ojai news at The Ojai Post :: blog, newspaper, events in Ojai, California

Reminds me of this classic from Treehugger:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/06/4_stages_denial.php

whatever happened to Dana and Alyeska?

Dana and Alyeska have actually moved back into Ojai (for the past few months) but they don't have reliable internet/computer access. It's funny how they were always connected when living back east, but now that their back in town we don't here from them. Anyway, I can send them a hello from the Post because they live across the street from me.

please let them know that hearing what they longed for in/about Ojai while they were "in exile" in Philly, i think it was, gave me a greater appreciation of our gem of a town.

on a bit of a bummer note i'd like to mention that several incidents in the past few days have raised my personal antenna.

in addition to my car getting broken into in the Matilija Canyon area, my neighborhood (the area west of 33 between willey and barbara streets) has had some car break-ins and some gang tagging (just found out about the "OSL" rivalries).

My overall point is that our beautiful gem of a town is subject to the same trash every place is (except for chains) and the Xmas season is notorious for bringing out the worst and the best tendencies in people.

So be extra vigilant as well as enjoying the good cheer of the people and lights around us.

A shout-out to Jewish folk and candle lovers everywhere:
Chanukkah begins at sunset on this Tuesday, December 4th.
It's the "Festival of Lights".

I'm hearing Xmas music everywhere, even in my favorite Japanese restaurant. But they haven't put a "Jesus Roll" on the sushi menu yet.

Peace and good cheer to all

I'm glad to know Dana and Alyeska are OK...now that they are actually back in Ojai they probably feel less need to connect to us through cyberspace!

A Christmas gift to the poor of New Orleans from their caring Republican administration:

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120307A.shtml

Tyler-

would you consider re-opening the Israeli-Palestinian thread?

I have something I would like to post which may surprise people given my previous leanings.

Thanks

OK, done.

from New York Times Op Ed piece - November 4, 2007 by Micheal Pollan, professor at
UC-Berkeley
author-"The Omnivores Dilemma" and "In Defense of Food: An Eaters' Manifesto

The title of the piece is: Weed it and Reap

For American have been looking to congress to reform the food system, these paqst few weeks have been , well, the best of times and the worst of times. A new politicss has spouted up around the farm bill, tradititionally a parochial piece of legislation thrashed out in private between the various agricultural interests (wheat growers versus corn growers; meatpackers versus ranchers) without a lot of attention or input from mere eaters.
Not this year. The eaters have spoken, much to the consternation of farm state legislators who have fought hard-and at least so far with success- to preserve the status quo.
Americans have begun to ask why the farm bill is subsidising high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated vegetable oils at a timewhen rates of diabetes and obesity are soaring amongst children, or why the farm bill is subsidising factory faeming (with subsidised grain) when feed-lot wastes are polluing the countryside and, all too often, the meat supply. For the first time, the puclic health community has raised its' voice in support of overturning policies that subsidising presisely the wromg type of calories(added unhealthy fat and sugars), helping to make Twinkies cheaper than carrots and Coca-Cola competitive with water. Also for the first time the international development community has weighed in on the debate, arguing that subsidised American exports are hobbling ctton farmers in Nigeria and corn farmerers in Mexico.
On Capitol Hill, hearings on the farm bill