The 33-acre estate has four homes, an organic farm, two swimming pools, and a lake.
New soft, flexible, piezoelectric wearable sensors that measure body motions and can also be produced in fashionable fabric types and embroidery patterns, have been developed.
A group representing US apparel and footwear brands and importers is urging the US Senate to approve a bill that would temporarily reduce or suspend duties on certain raw material imports.
The digitalisation of manufacturing will be the key topic at next month’s Sourcing at Magic show, with a digital apparel micro-factory set to offer live demonstrations of apparel production.
Chinese online retail giant Alibaba has questioned the credibility of America’s ‘Notorious Markets List’ after its Taobao marketplace was featured for a second consecutive year – a move that has now turned into a diplomatic row following the involvement of the Chinese government.
Affluent consumers are becoming more price sensitive as they embrace industry disruptors such as artificial intelligence (AI), Amazon and mobile technology to compare prices, according to the results of a new survey.
Air Force veteran S. Harris Pinsky will be speaking about his humorous experiences before and after the Vietnam War at the Jewish War Veterans bagel & lox breakfast 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 21 at Clubhouse Two, 24112 Moulton Parkway. Cost is $6 at the door. For information call Eileen Shapiro at 949-599-5870. Laguna Woods residents and their guests are welcome.
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The Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano invites guests to explore the grounds and find solutions to make their home more eco- friendly and sustainable. (File photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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An Ecology Center exhibit shows the distance food has to travel when not grown locally. (File photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Visitors tour the grounds of The Ecology Center at a 2017 Earth Day celebration. (File photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
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Evan Marks, founder and director of The Ecology Center, shows visitors a sustainable seafood exhibit. (File photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Paul Cannon and Damian DeRobbio perform at The Ecology Center during an event March 1, 2017. (File photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Visitors browse through the gift shop at The Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano on April 22, 2017. (File photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
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Ecology Center staff members and visitors make their way through a domed greenhouse while touring the grounds during a 2017 Earth Day celebration. (File photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Expand
San Juan Capistrano’s nonprofit Ecology Center could be getting a working farm, community gardens, a culinary/farm institute, a café and a special-events facility.
Not only would the plan expand The Ecology Center’s grow-your-own-food and sustainability programs, but it would add on-site public parking, sidewalks and other infrastructures.
The center, a popular San Juan attraction, is at 32701 Alipaz St., next to a privately operated 26-acre farm that the center hopes to meld into its programs.
City Council members liked the concept when The Ecology Center presented it Jan. 16, voting 5-0 to enter into a 90-day agreement to try to negotiate a proposal and possible terms for a lease with The Ecology Center.
The city owns both properties – the one-acre Ecology Center near the corner of Alipaz and Camino del Avion and surrounding farmland. South Coast Farms grows and sells organic produce under a lease with the city that expires in August. The Ecology Center is operating under a 20-year lease awarded by the City Council in 2016.
Evan Marks, who founded The Ecology Center in 2008, converted a 140-year-old house and a surrounding dirt lot into a discovery center he said has served more than 150,000 visitors.
“Our vision … with a greater footprint … is to build a world-class model for a community farm that inspires future generations,” Marks told the City Council.
The city purchased the land in 1990 through a bond election to preserve agriculture and community open space. The escalating cost of water has caused hardships for the farm, officials said, and over the last year, South Coast Farms and The Ecology Center discussed ways to preserve farming by making it a community-serving Ecology Center farm.
An institute would offer farming and culinary education; a “maker village” would incorporate artisan culture; a community grange would enhance South Coast Farms’ model of selling fresh produce straight from the farm, Marks said.
“This goes from a for-profit enterprise that is off-limits to a place that everyone feels is theirs,” he said. “The city was built on agriculture. You guys had a vision in 1990 to protect it. Our vision is to protect it forever. This is the business model that allows it to be protected.”
Marks said the center is prepared to invest up to $5 million and create up to 50 jobs. “Much of our work is funded through philanthropy,” he said, citing corporate and foundation partners.
Local resident Clint Worthington, addressing the council, said “it all sounds good” but that he has documented a long list of municipal code violations at the center including noise, dangerous parking situations and non-permitted activities. “City Hall, you have a horrible tenant occupying taxpayer property who is unable to follow city, state and federal laws,” Worthington said.
“If that was the case, we certainly wouldn’t be recommending that we expand our relationship and partnership with them,” City Manager Ben Siegel responded. He said the center is responsive anytime issues are raised, and proposed on-site parking can address parking issues.
Resident Steve Behmerwohld said he knows no one else in town who dislikes The Ecology Center.
“I can’t think of anything that would do more to preserve the agrarian heritage of our town than this project,” he said.
Councilwoman Kerry Ferguson said she sympathizes about noise and parking complaints and hopes the plan will provide adequate parking and a shell that projects noise away from neighbors.
“With this amount of space, it should be possible,” said Ferguson, who supported the concepts.
Councilman Derek Reeve said South Coast Farms has faced challenges, while The Ecology Center is very popular with residents and a vibrant member of the community.
“If they can make this work and provide this service to our residents and guests, I think it’s something we should certainly explore,” Reeve said.
President Donald Trump has served 365 days of his 1,461-day term of office. Here’s a look at some of the records that have been set during his first year.
Approval ratings
The president took office with the lowest approval rating of any modern president but has kept his approval percentage above 30 percent.
Compared with other presidents
The highest and lowest percentage of public approval of president’s job performance:
Executive orders
As of Dec. 20, Trump had the highest executive order average per year since President Jimmy Carter.
Jimmy Carter: 320 total orders, 80 average/year
Ronald Reagan: 381 total orders, 48 average/year
George H.W. Bush: 166 total orders, 42 average/year
Bill Clinton: 364 total orders, 46 average/year
George W. Bush: 291 total orders, 36 average/year
Barack Obama: 276 total orders, 35 average/year
Donald J. Trump: 58 total orders, 58 average/year
Turnover rate
President Trump’s had a turnover rate of 34 percent of his top advisers in his first year according to Brookings. You can read a full explanation here.
The second-highest turnover rate was half that when Ronald Reagan had 17 percent turnover in his first year in office.
Full tweet ahead
At inauguration, Trump was ranked 55th in the world on Twitter with 21.8 million followers. He has risen to 20th on the list with more than 46 million followers.
No. 1 on the list is Katy Perry, with 108 million followers.
Travel and vacations
Travel abroad
While in office Trump visited the following 12 countries as well Vatican City and the West Bank. Country visited in blue.
President Barack Obama set the record as the most-traveled president for any first year in office when he visited 21 countries. The president with the second highest amount of countries visited in the first year is George H.W. Bush, who visited 17.
The current president has visited these 30 states and territories while in office.
On course
Trump has golfed on 91 days of his presidency (as of Dec. 19), about 25 percent of his days in office.
His top three places to golf:
- Trump National Golf Club, Bedminster, N.J., 40 days
- Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach, 30 days
- Trump National Golf Club, Potomac Falls, Va., 23 days
Looking back…and ahead
You can read the White House’s press briefing on year-end accomplishments here.
Vice President Mike Pence wrote an editorial about the administration’s accomplishments. You can read that here.
Looking back:
Here are a few of the accomplishments the Trump administration claims on the Whitehouse.gov website:
- Passage of the tax reform bill
- Two consecutive quarters of 3 percent or better GDP while spending billions on hurricane relief and recovery
- Unemployment rate dropped to 4.1 percent in Dec. 2017 – lowest in 10 years
- Repeal of the individual mandate for health insurance under the Obama administration’s Affordable Care Act
- Appointment of one Supreme Court judge and the most circuit judges (12) confirmed in the first year of a president in history
- Exiting the Paris climate agreement
- Recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Israel
Looking ahead:
The administration pointed out these topics as what it is focused on in 2018:
- The president’s 70-point immigration plan
- Infrastructure
- Welfare reform
- The budget
- Eradicating Islamic State
- Encourage NATO to contribute more to defense
Sources: Whitehouse.gov, Factbase, The Pew Research Center, Gallup, The Associated Press, The American Presidency Project
Top photo: The Associated Press
LAST WEEK AGAINST THE SPREAD: 2-2
PLAYOFF RECORD: 3-5
FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 120-126-7
JACKSONVILLE AT NEW ENGLAND
Kickoff: 12:05 p.m.
TV: KCBS, Ch. 2
Outlook: Blake Bortles is one step away from a Super Bowl. Just like we all predicted. The only obstacle standing in the way of him and the upstart Jaguars is the greatest postseason quarterback of all time, the greatest postseason coach of all time, and the rest of the New England Patriots. No sweat, right? It may seem like an impossible task on the surface, but there’s precedent for a team like the Jaguars giving the Patriots issues. The Jets and Ravens of past years, with their dominant, turnover-forcing defenses were able to make Brady uncomfortable. It certainly helps Jacksonville’s cause that Brady may already be uncomfortable, after a mysterious right hand injury kept him out of practice this week. If he can’t grip or spin the football like usual, the Jaguars could take advantage. That, however, will require the other quarterback in this matchup to keep control of the football. Bortles hasn’t turned the ball over in the playoffs yet, but he had five in the two final weeks of the regular season. Brady, meanwhile, is a machine in the playoffs, and this will be his 12th conference championship, two more than any other quarterback in NFL history. If he can connect on a few deep balls against the Jaguars’ opportunistic secondary, it’s going to be hard for Bortles to keep up. It’s hard to bet against the Patriots here. But the Jaguars could certainly keep it closer than most will expect.
Player to watch: Leonard Fournette, RB. On a bum ankle, which caused him to leave the game, Fournette still carried the Jaguars offense past the Steelers with a three-touchdown effort. If Jacksonville has any hope of getting past the Patriots, they’ll need Fournette to carry them again. New England allowed just six rushing touchdowns all season, but that stat is somewhat misleading, given that most offenses had to throw to catch up with the Patriots. The more telling stat: They allowed 4.7 yards per carry, worse than 30 other teams in the NFL. Fournette might be bigger than 90 percent of the Patriots’ undersized defense, meaning there’s potential for him to break plenty of tackles. If the Jaguars can’t establish the run, they’re doomed here. So expect Fournette to tote the rock early and often on Sunday.
Line: Patriots by 7.5
Pick: Patriots, 27-24
MINNESOTA AT PHILADELPHIA
Kickoff: 3:40 p.m.
TV: Fox, Ch. 11
Outlook: At the start of the 2016 season, both Case Keenum and Nick Foles were jockeying for position on a quarterback depth chart determined by then-Rams coach Jeff Fisher. Oh, how far they’ve come. Now, one will be starting in the Super Bowl, and how both handle themselves in this crucial NFC championship showdown will go a long way in determining who receives that improbable honor. But in reality, this matchup is about defense. Two of the NFL’s best defenses will do their best to make the opposing quarterback miserable. The Vikings are the better all-around unit, with a secondary that’s been mostly dominant this season and a stout front seven to boot. The Eagles, meanwhile, are elite up front and experts at creating pressure in both the run and the pass game. If Philadelphia can make Keenum uncomfortable from the start, forcing him into mistakes, then he won’t have a chance to test its exploitable secondary. The Eagles road-grading offensive line will help mitigate the Vikings pass rush, but that leaves Foles to make plays, which has not exactly been a comfortable venture over the past few weeks. Philadelphia is better suited if this game is low-scoring — the over/under sits at 38.5 — but if Minnesota can score early, it should have the advantage. Regardless, this is going to be close.
Player to watch: Stefon Diggs, WR. The hero of the Minneapolis Miracle is riding high right now, as the Vikings head to Philadelphia for a matchup against a far worse secondary than the one he torched last week. Exploiting the Eagles defense means airing the ball out, and Diggs is the most likely target for the deep ball in Minnesota’s offense. The Eagles may choose to focus in on Diggs, but that would only leave All-Pro Adam Thielen open on the other side of the field. Chances are Diggs will get the better of the two matchups, and with confidence between him and Keenum at an all-time high, here’s betting that Diggs gets plenty of opportunity. In such a defense-heavy matchup, a big play could really turn the tide.
Line: Vikings by 3
Pick: Vikings, 22-17