Ventura County Library encourages families to “Find Your Voice” and participate in Summer Reading!
The Ventura County Library (VCL) Summer Reading Challenge is underway, including a range of free activities for children, teens, and adults throughout the summer.
Participants may register at vencolibrary.beanstack.org and record their reading with opportunities to win prizes for reaching reading goals. Registration continues through August 4th. Youth may visit their local branch to choose a free new book to add to their personal collections, once they log 500 minutes of reading.
Summer Reading Program Special Event: Drum Musician, Chazz, brings his Jungle Drum Circle performance to four Ventura County Libraries. Discover the Universal Rhythm! Chazz guides you through an imaginary safari playing 26 African Djembe drums. You’ll create Jungle Sounds, play simple rhythms, and sing silly songs!
Monday, June 26th at Saticoy Library, 1:30 pm
Monday, June 26th at Avenue Library, 4:00 pm
Tuesday, June 27th at E.P. Foster Library, 11:00 am
Tuesday, June 27th at Hill Road Library, 3:00 pm
Find Your Voice! Family Musicals Film Fest and Coloring at Hill Road Library offers fun family musicals, drawing, and coloring for all ages.
Tuesday, June 20, 3:00 to 5:00 pm: The Lego Movie Part 2: The Second Part
Tuesday, July 11, 3:00 to 5:00 pm: Soul
Foster Library’s Young Readers Book Club
Saturday, June 24 @ 1 pm – 2 pm: Discuss One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia & create a summer journal.
Wildfire-Ready Workshops – presented by Natasha Saxena, Ventura Fire Safe Council. The Council is a 501c3 nonprofit whose mission is to reduce wildfire threats to farms, ranches, urban neighborhoods, and infrastructure through an aggressive program of action, education, and collaboration. Based on the latest science from the Insurance Institute for Home & Safety (IBHS), the structure and vegetation modification recommendations given by their team may reduce your home’s wildfire risk up to 75%.
Wednesday, June 21, 2023 Wednesday, June 28, 2023; 5pm (E.P. Foster Library)
The Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council offers no-cost home wildfire assessments to anyone in Ventura County to educate on the latest fire science. The assessment only takes 1 hour, to make an appointment, go to VenturaFireSafe.org or call (805) 746-7365.
Another Book Sale!
Ventura Friends of the Library Book Sale Saturday, July 8, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Vons at Telegraph & Victoria
Books priced from $.25 to $5.00
Large selection of children’s books!
Large inventory of CDs and DVDs!
7:00am, training new Marine Safety Officers towing evolutions and techniques for motor and sailing vessels at Ventura Port District.
11:33pm, received report of transients loitering around the 1559 Spinnaker area courtyard. Officers responded and contacted several charging their phones.
Thursday 5/25
11:53am, received report of a disabled vessel near the Pier. Officers responded in the Fireboat and ensured safety of the 15ft whaler until Tow Boat US arrived.
Friday 5/26
6:12am, observed NWS issued a small craft advisory, officers raised pennant.
9:03pm, received complaint of a loud party at Harbor Cove. Officers responded with VPD and found 10 cars and 35 kids celebrating. Everyone was removed from the lot after VPD checked for contraband.
Saturday 5/27
7:55am, while on patrol observed a female attempting to gain access to a vehicle in the VIM lot. Officers contacted and found that locks were malfunctioning. Attempted to assist, but had to call towing company to open the vehicle.
12:40pm, found a patient at the base of the patrol office stairs with head injury. Activated EMS, VFD/AMR responded, Treated & transported 31 y/o male.
1:41pm, received report of vessel accident at VWM A-dock. Officers responded in Rescue B19 and investigated 22ft motor vessel hit by rental electric boat. The electric boat operator fled, but information was gathered from rental boat co.
Monday 5/29
8:43am, received report of a kayaker in distress near the breakwall. Officers responded in Fireboat and found 1 person in the water and capsized kayak. The person was pulled aboard fireboat and transported to boatyard dock.
Tuesday 5/30
2:01pm, received report of a petroleum spill near VWM B-dock. Officers responded and searched the area, found a small amount of fuel, no source.
Wednes 5/31
9:00am, setting aquatic rescue swim course, 500 meters, in the Pierpont Basin for lifeguard training class with Oxnard Fire Department.
8:55pm, while on patrol, contacted by male transient advising his girlfriend is doing fentanyl in the launch ramp restrooms and she won’t answer the door. After investigation with VPD, no one found in the restrooms or in general area.
Thursday 6/1
3:35pm, dispatched to fuel dock at the Launch Ramp for a fall victim. Officers responded, assisted 68 y/o female with abrasions/head pain. Patient transported.
Friday 6/2
2:35pm, dispatched to a fall victim near the South Jetty. Officers responded and assisted a female who fell down the berm towards the water line, no injury from the fall. State Parks Lifeguards, patrol officers were able to bring her back up.
7:22pm, received report of crowd of 200 high school students gathering at Surfers Knoll. Officers responded with VPD and were able to disperse crowd.
Saturday 6/3
1:30pm, received report of a significant oil spill near Anacapa Island from USCG. They requested we investigate outside Harbor. Officers responded in Fireboat 3 miles offshore, but were unable to locate any oil pollution.
3:45pm, received report of a capsized kayak and person in the water. Officers responded in Fireboat, found the victim was assisted by good Samaritans onto the dock. The victim & kayak transported to her boyfriend’s vessel in VHV.
Sunday 6/4
8:36am, received report of transient blocking traffic on Spinnaker Dr. Officers responded, found subject, issued warning, transient laughed moved out of traffic.
9:05pm, received many reports of 300 adolescents partying, lighting fireworks near Surfers Knoll. Officers responded with VPD, able to disperse the crowd.
Monday 6/5
6:50am, observed the 300 high schoolers from last night left a large mess of fireworks, alcohol and fastfood trash. Officers spent hours picking up the mess.
Member Show Original Artwork by Buenaventura Art Association Members
At Harbor Village Gallery & Gifts
Plus the art and artisan crafts of 10 resident members
Exhibit Runs thru July 11, 2023
Lots of artwork from our members and even more artisan crafts like jewelry, hand painted t-shirts and totes, tie dye, ceramics, art from found objects, prints, photos, and more!
The art festival hosts both local and regional artists displaying their own original artwork in all mediums of fine art and fine craft. The artwork that will be presented includes ceramics, glass, jewelry, mixed media, paintings, photography, and sculpture in glass, metal, and wood.
The hours are from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm on both Saturday and Sunday. Admission and parking are free. The event will be held at Harbor Landing, 2800 Harbor Blvd., at the corner of Channel Islands Blvd., in Oxnard.
Presented by West Coast Artists. For more information visit WestCoastArtists.com or call 818-813-4478.
The Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts is pleased to present two new exhibitions continuing through June 25th.
Exhibitions at the Center are focused on local artist non-profits and the artists who are involved with educational programming at the Center. In the Beato Gallery, the Center will be presenting The Presidents’ Show, In the Logan Gallery will be Of Earth & Fire, a three-person exhibition.
The Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts is located at 8585 Ojai-Santa Paula Road in Upper Ojai.
by E’Lise Christensen, DVM DACVB and Amanda Modes, DVM, Behavior Resident
Determining the cause of animal behavioral disorders can be a puzzle. Problem behaviors aren’t just about emotions, past learning history, genetics, and the outside environment, but also physical health. Of course, some behaviors people dislike are normal for that species. But when behaviors are outside the normal range, veterinary behavior teams jump in. We spend our days unraveling these different components to provide the best medical and mental health support for animals who are suffering.
Animals are stellar at keeping medical problems under wraps. This means a lot of people don’t realize, and sometimes don’t believe, that their pet’s health may be impacting their behavior.
Problems affecting nearly every bodily system can lead to a wide variety of behavior issues for any species. If your cat stops using the litter box, it could have a urinary tract infection, diabetes, or knee pain. A dog that runs away when the leash comes out could be scared, but might also have an infected tooth, neck pain, or a skin rash. We all know nausea can lead to drooling, changes in appetite, and vomiting. But did you know that it can also be the cause of floor licking, tiredness, pacing, yawning, avoidance of food bowls, and even pica (eating non-food items like fabric, rocks, or even glass)? Just like people, animals can be nauseated and not vomit. Pain can be a significant, but often overlooked, component to unwanted behavior. Unless your dog is Dug—“the talking dog” from the movie Up—they may not be showing you how much pain they are experiencing, and they may not even react as we would expect on a veterinarian’s physical exam.
If your pet is exhibiting behaviors that are atypical for them, or affecting their quality of life, your first visit should be to your regular veterinarian for a medical evaluation. This includes a complete review of your pet’s medical history, a full physical examination when possible (even a hands-off exam can be very informative), and any recommended diagnostic tests. Only once medical causes have been ruled out can we be satisfied that a behavioral condition is solely responsible for the pet’s symptoms.
Whether your pet’s behavioral changes are due to a physical cause, their feelings/emotions, or both, there are typically many treatment options. These may include behavioral modification (training), avoidance of triggering situations, lifestyle changes, supplements, diet change, and/or medications. Many general-practice veterinarians can help you get this process started. If you find your pet needs additional help, a veterinary behaviorist is your next step. Either way, taking the time to work-up and treat any physical and behavioral conditions will make your life with your pet better.
• When cats get together it can be difficult to tell rough and tumble play from a full-blown scrap. Now researchers say they have decoded feline behavior to help owners spot when the fur might be about to fly.
Dr Noema Gajdoš Kmecová, first author of the research from the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, in Košice, Slovakia a cat owner herself said understanding feline interactions could be difficult.
“Many owners are asking themselves the question, are these cats playing, fighting? Or what’s going on actually? We found out that there was actually very little scientific evidence to guide us in answering this question so we decided to go for it and study inter-cat interactions,” she said.
Writing in the journal Scientific Reports, Gajdoš Kmecová, and colleagues, describe how they examined the behavior of 105 pairs of interacting domestic cats recorded on videos collected from YouTube. They also advertised for cat owners.
The researchers randomly selected 30% of the videos and analyzed the cats’ actions to produce six behavioral categories, including wrestling, chasing, vocalizations, and motionless postures such as crouching. Each of the cats in the full sample were then assessed for these categories.
When the team looked at the frequency and duration of each of these six behavioral categories for the different cats they found they fell into three clusters.
Experts within the team then reviewed all 105 videos of 210 cats, labelling each interaction as either playful, agonistic, or intermediate.
The team discovered that the three clusters of behavior found in the initial analysis overlapped with the categorization of the interactions made by the experts, suggesting certain patterns or types of feline behavior could indicate whether cats were having a playful interaction or a scrap.
“When cats are young and when they are wrestling and not vocalizing they are most likely playing,” the team write. But when there are extended inactive pauses, vocalizations and chasing, the cats may be in the midst of a fight.
Intermediate behavior, the authors write, was associated with prolonged interactivity and included features associated with both playful interactions, such as lying belly up or pouncing, as well as aggressive behaviors, such as arching the back, and retreating.
However, Gajdoš Kmecová said even wrestling could occur in a positive and a negative context, so it was important to look at the overall pattern of behaviors and whether they were shown by both cats. For example, if claws and yowling were involved, a wrestle was unlikely to be a sign of play; and play was also unlikely if only one cat was attempting to engage in wrestling.
Gajdoš Kmecová said it was important to be aware that a playful interaction could switch into an intermediate or combative situation. “It’s very, very, dynamic,” she said. “When cats are getting noisy and are avoiding physical contact by [for example] making an inactive breaks during interactions, the situation might be changing to be agonistic.”
Gajdoš Kmecová added that the study showed feline interactions were not always a binary choice between playing and fighting, but that their behaviors could give helpful clues. “Maybe ask yourself are they playing, fighting, or is it something in between.”
Lepshi (a dog co-owned by country’s Tim McGraw) is a bracco Italiano who competed in the sporting group competition during the 147th Westminster Kennel Club Dog show, and won his breed’s debut at the United States’ most prestigious dog show.
Erick Karlsen, currently is the owner of Quality Windows and Doors in Oxnard, Santa Barbara and Ventura. As he was living and growing up in Oxnard at 17 years old, he was looking for a way to occupy his free time. So, he joined the Navy Seabee Reserves in Port Hueneme. His father, knowing that Erick needed something more to do during the summer break, asked his neighbor if Erick could work with him. Erick’s neighbor installed, repaired and replaced windows within their neighborhood and outlining community and Erick spent the summer of his 18th year learning the window and door trade out of his neighbor’s garage.
Erick’s neighbor became his mentor and when the time came for his neighbor to sell his business, Erick was the first one on the list. With the support of his grandfather and father, Erick became the sole owner of Quality Windows and Doors.
Hard work paid off for Erick. He had a plan, vision, and commitment to what he believed his business and his employees would look like and what the business would be able to do within the Ventura community. He was able to articulate that plan by writing it down, and being clear so his support teams could understand it and make it happen. His plan shaped itself to reality, both the reality of success in the community and his own reality within. With hard work, patience and three storefronts later, he has become the sole owner of all three stores, with one in Oxnard, and Santa Barbara and his third store is in Ventura.
Currently Erick uses a team approach with his workforce. His employees begin with training in installation for several months, window repair and replacement and then they will move into the sales force when they are ready. He provides an honorable service and works along with his team and his customers in completing final installations and inspections. Over the years, he has built positive relationships with his customers and employees as he continues to demonstrate expertise and commitment to his business. Quality Windows and Doors is a success and works not only because of Erick but because of he envisioned the business in its entirety.
As sole owner of Quality Windows and Doors he is also committed to the community where his stores are located. He is a member of the Contractor’s Association, sponsors local school sports teams and has banners on several sports fields. Hard work, long hours and commitment to service, quality and the homeowner have led to the success of Erick’s business.
Quality Windows and Doors new design center featuring Marvin, Milgard, Fleetwood Windows, Entry doors and hardware is located at 4051 East Main Street in Ventura.
Theories of connectedness are explored in Elite’s current stage offering of “Six Degrees of Separation”, a complex play by John Guare. Nominated for both a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony for Best Play, Six Degrees tackles class discrimination, relationships, honesty, desires, self-awareness, facades and much more.
The play is unusual in several ways. The actors frequently address the audience, involving them in the action not just as observers, but ultimately as partners in the deceptions being portrayed.
Skillfully directed by Brian Robert Harris, the tightly choreographed action centers around Ouisa and Flan Kittredge (Aileen-Marie Scott and Bill Walthall), a couple flirting with high society as art dealers while barely maintaining their own tenuous social position. Entertaining a potential investor (John Medeiros), their evening is abruptly disturbed by the appearance of Paul (Remy Muloway), a young man who professes to have been mugged and to know their children from college. A smooth conversationalist, Paul impresses them all with his detailed story of being Sidney Poitier’s son which rapidly envelopes the Kittredges, causing them to offer their home as temporary respite.
Paul takes advantage of the situation and is asked to leave. Soon he meets a young couple (Stephanie Blaze Bates and Christopher Robin Rubin) just relocated to New York from Utah and repeats a version of his story to gain entrance to their lives ultimately causing destruction. The Kittredges learn that another couple in their circle has also been led astray by Paul, now recognized as a manipulative con man.
Presented with no intermission, the circles become intense as all the affected people realize how easily their trust was compromised and how connected they became because of this man. Despite Flan’s protests, Ouisa is unable to resist attempting to assist Paul, whom she sees as a fellow victim of a tenuous grasp on reality.
The complexity of the play was, at times, a challenge for me to follow. However, I found each character to be so interesting in themselves, how they merged and withdrew to the situation, and the ways in which they were connected that I was nonetheless fully engaged throughout. Several actors, including Amber Shea Hodge and Will Palo take on several personas to fill out the action. All were excellent in their portrayals.
This mind-stretching production deserves full houses. Employing a minimal setting and involving the audience fully allows the actors to tell the story, which reminds us that we are all susceptible to being conned, as we continually con ourselves into certain ways of thinking or perceiving others. This is a deep work presented with a twinkle in the eye and a nod to our need for acceptance and truth, despite our surface misgivings.
The play continues through July 2 with Friday and Saturday performances at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. with one special Thursday evening performance on June 29. www.theelite.org,