The Ojai Post

The new owners of The Ojai Playhouse, Kathy and Mark Hartley, are also owners of Lavender Inn. I've known Kathy for about two years, and have found her to be one of the most genuine, community-minded people I know. She opens her doors for a variety of activities, from cooking classes, free computer consulting I participate in, weekly business lunches, philanthropic endeavors and more. Their son, Jamie, is a recent business graduate of CSU Northridge, and will run the Playhouse day-to-day.

Kathy and Jamie were kind enough to answer some questions in an email interview. Check it out after the jump. You can also read more on the OVN blog. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments, and we'll see if we can get them to dive in and reply.

Why the Ojai Playhouse?
We want projects that we can renovate, and 'raise the bar', and that have a positive impact on the community. When this opportunity came up, it was especially attractive because Khaled, Walid, and Cheryl have such a passion - we felt the connection.

Is this a leap of faith?
Yes! We're basing our faith on the supportive Ojai community and the city council and planners to help us remodel the theatre so we can use it for other community activities. With the family background in music, we hope to utilize the space for music events in addition to charity events, speaking engagements, and larger group meetings.

Are you going to keep getting first-run movies?
First I want to say that it's important for Ojai to have a movie theatre so we want to keep the Ojai Playhouse as a theatre and not have to change it into something else. Khaled has had a long standing relationship with movie distributors to enable a small, single theatre to have first-run films. He has been very helpful by introducing us to these people so that we can continue the connection in getting the first-run films.

Are you going to keep showing documentaries on Sundays?
We are continuing the Sunday Ojai Film Society movies. We are interested in expanding other available times to showing Brooks [Institute] films as well.

Are you going to change the schedule?
The schedule will remain status quo until we can determine if anything needs to be changed. We are open to suggestions from people in the community who care about the theatre.

What are some innovative marketing ideas Jamie brings to the table?
I plan on promoting the theatre to bring in more cultural events. Growing up in the music business (my father and older brother are managers), I'd like to bring in more live music of all genres.

Are you going to continue involvement with the Ojai Film Festival?
Absolutely!

What are some of the improvements you are going to make?
First we want to replace the seats to stadium seating, improve the acoustics,and build a larger stage which will make the theatre a multi-purpose venue. We haven't decided on the specifics, but we plan to improve the aesthetics of the interior and exterior.

With the stage enlargement project, what sort of live events do you plan?
Other than what I mentioned above, we haven't gotten more specific. Again, I think we'll find a lot of answers from the community. Some of my friends have already shown interest in having seminars there.

Do you think there are enough activities to keep teens and pre-teens active in Ojai?
I know Ojai Youth Foundation has a lot of activities for youth. I feel like there can always be more.
As a mom and a former teacher, I understand the importance of keeping kids busy in quality activities. Hmmm.... I'll have to think out of the box on this, beyond movies.

Anything else to add?
As Khaled as stated publicly, we are going to need the support of the citizens and the city to be able to survive financially. We are currently operating at a large loss and obviously hope to turn it around. Because of the competition of the single screen vs. the multi-screen corporate cinema complexes we need the locals to stay in Ojai for movies. Our intention is to improve the theatre so people in the Ojai Valley want to go there.

If anyone has any suggestions for the theatre, please leave them at the theatre, preferably with a name and phone number.

Kathy & Jamie Hartley

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 10:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Local resident and Sound & Vision Learning Resource Center co-founder Bob Ballard has an interesting non-profit project he has been building called Hearts of Fire. Their mission is to shift public perceptions of homeless people through artistic and musical expression, primarily via a mobile art and music studio, which will visit homeless shelters in Boston, New York, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego capturing the art and music of homeless people. It is a really innovative approach to a complex and difficult problem that our nation faces (or ignores, all too often). If you are interested in getting involved, get in touch with Bob, 877-827-2012 or heartsoffire@ureach.com.

On another note, over the last couple months, I have found The Homeless Guy blog to be a fascinating read, and worthy of a well-frequented bookmark...

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 04:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

[ed. note - this letter was submitted today to the Ojai Planning Commission by Ojai resident Pat McPherson]

July 30, 2007

Ojai Planning Commission
401 S. Ventura Street
PO Box 1570
Ojai, CA 93024

Att: Tucker Adams, Paul Crabtree, John Mirk, Troy Becker, Susan Weaver, Cortus Koehler, Steven Foster

Re: Formula Retail Establishments package submitted on July 23, 2007

Dear members of the Planning Commission,

I am writing about the subject package submitted to you on July 23, 2007. I ask that you consider the following:

1. In Attachment A, City of Ojai Planning Commission Resolution No. 07-04, the first seven Whereas that ends in “formula retail business are, by their very nature……” make sense. However, the next Whereas that says “on July 9, 2007, the Historic ……” makes the conclusion, without discussion or analysis, that the Historical Commercial Downtown (HCD) must be created, and in Attachment B, the General Plan must be changed to solve the Formula/Chain store issue. This appears to be a fallacious conclusion based only on the opinion of the City Staff.

At the last meeting, “location” was discussed as one of the possible ways to regulate Formula/Chain stores. The City Staff however continues to focus only on this one avenue and continues to ask you and the citizens of Ojai to accept their opinion, at face value. At the last meeting, members of the Planning Commission asked the City Staff what other Cities had done, and how their ordinances stood up in court. I see no evidence this question has been answered. Commissioner Koehler suggested the City Staff research to see what formula businesses like and dislike, and write our ordinance accordingly. I see no evidence this has been done either.

Approving this ordinance and changing the General Plan is a much too serious matter to accept only the opinion of the City Staff. It deserves serious research and in-depth written analysis so the Planning commission and Public can consider the alternatives. Only then, should the subject be brought up for discussion. As it stands today, the City Staff makes the conclusion that the HCD is the only way to go, and are accommodating other areas as if they are making concessions or compromising. The premise that an HCD is needed is flawed, and actually encourages chain stores to be in Ojai.

It is also a dangerous precedence to change our well-thought-out General plan just to support an ordinance that is intended to only regulate Formula/Chain stores. The way the HCD is being presented to the Planning Commission, with no facts or alternatives, leads one to be reluctantly suspicious that there may be more behind the HCD than just the formula/chain store issue. I ask that you not accept this ordinance until you have all of the information needed to make an informed decision that takes into account all of the alternatives.

2. The entire City of Ojai has always been considered the core of the entire Ojai Valley. This is why we have our City and why we are different than the rest of the valley that is governed by the county that allows chain stores. I do not accept the premise that we must dissect our city with a HCD after all of these years, just to limit chain stores. This should not be necessary and deserves a more thorough analysis by the City Staff.

3. The temporary ordinance is city-wide, and does not allow chain stories anywhere in Ojai. This was the obvious intent of the permanent ordinance, but with some fine-tuning to allow for some exceptions that may not have been considered at the time.

The Citizens Voter initiative is city-wide too, and allows Formula/Chain stores, partially defined by the number of outlets, only after the applicant meets certain requirements and follows a strict process including a hearing before the planning commission that is open to the public. I believe this is similar to the ideas that commissioner Koehler was suggesting that the City Staff consider.

Unfortunately, outside the HCD, the proposed ordinance is not as strict as the Citizen Voter Initiative and would allow a Subway next to Giorgio’s or a Starbucks across the street from the Polito project on Canada. This is not what the voters had in mind. The proposed ordinance would also allow unlimited chain stores along Maricopa Highway, which could result in the creation of a strip mall on the large vacant property across the street from the high school up to El Roblar/Cuyama Rd, which has approximately 1500 feet of frontage. Such a development could contain another supermarket, a McDonalds, a Block Buster, Rite Aid, all of which are contrary to the “Small town” walk-to-where-you-shop goal of the General Plan and the small town atmosphere mentioned in many of the Whereas in the proposed resolution and ordinance.

4. Please keep in mind that over 600 Ojai voters have signed the citizen voter initiative that limits chain stores, city-wide in Ojai. This is likely the largest number of Ojai city voters to ever sign a voter initiative that applies to the City. Also, keep in mind that The Chamber of Commerce has said 70% of the businesses responding to their survey wanted city-wide ordinance to limit chain stores. This is a significant group of people, that crosses political, economic, social, and age boundaries that does not believe new chain stores should be allowed in Ojai.

You have a difficult job before you and I sincerely appreciate your time and effort. But please, do not assume the HCD is the only solution to meet the desires of the voters. Let’s find out what other cities have done and explore and discuss all of the alternatives before the General Plan is changed and a vote is made on such an important issue.

Sincerely,

Pat McPherson
1111 N. Montgomery St.
Ojai, CA 93023

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 05:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 05:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (88)

Glenn Emanuel's remembrance ceremony was yesterday at the gazebo in Libbey Park. When i arrived at a few minutes before 4pm, there were but a handful of people gathered, most of whom were busily setting up easels of pictures and arranging chairs and sound equipment. within minutes, the gathering swelled to a strong crowd that read like a who's-who of the Ojai Valley...i saw Sid and Sheila Cohn, the Al-Awars, Jim Calire, John Azevedo, Noel Douglas, Peggy La Cerra, and dozens of other very familiar faces that i personally dont even have names for.

we opened with music and prayer, and elegant and heartfelt stories and reflections were shared by friends and family. as seems to be so often the case with those who leave us, these served to describe a person whom it feels beautiful to remember, but - as my wife observed as we solemnly left - whom we wish we'd known better while he was here. it's clear that Glenn loved us all, and that we all loved him no matter how large or small our piece of his experience.

i believe that Cheri Mason-Emanuel's son said it best when he introspected that Glenn never seemed sad...always happy. and so it hardly feels appropriate to be sad that he's gone; we can only be happy that he was here.

"Glenn was here", etched with care into the picnic tables of our minds and hearts. Ojai - and the world - are better for it.

Posted by evan austin at 08:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

A few photos from the Ojai bike path yesterday... photo credit Frank Nilsen. thanks, Frank!

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 06:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

Chinese Green & Red Gang [Japanese Yakuza joining in] to Impeach the American Banker Illuminati Gang! An end to "business (fascism) as usual" !!

http://www.guba.com/watch/3000080913
http://www.rense.com/Datapages/fulfdat.htm

http://benjaminfulford.com
http://benjaminfulford.typepad.com/benjaminfulford

the days of the gangster Gores, Bushes, Rockefellers, JP Morgans -- ad nauseum -- are ended !!!

let us chronicle the unfolding play here, today.

in 2007, 2008, as we name this 'day' ...

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Seven-Seven/message/2968
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Seven-Seven/message/2969

Posted by Millennium Twain at 08:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I was pleasantly surprised with an email message yesterday from the Ojai City Planner containing the second draft of the proposed ordinance regulating formula retail establishments in Ojai. It is a large document, partially because it also includes an amendment to the General Plan and the suggested creation of a Historic Commercial Downtown (HCD) Overlay District. So, what does the author of the Citizen Initiative think of this draft? What is different from the draft released two weeks ago?

What makes the City Ordinance different from the Citizen Initiative?

• The complete prohibition of formula retail in the Historical Commercial Downtown Overlay District.
• Includes hotels/motels
• Exempts Maricopa Highway from any new regulations
• No public hearing process beyond the normal permit hearing (if required)
• Creates regulations for formula retail outside HCD and Maricopa Highway, which is essentially what is proposed in the Citizen Initiative (the language is almost verbatim). The regulations are:
  • no street-level frontage greater than 25 feet
  • no more than two stories or two store fronts (Kenley's note: this should probably be '1' and I would change this in the Citizen Initiative too if I could)
  • not exceed 2000 square feet
  • no drive-through
  • no more than one formula business per single building
  • establishes per lot size maximums

So, what do I think this mean for Ojai?

• We could still have formula business in Ojai (but not downtown) which could also happen with the Citizen's Initiative.
• Maricopa Highway could have more formula retail beyond Vons, Ben Franklin, True Value, and the Pharmacy
• New buildings on empty lots along Ojai Ave. would need to be small in order to accommodate formula businesses and would most likely require a hearing at the Planning Commission (where the public can comment).

Again, as with the first draft, this is a well written and understandable document the City is proposing. So, what are my reservations for an outright endorsement? The exemption of Maricopa Highway from the document. This will be something for me to ponder between now and Wednesday when the Planning Commission will be reviewing it ( Wednesday, August 1 at 7:30pm, Ojai City Hall). What can you do?

1. Read the proposed ordinance.
2. Post your comments here on the Ojai Post
3. Come to Planning Commission on Wednesday
4. Call the Planning Commissioners (see previous post with numbers.

What are your thoughts?

Posted by Kenley Neufeld at 06:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)

Just a few items from today's news that I found interesting...

Drunken astronauts reportedly allowed to fly (MSNBC)
A panel has found that astronauts were allowed to fly on at least two occasions despite warnings they were so drunk they posed a flight risk... "That’s not the 'right stuff' as far as I’m concerned," said Bart Gordon, D-Tenn.

Aquafina labels to spell out source - tap water (Yahoo/Reuters)
PepsiCo Inc. will spell out that its Aquafina bottled water is made with tap water, a concession to the growing environmental and political opposition to the bottled water industry. According to Corporate Accountability International, a U.S. watchdog group, the world's No. 2 beverage company will include the words "Public Water Source" on Aquafina labels.

Documents contradict Gonzales' testimony (Yahoo/AP)
Documents indicate eight congressional leaders were briefed about the Bush administration's terrorist surveillance program on the eve of its expiration in 2004, contradicting sworn Senate testimony this week by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. The documents underscore questions about Gonzales' credibility as senators consider whether a perjury investigation should be opened.

Pot may hike risk of psychosis, research finds (MSNBC/AP)
Using marijuana seems to increase the chance of becoming psychotic, researchers report in an analysis of past research that reignites the issue of whether pot is dangerous... Several authors reported being paid to attend drug company-sponsored meetings related to marijuana, and one received consulting fees from companies that make antipsychotic medications.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 07:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Glenn Emmanuel - who, like each of us, is many wonderful things to so many people - left this life this past Monday July 23rd. There will be a remembrance ceremony for him this coming Sunday July 29th at 4pm at the Gazebo in Libbey Park.

Glenn's final poem, with his spellings intact:

A single word
A simple line
full of life/death/space&time
All this
my dearest luves my wife, my suns, my friends
Swirling, dancing, the bright sun -
Mirculous & true

Glenn Emmanuel
July 19, 2007

Posted by evan austin at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)

I had dinner last night and listened to Bobby Sager speak in Downtown Boston.

As an invited guest to speak for an international organization holding annual meetings here, I was able to "tag along" and join the evening soiree.

Mr. Sager is an amazing photographer; I saw a few of his photos. Each picture, he explained , has a story. From what he told us about his efforts, for about a decade now, he and his family have "made a life" (he'd already made a living) by going out and doing good.

Ok, at least that's my version. He's out there making the changes ... no, he's actually living the changes that I ordinarily talk about experiencing.

Mr. Sager does good things internationally and locally, and last night he inspired me with just a few words of wisdom and motivation.

His message: Concrete Baby Steps Matter.

I have a lot on my mind from last night's meeting, but I'll only share this one idea. I hope in reading this post, and clicking on a few of the links I provide you'll find some reason and some thing to do to represent your own concrete baby step that matters.

Bobby said several times: Concrete Baby Steps Matter. During this presentation, I filled up four 3X5 note cards. One of them had this:

IDEA - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ACTION
or
IDEA - - - - - ACTION

The point I made to myself was/is this: If I get an idea, how do I act on that idea with:
less time?
less energy?
less effort?
less money?
less resources?
less...

you get the point.

So, I head back to Ojai tomorrow for the weekend, and I'm going to start looking around for the CBSs I can take!

Posted by Jason Womack at 07:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The Ojai Peace Coalition, acting on the advice and brilliance of a friend, has decided to begin awarding an annual Noble Peace Prize to local heroes of Peace, to recognize those in our community who are living and encouraging the kind of world and ways of being that we're working for. i have designed a custom medal that will constitute the award, and it requires an initial investment to have a quarter-century of them manufactured. You can help by contributing HERE.
(i will also accept checks if that's simpler or more comfortable for you. email me and we'll work it out)

We will award the NPP in a public ceremony each year on International Peace Day (September 21), and the awardee will be the Ojai Peace Coalition's dignitary in the next Independence Day parade! Can you help us create this legacy and honor our heroes?

Posted by evan austin at 02:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

Bush, Cheney, Gonzales. Impeach 'em all. Fully 71% of Americans now understand that this administration is an unmitigated disaster. Still support Bush? You are 1 in 4, and chances are darn good your cable TV is stuck on Fox News.

Why do I support impeachment?

# Falsifying evidence of weapons of mass destruction to justify an unlawful war of aggression.
# Directing the exposure of a covert CIA agent in time of war.
# Using presidential signing statements to circumvent laws passed by Congress.
# Illegal wiretapping and surveillance conducted against American citizens.
# Extraordinary rendition and torture of detainees in violation of the Geneva Conventions.
# Illegal suspension of the right of habeas corpus.
# Destruction of executive branch records whose preservation is required by law.
# Unlawfully terminating U.S. attorneys for political purposes.
# Employing executive privilege for the purpose of obstructing justice.
# Suborning perjury by administration officials.
# Dereliction of duty and failure to faithfully execute the office of President and to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.
(hat tip KingOneEye)

The abuse of power and expansion of the "unitary executive" is treasonous and unpatriotic. Lying, torture, spying, rendition, war, war profiteering and war crimes have destroyed our reputation abroad. My concern for the future of this nation is not confined to the party in power. I would no more want President Clinton or President Obama to have the kind of power that is being accumulated by the Bush-Cheney cabal. So impeach them, and let us begin to heal the gaping wounds of the last six years.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 08:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (62)

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the 7th and final volume of Rowling's all-conquering fantasy series, sold a mountainous 8.3 million copies in its first 24 hours on sale in the US, according to Scholastic. No other book, not any of the six previous Potters, has been so quickly consumed. "Deathly Hallows" averaged more than 300,000 copies in sales per hour - more than 5,000 a minute. [Me -- I am waiting for a loaner copy from a friend, any friend! MT]

http://www.mercurynews.com/entertainmentheadlines/ci_6441202

"Harry has already lost his parents, his godfather Sirius and his teacher Professor Dumbledore, and in this volume the losses mount with unnerving speed: at least a half-dozen characters we have come to know die in these pages, and many others are wounded or tortured. Voldemort and his followers have infiltrated Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic, creating havoc and terror in the Wizard and Muggle worlds alike, and the members of various populations — including elves, goblins and centaurs — are choosing sides. No wonder then that Harry often seems overwhelmed with disillusionment and doubt in the final installment of this seven-volume bildungsroman. He continues to struggle to control his temper, and as he and Ron and Hermione search for the missing Horcruxes, he literally enters a dark wood, in which he must do battle not only with the Death Eaters, but also with the temptations of hubris and despair. Harry’s weird psychic connection with Voldemort (symbolized by the lightning-bolt forehead scar he bears ) seems to have grown stronger too, giving him clues to Voldemort’s actions and whereabouts, even as it lures him ever closer to the dark side. One of the plot’s significant turning points concerns Harry’s decision on whether to continue looking for the Horcruxes — the mission assigned to him by the late Dumbledore — or to pursue the Hallows, three magical objects said to make their possessor the master of Death."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/19/books/19potter.html

"Phew. Woah. I'm still blown sideways. After ten years, she did not let us down. The darkest, fastest-paced, most desperate and dynamic magical adventure of the 7-part series carries the reader along faster than a speeding broomstick chased by Dementors. Throughout, doubts must be battled, fears faced, loyalties tested, and grief postponed whilst well-loved characters fall, chapter by chapter, yet there is no time to mourn."

http://rachelnorthlondon.blogspot.com/2007/07/haryy-potter-7-deathly-hallows-review.html

"Harry, Ron and Hermione are on the search for horcruxes, vessels that Voldemort created to hold pieces of his soul, which make it impossible to kill him as long as they exist. The search has them moving over various parts of the United Kingdom as they try to fit all the pieces together. Many secrets are finally revealed, all leading up to the ultimate confrontation between Harry and the wizard who tried to kill him so long ago."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19869408

Don't read the following blog of spoilers, unless you want to know the main events without reading it. (i.e., who lives and who dies.) and please don't 'spoil it' for others by adding such comments here ...

http://www.thebizofknowledge.com/2007/07/10_spoilers_harry_potter_and_t.html

Posted by Millennium Twain at 04:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)

1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses. 6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your
coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile.: )
12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list
AND NOW YOU ARE LAUGHING at yourself.

Posted by Raymond Powers at 01:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

This post is all over the place, but it's been a typical week in Ojai where I run into all sorts of interesting people and great food. I found the perfect sandwich, enjoyed a great evening of side-splitting laughter and met an inspiring and courageous woman - all right here in our little valley.

Dishing Ojai: Oak Tree Café and Bakery:
I have finally found the perfect sandwich in Ojai at the Oak Tree Café and Bakery at the corner of Fox and Ojai Avenue. I had the broiled open-faced tomato and mozzarella sandwich with olive tapenade spread and Bill had the albacore tuna salad sandwich with pesto spread (he threatened to order it "Mike’s Way," but I stopped him). Both were accompanied by a terrific salad tossed with shredded carrots, parmesan, tomatoes, their homemade croutons (which they sell by the bag) and choice of honey lemon or balsamic vinaigrette. We sat outside under a shady pepper tree sipping sun-brewed iced tea and devoured every bite. Oak Tree started as a small bakery and coffee stop down on Hwy. 33 in a converted ATM drive-thru selling the most amazing pastries. They still have the pastries, but you’ve got to get there early to enjoy them.

More Dishing Ojai starts here.

Read-on to find out about local comedy and a solo theatrical performance...

Theater 150 Comedy Workshop Graduates Perform:
Last night we saw the graduates of the Theater 150 Comedy Workshop perform at Giorgios. I had written an article about them recently for the VC Reporter (still on newsstands through Wednesday) and became so interested in their story I just had to see the finished product. There were about a half dozen brief bits and no shortage of laughter in the sold-out crowd. There’s one more chance to catch them and I highly recommend you do tonight at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are only ten bucks and if you get there early and order a sandwich, your beer is only a quarter. Order tickets now at www.Theater150.org.

Bodies Unbound, a one-woman play:
Cynthia Waring, Ojai local, author and playwright, will perform her solo theatrical adaptation of her moving memoir, Bodies Unbound, on August 11 at the Ojai Massage School. Cynthia’s book details how, through her work as a healer, she brings out her clients’ powerful stories and identifies them with her own tales of abuse, addiction and ultimately overcoming her demons through touch and writing.

INSPIRATIONAL STORY “BODIES UNBOUND” PLAYS AUGUST DATES IN OJAI AND SANTA BARBARA
WHAT: “Bodies Unbound,” a solo theatre piece.
WHO: Written, produced and performed by Cynthia Waring and directed by Jill Andre.
AT OJAI: Saturday, August 11, 2007 at 8 p.m. at Ojai School of Massage, 619 W. El Roblar Drive, Ojai, CA 93023. Admission: $15. Phone: (805) 640-9798.
AT SANTA BARBARA: Friday, August 17 and Saturday, August 18 at 8 p.m. at Center Stage Theater, 751 Paseo Nuevo, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Admission: $20. (805) 963-0408. Online ticketing: www.CenterStageTheater.org
WEBSITE: www.BodiesUnbound.com

I had the pleasure of interviewing Cynthia recently on Radio Ojai. An excerpt of the first act of her play is also posted. Special thanks to Ojai Post author, Leslie Davis, who put me in touch with Cynthia.

Posted by Lisa Snider at 07:55 AM | Permalink

Early evening tonight in Upper Ojai as we gather to celebrate and wish farewell to our dear friends as they embark on an adventure.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 09:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

Jessie and i walked down to the Ojai Playhouse last night (so grateful we live close enough to do that!), arriving a few minutes after 5:30 to deposit our $40 - two 20's marked with PEACE, LOVE, & HEALTH - into the full fishbowl of medical fund collections for Glenn Emmanuel. Music was already floating out of the propped-open auditorium doors, where The Household Gods had already begun their benefit set with a beautifully-lyric'd song that i missed the title of.

There were maybe 50 people in the theater - sitting in small groups or alone - of all ages, and all seemed to be enjoying the music by nodding, clapping, or singing along with the Gods' master-full set, punctuated by instrument-switching and playful banter between songs. If you've never heard the Gods (this was my second time), you're missing an exceptional piece of cultural Ojai and uniquely arranged covers of songs you know and love, as well as exposure to new favorites you didn't know you had.

Special for me were their hauntingly beautiful interpretations of the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows" (which we learned after the show tugged directly at the heart of Cheri Mason, Glenn's partner) and "In My Room", and a Dylan tune that i dont care about the title of because of my strongly held belief that Bob's songs sound better when done by anyone but himself. Louis Armstrong's "Potatohead Blues" was a joyfully fun instrumental romp featuring Charlie Bosson playing the violin solos on his guitar in a masterfully organic way that Jessie said can never be duplicated by robots. The gentlemen also did great justice to Tom Petty's "Free Fallin", forced rhymes and all.

Jim Lashly, J.B. White, Charlie Bosson, and Peter Bellwood: gifts to music, to our Valley, and to Glenn Emmanuel for whom they donated their time and talents. Like Cheri said afterward, there's no place like Ojai for this kind of community support. And if there's healing in music, then we all left in better health than we arrived.

Posted by evan austin at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Richard Carlson looks out his Tahoe cabin window at the beautiful view knowing that if he sees forest fire smoke below him, he has 10 minutes to clear out before the fire will block his only exit route. Carlson therefore knows a thing or two about managing forests for optimum fire safety. Why?

Behind my home, it's nearly impossible to hike off trail because you have to wade through knee-deep piles of dead branches.
The forest is ready to explode. We have too many trees, but no one dares do anything about it.
It's not a pretty thing, this forest management debate. Lumber company and radical environmentalists have staked out the extreme positions, with the Forest Services, forest residents and mainstream conservationists in between.

Reasonable people know the forest has to be thinned. People educated on the matter know that when the first photographers lugged cameras up the Sierras, the photos they took showed forests remarkably thinner than those today. And environmentalists know they'll always be able to make a buck by railing against loggers.

Against that backdrop, an agreement was struck to allow the sort of environmentally balanced thinning that might have prevented the Tahoe fire. It didn't pan out, says Carlson in an SF Chronicle opinion piece today:

Effective but environmentally safe forest thinning requires compromise between environmentalists and commercial loggers. Unfortunately, the new, more ideological environmental movement refuses such compromise. This refusal is exemplified by the Quincy Library Group.
The group drafted an agreement among Sierra conservationists, industry and political leaders that would have allowed enough controlled commercial thinning of Sierra forests to actually make a dent in the deadly growing forest fuel loads. The agreement was killed by lawsuits from the new, more radical urban environmentalists who value money and ideology above science, homes and human life.
The leaders of such groups as California's chapters of the Sierra Club knew that their urban constituencies could be depended on to contribute to any anti-logging campaign.
Compromise would lose money and support to more-radical groups. Having spent decades creating the image of the evil logger as their favorite fundraiser, the urban environmentalists didn't dare be caught talking to one. Allied as the Sierra Forest Legacy, these organizations have largely stopped effective efforts to deal with the fast-growing fire danger in Sierra forests.
It's not like there hasn't been sufficient time to implement the recommendations of the Quincy Library Group's agreement; it was inked in 1993, and DiFi submitted legislation in 1998. But nothing has happened except more of the insane status quo:
While the lawyers argue, and the environmental fundraisers happily collect their tribute, the forest fuel loads keep growing.
In Tahoe, the situation is exacerbated by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (known locally as the Tree Nazis). The agency's rules override fire marshal guidelines and generally make desperately needed tree thinning impossible. Unless you go through an insanely complex, expensive and lengthy permit process, you can't touch a tree that's larger than 6 inches in diameter, even if it's next to your house. And 6- to 12-inch firs are exactly the type of tree that is the greatest fire danger.
It's the same all over, and not just with the fires that preceded in Arizona and elsewhere. The California Coastal Commission forbids the repair or building of sea walls. A farmer in San Bernardino County was arrested for plowing a fire-break around his home because Stevens kangaroo rats might have been disturbed.

One of my clients recently spent $3 million fighting off (successfully) a Center for Biological Diversity lawsuit over air quality. Ironically, the project was able to fully mitigate its air quality impacts for one-sixth that amount, just $500,000, with which they bought new, clean diesel generators to replace dirty generators used by farmers in the area.

The Center didn't care. This client is a major fundraising source for them and like radical green groups everywhere, solutions aren't their goal; power and money is.

If people die and cabins burn because of their goals, so what? The world in their view is better without people and cabins anyway.

Credit to Laer, for this article

Posted by Brian Cox at 02:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (29)

Ojai Versus Big Trucks
Ojai Planners Eye Chain Ordinance
Ojai Residents Speak Out Against Mine Proposal
Ojai Residents Join Nation to Call for Troop Withdrawal and an End to War

The Ojai Valley seems to have its hands full with things to be AGAINST lately, and big things at that. The lineup of Goliaths – Trucks, Chains, Mines, Wars – seems like it’d make any David shake in his boots, but then Ojai’s no David, is SHE?
Ojai the moon – luna, a feminine word and calm energy
and Ojai the nest – motherly, protective imagery

but we’re not all about push-away energy; just look at the things that we’re FOR:

• A complete ordinance that protects the uniqueness and integrity of our City: As the initiative by Ojai City resident Kenley Neufeld has gathered 600 signatures and counting for a strict regulation on formula retail businesses for the entire city, the City comes up with one of their own which protects a tiny strip of the downtown area. The Planning Commission has begun to discuss the matter, with some Commissioners and Citizens urging an overlay of the two plans. Meanwhile, signatures for a City-wide restriction continue to be gathered, and the City Council will likely see this issue in their chambers soon.
• A community of engaged Citizens, and one that values Peace: This past Tuesday, as many as 25 local Citizens gathered at the Y for an hour in a MoveOn.org-sponsored “counter-filibuster”, to bring awareness to the move by Senate Republicans to block a vote on withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq in 120 days. Tonight, international interfaith peacemaker Eliyahu McClean was in Ojai share stories of hope and reconciliation from his extensive work in the Middle East. International Peace Day is coming in September, and there are big things in the works locally for the weekend of the 21st...watch for it!
• Conservation of our precious resources: The County declared a drought in May, and although I’ve only seen one recently erected sign proclaiming such, it does ask that we not do any watering outdoors between 12:00 and 5:00pm (another source cites no watering between 9am and 6pm) because during the hottest parts of the day most of the water will just evaporate and not soak into whatever you’re watering.
• Health and safety for the sick among us: Tomorrow (Friday June 20) The Household Gods will put on a benefit concert for Glenn Emmanuel at the Ojai Playhouse at 5:30pm. Glenn has inoperable cancer and no health insurance, and is much loved in our community for his gentle and thoughtful spirit, engaged intellect, and commitment to peace. the concert is free, with donations encouraged toward his medical fund.

...and to think of all the articles i've seen that refer to Ojai as a "sleepy town"!
here
and here
and here
and here
and here...

cross-posted at OjaiNews.com

Posted by evan austin at 09:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)

I come home with a little hope and a little fear. The nervousness of the Planning Commissioners was mentioned by a couple of them, due to the overwhelming nature of prohibiting or regulating formula business. No 3-minute timer at this meeting and the commissioners seemed to genuinely listen to the public comment. I am trying to trust the process though it certainly does take a long time for the process to occur, recognizing that consensus building does take time. No decisions made on this night, but we heard from 6-7 members of the public and from each of the commissioners. Here's the preliminary report card:

Please keep in mind these are simplifications and a general sense of what I heard from each commissioner. They are not verbatim comments.

• Commissioner Weaver -- OK with the proposal and the HCD
• Commissioner Crabtree -- OK with the proposal and the HCD and we need lots more discussion
• Commissioner Mirk -- this isn't really an issue; its been fine till now; we should do nothing
• Commissioner Foster -- the location (HCD) approach makes the most sense. OK with HCD but is open to a combination approach (regulation and prohibition)
• Commissioner Becker -- talked about how San Luis Obispo used to be before the influx chains and how many are saddened by the change. Believes we should extend the HCD to Del Norte on the west and something further on the East plus regulatory approach.
• Commissioner Koelher -- talked about keeping the camel from getting its nose under the tent. Bemoaned other communities that have lost their uniqueness and that development can happen very quickly. We need a bigger buffer zone, possibly from the 'Y' to Gridley. Create a matrix to keep those we want out but allow those we want in. Seems like he wants a combination approach.
• Commissioner Adams -- likes the approach of the City in general but the HCD is to small. The visual and aesthetic impacts from the 'Y' to Gridley are important to Ojai. Likes the HCD concept, especially in regards to other planning issues. Regulate or expand seems to be her approach.

What needs to be done? More research and education for the commissioners. Other possible drafts generated by the City Staff. The next meeting is August 1 where the public hearing will continue.

I look forward to others insights, interpretations, and experience.

Posted by Kenley Neufeld at 10:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

[From the flier:] Sadako was a two-year-old girl when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Ten years later she developed leukemia. Japanese legend holds that one's wish will be granted upon folding 1,000 paper (origami) cranes. Sadako folded 646 before dying. She wrote, "I will write peace on your wings, and you will fly all over the world." Her friends finished folding the cranes in her memory. The paper crane has become a global symbol of peace, and a statue of Sadako now stands in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

On Thursday August 9 from 5-6 P.M., The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation will hold its 13th annual Sadako Peace Day Ceremony at The Sadako Peace Garden at La Casa de Maria in Montecito. The event includes music, poetry and reflections on peace. Admission is free and open to the public.

You can also read worldwide messages for peace and contribute your own message or prayer on the Foundation's website, www.wagingpeace.org.

Posted by Robert Peake at 12:26 PM | Permalink

I haven't been able to post in sometime - and right now I just have a few moments before today's roller coaster ride begins. But I just want to post a HUGE thank you to our beautiful, generous community for coming out in full force and supporting my latest endeavor - hosting 27 Vietnamese students for a whole month. The OVN came to Nordhoff High School and interviewed us, so you may see the scoop in the paper today. The EF Homestay Program could not have happened without every corner of the community getting involved and I am eternally grateful! I'm running nonstop, so I may not get a chance to post again until it's all over in August. Thanks Ojai!

Posted by Demitri Corbin at 06:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The City of Ojai has drafted a strongly worded Ordinance Regulating Formula Retail Businesses in the City of Ojai. A major kudos to City Staff for the work they have done on this important issue -- specifically Katrina Rice Schmidt, Jere Kersnar, and Monte Widders. This is work to be proud of and to be supportive of. The language is clear, direct, and understandable. The only weakness in this ordinance is the extremely small footprint of the area covered (essentially Ojai Ave. from Canada to Drown) -- in the proposed Historic Commercial District.

Why should this ordinance be expanded city wide?

• The currently passed urgency ordinance is city wide.
• The citizen driven initiative, with signatures from more than 600 registered voters, calls for a city wide ordinance.
• 7 out of 10 cities mentioned as examples in the City's proposed ordinance have city wide ordinances.
• Historic business such as The Ojai Valley Inn, Bart's Books, Auberge, Suzannes and Westridge Market are outside the proposed Historic Commercial District as well as a long row of historic houses, now businesses, between Topa Topa and Bristol Avenues.
• When the citizen driven initiative comes to a vote and passes, it would override any City ordinance on the topic. Why not address the concerns of citizens today, rather than requiring a special election in the future?
• Historically, the entire Ojai Valley is recognized as one community with the City of Ojai as the center. Ojai deserves a city wide ordinance.

Again, I truly appreciate the work of the City Staff and know that our staff and our elected officials can, and will, take this seriously. The first opportunity to support their work is on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 at 7:30pm before the Ojai Planning Commission (at City Hall). I suspect if this moves forward to the Ojai City Council, there will be at least two more opportunities to comment publicly.

If you can't make the meeting on Wednesday, please use the talking points above and call one (or more) of the Planning Commissioners.

• Tucker Adams, Chair -646-1171
• Paul Crabtree, Vice-Chair - 640-3075
• John Mirk - 646-8102
• Troy Becker - 640-1679
• Susan Weaver
• Steven Foster

See you on Wednesday.

[editor's update (7/16/07 2:30pm): click below for the map that outlines the newly created Historical District. this is also available in the City's PDF, linked at the top of this post.]

Posted by Kenley Neufeld at 05:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (29)

Four news stories appeared this week in the local press after the latest hearing in Santa Maria. Here are the highlights:

From the Santa Barbara Independent:

“…Nestled at the intersection of State Route 33 and Highway 150, Ojai enjoys a reputation as one of Santa Barbara’s most idyllic inland neighbors. Tucked in the shadow of the Santa Ynez Mountains and just a short drive from Ventura, the Ojai Valley is an oasis in the sprawl of Southern California. However, with plans to expand gravel mining operations in the area, the sleepy little city of about 8,000 residents is facing a potential daily invasion of several hundred 80,000-pound rock-hauling Mack trucks on their way to and from the Cuyama Valley mines.

“Ojai is a little Shangri-La that depends on tourism,” explains resident and former Chair of the Ojai Chamber of Commerce Howard Smith. “But if all of a sudden you’ve got 600 gravel trucks rolling through town every day, you don’t have much of a tourist town anymore….”

Continue reading at the SB Independent...

Ventura County 1st District Supervisor Steve Bennett, right, confers with Ojai Mayor Carol Smith and Stop the Trucks committee chair Michael Shapiro outside the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission hearing in Santa Maria on Wednesday.

From the Ojai Valley News:

“It was another marathon five-hour meeting before the Santa Barbara Planning Commission Wednesday in an attempt to clarify issues and make a final decision on the Troesh Diamond Rock Mine Conditional Use Permit.

An Ojai crowd of about 80 again filled the meeting room alongside residents of the Cuyama region to hear the Commission vote 4-to-1 in favor of approving the mine’s C.U.P. after attaching two new restrictive measures. However, the project still holds the potential of sending 80,000-pound gravel trucks down scenic Highway 33 through one of the Ojai’s busiest intersections…”

“…Michael Shapiro, one of the leaders of the Ojai-based Stop the Trucks organization, had a guarded reaction. “Even though the Planning Commission said there is a ban in effect, there is no teeth in it,” Shapiro said. According to Shapiro there is too much flexibility and the ban can be ignored in case of an emergency. “Emergency was not defined,” continued Shapiro. “I’m not feeling comfortable that there really is a ban...”

“…Shapiro took issue with the Caltrans traffic study, alleging, “The Caltrans report wasn‘t a study; it was a six-page conclusion with no real study involved. We want an independent study…”

“…Cuyama speakers included pistachio rancher Gene Zannon, who echoed concerns of other area residents saying the mine would have major negative impacts on his largely rural farming and ranching community as well as sending traffic to Ojai. “This is the biggest vote facing us since oil was discovered in terms of development and how it will transform our valley,” said Zannon. “They’re planning on drilling to 90 feet and the aquifer is at 40. Our wells are not that deep and I don’t have that much to play with.”

”…Representing the city, Ojai Mayor Carol Smith acknowledged the commission’s tough role but urged them to not approve the C.U.P. Jeff Kuyper of Los Padres Forest Watch, and Gordon Hensley of CoastKeepers, both representatives of nonprofit environmental groups, attacked the EIR and Caltrans study…”

“…After the meeting ended Bennett said he felt the truck controversy was an important and complicated issue. “That still needed to be worked out.” “It’s time for the valley to roll up our sleeves, contribute, and get serious,” said Shapiro. “The city needs to get involved and contribute too if we want to keep the trucks out of Ojai. It’s going to be an uphill struggle and I think it’s going to end in litigation…”

From the Ventura County Star:

“…A campaign to stop gravel trucks from rumbling down Highway 33 and through the Ojai Valley lost a small skirmish this week…”

“…Most of the Diamond Rock trucks are supposed to use routes through Santa Barbara County, but there is nothing guaranteeing that, Shapiro said…”

"…It gets back to this political rationale that completely avoids the real issue about whether the 33, with its tunnels and hairpin turns, was ever designed for this kind of traffic," said Shapiro…”

Stop the Trucks was formed in response to the three large gravel-mining operations. They are clustered near each other in remote corners of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties off Highway 33. According to the group, the cumulative impact from the three operations could mean as many as 600 big semi-trucks laden with gravel jack-braking down Highway 33. One of the other mines, Ozena, wants to expand its existing operation. It has a permit to run about 100 trucks down the route each day…”

From The Santa Maria Times:

Opponents vow to appeal mine decision

“…Numerous speakers, almost all from the Ojai area - including that town's mayor and school superintendent - urged denial of the project. “I think approval of this mine will open the floodgates for hundreds of gravel trucks going through our valley,” Ojai resident Jackie Kuehn worried aloud.

“There are already too many trucks on Highway 33,” added Jeff Kuyper, spokesman for the Los Padres Forest Watch environmental group. He said he opposes “even one additional truck trip down scenic Highway 33….”

Please continue with your financial support... And Continue to Report Violations!!!
STOP THE TRUCKS: http://www.ojaipost.com/stopthetrucks.shtml

Posted by Howard Smith at 04:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Radar Sherpa make an elephant big-house call

Clay and I cruise slowly into the Santa Barbara zoo's parking lot and after 5 minutes or so the black Beam is resting in the shade. Our entrance into the animal prison is delayed by the mini train which clangs and clacks along just inside the black iron gates which mark the entrance to Noah's prison.

95% of the visitors are families and many stare curiously at the 2 strange men as I pay the 20 dollar entrance fee. We walk slowly along the wide cemented pathway checking out some otters as they swim around in their tiny little cement wading pool filled with clear water. We pass a couple monkey cages and listen to the crows banter songs of freedom up in the tall trees - they are the only wild animals in the zoo. The rest have been domesticated, compartmentalized and bleached into hollow replicas of their ancestors. The elephant jail soon appears. I am happy to see that they are not forced to walk on concrete. Clay and I sit and observe as one grand elephant walks as if in slow motion out from his cement building. He seems to look me straight in the eye and I watch as his giant ears flap around gathering the various noises into his brain and gently shooing away the hungry insects. It almost seems like he is going to walk towards me and receive my didjeridoo blessing up close. He has a big grin on his big gray face and then makes a right hand turn towards a red-faced dehydrated looking animal handler who has hay, pellets and a branch for him to munch on. I take my timber slide-didge out of its case and begin to play. The elephant seems to hear and pauses in his snacking to wave his ears around curiously seemingly in response to some of my higher frequency overtones, tonings and singings.

After playing for 10 minutes or so, two zoo employees walk by quickly and then a minute or so later they return from the other direction and politley say: "Musical instruments are not allowed to be played here because the animals may become dangerous to people. Their response to music is unpredictable and we do not want that here. Even though they seem to be enjoying your music, I have to tell you to stop."

While she spoke, her eyes looked up and to the left, diagonally, leading me to believe that I was witnessing an automated response. After she completed her diplomatic paragraph I said: "Well that concludes my visit then. I guess I won't be getting a membership here. Thanks for being so nice in the way you told me to stop."

With that, Clay and I smoothly began our exit. When we reached the ticket window, I asked for a refund. "I've only been here 20 minutes and would like my money back."

"Why?"

I smile and say: "Well, I came here to bless the elephants and it turns out that it is illegal to bless the elephants, so I think that it is ridiculous for me to pay 20 dollars when I just provided a million dollar blessing for free."

The supervisor smiled knowingly, understanding that I was joking and not joking. He handed me back my $20 and we left the animal prison.

Posted by Mike Didj at 01:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

Nicholas Negroponte, founder of One Laptop per Child, said: "Intel joins the OLPC board as a world leader in technology, helping reach the world's children. Collaboration with Intel means that the maximum number of laptops will reach children."

Chip-maker Intel has joined forces with the makers of the $100 laptop. The agreement marks a huge turnaround for both the not-for-profit One Laptop per Child (OLPC) foundation and Intel.

Participating countries are able to purchase the XO in lots of 250,000. They will initially cost $176 (£90) but the eventual aim is to sell the machine to governments of developing countries for $100 (£50).

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6897950.stm

Posted by Raymond Powers at 01:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Talk amongst yourselves, Ojaians...

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 10:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

I saw this show, a slideshow by a Dutch man who visited parts of America most of us don't know exist, in 1990. I've remembered him over the years and finally realized that he might be online. Here he is

http://www.american-pictures.com/english/index.html

I really, really recommend you spend a half an hour looking at the photos in his free online book. This is really incredible, artistically and as social commentary.

Posted by Heather McKenzie at 01:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

did you find it? your 'inner (-net) peace'?
your weekend 'awakening' of 'all-things-seven'?

~~

the electro-Magick is in the air, in our hair ...

the hair of the world has enveloped us, in her tingling and tickling,
in her song ...

17 July 2007 -- planetwide Firing The Grid
http://www.firethegrid.com

our world (-mind) has blossomed, wondrous song/aemotion to be,
behold, be-sung!

25 July 2007 -- Mayan "Day Out Of Time"

30 July 2007 -- Global Meditation
http://www.souledout.org/festivals/globalmeditations/global.html

More (singing) to come ...

Episong rising ..

Posted by Millennium Twain at 01:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

i gladly accepted the generous invitation of Millennium and Megumi to be with them at the Ojai Playhouse’s first screening of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth in the seven part super-series. we got there early enough to enjoy the antics and energy of the thicket of teenagers and preteens in front of us as the theater filled quickly behind us. after only one preview (for the fresh-, funny-, and clever-looking “Fred Claus”), our adventure began.

i’m not going to review the film in great detail. i’m not going to summarize the story, or play the cynical judge (too much). but i do have some insights about the appeal:
i believe that it lies in the globality of it. much like a national protest or vigil, or a global moment of silence or large-scale tragedy or the Olympics, there’s something powerful and attractive about sharing an experience – any experience – with millions of other people all over our planet. not only were we all and each immersed in the energy of a full theater where we have the comfortable space to laugh, cry, sigh, and scream as one, but there are people all over the globe doing the same thing. i think we like that, even if we don’t all take the time to specifically think about it.

if there is a message to the film, it might be revolution. as a government official methodically takes over Hogwart’s School, stricter and more ridiculous rules are imposed to deal universally with specific incidents that crop up, such as “no student organizations” and “students must not come within 8 inches of each other”. the educational philosophy becomes that theoretical learning (as opposed to using actual magic to learn to defend themselves) will be sufficient to get them to pass their exams, which – after all – is the point of school. students begin to be interrogated about their activities, and a student group (organization?) of informants and interrogators is formed. everyone seems to grudgingly accept it all until the lid breaks loose: two students disrupt exams with fireworks and explosions, much to the joy of the students and some of the faculty. soon thereafter, the offending professor/official is carried off into the woods by centaurs.
cute and somewhat tidy, but it didn’t give me any ideas about how to best carry out a focused opposition to the No Child Left Unrecruited Act and the dismal educational system in our country. perhaps i should go school-to-school with fireworks.

i think there are people who believe in some type of literal (though not Hollywood-glitzy) magic, and i think Millennium is one of them. i think that’s okay, and i think it plays to the idea of nurturing the child within us all...to allow ourselves to believe in mysterious things [without creating rigid dogmatic structures around them] and to maintain a sense of wonder about the world around us, to recognize that other things are possible than what we currently see and experience. that’s a very hopeful energy, and in a world where we desperately and increasingly need the creativity and freedom to explore and change our ways of being (presuming, of course, that we expect to survive as a species), retaining those abilities is a beautiful, magical thing indeed.

Posted by evan austin at 09:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)

Citing concerns that happiness connotes childhood frivolity, hippy-hood, or troubled teens, the 61-year-old Happy Valley School changed its name to Besant Hill School with the help of student, parent, and faculty feedback which sought to honor founder Annie Besant and move away from recruiting stigmas associated with the "Happy" reference. Head of School Paul Amadio encourages us to pursue happiness, but not actually use the word. These folks are quick: the former hvalley.org now redirects to the new besanthill.org.

Meanwhile, Food For Thought Ojai - our schools' healthy food program - gears up for its Battle of the Bands on August 4 and 5, where the winners will open for Locally Grown 2, the program's main fund- and awareness-raising event. This year local favorites and legends Perla Batalla and Brett Dennen will grace the Libbey Bowl stage, and it'll only cost you $100 to see it up close (and party with 'em afterward).

More after the jump.

In other school news, the budget struggles of the the Ojai Unified School District prompted approval of an $111,000 snack bar trailer at Nordhoff Stadium, which will serve the foods banned from the school's cafeteria by the wellness policy. The decision is an admitted contradiction with the policy in general, and especially with the same-night move to add some new items to the nutritional menu. Still no solar panels though.

On the way up: Sanitary District rates, due to “fiscal requirements for operating and maintaining the systems in compliance with the increasingly rigorous environmental regulatory requirements for treating the water discharged into the Ventura River.” We love our Valley, our water, and our planet...for $50.31-a-month (in Ojai City).

According to BreathingEarth.net, in the time it's taken me to write this Journal, worldwide:
14,000 people have been born,
6,100 people have died, and
256,1000 tonnes of CO2 have been emitted.
Not a very sustainable model, thinks i. (Thanks to Heather for the resource!)

Dear neighbors: be happy, be aware, eat well, and tread lightly. In the words of Lesley Littlefield in the song "Oranginess": Blessings for the derrière, for villagers, and windy air.
(courtesy of Radio Ojai)

cross-posted at OjaiNews.com

Posted by evan austin at 07:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

A visual aid to understanding the impact each country has on our planetary resources. Pretty interesting to watch for 5 minutes, or set it to run in the background and go back and check on later.

www.BreathingEarth.net

Posted by Heather McKenzie at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Hi everyone. Sure is good to be back. Basically, the reason for my disappearing act was that I became compelled to go on a walkabout/vision quest. The momentum had been building in me since about June 26 and finally culminated in my immediate exodus from the Opal's nest. I left on my trusty Fireblade and circled the valley in a broad counter clockwise revolution. Crows lit the way. Squirrels and rabbits made me slow down and there was even a black baby buffalo. There were many cows and sheep that I was careful not to disturb. There were even a pak of motorcylists/wolves that sniffed my trunk curiously before I broke on thru to the other side.

Along the way, the cobwebs of self-deception began to burn off my vision and I soon became able to discern that I'd taken a little break from concensus realtiy. There is so much stigma that can be associated with naturally occurring states of alternative consciousness. Thus when it happens to many in our culture, this opportunity becomes lost under a sea of medication or worse. One friend had her thymus take out because of her amazing super sensitivity and various breaks from concensus reality. Carl Jung looked at these areas as a healing proccess. I tend to agree with Carl. There is so much more I can say on this subject but I'd prefer to keep this trascription brief. I want to thank every one who held space for me and apologize for leaving so abrubtly and without much warning. Part of what brought me back was intuitively realizing that my parents and friends were deeply concerned and there was a special dog (is still mad) who needed me. Thus, I arrive back intact and with much information accept and share with my friends/family/tribe/community/planet etc.

In conclusion I want to thank the whole glorious town of Ojai. A super special shout goes out to the Ojai Police Department for being so professional, friendly and understanding. The older I get the more I realize what a difficult and necessary job police work is. I believe that we could all support our police brothers and sisters by acknowledging them for their hardwork and dedication. Keep on surfing!

Posted by Mike Didj at 04:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

THE TRUCKS, THE ROCK MINES, CALTRANS, OJAI & THE SAN ANTONIO CREEK BRIDGE: OUR FUTURE HANGS IN THE BALANCE

By Michael Shapiro
Stop The Trucks! Coalition

After months of stalling, Caltrans has responded to Ojai’s request for a safety study of Route 33, finally releasing six-pages to conclude that the highway is, in fact, safe and appropriate for heavy, large-scale, industrial trucking. Taking its cue from the industry and industry lobbyists who desired that finding - without regard to the health, safety and welfare of the people here in the Ojai Valley - the Caltrans “study” is a patently outrageous travesty and a whitewash.

While taking months to produce a six-page “study” not worth the paper it’s written on, Caltrans has also been busy planning, strengthening, repairing and beefing-up various sections of both Highway 33 and Highway 150. As you may know, Highway 150 runs right past our historic, down-town Arcade, out through the East End, passing Boccali’s restaurant and continuing up the scenic-yet-treacherous Dennison Grade and on through upper Ojai to Santa Paula. It also passes by the new mega-housing development of Adams Canyon and terminates at the new Asphalt Plant being opened in Santa Paula by the giant national contractor, Granite Construction.

If I’m cynical regarding Caltrans’ ultimate objectives, it’s because there’s ample reason to be. Indeed, it doesn’t take an engineer to conclude that Route 33 can’t safely handle the huge size and weights of the behemoths now careening down there, and that our safety and welfare remain in grave jeopardy if these trucks are permitted continued access there. Yet in spite of our requests to seriously research the issue, Caltrans didn’t issue their “report” until now, effectively putting pressure on the Stop The Trucks! Coalition to challenge the findings with a more technically-sound, professional analysis, prepared in time for the next hearing scheduled before the Santa Barbara Planning Commission in Santa Maria, on July 11th.

Remember, there’s several more mining companies waiting in the wings to follow Santa Barbara’s Diamond Rock Mine getting a green light to haul down Ojai’s Route 33.

I’m also cynical regarding Caltrans having singled-out Ojai’s San Antonio Creek Bridge (on Highway 150) for retrofitting and requesting that the City of Ojai grant them jurisdiction to detour traffic around the bridge, via Gridley Road, while working to strengthen it. Could it be that the huge gravel trucks planned for Route 33 might also smell a potential windfall in new business in Santa Paula?

Surely, these trucks can just as easily take a left turn at Vons to Santa Paula as a right to Ventura. How about other trucks delivering tons of building supplies for Adams Canyon? Naturally, the companies involved in all this are claiming that they have no “intention” of moving heavy trucking through Ojai via Highway 150. However, stated “intentions” are not legally binding.

Also disturbing are recently acquired Caltrans documents obtained by Stop The Trucks! Coalition founder Howard Smith -- and only then by having to invoke the Freedom of Information Act to get them -- providing what appears to be a suspicious pattern of either delaying and/or possibly ignoring the opinion of some County planners that, in fact, Route 33 is not an appropriate, safe venue for such heavy trucks. One of the documents, written by an industry lobbyist, even goes so far as to tell Caltrans to get in step with industry material demands and that regardless of Ojai and Ventura County’s objections to massive truck traffic on Route 33, Cal Trans should recommend approval of the project if they want a regular, steady supply of road aggregate.

Unfortunately -- after reading such (previously withheld and “confidential”) documents, how can we ever trust or have faith that any Traffic and Safety Study conducted by Caltrans will be unbiased and transparent? That’s the point, we can’t. And now we know that its terribly biased. Indeed, the credibility and integrity of Caltrans, the Diamond Rock Mine, The Santa Barbara County Planners, and the industry special interests and lobbyist that promote both road building and the mining and transport of rock aggregate are now all on the line.

Don’t forget that it was Caltrans -- under their previous incarnation as the California Department of Highways -- who once wanted to build a freeway extension all the way from the 101, up the Venture River Valley, out to Ojai’s East End, eventually connecting all the way to Santa Paula’s 126 Freeway. Blocked from that development-insanity, are they now planning a more covert, less obvious method of supporting industrial-sized truck commerce via the heart and soul of the Ojai Valley?

While state law limits Ojai’s ability to control Caltrans, our city may have the legal jurisdiction -- and must now have the courage -- to reject Caltrans’ request to reroute traffic around the San Antonio Creek Bridge via Gridley Road, thus effectively blocking or at least stalling their retrofitting plans for the bridge for as long as legally possible. Did Caltrans intentionally delay the Route 33 Safety Study while completing all kinds of retrofitting, strengthening and repairing along both Route 33 and Highway 150, in an attempt at making an “end run” around Ojai’s earlier success at blocking the Freeway? Is Caltrans really being faithful to their mandate to maintain safety along California’s state roads in support of commerce? Well, they sure appear to be promoting the “commerce” part, but at Ojai’s expense:

They’re turning a blind-eye on the safety of Route 33 and Highway 150 by preparing these scenic-yet-narrow and treacherous highways for significant industrialized truck commerce. It’s a classic “Catch – 22” and, as such, Caltrans’ behavior can only be viewed as being both cynical and very troubling.

I believe that the City of Ojai has no choice but to stand-up to the monster-sized and powerful Caltrans and their industry special interest groups in the same way the Stop the Trucks! Coalition is trying to do. The City of Ojai and the Citizens of Ojai have no choice but to be in complete solidarity with each another. It’s also time for the City of Ojai to state publicly that they’re on board with sharing the legal expenses that will guide and protect us through this entire process.

Obviously, no one who loves and treasures Ojai wishes that she’d ever turn into either another polluted truck-route-of-a-town or morph into any mega-development sprawl. Sadly, hundreds of small towns scattered throughout California began their own history with more charm and healthier environments then what ultimately became of them because they lost control of their own destiny and were overtaken by unchecked, aggressive commerce and development.

I’m confident that as in many times past, our city will rise to meet this terrible and epic challenge now facing us today, and once again -- with everyone’s help and financial generosity -- we shall prevail. However, let no one doubt that Ojai is now standing at a critical crossroad, and I fear that her very survival as the town and treasure she is today, does indeed now hang in the balance.

Beautiful yet vulnerable and fragile City of Ojai… what will you do?

Posted by Howard Smith at 01:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Well, this is a nice cool morning in Ojai. So what's on your mind this week?

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 08:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Often, when I describe my profession/passion, people ask me, "Don't you ever get tired of the travel?"
I smile, and think, "If only they could see the world as I see it..."

I love getting beyond Ojai, and then coming back. It adds a perspective I find valuable: Looking through the lens of "bigness." I often practice looking at the world as other people "could" look at the world.

For example, here is a picture I took while standing on the escalator at DIA (Denver airport) in June. Here is a picture of a person that some people will recognize, a message they might be able to relate to, and a call to action that is as easy as a mouse-click away.

The next opportunity you have to stray beyond the valley, look around and notice what other people have the chance to notice...

Posted by Jason Womack at 07:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

From the AP...we'll keep an eye on things for you.

A wildfire has burned into a wilderness area of Los Padres National Forest and it's threatening campgrounds and a century-old schoolhouse.

The 6,300-acre fire is moving east through the San Rafael Wilderness in Santa Barbara County. The flames are burning in steep, remote terrain covered with chaparral and oak that hasn't burned for the last 40 years.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 12:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

We got up at five-five-thirty, as usual, rolling around in the vestiges of empty molds of prior days-weeks-months-years. One opened eye was aware of the absence of anxiety, the other, still closed, remained resolutely transfixed upon the nothing of a day off. The eastern sky was purple, ushering the distant star rising, which would scorch us out again. We lolled and rolled, slowly massaging one another towards cognition. The reaching, the want of commerce was held at bay. We captured languor and possessed it. The Fourth of July dawned coolly on our nearly impersonal back yard mélange of fruit trees and vines mingling with a few horticultural memorabilia: the Manzanita from the courtly trip to the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden seven years ago now thriving beneath the trimmed Crepe Myrtle, getting ready to bloom again during the days of our anniversary. Grapes cut from my sister-in-law's fence a few blocks away now cover our fence. Stolid bamboo, ten thousand dollars strong now, surrounded us with placidity, tones of Asia, sudden exclamations of a greener green than possible.

Olivia picked up the LA and the NY papers off the driveway, replopped, then perused the bombing news while I made the strong coffee she had warned against. We sipped the superxpresso and reviewed largely what we already new from the various previous compass viewpoints, including imagination. I lost track of the order of piled newsprint. I read Frank Rich talking down Dick Cheney from the Sunday before Scooter Libbey got his commutation. Old news, fresh read, even if all Frank had to chew on is how The Vice is immune to law, you know, that President-of-the-Senate-hears-a-different-drummer madness. He didn't even know about Scooter yet. Its all the same war story, according to Frank. The unending horror makes me miserable. Its all about flags, probably always been about the flags. Eleven more will apparently be given away to the unlucky next-of-kin this week.

Three days ago Chain-Chain-Cheney man Libbey's sentence was lifted, an especially warped gift to the nation from the chief defender of our constitution. The hubris is breathtaking. Did you too ever wonder what it might have been like in Germany as the Nazis came to power? Was Scooter bound to rat out The Vice if he didn't get off? The aftermath is exquisitely bizarre. Perjury is no biggie now, the professor from Fordham had somewhat apoplectically noted. Another ineffectual expert says that no judge henceforth can warn with real authority against lying under oath, holding up a threat of imprisonment, because the President just skewed the meaning of the law. Maybe George W. Bush is taking advice from the Attorney General again.

Dick Cheney, Dick Chyena, Sick Cheney. Olivia's son Dylan has placed the ghastly face of the Chyena all over the house, in webbernet photocopies and custom-art screen-spray jobs, the grim visage of our mutual madman broodifies the nooks and informs the crannies. Though I am accustomed to the propaganda, the various vacuous Cheneys smirking always remind, so thoroughly, how improbably wretched this era is. The Chyena has either the largest gonads on earth or functions without a heart. I understand from the literature that he eats puppies, and that his particular form of dementia seems to be contagious. Dylan replicates the Cheney face all over the place, no notation necessary. Dick Cheney, Dick Chyena, dragging down the country with little sharp teeth, from behind like a wounded, weary, wildebeast.

Lord have mercy on the republic for which we stand. I think I have to work so I go, ostensibly to water plants, and to cease watering plants. I load the 8-10 and the short-john in the truck. A neighbor passes by:
"So, that's what you are doing today."
" I hope so."
" No doubt better than this parade."
" No doubt."
I duck through the Arbolada to Meiners. Detoured drivers make a parade of their own around the perfunctory celebration downtown. The flags remind us of one thing so we can easily ignore the rest. The streets are draped with the ultimate red herrings of our era.

After a bit of inspiration with Johnny Gumby, a head-ram from his tyke and pertinent persuasives from Betty Button-Gumby, I mosey on up to the roof to configure their nonfunctional swampcooler. The day will again be far too hot to leave them without relief. Quickly I am done with scant effort but much surprise. Mr. and Mrs. Gumby may chill now. Not my two horsepower produce refrigerator's condenser though, which has finally given up the ghost, and on a holiday as well. I have seen so many three thousand dollar flame-outs around here I am barely fazed. I have heard that clicking sound before, and it is no good.

With the swelter burgeoning and time my own I realize this is the moment to clean the solar panels. I sense my soul is too stunned to shift, I have no chard to pick and observe the sunbeams inefficiently gathered through the grime. The tide, after all, is still too low so I stash the board in the shade so the wax won't melt off. I get the hoses rigged for the roof and retrieve a couple of promising squeegees. Parachute Woman drifts meaningfully up from the Gumby iPod.

The four electric meters down below are reading 3.7 kilowatts each. I have seen them cranking at 5.1, so the filth is really negating all this patriotic hardware. No herring here. Olivia broke a chunk of capital off her house and bought the solar system so she could do something that made sense about the war. The hot little star making us momentarily miserable today subdues the most fundamental questions.

Solar sure beats marching in circles at a protest around the VA building in Los Angeles while the police horses Cheney all over the road. I get the water going on the roof. I discover a mere rinse will not suffice, and that I must drag the squeegee across all of it. All of it is around two thousand square feet, the largest commercial solar array in the Ojai Valley. Cam-Campbell says only Larry Hagman's is bigger. I mean to tell you, my wife love's her country. Mike Byrne drops in as if from a cloud, but he is merely perched on one of my ladders. He wants to help. I am almost done, but I am tired of the squeegee and he is so terribly complimentary about the solar panels that I am happy to have him scrape clean the last twenty or so. For Byrne it is a church moment.

On Independence Day I accidentally reaffirmed the obvious. It was not that cleaning the solar panels would save over three hundred dollars this month. That is just money. There are many things to be done to be truly free, but there is no greater goal than being cured of our oil dependency. I want to believe we could put the federal casket contractors out of business if we covered every roof with solar panels.

Posted by Steve Sprinkel at 09:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Follow me if you will on a little rambling journey where I touch on Battle of the Bands, New Content on Radio Ojai, Time Warner Cable Sucks, Best of Ventura County, Walking for Fitness...

Battle of the Bands deadline extended to 7/20!
As you already know from the press releases I have placed on these pages, Food For Thought is sponsoring a local Battle of the Bands for youth in Ojai and Ventura. The three winning bands will open the Locally Grown fundraising concert on August 25 at Libbey Bowl featuring headliners Brett Dennen - currently touring with John Mayer - and Perla Batalla – Grammy nominated vocalist and Ojai resident. The event will be the second Locally Grown fundraiser for Food For Thought Ojai; the first concert in 2005 featured singer/songwriter Jack Johnson.

The Battle of the Bands is open to youth ages 13-20 from Ojai and Ventura, and will take place August 4th and 5th at the Matilija Junior High School Auditorium from 10am – 5pm. Bands performing all varieties of music, from straight edge and punk to jazz and acoustic, are encouraged to enter. In addition to opening the Locally Grown 2 concert, the three winning bands will also be able to record their chosen song in a professional sound studio and receive free CD copies of the recording.

Entry forms and a sample recording must be submitted by July 20. Rules and other information can be found on the Food For Thought Ojai Web site.

New Content on Radio Ojai
Speaking of Food for Thought, at last weekend’s screening of The Real Dirt on Farmer John, Lesley Littlefield performed her song, “Oranginess,” which you can now listen to on Radio Ojai.

Time Warner Cable Sucks
I have a 4-year-old Dell laptop and I am determined to make it last until Bill Gates comes out with Vista II. It’s been sputtering along recently, so I called the guys at Make It Work to come have a look-see. They said they would be here between 8:30 and 9:00, and sure enough at 8:30 sharp, their cute little trademark red Mini Cooper pulled into my driveway. A 22-year-old hot shot named Rain whipped my machine into submission and less than an hour later it was purring like a kitten.

Compare the Make It Work experience with the Time Warner Cable experience that follows…
I spent all afternoon Saturday, 6/30, waiting for the cable guy to come install wireless Internet service at my home. I was scheduled for “some time between 1:00 and 4:00.” 4:00 came and went and after several phone calls promising that the technician was on his way, at 6:30 I left the house – he never showed. They rescheduled me for yesterday, again at their convenience between 1:00 and 4:00. Deja vu set in and at 4:00 I was realizing what an ass I was for falling for being held hostage in my home yet again while being provided with the same song and dance, “he’s on his way.” At 5:15, two scrappy looking guys in a beat-up pick-up truck named Frick and Frack finally arrived, unapologetic and clueless. Why they needed two guys on this job I’ll never know. They tinkered with my machine for about a half an hour while I looked over their shoulders to make sure they didn’t turn my hard drive into pea soup. After awhile I noticed they had the same expression I get when I look under the hood of my car – clearly these guys don’t have computers at home and should not be attempting the equivalent of brain surgery on mine. One of them looked at me and said, “It don’t work.” Yeah, no kidding, how true on so many levels. I knew that with some effort, I could have schooled them, but I was at my wits end hours ago and was more apt to beat them with my laptop, so I suggested perhaps this wasn’t in the cards and that they ought to call it a day. They seemed oddly relieved. Let this be a lesson to me to simply steal my neighbors’ wireless service when I want to roam free of the cords.

Best of Ventura County
Voting has begun for the VC Reporter’s annual “Best of” contest. Vote for your favorite Ventura County places to go, businesses and people in more than 150 categories. Voting closes on July 28 at 5 p.m., so vote now here.

Walking for Fitness
My next fitness column for the VC Reporter is about the healthy benefits of walking. I’m always looking for input, so let me know in the comments section if you incorporate walking into your fitness routine and why. The article will be out on Thursday.

Posted by Lisa Snider at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

The following is from a concerned citizen regarding the gravel trucks... [TS]

In the following is a letter I wrote on July 1 to each Santa Barbara County Planning Commissioner, who most likely will seal our Shangri-La’s fate on July 11 by voting for a sand and gravel mine in the Cuyama Valley across from the Ventura/Santa Barbara county line. The mine will send a stream of gigantic gravel trucks through Ojai to Ventura or Santa Paula and back, daily as many as 270 trips.

Dear Commissioner,

I am writing to you because of my great concern for the Ojai and Cuyama Valleys and our Los Padres National Forest. Ardently, I hope and pray that my words will reach your mind and understanding.

During the hearing in Santa Maria on May 30 re the Diamond Rock Mine application, there was powerful testimony given by many government and private entities, and by many individuals. Accordingly, the revised environmental impact report is totally inadequate and does not meet the requirement of the intent of the law. To approve this EIR would place the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission on very shaky ground.

Please do not rely on the advice of your planning staff. During any planning process, the applicant naturally develops a close and friendly relationship with the staff. It is the strategy of the applicant, in this case the applicant for the Diamond Mine operation, to win over the planners early-on. Thus, the public is basically left out of the process until the public hearing. During the intermissions on May 30, the applicant and your planner were engaged in intimate, earnest and totally amiable conversations, giving the impression of being old-time buddies. Our government has become totally out-of-tune with its citizens. We are not governed by our elected and appointed officials, but by a network of insensitive bureaucrats.

Your approval of the revised EIR would negatively impact and degrade our beloved Los Padres National Forest and the Cuyama and Ojai Valleys for generations. The year-in and year-out exhaust of thousands of diesel trucks during the mine’s 30-year operation, with perhaps as many as 270 daily trips to and from the mine by these double-hopper behemoths, will do irreparable damage to the forest and endanger the lives of travelers on Scenic Highway 33. The Ojai Valley, surrounded by mountains, has a very limited air capacity. It and the Simi Valley have the most adverse air conditions in Southern California, according to records published in the Los Angeles Times.

To use Ojai as an industrial trucking route will ruin Ojai’s environment and economy, as was amply testified on May 30. Our National Forest and the Ojai Valley are national treasures, known the world over. To destroy them will make us all poorer. According to an obscure clause in the proposed conditional use permit for the mine, these giants could travel daily through historic down-town Ojai, any time day or night. Good-bye affluent tourists, good-bye Ojai Music Festival, good-bye Ojai Tennis Tournament, good-bye guests at the fabled Ojai Valley Inn & Spa and its world-class golf course! After the Diamond Rock Mine becomes operational, life in Ojai and Cuyama will be a nightmare. Many inhabitants will flee the valleys, having to sell their homes and/or businesses for a fraction of their value.

Nowhere, neither at the hearing nor in any published literature, was it proven that the aggregate from the Diamond Mine would be the only source of its kind for Ventura, Santa Barbara, and nearby counties. Where are the relevant statistics? It is highly doubtful that the economies of our counties would collapse, if deprived of the material of this mine. The Ojai and Cuyama Valleys and our Los Padres National Forest are irreplaceable gems and must be preserved for future generations. Their long-term economic worth is million times greater than the short-term gain of this mine. Our environmental impact reports were instituted as laws on both the federal and state level to protect our environment and the quality of life of our citizens.

To ignore the serious, negative impacts of the mine, shove the EIR under the table, and give the permit anyway is highly irresponsible. Of course, the push is on to pave over the remainder of Southern California, come hell or high water. We need that stuff, the aggregate from that mine, and thus must let the environment and the living standard of thousands of people slide down the drain. As one of the supporters of the mine said at the hearing ‘the quality of life issue is not important anymore.’

Dear Commissioner, I appeal to your conscience and common sense to weigh the massive evidence and reject the application for the Diamond Rock Mine.”

Ojai readers, please know that Caltrans is cooperating by rebuilding the bridge across the San Antonio Creek at Ojai Avenue. According to a June14 e-mail from Caltrans, “Construction is on schedule to begin at the end of this year.” The new bridge, no doubt, will be able to handle the behemoth trucks from the mine, driving on Highway 150 past Ojai’s Post Office and Arcade to Santa Paula, where a huge new development and a new asphalt plant will await them.

THE MINE MUST BE STOPPED AT ALL COSTS!!!!!!

Maria Studer

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

reader Dianne Bennett sent an interesting article by award-winning author Barbara Ehrenreich on gentrification, titled This Land is My Land.

I remembered the general rule, which has been in place since sometime in the 90s: If a place is truly beautiful, you can't afford to be there.

Ehrenreich chronicles the changing social landscape of such scenic destinations as Telluride and Key West, and its not a stretch to see how it applies to Ojai.

Then there's the elusive element of charm, which quickly drains away in a uniform population of multi-millionaires. The Hamptons had their fishermen. Key West still advertises its "characters"--sun-bleached, weather-beaten misfits who drifted down for the weather or to escape some difficult situation on the mainland. But the fishermen are long gone from the Hamptons and disappearing from Cape Cod. As for Key West's "characters": With the traditional little "conch houses" once favored by shrimpers going for a million and up, these human sources of local color have to be prepared to sleep with the scorpions under the highway overpass.

In Telluride, even a local developer is complaining about the lack of affordable housing. "To have a real town," he told the Financial Times, "Telluride needs some locals hanging out"--in old-fashioned diners, for example, where you don't have to speak Italian to order a cup of coffee.

Will the Ojai of today be recognizable twenty years from now, even if we successfully halt the influx of chain stores? Or are we destined to be the "elite enclave" of the super-rich and uber-famous?

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 03:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Erstwhile 24th Congressional District candidate Brett Wagner is gearing up for a 2008 run for the Democratic nomination, to face off against Elton Gallegly or a GOP successor.

Wagner announced that in order to better fundraise, he is "resigning my position on the Santa Barbara County Democratic Central Committee, where I have proudly served since 2001. I am also resigning my positions as president of the Stonewall Democrats of Greater Santa Barbara and co-chair of Progressive Democrats of Santa Barbara."

With his newfound time, he might want to actually start up a blog on his site - clicking "Campaign Blog" now gets the reader a "page not found"...

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

images courtesy of local photojournalist Jason Byal... more after the jump.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 08:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

For our third consecutive year, the Ojai Peace Coalition took to the streets to bring Peace, Justice, Sustainability, and Music! to the Independence Day parade in our beautifully hot valley. We were very few in number, but with a great message and great energy to carry us through...our community once again received us enthusiastically! (for those of you who have forgotten, one gentle-man reminded us to “Remember the Towers”)

This Coalition is not mine, and never has been; it belongs to our whole community. There are many people who support us from the sidewalks. There are some who support us with resources and energy. There are those who support us with their bodies. IT TOOK ALL THREE TO MAKE TODAY HAPPEN.

THANK YOU:
Dennis, for major support in rigging up and operating the music cart!
Jessie (and baby), for late-night sign making and organizational help and shuttle driving!
Peggy and Marty, for providing and operating the support vehicle!
Sally, for providing three of our beautiful flags!
Kris, for bringing our American flag and “pole-ing” the others!
Jeff and Bob, for melding with us and bringing new energy when their “Keep the Sespe Wild” entry had to bow out!
Julie, for bringing a World flag and some great after-parade music!
Laurel, for bringing ice and a helpful spirit!
Cheri, for the gift of water and a tow-able grandchild!
Coleen, for being part of the vehicle-team and for bringing Abby!
Abby, for being energetic and adorable!
Martha, for being determined to participate!
Micki, Pat, Nicole, Alex, Mikayla, Taylor, Eli, and Razzle, for coming such a long way and for wearing their best Peace gear!
Richard, for being an excited and joyful flag-bearer!
Tanya, for being a flag-bearer with happiness and grace!
Colby, for helping with sign-making in the park!
Eannah, for supplying us with flagpoles and love!
Liz, for such sweet presence and a cool peace umbrella!
Katherine, for banner-carrying and picture-taking!
Brooks, for projecting Peace and Safety on his scooter!
Les and Eric, for supporting us with signs!
Noel, for providing silent and clean electric energy to the music system!
Donna, Dallas, and Callie, for choosing Peace from their abundance of options!
Lily, for enthusiasm and determination to find us and participate!
Val, for doubling back to ride along with us!

I will guarantee you that i’ve omitted both some people and the ways in which they and others have helped. Please know that your contributions are not unrecognized and that your support is felt by us all.

Please write in with your experience of bringing Peace to the parade!

In Peace, Love, and Freedom!
-evan
(...and now on to the next important project: familyhood!)

Posted by evan austin at 04:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Jock Doubleday was suspended as an author in October 2008. Despite his claims of censorship, none of his posts have been removed.

When people become adults, why do they stop wearing clothes with pictures of animals on them?

Possibly for the same reason that people become unhappy when they become adults. Because they forget that they are an animal, that they are a body.

Over time, people come to believe that they are just a person -- a cultural being with a cultural justification for being. They forget that they are an animal, that they need no justification.

Spiritual practice is readily believed to be an endeavor to get to some place "higher." But in fact, all spiritual practice is an endeavor to go back, to get back to the state of being we were in as children (and that animals are always in) -- that state of being in which we are what we are and not what we have been told to be.

One day soon, we may again begin wearing pajamas with elephants on them and shirts with butterflies on them and pants with fish on them.

And we will look in the mirror and see ourselves for what we are.

Jock

Jock Doubleday
Director
Natural Woman, Natural Man, Inc.
A California 501(c)3 Nonprofit Corporation
director@spontaneouscreation.org

Posted by Jock Doubleday at 03:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

UPDATE: Federal government issues an excessive heat warning for the entire Western U.S. today, July 5th.

Extreme heat is the prediction for the weather in the Ojai Valley this July 4th and for the next few days, according to the National Weather Service. Cooling is expected on the weekend, but not before.

On Friday... the forecast calls for a few degrees of cooling in most
areas... but it will still be hot... with temperatures between 105 and
110 degrees in the Antelope Valley... and between 100 and 105 degrees
at lower elevations in the mountains. Even the warmest locations
in the valleys will likely have temperatures around 100 degrees
on Friday. More significant and widespread cooling is expected
across the area Saturday and Sunday.

Scientists studying global warming, such as Gerald Meehl, of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, who testified before Congress this spring, and Bill Patzert, of Pasadena's Jet Propulsion Lab,  predict (pdf) that global warming will bring us substantially longer and more intense heat waves.

Already, according to Patzert's research, the "heat island effect" means that urbanized Souther California average temperatures have risen substantially more than most of the nation's -- nearly two and a half degrees in our area since l950.

Some who see "The Bright Side of Global Warming" have argued that its risks are overstated, and point to a couple of scientific papers arguing that "Statistically and historically in the West...winters have posed a greater threat to humans than summers have."

This point of view was has been challenged by a huge study published (pdf) last fall by Mercedes Medina-Ramon of the Harvard School of Public Health. Medina-Ramon and her coauthors correlated weather data and mortality statistics for fifty U.S. cities from l989-2000, totaling nearly 7.8 million deaths. She focused on days of extreme heat and extreme cold, the 1% days at the far edges of the probability spectrum, and balanced the statistics for local conditions. (In Phoenix, for example, extremely hot days don't even begin until well into the upper 90's.)

As NPR's ScienceFriday summarized:

Using eleven years of mortality and weather data from fifty U.S. cities, [the study] found that in the past, mortality increased by 1.59 percent after two days of extreme cold; whereas in extreme hot weather, mortality increased by 5.74 percent.

The study also found that a few particular groups are especially at risk, such as the elderly, the diabetic, black people, and the poorly-educated. (It should be noted that the authors suspect the last two risk factors point to poorer housing conditions, poorer health, and poorer access to health care, rather than any sort of biological vulnerability.)

The take-home message? In extreme heat conditions, pay closer attention to your body, and if you show symptoms of heat exhaustion or stroke (see this from the Centers for Disease Control) go to a cooling center or a hospital. (In the Ojai Valley, they are one and the same: the Community Hospital.)

Pay especially close attention to out-of-towners unaccustomed to our heat, and if you notice that you are having more trouble with heat than you did in the past, don't dismiss that: you may be developing diabetes (as I did) or you may be getting older.  Medina-Ramon's study found that the strongest predictor of a likelihood of death could be found among the vulnerable who did not go to the hospital.

Take a hint: Don't let yourself become a victim of global warming!

Posted by Kit Stolz at 02:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Somos Uno -- We Are One

Sun sets every day, said Don Alejandro Cirilo Perez Oxlaj, yet the Maya
never let the flame go out. "We are the torch that carry's the spiritual light
through the night." His Maya name, Wakatel Utiw translates as wandering
wolf. The voice of the jungle, "my destiny is to be here with you."

"We, the spiritual guides, we Elders, do not think about ourselves,"
said Shaman Don Alejandro and his wife Elizabeth Araujo. Elders
only think of the animals and the trees, the air and the water, the
children and the grandchildren. To reveal the words of spirit, to
bring the message of universal respect.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Seven-Seven
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DiosasAncianos2012

Thus they have come to share that message with every
tribe, every nation. Now, at this time of the ending
of the Fourth Sun, the cycling of the Long Count, and
the infinite contamination of our Mother, Earth. As
Elizabeth Araujo translated, the contamination of our
Mother is now so universal, so widespread, complete
and deep, "it has piled to the top of the atmosphere,
the top of the world, and the bottom of every ocean."
The world's rivers, the pulsing veins that throughout
the previous ages, delivered the life-blood of humanity
and the Earth, have gone dry. They are dead. Our forests
have been turned to desert. The land and the mountains
cry, and scream out, in pain, shedding only dry tears.
The voice of spirit, Mother's breath, the wind, has
become hot choking dust.

"Our planet is covered in a veil of sadness ... Take
our message to the entire world ... Those who weep *NOW*
will find solutions tomorrow! All things are written ...
Go to the center."

Coming together is our only solution. As Don Alejandro
repeated again and again, "I am Maya. My part is to do
the Maya. I can only DO Maya. Only you can do YOUR culture.
Your part is of YOUR culture. You will only DO your part."
The Maya are Maya, the Dineh are Dineh, and the Maori
are Maori.

Somos Muchos, Somos Uno -- We Are Many, We Are One

Rosa Maria Cabrera and the Elders are sharing ceremonies
with all peoples. They are sharing the Prophecy of the
Eagle and the Condor. Rosa Maria said, "The People of
the Center will unite the People of the Eagle, of the
North, with the People of the Condor, the South." This
message, as all the messages the Elders are sharing, means
different things to different peoples. For the consumer
civilization it means that the intellectual insights of
science and industry, in abstraction from nature, can now
be combined with the true-knowing- heart of divine nature,
of a life in harmony with the living. The global spirit
of the aboriginal peoples united with the technological
peoples will now become ten times greater, the
prophecized golden age of the Fifth Sun.

The Prophecy equally tells of this time, five hundred
years AFTER the beginning of the genocide, when all native
peoples of North America can rejoin in diversity and
respect, with all native peoples of South America. [Hands
connected through the People of the Middle, of Central
America.]

The message of the 'Ending' of the current Long Count,
of the Year 2012 (actually 2011 as Wakatel Utiw relates)
is actually a message of our individual and global rebirths.
"An honoring of diversity, a celebration of one-ness,
happening NOW! [A dance already begun.]

Together we must acknowledge the global horror, sing
out the global forgiveness, share in the global healing.
"We must all scream together," sang Don Alejandro.

Un Mundo, Un Chillido -- One World, One Scream

Chille Juntos -- Scream Together

~~~

[30 June 2007, Ceremonies in Goddess Moon, Califa,
Turtle Island. Transcribed by Millennium Twain. Any
mistakes are his alone. As Grandfather Don Alejandro
says, forgive me if I have offended ANY one at all.
Errors are in the nature of life and communication.]

Posted by Millennium Twain at 09:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies

In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. —Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 07:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

This Friday, you won't want to miss Marsha de la O. at Bart's Books. Her work is sonorous, strange and wonderful. Copies of her book, Black Hope - recipient of the New Issues Press Poetry Award, and now in its second printing - will be available for sale. Starts at 7PM with an open mic reading in the atmospheric outdoor courtyard. Hosted by Jason Diller and Tree Bernstein. Free admission.

Posted by Robert Peake at 08:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I tend to shy away from national politics on this site, but the decision by George Bush to commute the sentence of Scooter Libby, essentially telling him to lie, obfuscate and manipulate to protect Bush and Cheney's decision to go to war in exchange for the assurance that he would never have to go to prison, was inexcusable. (side note: bush and cheney are running out the clock)

Keith Olbermann unleashed a blistering "Special Comment" tonight which is well worth watching (courtesy C&L).

An excerpt:

And I accuse you now, Mr. Bush, of giving, through that Vice President, carte blanche to Mr. Libby, to help defame Ambassador Joseph Wilson by any means necessary, to lie to Grand Juries and Special Counsel and before a court, in order to protect the mechanisms and particulars of that defamation, with your guarantee that Libby would never see prison, and, in so doing, as Ambassador Wilson himself phrased it here last night, of you becoming an accessory to the obstruction of justice.

When President Nixon ordered the firing of the Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox during the infamous “Saturday Night Massacre” on October 20th, 1973, Mr. Cox initially responded tersely, and ominously:

“Whether ours shall be a government of laws and not of men, is now for Congress, and ultimately, the American people.”

President Nixon did not understand how he had crystallized the issue of Watergate for the American people.
It had been about the obscure meaning behind an attempt to break in to a rival party’s headquarters; and the labyrinthine effort to cover-up that break-in and the related crimes.

But in one night, Nixon transformed it.

Watergate — instantaneously — became a simpler issue: a President overruling the inexorable march of the law. Of insisting — in a way that resonated viscerally with millions who had not previously understood — that he was the law.

Not the Constitution.
Not the Congress.
Not the Courts.
Just him.

Just - Mr. Bush - as you did, yesterday.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 08:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (32)

This is an open letter to those entrusted with the safety of our children, women & men in the precious opal stone that we call Ojai. Thanx in advance for taking care of this small problem. Closing public rest rooms at all is simply not acceptable. To close all of Ojai's public rest rooms at 5 PM creates law suit vulnerability and borders on the pathological.

Sometimes when we get into positions of power, #it# goes to our heads and we lose sight that weare public servants. What's happeing? Humans are being *forced* to release their own brand of waste near stream beds (see Libbey Park). To me, this seems like an attempt to push homeless humans out of the 'nest' with out using our fine police officers to do *their* dirty work. Thus, not only are our homeless human royalty being *mistreated* but we are placing our children in potentially embarrasing positions. Please do not take this in a harsh tone. I know that your plates are full with trying to find a home for the cement skate board park (a big shout goes out to Anonymous for kicking down the half mill), the truck issue (a big shout to Howard), keeping out toxic formula food chains (a big shout to the whole team for this one) and your continual pressure on the county, state and federal government to remove that monstrous dam which continues to damn our environment.

Posted by Mike Didj at 06:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I must have been living under a rock to have missed the previous announcements of the upcoming global Live Earth concert. As a fundraising idea for the Ojai Valley Green Coalition, what if it were possible to broadcast the concert, which NBC is televising, at the Ojai Playhouse or private home with a large screen TV. The proceeds could help the OVGC to further their efforts in creating a blueprint for a sustainable Ojai.

Live Earth is a 24-hour, 7-continent concert series taking place on 7/7/07 that will bring together more than 100 music artists and 2 billion people to trigger a global movement to solve the climate crisis. Live Earth organizers announced today that 7,112 'Friends of Live Earth' events have now been registered in 129 countries and all 50 states.

Live Earth will stage official concerts at Giants Stadium in New York; Wembley Stadium in London; Aussie Stadium in Sydney; Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro; Maropeng at the Cradle of Humankind in Johannesburg; Makuhari Messe in Tokyo; the Steps of the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai; and HSH Nordbank Arena in Hamburg.

A list of events can be found at Friends of Live Earth. It appears that Santa Barbara, Oxnard and Santa Paula are the only local communities hosting something.

Read on for more info.

Live Earth will reach this worldwide audience through an unprecedented global media architecture covering all media platforms - TV, radio, Internet and wireless channels.

Live Earth marks the beginning of a multi-year campaign led by the Alliance for Climate Protection, The Climate Group and other international organizations to drive individuals, corporations and governments to take action to solve global warming. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore is the Chair of the Alliance and Partner of Live Earth.

Live Earth was founded by Kevin Wall, the Worldwide Executive Producer of Live 8, an event that brought together one of the largest audiences in history to combat poverty. Wall formed a partnership with Al Gore and the Alliance for Climate Protection to ensure that Live Earth inspires behavioral changes long after 7/7/07.

Live Earth will stage official concerts at Giants Stadium in New York; Wembley Stadium in London; Aussie Stadium in Sydney; Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro; Maropeng at the Cradle of Humankind in Johannesburg; Makuhari Messe in Tokyo; the Steps of the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai; and HSH Nordbank Arena in Hamburg.

Live Earth concerts will be broadcast to a live worldwide audience by MSN at www.LiveEarth.MSN.com.

With support from the U.S. Green Building Council, creators of the LEED Green Building Rating System, Live Earth will implement new Green Event Guidelines. All Live Earth venues will be designed and constructed by a team of sustainability engineers who will address the environmental and energy management challenges of each concert site, as well as the operations of sponsors, partners and other Live Earth affiliates. Each venue will not only be designed to maintain a minimum environmental impact, but will showcase the latest state-of-the-art energy efficiency, on-site power generation, and sustainable facilities management practices.

Live Earth is a project of the SOS campaign , which is using a powerful multimedia platform - films, television, radio, Internet, books, wireless and others - to move people to combat the climate crisis.

Here is a more detailed PRESS RELEASE

Posted by Raymond Powers at 09:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)

Today’s allegory story is beyond gory or glory. Be fore warned that this might be heavy; so I will give it light.

Elephants are extremely social animals. It is well known that they conduct funerals, experiencing grief deeply when their loved ones die. Elephants can live to be around 2 centuries while living free in the wild. It has come to my attention that another 6-year-old (born in captivity) elephant has died as a consequence of not living in its element. These amazing creatures, whom I now give supreme gratitude for their particular role in the global sweat lodge, have been and are now dying in captivity at an alarmingly young age. This must stop. Zoos are literally torture chambers for these majestic beings of leisure. Elephants communicate with each other much like humans - only their vocal chords are much longer, generating low, low frequency sound waves. Thus, the feet of wild elephants have super*sensitivity* and #this# is their only way of hearing each other speak. Captive elephants develop calluses on the bottoms of their feet as a consequence of standing on concrete 24/7/365. Thus, they live amongst each other in isolation while the callused monkeys admire the shadows of themselves. Time has arrived to re member and honor our grey gray brethren, return their dignity and allow them to roam free and wild. All is for giving. May peace live in your heart.

Posted by Mike Didj at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Hi there. Michael Didj here and now offering surfing lessons for children of all ages. Feel free to contact me at overtonewiz@gmail.com & we can set up an inter view. Peace.

Posted by Mike Didj at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The American health care system works fine - if you are an executive with an insurance company or Big Pharma. Otherwise it is broken, period.

In the name of lower taxes and the bogeyman of "socialized medicine," we the American people are cowered into perpetuating this abomination of a system where we play Russian roulette with our health, our finances, our families and our very lives.

Every day, millions of Americans exist in a passive, ostrich-like state regarding their own health out of fear. Rather than see a doctor about that lump, chronic cough or unusual mole, we put it off or ignore it because of the financial and insurance-related implications of having a "condition." The cost of waiting is staggering in and of itself.

If you work for a company that provides full medical benefits, you actually have far less security than you might think, while the though of losing that coverage for you and your family keeps you in that job you otherwise would leave, for a better opportunity elsewhere or to be an entrepreneur.

I just saw an afternoon screening of SiCKO.

Walking out of the theater, stunned and saddened, I chatted for a minute with County Supervisor Steve Bennett, who had seen the movie with some friends. He was profoundly shocked at the footage of a disoriented woman still in a hospital gown who had been dropped off on Skid Row by a taxi that a local downtown LA hospital had paid for.

And now I am writing this from Nature's Grill on Main St. in Ventura, where a three year old runs around in delight, a man is feeding his six month old daughter, an elderly couple drinks their smoothies and a grandmother is treating her daughter to dinner.

Any one of these families could be devastated financially, forced into bankruptcy or saddled with tens of thousands of dollars in debt, with an accident or medical problem. How much more difficult is it to recover from such unfortunate circumstances with the extreme burden of stress that is induced by our broken medical system?

How do I tell my mom to see this movie?

She works in the health care system, she has a "pre-existing condition" and is fortunate to to have coverage for upwards of $1000 a month. She would benefit tremendously from a system that Michael Moore shows us in the UK, Canada, France or even Cuba, unbelievably, and yet I don't want her to worry even more about her future under the current system.

This dialogue that Moore has started must continue - for my mom's sake and mine, for my twelve week old nephew and for 300 million Americans.

Our healthcare system has largely been what it is today only since 1971, when the Nixon administration threw its support behind Henry Kaiser's for-profit Permanente plan and similar for-profit HMO's. The status quo has not been around forever. Our health care system is NOT the best in the world, not even close, and it is not as American as apple pie. It can be fixed if the will of the American people says it is to be.

I urge you to see SiCKO and continue the dialogue. Talk to your family, your friends, and come participate here.

People are afraid of change - I am no exception. But like the discussion on global warming fostered by An Inconvenient Truth, we have an opportunity.

The octogenarian next to me just told his dinner companion "at my age everything hurts." But doing nothing will hurt us more.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 08:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

...and while it's not quite as early as last year (i swear i saw the first chair a full week before the 4th), we all know that it means that our nation's birthday - and the only I-Day parade in our entire county - is just ahead. More signs of summer: the heat, and the related shift of the every-Friday-evening peace vigil to a cooler 6-7pm under the Pergola in front of Libbey Park.

The Stagecoach Station General Store & Hardware in Upper Ojai got ahead of the game by having its "Freedom Celebration" today, which apparently included the freedoms to make, sell, and buy art, to eat tri-tip, and to enjoy a Jolly Jump. That's followed directly by the Farmer and the Cook's "Brand New Opry", which every Sunday features local musicians paired with organic beer and wine from 6-9pm in Meiners Oaks. Both of these events were only slightly upstaged by the dedication yesterday of the Rotary Community Park, which now features a big white flagpole with a big red-white-and-blue flag. That very park also features this stone:

It reminds me of two things: gravel trucks, and SiCKO.

The latter is Michael Moore's latest documentary in which the healthcare industry finds itself in his camera's crosshairs. i saw it last night at Century 10 Downtown in Ventura, and found it to be just the kind of jaw-dropping, head-shaking, eye-widening, and WHEEL-TURNING film that ought to inspire people to action. The film is connected to Ojai in the same way Ojai is connected to the world: we're all human beings, and we all have a right to be healthy.

The former seems to want to touch the entirety of Mr. Loebl's quote. As i ride my bicycle from Oak View to Ojai City and see a double-hopper gravel truck growl its engines through an intersection or up a slight grade into town, pouring dirty black smoke not only into the air i breathe, but right across my view of our famous Topa's, it's hard for me to see the need for gravel behind the active destruction of my environment, natural resources, health, and safety.

cross-posted at OjaiNews.com

Posted by evan austin at 07:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I think I'm going to head down to Ventura and see SiCKO, 4:40pm show at Century Downtown at 555 East Main Street. Anyone else seen it yet?

PS - its 71 degrees in Ventura.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 03:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Feast Bistro’s new summer menu is out and it is tasty. We tried the Asian Appetizer with summer rolls, spicy sesame noodles and grilled shrimp – really fresh and flavorful. Chef Susan also created a cioppino, but with an Ojai twist; the orange-saffron broth turns this traditional seafood stew into a local favorite.

After dinner we moseyed on over to Movino, where a local band was playing all original material for the Ojai wine-sipping crowd. Champagne Sunday’s lead singer, Jessi Reems-Terrell, reeled us in with her unbelievable vocals while the other two members of the band kept us there for an entire set with solid harmonies and brilliant hooks. I was so taken I begged them to let me put “Ventura Sky” on Radio Ojai, where it is now playing.

Also on Radio Ojai, Matt gives me his grilling secrets and we talk about Ojai’s quirky 4th of July parade. I don’t know about you, but I’ll be celebrating Independence Day atop one of Joe’s new cushy barstools in front of Pangea!

Lastly, check out the current Ojai Valley Visitors Guide, now on newsstands until the end of summer, for a progressive dining adventure down Ojai Avenue which includes Azu, Movino, Pangea and Feast Bistro.

More Dishing Ojai here.

Posted by Lisa Snider at 10:19 AM | Permalink