Helping hands in Hollywood and vicinity

From Big Sunday gets LA volunteering in a big way by Ellie Hidalgo (The-Tidings.com, April 18, 2008):

Big Sunday has come to mean Big Synergy. The largest citywide community service weekend in the country, Big Sunday is building meaningful community interactions across traditional ethnic, religious and social barriers.

Originally the idea started out as Mitzvah Day at Temple Israel in Hollywood -- a day to engage in good deeds for others. From several hundred volunteers working on 19 projects, the effort now entails more than 50,000 people volunteering for 309 projects throughout Southern California.

"We've gone from community service to community building," said David Levinson, director, who has maintained his relaxed demeanor and no limits spirit despite the project's unprecedented growth. "Big Sunday expands to fill people's talents. We have projects for whatever people's passions are."

This year's May 3-4 Big Sunday weekend --- the 10th annual event --- offers projects like planting a garden at a school, feeding the hungry at a local food bank, and visiting the elderly at a retirement home.

"We have volunteers who are homeless people, and we have volunteers who are movie stars," said Levinson, a writer for television, film, theater and advertising. His wife and three children also join in the effort. "Everyone helps, especially spouses," he quipped.

Full article here.

The-Tidings.com (aka Tidings Online) is a Catholic weekly serving Southern California, which I found through this post at Alliance Alert.

Thermostat policing

Heads up, Californians. According to Cafe Hayek: Rampaging Regulators, there are government officials in your state trying to make it mandatory for new or modified heating or air conditioning units to be remote controllable by government officials, so they can raise or lower your thermostat setting as they see fit, during "emergency events." You have until the end of January to file comments on the proposal.