A Bigger Celebration for the Smaller Farms
This Halloween, we’re celebrating family farms and their dedication to the land they live on and the delicious food they produce. To join in on the party, come into any Chipotle on Halloween from 6 pm to closing dressed in a costume inspired by the family farm and we’ll hook you up with a burrito, bowl, salad, or an order of tacos made with responsibly raised ingredients for just $2.
Have some fun with your costumes. Think crops, farm tools, tractors, silos, or farm animals. Get the proverbial creative juices flowing and you might have a shot at winning a prize in the Costume Contest.
In support of our family farming friends, we’re donating the proceeds, up to $1,000,000 to The Chipotle Cultivate Foundation and Farm Aid, two non-profit organizations working to keep farmers on the land and nurture a better agricultural system.
Need a little encouragement to squeeze back into that cute cow costume you wore when you were 5? Well, that may not happen, regardless of the prize. But a shot at $2,500 should get your creativity up and running.
To enter the contest:
• Take a photo of your family farm-inspired costume on Halloween inside or in front of a Chipotle restaurant (make sure we can tell that you’re at Chipotle in the photo).
• Submit it at chipotle.com/boorito or text your photo and keyword “COSTUME” to 888222 between October 31st and November 8th.
• Give our costume experts a few days to look at all of the entries.
• Check back on November 15th to see if your smiling face is in the winners gallery.
Check out the full contest rules.
gdgt live in Los Angeles (free / all-ages)
Friday, October 28, 2011 from 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM (PT)
Los Angeles, CA
Great news, Los Angeles friends — gdgt live is coming to LA for the first time. Join us at Club Nokia on Friday, October 28th. As usual, this event is free, all-ages, and open to the public — so invite your friends!
We’ll have free gdgt t-shirts and cellphone cases for the first few hundred people who show up, not to mention a bunch of great giveaways (and tons of the latest and greatest gadgets to play with).
For more details and to RSVP, click here: https://blog.gdgt.com/gdgt-live-comes-to-los-angeles-on-october-28th/
Get there early and you’ll have your choice of a sweet gdgt t-shirt or smartphone case just for showing up. There will also be chances to win some amazing gear like a Lenovo X120e laptop, a Sonos PLAY:3, the new E-PM1 from Olympus, a SHOWXX+ laser pico projector from MicroVision and lots more.
Here are some other cool things happening at (and after) the event…
Windows Phone After Party – The fun doesn’t have to end at 10:00pm, but you’ll have to keep a watch on the gdgt blog and @gdgt Twitter feed on Monday for more details on this.
AT&T Revolve Project – At every stop on the gdgt live 2011 Tour, AT&T has been asking folks too bring in their old cell phones so they can take a video of them as part of their Revolve Project which showcases the evolution of mobile technology. The best part… if you don’t want that phone anymore, leave it with AT&T and they will recycle it through Cell Phones for Soldiers, a charity organization that turns old cellphones into phone cars for our troops overseas.
WeVideo – Make sure to take some video at the show and visit the WeVideo table so they can show you how to upload it to the cloud. Once there, they will edit it all into one very cool crowdsourced video of the event.
Logitech – The first 20 people to bring an old mouse or keyboard to the Logitech table will walk away with a brand new Logitech color mouse.
Postcards on the Run – During the show, you’ll be able to turn your photos into real, old school postcards for free thanks to the winner of our startup table giveaway contest. Just snap a photo, write a message, and send it off to someone in your address book and they will receive an honest-to-goodness postcard in the mail. Just make sure you download the app in advance.
Check out the Windows Phone after party at gdgt live in LA this Friday! More info: https://gdg.to/ueOUgV #gdgtLA
gdgt Live in LA opens to the public at 8:00pm and the event ends at 10:00pm. As always, admission is free, the event is open to all ages and there are free gdgt t-shirts or smartphone cases for the first several hundred attendees. In LA, they’ll even have an open bar for the 21+ crew.
In addition to the free stuff, there will be plenty of chances to win serious gear like a Lenovo laptop, Olympus E-PM1 camera, Sonos PLAY:3, and lots more.
To RSVP, go to https://blog.gdgt.com/gdgt-live-comes-to-los-angeles-on-october-28th/. If you’d like information on attending the one-hour press preview from 7:00pm – 8:00pm, contact Barry Myers at Barry [at] gdgt [dot] com.
When: Friday, October 28th, 2011 from 7:30pm – 10pm
Where: Club Nokia, 800 West Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles
Who: Over 25 of the hottest brands in tech.
How: This event is free, all-ages, and open to the public. Invite your friends! RSVP below.
Bring your old mobile phones for AT&T’s Revolve Project
Have you heard about AT&T’s Revolve Project? They’re creating a video that shows the evolution of mobile technology, so bring in those old devices we know you have tucked away in the back of the closet and be a part of it! Here’s a sneak peek.
If you bring in phones that you no longer want taking up drawer space, they’ll recycle them through Cell Phones for Soldiers, an organization that turns recycled phones into phone cards for the military. Don’t worry though, if you’d like to keep your hall-of-fame-worthy phones, you are welcome to bring them home too.
Also, want to talk about this event on Twitter? Use #gdgtla as the official hashtag!
More info on gdgt!
Los Angeles Magazine
The Food Event 2011
Sunday, October 23rd, 1-4pm
6th annual culinary extravaganza featuring celebrity chefs, top restaurants and wine, beer, and spirits tastings.
The Food Event 2011 is Los Angeles magazine’s sixth annual culinary extravaganza. The day features great chefs, culinary experts, sommeliers, plus lots of food, wine, and other treats — all for one price. Watch celebrity chefs in the demonstration kitchen and participate in panels with the experts in the Conversation Lounge. The icing on the cake that sets this culinary event above others is the incredible rural setting, the Saddlerock Ranch in Malibu, home to Semler and Saddlerock wines. The ranch boasts acres and acres of natural beauty, vineyards, rolling hills, animals like llamas and zebras, and space to spread out and relax for a true escape from the city, but with just a short drive.
https://www.lamag.com/thefoodevent
DC Fast Chargers key to expanding range of electric vehicles
PORTLAND, Ore. – Monday, October 24, 2011 – Alongside Oregon elected officials and electric vehicle (EV) advocates, ECOtality, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECTY), a leader in clean electric transportation and storage technologies, today celebrated the Company’s first Blink® Direct Current (DC) Fast Charge installation at the Hollywood Fred Meyer store in Portland, Oregon. The UL-listed Blink DC Fast Charger provides the fastest EV charging rates currently available and can charge a Nissan LEAF to 80 percent capacity in under 30 minutes.
“The Blink DC Fast Charger provides electric vehicle owners a faster and more convenient method to charge and is critical to extending the driving range of EVs,” said Don Karner, President, ECOtality North America. “This installation at the Hollywood Fred Meyer in Oregon marks the start of the Blink DC Fast Charger rollout, as we begin deploying these stations over the upcoming months in EV Project markets. ECOtality is excited to partner with local stakeholders in this first step toward the full electrification of the nation’s transportation network with this advanced charging technology.”
Blink DC Fast Charger installation at Portland, OR Fred Meyer – Photo courtesy of Jennifer Kilcoin
“With a third of all oil burned in cars, electric vehicles will play a key role in breaking America’s addiction to oil and giving us back control over our own economy,” said U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley. “Today’s installment of a fast charging station at the Hollywood Fred Meyer is a step in the right direction to get more electric cars on the road. I’m thrilled that Oregon is a leader in electric vehicles and I look forward to helping more Oregonians say ‘goodbye’ to gas stations.”
The Blink DC Fast Charger is rated at 60 kW (200-450 VDC, up to 200A) and provides a quick and safe method of charging EVs. Ideally suited for high-traffic commercial locations and major transportation corridors, the dual-port charger features two CHAdeMo compliant EV charging connectors and provides an intuitive connector dock for storage and protection. The charger features two interactive touch screens and a 42” color display for media and messaging. With real time communication capabilities, the Blink DC Fast Charger features an internal energy meter, which supports energy usage data evaluation.
“We are witnessing a growing demand for electric vehicles, and want to provide a service that meets our customers’ needs,” said Michael Ellis, president of Fred Meyers Stores. “We’re excited to partner with ECOtality and be a part of the development of this critical network.”
Working closely with the local utility, Pacific Power, and food retail chain, Fred Meyer, the installation is the first deployed within The EV Project and one of the first fast charge locations open to the public in the nation. The Hollywood Fred Meyer location was chosen using criteria developed through the Micro-Climate™ process, which takes into account a variety of factors including traffic patterns, regional attractions, and retail hubs, as well as the input from many regional partners.
“Pacific Power shares Fred Meyer’s commitment to improve our communities and the lives of everyone living in them,” said Pat Egan, vice president of customer and community affairs for Pacific Power. “We applaud the company’s dedication to sustainability and are pleased that Fred Meyer and ECOtality chose the Hollywood District as a site for the first publicly available Blink DC Fast Charge facility in Pacific Power’s service area.”
ECOtality is the project manager for The EV Project, and is tasked with supervising the construction of the largest deployment of EV infrastructure to date. The $230 million public-private initiative is funded with a $114.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The EV Project includes 16 states and major metropolitan areas, and will result in the installation of over 14,000 charging stations, over the course of three years.
Next Wave of Foreclosures Over 1.5 Million
Many homeowners are facing foreclosures as the banks start foreclosure proceedings, quick to act on foreclosing homes banks are apparently anxious to start kicking those owners having difficulties out of their homes.
With a large percentage able to continuing making payments if allowed a loan modification, other homeowners fall into the category of they just can’t afford the house, because of loss of jobs, hardships and more.
The banks are ruthless when it comes to negotiating ways to keeping people in their homes.
This is really where the government needs to crack down on the banks and mortgage companies and investigate their practices. Is there a hotline where a government agency could intervene on the behalf of owners and ask why banks are either not acting or active out of some irrational agenda?
If you are an investor, is this a good time to buy real estate? Perhaps if you are able to buy the property at well below todays market prices.
Attention Foreigners Buy a US Home Get A Free 3 Year Visa
For one of the programs that fall under the who thought of it? Some in congress are proposing that to boost the housing market we pass a law that gives foreign home investors a 3 year visa in the US in exchange for buying a $500k home.
Has it passed? Will it pass?
Some are really pushing this as a housing market fix.
Wal-Mart Holiday Price Matching
Wal-Mart announced a new holiday price-matching strategy, giving a big incentive: a guarantee the lowest prices no matter when they buy during the season.
Matching prices on all its products — even after the purchases are made.
Buy a product — whether on its website or in its stores — from Nov. 1 to Dec. 25 but then find the identical item for less at a rival later will receive a gift card for the price difference.
To qualify, shoppers need to bring in the original Wal-Mart receipt and the local competitor’s print ad. Gift cards will not be given out after Dec. 25.
The Media’s Effect on Your Health Care Decisions
Thursday, October 27, 2011
7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
The Crawford Family Forum
474 South Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91105
Get directions
Consumers are bombarded daily with confusing and often conflicting medical information via traditional and digital media channels.
Join City of Hope, hosted by KPCC, for a thought-provoking community forum about how consumers can make better informed medical decisions. Health care academicians and professional journalists will also discuss how media stories affect patient demands, doctors’ behaviors and healthcare trends.
The panel will be moderated by Val Zavala, Vice President of News and Public Affairs at KCET-TV, and will include David H. Newman, M.D., Director of Clinical Research for the Department of Emergency Medicine at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, and Julia Seifer, Senior Manager of Special Projects at ABC7, Eyewitness News.
Admission is FREE, but RSVP’s are required.
6:30 p.m. – Reception
7:00 p.m. – Program
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Sponsor: City of Hope
Type: Community Engagement
The Crawford Family Forum
474 South Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91105
There’s been much written in recent weeks about Steve Jobs in light of his death.
On 60 Minutes.
He wanted to believe in an afterlife. But sometimes like a switch.
Complained about Microsoft and Google.
Complemented Facebook.
Here’s some images of the Table of Contents:
Table of Contents https://yfrog.com/j2xilqnj https://yfrog.com/ocpktvj
Some things we are learning, other things we already knew.
1. apparently working on something big, a new disruptive category, perhaps a TV replacement.
2. trained his top executives
3.