Category Archives: This ‘n’ That

Grand Jury Speakers Bureau

The County of Ventura Grand Jury is an all-volunteer group serving as an independent agent of the public to investigate complaints from the public pertaining to government agencies in our community.  Is your organization interested in hearing about these investigative duties and procedures?  The Grand Jury Speakers Bureau is available to educate the public in its endeavors as the “public watchdog” for Ventura County. To learn more or schedule a date for a presentation, please call the Grand Jury at 477-1800.  For additional information, you may also refer to its website, http://www.ventura.org/grand-jury

 

Oxnard Monday Club presents City Center with $7,500 for the “PURPLE ROOM”

The Oxnard Monday Club presented The City Center with a $7,500 check to sponsor the “PURPLE ROOM.”  A room designated at The City Center Transitional Living specifically for Domestic Violence victims.  The Oxnard Monday Club is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in our community through volunteerism and partnerships with other organizations. The Center is located at 837 E. Thompson.

Not your typical fishing year

By Kevin Brannon Host

It’s definitely not your typical fishing year and that’s an understatement no one could have predicted. Although, following a strong fishing season last year El Nino brings warmer waters into our area. Exotics are the topic matched with plenty of bait fish-Sardines, anchovies, mackerel squid and even the tuna crab (AKA red crab). Yellowtail numbers have been ridiculous. Here’s a quick fact on yellowtail. They get called tuna when they’re actually from the amber jack family. Yellowfin are the tuna. Both are game fish and prize trophies. To catch them you must fight hard and they are great to eat. Mostly in the sushi style, eaten raw or Sashimi. The warm water also gets Bonito (pronounced Bonita) and another prized local game fish is the Calico Bass, or Kelp Bass. More good eats!

One negative thing about the warm water is that it can kill the kelp and destroy Calico Bass fishing as it did last time we had El Nino conditions. Nature will take its course. Nothing we can do about it except get in on all of the hot local fishing action. If you are in need of some fishing equipment for your trips, you may want to check out some carp fishing wafters online from sites like casualcarper.com, and see how you can best prepare yourself for the fishing season.

Predictions say that it has not fully peaked yet. More exotics on the way. A dozen Marlin have been hooked with only a couple making it to the deck of the boat. Possibly Wahoo and Dorado (AKA Mahi Mahi) could be coming up as well. A few other landings have been reporting them. Mixed in with some Blue Fin Tuna. So I highly recommend it.

If you’ve never done it before you can rent a rod, buy the set up and gear that’s working on the water at Ventura Sportfishing Landing. The captains and crews will set you up to catch a fish of a lifetime.
Channel Islands Sportfishing 805-382-1612
Ventura Sportfishing 805-676-3474

Note: 16 and older needs a Fishing License but no license needed for anyone on a pier.
Items to have with you: Sunscreen, sun glasses, hat, pliers, small towel for your hands.
A Fish and Wildlife rules and regulation booklet is very helpful.
Only keep what you plan to eat.
Practice CPR- Catch Photograph and Release

Kevin Brannon Host and Producer -www.reelanglersfishingshow.com

Chuck and the “Secret Garden Dozen” had much to reminisce about

stuff secret gardenJazz radio legend Chuck Cecil calls Ventura his home

Chuck and Edna Cecil recently sat in with the “Secret Garden Dozen” a group of local professional musicians, who meet weekly in midtown Ventura  at A Secret Garden Florist Cafe on Main Street to talk music and life. The group has been playing music for over 500 years, most starting in high school and some in military bands. They all are still actively playing in many bands in the area.

stuff secret garden instOn occasion Breeze Publisher Sheldon and Alfred Lewis, who make the Breeze pretty joins them (by invitation only).

Venerable DJ and jazz guru 92 (or is it 93?) year old Chuck Cecil of Ventura has been on the air for 60 plus years, and is still going, but more slowly.

Although his show “The Swingin Years” is legendary among jazz lovers everywhere, WPPB in Long Island, N.Y. is the only station broadcasting his show. The show can be heard streaming on-line at http://peconicpublicbroadcasting.org Sundays from 5-9pm. The glory days of jazz has pasted but hopefully will return soon because many high schools have great jazz and swing bands.

He began as filler for an empty Saturday morning slot on Hollywood’s KFI station in 1956 and was later syndicated to more than 300 stations nationwide and broadcast internationally, to 240 ships and 170 military bases, by Armed Forces Radio Network.

Cecil has interviewed many of the greats of the jazz age including Tony Bennett, Harry James, Artie Shaw, Bing Crosby and Peggy Lee, just a few of the interviews he has conducted over the past 60 years.

He says that perhaps his funniest interview was Peggy Lee who he interviewed in bed (only her not him).

And he never interviewed Frank Sinatra but did shake his hand.

Celebrating a successful summer for tourism in Ventura!

 

Ventura Visitors & Convention Bureau (VVCB) is proud to announce another successful summer for tourism in Ventura and more and more people discover our little piece of paradise on the Central Coast.

This summer, VVCB’s Visitors Center staff and volunteers welcomed over 8,000 visitors from 35 different countries and five different continents -an exciting feat at a time when other visitor centers are decreasing in visitation and some even closing.

The Visitors Center also continues to enjoy record retail sales which have quadrupled since 2012. Tourists and locals alike come to the Visitors Center to find Ventura-inspired gifts, souvenirs, apparel and more featuring 35 local vendors.

This summer, VVCB continued its support of community events in Ventura. The Visitors Center served as a venue for the Artwalk and sold tickets for the Ventura County Fair which complimented by beautiful weather, brought over 318,000 through its gates. “The biggest party of the summer was a phenomenal success not just in terms of numbers but in terms of smiles and happy fair-goers” said Ventura County Fairgrounds CEO/Executive Director, Barbara Quaid.

VVCB also worked on partnerships for conferences and group events that potentially generated an estimated economic impact of over $3 million this summer, and partnered with an array of travel writers from Dubai, Brazil and across the USA.

VVCB’s following has grown by 11,000 people since last year for a total of 40,000 social media fans. VVCB’s website has quickly become its number one marketing asset with over 200,000 visitors to the site this summer with top visitors from the US, Canada, United Kingdom, Russia, and Brazil.

At our hotels, our summer occupancy rate averaged 90 percent on weekends, up 2.5 percent from the same time last year, and our year-to-date occupancy rate is still growing and currently up 1.7 per cent from last year. “Great partnerships and terrific weather in Ventura led to best summer on record for the Ventura Beach Marriott!” said Ventura Beach Marriott General Manager, Shannon Hillygus.

Numbers also show that 2014 was a fantastic year for tourism in Ventura. In 2014, tourism expenditures on lodging, retail goods, meals and beverages and other taxable items brought an estimated $261 million. Of special significance is the tourism industry’s $4.7 million contribution generated through the hotels’ Transit Occupancy Tax (TOT). Without the funds collected through this tax, every Ventura resident would have to spend an additional $2,400 in annual taxes to maintain the same level of services the City of Ventura currently provides.

“We are looking forward to collaborating with our local, regional and state partners to keep the momentum going and top our success next year. We have no doubt tourism will continue to grow in and benefit Ventura, especially given rekindled community pride through upcoming celebrations for Ventura’s 150th anniversary.” said VVCB Executive Director and Central Coast Tourism Council President, Marlyss Auster.

Paragon Academy Jiu-Jitsu wins big at 2015 World Masters

By Veronica Johnson

Paragon Academy Jiu-Jitsu registered to the 2015 World Masters Jiu-Jitsu championship with over 30 competitors, reaching full capacity more than a month before the deadline.

The World Masters is one of the biggest jiu-jitsu championships in the world and is held on September 25-26 in Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring over 2,300 athletes. They battle for the most prestigious medals in their age classes. This year, the World Masters was a non-stop parade of thrills that lasted almost 12 hours. Competitors gave their all on the mat in search of the gold medal, including the biggest jiu-jitsu legends.

Paragon had amazing results as a team, competitors from Santa Barbara, Arizona, Santa Maria, and Ventura winning gold and silver medals. Paragon Academy founder and coach, Ricardo “Franjinha” Miller, won a World Master gold medal in honor of his team. Ricardo continually represents his school at what is the most recognized jiu-jitsu tournament in the world by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation.

Pier Under the Stars annual benefit for historic Ventura Pier

stuff pier under the starsBreeze music writer Pam Baumgardner (venturarocks.com), Breeze co-founder Staci Brown and Diane who lives with the Breeze publisher (poor lady) enjoying Pier Under the Stars—the annual benefit for the historic Ventura Pier that was held on Saturday, October 3 under an absolutely beautiful Ventura evening.

Restaurants, cafes, wineries and breweries served their signature dishes and beverages from tented booths along the seaside Promenade while guests enjoyed live music by Caliente while dancing and bidding on silent auction items, all to benefit the city’s 139-year-old pier.

The sell-out event hosted by Pier into the Future–-a non-profit 501 c (3)—“is a much anticipated community gathering of friends that raises funds for our beloved Pier”, said Pier Into the Future Executive Director Jenise Wagar.

Tech Today with Ken May

Ken May

What to look for when buying a computer – Part 1

Buying a computer is no easy task, and with the cost of many of the machines out on the market today, you want to make sure you’re making the right purchase so you don’t blow your money on something that stops meeting your demands within a year. Not all machines are created equal, and unless you’re pretty familiar with computer hardware, you might have a hard time determining just how unequal they are.

This guide should help you get a better understanding of what all the components of the computer will mean for you and make it easier to decide what you want, need, and which elements to prioritize so you get the right computer for you and don’t spend any more money than you must.

  1. Desktop or Laptop?

This is probably one of the simplest choices to make and can have a big impact on the overall cost of your computer, including expenses that might not come right at the time of the purchase. In general, if a laptop and desktop are boasting all of the same performance specs, the desktop will be cheaper. It might not make sense, since it’s a bigger piece of hardware, but the ability to cram a lot of components into a small space and the need for a battery is what ups the price of the laptop — notice the premium paid for Apple’s thinner devices.

If you often need your computer on the go, the choice is simple: laptop. If it’s only occasional and you don’t need much more than a browser or word processor, you may be able to find a cheap tablet or netbook to do the job, and could potentially afford it with the money you save by getting a desktop as your primary computer. Many people mistake their need for a word processor and internet accessibility with a need for the fanciest computer on the market, which is frankly misguided. Instead of unnecessarily spending the big bucks on a fancy computer, it may be wise to invest in something like a word processor scanner from somewhere like FilecenterDMS, which can help you scan your files and recognize your text in the simplest way possible.

  1. Know the processor and what it means

The simplest way to explain the processor is that it’s the brain of the machine. If you want a fast computer that boots up programs in a flash, completes tasks as soon as you start them, and doesn’t keep you waiting, then you want the strongest processor available — and who doesn’t? You just have to know what you’re looking at when you see a processor’s details.

The short and simple of processors is in the number of cores and the speed (labeled in GHz or Gigahertz) of the processor. The speed of the chip will tell you how much data it can process in how much time, so the bigger the number, the better. The number of cores functions as a multiplier, as the processor is actually a stack of cores that each run at the listed speed (e.g. a single-core 2GHz processor is a lot slower than a four-core 2GHz processor). Multiple cores can also help with multi-tasking, as each can be working on different tasks.

Make sure to ask how many cores are on the chip and what the clock speed is. Two computers might both say they have an Intel i5 chip, but the number of models that go into the group are many and their speeds and core counts can be leagues apart.

Tune in next issue for Part 2!

Ventura Breeze has a new editor

stuff Evinstuff Evin insetThe Ventura Breeze has a new editor 10-year old Evin Brown. Even though he is very young because of his relationship with the Breeze publisher he has been reading the Breeze since he was 2. As his first change to the paper he has decided that classified ads can be on the cover.