“Christmas Card” movie shown at Victorian Christmas

The popular Hallmark movie “The Christmas Card,” starring Ed Asner and filmed in Nevada City, will be shown at Victorian Christmas each Wednesday.

The movie will be shown at the Alpha Building, at the foot of Broad Street in Nevada City. What a cool idea.

This December “The Christmas Card” also will be aired on the Hallmark Channel on the following dates: December – 1, 10, 11, 25, 26, and 31. Check the Hallmark Channel’s website for times (to be announced).

Energy Solutions Task Force Report going to NC City Council on Dec. 8

Here’s a press release from APPLE:

In October 2008, APPLE-NC asked Nevada City to adopt a resolution regarding Energy Scarcity and to form an Energy Solutions Task Force. The resolution was passed, and a Task Force, comprised of local businesspeople, city officials, and nonprofits, was subsequently created in 2009 to investigate specific local energy vulnerabilities (such as the unavailability of affordable fuel) and to research and propose specific solutions.

Their report, including over 100 recommendations, was completed this November and will be presented to City Council at their December 8 meeting by APPLE-NC president Tom Grundy.

APPLE-NC looks forward to working closely with Nevada City government and other local governments and businesses toward the goal of a more energy-resilient county.

Extreme right website shows sick humor directed at TSA agents

The internet has created a barrage of political websites. One of them is called “RightOnDaily.com.”

“www.RightOnDaily.com is the home of exclusive commentary by conservative leaders such as Congressman Tom McClintock, Assemblyman Dan Logue and others,” it reads. “www.RightOnDaily.com promotes Conservative candidates and causes and often finds itself at odds with the leadership of the Republican Party.”

This website also has an ad promoting “Ted Gaines for Senate.”

This week “RightOnDaily” has a post: “TSA BumperStickers Arrive (May be offensive to bureaucrats).” (TSA stands for Transportation Security Agents, who handle the controversial airport pat-downs).

“LOL. Nice,” said one reader responded to the bumper stickers.

I found the humor mostly sick and hateful and typical of how guttural our political rhetoric has become. Though there are exceptions, no doubt, the vast majority of TSA agents are just trying to do their job for $25K to $44K per year with a difficult assignment. The bumper stickers really don’t help frame a constructive dialogue.

But with extremists, that’s not the point, is it?

Estimate of TARP losses falls sharply to $25 billion

This from the L.A.Times: “The projected cost of the $700-billion financial bailout fund — initially feared to be a huge hit to taxpayers — continues to drop, with the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimating Monday that losses would amount to just $25 billion.

“That’s a sharp drop from the CBO’s last estimate, in August, of a $66-billion loss for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, known as TARP. Going back to March, the budget office estimated that the program would cost taxpayers $109 billion.

“The new, more optimistic forecast largely reflects money the Treasury Department has received as banks have repaid their loans and repurchased stock warrants. It also takes into account lower estimated costs for assistance to insurance giant American International Group Inc. and General Motors Corp., which recently held a highly successful initial public offering, the CBO said.

“Clearly, it was not apparent when the TARP was created two years ago that the cost would turn out to be this low,” the budget office said in its report. “At that time, the U.S. financial system was in a precarious condition, and the transactions envisioned and ultimately undertaken through the TARP engendered substantial financial risk for the federal government.”

Interesting, eh?

We’re happy to invest in California (Lindsay Lohan and all)

Like many families, we sock away some money when we can for our son’s college education. This year, we supplemented the small but growing stash with — imagine that — a bond in California.

Before you laugh, consider another holding: Apple Computer, bought at one third of what it is now.

The right-wing extremist blogs and even the local media editorials here — trying to build political capital rather than real capital — are bashing my home-state with cries that “the sky is falling.” Let them.

Here’s a bullish article from MarketWatch about California’s so-called “Lindsey Lohan”-like spending addiction:

“California bashing is everywhere these days —especially since Californians had the temerity not to vote Republican a few weeks ago.”

“California’s a basket case? The state has one of the highest living standards in the country, yet over the past 10 years the economy has still grown much faster, per person, than the national average. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, it’s up 15% — compared to 8.9% for the U.S. overall.

“It’s grown faster than low tax neighbors like Arizona, Utah or New Mexico. It’s grown three times faster than Texas.

“And this was from 1999 through 2009: In other words from the peak of the dot-com years through the depths of the recession. It managed this growth despite the double blows of the tech and housing busts.”

In addition, venture capitalists are putting a bigger share of their money into California today than they were in 1999.

Oh, and here’s more: “As of 2008 (the most recent year analyzed) state and local taxes in the average state came to about 9.7% of the annual state economy.

“What was it in crazy, liberal, communistical, socialistical, un-American, soviet-style California? Er, 10.5%. That’s right. The burden was all of 0.8 percentage points higher than the average.”

The full article is here.

And here’s the Lindsay Lohan perspective:

Spirit House relocates to Broad Street in Nevada City

Spirit House Import Gallery in Nevada City — a downtown stalwart — will be relocating in the New Year from 315 Commercial St. to 320 Broad Street, where Citronee restaurant had been located.

“After ten years in our little shop, it is time to grow. We are very excited about this move in the auspicious Year of Metal Rabbit,” according to Spirit House’s Facebook site. A sign also is posted on the window.

All the best to Spirit House, whose website is here.

Foothill Flowers’ spectacular Christmas tree

Sparkling tree at Foothill Flowers

From SierraCulture.com’s blog:

To our family, a decorated Christmas tree is the highlight of the holiday season. As a child, I remember sitting under ours, staring up at the colored lights and glass-blown ornaments. (A favorite, and my son agrees, is “Icicile Man.”) Some ornaments date back to the turn of the century, when my grandmother was a girl in Park City, Utah.

In the foothills, our favorite Christmas tree is the one at Foothill Flowers in Grass Valley, an institution since 1966. Freshly cut in the nearby mountains, the uniquely decorated tree (a silver-tip fur) is a longtime tradition at the Johnson’s family owned shop — well known for creating exquisite floral displays year-round, with flowers from the San Francisco flower mart.

We’re not the only admirers. “I just stopped by to see the tree,” said a woman who came by the shop on Monday.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the tree at the family owned florist. It is 26 feet tall and decorated in silver, appropriate for 25 years. “It’s always a pleasure to bring this display to the public,” Owner Marie Johnson told me. “And so many people come to see it, because it brings them pleasure.”

The Johnson’s put up their tree the weekend before Thanksgiving, in time for downtown Grass Valley’s Cornish Christmas celebration. It stays put until after New Year’s.

The dénouement, if you will, is the Santa Lucia celebration, where visitors gather around the tree for a traditional Scandinavian holiday pageant. Santa Lucia Day is celebrated in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Italy.

This year’s celebration — now in its 23rd year — is on Dec. 12 at 1 p.m. at Foothill Flowers, 102 W. Main St.

Santa Lucia was born in Sicily and burned at the stake by the Romans in 304 AD for giving her entire dowry to the needy and for unwavering belief in Christ. Legend has it that Santa Lucia’s apparition appeared in later years to stop a famine in Sweden with gifts of food.

Students from Yuba River Charter School and Nevada Union High School will present the pageant this year. The Legend of Santa Lucia will be narrated for the 23rd straight year by David Breninger, former Grass Valley City Administrator.

For more information, call 530-273-2296.

Foothill Flowers
102 W. Main St., Grass Valley
FoothillFlowers.com

“A few of our favorite things” for the holidays

Editor’s note: From Sierra FoodWineArt magazine:

Breakfast at Ike’s Quarter Cafe, Nevada City
We like the Applewood smoked ham topped with caramelized onions, eggs with a side of fresh-made bbq sauce, served with Yukon hash, potatoes and cornbread. Ike’s uses naturally raised meats, organic eggs and makes its own breads. Try some new items on the lunch and dinner menu, including cornmeal crusted trout in a brown butter pecan sauce.
401 Commercial St., Nevada City
530-265-6138 IkesQuarterCafe.com

New Day Spa at Grass Valley Courtyard Suites
The hotel has a new pool-side day spa, which offers treatment rooms, a fitness center and dry sauna. Services include deep massage, manicure and pedicures, facials and skin therapies. The hotel also has a new conference center.
210 North Auburn St., Grass Valley
530-272-7696 GVCourtyardSuites.com

Take-out barbeque at Drooling Dog BBQ, Auburn
Try a howlin’ good pulled pork or Tri-Tip sandwich or a plate of ribs at Drooling Dog’s new take-out location. Their catering also is renowned, with upscale menus such as shrimp and lamb chops, roasted vegetables and roasted tomato pasta salad. Drooling Dog is an ideal choice for holiday catering.
510 Auburn Ravine Rd., Auburn
530-886-8812; for catering, 530-906-2912 DroolingDogBBQ.com

Olive Oil, Sauces and Dressings at Tahoe House
Extra-virgin olive oil, artichoke pesto pasta sauce and roasted corn and tomato chutney are included in the store’s own line of gourmet dressings and sauces. Their baked goods include fresh-baked breads (such as Squaw Bread), sweets (Apricot pockets) and cakes (Sacher Torte). You can order a free-range turkey and sides for the holidays.
625 W. Lake Blvd, Tahoe City
530-583-1377 Tahoe-House.com

Wine and roses at Foothill Flowers, Grass Valley
An institution since 1966, the Johnson’s family owned shop creates exquisite arrangements with hand-picked flowers from the San Francisco Flower mart. Foothill also offers a selection of fine wines — from California, Oregon and Washington, as well as imports — to compliment your bouquet. The holiday window displays are among the best in the foothills.
102 W. Main St., Grass Valley
530-273-2296 FoothillFlowers.com

Homemade pasties at Marshall’s Pasties, Grass Valley
This shop makes original Cornish pasties from scratch in the historic downtown. They are rolled by hand, seasoned and baked in their own kitchen. Enjoy one during the town’s Cornish Christmas celebration or during your holiday shopping. Vegetarian pasties are offered too.
203 Mill St., Grass Valley
530-272-2844

Caramel apples at Nevada City Chocolate Shoppe
Bite into a homemade caramel apple that is cloaked in chocolate or M&Ms. Hand-dipped chocolates include cappuccino truffles, pecan turtles and almond bark. The store also specializes in homemade candies. Winter-time favorites include hot chocolate and apple cider.
236 Broad Street, Nevada City
530-265-3448

Santa, trains and toys at Nevada County Railroad Museum
For old-fashioned holiday fun, go to the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum in Nevada City. On Dec. 4, you can ride on a steam-driven train, see toy rail cars in snowy settings, even visit Santa Claus. The gift shop is a welcome reprieve from toy-store chains: It offers railroad-related toys, games, puzzles and books.
5 Kidder Ct., Nevada City
530-470-0902 NCNGRRMuseum.org

Fresh, local cuisine at Summer Thyme’s Bakery & Deli, Grass Valley
To highlight local foods, Summer Thyme’s offers a gourmet multi-course meal that lets owner Any Cooke display her culinary talents. It is on the third Saturday of each month, by reservation only. Examples include pumpkin soup with apple confit and crème fraîche; roasted Moscovy duck with pancetta; wild rice and apple-almond torte.
421 Colfax Ave. and 134 S. Auburn St., Grass Valley
530-273-2904, 273-YUMM SummerThymes.com

Wine Clubs of foothill wineries
Most foothill wineries offer wine clubs. We belong to several of them. You can be a “Peaker” at Pilot Peak, join Lone Buffalo’s “Bison Waller Club” or Sierra Starr’s “Sirius Sipper” club, among others. Members receive discounts on wine and related merchandise and invitations to special events.

TEDx Grass Valley coming Dec. 7

Here’s a press release for an innovative conference coming here on Dec. 7, featuring some of our most successful women entrepreneurs, political and civic leaders:

Popular KVMR talk radio program See Jane Do and the Insight Directory will present TEDxGrassValley, a regional version of the popular TED conference, Tuesday, December 7, 2010 at Unity in the Gold Country, 4:30-8:30pm. The independently produced event, operated under license from TED, is organized around the upcoming TEDWomen conference, on December 7 and 8, 2010 in Washington DC.

In an unprecedented partnership, TED and The Paley Center for Media will produce the first-ever TEDWomen: a gathering of global thought leaders and innovators in Washington, DC, connecting to thousands of online participants and self-organized events around the world. The cross-disciplinary, cross-generational program will focus on how women think and work, communicate and collaborate, learn and lead. The program will explore what this means and why it matters to all of us.

TEDxGrassValley will feature live streaming of the final session from the first day of TEDWomen. These talks include: The First Ladies of Africa – A moderated conversation with the First Ladies of Sierra Leone and Malawi, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi who will address women’s leadership, Yang Lan who will talk about the future for China as being shaped by Chinese women, and a musical performance by Angelique Kidjo.

TEDxGrassValley will also feature a handful of the region’s leading women thinkers, innovators, artists, leaders and philosophers to address “how women and girls are shaping the future” in our community.

Guest speakers include:

Reinette Senum is one of the founders of APPLE (Alliance for a Post-Petroleum Local Economy) dedicated to educating the community on the effects of oil depletion/global warming and the benefits of strong, local economy. She is also a current Councilwoman and former Mayor of Nevada City, CA. Reinette’s work with the city has included energy audits on all city-owned buildings, as well as solar installments on city hall, Pioneer Park public pool and the city yard. She is also the first woman to cross Alaska on skis.

Ginny Woods comes from a family of healers. She is a mother, grandmother, registered nurse, Traditional Chinese Acupressure Therapist, certified Chinese massage therapist and instructor, Reiki master teacher, certified Feng Shui consultant, and an ordained Tibetan Buddhist nun. She has been a midwife, paramedic nurse, hospice practitioner, and created her own preschool.

Rainy Blue Cloud, was one of the youngest candidates to run for office in California during the 1998 elections. At just 19, Rainy made history running for a seat on the City Council of Nevada City. Her platform included advocacy for the arts, the environment and civil rights. Rainy’s story garnered national attention and she was featured on Democracy Now! She has been a youth representative to the United Nations and has since directed her activism towards indigenous and aboriginal issues. She is also the Captain of the North San Juan Volunteer Fire Department.

Poet and essayist Molly Fisk writes and teaches in Nevada City, CA. She’s the author of the poetry collections: The More Difficult Beauty and Listening to Winter; her latest CD of radio commentary is Blow-Drying a Chicken. Molly teaches Writing to Heal to cancer and cardiac patients and runs the well-known on-line workshop Poetry Boot Camp. She speaks nationally on poetry, innovation, feminism, and child abuse, and was recently featured at TEDxSanFrancisco.

Chameli Ardagh is a leading pioneer on contemporary feminine spirituality and the founder of Awakening Women Institute (http://awakeningwomen.com). She is the initiator of a global network of women’s groups, an online Women’s Ashram, and author of 3 books and a DVD series on feminine empowerment and spirituality. She also is the co-creator of the Deeper Love retreat together with her husband, Arjuna.

Elisa Parker is the co-founder, producer and host of the award-winning program, See Jane Do. As a social change organization, See Jane Do redefines media for women and the power of story to create positive change. Serving as an activist for women, social justice, and the environment, Elisa’s work takes her around the world to discover and share the extraordinary stories and solutions in each of us.

Suzie Daggett, has published the Insight Directory since 2002, a twice-yearly publication for the Sierra Nevada Foothills with listings of healing arts practitioners, products and services promoting healthy, sustainable living with a circulation of 12,000. In 2005, Suzie created Insight Lectures, offering three to five high quality lectures to the public featuring national wellness speakers.

Jesse Locks is the co-founder and co-producer of the award-winning program, See Jane Do. She has worked in independent music and publishing for over ten-years, most notably for the trailblazing and critically acclaimed Arthur Magazine. She is the Festival Director for the Nevada City Film Festival and the PR Director for the Wild & Scenic Film Festival. Jesse is also deeply involved in the community as a Master Gardener, a Board of Director for the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce, a Friendship Club Angel and a board member for the Sierra College Coordinating Council.

About TEDxGrassValley
In the spirit of “ideas worth spreading,” TED has created TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxGrassValley where x = independently organized TED event. At TEDxGrassValley, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.

TEDxGrassValley is produced with generous support from KVMR, NCTV, The FARM, Unity in the Gold Country, Kial James Design, Spiral Studios, and BriarPatch Co-op.

Creating “community sizzle” in Grass Valley

The Grass Valley City Council will hold a study session on Tuesday at 3 p.m. at City Hall to discuss economic development, as I reported previously.

Though the local press hasn’t “dug deeper,” the web lets you link to the staff report, a detailed, thoughtful document. I have linked to it here and summarized the strategy below:

Strategy 1: Promote primary job growth — “ready for the next wave”
“Work with ERC in developing a list of priority employment clusters (i.e. video
tech, multi-media; electronic equipment; software and hardware development).”

Strategy 2: Enhance tourism draw and offerings
Conduct a focused Mayor’s Tourism Summit in winter 2011. Develop and implement a “Marketing Action Plan” for summer and fall 2011.
Support the implementation of the master facility plan for the Center for the Arts.
Work in a collaborative effort to advance the improvement of this facility so it can better serve as the performing arts center for Western Nevada County.

Stragtegy 3: Create Community Sizzle – The look and feel of a Great Town
To grow and improve the “WOW” factor for every person coming into our community by investing in making great places and spaces for people to enjoy.
•Create and implement a “buy local” program
•Implement beautification street-scape projects for downtown.
•Construct entry way projects (Richardson & East Main and Neal and S. Auburn Streets).
•Expand parking opportunities

Stratgegy 4: Pursue new opportunities for retail and commercial businesses
•This includes working with 2-5 national/regional level retailers to locate in Grass Valley.

Strategy 5: Lessen regulatory challenges or requirements
•Identify key properties and/or business owners in core business districts who wish to develop or redevelop their property/building.
•Evaluate current City Development Impact Fees as to their applicability and use in the development process. Create policy options for how the fees may be applied with greater flexibility (i.e. deferral options, fee credits, offsets).

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