The Ojai Post

Today is January 30: Day One of the 64-day Season For Nonviolence that spans the death dates of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. It is in honor of the lives, work, and commitment of these men and others who advanced the consciousness and practice of nonviolence in profound and dramatic ways, and who continue to inspire peoples’ personal, social, and political lives to this day, that we invest the energy to consider one reflection or practice each day during this period.

1. Today, I will reflect on what Peace means to me.

COURAGE: Light a candle to symbolize your commitment to accept the courage to practice 64 Ways of living nonviolently.

Follow the Season at ojaipeace.org!

Posted by evan austin at 08:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | author bio

The caption that came with the video below said, "Love is the answer to overcome anything." After watching it, I would add, "Having good parents helps alot!"

This video is a peek into the life of Patrick Henry Hughes, who was born with an extremely rare genetic disorder: arms that could not straighten, legs that would never be able to walk, and most devastating of all, permanent blindness. He had been born with no eyes -- the eyes he has are artificial. It shows him as a baby, and later as a toddler, playing the piano. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xwCG0Ey2Mg

About Patrick Henry Hughes, author of I Am Potential.
www.patrickhenryhughes.com

Continue reading "Inspiration for 2010: "I Am Potential"" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 06:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | author bio

The winter season is a time of cold and dark in our hemisphere, and thus has arisen historically as a time for cultural and religious traditions that center around warmth and light in many forms. There are two such opportunities to connect as a community in the coming week:

Dec 10 - Join Ventura County Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (VC CLUE) and the New Sanctuary Movement on International Human Rights Day to kick off a week of action across the nation to shine a light on the urgent need for just and humane immigration reform.


Dec 11 - Join the Jewish Community Center of Ojai for a multi-cultural celebration of light, facilitated by Jean Bates, to honor the many seasonal traditions through music, dance, poetry, storytelling, songs, and audience participation.

Posted by evan austin at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

From an online article published today, entitled "Chalica, new weeklong UU holiday, slowly gains adherents - slowly":

Part of the reason that Chalica has the following that it does is that it has a song. Two songs actually. Evan Austin, a member of the UU Church of Ventura, Calif., wrote “The Chalica Song,” several years ago, using the same tune as the “Hanukkah Song” sung by comedian-actor Adam Sandler. Austin’s song, molded in part around names of famous UUs, found its way onto YouTube where it has been viewed more than 1,300 times. [Posted here is the updated, second version]

Austin said, “I just liked the idea of Chalica as a fresh new thing.” Could there be a copyright issue in emulating Sandler’s song? “It’s just four guitar chords repeated over and over,” he noted.

Continue reading "Happy, Merry, Joyous, Cheery Chalica!" »

Posted by evan austin at 07:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | author bio

Interfaith Thanksgiving Service,
sponsored by Ventura Interfaith Ministerial Association
Tuesday, November 24, 7pm @ Ventura Center for Spiritual Living, 101 South Laurel Street, Ventura | 805-643-1933
office@venturachurch.com

Join many friends from many faith traditions for music, worship, fellowship, and gratitude! All proceeds will benefit the Ventura Homeless Prevention Fund.

Participating Organizations:
An Lac Mission
Church of the Foothills
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 3rd Ward
First United Methodist Church
Project Understanding
The Salvation Army
Seventh-Day Adventist Church
Temple Beth Torah
Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura
Ventura Center for Spiritual Living
Ventura Church of Christ
VIMA (Ventura Interfaith Ministerial Association
...and more!

“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow...”
Melodie Beattie

Posted by evan austin at 07:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | author bio

1. Select a tray(s) to prepare: mashed potatoes, dressing, green beans, or turkey.

2. Purchase food item(s) and large foil baking tray or pick up a tray at no cost from Ventura Missionary Church. Turkeys will also be available at no cost beginning 11/19 at Ventura Missionary. One tray should yield approximately 40 servings.

3. Prepare the dish* at home and place in full size foil baking tray.

4. Cover. Label. Refrigerate.

5. Deliver to rear entrance of the Knights of Columbus Hall at 36 Figueroa, downtown Ventura at 8:45am Thanksgiving morning.

*Turkeys are to be pulled and deboned right away, and immediately refrigerated.

More information and full event press release follows:

Continue reading "Save Thanksgiving!" »

Posted by evan austin at 03:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | author bio

Do you believe in religious freedom? It is something we almost take for granted in our nation and in our world. However, there are places where religious freedom is a precious gift that must be struggled for to make a reality. This is the case in Vietnam.

For 39 years Nobel Prize Nominee and Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) has lived in exile in France because he challenged the status quo of violence in his Motherland. Even after the "American War" ended, Thay was not allowed to return. That all changed in 2005 when he returned home to tour the country and give talks and share the dharma. He returned again in 2007 and 2008. I was honored to be a part of the initial delegation in 2005 and experienced the elation and joy of the Vietnamese people and the apparent opening up of the nation to new ideas and new found religious freedom.

The trip also coincided with Vietnam's desire to join the World Trade Organization, which has since happened. On a related note, the President of Vietnam just assumed the presidency of the United Nations Security Council.

Continue reading "Ojai Sits for Religious Freedom" »

Posted by Kenley Neufeld at 05:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

This just in from political activist John Marcotte "who felt strongly that Prop 8 did not go far enough in protecting traditional marriage."

With such pithy comments as "Hell is eternal — just like your marriage was supposed to be," Marcotte has thrown himself on the fire to protect ALL marriages in the state of California, and has introduced the "2010 California Protection of Marriage Act" designed to ban all divorces.

His point? If we're really serious about protecting the holy sacrament of marriage (whatever that is), then we don't get our nickers in a twist about other people (gasp, even gays and lesbians!) marrying, we end the end of all marriages.

Brilliant bit of satire, this...

http://rescuemarriage.org/about/

I think it's at least as logical as Prop 8...

Posted by Leigh Melander at 06:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

PROMISES explores the nature of boundaries and tells the story of a few children who dared to cross the lines to meet their neighbors. Rather than focusing on political events, the seven children featured in PROMISES offer a refreshing, human and sometimes humorous portrait of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Living Peace in Ojai's 2009 film series presents PROMISES at the Ojai Playhouse on Saturday September 12, 2009 at 4:30pm, by donation. Please join us.

Posted by evan austin at 12:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

Guest Editorial by Marty Fast, a former 4-H leader who lives in Ojai

The Ventura County Fair is over. What happened to the 4-H pet market animals? Most of them have been transported to the slaughterhouse. How many of the 4-H animal owners accompanied their pets to the slaughterhouse? How many of the 4-H pet owners have ever been to a slaughterhouse to witness the horrific process of slaughter?

Continue reading "Fair No Fun for 4-H Pet Market Animals, but Happy Ending For One Lucky Pig" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 05:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | author bio

CLICK THE IMAGE to go straight to the nomination page, hosted right here on the OP!

Posted by evan austin at 07:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

It has been eight years since the last time I fasted – it was in late 2001 – and for that fast I practiced in solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters by fasting from sunrise to sunset for a couple of weeks during Ramadan.

Recently I was sharing about a personal relationship issue with a monastic friend and teacher and he suggested a period of fasting. I wasn't completely clear on how this could help or be related, but I trust my friend and know that fasting is a common practice in the monastery. The intention here is not a detox fast, but one of a spiritual nature. I started practicing with the fast for 1-2 weeks by fasting at the dinnertime meal. It wasn’t too difficult to eat two meals a day, but it did get difficult in the late afternoon. My dinner fast raised my confidence and understanding of fasting.

Continue reading "Discoveries in Fasting" »

Posted by Kenley Neufeld at 09:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

The Ojai Peace Coalition is SO proud to have borne our 2008 Noble Peace Prize honorees, Tara Blasco and Lyn Hebenstreit, as dignitaries in last Saturday's Independence Day parade (along with former Marine Sergeant Lyn Weeks, representing Veterans for Peace)! In addition to working to increase public health and decrease poverty in Africa, Lyn and Tara engage in spiritual activism right here in our valley community by leading meditation groups, as well as providing support for mothers and infants. Learn about their work in Africa by visiting the Global Resource Alliance website.

Nominations for the 2009 Noble Peace Prize are open now!
CLICK HERE to nominate your most valued local s/hero of peace!
(Need suggestions to get started? How 'bout this thread on community organizers, from September '08?)

Posted by evan austin at 01:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

By Ojai author Stephen Mitchell

Take a gentle deep breath, turn on the sound,
and please click here: Psalm 122

I rejoiced when I heard them announce,
“The time of warfare is past.
No more will brother hate brother
or violence have its way.
No more will they drown out God’s silence
and shut their hearts to his song.”

Pray for peace in the cities
and harmony among the races.
May peace come to live on our streets
and justice within our walls.
With all my heart I will pray
that peace comes to live among us.
For the sake of all earth’s people,
I will do my utmost for peace.

(The Psalms, translated by Stephen Mitchell)

I dedicate Psalm 122
to evan Austin and his family,
Tara Blasco and Lyn Hebenstreit, the 2008 Noble Peace Prize honorees,
and the Ojai Peace Coalition.
Look for them in the 2009 Parade, Entry #46!

Posted by Suza Francina at 09:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

Some of you may remember when Deepak Chopra came to Ojai a few years ago. First he spoke to a SRO crowd at the Krotona Institute where he eloquently reminded us of the perennial wisdom, the oneness of all life, and not to identify too much with the various roles we play in this world. For one fleeting moment I almost felt enlightened. I "got it" when he said, "Life is not only stranger than you think, it is stranger than you CAN think."

I'm sure Deepak has his flaws like all human beings, but I am impressed by his astute observations on the human condition. I just finished reading his compassionate tribute to Michael Jackson on the Huffington Post, and felt moved to post it here.

A Tribute to My Friend, Michael Jackson

"Michael Jackson will be remembered, most likely, as a shattered icon, a pop genius who wound up a mutant of fame. That's not who I will remember, however. His mixture of mystery, isolation, indulgence, overwhelming global fame, and personal loneliness was intimately known to me. For twenty years I observed every aspect, and as easy as it was to love Michael -- and to want to protect him -- his sudden death yesterday seemed almost fated.

Continue reading "Deepak Chopra: A Tribute to My Friend, Michael Jackson" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 03:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | author bio

Death cuts you off with a very, very, very sharp razor from your attachments, from your gods, from your superstitions, from your desire for comfort . . . So how can I find out, actually, not theoretically, what it means to die? It means to be totally free, to be totally unattached to everything that man has put together, or what you have put together . . . totally free. . . While you are living, every moment you are dying, so that throughout life you are not attached to anything. That is what death means.
-- J. Krishnamurti, public talk, January 1, 1986, six weeks before his death

The Ojai Valley News web site has a spot that lists "RECENT DEATHS." There I read the names of my teachers and classmates from Matilija and Nordhoff... childhood dentists and doctors from long ago...my yoga students.... former mayors and city council members....Ojai activists....old friends and acquaintances... I am aware that someday my parent's name and then my own name....will appear under "RECENT DEATHS..."

Yesterday I got a shock when I suddenly saw the name of Ted Cartee, a man with deep roots in Ojai, a man only a few years older than me. I got on the phone and called one of his longtime friends. Today I read his obituary in the Ventura County Star. I am posting it here. I don't know what else to do. Life goes by in the twinkling of an eye. One brief moment in eternity he and I were carpooling to a meeting at the Government Center. We were laughing, speaking out, celebrating some small victory for Life On Planet Earth. Next moment we drop the body and fly free of this Earthly realm, with all it's joys and sorrows.

Yoga classes end with Savasana, Corpse Pose. Why do we do yoga? We do yoga to fully incarnate and consciously inhabit our bodies. And to prepare for death.

Continue reading "In Memory of Theodore "Ted" L. Cartee, Ojai Activist, Spiritual Seeker, Kindred Spirit" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 10:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

Posted by Sean P. Keenan at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (13) | author bio

Submitted by an anonymous reader. As with all legends, take with your own preferred level of grains of salt. And of course, if you have anything to add, or can share local legends and stories you have heard, please do.

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

You’ve heard the song. You’ve been over the bridge. You’ve eaten the tangerines off the trees under marmalade skies. Here’s one story of how it came about.

Continue reading "Ojai Myths Series Installment No. 3: Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" »

Posted by Sean P. Keenan at 01:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (11) | author bio

What's your first reaction to this?

Posted by Mike Didj at 05:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | author bio

Enjoy!

Posted by Sally Carless at 03:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

Off to Watermark in Ventura... hope you are enjoying your Easter Sunday, Ojai.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 08:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (8) | author bio

The 2009 Season for Nonviolence began on January 30. This 65-day period between the memorial dates of Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. (April 4th) and is used globally as a time for personal and community reflection on the healing and transforming power of nonviolence and the contributions towards Peace made by these two great leaders.

Apr 04: Peace Free-For-All! Know it, Love it, Live it!

Continue reading "[UPDATED DAILY!] Reflections on Peace" »

Posted by evan austin at 08:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (39) | author bio

my DailyGood email from CharityFocus.org shares with me the following:

Roman Catholic bishops to faithful: Give up cell phone and Internet during Lent
By Larry Greenemeier

Concerned that Christians are not entering the Lenten season (which began last week on Ash Wednesday) with the proper spirit, some clergy are calling on their flock to nix text messaging for the next six Fridays leading up to Easter on April 12. Christians are annually asked to refrain from eating meat on Fridays and to pray more regularly during Lent, but the church has apparently gotten hip to the hold that technology has on its brethren. The diocese of Modena-Nonantola in Italy in particular is calling for text-messaging-free Fridays as a way for the faithful to at least temporarily rid themselves of reminders of "material wealth," but the church is also calling for such digital abstinence in the name of human rights.

Continue reading "A Text-Free Lent?" »

Posted by evan austin at 09:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | author bio

Michael Shapiro, Chair of Stop the Trucks, sent the following letter regarding Weigh Tickets as a response to an email (below) from Chris Stephens, Director of Resource Managment for the County of Ventura.

Hello Chris -

I've finally read your email regarding how the Coalition might obtain a full year's worth of weigh tickets from the Ozena Ranch Mine facility. Obviously - the "evidence" you've collected is entirely insufficient.

I've turned your email over to our attorney -- for I do not have the legal skills to know how to go from here. Naturally - I view your email not only with great disappointment - but I also see it as one more example of how the Planning Division does not wish to let genuine evidence come to light by conveniently hiding behind a rather poorly collected and insufficient randsom sample of Ozena weight tickets. I'm not that naieve, Chris, to believe that if you and your other colleagues really wished to collect a full year's data that you would certainly be able to do so. The fact that you aren't willing to do that speaks volumes: You fear the TRUTH and simply can't handle the TRUTH.

We'll have to seek another legal remedy to get to the bottom of this. How unfortunate.

Sincerely,

Michael Shapiro
Chair - Stop The Trucks! Coalition

Continue reading "Stop The Trucks: The First Casualty of War is the Truth" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 05:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | author bio

from Judy K:

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Eve of Justice: Lighting The Way For The Supreme Court

On March 5th, the California Supreme Court will hear oral argument on why Proposition 8 should be repealed. Wednesday, March 4 is the day before the California Supreme Court hears oral arguments on the validity of Prop 8. The night before this historic moment, we invite supporters of marriage equality, their friends and families, and most especially the 18,000 couples married last year, to join us in a showing of faith and support that love and justice shall prevail. We’ll stand together and send a unified message to our fellow Californians, including the Supreme Court Justices, that individual liberties like the right to marry are guaranteed by the Constitution to everyone and cannot be stripped away at the ballot box by a bare majority. Just as important, we will give our love and support to all the families headed by same-sex couples who are threatened by the recent electoral outcome, as well as same-sex couples whose hopes and dreams of marriage and family have been frustrated by enactment of Prop 8.

Please come out and stand with your friends and neighbors and show your support for fairness and equality!

On Wednesday evening at 6 pm:

Bring candles and signs.

(also check out Let California Ring's "I DO" Campaign, and listen to the oral arguments live on Thursday at eqca.org)

Posted by evan austin at 08:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | author bio

i'm very excited to announce the NEW Ojai Peace Coalition Action Blog at

www.ojaipeace.org

Posted by evan austin at 06:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | author bio

The Ojai Post, February 27, 2006, entry #1:

The Ojai Post is a community blog, featuring Ojai residents from all walks of life writing about the unique Ojai experience. Ojai is a special place, not just for its geography, flora and fauna, small-town architecture and rich native American history - its also because of the people - talented, creative souls who tend to walk to the beat of their own drummer and carve their own path through life. Check in for daily musings, rants, Ojai news and greater goings-on from the place some call Shangri-La.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (14) | author bio

Posted by evan austin at 07:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | author bio

Ojai Silent Candlelight Vigil for Peace in Gaza/Israel
Thursday January 15, 2009  4:30-5:30 pm
At the "Y" in Ojai (corner of Vons shopping center Hwy 33 and Hwy 150)

Join us as we mourn the loss of lives in this conflict and as we take a public stand for an immediate ceasefire and end to the blockade on Gaza. We ask participants to respect the silence of this vigil and to not bring signs or banners (we will have one large one identifying our intent). Bring a candle, your prayers, and your spirits of hope.

Contact for more info: Email Tanya Cole or call 805-640-3650

Sponsoring Organizations: Integrity Now, Ojai Peace Coalition, Ojai Code Pink

Posted by evan austin at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (56) | author bio

Tired of having your windshield smashed by loose rock flying off a double hopper gravel truck?

The Conditional Use Permit for the Ozena mine requires that all gravel trucks be covered but no one that we've spoken to in the Ojai Valley has ever remembered seeing a covered gravel truck... Ever!

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: Naked & Topless No More?" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 06:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

from local event organizers, and posted at the OPC Action Blog:

Ventura County Caravan to National Day of Emergency Mass Action
in LA at Westwood Federal Building (11000 Wilshire Blvd)

LEAVES:
Ojai, 9:30 am at Full of Beans parking lot on 11534 N Ventura Ave Ojai. RSVP hola2tanya@yahoo.com or call 805-421-9708

Ventura, 10 am at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, 4360 E. Main St. corner with Telephone Rd.
Call 805-641-1789 if you are interested. No calls, no ride! (Go to TO instead.)

Thousand Oaks, 10:30 am at TO Trans Center, Rancho & Hwy 101

Contact organizers at 805-241-0708 or answervc@riseup.net

TWO MORE (ONLINE) ACTIONS AFTER THE JUMP!

Continue reading "Carpool to Emergency Mass Protest of Violence in Gaza" »

Posted by evan austin at 01:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (17) | author bio

'Tis the season and if you've still got a few gifts to cross off your list, head on over to the OBC to grab a bottle of bubbly. Grab another to ring in the new year, too! I recently sipped champagne and chatted with Jobe Yoby and Jorge Alem of the Ojai Beverage Company. Over a glass of bubbly, they talked with me about the difference between champagne and sparkling wine, how to open it, the glassware, the different styles, and how it's made. Listen here.

Happy Festivus (for the rest of us)! December 23 is the official un-holiday! But the beauty of Festivus is you can celebrate it whenever you want. More on the history and traditions of Festivus after the jump...

Continue reading "Festivus and Champagne!" »

Posted by Lisa Snider at 09:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | author bio

In a case titled "Elizabeth Ann Vergilio Vs. County of Ventura," the owners of the Ozena gravel mine challenged the County's right to impose hours of operation and transit through the Ojai Valley.

Judge Reiser ruled against Virgilio and Ozena. Even though Stop the Trucks was not a direct participant in this case, it is a huge victory for the Coalition. Much of the County's brief was based on our research and complaints.

The "Stop the Trucks" Coalition has not only been supporting the County's contention that the rules must hold, we've also insisted that the County also actually enforce those rules.

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: Ozena Loses Court Case on Trucking Hours" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 08:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | author bio

I was raised in the Pentecostal church. Somewhere in my subconscious are the memories of hundreds of hours reading the Bible, listening to Sunday school teachers, youth pastors, and fervent "fire and brimstone" preachers. We belonged to the Assemblies of God, the world's largest Pentecostal denomination. Thanks to the church sponsorship, my family was able to emigrate from Holland to Ojai.

As far back as I can remember, I wanted to be "saved" and turn my Life over to God. Especially during revivals. But, fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on ones point of view, even as an eight-year old I questioned the Bible. My sisters and I sang "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so...." almost every Sunday morning, sometimes in front of the whole church, accompanied by the piano or organ. But I was the only one in my family brave enough to raise my trembling hand and ask questions like, "How can we be happy in heaven with all those other people burning in hell?"

From bumper stickers and conversations, I gather that most of my family members oppose same-sex marriage. This morning I read this week's Newsweek Cover Story on Gay Marriage. The opening paragraph said,

Continue reading "What the Bible Teaches About Marriage" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 07:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (56) | author bio

Today is the last day of Chalica, a seven-day celebration of the principles that underlie the Unitarian Universalist movement, beginning on the first Monday in December. Like all holy-days, it was conceived by a person to meet a need; in this case is was a woman named Daylene Marshall from British Columbia, who a few years ago decided that a winter holiday to honor the UU principles would be a community-building and unifying thing. Chalica continues to grow grassroots-style, with people discovering and creating it every year. The general practice is to light a chalice (or candle) in one's home each day in honor of one principle, and to give gifts or take actions that further it. Part of its beauty for me is that, just as one needn't be a Christian to celebrate Christmas, you don't have to identify as a Unitarian Universalist to appreciate and celebrate these ideals! The seven principles are:

1. The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
2. Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
3. Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
4. A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
5. The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
6. The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all;
7. Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

**Read on for an exclusive Radio Ojai interview and hilarious video!**

Continue reading "Happy Chalica!" »

Posted by evan austin at 08:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | author bio

A couple of weeks ago, I went on a hike with Ojai Valley Land Conservancy preserve manager, Rick Bisaccia, and 20 other trekkers. He took us up to the 80-acre Ilvento Preserve, the first property the OVLC acquired in 1997. I last went on this 2-mile hike with the OVLC in the spring of 2006 to write a story for the Sierra Club’s local paper, and although the wildflower sightings were abundant, so, too, were the ticks. This time, the dry weather kept the ticks away, but Rick took the time to give his now famous Tick Talk, which served to give us all the willies. About a mile into the hike are some of the most spectacular views in the valley. I snapped this photo of Rick with my cell phone at the preserve’s highest point, 2024 feet, offering views of Lake Casitas and, on clear days, the Pacific. The Ilvento Preserve is open year-round to the public. For more information on the OVLC, to become a member (it’s cheap!) or to find out about their guided hikes, check-out their Web site for dates, times and reservation information.

More after the jump, including evan on Radio Ojai, and cheap eats in the valley...

Continue reading "Hiking, Chatting and Eating in Ojai" »

Posted by Lisa Snider at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

So, i've been hearing a lot from the pro-discrimination community about how the point of marriage is to procreate, in order to perpetuate our society or species or whatever. That's followed by the notion that since homosexual unions don't result in natural, biological children they cannot fulfill that role and therefore don't qualify for "marriage".

i call bullshit.

Continue reading "Married, With or Without Children" »

Posted by evan austin at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (19) | author bio

Supporters of marriage equality rallied tonight in Ojai's "Y" intersection in an enthusiastic show of opposition to Prop 8 and support for equal rights. By its end, the gathering numbered 120 to 150 people, including members of the Santa Paula and Ventura congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Church. There was an impressive and perhaps unexpected amount of honking, waving, and smiling from passing motorists. For balance, two large trucks attempted to squeal their tires and speed aggressively away, only to slam on their brakes and risk collision with people waiting to turn into the shopping center parking lot. One of these vehicles was pursued by the police.

More photos after the jump!
(thanks to Sally Carless for most of the photos!)

Continue reading "Marriage Equality Supporters Rally at the Y" »

Posted by evan austin at 11:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (12) | author bio

The Ojai Peace Coalition's 2008 Voting Guide is out, and i want to highlight our recommendations to vote YES on Proposition 2 and NO on Proposition 8.

The 8 Debate has 81 comments and counting, so though it has slipped off of the front page, HERE IS THE LINK TO IT so you can keep accessing it from here!

Proposition 2 calls us to end the violent mistreatment of millions of animals, which is a hallmark of terminally ill societies. The Ojai Post thread for that is HERE.

UPDATE: 10/29/08

Posted by evan austin at 10:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (71) | author bio

(photo credit to Ray Smith, Daly Road Graphics)

1) Do you now or have you in the past personally supported "Stop the Trucks!"

The City Council has agreed to give financial support to the "Stop the Trucks" organization. There are some legal hurdles that need to be addressed, but I believe we need to find a way to make it happen.

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: City Council Candidate, Betsy Clapp, Answers Our Election Year Questions" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 02:41 PM | Permalink | author bio

Danger Apparently Still Being Ignored by Planning Division

(All pictures are courtesy of Maureen and Dan Smith, Wheeler Hot Springs)

In a August 21, 2006 letter regarding the Ozena Valley Ranch Mining project, the Board of the Ojai Valley Municipal Advisory Council warned Christopher Stephens, then the Director of Planning for the Ventura County Planning Division and now the head of the entire Resource Managment Agency for the County, that "SR-33 has suffered many landslides and slipped roadways in past years. The vibration created by the mine's trucks on SR-33 may be adding significantly to the problem of road slippage, slumps, and slides. No review of vibration as a potential impact on SR-33 has been included in the Draft MND and vibration from trucks may present a significant adverse impact on the environment."

In February of 2008 a portion of Route 33 collapsed into the river. Below are a dozen photographs of the damage done, indicating the collapse was far more significant than originally reported.

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: County Planning Officials Failed to Heed Warnings About Potential Road Collapse " »

Posted by Howard Smith at 04:31 PM | Permalink | author bio

The signs are up, many of us have already voted, and most have probably already decided, so let's have at it, Ojai! What's your understanding of Proposition 8, and where do you stand?

* FIRST THINGS FIRST: As a Citizen and as a No On 8 supporter, i mourn what appears to be defacement of the two large Yes On 8 signs in the Valley (in front of the Baptist church and at Crestview Drive) and reject that action as gravely injurious to the mutual integrity needed to keep our discourse civil and rational, and our democracy healthy. i certainly empathize with the frustration that these acts were likely borne of, and hope that damages can be swiftly repaired.

SECOND, let's please be respectful of each other and of this forum by adhering to the posted community standards: Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. You also agree not to impersonate any regular authors or commenters with the intent to participate in deceptive dialogue. Violators may be banned. Please treat fellow commenters with civility and respect, as if you were engaging in person. Despite differing opinions, we would all like to see Ojai's character and quality of life preserved and improved for generations to come. We're in this together. i recognize that this can be a deep and passionate issue, and encourage us all to rise above the virtual sign-defacement that personal attacks would amount to and represent.

Continue reading "The 8 Debate" »

Posted by evan austin at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (90) | author bio

FILM FESTIVAL DATES
November 6-7-8-9, 2008
PRESS CONTACT: Maureen McFadden
(805)966-0190/momcfadden@aol.com

Ojai’s Ninth Annual Film Fest
2008 SLATE OF FILMS ANNOUNCED ALONG WITH CELEBRITIES

Ninth Annual Ojai Film Festival spools out its programs November 6 – 9 with 57 independent films, lifetime achievement honor ceremonies, and a seminar to fill in the four-day event. Hosting sponsor and headquarters for the festival is the premiere AAA five-diamond award-winning resort, the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa.

Ojai has become a viable path for filmmakers and their work to get noticed. Hollywood producer, Peter Guber said of the Ojai FF at the podium of the Toronto Film Festival last year, “Ojai is the next Telluride!” That festivalis like Ojai, a four-day event focused on films one would not otherwise see in the mainstream but of a very high caliber. Artistic Director, Steve Grumette, who was one of the founders of the festival in 2000 said, “There are so many more films being made since the advent of digital technology, and in the past eight years, the festival has sent over a dozen films on to win the highest honors in the industry, including Academy Award nominations and Oscars.”

Continue reading "Ojai Film Festival Announces Slate of Films" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 06:29 PM | Permalink | author bio

1. Choose your partner very carefully. Be mindful of societal, religious, or family pressures that might damage your decision-making process by rushing it or by confusing your own values.
• Know what your values are, as well as your goals and life plan, so that you can choose another person who compliments them.

2. If you marry, please maintain an element of practicality in your promises to one another. It's easy to be swept up in romantic language, and it's important to be making intent-ful vows that are realistic and that you intend to keep.
• Don't break the bank! An average American wedding costs around $20,000, which starts your life together already under a financial burden (See items 3 and 4). It pays to be creative and frugal.

3. If you choose to have children, only have as many as your finances and emotional maturity can handle. A family that is emotionally and financially strained will have less peace and a weaker bond, and growth for growth's sake is the mentality of the cancer cell.

Continue reading "evan's Prescription for Strengthening the Family & Protecting Marriage" »

Posted by evan austin at 01:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | author bio

"Stop the Trucks" has turned its attention from Diamond Rock to the Ozena Valley Ranch and Gravel mine.

At Tuesday night’s City Council meeting the council agreed to give financial support to the Stop the Trucks Coalition, after a victory for the citizens’ group in August...

“After this agreement has been worked out, keeping the Diamond Rock Mine’s trucks out of Ojai, it has been pretty clear to me that whatever this group did, they did it successfully,” said Mayor Sue Horgan.

For Nao Braverman's full story go to the Ojai Valley News Blog at:

http://ojaivalleynews.blogspot.com/2008/10/council-to-help-fund-stop-trucks-effort.html

Posted by Howard Smith at 05:59 PM | Permalink | author bio

This Tuesday, October 14th, at 7:30 pm the Ojai City Council will meet for its regular session. Part of the agenda will be devoted to discussions on how to co-ordinate efforts to deal with the Ozena Valley Ranch & Gravel Mine's proposed renewal and modification of their C.U.P. with the County of Ventura.

Given the well documented negative impact of these highly disruptive and polluting mining and trucking operations on agriculture, fishing, the economy, our water supply, our environment and the health of our children, the "Stop the Trucks" Coalition urges everyone in the Ojai Valley to attend and share your opinions with the City Council.

Posted by Howard Smith at 09:52 AM | Permalink | author bio

(Trucks passes through town on Ojai Ave & Montgomery, photo credit to Ray Smith, Daly Road Graphics)

In documents recently obtained by the Ojai "Stop the Trucks" through a Ventura County Public Records Request, the Coalition has learned that Ozena wants to alter their existing permit so that trucking through the Ojai Valley will begin as early as 3:00 am and continue as late as 6:00 pm during the week with "No Route Restrictions" at all on Saturdays!

This proposal would more than double trucking from a total of seven hours a day during the week to a new and even more intrusive and disturbing 15 hours a day!

In a recent review of weigh tickets from 2007, the "Stop the Trucks" Coalition estimated that Ozena is likely now violating existing permit hours in trips through Ojai by as much as 55%. In a letter to "Stop the Trucks," County CEO, Ms. Marty Robinson, agreed with the Coalition that violations have been under reported by the Planning Division.

In a further review of emails obtained through that same Records Request, we found that the agent for Ozena, John Hecht of West Coast Environmental & Engineering, rejected the consultant the County originally selected, URS, because: "...the proposed costs did not appear in line to the anticipated scope of work. Ozena believes that a competitive process will provide a qualified CEQA contractor in a more cost effective manner."

In a separate email Mr. Hecht then went on to propose the names of three other firms:

Continue reading "STOP THE TRUCKS: Ozena Wants to Expand Hours of Trucking Thru Ojai and Hand Pick the Consultant who will Review their new Proposal!" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 09:22 AM | Permalink | author bio

In a letter to the Ojai "Stop the Trucks" Coalition, Ventura County CEO, Ms. Marty Robinson, wrote: "After the CEO's office reviewed the July and August 2007 weigh tickets tickets communicated by the RMA" (Resource Management Agency) "a statistically significant sampling of the 649 original tickets was conducted by our office and it was determined that potential northbound violations were omitted from consideration by the Planning Division. If these potential northbound violations had been included , the number of violations would have been materially higher..."

"Stop the Trucks" had previously reported that upwards of 55% of all Ozena related trips through the Ojai Valley were likely in violation of these rules.

Continue reading "STOP THE TRUCKS: County CEO Finds Ozena Violations Greater Than Reported" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 08:18 AM | Permalink | author bio

Continue reading "OJAI FILM FESTIVAL ARRIVES SOON!" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 04:31 PM | Permalink | author bio

If I had a chance to ask a question during the Joe Biden-Sarah Palin debate, I would ask Governor Palin: "Do you believe in dinosaurs?"

As a creationist who claims that the world was literally created by God in seven days, she rejects the theory of evolution and therefore cannot believe in dinosaurs.

If she answers, "Yes, i do believe in dinosaurs," she will be contradicting her whole belief system.

Why is this question important? Because Palin's fundamentalist beliefs and the preaching in her church in Wasilla shape her political aspirations. Her regular pastor, Ed Kalins, suggested in 2004 that those who voted for John Kerry would not go to heaven and in 2005 that anyone who criticized President Bush after hurricane Katrina would go to hell.

Continue reading "Ojai's Clive Leeman asks, " Does Sarah Palin Believe In Dinosaurs?"" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (28) | author bio

UN: Guns fall silent in Afghanistan on Peace Day
Published: Sunday, September 21, 2008 | 11:17 AM ET
Canadian Press: Jason Straziuso, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

KABUL - The guns fell silent across much of Afghanistan for International Peace Day on Sunday.

The UN said tens of thousands of U.S., NATO and Afghan soldiers were observing peace day by refraining from offensive operations.

For the most part, the Taliban insurgents were also standing down to mark the day.

Government officials in most places reported no violence, and several credited Peace Day efforts.

Continue reading "Peace One Day (365 To Go)" »

Posted by evan austin at 08:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | author bio

Posted by Howard Smith at 04:45 PM | Permalink | author bio

Schedule after the jump...

Continue reading "Living Peace this weekend" »

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | author bio

(Caltrans photo of the collapse of Maricopa Highway in Cuyama Valley)

Last week in a Ventura County Star article by Tony Biasotti, Ventura County officials conceded that there are significant problems in the Planning Division but the real questions is this: Are they Willing To Change?

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/sep/04/officials-concede-land-use-problems/

According to Biasotti Ventura County officials hosted an unusual meeting in a conference room just off of the courthouse cafeteria.

"Everyone on our team has affirmed we have a problem here," Matt Carroll, the top deputy to County Executive Officer Marty Robinson, said at the opening of the meeting. "The facts speak for themselves."

"Complaints about the system from developers and property owners are nothing new..." " But this time, the county is listening and often agreeing..."

"Last year, the county commissioned a report on its land-use procedures by Tom Berg, a consultant who once held (Chris) Stephens' current position as Resource Management Agency director. Based on interviews with 75 people in and out of county government, Berg's report concluded that the land-use process was in need of "systemic changes."

"The county put together a committee of high-level managers, including Carroll and Stephens, to analyze Berg's recommendations and start putting them into action."

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: Ventura County Officials Finally Admit there are Problems and MAC Candidate Jerry Kaplan Responds to our Election Year Questions" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 02:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

Do You Support this Vision of Ojai?

(Downtown Ojai in Winter, photo credit to Lauren Simone)

Or This Vision?

(A traffic at the "Y." Photo credit to Daly road Graphics, Ray Smith)

Suza Francina was the first of the five candidates competing for two City Council vacancies to respond to our questions for candidates. (see below) "Stop the Trucks" hopes the other City Council candidates and those running for the MAC (Municipal Advisory Council) will take a few moments to answer a few questions online. We would like each candidate to share their thoughts with the public on the how they intend to deal with the long term threat posed by gravel trucking through Ojai and the blind eye that the Ventura County Planning Division is seemingly paying to regular daily violations of the existing Conditional Use Permits (C.U.P.'s).

Continue reading "Stop The Trucks - Second Election Edition" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 03:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

Ray Smith of Daly Road Graphics sent us these notes and photographs about Gravel Trucks in which it appears that trucks coming and going from Santa Paula are driving on residential streets. If true this would a clear violation of local road and traffic regulations. While we await further confirmation, here is Ray's first person report:

" I spotted another truck near my home. Apparently, they are coming from Santa Paula, but instead of going through downtown via Ojai Avenue, they cut north to Grand Avenue. They head east, turn onto West Summer St.,
then south on Canada to pick up Ojai Avenue again. This is the third time I've seen one do this. "

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: Sneaking Through Town on Grand Avenue???" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 03:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

Do You Support this Vision of Ojai?

Or This Vision?

(A double hopper stuck in traffic at the "Y" heads into the heart of Ojai on Route 150/Ojai Avenue.. Photo credit to Daly road Graphics, Ray Smith Monday, May 6, 2008)

With five candidates competing for two City Council vacancies and several of the MAC (Municipal Advisory Council) seats also facing competitive races, the Ojai "Stop the Trucks!" Coalition is asking everyone running for office to take a few moments to answer a few questions online. We would like each candidate to share their thoughts with the public on the how they intend to deal with the long term threat posed by gravel trucking through Ojai and the blind eye that the Ventura County Planning Division is seemingly paying to regular daily violations of the existing Conditional Use Permits (C.U.P.'s).

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: Election Year Edition" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | author bio

World Affairs Council CA Central Coast

September 11, 2008
Location: Ventura County Maritime Museum
2731 S. Victoria Avenue
Oxnard, CA 93035
Time: 5:30 p.m. -7:30 p.m.
(Reception with appetizers
and no-host bar 5:30-6:30,
presentation 6:30-7:30)
Cost: $15 members, $20 non-members

By 1405 China had been a powerful empire for nearly two thousand years. The crown jewels of Emperor Zhu Di’s navy were his Treasure boats. These behemoths, nearly half the size of World War II aircraft carriers, were largest wooden sailing ships ever built. And although the wealth they carried back to China was staggering, it created conflict between the two factions that served the emperor; the Military and the Mandarin bureaucrats.

Continue reading "World Affairs Council Presentation" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 08:40 PM | Permalink | author bio

OJAI FILM FESTIVAL

GLEN MUSE, 815 Libbey Ave., Ojai, CA 93024

Continue reading "Ojai Film Festival Party In Paradise" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 08:17 PM | Permalink | author bio

Send your donations to the Stop The Trucks! Coalition – c/o The Ojai Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 1134, Ojai, CA, 93024, or you may also walk your contribution into the Chamber’s offices anytime during the business week, at 201 S. Signal Street -- in the Ojai Festivals building -- in downtown Ojai.

HELP US STOP THE TRUCKS!
By Michael Shapiro, Chairman / Stop The Trucks! Coalition

Repeating what I wrote last week in my Ojai Valley News Guest Editorial -- various news reports about the recent Santa Barbara-based Diamond Rock Mine didn’t tell the full story. It is simply not true that the Stop the Trucks! Coalition prevailed during the recent hearings before the Santa Barbara Planning Commission, and that’s why we’re appealing the decision of the Santa Barbara Planning Commission to approve the Diamond Rock Mine’s Environmental Impact Report (EIR). If we don’t, it paves the way for the granting of their Conditional Use Permit (CUP) and simultaneously strips-away any of Ojai’s legal rights to challenge them in the event that they “change their minds” and hundreds of rock and gravel mine-transport trucks end-up careening through Ojai after all.

Continue reading "HELP US STOP THE TRUCKS!" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 05:04 PM | Permalink | author bio

This just in from Gaelle Lehrer Kennedy:

Saturday, July 19, 2008
9:00 A.M. – 10:00 A.M.

Ancient Hebrew Chants & Meditation

All are welcomed to participate in this beautiful hour of raising the soul’s journey into love and oneness.

Temple K’Hilat Ha’Aloneem
530 W. El Roblar
Meiners Oaks

Donations to Temple appreciated

Please feel free to bring a prayer shawl.

Posted by Howard Smith at 04:54 PM | Permalink | author bio

(photo credit, Rob Varela, Ventura County Star)

Below are some of the highlights from Ventura County Star reporter Tony Biasotti's article last week.

"Until last year, it was common for Bob Walker to wake up before dawn to the sound of grinding engine brakes, as a caravan of gravel trucks passed his house. 'When they're coming through at 2:30 or 3 a.m., and you're sleeping, it gets pretty loud,' Walker said during a recent interview at his home, just north of Ojai on Highway 33. 'At one point, it was an everyday thing.'"

…But many Ojai residents still chafe at what they see as enough truck traffic to turn their bucolic city into a loud, smoggy, congested mess. Ventura County (Planning Division), they say, has ignored their concerns. Walker filed three complaints against one mining company, starting in 2005, and said the county never acknowledged any of them until a few months ago.

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: Ojai Complains of Gravel Trucks on Highway 33" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 07:47 PM | Permalink | author bio

(photo credit to Ray Smith, Daly Road Graphics)

In Thursday’s Ventura County Reporter, Editor Bill Lascher wrote:

“A broad coalition of Ojai residents, environmentalists, business owners, public officials and educators launched a blistering attack June 17 on county planners overseeing permits for mining operations.

Ventura County Chief Executive Officer Marty Robinson confirmed county officials plan to discuss allegations in a letter sent by Stop the Trucks Coalition Vice-Chair Howard Smith about oversight of the controversial Ozena Valley Ranch mine.”

For the full story go to:
http://www.vcreporter.com/cms/story/detail/mine_opponents_suspect_official_bias/6073/

Some further highlights:

“Frustrated by what they perceive to be lax enforcement of planning regulations, Smith and his allies called for the ouster of a key Ventura County planning official for decisions related to the mine, which is located several miles north of Ojai, east of State Route 33.

Continue reading "STOP THE TRUCKS: Mine Opponents Suspect Official Bias" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 02:06 PM | Permalink | author bio

This is just in from the NY Times website:

June 17, 2008
Oregon woman plans to parade topless on July 4
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 6:51 p.m. ET

ASHLAND, Ore. (AP) -- A woman seen frequently in Ashland riding topless on her bicycle says she plans to be in Ashland's Fourth of July parade free and independent of all clothing but a hemp G-string. The Chamber of Commerce says that's contrary to the rules for the family celebration. She says she'll sue if she can't parade as she wishes.

Jen Moss has been known as ''The Naked Lady'' since she moved to Ashland in May from Ojai, Calif., drawn by the town's nudity laws. They specify only that people must cover their genitalia in a city park or the downtown commercial district, which means Moss need not cover her breasts.

The police in California, she says, harassed her when she rode her bicycle wearing a G-string and pasties.

Moss applied for an entry for the parade, which draws thousands each year.

The Ashland Chamber of Commerce learned of her coverage plans from an online posting. She promised to lead in-line skaters ''wearing only a hemp G-string and blowing a conch shell.''

''We don't feel that someone in the parade who is topless or nearly naked is appropriate for a family audience,'' said parade chairman James Kidd.

Continue reading "Jen To Strike Again!" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 04:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (49) | author bio

Many of you may remember when i last attended the Memorial Day events here in the Ojai Valley in 2006, after which i wrote this report which brought up issues of patriotism, accountability, veteran-civilian relations, and the meaning of supporting the troops while opposing the war.

This year's Memorial Day was quite different for me, but not so much because of the local events. i have made some significant personal strides relative to the above issues by listening to the testimony of warriors at the Winter Soldier 2008 event, responding to my brother's choice to join the Marine Corps Reserves, reading some of the local veterans' stories in their book "Ojai Valley's Veterans Stories", and connecting to local organizers of Iraq Veterans Against the War.

***

At this time in 2006 i didn't have a nine-month-old daughter, so i was a little slower getting out the door this time. i missed the pancake breakfast at the American Legion building in Oak View, but caught the last half of the parade, where i noted several violations of the Federal Flag Code. After the parade a sizable crowd gathered at Longhorn's Feed & Supply to hear speakers and for the awarding of the parade trophies. i approached as Ms. Shelley Rhoades was reading the same poem she read last time in Libbey Park, while Boy Scout Troop 503 did the same enigmatic flag-passing ceremony. i began to wonder what was going to happen at the park.
Some guy took the "stage" and led us all in prayer to a Christian God, thanking him for our community and lifestyle and for helping us preserve it, in Jesus' name. Veteran Al Wescott sang his original song "Soldiers, Sailors, and Tired Old Men", just like he did in 2006. The teen girls in their long satin dresses and label-sashes gave out awards to everything from a bagpiper to a llama (although i think it was an alpaca, technically) to "pooper scoopers". People clapped and cheered, then left.

Continue reading "My Memorial Day 2008" »

Posted by evan austin at 02:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | author bio

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

Military Ministry, a national organization and subsidiary of the fundamentalist Christian organization Campus Crusade for Christ, says its staffers are responsible for "working with chaplains and military personnel to bring lost soldiers closer to Christ, build them in their faith, and send them out into the world as government-paid missionaries."

Posted by Jock Doubleday at 08:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

Photo courtesy of Daly Road Graphics & Ray Smith

Story By Chris Meagher at The Santa Barbara Independent

Gravel Haulers Prohibited Through Ojai, Los Padres
Trucks Brake for Highway 33

"The main artery through Ojai, State Route 33 sits in western Ventura County, just a few miles from the Santa Barbara County border. Along Route 33 sit schools, hospitals, shopping malls, and Ojai’s busiest intersection. What it will not accommodate — to the relief of many Ojai residents — is the daily rumbling of hundreds of semi trucks carrying thousands of pounds of gravel to construction sites throughout Santa Barbara and Ventura counties..."

“The Highway 33 corridor is not suitable for these big trucks,” said 1st District Planning Commissioner Michael Cooney..." "...Michael Shapiro of the Stop the Trucks Coalition, citing the air quality impact on the health, safety, and welfare of those living or traveling near Route 33, said industrial traffic through Ojai would have had a palpable and “scary” impact on residents, creating an industrial feel that could potentially harm the valley’s income from its reputation for arts and tourism. “It [would have] totally, adversely affected the economy,” Shapiro said..."

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: Santa Barbara Gravel Haulers Prohibited Through Ojai" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 07:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

Photo courtesy of Daly Road Graphics & Ray Smith

On involvement
If you're going to complain, get involved

From Bill Lascher, Editor of the Ventura Reporter:

"As has been groused about numerous times on these pages and society in general, too many people whine about the actions taken by government and other institutions without ever taking action to challenge those institutions.

Some lament in Ventura County that red tape and not-in-my-backyard-minded activists hinder progress. Yet, without a vigilant active community little would be done to help the vast majority of our citizens, many decisions would be taken with myopic profit motives and few socially minded initiatives would get off the ground...."

"...Now, the first signs are emerging of other successes by local activists, even as new fights take shape...."

"...Ojai residents concerned about mining truck traffic along Route 33 have scored something of a victory and will have a chance to ensure that victory holds May 14. That day, the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission will consider final action on the proposed Diamond Rock mine. After criticism of the mine's plans to use Highway 33 to transport material and other environmental concerns that might impact Ventura County more than Santa Barbara County, the plan was altered to prevent trucks from traveling south on 33, to reduce its production rates and truck trips to avoid situations where those truck trips might be necessary, and to address other environmental concerns. It is a testament to the continued involvement and dedication of Ojai and Cuyama Valley residents - as well as the mine owner's willingness to discuss community concerns - that such progress was made..."

Continue reading "Stop The Trucks: Praise for Ojai in the Press" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 08:01 PM | Permalink | author bio

With planning already underway for this year's Living Peace in Ojai celebration in September, the Ojai Peace Coalition is ready to receive nominations for our exclusive Noble Peace Prize, to be awarded during Living Peace!

Visit the nomination page!

Last year's first-ever Noble Peace Prize was awarded to Clive and Marion Leeman of the Ojai Peace Vigil which is STILL happening every Friday evening under the Pergola in front of Libbey Park. If you know of someone who is working for more health, sanity, security, and harmony for our community and world, please nominate them!

Posted by evan austin at 11:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

(photo courtesy of Daly Road Graphics & Ray Smith)

On Tuesday afternoon, April 8th, members of "Stop the Trucks" coalition successfully testified before the Ventura County Board of Supervisors at their regular weekly meeting after a presentation by consultant Tom Berg, who had been hired to assess issues and problems at the county's Resource Management Agency which includes the Planning Division.

The Coalition stressed the need for monitoring and enforcement of permit conditions, particularly of gravel mine operations, a fact that was reflected back by four of the Supervisors to County staff at the end of the meeting.
The Planning Division currently is responsible for oversight of the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) issued to the Ozena Mine and Gravel operation.

According to an article in the Ventura County Star by Tony Biasotti on Wednesday, April 9, 2008, Berg's noted that there are there are many ways in which the county could be more "transparent, predictable and accountable."
And, " the system has some problems."

Continue reading ""Stop the Trucks:" Expert cites problems in Ventura County's Resource Mangement Agency & Planning Division " »

Posted by Howard Smith at 07:18 PM | Permalink | author bio

In a news story written by Nao Braverman in Friday's Ojai Valley News, "owners of the Ozena Valley Sand and Gravel Mine and the Virgilio Family Trust filed a lawsuit against Ventura County last week, for allegedly changing the scope of their permitted operations without prior notice, hearing or environmental review, according to the lawsuit. They are also filing charges against the county for restricting the use of State Highway 33, which is allegedly in excess of the authority granted to the county, according to the legal petition."

Continue reading "STOP THE TRUCKS: Gravel Truck Owners Suing Ventura County" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 08:47 AM | Permalink | author bio

OJAI FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT HONOREES
Richard + Lauren Shuler Donner
and Ray Bradbury

Early Entry Deadline for Filmmakers April 15

(Ojai, CA) Ojai Film Festival has announced it will produce two Lifetime Achievement Awards programs to honor high powered producers, Lauren Shuler Donner and Richard Donner, Friday, Nov. 7 as well as an American icon, Ray Bradbury on Saturday November 8 as part of its ninth annual event set to run November 6 through 9, at the five-diamond resort – the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa.

Chairman of the Festival Board, David Shor enthused, “I am pleased and honored to announce, Ray Bradbury and the Donners' have accepted our invitation to be honored at the Ojai Film Festival with a Lifetime Achievement Award for their amazing bodies of work that have inspired and entertained so many people around the world. All the honorees have one thing in common – they can’t be categorized in any one genre. These are major developments for our festival.”

Continue reading "OJAI FILM FESTIVAL TO HONOR RAY BRADBURY AND RICHARD & LAUREN SHULER DONNER" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 06:25 PM | Permalink | author bio

EASTER 2008

Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20).
This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.

Here’s the interesting part.

This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier!

Here are the facts: 1) The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you’re 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!). 2) The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!

Happy Spring, Happy Full Moon Everyone!

Posted by Suza Francina at 08:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (10) | author bio

A Yoga in the Ojai Valley DVD Review

EARTHLINGS
Nature Animals Humankind MAKE THE CONNECTION

Watch the movie here: http://freedocumentaries.org/film.php?id=119

Written, produced and directed by Shaun Monson.
Narrated by Academy Award Nominee Joaquin Phoenix.
Music by critically acclaimed platinum artist Moby.

This is the single most powerful and informative movie about society's treatment of animals! A must-see film for anyone who cares enough to know.
-- Woody Harrelson

The Humane Society calls EARTHLINGS "The definitive documentary film of all times that Americans don't want to see. "

If I had to name one movie that I want everyone to see, including my family, friends and yoga students, it would be EARTHLINGS . Then they would understand why I am so adamant that human beings must speak out on behalf of animals.

Continue reading "EARTHLINGS" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (15) | author bio

(Photo by Troy Harvey/Special to the VC Star)

In this Sunday's edition of the Ventura County Star, we see barracades divert traffic around a section of Maricopa Highway - Route 33 - about 10 miles north of Ojai that has collapsed into the North Fork of Matilija Creek.

Only residents and emergency personnnel are allowed to use northbound lanes. For all other vehicles, the CHP expects a long-term closure of the highway between Lockwood Valley to the north, where most of the gravel mines in dispute are located, and Matilija Road and the Ojai Valley to the south.

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: Collapse of Route 33" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 07:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

On Thursday, February 28th, Reverend Michael Dowd will be sharing ideas from his recent book "Thank God for Evolution: How the Marriage of Science and Religion Will Transform Your Life and Our World", an epic on evolution written in a spiritual context. See for yourself why Nobel Prize winning scientists and religious leaders across the spectrum are praising his bold new book that builds bridges, provides guidance, and restores realistic hope for people of any religion or belief system.

7:00 PM Thursday, February 28th
Meditation Mount, 10340 Reeves Road.
For more info, call 805-640-8815.

Posted by evan austin at 08:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (13) | author bio

over-pass-work2.pdf

In today's Ventura County Star:
Saturday, February 23, 2008, from staff reports:

Bridge on Highway 33 Collapses: No One Hurt

A bridge support beam failure caused 130 to 150 feet of embankment along south-bound Highway 33 above Ojai to slide into the North Fork of Matilija Creek on Friday evening, authorities said.

The roadway was empty at the time of the collapse and no one was hurt, California Highway Patrol officials sad.

The bridge, located 10 to 12 miles north of Ojai, reportedly gave way about 6:15 p.m., according to the CHP.

Only southbound lanes were affected, officials said and northbound lanes remained open to residents and emergency personnel.

For all other vehicles, the CHP expects a long-term closure of the highway between Lockwood Valley Road to the north and Matilija Road to the south.

Caltrans crews worked to repair the roadway Friday night, authorities said.

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: Highway 33 Bridge Collapses!" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

Today is January 30th, 2008. It was on this day in 1948 that Mohandas K. Gandhi was shot and killed in Delhi, and it is on this date that we begin the Season for Nonviolence. This 64-day period between the memorial dates of Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. (April 4th) and is used globally as a time for personal and community reflection on the healing and transforming power of nonviolence and the contributions towards Peace made by these two great leaders.

In this spirit the Ojai Peace Coalition presents our handy, consolidated, easily-printable, wallet-fittable, fun-to-foldable 64 Daily Reflections Card to keep with you so your commitments to Peace and Compassion are never more than a glance away. Enjoy!

Our first week of reflections are:
Jan 30: Today, I will reflect on what peace means to me.
Feb 01: Today, I will look at opportunities to be a peacemaker.
Feb 02: Today, I will practice nonviolence and respect for Mother Earth by making good use of her resources.
Feb 03: Today, I will take time to admire and appreciate nature.
Feb 04: Today, I will plant seeds--plants or constructive ideas.
Feb 05: Today, I will hold a vision of plenty for all the world’s hungry and be open to guidance as to how I can help alleviate some of that hunger.
Feb 06: Today, I will acknowledge every human being’s fundamental right to justice, equity, and equality.

Posted by evan austin at 01:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

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

Continue reading "Jock's Top Twenty Bumper Stickers for the Holydays" »

Posted by Jock Doubleday at 01:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

So this is Christmas, And what have you done
Another year over, And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas, I hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones, The old and the young

A very merry Christmas, And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one, Without any fear

And so this is Christmas, For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones, The road is so long
And so happy Christmas, For black and for white
For yellow and red ones, Let's stop all the fight

Posted by evan austin at 07:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | author bio

Not a new one, but still a good one. Click to listen:

Brett Dennen - They Holidays Are Here (And We're Still At War)

(Lyrics after the jump)

Continue reading "The Holidays Are Here (And We're STILL At War)" »

Posted by evan austin at 06:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (14) | author bio

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

"The Wind beneath the Wind"
By Jock Doubleday

Christmas Day 1997

Nature is the first story. Nature is the true story. Nature's messenger is the child.

Culture is the second story. Culture is the false story. Culture's messengers are adults.

The child's story, nature's story, extends in all directions, to the beginning of the universe and to its end. Adults' stories, culture's stories, are bubbles surrounding particular tribes--bubbles of finite dimensions, finite volumes, that end where the walls of churches meet sidewalks, where boundaries of nations are marked, where well-worn paths end and the wilderness begins.

The child's story, nature's story, sounds a single clear note. Adults' stories, culture's stories, are cacophonous.

Men that some call the descendants of Noah ventured to build a high tower to reach heaven. They were prevented from doing so by a confusion of tongues.

Humankind could not then, nor can we now, reach god with high towers. Yet high towers we build. We believe that the answer to the mystery lies outside us. We believe that, because the answer lies outside us, we may find it with tools.

Science believes that it knows something about nature. It does not. Nature is not the name of the tree. Nature is not the visible tree, its bark, its branches, its needles. Nature is not the beauty of the tree or the scent of the tree. Nature is not the wind that moves through the needles of the tree.

Nature is the force of the tree. Nature is the invisible "filaments of intent" that twine through the tree and every thing. Nature is the wind beneath the wind. Nature is the invisible valuation that creates and governs visible nature. Our science, which does not study values, cannot know nature.

Continue reading "The Wind beneath the Wind" »

Posted by Jock Doubleday at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

A request from Lisa Sauvageau, Secretary, Akwit-tasen Generations of Life Foundation...

Aho Mitakuye Oyasin from Akwit-tasen, Generations of Life Foundation. "Mitakuye Oyasin" is Lakota for "All My Relations". It is a prayer of oneness and harmony with all forms of life: other people, animals, birds, insects, trees and plants, and even rocks. It reminds us that we are connected to these other aspects of Creation, that we share a common kinship in the Hoop of Life.

Continue reading "A New Year's Ceremony Request" »

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 04:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

Introducing the new Ojai Peace Coalition Action Blog, which will feature current actions, archive our action alerts, maintain a set of links for online peace activism, and more! Visit now and let me know what you think about it!

Posted by evan austin at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | author bio

The Ojai Interfaith Alliance and Jewish Community of the Oaks present three women from Israel/Palestine sharing their stories, their fears and hopes for peace:

Wejdan Jaber: A Muslim Palestinian, Ms. Jaber was awarded a USAID “Clinton Scholarship,” in 2000 and a Master’s in Public Administration and International Management from the Monterey Institute for International Studies, Monterey, California, in 2002. Born in Gaza, she currently lives in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Abir Kopty: A Christian Palestinian citizen of Israel, Ms. Kopty was nominated as one of twelve “People of the Year” in Israel in 2005. She has served as Media Coordinator and Spokeswoman for Mossawa, the Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens in Israel, Haifa.

Hagit Ra’anan: A Jewish Israeli, Ms. Ra’anan is a member of the Bereaved Families Forum and founder of Bridges of Peace. During the first week of the war in Lebanon in 1982, Ms. Ra'anan's husband was killed in combat near Beirut, while serving in the Israeli Military.

Jerusalem Women Speak is a program of Partners for Peace.

Posted by evan austin at 12:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

...are not a new kind of underwear.

• Tomorrow (Oct 4) could be a busy day for the new parent with a love for the environment, pets, and jewelry: Hit up the first of six weekly baby-nurturing gatherings at the newly-opened Nan Tolbert Nurture Center from 11am-12:30, then pop over to Gem Quest Jewelers for their liquidation sale until 4pm, followed by a Blessing of the Animals at St. Thomas Aquinas from 4-6pm. Cap the evening off with a Green Coalition Waste Management Committee Meeting at 7pm!

>>read on for more!

Continue reading "Ojai News Briefs" »

Posted by evan austin at 06:38 PM | Permalink | author bio

Citizens for Peaceful Resolutions, with co-sponsorship by the Ventura College International Studies Program, presents the 4th annual Earth Charter Summit Celebration and Awards on Saturday October 13, 2007 at 3pm at Ventura College's Guthrie Hall. [get map] The event is FREE and includes refreshments, live music by Inlakech Cultural Arts Center Mariachis, and vocalist Emy Reynolds - winner of the recent Battle of the Bands!

Continue reading "Earth Charter Summit Celebration in Ventura" »

Posted by evan austin at 09:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

Tyler Suchman named by Pacific Coast Business Times as one of their 2007 selections for top "40 Under 40" Business Leaders.

(Tyler Suchman, left; with Jerry Kaplan, right, at "Stop the Trucks" rally)

Tyler Suchman founded The Ojai Post and runs The Ojai Network, a collective of Ojai sites focusing on community and culture. His consulting company, Tribal Core, provides internet strategy, online marketing and search engine optimization services.

Continue reading "Congratulations, Tyler!!!" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 08:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (11) | author bio

In celebration of the United Nations' International Peace Day, the Ojai Valley community presents a weekend of special events from Friday September 21 through Sunday September 23 entitled Living Peace in Ojai!

Convened by the Retreats of Ojai, the Ojai Peace Coalition, the Ojai Interfaith Alliance, various yoga centers, and many other volunteers, and underwritten by Casa Barranca and Glen Muse, the Living Peace in Ojai weekend is a coming together and celebration of our oneness, to explore and exemplify how we can activate and express Living Peace in ourselves and in our beautiful community every day, to help heal our fragile world.

If you would like to help in any way, please email info@livingpeaceinojai.com or call 805.715.7976!

The schedule of events includes:

Continue reading "Living Peace in Ojai!" »

Posted by evan austin at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (34) | author bio

Keith (or Keiter) was born in Ventura and lived most of his life here in the Ojai Valley. On Thursday, August 16, 2007, he was found dead outside the Ojai Library. He was 46 years old.

I am writing this in remembrance of my friend Keith Stolz. I met him about six years ago. I would walk the bike path with my two dogs in the early morning. We would meet him half way through. Sometimes Keith would walk with us and other times we would just stop to say hi. I have many stories in my memory about how kind and compassionate Keith was. I would like to share two of them.

Continue reading "VICTOR KEITH STOLZ 5.6.61 - 8.16.07" »

Posted by Laura Stinchfield at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (13) | author bio

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) | author bio

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) | author bio

A few years ago, when I was mayor of our small town, I wrote an editorial for the Ojai Valley News called "Transforming politics - a new paradigm." It was a time not unlike the present, when some of the council members looked upon the people that appeared behind the podium as "fringe element." I both flinched and smiled when I heard that term bandied about, knowing that most change in society starts with the "fringe." I can remember a time when I was branded a quack by the medical establishment for writing about the health benefits of organically grown food, natural childbirth, alternative medicine and yoga. So when some were not ready to turn Ojai into a model sustainable car-free community where pedestrians are king, I generally took it in stride, confident that I was ahead of my time! My bible when I was on the council, was a book called Spiritual Politics: Changing the world from the Inside Out, (with a Foreword by the Dalai Lama) written by a couple who frequently led conferences at Meditation Mount, Corinne McLaughlin and Gordon Davidson. Here is the editorial, exactly as it appeared in 1999.

Continue reading "Spiritual Politics" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 02:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (41) | author bio

What can our diverse faith traditions teach us about Peace and Compassion?

Please join leaders and practitioners of several of our valley's various spiritual paths for a dialogue centered on faith-based principles and practices of nonviolence, this coming Sunday March 11th from 3-5pm at the Ojai Women's Center, 441 East Ojai Avenue. We will also discuss why/whether different faiths should be communicating with each other at all, and to what end?

Gandhi said "In nature there is fundamental unity running through all the diversity we see about us. Religions are given to mankind so as to accelerate the process of realisation of fundamental unity."

This event is FREE. Bring friends, bring children, bring fellow congregants, bring your open heart.

For discussion here: whether you'll be attending or not, what have you to say on these topics? how does your faith inform your commitment to peace? what goal does or should interfaith dialogue have?

Posted by evan austin at 10:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

When our family moved to the United States in 1974, we stopped in Israel and Jordan to visit some of the holy places. I remember visiting the wailing wall, calvary, and the location of Christ's tomb. Though I was only 7, it left an impression on me. Richard Nixon resigned a month after our arrival. I have vague memories of these times but I can honestly say the first President I really remember is Jimmy Carter. Carter has been a hero of mine for many years because of his honesty, integrity, and his work for peace. In particular, the Carter Center, founded by Carter, has the goal for advancing human rights and alleviating suffering. Recently I read his new book Palestine Peace Not Apartheid with great interest. I was curious to see what this prominent Nobel Peace Prize winner had to say about the Middle East, especially in using the word 'apartheid' in the title.

Continue reading "Palestine Peace Not Apartheid" »

Posted by Kenley Neufeld at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

DNC Voting Rights Institute on CA-50 Special Election

For several weeks since the June 6th Special Election in California’s 50th Congressional District there have been reports of election irregularities. The DNC Voting Rights Institute (“VRI”) has been monitoring the developments since Election Day and has raised a number of concerns regarding new and disturbing information.

First and foremost is the fact that any election where there are allegations of machine tampering, break downs in chain of custody, security breaches and other such irregularities must be taken seriously. There are several facts in this race that raise very deep concerns.

On the facts:

Continue reading "DNC's Voting Rights Institute Calls for "Manual Count" of all Ballots in Busby/Bilbray Election" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 06:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

The Ojai Post is a community blog, featuring Ojai residents from all walks of life writing about the unique Ojai experience. Ojai is a special place, not just for its geography, flora and fauna, small-town architecture and rich native American history - its also because of the people - talented, creative souls who tend to walk to the beat of their own drummer and carve their own path through life. Check in for daily musings, rants, Ojai news and greater goings-on from the place some call Shangri-La.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 02:07 PM | Permalink | author bio