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Wishing you all a very happy It is time to say goodbye to the old and welcome in 2010. 2009 has been a very challenging year for the nation and the 805 region. Many local businesses have struggled to weather the economic storm that struck the nation in late 2008. Some have not been able to survive the economic downturn, while others have cut back on their products or services in hopes of more prosperous time ahead. We launched Amigos805.com during the middle of this "Mother of all" recessions in our belief that now is the time to plant the seeds for the vibrant economic rebound that will eventually come. Thank you for supporting our dream of a locally-based multimedia enterprise that is "Bringing Cultures Together by Sharing Information." We have grown from a dream to a well-received community information web site and a weekly e-newsletter. We are now a sponsor of Teatro de las Américas, El Concilio del Condado de Ventura and strong supporter of the United Way of Ventura County's Latino Action Team. With your support, we hope to expand our media offerings in early 2010. We look forward to a dynamic year ahead. Wishing you all a very happy, safe and prosperous 2010. From your friends at Amigos805.com — Frank X. Moraga, Mariana Llamas-Cendon, Carlos J. Licea |
P.S., For your viewing pleasure, here is a special holiday video card for you. Images include Heritage Square decked out for the holidays, the Holiday Trolley, the official Christmas Tree, the rocking Pagoda at Plaza Park and Christmas Tree Lane, all in downtown Oxnard. Wherever you are, have a very happy and safe holiday season from your friends at Amigos805.com. Video produced by Frank X. Moraga/Amigos805.com |
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Community Voices |
· You support eliminating the residential development land use designations north of Hueneme Road. Residential development presents significant threats to wetland species. The land should remain designated "open space" to continue to buffer the Ormond Beach wetland area from urban impacts. If you cannot attend the hearing, please email the City Council members: Mayor Tom Holden: drtomholden@aol.com Mayor Pro Tem Andres Herrera: andres.herrera@ci.oxnard.ca.us Council Member Dr. Irene Pinkard: irene.pinkard@ci.oxnard.ca.us Council Member Bryan MacDonald: bryan.macdonald@ci.oxnard.ca.us Let them know that you care about the future of our city! For more information contact: |
Guest column: The future of California redistricting is now California voters passed Proposition 11, the California Voters First Act, in 2008, to establish a redistricting process that is not led by politicians or consultants. Proposition 11 gives community members a major role in the California redistricting process by transferring authority for establishing Assembly, Senate, and Board of Equalization district boundaries to an independent 14-member Citizens Redistricting Commission. The first task of the commission will be to adjust district lines following the 2010 census. Through work on a grant from the James Irvine Foundation, the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), along with the Center for Equality and Justice (CEJ), is involved in ensuring that the Citizens Redistricting Commission reflects the diversity found throughout the Central Coast region. Forty-seven percent of the residents of Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, San Benito, Monterey, and Santa Cruz counties are people of color. CAUSE was the impetus and major player in creating the Ventura County Redistricting Task Force, a diverse group of community members that drew the county Board of Supervisor districts following the 2000 census, and CEJ is completing a project that examines the task force’s efforts and results. The Citizens Redistricting Commission is an opportunity for Central Coast community members to become engaged in redistricting in an effort to make districts more like communities of interest than political party safety valves that are not reflective of and responsible to their community. The commission will be comprised of five Democrats, five Republicans, and four members who belong to other parties or are Independents, that is, registered as “decline to state.” Commissioners must be qualified citizens who have not changed political party affiliation for a minimum of five years and have voted in at least two of the last three statewide general elections. In addition, there are a number of eligibility limitations in order to prevent conflicts of interest, such as not having served as an elected or appointed member of a political party central committee, nor been appointed or elected to federal or state office. Commissioners are appointed for a term of 10 years; nevertheless, the vast majority of their work will be from January to September 2011. Key qualifications that commission applicants will be judged on include the ability to be impartial, relevant analytical skills, and an appreciation for the state’s diverse demographics and geography. Now is the time for Central Coast community members to consider applying for the commission and/or identify someone who will. Get involved in one of the most important processes in a democratic political system! This is a particularly opportune time for people of color and working class community members to become involved in the redistricting process, both during the application period and afterwards. How do you get involved or encourage others to? Applications will be accepted between December 15, 2009 and February 12, 2010. It’s easy to apply. Go to www.WeDrawTheLines.ca.gov for details. Applications will be accepted online. You will also find much more information at www.commoncause.org/redistrictingCA. For assistance, please contact regional outreach partners Maricela Morales, Associate Executive Director, CAUSE at Maricela@coastalalliance.com, 805-658-0810 and Gregory Freeland, Director, CEJ at gkfreeland@yahoo.com, 805-493-3477. |
Editorials |
Updated web site, more video and interactive links coming up Launched on May 1, the traditional day in America to honor workers, Amigos805 has now reached another important date — its six-month anniversary on Nov. 1, which also happens to be El Día de los Muertos. Aligning our anniversary dates with holidays wasn’t exactly part of the plan, but we will take it as Amigos805 prepares for its second-half season. We want to thank the community for being so supportive of our efforts to be a local information source that also bridges cultures in the 805 region. As former newspaper journalists, getting into this new media business has been both a challenge and a reward. Creating and refining a web site, shooting videos and coordinating a virtual online office are skills that are being mastered by other former journalists nationwide who are stepping away from traditional print media to launch new community information ventures. With Amigos partners spread throughout the Western Hemisphere — Mariana Llamas-Cendon in Cuernavaca, Frank Moraga traveling between Arizona and California and Carlos J. Licea holding down the fort in the 805 region — covering the Latino community in the 805 region has provided its share of challenges. But it has also provided numerous rewards as an increasing number of community organizations, businesses and individuals turn to our web site as a key source of information on events and issues impacting the local Latino community. If you have been to any recent cultural events in the 805 region, chances are you have seen Carlos capturing images as diverse as the Salsa Festival, the Heritage Square Summer Concert Series, the Olivas Adobe “Under the Stars” concert series, exhibitions at the Museum of Ventura County in Ventura and of course this weekend, Dia de los Muertos events in Camarillo and Ventura. Mariana has interviewed artists (Veronica Valadez, Xavier Montes), community leaders (members of Las Contemporáneas, Anna Bermúdez and Tim Schiffer, all from the Museum of Ventura County) and others who are working hard to promote cultural activities to the 805 region. Frank has provided stories ranging from interviews with college administrators (Jaime Casillas at the Ventura County Community College District) to business leaders (Ashley Bautista at the Hispanic Business Council), musicians (classical guitarist Carlos Gonzales) and economic revitalization leaders (Abel Magaña at the Oxnard Downtown Management District). Community members have also been sending us a growing number of photos and media releases on upcoming events and issues. We look forward to expanding our video links to promote the creative visual side of residents of the 805 region, along with refining our efforts to provide a more interactive web site to complement our current use of Twitter, Facebook and our YouTube video reports. We are grateful to those businesses that have agreed to advertise on Amigos805, providing us with the opportunity to create a sustained media outlet to serve the community in the region. We look forward to offering potential advertisers a variety of media platforms to reach their target audience. Finally, we are most honored to be named sponsors of events presented by such organizations as Teatro de las Américas, the United Way of Ventura County’s Latino Action Team and El Concilio del Condado de Ventura. Thank you very much for supporting Amigos805 and we look forward to the second half of this initial season. Your friends Frank… Mariana... Carlos… |
Updating our look & links Change is good ...Even for the Web designer. Amigos805.com continues to evolve. In just a few short months, we have grown from zero hits to a projected 140,000 hits in November. Amigos805.com partner Carlos J. Licea has covered a multitude of events in the region, initially with just his digital camera, but now with a video camera as well. Amigos805.com partners Mariana Llamas-Cendon and Frank X. Moraga have also been busy previewing a variety of community entertainment and cultural events in the region. Since we launched on May 1, 2009, we've added Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and now Flickr to our content platform. The community has responded with more photos, media releases, event flyers and other information. As a result, we quietly launched a redesign of the Web site this past weekend. We have been testing some ideas out, adding more photos and links to sections you care about — News, Business, Arts & Culture, Education & Health, Community News/Events and Opinion. We hope this updated design will help speed you on your way to getting the kind of content you want, quickly and easily. Please tell us what you think — mail@amigos805.com — and what else we can do to make Amigos805.com your source of information on the vibrant Latino community in the 805 region. Thank you all very much for your support. |
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Frank X. Moraga: |
Frank writes about local events and people in the 805 region with an occasional look at how national trends affect the local community. |
A lifetime of achievement Ignacio Carmona receives honor by the Ventura County Dec. 25, 2009 As he stood at the podium, Ignacio Carmona still had one lesson to give. “I would like to say a few words. One is that they made a mistake when they said I am 92. I just turned 93,” he said as he corrected the official record during a recent Ventura County Board of Supervisors meeting. Carmona should be proud of those 93 years, a lifetime spent building a business, serving his country and his community and helping those in need. For his accomplishments, Carmona received a resolution from the Board of Supervisors on Dec. 14 for his lifetime of achievement and community service. |
Commentary: Takasugi's death is a reminder Nov. 23, 2009 It was with much sadness that I learned about the death of the “Mayor,” long-time Oxnard fixture Nao Takasugi, at the age of 87. Nao died on Thursday, Nov. 19. I will always remember Nao as the Mayor of Oxnard from my days when I covered the City of Oxnard as a reporter for the Ventura Star-Free Press. I’ve seldom met a kinder, gentler individual. He always spoke softly, but deliberately and always seemed to enjoy his role of educating the new reporter on the beat. |
Commentary: Hispanic Heritage Month a busy time in 805 region Sept. 17, 2009 Mid-September has always been the start of a challenging time of year for media coverage of the Latino community in the 805 region. Everyone is back from summer vacation and a number of events have been planned that coincide with Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15). Our own Carlos J. Licea can attest to the busy schedule. He’s been busy this past week photographing a variety of events leading up to the Mexican Independence Day celebration held Sept. 15 at Plaza Park in Oxnard. The events included the Fiestas Partrias Gala Dinner in Ventura and the Fiestas Patrias annual parade in downtown Oxnard. |
Commentary: A busy finish to the traditional summer season Aug. 21, 2009 Who said summer is a time to relax? There is plenty of news coming out of the community as we head into the Labor Day weekend. |
Commentary: Timing is everything Aug. 5, 2009 If you know your actions won’t exactly match your words, then it might be best to put a little distance between the two. That is the problem facing Sen. John McCain of Arizona. In an interview on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, McCain said the GOP must reach out to Hispanics, recruit and elect Hispanics to office or the party will find itself in a deep hole. “…They represent a big part of the growing population in America. And we have a lot of work to do there.” Sounds like sound advice to a political party that appears to be catering to an ever-shrinking political base of ultraconservatives. Given that statement, you would expect the Arizona senator to follow his traditional practice and vote to confirm a Supreme Court nominee. |
Commentary: Using facebook to extend lines of communications June 29, 2009 Frank wonders if everyone knows that the Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) is collecting donations of backpacks and school supplies for its Aug. 29 community meeting? They would if they were connected to Facebook. |
Commentary: Supporting our basic needs June 16, 1009 The United Way of Ventura County’s Latino Action Team has chosen as its first project: supporting the United Way’s Day of Action on Sunday, June 21. On that day, members of the Latino community will be asked to lend their support to help individuals and families who are lacking the basic necessities of life during these difficult economic times. |
Commentary: Getting the news your way June 18, 2009 When I left my position at a daily newspaper early last year, little did I know that I would be part of a larger nationwide trend of journalists of color leaving mainstream media and joining the ranks of what is known as niche or ethnic media. But a recent story by Cindy Von Quednow posted on New America Media indicated that many journalists of color have similarly left mainstream newsrooms for life on the front lines serving an ethnic audience. The story poses both good and bad news for journalism. |
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Carlos J. Licea: |
Carlos opines about that curious |
Commentary: Rich folks don't need a middle class Dec. 30, 2009 We have become a polarized society. As the middle class withers, away we are increasingly becoming a society of “have” and “have nots.” The Middle class — the specialized, skilled working class that used to serve the captains of industry in middle-salaried positions — is witnessing a debacle that is unprecedented in American history. In order to maximize profits for large corporations, those jobs are increasingly being sent over to countries we used to think about as “third world.” |
Commentary: Blowin' in the wind Dec. 24, 2009 Most of the time you do not need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows in Ventura County. It is mostly beautiful and, with a few seasonal exceptions, the rain stays away despite the gloominess of June days. While the economy has been down for a while now, there are some signs of recovery in our hard-hit corner of Southern California as the housing market starts to recover and area businesses show signs of flourishing after the financial winter of our discontent. And this recovery has a decidedly Latino flavor. |
Commentary: Not just keeping TABs on the bus Dec. 4, 2009 When the Gold Coast Transit board of directors unanimously approved the fare hike during a meeting on Dec. 2 at the GCT office in downtown Oxnard, it was something advocates for people with disabilities, while disappointed, were not surprised about. The vote was 4-0 with one director, Maricela Morales of Port Hueneme, recusing herself because of a possible conflict of interest. Some hoped that the directors would at least make an exception for the door-to-door paratransit system that is a vital lifeline for many people with disabilities. |
Commentary: Bus fare increase — May be time to find a comfortable park bench Nov. 24, 2009 There is a lot in the news about students at UC Santa Cruz who occupied a building to protest rising fees n the university system. But little has been said about planned fee increases for the Gold Coast Transit system in Ventura. Gold Coast makes a valid point that state subsidies have declined, requiring riders to pony up more for public transportation. I find that up to a point, this is a reasonable argument, much as I dislike the rising price of transportation in these hard economic times. But one thing bothered me. People with disabilities, who live on Social Security benefits, are not just on a fixed income. Due to recent cutbacks in California, those incomes have been reduced. People with disabilities are on a declining income. |
Commentary: Real 'Death Panels' Nov. 19, 2009 Sarah Palin is correct. She may be a bit disingenuous but she is right when she talks about bureaucratic panels making life-or-death decisions about grandma or grandpa … or even you. Right now, as we sit in front of our computers at work — if we are so lucky to have a job in this uncertain economy — there are people at the insurance company selected by your employer who are making a decision if it is worth it to keep you alive according to how much you will cost their company’s bottom line and their own bonus, according to how much money they save their company. |
Commentary: Remember the Middle Class? Nov. 13, 2009 Everyone talks about the middle class but no one seems able to find it. We all agree that it is shrinking, and extremist politicians at both ends of the spectrum blame each other for its extinction. It is the elusive middle class that pays most of the taxes that pays the bills that keep this country strong. Why? Because the poor cannot afford to pay those taxes and the rich simply find a business exemption. |
Commentary: Why do they need to lie? Nov. 5, 2009 Sometimes, I have a lot of fun in newsgroup discussions with people on the extreme right because so many of their postings are so filled with hate and paranoia. But one thing that never ceases to amaze me is their tendency to lie — something that totally robs them of credibility. |
Commentary: Unpatriotic right Oct. 29, 2009 It is amusing to see contradictions of the right as it tries to hide behind a false facade of patriotism. The first hint was when pompous blowhard Rush Limbaugh said he hoped that Obama’s economic plan would fail even as the American economy was collapsing around the departing Bush administration. Notice he used the word “hope” as wishful thinking. It is not just that the Democrat would fail, but that by extension, American would fail too. Moreover, Limbaugh used “hope” because he knew there was more than an even chance the plan would work, as indeed it seems to be. Fox News fellow sycophants chimed along. This is a big bet against America. |
Commentary: Winds of change at the Plaza Oct. 14, 2009 When Colombian singer Juanes rocked the Plaza de la Revolución in Havana recently with his “Peace without Borders” concert, he stirred a fresh breeze with his music as he shouted “Cuba Libre” from the stage. While Juanes said he hoped this event would not be political, but a gift to the Cuban people, his cry for freedom at the Plaza, which sits under the gaze of Cuban Revolutionary figure Ernesto “Che” Guevara in a nearby building, could not be more of an audio counterpoint to that visual element. |
Commentary: All you need is love Oct. 6, 2009 Recently, I listened to Ray Bradbury at the Simi Valley Senior Center in one of those lectures about writing he gives to adoring fans. The man I had admired so much since I was a child was sitting somewhat uncomfortably in a wheelchair, sipping wine and signing books as his fans lined up to talk to him in a queue that reminded me of a priest giving confession at Sunday mass. Bradbury is older now, weaker and his voice has become a little harder to understand. Yet, his message was clear as a summer on Mars, or a sunny fall day in his native Illinois. “I write because of love,” he said. |
Commentary: Welcome to the Third World Sept. 30, 2009 Seriously, what people all over the world admired most about the United States was the ability of people here to solve their problems by talking about them and finding solutions without resorting to violence or intemperate language. That was what seemed the biggest distinction of the American political system whose only example of incivility seemed to have been that uncivil “War Between the States.” |
Commentary: Hate in choleric times Sept. 24, 2009 A choleric person is sometimes defined as: “Easily moved to often unreasonable or excessive anger: hot-tempered. Angry. Irate.” That is the debate we are seen on the national political stage — people angry about taxes, government intervention, unwarranted fear of takeover, paranoia, socialism, communism. Stoking the fire of the engine of fear are the infernal engineers of hell, pouring on shovels full of hatred with increasing frenzy. |
Commentary: Texican Republic redux Sept. 22, 2009 It was quite disgusting to see a man in a 10-gallon hat point to Old Glory flying over the Texas statehouse in Austin and proclaim in a loud voice full of disdain, “I hate this flag.” It was a rally by modern-day secessionists, no doubt the inspiration from Tennessee Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander’s remarks about the Democrats precipitating “a minor revolution” if they try to “ram” a healthcare overhaul without GOP support. |
Commentary: Liar, liar screaming loud Sept. 11, 2009. When Rep. Joe Wilson, R-SC, shouted “you lie” as President Obama noted during his address on the Hill that healthcare legislation would bar undocumented aliens from receiving coverage, the congressman was lying. Although he apologized later for his untimely outburst, Wilson’s action points out the disturbing trend coming out of this summer’s chain of town hall meeting disturbances that are clouding political debate and obscuring the issues. |
Commentary: No time for complacency Sept. 4, 2009 Carlos says bloggers and commentators of the Neocon right express ideas that run counter to a pluralistic nation. One particular writer complains about the “parasites” of the “red, black, and brown and even white type” that are taking over the nation and taking away the hard-earned money from those who work. It is scary that those bigoted words from the middle of the last century are rising again and it reaffirms my belief that there is no hope for the complacent man (or woman). |
Commentary: Backtracking America Sept. 2, 2009 Carlos wonders if the people throwing around the word “Socialism” really know what it means. For that matter, I have not heard yet a real cry from the conservative side on how to rally around “Capitalism” either. And certainly if you ask the right wing what they mean by “Communism” they have no idea either. |
Commentary: Stop the flip flopping Aug. 28, 2009 Carlos says the main reason he backed the campaign of Barack Obama and the Democratic Party was the growing crisis in health care. Enough of this flip-flopping on the public option. If the GOP does not want to play the game, let them forfeit. Pass the damned bill without their votes. |
Commentary: A political avis rara Aug. 14, 2009 Carlos says there is a voter in danger of extinction: the Latino Republican. The reason for their dwindling number is not that Latinos are growing less conservative or less sympathetic with traditional Republican beliefs. They are being driven out by a self-defeating minority that keeps on drumming out of the GOP people they do not consider “Republican enough.” |
Commentary: A changing America Aug. 17, 2009 Carlos says much can be said about the sudden departure of Melquiades (Mel) Martínez from the GOP national political pantheon. The end result is the loss of the most powerful Hispanic Republican in the public eye. |
Commentary: Doing the right thing Aug. 20, 2009 Racial division makes more trouble than it is worth. A “white” person in this country is someone of northern European ancestry that we can almost pinpoint to people of Germanic and Scandinavian background. The core of the population that came to the original 13 colonies were of British and German ancestry and the original battles were against the Native Americans considered “redskinned savage indians” that had to be uprooted or killed. |
Commentary: Ya es hora Aug. 7, 2009 Finally, a Hispanic sits on the U. S. Supreme Court. It was a hard battle, filled with bigoted innuendos and outright falsehoods about Sonia Sotomayor’s temperament, intelligence and even judicial and intellectual qualifications. We heard everything, from a Republican senator using a mock Ricky Ricardo voice and accent, to dissing her toughness, which does not even approach the rudeness of Justice Antonin Scalia. |
Commentary: The selling of fear Aug. 4, 2009 You may have already seen the commercials: an ominous voice urging people to oppose the “socialization” of the American health system which will result in the “rationing” of health care if reform legislation passes Congress. The narrators point to maps of Canada and Great Britain, saying that in those countries, under a national healthcare plan, people have to wait for months or even years to get needed medical treatment. The reality is that now we have a system in this country that is rationed by the ability or inability of American consumers to pay for healthcare insurance. |
Commentary: Birthers, Birchers and Conservatives July 31, 2009 Listening to the whole sordid conversation from the birthers (those who believe Barack Obama was not born in the U.S. and therefore should not be president) reminds me of the extreme babble I used to hear from John Birch Society members who thought the Civil Rights movement was “communistic” and had to be squashed. |
Commentary: Dr. No rises again July 27, 2009 Dr. No has returned. This is not the legendary villain Ian Fleming created that came to our attention with the first official James Bond flick, but rather the villainous and unholy alliance that killed health care reform in 1994. Right now the majority of the American people favor health care reform. Despite that, the powerful insurance/pharmaceutical/AMA lobby, allied with the moneyed conservative red Nolican coalition, is pulling no punches in trying to kill this reform effort. |
Commentary: Diversidad bid by bit July 21, 2009 As a journalist, I pride myself on keeping in touch with current events and trends. After all, that is my job on this web site, besides being handy with a camera and a notepad. But when it comes to numismatics, I have to admit being a bit behind current trends. However, I found a coin this week that looked unfamiliar. I wondered if it was one of those elusive states. But, no, espera un minuto mi hermano. Right there, in Spanish, on top of a beautifully executed garita like the ones I remember from the Morro Castle, were the words “Isla del Encanto.” The state flower, the hibiscus, is also featured. |
| Commentary: Sotomayor's mancha de plátano
July 14, 2009 “Mancha de plátano” is something that you can’t hide. It literally means the banana stain, that quality that means that you are a Puerto Rican. It is the roots that follow you even if you are born in the Bronx and you are Sonia from the Barrio with humble roots extending to Lajas and Mayaguez. |
| Commentary: Dead man is an easy target
July 7, 2009 I am sick of the Michael Jackson death coverage. Furthermore, I believe the exclusion or minimization of other news is neglectful and unpardonable. And yet when I hear Rep. Peter King, R-NY, say that “this guy was pervert” and that “there’s nothing good about this guy,” shows he also overreacts and exaggerates to score political points. |
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Mariana Llamas-Cendon: |
Mariana discusses social and cultural issues and their impact on the Latino community. |
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Omar D'Leon is a Nicaraguan-born artist who fled from his country during the Sandinista era to settle down in Ventura County, where he is exhibiting some of his most recent and some never-before-seen artworks. Jan. 28, 2010 Reality and magic aren’t necessarily staunch enemies. Both, as Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher have proven several times, can share a single space and time in which they not only blend to perfection but also don’t disturb their own realms. This artistic concurrence, better known as “Magic Realism” — a term coined by German art critic Franz Roh during the 1920s — is defined in Wikipedia.com as the introduction of fantastic or illogical objects or scenarios in a very real or common setting that makes them look ordinary, and can be found in almost every artistic expression from literature to film. Painting couldn’t escape from the “Magic Realism” spell as Nicaraguan-born artist and 27-year Ventura County resident Omar D’Leon exhibits “The Magical Realism of the Americas: The Art of Master Painter Omar D’Leon,” which is showing until Feb. 28 at the Museum of Ventura County. |
More than a dance, a promise to the Virgin of Guadalupe Club Copandaro’s event at Parque del Sol (El Sol Park) is one of a number of activities countywide to celebrate the Virgin Dec. 10, 2009 MEXICO CITY — The Parish of Guadalupe in La Colonia neighborhood of Oxnard isn’t the only one that is preparing a special event on Saturday, Dec. 12 to commemorate the 478th year of the appearance of the apparitions of the Virgin of Guadalupe at the Tepeyac Mountain, which was witnessed by a local Indian named Juan Diego. Club Copandaro is planning its own celebration around Parque del Sol (El Sol Park) in La Colonia, while Xavier Montes will present his own tribute to the Virgin during the Santa Paula Holiday Celebration. |
Commentary: Teens in 'Prescriptionland' ... Our current realty Sept. 10, 2009 The Ventura County Chapter of Parents of Murdered Children Inc. recently hosted a public discussion, “Drugs in our Community,” to teach parents and community the risk that children and teens face due to drugs. Besides well-known drugs such as marijuana and cocaine, there is one place inside your own home where teenagers can find a plethora of free products that will serve the purpose of what is commonly known as “getting high” or “stoned” — your medicine cabinet. |
Commentary: The Manzanillo Sun, a new partnership Aug. 25, 2009 As Americans, we rely on the Net to do, basically, everything. We pay our bills, make appointments, check the weather, shop for anything you can think of — from clothing to flight tickets to car insurance — look for a job, search for a doctor or hospital and even get a date!!!! Unfortunately, south of our border, the Web isn’t as developed as we are used to, and Manzanillo, in the Mexican state of Colima, is a very good example. That is why British-Canadian Ian Rumford and the Britt Steve Jackson, both current residents of Manzanillo who worked in the tourism industry for many years, decided to launch the ManzanilloSun.com. |
Commentary: The wrong turn for Canada Aug. 13, 2009 The fifth North American Summit that took place Aug. 9-10 in Guadalajara is over, the issue regarding the July 14th imposition by the Canadian government of visas on Mexican nationals remains intact. |
Commentary: Human rights ... Not equal for everyone July 28, 2009 During a recent visit to the Port of Manzanillo, in the Mexican state of Colima, I found an attraction one does not expect at a beach resort: The Museum of Perversity, dedicated to educating locals and visitors alike regarding human rights history and the rights they are granted to them by the Mexican Constitution. After having a long conversation with Gary Hirsch, attorney-at-law and museum director, I thought about how fortunate we Americans are to have so many laws and regulations that protect our basic human rights. |
Commentary: The 'local tourist' little guide to Summer events July 16, 2009 Note: Part of a series of stories on inexpensive vacation spots and activities in our own backyard. Having the “Cradle of entertainment” less than an hour's drive from our county, some residents may overlook all there is to do in V.C. Sure, the City of Angels offers some of the greatest, biggest Hollywood spectacles. However, plenty of VC events would be hard to find anywhere else. One of those is the “Music under the Stars” concert series, which takes places through Sept. 5 in the City of Ventura, specifically at a historic venue known as Olivas Adobe. |
Commentary: Step beyond your backyard. See Ventura County yourself! July 15, 2009 Note: Part of a series of stories on inexpensive vacation spots and activities in our own back yard. It may surprise you when you find out how many people have lived in the same place basically all their lives and have never heard or visited historic sites located a few miles away from them. Are you one of those people? Whether you are or not, getting to know about the place where you reside should be an experience itself. Plus, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties offer a plethora of monuments that are worth seeing for a first, second, third or more times. |
Commentary: Life's a beach July 25, 2009 Note: Part of a series of stories on inexpensive vacation spots and activities in our own back yard. What could be more pleasurable than a trip to the beach during summer time? Well, maybe staying at least 24 hours on it: spending the night, while watching the stars and listening to the never-ending sound of the tide. Yes, it is possible to camp at many of the beaches the county has to offer. Camp lovers seem to have a special affection for McGrath State Beach, Emma Wood State Beach RV Campground and Point Mugu State Park. |
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Providing individual counseling, group workshops, media distribution and other communications training services. |
