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Annual Small Image Show at SpiceTopia

Serene Succulent, watercolor on canvas, 13 x 13, by Diane Hanley, in the Small Image Show at SpiceTopia

To deal with life during a pandemic, Buenaventura Art Association is reviving a successful community outreach effort dating to its earliest days 66 years ago.

Soon after its 1954 founding, the nonprofit artists’ cooperative presented shows in retail shops around Ventura before renting a downtown storefront at 576 E. Main St. as its gallery space from 1970 until 1989. That address now houses SpiceTopia, a seven-year-old business with spices, teas and products from local food and craft artisans, where owner Anna Marie Tan now is inviting BAA members to display their art as well.

From now until Jan. 3, 2021, the association’s annual Small Image Show will be displayed on a 20-foot brick wall there. Artworks are limited to 16 inches on a side and will be available for purchase. SpiceTopia is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Other shows will follow.

In contrast, BAA members will mount a Large Image Show from Nov. 20 through Jan. 9 at Buenaventura Gallery, in Studio 30 at Bell Arts Factory, 432 N. Ventura Ave., Ventura. Pieces in this exhibition will be at least 36 inches in one direction, horizontal or vertical, including any frames. An artwork, Sacred Spring, Delphi, by BAA Lifetime member and renowned abstract expressionist artist Gerd Koch, who passed away at age 91 in June of this year, will be exhibited in this show. Currently the gallery is open noon-4 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and by appointment by calling 805-648-1235.

A third show featuring BAA members’ art will be on view Nov. 13 through Jan. 11 at Harbor Village Gallery & Gifts, 1559 Spinnaker Drive, Suite 106. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays through Mondays.

For more about BAA and its programs, visit buenaventuraartassociation.org or call the phone number above during gallery hours.

No tricks, just treats at Cypress Place Senior Living

Lilly Duarte and Gina Salman of Cypress Place Senior Living present a Halloween banner thanking the staff at Victoria Care Center for all they do.

Cypress Place Senior Living in Ventura has been providing a vibrant, caring environment for their residents since 2003 in a unique, home-like environment.

The beautiful senior living campus features an Active Senior Living community and adjacent Assisted Living and Alzheimer’s/Dementia Care community connected by a lushly landscaped courtyard. Residents are given the chance to realize their dreams and reach new milestones, all within an environment with professional support and care at a time when they need it most.

“Home is the place we long for at the end of the day, the place that holds all we love and everything we cherish,” said Gina Salman, executive director of Cypress Place Senior Living. “We strive to honor that feeling of ‘being home’ every day here at Cypress Place.”

In addition to serving their residents, Cypress Place has a long history of giving back to the local community: whether it be collecting suitcases for kids in the foster care program, hosting an annual “Health & Wealth” expo geared towards seniors, creating a scholarship fund for local high school students wanting to pursue a college degree, hosting workshops on how to avoid senior scams, or honoring Veterans at their annual “Salute Our Veterans” event, the senior community is always looking to help.

Due to the COVID-19 coronavirus this year, and the subsequent stay-at-home orders, the senior community has had to cancel their annual “Health and Wealth” expo and “Salute Our Veterans” events for 2020.

But that hasn’t slowed the senior community from continuing to look for ways to reach out. Wanting to recognize healthcare partners in the county, Cypress Place recently delivered a decorated banner and Halloween treats for the nurses and staff at local skilled nursing Victoria Care Center.

“Victoria Care Center is one of our community partners that is truly on the front lines of protecting a very frail and at-risk population, said Salman. “The work they do is vital, and the challenges they face are enormous. “We wanted to do something for their staff, to show our appreciation.”

“We can’t thank Cypress Place enough for their sign of support for our nurses and staff,” said Ryan Goldbarg, administrator at Victoria Care Center. “The fact that they would take the time to support us is really a wonderful treat.”

Cypress Place has delivered other signs of support, including to local hospital partners, and continues to look to be a positive force in the community.

To learn more about Cypress Place Senior Living of Ventura, visit their web site at www.cypressplaceseniorliving.com, or call 805-650-8000.

To learn more about Victoria Care Center, visit their web site at victoriacarecenter.com, or call 805-642-1736.

CAPS Media continues to produce informative programming

The CAPS team covers a County COVID 19 Update.

The COVID crisis has not slowed down CAPS Media from continuing to produce informative programming for the City and County. Every week CAPS crews record the County’s COVID-19 updates and following the press conference, edit and distribute the valuable information in English and Spanish. The updates can be viewed on the County website at ventura.org and on the CAPS Media website – capsmedia.org.

For the City of Ventura, CAPS has recently produced a series of videos for the Ventura Police Department and are in the final stages of producing a set of environmental and education videos for the City produced at the City garden. In addition, CAPS crews are currently in production on a second set of docent directed tours of the Olivas Adobe. This series captures the essence of the annual Candlelight Tour of the historic setting. Due to COVID restrictions the popular tours are not open to the public. In response, CAPS is collaborating with City staff to reimagine and capture the essence of the magical holiday celebrations that took place at the Olivas Adobe more than a century ago.

With Ventura Unified School District cautiously reopening and some students returning to the classroom, CAPS is opening the media center to the remarkably talented ECTV students in the award-winning El Camino High School communications program. The ECTV crew will return to the CAPS Media Center once a week, with all appropriate COVID protocols in place, to continue their media education studies and production of a variety of programs of particular interest to the teenagers. Included in the mix are additional profiles chronicling the Chicano activism movement of the past with participants who experienced the awareness-raising, cultural events in the Chicano Moratorium of 1970.

For the County, in addition to the COVID updates, CAPS crews are producing a set of videos for the Ventura County Medical Center to promote the nationally recognized and award winning medical residency program. For the Ventura County Fire Department, CAPS crews are creating an engaging and informative series of kitchen safety videos targeted to children. And for the County Registrar, as a follow-up to the series of voter information and educational videos CAPS produced for the office, CAPS is developing an in-depth program that will document the unprecedented efforts by the County to design, develop and coordinate the massive and tremendously successful vote-by-mail election effort for residents of Ventura County. The program is expected to include interviews with county officials, election workers and voters, and is planned to air on Channel 6 and 15, broadcast on CAPS Radio KPPQ 104.1 and be available on the CAPS Media website – capsmedia.org.

By the time this issue of The Breeze hits the street, the 2020 Election will be done. However at the time of publication, the results were not known. CAPS wants to thank and congratulate all of the local candidates for Ventura City Council areas 2, 3 and 7, and for the Ventura Unified Board Member representation for area 3. We appreciate your assistance during the campaign to work with us to record your candidate statements. More importantly, we thank you for your unselfish contribution to our community.

Due to the COVID-19 emergency the CAPS Media Center is closed to Members and the public until further notice. CAPS Member/Producers can submit programming via the online portal at capsmedia.org for broadcast and streaming on CAPS public access television Channel 6 and on CAPS Radio KPPQ 104.1FM.

All of us at CAPS Media hope everyone is Staying Safe and Healthy during this challenging time.

Our Ventura TV

MB Hanrahan, Sandra Siepak, Monique Nowlin, Juan Mancera, Michelle Hoover, Mary Christine Ballestero and George Alger Our Ventura TV team.

The award-winning weekly talk show, “Our Ventura TV” continues producing its weekly programming via the zoom platform during Covid 19. The entire team at “Our Ventura TV” is bringing interesting stories to the local Ventura community on Ventura cable channel 6 TV and online. To be a guest on the show just click ‘contact’ on ourventura.com to get scheduled.

City of Ventura recognized achievements

The City of Ventura received a Beacon Spotlight Award for its measurable achievements in reducing community greenhouse gas emissions, further illustrating its dedication to meet state climate goals. The Beacon Award, which is sponsored by the Institute for Local Government (ILG), honored Ventura with a Silver Level Award for an eight percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions during a special virtual presentation in conjunction with the League of Cities Annual Conference.

This award builds on Ventura’s long-standing commitment to environmental sustainability. Since joining the Beacon Program in 2010, the City has been recognized for numerous achievements for saving energy and implementing sustainability best practices like implementing a green business certification program, expanding open spaces, planting drought-resistant landscaping, and encouraging alternate modes of transportation.

“The health of our residents and the environment that surrounds us is a top priority in Ventura,” said Mayor Matt LaVere. “We are proud of the work our City has done to accomplish energy efficiency goals, and it is a great honor for Ventura to be recognized with a Beacon Spotlight Award for our efforts.”

In addition to participating in the Beacon Program, the City of Ventura is also part of ILG’s BOOST Pilot Program, a joint endeavor of the ILG and the California Strategic Growth Council (SGC) to help local governments address California’s climate and equity goals. Through the BOOST Program, the City has secured more $700,000 in grant funding to support its comprehensive planning effort, which will include the City’s first Climate Action and Resilience Plan. The City’s participation in both programs provides additional resources to assist with climate and resilience initiatives. For more information about the City’s Environmental Sustainability Division, visit our website.

Currently, 161 cities and counties throughout the state participate in the Beacon Program. The Institute for Local Government established the Beacon Program to create a framework to assist local governments in setting goals, documenting progress and sharing best practices that create healthier, more efficient, vibrant communities.

To learn more about the City of Ventura’s achievements visit: www.ca-ilg.org/beacon-award-participant-profile/city-ventura.

The City of Ventura has received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) for its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for Fiscal Year 2019. This year marks the 29th consecutive year that the City has received this award.

“The City of Ventura is honored to be recognized by this prestigious award in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting,” said City Manager Alex McIntyre. “I’m proud of the dedication and great job our finance team has done with the budget. This award is no small endeavor and demonstrates the commitment of both the Council and City to clearly communicate our financial information with the public.”

The CAFR has been judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program, which includes demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the CAFR. The Government Finance Officers Association is a major professional association servicing the needs of 19,000 appointed and elected local, state, and provincial-level government officials and other finance practitioners.

Vol. 14, No. 03 – Nov 4 – Nov 17, 2020 – Movie Review

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm – Amazon Originals

3 out of 4 palm trees
Breeze rating from 1 to 4 palm trees, 4 being best.

In a grand return to both the screen and American, Sacha Baron Cohen again takes everything head on in exposing American political corruption and prejudices with his new movie Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. After embarrassing Kazakhstan on his first visit to American 14 years ago, Borat was pulled from prison for a new mission to America to give a gift to President Trump from the leader of Kazakhstan. However he was instructed not to give it directly to Trump, but instead to “pussy hound” Vice Premier Pence.

The gift was monkey Producer Johnny who was put in a crate and loaded on a ship with Borat that traveled around the globe to reach America. Upon arriving, Borat discovered that his daughter, whose name was Sandra Jessica Parker Sagdiyev but he referred to as Tutar, had stow away in the crate and eaten the monkey, therefore ruining the plan to gift him to Pence. His solution… gift his daughter Tutar instead.

Finally it was time to deliver Tutar to the “Vice Pussy grabber”. To disguise himself, he wore a KKK costume to sneak into the bathroom at CPAC 2020 where he disguised himself as Trump, tossed Tutar over his shoulder and ran through the conference announcing “Michael Pence I brought the girl for you. Don’t worry, I won’t get jealous, she’s not Ivanka” to the whole crowd, some who booed while others began chanting 4 more years to his clever Trump disguise. He was escorted out by secret service and police.

Tutar left chasing her dream of being an American journalist, and Borat tried to find her only to find the streets completely empty. A man outside a convenience store who explained that there was a virus and that everyone had to quarantine. Borat said he had nowhere to go and asked if he could stay at the guy’s home. Jerry where he shook hands and kissed them on both cheeks. 3 guys were asked if the virus or democrats were more dangerous, stating democrats and shared the fake news story of the Clinton’s being involved in drinking the blood of children.

Having failed with Trump and Pence, Borat decided the only way to save himself from a horrible death was to have his daughter marry Rudy Julliani. Tutar, now having fulfilled her American dream of being a journalist, met Julliani for an interview with the hopes of convincing him to marry her. Julliani shockingly followed her flirtations and both ended up in his bedroom with Juiliani being caught on camera laying prone on the bed with his hands in his pants.

They both returned to Kazakhstan, where knowing that he would be executed for his failure where he discovered his journey was actually what spread the coronavirus around the world, secretly planned all along by his country’s leader. Borat used his phone to record his leader admitting the truth, and bargained his silence for feminist rights, groom trafficing, access to smartphones and technology, with Tutar promoted the the 3rd top journalist in the country.

Sacha Baron Cohen is unflinching with his overt mockery of such taboo subjects as blatant racism, cosmetic surgery for kids, family sexual abuse, abortions, human trafficing, dealing with COVID-19 as well as a health dose of attacks on elitism and political leaders. For it’s style, it’s pure comedic genius, though some scenes may be a bit for some viewers to handle.

R (Graphic Nudity|Strong Crude & Sexual Content|Language)
1h 36m

National Institute on Aging awarded funds for Latino Alzheimer research

To meet the pressing need to better understand the prevalence, progression, and clinical impact of Alzheimer’s disease among Mexican Americans, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has added funding for more biomarker measures, including positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, to the ongoing Health and Aging Brain Among Latino Elders (HABLE) Study.

NIH’s National Institute on Aging (NIA) awarded new support that is expected to total $45.5 million over five years to the University of North Texas Health Science Center (HSC) at Fort Worth for the Health and Aging Brain Among Latino Elders-Amyloid, Tau, and Neurodegeneration (HABLE-AT(N)) Study. This combined investment and effort will help researchers better understand the health disparities of brain aging and Alzheimer’s between Mexican Americans and non-Latino whites.

Launched in September 2017, the HABLE study has nearly completed recruitment of 1,000 Mexican Americans and 1,000 non-Latino whites, age 50 years and older, in the Fort Worth area. HABLE participants receive a functional exam, clinical labs, neuropsychological testing, bloodwork, and an MRI of the brain. The added funding for HABLE-AT(N) significantly expands the neuroimaging component of the study to include amyloid and tau PET. The researchers also plan to determine if traces of amyloid peptides (Aβ40 and Aβ42), tau, and neurofilament light (NfL) — as well as exosomes in the blood — can be used to screen across the spectrum of Alzheimer’s, from asymptomatic to mild cognitive impairment and advanced stages of the disease.

An additional benefit of HABLE and HABLE AT(N) will be the ability to better classify/categorize participants into groups by type of dementia and stage of the disease. This will help facilitate potential enrollment in future studies.

Projections from the U.S. Census Bureau show that the number of Latinos age 65 and older is expected to nearly quadruple by 2060, whereas, for the same age range, the number of non-Hispanic whites is expected to increase by about 23% and the number of Blacks will more than double. Because aging is the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s, this means Latinos will face the largest increase in Alzheimer’s cases of any racial/ethnic group nationwide — about 3.5 million by 2060. Mexican Americans are the largest segment of the U.S. Latino population.

“The scope and urgency of HABLE and HABLE-AT(N) is crucial for this underserved population,” said Dallas Anderson, Ph.D., a program director in the Population Studies and Genetics Branch of NIA’s Division of Neuroscience. “Most importantly, it will help to clarify questions in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in Mexican Americans.”

NIA recently updated its website with a new Spanish-language health information landing page: www.nia.nih.gov/espanol. Current information is available on subjects such as Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, as well as clinical trials and other aging-related health topics.

Sleep and aging

Older adults need about the same amount of sleep as all adults—7 to 9 hours each night. But, older people tend to go to sleep earlier and get up earlier than they did when they were younger.

There are many reasons why older people may not get enough sleep at night. Feeling sick or being in pain can make it hard to sleep. Some medicines can keep you awake. No matter the reason, if you don’t get a good night’s sleep, the next day you may:

  • Be irritable
  • Have memory problems or be forgetful
  • Feel depressed
  • Have more falls or accidents
  • Get a Good Night’s Sleep
  • Getting a good night’s sleep infographic icon. Click through for full text.
  • Read and share this infographic to get tips on how to get a good night’s sleep.

Being older doesn’t mean you have to be tired all the time. You can do many things to help you get a good night’s sleep. Here are some ideas:

  • Follow a regular sleep schedule. Go to sleep and get up at the same time each day, even on weekends or when you are traveling.
  • Avoid napping in the late afternoon or evening, if you can. Naps may keep you awake at night.
  • Develop a bedtime routine. Take time to relax before bedtime each night. Some people read a book, listen to soothing music, or soak in a warm bath.
  • Try not to watch television or use your computer, cell phone, or tablet in the bedroom. The light from these devices may make it difficult for you to fall asleep. And alarming or unsettling shows or movies, like horror movies, may keep you awake.
  • Keep your bedroom at a comfortable temperature, not too hot or too cold, and as quiet as possible.
  • Use low lighting in the evenings and as you prepare for bed.
  • Exercise at regular times each day but not within 3 hours of your bedtime.
  • Avoid eating large meals close to bedtime—they can keep you awake.
  • Stay away from caffeine late in the day. Caffeine (found in coffee, tea, soda, and chocolate) can keep you awake.
  • Remember—alcohol won’t help you sleep. Even small amounts make it harder to stay asleep.

Insomnia Is Common in Older Adults

Insomnia is the most common sleep problem in adults age 60 and older. People with this condition have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. Insomnia can last for days, months, and even years. Having trouble sleeping can mean you:

  • Take a long time to fall asleep
  • Wake up many times in the night
  • Wake up early and are unable to get back to sleep
  • Wake up tired
  • Feel very sleepy during the day

Often, being unable to sleep becomes a habit. Some people worry about not sleeping even before they get into bed. This may make it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Some older adults who have trouble sleeping may use over-the-counter sleep aids. Others may use prescription medicines to help them sleep. These medicines may help when used for a short time. But remember, medicines aren’t a cure for insomnia.

Developing healthy habits at bedtime may help you get a good night’s sleep.

Stretch, stretch, stretch

Try the ankle stretch exercise.

Stretching can improve your flexibility and help you move more freely. Flexibility exercises may also make it easier for you to reach down to tie your shoes or look over your shoulder when you back your car out of the driveway.

Try the ankle stretch exercise. Sit securely toward the edge of a sturdy, armless chair. Stretch your legs out in front of you. With your heels on the floor, bend your ankles to point the toes toward you. Hold the position for 10 to 30 seconds. Then, bend your ankles to point toes away from you and hold for 10 to 30 seconds.