Energy

CORONA DEL MAR — The Sage Hill School boys' volleyball team needs to play with more energy and cut down on its service errors, Coach Dan Thomassen said after his Lightning won Tuesday. Despite 21 service errors, Sage Hill (11-14) defeated Bolsa Grande 25-19, 25-21, 15-25, 25-14, in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs at Harbor Day School. The Lightning played at the Harbor Day gym because their venue is under construction. "I don't think the service errors were because of a change of venue," Thomassen said.

Crystal deposits found throughout the ocean could be unexpected sources of energy, UCI chemistry professor Kenneth Janda will explain Tuesday. Janda’s “Burning Ice” presentation is part of the 2007-08 Discover the Physical Sciences breakfast lecture series at UCI. Janda will discuss ice deposits in the ocean — which contain an estimated 1 trillion tons of greenhouse gas methane. Methane is a main component of natural gas, a major source of energy. The lecture will be from 7:30 to 9 a.m. in UCI’s University Club.

Young boys gathered around a fenced area in a Costa Mesa parking lot, watching intently and cheering. Inside the fence, the air was thick and hot with action, even as the evening turned colder and cloudier. It was the third annual Save Our Youth Street-Soccer Tournament, an intramural event in which city youth are allotted the time and the space to compete in one of their favorite sports. The idea was simple: gather young boys from the economically disadvantaged pockets of the city and give them an avenue to positively channel their energies.

Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook is planning a run against Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher in November. Cook cited the faltering economy, global warming, rising costs of healthcare and the war in Iraq as some of the major problems facing the country. She called for bipartisan solutions. While Cook no doubt faces an uphill battle in the strongly Republican district, the mayor trumpeted her commitment to public service, saying she believes “the best and most creative solutions” come from elected officials who are close to their constituents at the local level.

Alex Edelstein did not get the ending to his Sage Hill School boys' soccer career he was hoping for, but that did not dampen the ride to the end for him or any of the Lightning's seven seniors. Edelstein was the backbone of a defense that could not have dominated the regular season more than it did. The Lightning wrapped up the regular season with a 14-0-2 record. Only an own goal traveled into Sage Hill's net on the way. All 14 victories were by shutout and the Lightning tied Laguna Beach and Corona del Mar, both of which made a run in the CIF Southern Section Division III playoffs.

Young Chang Sue Podany has a light fountain, the kind where orange light sprays up and down like water, because it "creates energy." Near the door of her Balboa Island home, she has another fountain with water cascading down a small stone wall. This creates calming energy. Her freshly cut orchids add to the positive energy and so do her many many candles -- some lavender, some red, each set in a creative candle holder. From a Japanese mobile adorning the ceiling to the shooting star placed above her brick mantle, the touches that pop up in the corners (and more obvious areas)

Phil Chipman is living the good life. The 62-year-old retiree surfs almost daily, still plays in his college rock band, and he's got a set of wheels that run for a penny a mile. Chipman drives a two-seater that he designed and built to run entirely on electricity, one which plugs into any standard socket. "My mission was to prove that you could build an electric vehicle in your garage and that there are alternatives out there," the Costa Mesa resident said of gasoline-powered vehicles.

Southern California Edison is teaming up with the city of Costa Mesa to help residents become more energy efficient. The utility and city are launching the Holiday Lamp Exchange program, in which residents can exchange their energy-sucking incandescent holiday lights for more efficient, cooler LED lights. Each household can get up to five soft white or multi-colored LED holiday lights in exchange for five incandescent lights. The program works on a first-come, first-served basis.

-- Story by Lolita Harper; photo by [tk] SHE IS Pinpointing your pain HUMAN TUNEUP As an acupuncturist, Rose Larsen works with more than needles. The Costa Mesa resident must have an understanding of her patient's symptoms, past medical and family history, lifestyle and diet, sleep patterns, and emotional feelings to get a feel for the level of energy flowing through them. Acupuncture is the insertion of fine needles on the body's surface to balance the energy flowing through the body.

Taking advantage of the longest day of the year, Costa Mesa on Monday celebrated the installation of solar panels on the roof of the Neighborhood Community Center. Costa Mesa entered into a power purchase agreement with Foster City, Calif.-based SolarCity, which provided the equipment and installed the panels at no cost. In exchange, Costa Mesa will pay SolarCity for the power the solar panels generate. The solar panels can generate enough power to provide energy for 30 households, said Khanh Nguyen, a Costa Mesa building official.

President Obama was greeted with cheers of "Four more years!" as he entered Jeff and Nancy Stack's beige-colored stone home situated on a small hill overlooking the ocean. Many of the 170 supporters, seated at tables under a white tent in the backyard took photos as the president arrived about 10 a.m. Thursday. "We're proving that Orange County is Obama country," Janet Keller said as she introduced Obama, comparing his visit to Corona del Mar to a trip President Franklin Roosevelt took through the town 74 years ago after another well-known fiscal crisis.

A team of astronomers that includes a leading UC Irvine scientist has found a missing link that shows how the universe's most active star-creating galaxies evolve into its largest and quietest ones billions of years later. UCI post-doctoral scholar Julie Wardlow and her colleagues accurately measured the invisible halo of dark matter — visible only through its gravitational effects on light and mass — that surrounds the universe's galaxies. "It's important in terms of galaxy evolution," Wardlow said.

The Irvine Unified School District school board has named Michael Parham to a one-year term as president, according to a news release. Parham, who served as president in 2007, was unanimously chosen by the board at the Dec. 6 meeting. Carolyn McInerney was given a one-year term as clerk. Parham's background is in corporate and financial markets. He is an advocate of cost-effective and sustainable energy sources. He assisted in bringing solar power and energy-generating fuel cells to 13 Irvine schools and two supporting facilities, according to the release.

The No. 13 isn't an unlucky number to Aaron White. He wears the number proudly. No one wanted the jersey number when he joined the Corona del Mar High football team as a sophomore. There was a reason why White chose No. 13 two years ago. "I wear it because the best linebacker that CdM's ever had was No. 13, Erik Rask," said White, referring to the former linebacker, who earned many honors during his time with the Sea Kings. White never got to play with Rask, whose final season with the Sea Kings was four years ago. When a decorated player like Rask graduates, it's hard for anyone to try and emulate him on the field, let alone ask for his number.

COSTA MESA — A local manufacturer of personal mobility vehicles, T3 Motion Inc., is a finalist for company of the year through CleanTech OC, the manufacturer announced last week. International sales of electric vehicles manufactured by T3 Motion, used for private and government security purposes, include distribution in Mexico, Argentina, South Africa, Kuwait, Singapore and France, according to a June article in the Daily Pilot. In January, the Pentagon bought two T3 ESV models, single-rider, stand-up electric vehicles.

CORONA DEL MAR — Most high school football coaches will not ask reporters for advice, let alone allow them to call plays on offense. Coach Scott Meyer is running a different type of program at Corona del Mar High. The last spring practice at CdM ran smoothly Thursday, even when Meyer gave two reporters the chance to play coach. For some odd reason, one reporter wanted to run the same play on every first down. The defense caught on during the Blue & White scrimmage. It was now Meyer's turn to play reporter.

NEWPORT BEACH — Mariners Elementary School's effort to lower electricity use by turning off lights and unplugging unused gadgets has resulted in lower electricity consumption — and bills. The Newport Beach school is one of 14 in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District working with Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Alliance to Save Energy to go green and put money back in the schools' pockets. Mariners has shaved $2,637 off its electrical bill so far this year by lowering its average usage 13.6%.

CORONA DEL MAR — The Sage Hill School boys' volleyball team needs to play with more energy and cut down on its service errors, Coach Dan Thomassen said after his Lightning won Tuesday. Despite 21 service errors, Sage Hill (11-14) defeated Bolsa Grande 25-19, 25-21, 15-25, 25-14, in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs at Harbor Day School. The Lightning played at the Harbor Day gym because their venue is under construction. "I don't think the service errors were because of a change of venue," Thomassen said.

John Wayne Airport can now mostly rely on itself for power, after firing up four generators to produce up to 7 megawatts of electricity. Officials on Thursday morning dedicated a $31-million central utility plant at the south end of the airport. It will provide 95% of the airport's energy and a steady stream of cool water for the air-conditioning system. Part of JWA's $540-million expansion and improvement program, officials say the plant was designed to save the airport energy costs in the long-run, and to be self-reliant.

Politics in general these days boils down to constant bickering, the right vs. the left, communication or lack of communication and the overwhelming desire to be right ("City Hall hires columnist for contract, March 22). " Costa Mesa is in the middle of a real battle to be right. We have a political council here that has an appetite to be right and win. This council has chosen a strong-minded path to implement changes in Costa Mesa with one objective — theirs! Recent events within the city have caused the need for the city CEO and council to hire a communications expert.