Ale is "A bold red ale with a toffee maltiness and slightly sweet finish."

Opened the Red Trolley instantly after gnawing on some chicken wings. First impression, whoa, this is a bit heavy and sweet. I don't know about a slightly sweet finish, in fact its a bit past the medium of sweetness. It comes on very sweet at first. I don't know if this is one brew to drink quick. This is a slow drinking beer no doubt. It feels as if they tried to put too much flavor into this, in a cheap way. Not your backyard BBQ brew for sure. A bit too forced of a flavor. This baby gets a 3 out of 5.

The next day, I tried the Tower 10 IPA. Karl Strauss says this brew is "An American-style India Pale Ale with a citrus and pine hoppiness, followed by a dry balanced finish."

Hmm, okay this one tastes better. Indeed, it has that hoppiness and bite that most IPAs offer. It is a little bit thicker than the better IPAs. But the flavor isn't bad at all. Maybe the bitterness goes a bit overboard, oh so slightly. But if I had to choose between this and the Red Trolley, I'd take the IPA. This one gets a 3.5 out of 5.

This Sunday In Pomona For Art, Music & Skate Fans!

MIRAMAR & 5IFTYBUCKS GALLERY will be hosting a fun filled day this Sunday for all. Many artists' work will be feautred and tons of cool bands performing. Skateboarding will also be taking place. I personally will be helping out for the event. Hope you can all make it! Click on the below pictures for more info:

The official invite for all:



The list of performing bands and their scheduled times:



Featured Artists:



Event Sponsors:


Doesn't get any better than this!

A Japanese Bird Cooking Spaghetti

This is perhaps the world's greatest website. NOT!

A website dedicated to showing you a picture of a Japanese bird cooking spaghetti. And nothing else. What's the address? Glad ya asked.. its:

WWW.JAPANESEBIRDCOOKINGSPAGHETTI.COM

Strange stuff, but in a cool way. Just weird stuff that's out there. No point to this posting tonight.