Minnie

By: Gracee Arthur

Malibu Pet Companions has been a favorite charity of mine ever since its inception in 1998. I adopted my cat Minnie in 2006 from Pet Companions and helped them adopt out her brother, Stanley and sister, Mouse, as well. Last Saturday I attended a gala benefit for Malibu Pet Companions hosted by Dick Van Dyke at the Malibu Estate of Dr. Amarfit Marwah and his wife Kuljit. The event also honored my veterinarians at Malibu Coast Animal Hospital for their humanitarian work on behalf of animals. Doctors Dean, Dana, Lisa, Victor, Brian and Jim were honored for their work with the Agoura Animal Shelter, which deserves the highest of praise. Dr. Dana helped save the life of a sweet kitten I found lying on the Pacific Coast Highway a few years ago and with the help of Malibu Pet Companions that kitten is now a happy cat living near Broad Beach.

Dr. Marwah’s pastoral property provided a lovely back drop for the music of the Symphomaniax on the warm spring evening. The event was catered by Richard Chesterfield’s Monrose Catering and featured four food stations including vegan selections. The attendees were a mix of Malibu Pet Companion supporters and supporters of the Woodland Hills Rotary Club which was co-sponsoring the event. The combining of the two charities seemed natural with the Rotary Club supporting children’s charities and helping to provide clean water, food and education to the needy in third world countries. The event, which included a silent auction was a huge success, over sold by 60 people making a total of 360 attendees!

Many people are under the impression the Agoura Animal Shelter is a “no kill shelter” but unfortunately that is not the truth. However, with the help of Malibu Pet Companions and the residents of the surrounding communities of Malibu, Agoura Hills and Westlake, the shelter is able to adopt out most of its animals. According to Robin Kahr, MPC President for the last 5 years, the group has funded medication, medical care, surgeries and foster homes for homeless and injured pets who wind up in the Agoura Animal Shelter. I hope all of you who read my blog will consider adopting a pet from the shelter and donating to MPC so they may continue to provide assistance to abandoned pets. Whenever I have a pet pass away or adopt a new one I make a donation on their behalf to Malibu Pet Companions. I hope all of you will consider making a contribution, as well.

RFID, Radio frequency identification, is a term I have just learned about. Instead of bar codes, many of the communities in the area, including Hidden Hills are now using them for resident gate entrance. I was surprised that they are also being used in credit cards and passports.  Recently, I received an email from my son-in-law with a link to a video that astounded me. The video shows how someone can scan your cards even if they are in your wallet and purse by reading the radio frequency. It looks like a wireless icon on your cell phone or computer. If your credit card has one (about 1/3 of all cards do) a thief can scan your card and obtain the account number and expiration date.

A short time ago, I received a metal case from a friend. She said it protects her credit cards. Instead of carrying them in her wallet, she carries them in this case. Now I know what an appropriate gift that is.

We are all trying to protect our identities today. We use shredders, we call our credit card firms when we are going to be traveling and we watch our cards carefully. Technology is great but we have to be proactive in protecting ourselves.

By: Gracee Arthur

The marine layer is gone making early morning hours perfect for a walk on the beach. Malibu has terrific beaches on its 27 miles of coastline and some of my favorites are in the west end of town. Westward, Zuma, Broad Beach, West Sea Level and the great beaches of the Encinal Bluffs (El Matador, El Piedro, El Pescador) each have there own special environments. The weather will be a temperate in the low 70′s , so what better than to cruise down to Malibu and enjoy the Pacific Vista and then enjoy a meal, shopping or the Farmers Market.

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Brunch is served at Kristy’s , Savory, The Sage Room and the Sunset Restaurant on Sundays and the Farmers Market, which also serves food, is open from 10AM to 3PM.

By: Karen Lee

Join The Rotary Club of Simi Sunrise in the 23rd Annual Cajun and Blues Music Festival. The event will take place over Memorial Day Weekend and benefit both Cajun people and residents of the Simi Valley. The Festival began in 1988 when it started as a Clambake to fundraise for the Rotary Club. After two years of a New England themed festival, the Cajun concept was adopted and has continued ever since. From 1988 onward, the festival has raised over $1,500,000 in donations.

This year’s festival will feature four different types of music, Cajun, Creole, Zydeco, and Blues across multiple stages during the event. Along with the music, there will be over 150 booths providing food, music and crafts. Each day, visitors are encouraged to join the Mardi Gras Parade with festival performers who will be sporting stilts or other Cajun inspired costumers. During music breaks, Cajun and Zydeco dance lessons will be taught by AJ Gibbs; something are great for the whole family to partake in.

Tickets for the event can be purchased at the box office between 9am-6pm during the Festival. They may also be bought online at TicketWeb. General Admission is $20, Kids (5-12 years old) are $15 and Kids 5 years old and under are free. Tickets are currently available online and will be sold through May 25th. After the 25th, all other tickets will be sold at the box office during the festival.

I attended this event last year and had a blast. I highly recommend going!

On Saturday, May 19 there will be a used clothing and electronic waste collection event held at the Los Toros Mexican Restaurant in Chatsworth. The Chatsworth/Porter Ranch Chamber of Commerce is hosting the event and all proceeds will directly benefit the Kiwanis Club of Chatsworth. The Chatsworth Kiwanis Club began in 1994 and was created by several residents of Chatsworth. Their mission is “to make their community a better place for children, by assessing local needs, design service projects to address those needs, then raise the funds and provide the volunteers needed to conduct those projects”.

The event will begin at 11am on Saturday and last through 4pm. Volunteers will be collecting used clothing as well as electronic waste such as cellphones, toys, or computers for safe disposal. They will not be accepting damaged TVs or monitors as well as refrigerators, fluorescent light bulbs or batteries. When you drop off your electronic waste, you can enter to win a new 7 inch Android tablet. For more information about the event you can visit their website at chatsworthkiwanis.org or the event Facebook page.

Ascend into greatness. Explore the grandeur of homes throughout Calabasas and see how a select few move from one floor to another.

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By: Karen Lee

Over the past few weeks, animal control workers in the Conejo Valley have noticed a large increase in the population of baby rattlesnakes. Owner of a snake catching business and self proclaimed “Rattlesnake Wrangler”, Bo Slyapich stated that ninety percent of his company’s call in the past few weeks have been in regards to rattlesnakes. In one week, Slypich removed 25 rattlesnakes from homes throughout the area. He warns residents to be conscious of these snakes as the weather warms because they are drawn to heat.

There are several ways you can protect your family against rattlesnakes. Slypich advises homeowners to keep garage and house doors closed as well as insure that plants in your yard are trimmed down to 6 inches in order to spot snakes. Residents should also clear any clutter near their house that snakes could easily hide in. Lastly, keep your dogs inside to prevent rattlesnake attacks.

California’s abundant natural beauty can turn deadly when combined with warm, dry, windy weather. Now that Spring is here with Summer quickly approaching, it is important to take preemptive measures against wildfire.

As a homeowner, there are several actions you can take to protect your home from wildfires:

• Create a defensible zone around your home. Your local fire department can help.
• Using roofing resistant materials that are rated Class A. Common Class A roof covering includes asphalt fiberglass composition shingles, concrete or clay tiles, and steel or copper tiles. Screen all openings created by vents and roof materials. Keep roof and gutters free of debris.
• Landscape with fire-resistant plants.
• Make sure firefighters can see your address.
• Have an evacuation plan family members can follow, and don’t just talk about it, practice it.

Several of my friends and I had dinner recently at a mutual friend’s home in Lake Sherwood. She was using Teflon cookware to prepare the meal.  A few of the guests admonished her for being irresponsible because she was using Teflon cookware. My friend, who is a Chef had no idea that the Teflon surface had possible health hazards. She stated that she used it because the non-stick surface was convenient. We educated her about possible risks involved.

Teflon has been linked to a flu-like illness, coined the “Teflon Flu“. This flu is caused by using Teflon ware at temperatures that are higher than the cookware is meant for. It is safe to assume burning a Teflon product is an indication of utilizing too high of temperatures, thus unsafe, but an unsafe temperature can be reached before burning the products. Currently, the Environmental Protect Agency (EPA) is investigating the chemicals used to make Teflon products. The chemical compounds have caused cancer in animals so it is only a matter of time before a link is found to cancer in humans.

Despite all of this, it may be unnecessary to throw your best Teflon ware away. Instead, research safe practices of your Teflon products to insure that you are not putting your family or yourself at risk.

If you’re ready to start the hunt in earnest, your next step is to get pre-approved for a loan. Most sellers, including all REO and short sale sellers, will not review an offer without a loan pre-approval, and many real estate brokerages require pre-approval in order to work with you. There are two ways to go—quick, or in-depth. You can get a quick pre-approval from your regular bank or credit union if you’re not sure which lender or mortgage plan you’ll be using. If you do know your specific lender and mortgage, go with the in-depth. With either process, you’ll need to fill out a loan application and submit it along with the following information: Work History, Credit Rating and History, Total Debt, Down Payment amount available, Investments and Other Assets and Residence History for Previous two Years. The amount of documentation will vary by Lender, this is just a general rule of thumb.

Let’s assume your application passes muster, and you’ve been pre-approved—congratulations! Don’t go too crazy celebrating though: If you make major changes to your credit, debt, or assets after pre-approval, but before you secure a loan, you could jeopardize your chances of getting any mortgage at all. Lenders commonly re-check your credit within five days of your home purchase closing, and any significant changes to your score may put the kibosh on your loan.