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Vol. 11, No. 26 – Sept 26 – Oct 9, 2018 – Opinion/Editorial

•Based upon recent research that he was responsible for decimating Native American communities and other atrocities against the Native Americans. Stanford University plans to strip out some prominent campus references to Junipero Serra. Many people now see him as more of an oppressor than a saint.

• Recently, a paddle-out to honor Kirra Drury drew hundreds to Silver Strand Beach. Drury was one of the boaters killed when two vessels collided Sept. 1 on the Colorado River. Ventura resident Raegan Heitzig, is presumed to have also been killed. Her body has not been recovered. Sad days for Ventura.

• I suggest that you sign-up for VC Alert (www.vcalert.org), Ventura County’s Emergency Notification System. In the event an emergency incident requires residents to be notified about public safety, officials will use this system to notify residents. It is a little cumbersome to sign-up but worth the effort.

•To put hurricane Florence in proper perspective, there have been areas there receiving over 30” of rain, some up to 40”. In Ventura, our total combined rain seasons from 2012-,2013,2014,2015 and 2017 (2016 was a big rain) totaled about 35”.

•Beginning October 1, Ventura Water will start upgrading the manually read water billing system. The project will replace water meters for approximately 32,000 Ventura Water customers over a 3-year period.

The upgraded meters will allow customers to view and track daily water usage, detect leaks faster, and provide consistent billing dates. HomeConnect will identify water saving opportunities with customizable options for tracking and receiving notifications and alerts. This capability eliminates the need for vehicular travel needed to read water meters (will put some people out of work I assume).

Perhaps an even more important water upgrade would be to ensure that there is water available during our next large fire.

Might the statue of Junipero Serra be replaced with this sea monster?

•How do TV ads that say you must call in the next 10 minutes know if you actually met that requirement? What if you call within 15 minutes will they not sell you the product?

• In out last issue, I made a joke about women’s brains but didn’t receive any nasty letters from you ladies (how disappointing). I do apologize and to show you that I understand how intelligent women are, these are just a very few of the women CEO’s running major corporations; Mary Barra – General Motors, Gail Koziara Boudreaux – Anthem Inc., Ginni Rometty – IBM, Indra Nooyi – PepsiCo, Marillyn Hewson – Lockheed Martin, Safra A. Catz – Oracle Corporation, Phebe Novakovic – General Dynamics, Michelle Gass – Kohl’s, Geisha Williams – Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Barbara Rentler – Ross Stores and Vicki Hollub – Occidental Petroleum.

•The weekly newspaper Missoula Independent in Montana has shut down – another newspaper closing. These are tough times for the newspaper industry to survive. So, it is very important that you support the Ventura Breeze by frequenting our advertisers, or becoming one of our advertisers if you have a business, so that the Breeze can continue to bring you the best local news.

On a positive note, the U.S. International Trade Commission has ruled that imports of Canadian newsprint does not threaten or materially harm US industry. This decision reverses tariffs put in place by the Trump administration.

•People who repeatedly disrupt public meetings (gadflies they are called) in Los Angeles City meetings could be barred from attending under a proposed regulation in Los Angeles.

Extreme disruptions have prompted this action. The Ventura City Council really hasn’t had any extremely disruptive gadflies at City Council meetings recently but has had a few in the past.

I agree that at times this is appropriate, but such an action of barring some speakers at city meetings must be done very cautiously to protect our civil liberties.

•In what has become their usual 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court ruled – citing the 4th amendment – that the Constitution protects tracking data from a cell phone. The ruling requires police to have a search warrant to obtain cell tower records. I’m sure that the writers of the Constitution anticipated cell phone use when creating this amendment.

•Reservations will be required for popular Ventura County campsites along the Rincon. This is to keep people in Facebook groups from trading the sites among themselves and monopolizing the beachfront property. Campers in 200 spots on the Rincon Parkway, including Faria and Hobson beach parks must make reservations starting Nov. 1.

• In our last issue was the final movie review by writer Manuel Reynoso. Manuel has too many projects on his plate to continue his wonderful reviews for the Breeze. I thank him for the great writing he has done for us but have no fear exclusive movie reviews will continue soon from a new reviewer.

•The new parking meters designed to provide a better experience seem to be working well. They’re meant to be easier and faster and soon will have the option to be refilled remotely.

The city claims that the downtown meters have been successful in helping manage parking issues, such as dissuading employees from leaving their vehicles in prime spots all day long. Plus, the income from them has helped pay for police, security cameras and keeping downtown clean.

The old meters had to be replaced with machines that were compliant with new credit card security standards.

Personally speaking, when I go downtown I tend to park on Poli. Then, I get to walk back up the hill to get some exercise.

Miriam Schwab Estate donates to Ventura College Foundation

Schwab was a local philanthropist and long-time Ventura College supporter.

Ventura College Foundation, which provides financial support to students and programs of Ventura College, received $12 million from the estate of Miriam Schwab. It is the largest gift ever to a community college in Southern California according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy Gift Database.

Schwab, who passed away December 24, 2017 at age 89, was a local philanthropist and long-time Ventura College supporter. She was also a music lover. She played the violin with the Ventura College Symphony Orchestra for over a decade and started the Henry Schwab Violin Competition, named after her late husband, 11 years ago.

“We are grateful for Miriam for her long-time support of Ventura College and her generous donation,” says Anne Paul King, Ventura College Foundation executive director. “Miriam understood the power of education and the arts. The Ventura College Foundation receives most of its donations from individuals who see their gift as a way to help students achieve their educational goals that will set them on a path to be successful in life. Her legacy will continue at the college for decades to come.”

Eighty-five percent of Schwab’s gift will go to the Ventura College Instrumental Music Program including funding for a permanent violin and viola competition, a sustainable year-round symphony orchestra and the creation of a Summer Music Institute of Instrumental Music.

While schools are cutting music from their curriculum, Ventura College, through Schwab’s donation, will be enhancing its program, making it one of the premiere community colleges for music education in all of California.

“Miriam was a very determined, sweet person with a vision,” says Robert Lawson, Ventura College music chair and symphony conductor. Lawson knew Schwab for more than 25 years, but their working relationship grew once the violin and viola competition was created. “Her passion was for students to learn instrumental music, particularly string instruments. The creation of the Summer Institute of Instrumental Music will ensure high performance levels are maintained during the summer that will carry forward throughout the fall and spring academic year. Her gift will enable us to provide better instruction and more opportunities for beginning, intermediate and advanced training.”

Fifteen percent of Schwab’s gift will go to support the Ventura College Aquatics Program. “This gift will go a long way to build and enhance aquatics opportunities for Ventura College students,” says Dr. Damon Bell, president of Ventura College. “It is a wonderful surprise to receive this additional support. We’re honored that Miriam chose Ventura College.”

Over the coming months, the Ventura College leadership team will implement a specific plan for the use of the gift that will honor Schwab’s wishes to support the college’s Aquatic Programs and students.

To celebrate further Schwab’s life and commitment to the college, the Ventura College Symphony Orchestra will kick off its season Saturday, October 13 at 7:30 p.m. with a memoriam concert. Tickets are free on a first come, first served reservation basis and are available at www.VCgiving.org. The entire concert season will be held in her honor with additional celebrations throughout the year.

For more about the Ventura College Foundation, go to www.VCgiving.org, or call 805-289-6461.

The Foundation also hosts the Ventura College Foundation Marketplace, an outdoor shopping experience held every weekend on the Ventura College campus east parking lot.

Ventura Art & Street Painting Festival

The Ventura Art & Street Painting Festival took place Sept.8th and 9th at the Ventura Harbor Village this year. The skies were gray, but the sidewalks became a quilt of color as forty street painters got busy applying layers of chalk pastel to the ground. Many of the street painters traveled from various cities in Southern California to participate and many know one another from other festivals. These talented individuals donate their time to help support local festivals. Some of them are professional artists, but others have jobs and indulge their passion for their art on the weekends.

As the chalk artists began creating vibrant chalk murals Saturday morning on the harbor sidewalks, thirty-five artists were setting up their booths in preparation for the visitors’ arrival. Original artwork was available for purchase in the artists’ area, including paintings, sculptures, woodwork and pottery.

Ventura County’s original street painting event celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. Started in 2009, with twenty artists and some music in a downtown park, the festival added street painting in 2011 with just a few artists. Founder Barbara Hinton had the idea to add chalk art, but didn’t know anyone who practiced the art form. It was a chance conversation with another friend who ran a local festival that led to her meeting some chalk artists. An artist had contacted Hinton’s friend about doing a commissioned chalk mural. The friend then referred the individual to Hinton. The rest as they say is history. Hinton says that they had about 11 chalk artists the first year.

The festival also hosts a children’s chalk area so that kids visiting the festival were also able to create art on the sidewalk in the Children’s Chalk Area, run by local non-profit group Kids’ Arts, Inc.

For the second year in a row, the festival welcomed two world-renowned chalk artists. Ventura resident Tracy Lee Stum, an internationally recognized American street painter and author of “The Art of Chalk”, and Rod Tryon, a Santa Barbara resident who has been street painting for 30 years and has been featured in numerous events in the U.S. and abroad.

Stum, who was the official artist for the US House at the 2010 Winter Olympics, is also known for her chalk artwork at the Super Bowl XLIX game. She recently created an original street painting for Katy Perry’s Witness World Wide 2017 livestream.

“For me, street painting is absolutely the most joyful form of creative expression I have engaged in,” says Stum. “An event like the Ventura Art and Street Painting Festival is so important because it keeps art alive in our community.”

This festival is hosted by Ventura County Art Events, Inc. and is a fundraiser for FOOD Share of Ventura County and Kids Arts Inc.

Ancient sea cow fossil returns to the mainland from the Channel Islands

It took a team of 15 researchers and students to free up the two sea cow specimens.

The fossil of an extinct species of sea cow discovered on Santa Rosa Island in 2017 returned to the mainland this week, millions of years after its journey to the island.

The sea cow fossil is conceivably one of the oldest of its kind on the west coast of North America, with an estimated age of 20-25 million years ago.

The sea cow came to rest in shallow seas somewhere near present day San Diego, CA. Over the course of millions of years, it moved when the Pacific Plate, the crust on which the land rests, migrated north and rotated, eventually uplifting the ancient sea floor to a location nearly 1,400 feet above sea level on the remote island.
The fossil specimens will be transferred to the custody and care of Dr. Jonathan Hoffman, a paleontologist with the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History for collaborative research.

“This sea cow came from a distant place and from an entirely different time period,” said Hoffman.  “We hope through our research to learn more about the sea cow’s food sources and the environment in which they lived.”
It took Hoffman and a team of 15 researchers and students from seven different institutions nearly a month to free up the two sea cow specimens. They used chisels, picks, and rock hammers to chip away and detach the head and rib sections from the cement-like rock base.

National Park Service staff crated the specimens, weighing about 500 pounds, for a helicopter air lift to the Bechers Bay pier on Santa Rosa Island for boat transport to Channel Islands National Park headquarters in Ventura Harbor.

Hoffman expects it will take over six months to expose the skull that is encased in rock. Fossil preparators will use dental picks and pneumatic hand drills to carefully expose the fossil for study.

He will enlist Dr. Jorge Velez-Juarbe, a marine mammal taxonomic expert at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, to analyze the sea cow skull for taxonomic identification. Scientists expect the sea cow to be identified as a new species.

United States Geologic Survey scientists will date the sea cow remains using marine microfauna fossils (e.g., snails, clam shells, and crabs) that were collected within the surrounding rock strata.

Scientists will analyze teeth from fossil specimens found nearby to learn more about the sea cow’s diet and environment. Sea cows are known to eat seagrass and their teeth tend to be heavily worn due to the sand they ingest when feeding.

Sea cows, or sirenians (which includes modern manatees and dugongs), are torpedo-shaped aquatic mammals that live in shallow waters and grow to be massive in size, up to 13 feet in length. In some parts of the world, their fossil records date back to 50 million years ago.

At one time, there were over a dozen different genera of sirenians, a name derived from the mermaids of Greek mythology. The cause of their decline is unclear, but may be linked to changes in food availability and environmental and oceanographic conditions.

Their modern relatives include three manatee species in the western hemisphere and the dugong, found in the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean and the east coast of Africa. The dugong is the closest living relative to the sea cow from Santa Rosa Island. The last remaining dugong on the west coast of North America, the Stellar’s sea cow, was hunted to extinction in the 1760s.

From a broken family to a solid foundation

Being from homes fueled by drugs, alcohol and abuse makes it easy to believe that’s how people live normally. Juan and Harley both come from broken families filled with many types of abuse. They both fell down those dark roads that their families made them think were normal.

They always knew they wanted better but had a hard time being the better people in such a crazy lifestyle. They were constantly reminded that all this lifestyle brought them was chaos, destruction, abuse, and even death. Through it all they stuck by each other and tried their best to face life together. But life always had a funny way of testing them. They kept trying to make it so they could always live together but it didn’t always work out that way.

In October 2017, Harley found out she was pregnant. After telling the landlord that she was pregnant, they were given a 30- day notice to leave. That’s when Harley learned about Tender Life Maternity Home – managed by the River Community Church but there was not an opening there.

They were able to stay with Juan’s aunt and uncle in the meantime. A few weeks go by and then they got the news! His aunt and uncle had been given an eviction notice.

Needless to say their high hopes quickly plummeted. At that moment Harley gets a call from Tender life! It couldn’t have been better timing. She called back and was able to set an interview for the following day. Her interview went well and they were able to move in.

Finally Harley had a safe place to stay at. Since being at Tender Life, Juan has started to come to church, which was never something he would have done. They recently got married and all they needed was to work on being reunited as a family.

A unit at The City Center Transitional Living opened and they moved there. They are so thankful to be given such a blessing. They welcomed their daughter Gemma into the family.

“None of this would be possible without Tender Life, The River Community Church, The City Center and of course for God who led us to such an amazing support team, “said Harley.

Please support The City Center Transitional Living Center by attending their c e l e b r a t i o n event, featuring the surf theme “Catch the Wave” on Saturday, September 29, 6:00 – 10:00 pm.

The evening features a silent auction, followed by a gourmet buffet dinner and dancing to the live band, Soul Infusion. This will take place at a lovely private venue in Ventura and is sure to be a night to remember!

There are presently 73 people living at The City Center and 42 of them are children – all of them were homeless. TCC gave them temporary housing, where they can feel safe, find stability, obtain employment and develop the life skills necessary to successfully move out into their own living situations.

Thank you for helping to change lives for children and families in our community! For more information www.TheCityCentetr.org.

New book about Ojai Valley Ghosts by Local Ghost Hunter

Mr. Richard Senate Ventura Counties premiere ghost hunter for forty years has released a new book about ghosts in the Ojai Valley. Titled; “Char-Man and other ghosts of the Ojai Valley” it give a clear description of the many legends of the Char-Man phantom.

“Char-Man is the best known ghost in the Ojai Valley,”recalls Mr. Senate in a recent interview. “People have reported seeing the apparition of the burned man since the great forest fire of 1948. Originally it was thought it was the restless ghost of a firefighter who lost his life in that terrible fire. The only problem with the theory is that no lives were lost in the 1948 blaze. The first real report of the ghost appeared in the Star-Free Press in 1951 when the newspaper had a story of the reported ghost attracting dozens of hot rodders on Creek Road seeking the specter.” It seems that Char-Man isn’t the only persistent phantom in the Valley. He is joined by a headless horseman, a ghostly bride, and a mysterious vanishing car. Even one of the bridges that cross San Antonio Creek is reputed to be haunted by spectral children who lost their lives when the bridge failed in a terrible rain storm.

Mr. Senates new work list these and other tales of haunted treasures and a few bizarre monsters like the huge fish in Lake Casitas and the accounts of the mysterious water horses that race on the bottom of the lake!

The book will be available at the gift shop of the Ojai Valley museum and at some of the Fall events hosted by Mr. Senate, such as the Dudley House tours on October 7 (Sunday) from 1 to 4.

For more information contact Richard Senate at 805-200-8658 or at [email protected] or at his Facebook page “Richard Senate Ghost Hunter” or Richard Senate.com

Vol. 11, No. 26 – Sept 26 – Oct 9, 2018 – The Pet Page

Search team Marshia Hall & Lilah stand ready to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence and other disasters.

• SDF-trained Search Teams are currently deployed across the United States. Five SDF Search Teams have responded to help local authorities prepare for any rescues needed in the aftermath of Hurricanes Florence and Olivia.
Founded in 1996, the local National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Santa Paula (but it seems like Ventura). Their mission is to strengthen disaster response in America by rescuing and recruiting dogs and partnering them with firefighters and other first responders to find people buried alive in the wreckage of disasters.

National Training Center, 6800 Wheeler Canyon Rd., Santa Paula.

I’m Charles a cuddly 115 pound certified therapy dog. My job is to bring comfort and joy to folks at Kids & Families Together. There is an article about them in this issue so be sure to read it.

• Even though no human or animal illnesses have been reported to date Bravo Packing of Carneys Point, N.J., is recalling all Performance Dog products, a frozen raw pet food. The products may be contaminated with Salmonella.

The recalled products come frozen in 2-pound and 5-pound plastic sleeves with the manufacture date code 071418 printed on the boxes that contain the plastic sleeves, but not on the individual plastic sleeves. Therefore, if the cardboard box has been discarded, there are no unique identification numbers on the individual sleeves that allow customers to determine that they possess the recalled products.

What to do

If customers purchased these products since July 14, 2018, and cannot determine whether it is affected by the recall, they should discard the product.

Consumers with questions may contact Bravo Packing at (856) 299-1044 Monday – Friday from 6:00AM-2:00PM, and on Saturday from 4:00AM-9:00AM EST) or online at www.bravopacking.com.

• By Beth Mueller

Senior cats are at a greater risk for developing hyperthyroidism than any other age group of cats. In fact, 95% of cats with hyperthyroid disease are 10 years old or older. Dr. Gary Brummet, the small animal primary care veterinarian at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Urbana, sees several of these cases each year.

Hyperthyroidism is a disease in which there is an overproduction of thyroid hormone in the body. Thyroid hormone regulates the body’s metabolism, heart rate, and digestive function. When the hormone level becomes excessive, some life-threatening symptoms may occur.

Hyperthyroidism Signs

“Typical signs of hyperthyroidism in cats include rapid weight loss, rapid heart rate, and increased hunger,” Dr. Brummet says.

It is typical for older cats to lose weight as they age, making it hard to distinguish hyperthyroidism from normal aging. If left undiagnosed, hyperthyroidism may cause eye problems. Dr. Brummet takes into account the cat’s history and other symptoms for a proper diagnosis. Some less common symptoms he sees are an increase in meowing and behavioral changes.

It is common for a veterinarian to perform a blood work panel on senior cats during their clinic visit. The thyroid hormone levels are tested in this panel to detect any abnormalities. Abnormal thyroid hormone levels cause an increase in blood pressure.

“Most cases of hyperthyroidism are caught in the early stage because the owners notice the changes in their cat and seek the help of their veterinarian right away,” Dr. Brummet says. A treatment plan is tailored to the needs of the patient.

Speaking of cats they have a reputation for being low-maintenance, independent creatures, especially in comparison with dogs. But the truth is that providing a healthy, happy life for your cat involves a lot more than just a daily meal and clean litter box.

The American Association of Feline Practitioners and International Society of Feline Medicine have identified five pillars of a healthy feline environment.

  • Provide your cat with a safe space.
  • Provide your cat with multiple and separated key resources.
  • Provide your cat with the opportunity for play and predatory behavior.
  • Provide your cat with positive, consistent and predictable social interactions.
  • Provide your cat with an environment that respects the importance of his sense of smell.

Once your cat’s basic needs have been met think about enrichment for your cat; in other words, provide ways to add variety and interest to your cat’s daily existence.

•A Missouri man who brought his puppy to a dog show at the state fairgrounds in Des Moines wound up taking the dog to the veterinarian instead after it was exposed to methamphetamine.

Matthew Palmer said he believes his dog was exposed to meth at his hotel room.

Palmer planned to show 5-month-old Kingsley at his very first dog show but the pup was acting strangely and was taken to the 24-hour Iowa Veterinary Specialties.

Kingsley’s head was bobbing and had tremoring agitation, symptoms that are “not mentally appropriate for a healthy puppy,” said Dr. Leah Brass, with Iowa Veterinary Specialties.

Brass did not examine Kingsley but said the veterinarian on call concluded that Kingsley was probably exposed to amphetamine.

Kingsley was doing much better by Friday afternoon.

Learn how to maintain a healthy microbiome in your body

Not all bacteria are bad. In fact, the human body is home to a variety of microbes that help keep people healthy. The types, quantity and balance of microbes in an individual’s unique microbiome can affect a person’s susceptibility or resistance to a variety of health issues, including acne, allergies, autoimmune diseases, intestinal conditions and cancer. Some people may take probiotics and prebiotics like prebiothrive to help their systems when they get mild to severe upsets.

How these microbes influence disease and what a person can do to maintain a healthy microbiome will be the focus of a free seminar at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10. Titled “The Microbiome and Disease: The Power of Bacteria in the Gut,” the seminar is hosted by Community Memorial Health System as part of its 2018 Speaker Series.

The guest speaker will be Dr. Sabine Hazan-Steinberg. She received her medical degree from Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and completed residency training at the University of Florida College of Medicine. Dr. Hazan-Steinberg is an active member of the Community Memorial Hospital medical staff.

The Oct. 10 seminar will begin at 6 p.m. in the eighth-floor Nichols Auditorium at Community Memorial Hospital, 147 N. Brent St. Registration is free but reservations are required. For reservations, visit www.cmhshealth.org/rsvp or call Brown Paper Tickets at 800-838-3006.

Community Memorial Health System is a not-for-profit health system, which is comprised of Community Memorial Hospital, Ojai Valley Community Hospital, the Centers for Family Health, and various outpatient centers serving communities located within Ventura County, California.

 

Coastal Cleanup Day

On Saturday, Sept. 15 over 270 volunteers picked up over 60 pounds of recyclables and over 230 pounds of trash across 1 mile of beach in the Ventura Harbor during Coastal Cleanup Day. These volunteers included organized groups from Amgen, WorkCompCentral, Derma-E, REI, Girl Scout Troop #61105, Ojai Valley School, Coca Cola, CSUCI and Pacifica High School.  Coastal Cleanup Day is an organized day of service for the community to collect trash from local beaches, dunes and shorelines.