Category Archives: This ‘n’ That

Ben Unseth leaves Project Understanding

In a surprise to all Benjamin Unseth announced on Friday, March 31 that he is leaving as Executive Director of Project Understanding, effective immediately. Unseth has served as Executive Director of the Ventura-based non-profit since August of 2014. During his tenure Project Understanding has taken a significant role in addressing social issues in the Ventura area. He guided the consolidation of the administrative and client-services facilities at one location on Johnson Drive in Ventura, strengthening the organization’s ability to offer housing, tutoring and food distribution to those in need. Ben expressed his appreciation to the staff, the Board of Directors, and Project’s sponsors and donors for their support during his time as Executive Director.

Founded in 1977, Project Understanding provides hope by developing and directing resources for the purpose of transforming lives and community through justice, mercy and compassion. For 40 years, Project Understanding has been assisting people reach their highest attainable level of independence. For more information on Project Understanding, please visit www.projectunderstanding.org.

Change a Life: Help an Adult Learn to Read

Don’t clown around improve your reading skills.

Ventura County Library’s READ Adult Literacy Program is looking for adult volunteers who would like to help other adults improve their reading and writing skills. Tutoring sites are located throughout Ventura County. No teaching experience is required and the training is free. The next training series starts May 1st in Simi Valley. Future trainings will be in Ventura and Port Hueneme. At the conclusion of training, tutors will meet one-to-one with an English speaking adult learner for a few hours each week. For more information visit the library’s website: www.vencolibrary.org/read or call the READ office at 677-7160.

Foundation partners with The City Center and Smile Generation-Trusted Clinicians to provide free dental care

All smiles were at the City Center.

On April 15, the Pacific Dental Services Foundation, with support from Smile Generation-trusted volunteer clinicians and their dental care teams, provided free dental care to residents of The City Center

Dental care teams from across the country from Dentist Modesto, to New York will be allowed to set up an onsite dental clinic in a matter of hours! Their aim is to treat 29 patients and provided over $20,000 of donated dentistry. Clinicians utilized the PDS Foundation Mobile Dental Clinic (MDC) to provide treatments.

Dr. Maral Khazali of Main Street Dental Group and approximately 25 additional clinicians and support team members volunteered their time to provide the donated dental services. To learn more about the dental services offered in your local dentistry and at this event, you may want to go ahead and check out the smile generation.

The City Center is a non-profit organization (501c3) committed to serving families who have experienced domestic violence or homelessness. The City Center offers to the house to families, with a goal of transitioning the client out in a year. However, stays up to 24 months are allowed if needed. Counseling and support services are provided to equip residents and create a path towards self-sufficiency.

About Pacific Dental Services (PDS) FoundationPacific Dental Services Foundation’s mission to serve communities locally, nationally and internationally through improved oral healthcare is carried out in part through our Mobile Dental Clinic’s efforts.

Smile Generation is a referral service that connects patients with dentists dedicated to providing an exceptional patient experience and advanced clinical care. After all, it is incredibly important for our own oral hygiene that we attend each and every Dentist Manchester appointment on a regular basis. The Smile Generation network is made up of more than 500 dental offices throughout Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Washington. Smile Generation-trusted offices are supported by Pacific Dental Services.

For more information:
www.smilegeneration.com
www.pdsfoundation.org
Visit our blog: http://blog.smilegeneration.com/
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/smilegen
Fan us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/smilegen

Vol. 10, No. 15 – April 26 – May 9, 2017 – Person to Person

by Jennifer Tipton

What is your favorite season in Ventura?

Colleen Brubaker
age 90
Retired from Ventura County Schools

“Spring because I like green, I’m Irish and I like to see the green hills.”

 

Della Dowler
age 49
Business owner at The Growing Company

“Spring just because I get to put up pretty flowers.”

 

Mason Murrieta
age 19
Employee at Vons on Telegraph

“I would say winter because I generally like colder weather better.”

 

Katie Eckhart
age 29
Ventura College nursing student

“I’d probably say fall because of all the holidays that come with it, and it’s a lot of family time.”

 

Pete Trevino
age 75
Retired aircraft worker

“My favorite season is all four seasons, I love it here because we have the beautiful sun and some of the best people in the world.”

 

Stuart Goldman
age 68
Retired Dean of Brooks Institute

“I didn’t know Ventura had seasons, I come from the Midwest where we actually had seasons, here it feels like summer all year long.”

 

Women of the Year

Women of the Year  Alicia Flores, Kim Evans, State Sen Hannah-Beth Jackson, Suz Montgomery and Dr. Cynthia Herrera celebrating their awards. Photo by Heather Lacayo

While the mood in Washington was bitter, contrary and partisan on March 23, down home in Ventura County a warm and friendly event celebrated four women who make a difference in the fields of education, military, immigration and seniors.

They were the four Women of the Year 2017, chosen by 19th District State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson to “acknowledge the outstanding women … who have shaped our state’s history. With a sense of respect, pride and celebration …. we honor women who represent among the very best Ventura County has to offer,” she said.

The event was sponsored by the Ventura County Credit Union at its Ventura headquarters on Vista Del Mar.

Kim Evans, who founded the Ventura County Military Collaborative in 2011 and runs it out of her home.  She uses her expertise to train clinicians and police on military culture and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She has an extensive background that includes being embedded in an Army National Guard unit and an Airlift Wing where she was the director of Psychological Health. holds a Master’s in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine.

Alicia Flores’ working as the director of the La Hermandad Hank Lacayo Youth and Family Center.

“We should respect our immigrant community,” Jackson said, adding that Flores works for reform with practical knowledge of the issues.

As a teenager, she worked in Oxnard’s agricultural fields, became a market owner and later worked for the state and El Concilio. She was part of planning nationwide movements, notably “Gran Marcha” in 2006 which attracted millions to peacefully protest against a bill raising penalties for undocumented individuals.

Dr. Cynthia Herrera is known as a visionary who is currently the Dean of Institutional Effectiveness at Oxnard College and who also directed a project to enhance STEM educational programs (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics).

Despite numerous awards for excellence and writing over $25 million in grants to enhance STEM, Herrera instead insisted she was “simply a reflection of every woman in this room.”

Suz Montgomery is simply “a force of nature,” Jackson said, “who is a passionate advocate for seniors.” She noted that “seniors have a lot to give with a wisdom that comes with age.”

That defines Montgomery, who has created the Extended Learning Academy and ENCORE, a free computer education program for people over 50 years.

Her work as a teacher in skilled nursing facilities is the stuff of legend, as many say her passion keeps them alive because her laugh is infectious, her wit and honesty refreshing and, when she greets you, it’s with a heartfelt, “give me a smooch.” Montgomery is a recipient of many awards, such as Local Hero, Outstanding Citizen, and an award for literally saving a man’s life via CPR.

A three-time cancer survivor, she continues to be an activist and inspiration for those who have cancer.

Attendee Councilmember Christy Weir stated “Suz’s activism has had a big impact in Ventura in many ways, including care for Seniors and improvements to our Westside. She is valued as an intelligent, tireless advocate.”

The half-hour inspirational event is available for viewing at http://tinyurl.com/VtaWomenOfYear2017

Robots descend on Ventura

The future of the world is in the hands of these kids.

Article and photos by Richard Lieberman

Teams faced off at FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics regional competition at Ventura College. Teams from Ventura County, Chile and Hawaii compete in the FIRST Robotics competition.

The local team is Team 3925 from Ventura County. The team is comprised of seven different local high schools competing against 42 high school teams, including teams from Newbury Park High,  Construction and Engineering charter high school in Camarillo and the Ventura County Career Education Center, where students from six county high schools make up the team.

This event called FIRST Steamworks incorporating a Steampunk theme. The student designed robots are required to pick up an item then throw it, climb and then hang on a tower and to carry an item and place it on a platform.  The teams were given a starter kit to help design and build their robot. Students were allowed six weeks to build, program and test their robots.

More than 5,000 teams, totaling 78,000 students world-wide are taking part in the FIRST Robotics competition this year. Aiding the students were teachers, and mentors from the programming, engineering, manufacturing field to help students design their robots and form their business plans. All team participants have the option to apply for twenty-two million dollars in scholarships from more than 200 colleges and universities.

Event chair Velma Lomax said “This is what I love so much, it’s not just about robotics and competing, it’s about everything these kids learn” There are regional competitions that will move on next month to western competitions in Houston, then on to eastern competitions in St. Louis and a final world championship in New Hampshire in July.

Lomax added “These kids are in business fields, they design their own brochures, they do all of their own promoting, their own fundraising. They don’t get money from anyone. These kids are amazing and every child can fit in. Additionally, Lomax said “They call it a varsity squad for the mind, another important thing they learn is time management.”

Three teams who won the regional with their robots are Team 114 from Los Altos high school, Team 3925 from Career Education at Ventura High School, includes members from Ventura High School, Buena High School, and Foothill Technology. Ventura’s team 3925 won a spot to advance to the upcoming competitions.

“It’s a lot of components this year, event chair Velma Lomax said.” She added  “It’s an interesting competition.”

 

Celebrating Earth Day

Earth Day Eco Fest has moved from the promenade to Plaza Park.

The 10th Annual Ventura Earth Day Eco Fest, is happening Saturday, April 22 at Plaza Park in Ventura. This free event is the perfect way to spend a day with the whole family – Now in its 10th year, the festival has grown into one of the most favorite annual family festivals in Ventura and the largest Earth Day celebration in Ventura County attracting over 6,000 visitors and featuring 100+ exhibitors.

This year the event is moving to a new location, Plaza Park off Thompson St. in downtown Ventura. “We are excited to take advantage of the larger location and proximity to the downtown businesses,” says Toni Guy, festival chairperson. “More space means more vendors and more surprises like a flash mob and pet adoptions. Each year over 200 volunteers work hard to make the event more fun, interactive and educational.”

This year expect to enjoy all day entertainment on two stages, a surprise flash mob, face painting, check out an electric car or an RV from Kirby Auto Group, join a drum circle, go on a green scavenger hunt to earn a McConnell’s Ice Cream, enter the Raffle to earn awesome prizes, try a new hybrid car on for size, fall in love with a new pet, tuck into a Grilled Cheese Truck sandwich, slide down an inflatable slide and learn how local vendors and organizations are working to make a difference in our homes and communities.

Sponsors and Vendors can register at www.venturaearthday.org until April 5.

The event is organized by the Ventura Charter School of Arts and Global Education in cooperation with the City of Ventura. Profits from the day-long event go toward funding enrichment programs for Kindergarten through eighth-grade students at the tuition-free public school.

Planning on riding your bike to our Earth-friendly event. Eco Fest also offers a free bike valet with attendant.

Ventura’s Earth Day Eco Fest would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors: Kirby Auto Group, NRG, Sprouts, Solar City, CBC Federal Credit Union, Cumulus Broadcasting, City of Ventura Environmental Services, McConnell’s Ice Cream, Allied Graphics and the Ventura Breeze.

To learn more go to www.venturaearthday.org

Channel Islands National Park invites the public to celebrate Earth Day with a special beach cleanup on April 22, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, at Ventura Harbor.

Each year, the national park sponsors this event to clean the Ventura Harbor Cove and Surfer’s Knoll beaches, in an effort to give back to the community and to encourage volunteerism.

Between 9:00 am and 12:00 pm, volunteers will be able to sign up and start cleaning at either the park visitor center or at a station at the Surfer’s Knoll parking lot. Volunteers are encouraged to bring their own buckets and gloves to use.

At the park’s 2016 cleanup, almost 450 volunteers donated over 1,000 hours of their time to help clean and protect the harbor’s beaches.

For families, there will also be a children’s activity station at the park visitor center, where kids will be able to participate in crafts and the park’s Junior Ranger program.

At 11:00 am, a park ranger will discuss marine adaptations and ocean stewardship at the visitor center’s marine life exhibit, which features species found in the waters that surround the Channel Islands.

Concours Motors has found a new way to give back to Ventura

Concours Motors will be giving away a 2000  Volkswagen Golf to one Ventura County Resident on May 2. The Volkswagen is completely refinished for optimum safety, and it will be given away with one completely free year of service.

The team at Concours Motors created “Wheels to Shine” to substantially change someone’s life in the Ventura County. Each spring every year, their fleet of master technicians will rebuild a great, reliable car and give it away to someone who needs it.

All Ventura County community members are invited to nominate a recipient for this year’s “Wheels to Shine.” Nominations will be accepted through April 30.

A small group of community leaders have been invited to review the nominations and choose a recipient. To nominate a recipient visit: wheelstoshine.org/nominate-someone.

Vol. 10, No. 14 – April 12 – April 25, 2017 – Tech Today

Tech Today with Ken May

How the ISP Law Change Affects Your Privacy

On Tuesday, March 28th, Congress sent proposed legislation to President Donald Trump that wipes away landmark online privacy protections, the first salvo in what is likely to become a significant reworking of the rules governing Internet access. The legislation would kill a set of Obama-era privacy regulations for internet service providers created by the Federal Communications Commission last October.

The most notable part of the rules, which has not yet taken effect, would require broadband providers such as Verizon, Comcast, and AT&T to obtain explicit consent before selling their customers’ web-browsing histories, app-usage data, and other personal information to advertisers and other third-parties. The vote is concerned with some recent changes to what the internet is in the eyes of the American government.

In February of 2015, The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reclassified ISPs as “common carriers,” which means they traffic in utilities. This effectively put the internet in the same category as telephones, water, gas, and other necessary components for living in terms of how it’s regulated. This allowed the FCC to enforce net neutrality laws, which force all ISPs to provide access to all kinds of content on the internet equally. (In the past, ISPs would slow down users’ traffic when visiting certain websites or sharing files to discourage them from engaging in these acts.) Classifying the internet as a utility also meant ISPs had to follow the privacy guidelines previously written for telephones. This legislation would effectively roll back many of these changes, allowing ISPs to do whatever they want with their users’ browsing data.

So, this is a complicated issue. What’s the easiest way to get my privacy back?

Well, states could try to implement some form of the FCC rules for their own residents. ISPs might conceivably change their practices nationwide if enough states do so, or customers in some states could have fewer privacy protections than customers in other states.

“As on climate change, immigration and a host of other issues, some state legislatures may prove to be a counterweight to Washington by enacting new regulations to increase consumers’ privacy rights, a New York Times article said this week. The Times article mentioned laws in California, Connecticut, Nebraska, and West Virginia and proposals for new laws in Illinois, Hawaii, and Missouri, but none of these laws and proposals was specifically targeted at ISPs.

But let’s assume that doesn’t happen. Now what?

Last year, Opera, the little browser that everyone seems to forget about, rolled out the best vpn in canada server. It’s easily the simplest, cheapest, and most reasonably private way to access a VPN that will circumvent your ISP right now. It does come with a slew of caveats though. An Opera spokesperson said that the VPN is a no-log service, which is good, however, while Opera is a Norwegian company and therefore acts under Norwegian law, SurfEasy, the company that provides the VPN service, is a Canadian company, and Canada is known to hand over intelligence data. Regardless, using the VPN means you’re agreeing to SurfEasy’s Privacy Policy. Opera was also purchased by a Chinese consortium last year, so any data Opera does collect could be accessible by that company at some point. Also, keep in mind, only the web browsing you do in Opera will go through their VPN. It’s not perfect, but it’s a good step forward. Hopefully, we see something similar implemented in other browsers. If you were interested in learning more about VPNs check out HideMyAss Review. They have some interesting insights into VPNs.

h/t Business Insider, Game Informer, Lifehacker, Ars Technica

Vol. 10, No. 14 – April 12 – April 25, 2017 – City Classes

City of Ventura classes and camps.  Check out hundreds more on web-site.

Call 658-4726 to register, if you already have an ACTIVENET account online, visit www.cityofventura.net Classes held at the Barranca Vista Center, 7050 E Ralston.

Beautiful Ballerinas  3-9 years
$72
4/13-5/18            Th           3:15-4 pm            5-6 years with Marni King             #7979
4/13-5/18            Th           4-5 pm                  7-9 years with Marni King             #7981
4/14-5/19            F              9:45-10:30 am    3-4 years with Tiara Pitre              #7983
Learn fundamental techniques, positions and exercises for flexibility, balance, poise and grace and the importance of following instructions, taking turns and being a productive member of a group.

Yoga to Unwind  16 years-adult
4/13-5/18            Th           5:10-6:10 pm      $65         #7665
Leave the work day behind to relax with simple yoga poses, stretching and breathing. Bring towel, mat and dress comfortably. Instructor Aurora Heinemann.

Parent & Me Ballet/Tumble Combo  1½-3 years with adult
4/14-5/19            F              9-9:45 am                            $72         #7985
Dance, tumble, stretch and play instruments together! Wear comfortable clothes to more in. Instructor Tiara Pitre.

Hip Hop Flip Flop  3-5 years
4/14-5/19            F              10:30-11:15 am                  $72         #7987
Learn age appropriate moves geared toward rhythm, precision, isolated moves and personal grooves plus beginner acro/tumbling. Wear comfortable clothes to move in with sneakers. Instructor Tiara Pitre.

Friday Fitness Party!  16 years-adult
4/14-5/19            F              6:15-7:15 pm      $40 or $7/day     #7876
Join us and dance, body condition and cool down to fabulous music. Bring mat and water. Walk in fee of $7 is due at start of class. Certified Zumba® Instructor Dala Sondors.

Friday Night Tap  12 years-adult
4/14-5/5                               F              6:30-7:30 pm      $40         #8017
Learn basic steps, combinations and routines to upbeat rhythms and music. Classes are progressive but designed for the beginner. Instructor Elli Busch. Classes held at Billy Clower Dance Studio, 75 MacMillian Ave. in Ventura. To register call (805) 658-4726.

Pop Dance with Cassie Lawhead  7-11 years
$65
4/19-6/7               W            4-4:45 pm            7-9 years              #7786
4/19-6/7               W            4:45-5:30 pm      9-11 years           #7789
Energetic boys and girls mix and move to hip hop and jazz! Wear your funky attitude, comfortable attire and rubber soled shoes. Parents may stay for first and last class only. No class 5/29.

Belly Dance-4-Fitness  18 years-adult
4/24-5/22            M            6-7 pm                  $55         #7674
Dress comfortably to shimmy, twist and tone in this fun cardio class that includes a warmup, belly dance workout, choreography and cool down. Instructor Anja Christy.

SYSTEM 4 Mad Science Fun!  5-12 years
4/25-5/30            Tu           4:30-5:30              $115+ $35 supply fee      #8191
Dig in to earth science, tectonic plates, rocks and minerals. Explore creepy crawly creatures. Work with axles, levers and wheels. Race your very own rocket car. Direct a movie and create special effects. Use our crime lab to solve real crimes.