Local heroes who have dedicated their lives to helping abused children were honored at today’s Board of Supervisors meeting.

Each received a proclamation for receiving a STARS award, which are given out by the San Diego County Child Abuse Prevention Coordinating Council every April during Child Abuse Prevention Month.

This year’s recipients include three members of the San Diego Sheriff’s Department who were caught in a shootout as they tried to arrest a man suspected of child molestation, a child advocate who maintained her role during two overseas deployments and a preschool that serves children who have been traumatized by family violence or abuse and neglect.

Ali Perez, Craig T. Johnson, Michael Spears

San Diego County Sheriff’s detective Ali Perez, Sheriff’s Sgt. Craig T. Johnson and Deputy Michael Spears were met with gunfire from a high-caliber rifle when they went to arrest a man suspected of abusing two girls in Lakeside last September.

Perez and Johnson were shot. Spears was not injured and assisted Johnson to a safe location, then helped cover other officers who rescued Perez from the apartment.

All deputies said they were humbled to be chosen for the STAR award.

“It’s an honor to me being an abused child myself,” said Spears. “This is one of my career highlights.”

Johnson, who was shot in the arm and abdomen, said he is grateful that he has been able to return to work.

“I’m glad that we’re all alive. I’m very thankful for all the support from the community and law enforcement,” said Sgt. Johnson.

Perez, who suffered the most serious injuries, has not yet returned to work and wears a sling on his arm.

“It’s very humbling. Men and women (in law enforcement) do this job every day, the same thing we do, so to be recognized is a privilege,” he said.

As for the ordeal they went through, all deputies said they felt divine intervention helped them survive and recover.

Sharon Delphenich

Sharon Delphenich is a social worker who has dedicated nearly 40 years to improving the lives of children and families. She spent the past 16 years as the executive director at Casa de Amparo. She recently announced her retirement but will leave behind a legacy of mentoring, establishing community alliances and building a strong foundation for ending generational cycles of abuse.

Under her leadership, Casa de Amparo has become a leader in the treatment and prevention of child abuse and neglect, increased the number of programs dealing with abuse and oversaw the opening of a new, expanded campus in San Marcos.

Brandi Cooper

Brandi Cooper volunteers as a court-appointed special advocate (CASA) for Voices of Children, which serves foster youth who have been abused, neglected or abandoned. A CASA acts as a child’s advocate as their case is handled in the court system. After enlisting in the Navy, Cooper continued her advocate role through two six-month deployments, including videotaping herself reading to the child.

Michael Carr

Michael Carr has been the executive director of Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) San Diego for more than 30 years. SAY San Diego is a local non-profit organization that helps families overcome barriers and develop skills. Under Carr’s leadership, SAY San Diego has expanded from offering services out of one location to more than 50 throughout the City of San Diego.

Carr was instrumental in the formation of the Community Services to Families child abuse prevention program that has been used as a model for other communities.

Mi Escuelita Preschool – South Bay Community Services

Mi Escuelita is a therapeutic preschool designed to serve children 3-5 years old who have been traumatized by family violence and/or abuse and neglect. The goal is to support the development of vulnerable children. Since it opened in 2006, the preschool has demonstrated outstanding success rates. Students in the program have shown that they are ready for kindergarten and score similarly or better than their peers.

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The Ambulance Chasers.

Pacific Beach fitness training specialists SoCal Fit Body Boot Camp and its Owner, Israel LoBue, have announced that they will be teaming-up with Barbara Laskaris and the Ambulance Chasers to run in the upcoming SoCal Ragnar Relay, scheduled for April 19-20. The Team’s goal is to raise monies and support for Taking Control of Your Diabetes (TCOYD), a charity organization that was created to educate and motivate people with diabetes to take control of their lives.    

The Ragnar Relay (http://www.ragnarrelay.com) is an overnight team running relay race that starts in Huntington Beach and ends in the Embarcadero in Downtown San Diego. Team members must each run 3 legs of the 200 mile relay, which takes place over 2 days and 1 night.

“Ragnar is one of the most mentally and physically challenging races I have ever done. Once I joined Fit Body Boot Camp and met Israel, it was clear to me that a partnership with the Ambulance Chasers would allow us to achieve great things together,” said Barbara Laskaris, Captain of the Ambulance Chasers. “In addition to captaining a second team for the Ambulance Chasers, Israel has been instrumental in providing training advice to the teams and making us better than ever before.”

“I joined Ambulance Chasers because I believe in Barbara and what she is doing for TCOYD. This race is a great way to impact a great charity and the runners involved with their running and overall health and fitness needs,” said Israel Lobue. “Barbara has a passion for life and this charity and it’s infectious and I had to be a part of it as well.”

The Ambulance Chasers are targeting to raise $20,000 for TCOYD. Individuals who are interested in supporting their goal can visit http://www.tcoyd.org, click on the “Giving” tab, input their donation amount and donor information, and be sure to put RAGNAR RELAY in the comments section to earmark their donation.

For individuals who are interested in finding out more information about the Ambulance Chasers’ future races and events, please email Barbara Laskaris at barbaralaskaris(at)gmail(dot)com.

About TCOYD

Taking Control of Your Diabetes (TCOYD) is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization that is focused on educating and motivating people with diabetes to take a more active role in their condition, and provides innovative and integrative continuing diabetes education. TCOYD is guided by the belief that every person with diabetes has the right to live a healthy, happy, and productive life.

For more information about TCOYD, please visit http://www.tcoyd.org.

About SoCal Fit Body Boot Camp

Founded by military veteran and certified personal trainer, Israel LoBue, SoCal Fit Body Boot Camp is a premiere Pacific Beach fitness center that offers clients with innovative and dynamic workouts coupled with personal attention and support to help them lose weight and achieve their health and fitness goals. SoCal Fit Body Boot Camp is part of the family of Fit Body Boot Camp fitness boot camp franchises whose Global Goal is to expose and engage twenty percent of the world’s population to a healthy and fit lifestyle by 2020. For more information about San Diego Pacific Beach Fit Body Boot Camp, visit http://www.fitbodybootcamp.com/ca/pacific-beach-san-diego-fitness-boot-camp/

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The Arthritis National Research Foundation will host its annual Meet the Scientists event, a night celebrating arthritis research and the pioneering individuals behind the microscopes. The event will be held at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach on April 10th, for board members and supporters to come together with cutting edge researchers in arthritis and autoimmune research. “Meet the Scientists” brings the Arthritis National Research Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board of world-renowned doctors together once a year.

The evening includes a presentation about the foundation and its work to fund arthritis research, but is primarily an intimate cocktail reception where attendees meet and speak personally with the individuals and researchers linked to this arthritis foundation. The Scientific Advisory Board, Board of Directors, and Advisory Board of the Arthritis National Research Foundation will be in attendance, as well as current and past scientists ANRF has funded. The evening is highly anticipated for everyone committed to finding an arthritis cure to share their experiences and hopes for the future.

“This is an unparalleled opportunity to personally spend time with physician-scientists who are known the world over as experts in their fields of rheumatology and immunology,” said Arthritis National Research Foundation executive director Helene Belisle.

The stars of the evening will be the current scientists funded by research grants from the Arthritis National Research Foundation. They will share about their work, the new direction of arthritis research and why the grant from ANRF was so crucial in moving their scientific studies forward.

Members of the Scientific Advisory Board are meeting in Southern California to review this year’s crop of arthritis research applicants. From their expert review, ANRF will determine which top young investigators to support for the coming year. The Scientific Advisory Board is focused on funding new approaches that will benefit arthritis and related autoimmune diseases.

“Scientific Advisory Board Members serve without compensation,” said Belisle. “They are committed to ANRF’s support of brilliant young scientists searching for arthritis cures.”

Carl F. Ware, PhD, of the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in La Jolla, CA is chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board and will lead the review meeting with fellow board members the day following Meet the Scientists. Mary K. Crow, MD, of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and Bevra Hahn, MD, of UCLA are both past-presidents of The American College of Rheumatology, serve on the board and will attend the Meet the Scientists event.

ANRF’s grant season is an exciting one and allows the foundation to reflect on previous achievements, while looking forward with hope and confidence that their work will ultimately provide the answer for better treatments for these diseases.

Learn more about the cutting-edge arthritis research and how you can get involved by visiting http://CureArthritis.org

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San Diego County’s hazardous materials division is working with local lifeguards, firefighters, 911 dispatchers and others to make sure they know how to respond if any suspicious debris starts washing up on local beaches later this summer.

Just over two years ago, a stunned world watched a massive earthquake and 35-foot-tall tsunami tidal waves devastate the eastern coast of Japan.

The tsunami waves washed 1.5 million tons of wrecked cars, buildings, homes and everything in them into the ocean. They also flooded Japan’s Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant, which melted its cores and spilled out radiation.

Late this summer, whatever is left of that debris is expected to finally reach our shores along the West Coast.

Nick Vent, the supervising environmental health specialist who manages the County’s hazmat team, said the agencies that have been monitoring the debris’ progress — from the state and national environmental protection agencies, to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and San Diego County’s Office of Emergency Services — do not think the public should be alarmed.

They do not think we’ll be inundated with tsunami debris. And they think it’s very unlikely that any tsunami debris will carry any dangerous levels of radiation because it was swept out to sea before the power plant melted down and has been in the ocean for two years.

“You’ve got to realize the debris was probably two days out to sea before the reactor (melted down),” Vent said. “And if you actually look at the (radiation) plume models and where the radiation drifted, it actually went into the island of Japan. It didn’t go out into the ocean.”

But Vent said to make sure all emergency responders know what to do if any suspicious debris lands, he’s been holding workshops with to all of the groups that may be the first to come across debris — to review what steps to take, brush up on how to use the radiation monitoring equipment if they have it, or even to borrow County equipment if they need it.

“Basically, we’re doing a lot of awareness classes,” Vent said. “I’ve met with all of the lifeguard groups from Mexico to the (Orange County) border and I’ve met with all of the fire departments in that coastal line. We don’t know if anything will show up, but we want them to be aware, and we are getting everybody ready.”

Strange debris washes up on San Diego County beaches all the time, whether it’s something small that’s fallen off a pleasure boat or a 55-gallon drum of diesel fuel that’s fallen off a fishing vessel. Because of that, Vent said it may be difficult to tell whether any debris that’s found this summer is actually from the tsunami plume — unless if it carries Japanese writing or arrives in large clumps of material.

Vent said the 1.5 million ton plume that washed away from Japan in 2011 was actually so large initially that it was able to be tracked by satellite. Vent, however, said that’s no longer the case because some of it has sunk, or scattered.

Vent said the general rules for emergency responders who are called to the scene of potential tsunami debris are:

• Conduct an “upwind” walk-around to evaluate the scene and debris.
• Refrain from handling any debris that appears to be hazardous unless wearing proper protective equipment.
• Test air quality to make sure debris isn’t emitting dangerous chemicals, flammable vapors or radiation.
• Call in the County’s Hazardous Incident Response Team (HIRT) if the measured radiation levels are twice the ambient background levels or high enough to reach “action levels.” And contact radiation health experts to help.
• Report any debris that can be identified as from Japan’s tsunami to NOAA.

Vent said if the public thinks it has found tsunami debris they should call 911 or talk to the lifeguards at the beach.

Some tsunami debris has already washed up in other areas. A soccer ball was found in Alaska, a container with a motorcycle inside was found in Canada and a 66-foot-long steel and concrete dock washed up on a beach in Oregon.

Whatever happens here, Vent said emergency teams in the County will be ready to handle themselves.

“In San Diego County we focus on making sure there are no surprises,” he said. “We want everybody to understand what they’re looking at and what’s coming. Hopefully, it will be nothing and we’ll go from there.”

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FACE Africa 4th Annual Clean Water Gala

\Water is the essential element of survival for every human on earth, but there are millions of people in Africa who are still suffering from not having proper drinking water on a daily basis. FACE Africa is out to make a change in those statistics and Peekaboo Photo Booth was there with a photo booth rental this year to witness the giving on March 23rd, 2013.

This marks the 4th Annual Clean Water Gala, which was held at Espace in New York City. According to their website, by attending the Clean Water Gala, you’re supporting FACE Africa’s work to make clean and safe drinking water a reality for thousands of men, women and children in Liberia, where over 1.2 million people lack access to safe drinking water and thousands die every year due to water related diseases.

Andrew Birr, owner of Peekaboo Photobooth states, “We do tons of great events and to be a part of one that is providing clean drinking water to help the lives of other people is tremendous. As a business, you don’t get to really choose what types of events you work, so when something like this comes up, you are honored.”

About Peekaboo Photo Booth

With more than five years of experience, Peekaboo Photo Booth (http://www.peekaboophotobooth.com/orlando-photo-booth-rental/) has completed more than 1,000 successful events. The company offers classy, cabana-style booths that are easy to set up and simple to use. Based in Winter Park, Fla., Peekaboo Photo Booth is a privately owned firm that offers services nationwide. In addition to operating in the Orlando area, the company also has a presence in the following metropolitan areas: Phoenix, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Houston, Dallas, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta, Seattle, Chicago, and Detroit. Peekaboo Photo Booth has been in the Photo Booth Rental Business for over five years and celebrates a nationwide footprint servicing both private and corporate events.

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Travel To Go

Tommy Middaugh of Travel To Go, leading travel club in the timeshare industry educates consumers about travel clubs and timeshare myths with special guest Howard Nusbaum. This one of a kind segment called ‘Think Outside the Booth” will broadcast at the ARDA World 2013 conference in Hollywood, Florida.

Tommy Middaugh and Howard Nusbaum will educate timeshare and travel club consumers with this live broadcast via web streaming from the Travel To Go booth at ARDA 2013. The broadcast with consist of “bustin’ myths” live on the broadcast and at the Travel To Go booth. Howard Nusbaum is a vacation ownerships’ Master of Arms and creator of the Code and Ethics that rule the timeshare industry.

Tommy Middaugh from Travel To Go has been in vacation ownership industry for over 30 years. Tommy Middaugh and Jeanette Bunn Travel To Go President have been making “dreams come true” since 1990 with Travel To Go. With Tommy Middaugh’s extensive knowledge base, insights and vast relationships in the industry the live broadcast at ARDA World 2013 is sure to not only educate but enlighten consumers on travel club and timeshare myths that have needed to be scrutinized and busted long before the live broadcast.

Travel To Go Tommy Middaugh and Jeanette Bunn have over 50 years’ experience combined behind Travel To Go. Together Travel To Go has been able to create desirable vacation products and services for over 50,000 members. This year is Travel To Go’s 23rd Anniversary make sure to stop by the booth at ARDA World 2013 to talk with Tommy Middaugh about the new Members Choice Weeks and discounted enrollment options.

****

Travel To Go Contact Information:

Travel To Go

7964 B Arjons Drive

San Diego, CA 92126, USA

Phone: (800) 477-6331

Website: http://www.traveltogo.com/

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Anne Artz, a teacher at The Preuss School UCSD, has been selected as one of only 27 K-12 educators nationwide to be a Congressional Fellow for the 2013-2014 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program, where she will serve for an academic year as a representative and promoter for STEM education (science, technology, engineering and math). The program is coordinated by the Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology Education, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. that advocates and supports STEM programming in schools.

Anne Artz

Artz teaches advanced biology and environmental science at Preuss, in addition to serving as the Science Department chair and ASB student leadership advisor. She will begin her fellowship this September in one of the Congressional offices, where she will spend 11 months providing input on legislation, meeting with constituents to discuss education policy, and attending hearings to promote the importance of STEM education.

“I feel strongly that underrepresented students—such as those from Preuss, and girls in particular—need a solid foundation in STEM education before they go to college,” said Artz. “This is an amazing opportunity to be able to dialog with policymakers and those with a strong interest in education about how best to meet the needs of students in STEM fields. I’m excited and really hope I can make an impact.”

The Preuss School UCSD is a unique charter middle and high school for low income, highly-motivated students who strive to become the first in their families to graduate from a four-year college or university. Located on the UC San Diego campus, the school is jointly chartered by UC San Diego and the San Diego Unified School District.

Founded in 1990, the Einstein Fellowship Program is a paid fellowship for K-12 STEM educators with a goal of increasing communication and cooperation between policymakers and the STEM education community. As teachers, Einstein Fellows provide unique classroom insight to legislators and work to improve the quality and reach of STEM programs.

For more information about the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program, visit www.trianglecoalition.org. To learn more about The Preuss School, visit http://preuss.ucsd.edu

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Travel To Go

Located at booth number 1023, Travel To Go will have a complimentary charging station setup for people to use to recharge their cellular devices. If conference visitors need a boost, they should stop by Travel To Go’s 1023 booth, and utilize one of the sixteen charging stations available. The charging stations are compatible with 99% of all cellular devices.

On an annual basis, the American Resort Development Association Conference is the premier gathering for international timeshare professionals. In 2013, the ARDA conference is being held in Hollywood, Florida, from April 7th through the 11th. Travel To Go is happy to announce they will be there for the duration of the conference.

Featuring a number of opportunities to meet with industry professionals from hundreds of businesses, being in attendance at the conference is the best way to current on the latest practices and best industry-relevant trends. The Conference boasts over 40 informative panels dealing with a full spectrum of the industry’s top products.

The ARDA Conference offers unrivaled opportunities to connect with leaders from hundreds of companies. The conference is the most comprehensive way to stay up to date on the best industry practices and latest trends. The ability to convene with vendors and consultants is unparalleled. With over 3,000 attendees from over 30 countries meeting in southern Florida between April seventh and the eleventh, the conference is an event not to be missed.

The American Resort Development Association is a Washington D.C.-based association that represents the resort development and vacation ownership industries, with over one thousand corporate partners. Membership also includes resort management companies as well as timeshare owner associations, industry suppliers, consultants, and vendors. Advocacy, networking, bridge-building, and professional development are all qualities the ARDA Conference holds in high esteem.

Travel To Go is dedicated to working with the ARDA to help improve the level of the travel industry to the professional standards set by the ARDA, and actively contributes to the vacation industry’s future growth.

Travel To Go currently serves a customer base close to 50,000 loyal customers. This is quite an accomplishment for a family-owned and operated business, but it serves as proof to the team’s commitment to five-star service. Travel To Go’s vision has it as a premier leader in the world-wide travel industry, and they strive to make vacation dreams come true.

Be sure to look for Travel To Go at booth number 1023, at the ARDA Conference this April. Travel To Go is also a proud sponsor of the ARDA conference, as a “friends of the convention” sponsor.

*****

Travel To Go Contact Information:

Travel To Go

7964 B Arjons Drive

San Diego, CA 92126, USA

Phone: (800) 477-6331

Website: http://www.traveltogo.com/

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Travel To Go

Every year, the American Resort Development Association gathers together as the premier annual gathering for timeshare professionals around the world. This year, the ARDA global timeshare event is being held in Hollywood, Florida, from April 7th through the 11th. Travel To Go President Jeanette Bunn, has announced that Travel to Go will be present at this year’s conference.

The ARDA Conference offers key opportunities to connect with leaders from hundreds of companies, like Travel to Go President Jeanette Bunn. The conference is the most comprehensive way to stay up to date on the best industry practices and latest trends. The ability to meet with consultants and vendors is unparalleled. With over three thousand attendees from over thirty countries meeting in Hollywood, Florida between April seventh and the eleventh, the event is not one to miss.

The Conference features a number of opportunities to connect with experts from hundreds of businesses, and being in attendance at the conference is the ideal way to stay up to date on the latest trends and best industry-relevant practices. At the conference there are over forty educational panels dealing with a full spectrum of the industry’s top products.

The American Resort Development Association is an American-based trade association that represents the vacation ownership and resort development industries, with over one thousand corporate members. Membership also includes timeshare owner associations as well as resort management companies, industry vendors, suppliers, and consultants. Networking, advocacy, bridge-building, outreach, and professional development are all aspects the ARDA Conference holds in high regards.

Travel To Go is committed to work through ARDA to help raise the level of the travel industry to the professional standards set by the ARDA, and actively contributes to the vacation industry’s future growth.

With Travel To Go’s President Jeanette Bunn Travel To Go currently serves a customer base nearing fifty-thousand loyal customers. This is quite a feat for a family-owned and operated business, but it serves as a testament to the team’s dedication to five-star service. Travel To Go’s vision has it as a premier leader in the world-wide travel industry, and they strive to make vacation dreams come true.

Be sure to look for Jeanette Bunn Travel To Go President at booth number 1023, at the ARDA Conference. The booth will feature a mass charging station, so if a laptop or mobile device is running low on energy, feel free to utilize one of the many charging stations available. Travel To Go is also a proud sponsor of the ARDA conference, as a “friends of the convention” sponsor.

*****

Travel To Go Contact Information:

Travel To Go

7964 B Arjons Drive

San Diego, CA 92126, USA

Phone: (800) 477-6331

Website: http://www.traveltogo.com/

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You expect dogs, cats and an occasional bunny at the County animal shelters, but a horse

Yup, County Animal Services has several horses available for adoption.

This gentleman is named Nicodemus and he’s an Arab blend stallion. He’s about one-and-a-half years old and could be considered a little feisty. The horse people at the shelter say Nicodemus is a diamond in the rough and just needs to be ‘restarted.’

If you have experience with horses and would like to ride off into the sunset on this fine specimen, visit Nicodemus at the County animal shelter at 2481 Palomar Airport Road in Carlsbad. His animal identification number is A1519996. For more information, call (619) 767-2675 or visit www.sddac.com.  

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The thrill of all-electric indoor go-kart racing is coming to Chicago. The nation’s largest indoor karting company, K1 Speed, is opening its doors in America’s “Second City” and with it, introducing its trademark style of racing to a whole new group of enthusiasts. As one of the most populous cities in America, and one that is subject to severe weather for months at a time, Chicago is a natural fit for the sport of indoor go-kart racing. It is currently both underserved and an ideal location for indoor kart racing.

Unlike outdoor karting tracks, which are subject to the weather, K1 Speed’s racing centers are open every day of the year. Rain or shine, scorching heat or blistering cold, people can get away from it all and satiate their need for speed at K1 Speed’s newest track. This unique approach to year-round racing has allowed K1 Speed to bring the sport of kart racing to the masses. And yet, thanks to the company’s dedication to providing a genuine racing experience, it is still able to deliver a racing environment that will please even ardent enthusiasts.

The K1 Speed Experience

K1 Speed has been at the forefront of the indoor karting industry since first opening its doors in the town of Carlsbad – near San Diego, California – in 2003. The company rethought karting as a sport and as a recreational activity, seeking to provide solutions to the two biggest problems typical of traditional karting venues: the karts and the track. The solutions as K1 Speed saw it were simple: rethink the karts and rethink the tracks.

The most defining aspect of K1 Speed, and perhaps the one aspect that has allowed it to become the largest karting chain in the country, is its high-performance, all-electric, zero-emission go-karts. These machines are capable of speeds approaching 45mph on the company’s indoor tracks, and can accelerate to top speed almost instantly thanks to their torque-rich electric motors; all without noxious gas fumes or loud engines. Individuals accustomed to driving a 6.5-hp, lawn mower-powered go-kart are sure to be impressed with these 20-hp, electrically driven machines. Put simply, the difference is night and day.

Racing at K1 Speed Chicago

Though K1 Speed Chicago will be situated near Buffalo Grove and Addison, residents from throughout the area will be able to enjoy the thrill of wheel-to-wheel racing, thanks to K1 Speed’s popular Arrive & Drive race format. Individuals are grouped on a first-come, first-serve basis – there are no reservations or previous experience required to race at K1 Speed. One only needs to be able to safely operate the kart’s pedals and steering wheel and meet the height requirements. With the Arrive & Drive race format, up to 12 racers at a time will hit the track in a 14-lap race against the clock. While sharing the track, racers will have to vie with each other to set the fastest lap time, as the fastest lap will determine the winner!

Every event at K1 Speed is a unique occasion. Buffalo Grove features 86,000 square feet of meeting & event space that can accommodate up to 400 guests comfortably, offering a multitude of option for your event. Two indoor track layouts, a mezzanine level with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the tracks, a video arcade area with an array of games, Skybox Bar & Grill with a full service restaurant and two private dining areas and four party rooms with seating up to 120 guests.

K1 Speed is happy to accommodate groups and parties. To do so, it offers several race packages, which afford groups reserved race times, exclusive use of the track during races, and standing-start races for position. Though racing against the clock is fun, it’s more fun to race against a friend in a battle to cross the finish line first! No matter which option individuals choose, they will be rewarded with a genuine racing experience that has been tailored to satisfy everyone from novices to veteran racers alike. This is the K1 Speed experience.

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xTuple vice president Wally Tonra, account executive Stacey Pandeloglou and software engineer Tom Atkins are suiting up for the big game. That ‘big game’ – in the world of industrial distribution – is the IMARK Showcase, an annual marketing conference and trade show that gives the group’s members an inside track on the latest products for wholesale distributors.

Key decision-making members meet one-on-one with IMARK Member Services Providers, such as xTuple, to build and strengthen invaluable relationships. The event offers an excellent opportunity to network and learn.

According to Tom Atkins, who has managed distribution implementations since the mid-1990s, “Distributors have three problems: items, items and items. There are just too many items available and/or needed for one distributor to carry them all; it’s a management nightmare.”

With that universal industry pain, xTuple ERP developed a special add-on package for Wholesale Distribution called xWD, which makes its debut at the annual IMARK Showcase on April 9 and 10, 2013. xWD extends xTuple ERP software’s enterprise-class functionality for companies with sophisticated inventory control needs. Development enhancements were led by close collaboration with IMARK members.

“Time to huddle-up with this game-changing open source technology,” according to xTuple account executive Stacey Pandeloglou. “One feature of xTuple’s xWD is the external catalog which gives access – via a company such as Trade Service Integrated Products – to every offering for immediate sales fulfillment and generation of a corresponding purchase order.”

One of the primary motivations for the development of xWD was the integration of Trade Service with xTuple ERP. Established in 1931, subscription-based Trade Service, headquartered in San Diego, California (USA), serves a wide variety of distribution-heavy industries, such as electrical; plumbing; heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC/R); pipes, valves and fittings (PVF); industrial; office products; and automotive. Trade Service is a content solution for these industries helping them effectively merchandise non-stock products (which could number in the millions of items) by providing standardized price updating services, catalog content and product reference publications.

Today the Trade Service customer base includes approximately 20,000 contractors and 12,000 distributors in the U.S. and Canada.

Learn more about the xTuple-IMARK connection at https://www.xtuple.com/imark.

Tweet: @xTuple: #ERP Wholesale Distribution package debuts in Chicago w/IMARK Showcase http://www.xtuple.com/press/tip-off-distribution

Tweet: @xTuple: Distributors have 3 problems-items, items & items! What to do w/this management nightmare: http://www.xtuple.com/press/tip-off-distribution

About xTuple – World’s #1 Open Source ERP

xTuple business management software gives growing companies control over operations and profitability. xTuple integrates all critical functional areas in one modular system: sales, accounting and operations – including customer and supplier management, inventory control, manufacturing and distribution – the powerful tools to Grow Your World. xTuple delivers value, cost savings and future-focused technology.

As a commercial open source company, xTuple works with a global community of tens of thousands of professional users. xTuple gives customers the ability to tailor solutions with multi-platform support for Windows, Mac, Linux and mobile as well as flexible licensing and pricing options. Connect with the company at xTuple.com, with the open source community at xTuple.org, and join the innovation conversation at NextBusinessBlog.com.

Reference the xTuple Style Guide (xSG): xTuple.com/xSG

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The director of the UCSD Brain Observatory, Jacopo Annese, will talk about his Brain Library Project: an ambitious effort to preserve a vast archive of human brains together with their medical and life histories and the results of a variety of tests, ranging from IQ, to cognitive functioning, and personality.

UC San Diego’s Sixth College is staging the event, AUDACIOUS SPECULATIONS, between 6pm and 9pm on April 12, 2013. The presentations will take place on the UCSD campus in Atkinson Hall, the headquarters of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2).

The series of short, performative presentations will showcase how researchers, artists, activists and entrepreneurs can make “something from nothing” – transforming the titular “audacious speculations” into reality. For program details, visit the event website at http://audacious.calit2.net.

“This event is part of a broader program in which we are exploring the connections and productive tensions between realms of activity that are usually considered totally distinct,” said Eliza Slavet, co-curator of the event and Director of Art & Technology for Sixth College’s Academic Programs. “What we are really interested in is how not only artists, but rather all creative researchers (whether scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs or activists) engage in similar processes of moving from the realm of the speculative, fantastic and imaginary to the realm of material reality. By bringing together researchers who are pushing the envelope in these areas, we are seeking to understand the creative audacity that can lead to great leaps forward.”

“Audacious Speculations highlights the excitement of radical innovation at UCSD,” said Liz Losh, Director of Academic Programs at Sixth College. “This event demonstrates how the Culture, Art & Technology Program is fostering creativity and interdisciplinarity: Audacious Speculations brings together people working on cutting-edge research, audacious creativity, and curriculum design, producing an amazing experience which will inspire our students and the larger community.”

In a talk on “Smart Underwear and Biotattoos,” NanoEngineering postdoc Joshua Windmiller discusses the development of textile-based printed bioelectronics (pictured) for situational awareness, as well as temporary transfer tattoo printed biosensors and biofuel cells for epidermal integration.

The evening event will consist of 11 presentations on research that is so ambitious that people often roll their eyes in disbelief. Topics range from activist projects that transform the socio-political landscape, to scientific research and experiments that are both poetic and speculative. Documenting both existing and speculative work, the speakers will explore: movies for monkeys; a gestural language of physics; tracking trash in Tijuana; butterflies without borders; beautiful brains; biomimicry; hypnotic embodiment of wild foxes; smart underwear and biotattoos; silhouettes for the 21st century; a fashionable approach to science education; and a high-tech approach to finding your bliss.

“This promises to be one of the most eclectic and insightful meetings we have hosted here at UC San Diego,” said Calit2 UCSD division director Ramesh Rao, who will present his own work on the use of wearable electronic sensors to monitor heart-rate variability – and train the body to reduce stress and even reach a state of bliss. “We have experimented with experts in yoga, and it’s clear that the technology we are developing could become a powerful new tool for stress management.” Rao is also a professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department of the UCSD’s Jacobs School of Engineering.

Physics professor Adam Burgasser is investigating methods of embodying physics through motion, gesture and interaction, with the goal of merging conceptual and quantitative learning. His goal is to produce a functional physical language, in which equations can be expressed through dance, manipulated through the interaction of multiple actors, be utilized for physical calculation, and form the basis for aesthetic work.

“As the Provost of Sixth College, I am delighted to see events like ‘Audacious Speculations’ that stimulate a continuing dialogue that brings together scientists, engineers, social scientists and humanists from all disciplines,” said Daniel J. Donoghue, Provost of Sixth College. “We know this event will engage our Sixth College students, faculty and staff, and resonates deeply with our themes of Culture, Art and Technology. Sixth has always striven to bring these themes to students in a setting outside of the classroom.”

AUDACIOUS SPECULATIONS grew out of a new curriculum for Sixth College’s Culture, Art & Technology program. The curriculum includes four interdisciplinary courses to be taught for the first time in Spring 2013. They include:

“Music & Utopia,” taught by music professor Anthony Burr, who will look at the history of utopian projects, and how music has been often either excluded completely or placed at the center of the project. Students will work together to develop blueprints for their own utopian societies, including plans for citizenship, language, culture, and music.;

“Don’t Look Now,” with professor Joe Hankins, a sociocultural anthropologist, examining the intricate patterns through which humans interact with each other, and with animals, plants, and objects; as the students observe these patterns, they will also disturb these patterns;

·“The New (Old) Connectivity,” in which political science professor James Fowler will explore why, in order to understand the future of social networks (online and beyond), it’s critical first to understand face-to-face networks as they have existed since our ancestors huddled around fires; and

“Disturbances: Art and Technology,” with visual arts professor Ricardo Dominguez, an early pioneer in electronic civil disobedience, who will explore the creation of art works that have “created large-scale social and political responses that allow us to imagine what the future may look like.”

Qualcomm Institute director Ramesh Rao will talk about heart-rate variability and how understanding it can help reduce stress, as evidenced in experiments with Kundalini yoga practitioners meditating together and achieving moments of bliss.

Prof. Dominguez will co-emcee the evening program with history professor Cathy Gere. In addition to Calit2’s Rao, the presenters include Jacopo Annese, a professor of radiology and director of The Brain Observatory at UC San Diego; Physics professor and observational astrophysicist Adam Burgasser; environmental advocate Oscar Romo; Harvey Mudd professor of media studies Rachel Mayeri; Visual Arts MFA candidates Hermione Spriggs and Heidi Kayser; Saura Naderi, who leads Calit2’s MyLab outreach program; Materials Science and Engineering Ph.D. student Michael Porter, who develops materials inspired by those found in nature; and NanoEngineering postdoctoral researcher Joshua Windmiller from the Laboratory for NanoBioElectronics, where he develops printed biosensors, bioelectronics and biofuel cells.

Support for AUDACIOUS SPECULATIONS came from the UC San Diego Center for the Humanities, UC Institute for Research in the Arts (UCIRA), the Sixth College Parents’ Fund, Calit2 and the gallery@calit2.

Images and ephemera from the program will be exhibited in the Sixth College’s ARTifact Gallery. There will be an opening reception for the exhibition from 3pm to 5pm on April 12, prior to the event in Atkinson Hall. The gallery is located on the second floor of Pepper Canyon Hall. It is part of the Culture, Art & Technology Program of Sixth College.

The event and companion exhibit were curated by Emily Sevier and Eliza Slavet. AUDACIOUS SPECULATIONS was originally conceived by Slavet and co-emcee Cathy Gere. Twitter users are invited to follow tweets related to the event under the hashtag #AudSpec.

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Melissa Taylor of Bill Howe Heating & Air

Bill Howe Plumbing continues to encourage “paying-it-forward” spirit in all employees and plumbers in San Diego, CA. The company started with one man and one truck over 30 years ago and has grown into the Bill Howe Family of Companies serving most of San Diego HVAC, restoration and flood services and all plumbing. Bill and Tina Howe have retained the quality and trust of a small family-owned and operated business, focused on giving back to the community, without sacrificing service.

In addition to a never-ending dedication to local community outreach, Bill and Tina Howe are adding the Warrior Foundation-Freedom Station to a long list of organizations they wish to help. The Warrior Foundation-Freedom Station has a mission of helping transitioning soldiers: Military Heroes in transition that have returned home injured and/or disabled. The organization is near to Bill Howe employee, Melissa Taylor. She has a long history supporting men and women in the military; many members of her family are in the military including one of her sons serving in the United States Marine Corp, and her father who is retired from the USMC.

While the government helps to care for them medically, there is a sometimes a gap in the holistic care they need. Melissa’s response speaks to this need by reuniting them with friends and family during a time of the year that can prove so lonesome in the best of circumstances. “So far we have raised over $800 for the Warrior Foundation-Freedom Station,” said Melissa Taylor of the San Diego HVAC company, Bill Howe Heating & Air Conditioning. “In just two short weeks, everyone has proved they care and want to help. We have even raised our original goal amount and expect to exceed it with no trouble, we can’t wait to present, not just a check, but a thank you to as many military men and women as we can for the sacrifice they have made.”

The original goal for Melissa’s fundraising initiative is set at $2000; however, in the first week, through the generosity of all the company’s plumbers in San Diego, CA, she has raised over $125.00 plus an anonymous donation from one of Bill Howe’s customers. Melissa expects to exceed the original goal amount and make a difference in many soldier’s lives. “This is all so exciting, and I thank you, Melissa and Bill Howe Plumbing from the bottom of my heart for coming on board and being a part of this journey,” said Judy Sexton, on the Board of Directors for Warrior Foundation-Freedom Station, “We will never let you go.”

The Warrior Foundation-Freedom Station seeks to support our “warriors” in a number of ways to improve quality of life and ease the transition from military service to civilian life. They assist in four main groups: seriously injured just returning home; those suffering post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury; those undergoing physical therapy, and warriors who have been medically retired and remain in our community. Their mission is to be “a hand up, not a hand out.” The service they offer for transitioning military is paramount as they leave service, often wounded, and begin to rebuild a life in a culture so different from the climate in which they sacrificed for their country.

“The men and women in our military have made so many sacrifices for our benefit and helping them is the least we can do,” said Tina Howe, Vice President of the Bill Howe Family of Companies. “I am so proud that we have cultivated a company full of caring individuals who want to spread the giving spirit; it is very exciting what we can all do together.”

For more information about the giving spirit of the Bill Howe Family of Companies and their plumbers in San Diego, CA, visit http://www.billhowe.com, or to speak with Bill or Tina Howe regarding this announcement, contact Bill Howe Marketing Director, Julie Riddle at Julie(at)billhowe(dot)com.

About Bill Howe Family of Companies

Bill Howe Family of Companies is comprised of Bill Howe Plumbing, Inc.; Bill Howe Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc.; Bill Howe Restoration & Flood Services, Inc. The family-owned and operated company began in 1980 with the plumbing division and has grown into San Diego County’s largest low-cost one-stop-shop for service, repairs and installation, offering both residential and commercial services. 9085 Aero Drive, Suite B, San Diego CA 92123. Call 1-800-BILL-HOWE because We Know Howe!

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James Turnbull (American 1909-1976), Kinetic Sculpture with Flowers and Butterflies, bronze on wood base.

Kaminski Auctions would like to issue a correction to a previous statement identifying Lot 5233 as a sculpture by the artist William Turnbull. The sculpture is in fact by James Barre Turnbull, an American artist who lived from 1909-1976. A Missouri native, Turnbull was active with the WPA and later settled in Woodstock, New York. He is best known for his murals and paintings of farm life.

The William Barre Turnbull sculpture is estimated at $1,000 to $2,000.

KAMINSKI

Kaminski Auctions, located on the North Shore of Boston, has been serving the New England antiques market for over 25 years as a full service auction house and appraisal service for fine art, antiques and estates.

With two locations in Beverly, Massachusetts, including a new state of the art auction gallery located at 117 Elliott Street, and a historic 1850’s barn and office facility at 564 Cabot Street, Kaminski Auctions hosts 25 auctions a year.

In today’s highly competitive market of fine art and antiques, Kaminski Auctions provides its customers with bicoastal services and marketing with west coast offices in Beverly Hills and San Diego, California.

Kaminski Auctions offers specialty departments in Asian Art and Antiques, Silver, Glass and Lamps, Couture and Vintage Clothing, Photography and Modern Design . We have highly trained and knowledgable appraisers on staff that will help you determine the true value of your antiques, or entire collections. Free Appraisal days are offered every Tuesday from 10:00am-4:30pm at our 564 Cabot Street location in Beverly, Massachusetts & our 5171 Santa Fe Street location in San Diego, California. We welcome emailed photos of your items!

Contact Harry Morgan – hmorgan(at)kaminskiauctions(dot)com.

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The Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk’s office can help people who need vital records and property recording documents. Couples with prior appointments for wedding ceremonies can also get married. The Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office downtown is closed but drop boxes are available outside the building for those wanting to pay their property taxes or they can pay online. We will update this if additional information becomes available.

Power went out at 1:21 p.m. Friday as a result of what San Diego Gas & Electric called a “combination of factors.” Power was restored just before 2:30 p.m. 

Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk office locations and contact information

Treasurer-Tax Collector office locations and contact information

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Mumford & Sons

Mumford and Sons have announced their 2013 Summer Tour dates. It will kick off on May 21, 2013 and will go through September, 2013. The band will be performing both in the United States and Canada. Mumford and Sons will be supported in their Summer Tour by The Vaccines and Mystery Jets, two bands handpicked for this blockbuster tour.

The first stop of the tour will be at the Sasquatch! Music Festival at the Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA. The popular music festival runs from May 24 to 27. Mumford and Sons Summer Tour also includes shows on June 13 at the Bonnaroo Music Festival, an annual four-day music festival held at the Great Stage Park in Manchester, Tennessee.

Mumford and Sons are an English folk rock band formed in December 2007. The band that became popular with the hit song “Little Lion Man”, consists of Marcus Mumford (vocals, guitar, drums, mandolin), Ben Lovett (vocals, keyboards, accordion, drums), Country Winston Marshall (vocals, banjo, dobro), and Ted Dwane (vocals, string bass, drums, guitar). Mumford and Sons released their first album, Sigh No More, in the UK and Ireland in 2009, reaching the top spot in Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. The same album was released in the U.S. in February 2010 and it reached the second spot in the Billboard 200.

Mumford and Sons released their second album, “Babel”, in the U.K. and the U.S., debuting at the top spot for both countries and becoming the fastest selling album in the U.K. for 2012 and the biggest selling debut in the U.S. “Babel” won the “Album of the Year” award at the 2013 Grammy Awards.

Mumford and Sons started touring the U.K. in 2008 with other groups such as Sons of Noel, Adrian and Peggy Sue, and Alessi’s Ark, having their first appearance at the Glastonbury Festival in June, 2008. They also joined Laura Marling in an Australian tour that captivated their audience.

Mumford and Sons are currently touring in Europe and are enjoying sold out crowds in most venues. The 2013 Mumford and Sons Summer Tour tickets will be officially release for sale on Friday, April 5, 2013.

Below are Mumford & Sons tour dates for “The Summer Stampede” tour in 2013:

May 21: Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome

May 22: Edmonton, AB – Rexall Place

May 24: Surrey, BC – Holland Park

May 26: George, WA – Sasquatch Music Festival

May 27: Portland, OR – Rose Garden Arena

May 29: Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre

May 30: Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre

May 31: Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre

Jun 02: San Bernardino, CA – Glen Helen Regional Park

Jun 03: Chula Vista, CA – Sleep Train Amphitheatre

Jun 05: Phoenix, AZ – Desert Sky Pavilion

Jun 06: Taos, NM – Kit Carson Park

Jun 08: Austin, TX – Austin 360 Amphitheater

Jun 09: Austin, TX – Austin 360 Amphitheater

Jun 11: Dallas, TX – Gexa Energy Pavilion

Jun 12: The Woodlands, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Jun 13: New Orleans, LA – Mardi Gras World

Jun 15: Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo Music Festival

Jun 17: Bonner Springs, KS – Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre

Jun 20: Telluride, CO – Telluride Bluegrass Festival

Aug 02-04: Montreal, QC – Osheaga Festival

Aug 23-24: Simcoe, ON – Gentlemen of the Road Stopover

Aug 30-31: Troy, OH – Gentlemen of the Road Stopover

Sep 06-07: Guthrie, OK – Gentlemen of the Road Stopover

Sep 13-14: St. Augustine, FL – Gentlemen of the Road Stopover

CheapConcertTickets.me delivers tickets to sold out concerts and events worldwide when no one else can, and they do so at discounted prices. As a member of TicketNetworkDirect, they can guarantee the delivery of Mumford and Sons tickets along with tickets for The Eagles and Maroon 5 and Rolling Stones tickets. This trusted ticket exchange also has a large inventory of tickets for all sporting events around the World. With CheapConcertTickets.me customer service is a priority, for more information email support(at)cheapconcerttickets(dot)me.

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Gordon, the unique supercomputer launched last year by the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at the University of California, San Diego, recently completed its most data-intensive task so far: rapidly processing raw data from almost one billion particle collisions as part of a project to help define the future research agenda for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

UC San Diego Physics Professor Frank Wuerthwein. Photo: Ben Tolo/SDSC

Under a partnership between a team of UC San Diego physicists and the Open Science Grid (OSG), a multi-disciplinary research partnership funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation, Gordon has been providing auxiliary computing capacity by processing massive data sets generated by the Compact Muon Solenoid, or CMS, one of two large general-purpose particle detectors at the LHC used by researchers to find the elusive Higgs particle.

“This exciting project has been the single most data-intensive exercise yet for Gordon since we completed large-scale acceptance testing back in early 2012,” said SDSC Director Michael Norman, who is also an astrophysicist involved in research studying the origins of the universe. “I’m pleased that we were able to make Gordon’s capabilities available under this partnership between UC San Diego, the OSG, and the CMS project.”

The around-the-clock data processing run on Gordon was completed in about four weeks’ time, making the data available for analysis several months ahead of schedule. About 1.7 million core hours – or about 15% of Gordon’s total compute capacity – were dedicated to this task, with more than 125 terabytes of data streaming through Gordon’s nodes and into SDSC’s Data Oasis storage system for further analysis. Just one terabyte of data, or one trillion bytes, equals the information printed on paper made from 50,000 trees.

“Access to Gordon, and its excellent computing speed due to its flash-based memory, really helped push forward the processing schedule for us,” said Frank Wuerthwein, a professor of physics at UC San Diego and a member of the CMS project. “With only a few weeks’ notice, we were able to gain access to Gordon and complete the runs, making the data available for analysis in time to provide crucial input toward international planning meetings on the future of particle physics.”

“Giving us access to the Gordon supercomputer effectively doubled the data processing compute power available to us,” added Lothar Bauerdick, OSG’s executive director and the U.S. software and computing manager for the CMS project. “This gives CMS scientists precious months to get to their science analysis of the data reconstructed at SDSC.”

The UC San Diego-OSG collaboration comes as the LHC was shut down in February 2013 to make numerous upgrades during the next two years. One major activity during the shutdown includes the development of plans for efficient, effective searches once the LHC is back in operation. To do that – and to have time enough to upgrade equipment – researchers must also sift through massive amounts of stockpiled data to help define future research agendas.

“Unfortunately, the shutdown schedule meant that the parked data would not be available for analysis this summer, and possibly not even for deriving meaningful contributions to planning documents for future upgrades of the experiment that are due this fall,” explained Wuerthwein.

The Hunt for Dark Matter

With the recent discovery and later confirmation in March of the Higgs boson – the last missing piece of the standard model of particle physics – scientists are now setting their sights on discovering new physics beyond the standard model. The next big thing is to search for dark matter, according to Wuerthwein.

“For the Higgs, we knew exactly how to search for it given theoretical predictions based on past experimental results,” said Wuerthwein, who is heading up the search for dark matter for the entire CMS team. “For dark matter, the situation is much more hazy. We hope to produce dark matter at the LHC in cascade decays of a whole spectrum of new fundamental particles, the lowest mass of which is dark matter. But the details of this spectrum of masses are unknown. To have sensitivity to a larger range of possible mass spectra, we needed to write more data to tape so we would be able to carefully analyze it later.”

This image of a supersymmetry event shows the transverse momentum imbalance due to dark matter particles escaping the detector (direction indicated by red arrow). Red and blue rectangles indicate energy deposited in the electromagnetic and hadronic calorimeter respectively; green tracks in the center show charged particles with transverse momentum larger than 2GeV. Yellow-outlined triangles indicate jet cones or the presence of subatomic particles called quarks. Image courtesy of Matevz Tadel, UC San Diego/CMS

The origin of this spectrum of new fundamental particles is a new kind of symmetry of nature called Supersymmetry, or SUSY. “Underlying this symmetry is a fascinating but theoretical conjecture with little to no physical evidence so far,” noted Wuerthwein. “It’s fascinating because it could provide an ordering principle that allows for all known physical forces to be unified during the earliest times of the ‘Big Bang’ or birth of the universe, while providing an explanation for dark matter, and resolving some of the outstanding questions about details of the Higgs mechanism and mass.”

UC San Diego researchers and CMS team members, in addition to Wuerthwein, include Jim Branson, Vivek Sharma, and Avi Yagil, all of whom played major roles in the discovery of the Higgs particle and will continue to make meaningful contributions to future related research.

“UC San Diego has been one of the most successful institutions in the global hunt for the Higgs particle discovery at the LHC,” said Wuerthwein, who is leading the university’s search for dark matter.

Wuerthwein and his colleagues will present additional details of the CMS collaboration at the 20th International Conference on Computing in High Energy and Nuclear Physics (CHEP) to be in Amsterdam, The Netherlands October 14-18, 2013. More about UC San Diego’s role in the quest to find the Higgs particle can be found at http://physicalsciences.ucsd.edu/higgs/

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In a disaster like a wildfire or earthquake, in-home daycare providers and private childcare centers are responsible for the children of working parents. Some of those providers could be in the path of a wildfire, or in the area of an earthquake, and may need to evacuate. The County Office of Emergency Services has created a plan that clearly outlines procedures to keep children safe.

More than 5,100 specially-designed disaster plan templates were mailed out this week to licensed childcare providers, foster family agencies and group homes with guidance on how to safely evacuate children, establish relocation points, reunify children with their parents, make plans for children with special needs, and improve chances of resuming business after a disaster, said Holly Crawford, director of the County’s Office of Emergency Services.

“The County is committed to improving our regional disaster preparedness planning and helping those who are entrusted with the care and safety of our children, which is an important part of our efforts,” said Chairman Greg Cox of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. “We wanted to create this template to give parents further peace of mind when they drop off their children at day care centers.”

The state requires that childcare providers create a disaster plan. The Office of Emergency Services sought to create a comprehensive but not lengthy document for childcare providers who often have small staffs.

 “Children are among our most vulnerable populations during a disaster because they require assistance to get to safety. Particularly in facilities where kids outnumber adults, planning for disasters is a must. Our planning guide makes it easy for childcare providers to focus on the most important aspects of that planning process,” Crawford said.  

The County is also hosting a free disaster preparedness training for licensed childcare providers taught by the YMCA’s Childcare Resource Service on Saturday, April 6 at the Al Bahr Shrine in Kearny Mesa.

”Unlike school districts, private childcare providers are not linked together. In a disaster, they act independently to protect the kids in their care; that’s why this childcare disaster plan is significant,” said Debbie Macdonald, executive director of the Childcare Resources Service. “We encourage all childcare providers to take advantage of this free training and create a disaster plan.”

Get more disaster planning information at ReadySanDiego.org

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Mike “The Hulk” Easton

Mike “The Hulk” Easton, Washington DC native, will be fighting Brad Pickett this weekend at UFC on Fuel TV 9 in Stockholm, Sweden. Mike will be representing Team Lloyd Irvin in his 5th fight in the UFC.

The Hulk is 13-2 (3-1 UFC) in his MMA career with notable wins over John Dodson, Chase Beebe, and Ivan Menjivar. A well-rounded fighter, Mike Easton loves to out-strike and out-box his opponents. Don’t be fooled though, a stellar defensive wrestler, Mike is also a Black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Master Lloyd Irvin.

Despite heavy criticism surrounding his coach and team, Mike Easton has continued to represent Team Lloyd Irvin, although he spent this fight camp in San Diego training with Dominic Cruz, Eric Del Fierro and Alliance MMA.

This match against Brad Pickett has the potential to really turn things up in the Hulk’s UFC career. He came out to a roaring start with a KO of Byron Bloodworth and earning decisions over Jared Papazian and Ivan Mejivar. However, a unanimous decision loss to Raphael Assuncao has Mike itching to get back into the win column.

Will Mike be able to overcome the high-level wrestler in Brad Pickett Or will Pickett succum to the strikes and submission prowess of the Hulk

Find out this Saturday, April 5 at 2pm EST on Fuel TV.

Click here for more information on Mike “The Hulk” Easton.

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