Community members gather at City Hall to demand their right to be heard regarding the Southwest Museum collection

Council Committee to Hear Autry/Southwest Issue

An Autry National Center request for permission to remodel its facility on city land in Griffith Park will be heard by the Los Angeles City Council’s Arts, Parks, Health and Aging Committee this Friday, June 3 at 8:45 a.m. at City Hall. One focus of the redesign effort is the creation of gallery space in which to showcase items from the Southwest Museum collection.
The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously this morning to assert council jurisdiction over a Board of Recreation and Parks Commissioners decision that gave the Autry National Center the go-ahead on the remodel.
See below on this blog for the back-story leading to today’s vote: http://arroyosecojournal.blogspot.com/2011/05/autry-plans-for-southwest-collection.html
The motion to assert jurisdiction was brought by Councilmembers José Huizar and Ed Reyes, who represent the Southwest Museum’s Mount Washington campus and its surrounding neighborhood on the City Council.
Twenty-five members of the public, including representatives of the Friends of the Southwest Museum Coalition and Friends of Griffith Park, plus residents of Highland Park, Mount Washington, Montecito Heights, Glassell Park and El Sereno, spoke before the council in favor of the motion. The opposition was represented by five speakers: the chair of the Autry Board, museum staff members and the museum’s attorneys.
Huizar began the proceedings by asking his colleagues to support his motion because many citizens believe that they were not given the opportunity to attend the Recreation and Parks hearing and voice their opinions and that “they weren’t even properly notified about the hearing.”
Councilmember Tom LaBonge, whose council district includes Griffith Park, was initially strident in his opposition to the motion.
Among LaBonge’s points were the fact that the portion of Griffith Park where the Autry is a lessee is the site of post World War II emergency housing, not part of the park’s original green space, and that the Autry has a $6+ million grant from the State “to enhance it’s mission.” Autry Chief Executive Officer Daniel Finley said that the awarding of the state grant to the Autry had been well publicized. Autry Board Chairperson Marshall McKay added that the Autry’s application for the grant was fairly considered, that the project will highlight important cultural contributions of Native People, and that 50,000 Los Angeles school children per year will benefit from visiting the remodeled museum.
“The Southwest is no longer in existence,” declared LaBonge.
“The Autry is committing a fraud,” replied Mount Washington Homeowners Alliance member Mark Kenyon during public comment. “The Southwest is only closed because the Autry did not live up to the terms of the merger agreement.”
However, while the closure of the Southwest Museum and the relocation of its collection to Griffith Park are at the heart of issues surrounding the Autry request, what was on the table today was actually very specific. Huizar asked his colleagues, whether they agreed or disagreed with the substance of the Autry request, to “give the many interested individuals the opportunity to be heard.”
“Yes is not a vote against renovation,” said community member Darryl Ramos-Young. “Just a vote for a proper, open hearing.”
City staff members were called forward by LaBonge to explain that the agenda for the Recreation and Parks special board meeting had been posted two days in advance. The Department of Recreation and Parks asserted that the conflict of interest that had previously prevented its board from ruling on Autry matters is now moot. Board President Barry Sanders is indeed a former partner in the Law Firm of Latham and Watkins, but that firm has not represented the Autry for over a year now.
Speaker after speaker spoke to the fact that there had been no public notification regarding the Recreation and Parks meeting.
Charlie Fisher of Highland Park said that he felt rather like Arthur Dent in Douglas Adams’ Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Dent awakens one morning to find bulldozers about to demolish his house to make way for a highway. Notification had been given; the plans had been posted in an obscure location in a government building somewhere. Further, the earth is about to be wiped out to make way for a hyperspace bypass; the plans had been posted on another planet.
“[The Autry] set about to get these permits in an underhanded and stealth way,” said Mount Washington resident Daniel Wright of the Friends of the Southwest Museum Coalition. “A fundamental government right is at stake here.”
Wright said that a no vote on the Huizar-Reyes motion would feed public cynicism and growing anger toward government. He added that allowing the Recreation and Parks decision to stand without public input could well lead to civil court action regarding denial of the public’s rights.
The motion looked to be in serious trouble for a while, as councilmembers, city staff and Autry officials grappled with whether delays could cause the Autry to lose its grant money. Grant reporting is due by July 1. Recreation and Parks, Finley and LaBonge all argued that the delay could doom the funding.
But Councilmember Reyes rose and said, “We can move diligently. We talk about good will and transparency, about fair access, fair hearing.”
At that point Reyes looked at LaBonge and asked, “Will you offer that good will?”
It wasn’t LaBonge’s turn to speak, but it was widely noted in the Council Chamber that Reyes did not exactly get eye contact in return.
Councilmember Richard Alarcón pursued the issue of Recreation and Parks agenda notification. Rec and Parks said it did what it always does with agendas and suggested checking with Info Tech. A representative of the City Attorney’s Office finally confirmed that the agenda had not been posted by the City Information Technology Agency, and that the agenda had not been mailed to subscribers through the City’s Early Notification System.
“The question is whether we want to fully inform people, even beyond the Brown Act,” replied Alarcón.
Councilmember Dennis Zine admitted that he had never been to the Southwest Museum and that he knew little about the controversies surrounding it, but he said that he was prepared to support the Huizar-Reyes motion because, “People are telling me that it’s an issue for them in their community, and that means something to me.”
“Congratulations,” Zine said to the Northeast Los Angeles community members in attendance. “You have had an impact on my vote.”
Huizar reported that, if the council were to pass the motion, that passage would open a 21 day period within which the council would be legally obligated to take action.
“This will not jeopardize the grant,” said Huizar. “Take that off the table.”
As the hearing wrapped up, it seemed clear the motion was on its way to passage. LaBonge held a quick side aisle conversation with Autry officials and then agreed to make the passage unanimous and to hear the matter of the Autry remodeling at a meeting of the council’s Arts, Parks, Health and Aging Committee, which he chairs, this coming Friday morning.
Arts, Parks, Health and Aging Committee members, in addition to LaBonge, are Reyes and Councilmember Herb Wesson.
The conversation now shifts from public notification and government transparency to whether or not LaBonge’s contention that the Southwest Museum is no longer in existence is true.

City Council Asserts Authority over Rec & Parks Decision

UPDATE • UPDATE • UPDATE

The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously this morning to assert jurisdiction over the recent Recreation and Parks department decision which allowed the Autry National Museum to to display the Southwest Museum collection.

Such a move would have effectively shuttered the historic museum forever.The matter will now be heard by the City Council Arts , Parks, Health and Aging Committee Friday, June 3, at 8:45 a.m.

Full details available here later today at www.arroyosecojournal.blogspotcom.

Shelby will release an anniversary limited edition Ford Mustang GT350

At the auction collector car Barrett-Jackson in the U.S. known American company Shelby presented the next version of the tuning coupe Ford Mustang GT - GT350. The car was built in honor of 45 anniversary of the appearance of the first classic "Mustang" Shelby GT350, which was released in the amount of 562 copies. The new model will be assembled in the number of 2,200 pieces.Specialists of the company with Shelby racing division of Ford made improvements to the standard five-liter eight-engine "Mustang" power of 412 horsepower, the addition of a firm mechanical supercharger. This has increased the impact of the engine to about 500 horsepower. The unit works in tandem with a six-speed manual gearbox. Dynamic characteristics of new items, which at Barrett-Jackson auction was presented in the form of ready for mass production concept car, not announced.





Also Tuning coupe was upgraded suspension (there were constructed new subdivision Ford Racing springs, stretching, racks and other stabilizer bars), via six Baer brakes on the front axle, exhaust system, Borla, Cragar rims with tires Goodyear, as well as the redesign of the front end and additional monitoring instruments at the front desk in the cabin, responsible for the fuel pressure, oil and boost.


According to the Shelby, production car will hit dealerships this spring. The cost of improvements without the basic machine will be 33 thousand 995 dollars. Note that the price of a regular Ford Mustang GT in the United States begin from 30 thousand dollars and the total price of the Shelby GT350 is greater than the 540-strong "Mustang" Shelby GT500.


Shelby will release an anniversary limited edition Ford Mustang.

Ford supercar - Ford Shelby GT500

Supercar Ford GT500 is mechanically an evolution of the previous model.Ford used the current-gen Bullitt model as the starting point for the 2010 Mustang GT, the lessons learned from developing the limited edition GT500 KR fed directly into the latest Shelby-badged variant. Output of the supercharged 5.4L V8 has now been cranked up to 540 hp and 510 lb-ft of torque, and the handling is claimed to be better than before.

Compare with the old GT500, this new supercar model gets more aggressive styling, particularly in the nose, and reprises many of the same detail elements. The horizontally mirrored trapezoidal shape of the grille in the upper and lower front fascia is meant to echo the oval shape of the Shelby Cobras of the '

60s. The upper grille is tilted forward at a steeper angle than the GT and the grille surround is separated entirely from the hood. The hood of the GT500 still has a functional air extractor allowing some of the massive heat generated by the blown V8 to escape.

The engine for this supercar is still a twin cam 5.4L V8 with a supercharger. The updates bump output from from 500 hp at 6,000 rpm to 540 hp at 6,200 rpm. Twisting fo

rce also goes from 480 lb-ft at 4,500 rpm to 510 lb-ft at the same peak speed. The iron block from the F-150 was used with the top end of the GT engine, which pushed the car's weight up over 3,900 lbs.

The top two ratios in the new GT500's gearbox have been made numerically lower. The clutch plates for supercar GT500 have been increased in diameter from 215 mm to 250 mm. All that torque flows from the Tremec 6-speed gearbox through a limited slip differential with a 3.55:1 final drive ratio. The 2010 GT500 gets 17% stiffer springs at the front axle and 7% stiffer at the rear axle.

Go green! 5 Most environmentally friendly Cars

Recent cars have a obvious shortage because it's wasteful of non-renewable fuel. Though the current world oil prices increasingly continue creeping up, which of course it can make your pockets of motorists empty.

However, now the more eco-friendly cars can save fuel, even to do efficiency of 80 miles per gallon (mpg).

In addition, green cars also exploit lower carbon dioxide emissions, which of course it is aimed of making green cars.

Here, a number of green cars is the most economical and low emissions in the UK, quoted from msn.com:

1. Smart ForTwo CDI - 86g/km

This is the most economical car sold in the United Kingdom. Indeed, this car can not be used speeding on the street. This car also can be sold more expensive when we want to sell anymore. However, this car is the most fuel-efficient cars and low emission (86g/km). Unfortunately, its contain or passenger is only two-passenger capacity.

2. T4 Hybrid Toyota Auris - 89g/km

This car is a hybrid car from Toyota's latest output released to market. These cars using a petrol-electric running gear is the same as the Prius. However, it's emissions of 74.3 mpg only. Aerodynamic model applied to the Auris is also worthy of being your city car.

3. Toyota Prius T3 - 89g/km

Toyota Prius is the output in addition to Auris. This car is able to exploit emissions by using fuel 89g/km and it is only 72.4 mpg. In terms of speed, amazing Prius is superior to the Auris.

4. Skoda Fabia Greenline II - 89g/km

This is included to a VW Group car output moved by 1.2 liter TDI diesel engine. it's Capacity of five passengers, this car has low emissions, namely 89g/km.

5. Volkswagen Polo Bluemotion

This car is the best-selling efficient cars sold in the United Kingdom. Latest output Bluemotion can save up to 80.7 mpg fuel and it will produce emissions 91g/km. (Umi)

Northeast L.A. Artists Support Incarcerated Chinese Artist With Makeshift Gallery

Today, everybody can become Ai Weiwei
--Writer, Filmmaker Ai Xiaoming

Northeast Los Angeles artists are organizing a show of support for imprisoned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. They are turning the vacant lot at the corner of York Boulevard and Avenue 50 into a make-shift gallery featuring works inspired by Ai.
Local artist Brian Mallman put out the call via Facebook and email. The first few works quickly showed up. More are on the way.
Ai’s art has earned him an international following. The 54-year old artist is known for his work in sculpture; architecture; conceptual, experimental and performance arts; photography; film; architecture; book publishing; social media and curation and for his linkage of art and social criticism.
Among the artist’s most recent works are “Sunflower Seeds,” an installation at the Tate Modern in London, which uses millions of individually hand-crafted tiny porcelain sculptures to create a commentary on individualism versus enforced conformity, and “Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads,” which features a recreation of Chinese art ransacked by the British and French during the Second Opium War. “Circle of Animals” had its debut May 4 in New York City, without the incarcerated artist. A major survey show, currently at the Lisson Gallery in London, includes “Colored Vases,” for which Han Dynasty pots have been covered with industrial paint
“For the world, Ai continues to represent the promise of China,” former U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman wrote in support of Time Magazine’s listing of Ai as one of 2011’s most influential people in the world. Given Ai’s international stature, many in the arts community would add that Ai “represents the promise of the world,” standing as an example of the artist in support of human dignity.
“It is very sad,” writes Huntsman, “that the Chinese government has seen a need to silence one of its most innovative and illustrious citizens.”
Ai comes from dissident stock. The arrest of his father, a highly respected poet, led to the family spending most of Ai’s youth in a work camp. But Ai’s current problems with Chinese authorities did not come to a head until 2008. Although he had served as an artistic consultant on the design of the stadium for that year’s Olympics in Beijing, Ai became a vocal critic of the “pretend smile” surrounding the games.
Ai ran further afoul of Chinese authorities when he exposed corruption that lead to the collapse of schools during the 2008 Szechuan earthquake. He assembled a huge team of volunteers, who collected the names of well over 5,000 young people killed in the quake, and then he began posting the names online and on the walls of his studio. He created a major installation in Munich called “So Sorry,” in which 9,000 custom-made school backpacks were displayed. The bags spelled out, in Chinese, “She lived happily on this earth for seven years,” quoting the mother of one of the students killed in the quake. He also began reporting on detentions of Chinese activists via Twitter.
In 2009, Ai was severely beaten by Chinese police. A month later, he almost died of the results. He underwent emergency brain surgery in Germany to stop massive internal bleeding.
Early this year, Ai’s studio was demolished by the Chinese government.
Ai was taken into custody April 3.
Weeks went by before any kind of information was released regarding Ai’s condition or charges against him. In mid-May, his wife was allowed a 20 minute supervised visit and reported him to be in apparent good health. On May 21, Ai was publicly accused via government aligned media of tax evasion and other financial improprieties. References were also made to possible charges of bigamy and dissemination of online pornography.
Ai’s is the most prominent name among those of many artists, writers, lawyers and other Chinese citizens who have been arrested in China in recent months.
"Other than a few small protests and an online petition, the art world has been largely silent publicly about Ai Weiwei’s imprisonment,” Mallman says of the York and Avenue 50 installation. “If artists don’t begin forming protests like this one, we need to start asking, ‘Why’?"
On the heels of a demonstration at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in support of the artist, a shipper has demanded the return of two Ai Weiwei designed chairs to China. The move, although nebulous, is being seen by the art world as ominous. Yet it does suggest that China is monitoring what is taking place on the international scene.
The intersection of York and Avenue 50, where the works are being posted, is a very active corner with heavy car and pedestrian traffic. It is an arts-rich corner with a number of arts venues within a block of the temporary outdoor gallery. There are also coffee and eating places and vintage and boutique stores that draw a diverse crowd to the boulevard.
Everyone—from “I’ve never done this before” to world-famous artist—is invited and encouraged to participate in the installation. Simply bring your Ai Weiwei-inspired art to the lot and put it on the fence.

Audi S6 Review

Fast four-doors have been around forever, but the Audi S6 provides an enticing mix of people-friendly room, blistering speed all-weather traction and brand-name cachet. Three generations of S6 have graced our shores to date, though their sporadic appearances and truncated lifespans sure bring new meaning to the term "limited edition."

From the start, the S6's mission has been to be an extra-special version of Audi's already special A6 -- an end usually achieved by means of more power, a sportier suspension and performance-biased wheels and brakes. The S6 has always been abundant with the luxury content expected of Audi, and its midsize dimensions make it one of the better Audis for seating multiple passengers. Just keep in mind that the S6 focuses on performance, and as such its ride quality is harder-edged than that of other Audi vehicles.

The Audi S6 is unique for skipping the evolutionary progress common to most cars, as its performance leaps by one league at a time. From a 227-horsepower five-cylinder in the first S6 to a 340-hp V8 in the next and finally to the 435-hp V10 of today, the S6 has been a reflection of Audi's rapidly rising performance aspirations.

Current Audi S6

The Audi S6 is a high-performance version of the A6 sedan powered by a Lamborghini-sourced 5.2-liter V10. While slightly revised and detuned, it still produces 425 hp and 398 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed automatic and a 40/60 rear-biased Quattro all-wheel-drive system are standard. Despite this impressive-sounding pedigree, the S6 is unfortunately disappointing. Audi claims a 0-60-mph time in the low 5-second range, though in our testing we did no better than 5.7 seconds. That's slower than the supercharged V6-powered A6 3.0T, let alone its hard-core competitors from BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz.

The S6 is at a handling disadvantage as well, with a hulky 59-percent of its weight hanging over the front tires causing significant understeer. It doesn't ride particularly well either, as standard 19-inch wheels and a sport suspension produce a bone-jarring time for all over rough pavement. Other cars in the class don't have this problem. Luckily, 18-inch wheels are an option.

So while driving the S6 fails to impress, few faults can be found with its cabin. Trimmed in leather and aluminum with birch wood accents, the S6 carries on the Audi tradition of finely wrought interiors. The amply bolstered front sport seats provide good support during aggressive driving, though if you dislike that hugged feeling, the A6's normal seats are a no-cost option. Interior room is spacious, with plenty of room for four passengers to travel in long-distance comfort. The recently updated MMI electronics controls make using the car's myriad high-tech features much easier.

Is the S6 a bad car? Absolutely not, and it's actually a bit of a bargain compared to its competitors. However, when those competitors have names like M5, E63 AMG, CTS-V and XFR, we wonder how many customers in this price range wouldn't mind paying a little extra for a whole lot more.

Used Audi S6 Models

The present-generation Audi S6 debuted for 2007. Few changes have occurred since then. There were slight styling tweaks for '09, while the MMI electronics interface and navigation system were given a welcome upgrade for 2010.

Available only for 2002-'03, the previous, second-generation S6 featured a torquey 4.2-liter V8 whose 340 horses were made more accessible by a five-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission. Oddly, this edition of the S6 came as an Avant (Audi-speak for "station wagon") only, which was partly responsible for its 2-ton curb weight and scarce availability.

Zero-to-60-mph acceleration was in the low 6-second range, and the car's lowered and stiffened suspension and 17-inch wheels and tires made it a potent handler, with grip similar to that of the current S6. Other pluses included its opulent interior and ample standard features list; the wagon's big drawback was its unimpressive gas mileage. Though hard to find, a used second-generation Audi S6 wagon offers an intriguing blend of performance and utility.

Born at a time when Audi's model-naming system was in flux, the first-generation S6 officially came to life (and death) in 1995, though essentially the same car had been sold for a few years previous as the S4. Available as both a sedan and a wagon, the original Audi S6 offered an eccentric turbocharged, 227-hp five-cylinder engine, working through a manual transmission to drive all four wheels. While performance was decent for the day, this iteration of the S6 never made much of a mark on the history books.

2011 Chevrolet Silverado Military applications

A military version of the 2003 Silverado is called MILCOTS (Militarized Commercial Off-The-Shelf or colloquially as the "Milverado") and is being purchased by the Canadian Forces. CF has ordered 1,061 units from GM Defense.

A similar but more armoured platform is being used by the US Army under the COMBATT (Commercially Based Tactical Truck) program. The GM bid beat rival bids from Chrysler (Dodge RAM 2500/3500), Ford (F-350 Super Duty) and Hummer (H1097A2 Wagon).

2011 Chevrolet Silverado



2011 Chevrolet Silverado



2011 Chevrolet Silverado



2011 Chevrolet Silverado



2011 Chevrolet Silverado



2011 Chevrolet Silverado



2011 Chevrolet Silverado



2011 Chevrolet Silverado



2011 Chevrolet Silverado



2011 Chevrolet Silverado



2011 Chevrolet Silverado



2011 Chevrolet Silverado

Southwest Museum/Autry Update!

Update! The City Council will hear a motion asserting jurisdiction over a Recreation and Parks board action allowing the Autry National Center to remodel its facility in Griffith Park to house the Southwest Museum collection. Tuesday, May 31, 10 a.m., Los Angeles City Hall. Background article below.

2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe review

At the 2008 North American International Auto Show, General Motors unveiled a coupe concept version of the CTS, alongside the new CTS-V performance sedan. The coupe's unveiling surprised the media and general public, stealing a great deal of attention away from the CTS-V. In November 2009, the production version was unveiled in a press release. The coupe went into production in spring 2010 for sale in August 2010 as a 2011 model.

The design of the production model is very similar to the concept, with the B-pillars still removed. The standard engine will be a 3.6L direct injected V6 rated at 304 hp. Like the sedan, both 6-speed manual and automatic transmissions, in either RWD or AWD configurations, will be available. A CTS-V Coupe has also been confirmed, and was shown at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The CTS Coupe will be Cadillac's first coupe since the Eldorado, which was discontinued in 2002.

2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe


2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe


2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe


2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe


2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe


2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe


2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe


2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe


2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe


2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe


2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe


2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe

Best Record: World's Most Efficient Five Cars excluding electric cars for a number of companies compete to create the most fuel efficient car

the wasteful fuel is often a problem. It is not just business perforated bags, but it is also about global warming.

The race of cars for environmentally friendly and efficient fuel is ongoing. It will start small cars, hybrid cars, to electric cars to produce little or no pollution at all, exactly, zero emissions.

Assessment institutions about cars, Super Cars, recently released the most efficient fueled cars worldwide, excluding electric vehicles.Following order:

1. Toyota Prius





Toyota has presented the flagship hybrid car, Toyota Prius. This car is very economical because it can reach 48 miles per gallon on city streets and 45 miles per gallon on the highway. One mile is equivalent to 1.609 miles and one gallon is equivalent to 3.78 liters.

Using a 1.5 liter engine, 16-Valve VVT-i 4-cylinder, it is capable of producing 110 horsepower. 0-100 km per hour speed only taken in 9.8 seconds. This sedan is also quite relieved and able to accommodate five people. Prius also has been circulating in Indonesia, but it is still quiet enthusiast.

2. Honda City Hybrid





Using a 1.3 liter engine, 8-Valve, SOHC, i-VTEC 4-cylinder, Honda City Hybrid just need a little fuel material. City Hybrid is capable of running 40 miles per gallon on city streets and 45 miles on the freeway.

Although it is fuel economy, City Hybrid is able to run quickly in 0-100 km per hour in just 11.3 seconds. Surely this is because it is supported by the powerful 110 hp engine.. Sedan is also able to accommodate five passengers.

3. Smart for Two





Keiritan two-seat car is beyond doubt. One gallon of fuel can encourage the Smart for Two to 33 miles on city streets, and 41 miles on the highway. Keiritan car which is used widely in Europe, because a small engine, use a 1.0 liter for 3 cylinder and only capable of producing power 70 hp.

4. Volkswagen Jetta TDI





It is able to walk as far as 29 miles on city streets and 40 miles on the highway with one gallon of fuel, this was the Jetta TDI. Using the 2.0-liter diesel engine, 4 cylinder, Jetta TDI mempu produce 140 horsepower.

5. Nissan Altima Hybrid





Nissan Altima Hybrid has a 2.5-liter gas engine, 4-cylinder, this car can run 35 miles in the city and 33 miles on the road tons by using one gallon of fuel. The machine can produce 158 horsepower.