Belmont Shore Car Show Sunday September 13

The Bay City Rodders produces the Belmont Shore Car Show, one of southern California’s top shows. This year’s show will take place on September 13, 2009.

The show is held on 2nd Street in Belmont Shore which is part of Long Beach. A large number of blocks of 2nd Street are closed off for the day and the show takes place on the city street. This is a terrific location because this section of Belmont Shore is loaded with restaurants and shops so there is plenty to do and see. The show draws about 700 vehicles and boasts a huge number of street vendors selling automotive related goods as well as many other things. Because the show draws a huge spectator crowd, it has a terrific amount of excitement and energy. This one is not to be missed whether you have a car or just come to look at cars. The level of quality of the cars at this show is second to none. If you want to see a huge number of the finest rods, muscle cars, and customs to be found in Southern California, you don’t want to miss this show.

To see more photos of cars that will most likely be at the show visit our Flickr page. 

$25 Restaurant Gift Certificates for $1!!

Restaurant.com is running a n 90% off $25.00 gift certificate special through September 13th!    You can browse through hundreds of local restaurants including Seal Beach favorites The Abbey and Cafe Lafayette.   Most restaurants require a minimum purchase of $35 to get the $25 discount.   To get the discount you just need to add to your cart, purchase and print.   Some people have reported having to use a discount code if so it’s NINETY.   Check it out the offer expires soon!  Visit Restaurant.com

Celine and Elvis Perform Live? Aw C’mon…

Alamitos Bay Stand Up Paddleboard Race a Success

 

August 29th was the first “official” Alamitos Stand-Up paddle board race and according to Matty Mitchell, the event organizer, “It was a great success!”  

There were 64 people entered..more women than men!  According to Mitchell the women seem to do better than the guys because they don’t try to “muscle” the boards and, consequently,  the seem to get a better flow through the water. Matty said that even though it is a relatively new exercise in Southern California it started long ago in Hawaii.  

Recent  technology in boards has made big boards that one can stand on that only weigh 25 lbs. Prices for boards can vary from $800 for a regular stand-up to as much as $2,500 for an 18 footer.

The race was a three mile tour around the bay and the women’s trophy was won by Shelly Stazis and  the men’s category  was won by local Chiropractor Tom Gallagher. (I forgot to ask who came in first?

For a video of the beginning of the race go to: http://vimeo.com/6374873

Belmont Shore Mom helps young Tibetan girls at risk

Deep in the southern part of the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau, there is a Tibetan Autonomous Region where 99% of the populations are of Tibetan descent. Tibetan is the native language and Buddhism is embodied in the local culture. 

A California woman, Lynn Velez, a friend of  “Whats Up in Seal Beach”  who lives in Hong Kong, has responded to the plight of the needs of these young women and girls. Lynn is well known by us and her hard work and honesty are above reproach. She takes absolutely no compensation for her efforts. (In fact she and her husband are large  donors to the project both in work and cash.) 

 

The girls  come from very poor families who cannot afford to look after them. Some of the girls are from families who “gave” them to other families as house-maids to pay-off generational loans or to receive food and cash so the rest of the family could survive.  Even though it is required by law to send children to school for 9 years, many of these nomadic families do not value formal education and instead keep their girls at home to work because of necessity. 

The SGH is fully “endorsed” by the Local and Provincial Chinese Government… unfortunately that doesn’t include financial help. but even though its only partially built the Seng Girls Home is already  becoming a sanctuary for these Tibetan girls. A school is currently being built; however, there are other necessities that are needed.  Here is the very modest “Wish List” for the Seng Girls Home .

–Bathroom and Toilet. $12,650. At present they use an outdoor privvy. Winter  temps approach minus 25 degrees- –  THIS MUST  BE COMPLETED BEFORE THE FIRST SNOW!   Right now they bath once or twice a year- – only in the summer when water is warmer. Likewise their only blanket is washed once a year. It’s heavy material and needs two or three days to dry..again, only in summer.

 

 

  -Kitchen-$4,500. The kitchen is a simple two burner gas outlet and several large pots. The girls are happy with     these because they are eating regularly but more girls are coming every day and the kitchen must be enlarged. not enough funds to complete it.                          

Seeing the beginnings of their sleeping quarters

     Completion of new Dormitories – $12,100 The 40 girls currently live in the main house but will move into dormitories once completed.  The goal is to eventually accommodate 100 girls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capital Fund for Education–$20,800 – This is for 20 computers, printers, a library with bookshelves, teacher’s resources and a desk and chair for each child. The girls are learning English as well as Tibetan and the Chinese are not insisting on Chinese. Even though they just have rudimentary tools they are excelling at their studies.  And they LOVE IT!

Anything you can give, $5, $20, or more  – – will be of MONUMENTAL help to these girls.  Of course if you can find a BIG donor that will also be very helpful but don’t think that $5 isn’t important.  It is.

Further Information:  Simply contact Lynn Velez at lrvelez@hotmail.com  or call +86 13603012442.

 To donate send your check to ‘Friends of Hong Kong Charities Inc’. 

Friends of Hong Kong Charities, Inc, and mail it to:
Lynn Velez, c/o Alan Mutke,
207 La Verne Ave,Long Beach, Ca 90803.

(Alan is Lynn’s  Father.) 

We will make sure your donation gets to Lynn ASAP.

Important Notes:
 
Make sure to include your name, address and email details so “Friends of Hong Kong Charities” can send you an IRS Tax Redemption Letter. The 501 (3) C U.S. Tax I.D Number for this Charity is: 30-0136665.

Please also note which project your donation is supporting (if no project is mentioned we will use our discretion to apply it where it is most needed).  

The Tibetan girls thank you for your support and we will have a website by Christmas so you can see the results!

The Day Senator Edward Kennedy Renewed My Faith in Politics

The world is still mourning the loss of Senator Edward Kennedy, “The Lion of the Senate”. He will forever be remembered for his relentless pursuit of economic and social justice for all Americans. His ability to see the issues of the day from a historical view rather than the popular view of the time made him revolutionary.

I was fortunate enough to be able to witness this extraordinary man speak on the Senate Floor in the spring of 2003. It was my first trip to Washington D.C. and as a lover of history, every structure and every street held significance to me. I soaked in the city as much as I could. And yes, I did the touristy things. I visited the National Museum of American History and the National Air and Space Museum. I fell in love with the Smithsonian, stared at the Wright Brothers Flyer, laughed at Archie Bunkers chair and marveled at how tiny Dorothy’s ruby red slippers really are. But of all the spectacular sites, exhibits and structures I was able to gaze upon, none compared to the unexpected gift I received as I sat in the visitors’ gallery of the United States Senate Chamber of the 108th Congress.

I sat nervously at first, careful to remember and adhere to all the rules given prior to entering the visitors’ gallery. Do not stand, applaud take notes, read or take photographs. No leaning on the railing or placing hands on railing. I could see the entire senate floor from my perch above the Chambers. I saw him immediately. His white hair and smile drew my eyes directly to him. He sat talking to a colleague, looking comfortable and relaxed. Then it came time for him to speak. The smile faded in to a grin and his eyes scanned the room and he began.

I was witnessing Senator Edward Kennedy from Massachusetts speak on the Senate Floor of the 108th Congress. He spoke with passion and common sense. On that day, in honor of Cesar Chavez Day, he spoke of his fight, an ongoing one, to raise the minimum wage. I was mesmerized. He was an eloquent speaker with a booming voice that captured you with the first word. He spoke of the working poor and how many families work 40 hours a week but still fall below the poverty level. He talked about college students and their struggles with employment and the minimum wage.

In the time Senator Kennedy spoke, my faith in the political process was renewed. I had previously believed that nobody cared or related to the problems of the average person. But there I was, listening to the passion and genuine concern from a politician. There was only a dozen or so people on the senate floor but he spoke as if there were a thousand. As I sat and took in my moment of history, I thought of my college years and how I complained about my low paying part time jobs and struggled to pay for school. I know now that during that time, a thousand miles away, an Irishman from Massachusetts was and had been fighting for me. The world has lost a treasure and I hope his spirit will live on in the hearts of all Americans.

“If his life and death had a meaning, it was that we should not hate but love one another; we should use our powers not to create conditions of oppression that lead to violence, but conditions of freedom that lead to peace. ” Senator Edward Kennedy, four months after the passing of his brother President John F. Kennedy.

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