The Coastside Community Orchestra’s winter concert Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Community United Methodist Church in Half Moon Bay features Debussy’s Petite Suite, Franck’s symphony in D minor and Wagner’s Rienzi Overture. Tickets available at the door, opens at 6:30 p.m. Suggested donation: $10 general , $7 seniors, students and children free.

To the generous customers of New Leaf Community Markets:

During the annual Holiday Food Drive in November and December, customers of New Leaf Community Markets’ stores donated a total of $17,336 for area food banks which will provide 69,343 meals for families in need.

Coastside Hope received $1,623 which translates to 6,532 meals for San Mateo County Coastside residents. Coastside Hope’s mission is to help neighbors meet their most basic needs while helping everyone to reach their full potential. 

“We at Coastside Hope are very grateful to New Leaf Community Markets for the generosity shown us through the Community Day program and for generously hosting both food donation barrels and our Christmas Bureau Adopt-A-Family donation table during the holiday season. Small, local non-profits like Coastside Hope rely on the generosity of both local citizens and local businesses to help our neighbors in need – and New Leaf Community Markets have proven that they are a business that cares about their neighbors.

Thank you to the entire New Leaf Community Market organization for your kindness and generosity, and thank you so very much for all you do for your neighbors in need,” said Keith Terry, Community Development Director, Coastside Hope. 

For more information about Coastside Hope, visit www.coastsidehope.org
To connect with New Leaf visit https://www.facebook.com/NewLeafHMB

Next Thursday, January 16th, 6:30pm to 8:00pm, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and SAL (Sheriff’s Activities League) is putting on a free 6 week Coast Community Academy at the Half Moon Bay Sheriff’s Sub-Station conference room. These academies are a wonderful resource for parents and provide information on many topics which plague our children this day and age.

Seeking first and second violinists for the Coastside Community Orchestra’s winter concert Feb. 1st in Half Moon Bay. We’re playing Debussy’s Petite Suite, Franck’s symphony in D minor and Wagner’s Rienzi Overture. We’d love to hear from anyone interested. Three rehearsals on Weds. evenings 7:30 - 9:30 at the Community Center in HMB. Concert Feb 1, 7p.m., Community United Methodist Church, 777 Miramontes, Half Moon Bay. Contact Robert Smith, conductor, [email protected] or 650-438-3534.

‘Blue Blanket Improv’ is looking forward to meeting you!

We are looking forward to seeing you Saturday, January 11th at 1:00pm (two hour time slot). You need not bring anything but your high energy self and a “YES AND. . .” attitude. Location details to be sent to those who sign up in advance. This is a performance troupe (not a workshop or class). Experience and improv training preferred, but not mandatory if you are funny and open to learning the craft. This troupe performs short form improv and is a federally registered non-profit located in Half Moon Bay (this is where regular rehearsals are held). Please sign up or email us any questions at: www.BlueBlanketImprov.com

Phondini Partners has rolled out a boatload of new features for FishLine in time for the opening of Dungeness crab season for Half Moon Bay and the Central California Coast.

CrabLine is your connection to crabbers who take orders by phone, text, or email.  Because of new limits on crabbing, it makes sense to reserve your crab to ensure you have it for your party or event.**  This also benefits the fishermen who want a steady flow of customers throughout the season.

FishLine mobile app users can click on CrabLine (or click on any ‘Fresh Seafood’ post) and view the seller’s contact information; they can call, text, or email them, view their website, and even go to their Facebook page, if they have one.  In addition, FishLine lets you add a fisherman to your ‘Favorites’ list, add them to your Contacts, create an event on your Event Calendar (especially your appointment to pick up your crab – don’t be late!), and jot down a note or two.

Amazon has launched a new program that enables customers to donate 0.5% of their purchases to the Boys and Girls Club of the Coastside. 

Simply visit http://smile.amazon.com and enter “Boys and Girls Club of the Coastside” on the right hand side, under “pick your own charitable organization.”

Then, whenever you shop on Amazon, contributions will automatically to sent to our BGCC account!

Thank you for your support!

Ed Asner explained to a Hollywood reporter that Hollywood does not voice opposition to Obama’s Syrian war because “they don’t want to feel ANTI-BLACK’. That’s probably why nothing was said over Obama’s performance in Benghazi. Asner referred to Hollywood and not the Media but so much of the Media is Hollywood. The Washington Post abandoned the race card when it referred to Obama’s epic incompetence over his performance in Syria. Here no race card was played.

Little has been said about our GDP growth or unemployment which are certainly measures of performance. Perhaps we’re still blaming Bush after four years but certainly not Obama.

One wonders whether King’s dream will ever be realized. Perhaps the difficulty is in judging character. It’s like pornography where Justice Stewart said he couldn’t define it but he knew it when he saw it. Does character or pornography for that matter lend itself to calibration? I think we will be on more solid ground judging performance rather than character.

In that way we may realize his dream as The Dream. Can we be color blind and play the race card? Is the media playing the race card by not judging the President’s performance? I say that any time we overlook performance for people of color we are guilty of racism. Racism may be positive or negative but it’s still racism and will be eliminated only when accountability is the only criteria.

(c) Al MacMorres

Imagine sending your child to school and bringing them home prepared to change the world!

Alma Heights Christian Schools is preparing the next generation of Christian leaders to make a difference.

Located in beautiful Pacifica, just 20 minutes from San Francisco and San Bruno, Alma Heights, founded in the 1950’s is a top Bay Area school with a total enrollment of nearly 300 students and its 38 acre campus is one of the areas’ historic centerpieces.

Their diverse student body and ‘education for the whole person’ attracts families from around the Bay Area. AHC encourages interdisciplinary study of the sciences and arts as well as giving these future leaders the opportunity to become connected to the community, so that their education is relevant in the larger global context.

Alma Heights has a solid UC-certified, WASC and ACSI accredited college prep and visual and performing arts curriculum, as well as a strong athletics
program with great sports that now include football.  Alma Heights graduates from the past two years are now studying in top public and private university programs including U.C. Berkeley, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the Torrey Honors Institute at Biola University and West Point.

Recently, AHC 2013 graduate Alicia Lau was awarded the UC Berkeley Leadership Award. The Leadership Award is one of the most prestigious merit-based scholarships at UC Berkeley and was given to Lau for demonstrating outstanding community leadership through her project in the AHC Caritas Scholars Program and Social Entrepreneurship lab.

For information and a tour, visit www.almaheights.org.