Casual day outings in the local mountains, forests and shores have for generations been the soul of the Sierra Club and now, for the first time ever, the Los Padres Chapter (Ventura – Santa Barbara counties) has created a Wilderness Basics Course to take you further into adventure.

The WBC is a course designed to help you go deeper into the wild places in comfort and safety, with low impact and enhancing an appreciation and wonder of the backcountry. A dedicated staff of volunteer leaders will demonstrate the skills in a personal, hands-on approach over eight weeks in classroom and outdoor outings beginning January 20.

“This is a great opportunity to share your love of the outdoors with others,” said Suzanne Tanaka, who is coordinating the outings.

"I have seen such programs literally change a person's life. The confidence people develop as they learn new skills and the joy of adventure they experience in the wilderness combine to deepen their understanding of nature," added Teresa Norris, the WBC Chair, who has been both a student and leader in similar courses.
The lectures will cover backpacking, clothing and equipment, first aid, safety, navigation, weather, animal tracking and much more, such as tips from experienced hikers that you won’t find in books. You’ll also get cooking advice and find out how a meal tastes so much better in the outdoors.

You will also learn how to travel in different conditions through weekend outings led by the staff, which include day hikes, a car camp, and two backpack adventures in the local mountains.

The course will use a tried and true updated guidebook called “Wilderness Basics,” along with handouts of important topics. Each time you go on an outing, you will be given a topographical map of the area and learn how to use it.

Participants must supply their own equipment, which may be purchased, borrowed from a friend or staff, or rented.
Persons 18 years of age who are in reasonable health are eligible to take the course and you need not be a Sierra Club member. To enhance your enjoyment, bring along a friend or family member.

The course runs from January 20 to March 10 with meetings every Tuesday from 7-9 p.m. in the Ventura City Hall Community Room.

Price is $145 for Sierra Club members and $160 for non-members.

For further information or to register, call coordinator Teresa Norris at 524-7170 or email at LosPadresWBC@gmail.com. Details are also on the chapter’s website: www.lospadres.sierraclub.org/wbc.

The Rancho Camulos Docent Council is starting 2009 with a full month of activities while the museum is closed to the public. On Saturday, January 10th, they will spend the day pruning over 250 roses in the gardens with lunch provided. Everyone interested in working for the day is invited to bring their clippers and gloves.
A field trip to the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society and Placerita Canyon Natural Area will be held on Sunday January 11th. This day will increase the docents' knowledge of local history in that section of the original San Francisco land grant.
A new docent training class will begin on Saturday, January 17th and run for three Saturdays. Mike Harutunian, teacher at College of the Canyons, will present the history of the Families of Camulos. Docent Gordon Uppman will present the background on Helen Hunt Jackson and her book, Ramona, with emphasis on the Californio period at Camulos. The last meeting will cover the adobe architecture with slides by Judy Triem, a well known historian in the Santa Clara River Valley. Anyone interested in joining the Docent Council is urged to call the museum office to register for training. 521-1501.
Docents are asked to work two days a month, dress in costume for special occasions and pay dues of $10 a year. Everyone is welcome to join the Council.
Museum docents do public tours and assist with school field trips starting again in February. They also work in the office and gardens and keep the museum gift shop open so many hands are welcomed. This National Historical Site is one of the few in California that shows Early California History on a working ranch.

Peter Case
Enlarge Photo

Santa Paula Theater Center presents its first of five concerts of the year. "An Evening With Peter Case and special guest Crosby Tyler", Sat. January 10th. The doors open at 8:00 PM, concert starts at 8:30 PM. Tickets are $25.00 each. This is a kick off for Peter Case’s year-long European tour.

After 30-plus years as one of America’s most enduring and treasured songwriters, Troubadour prince Peter Case has made his most direct and affecting work to date. Case’s first album of original material since 2002, Let Us Now Praise Sleepy John is naked and aching calling to mind the best of the one-man-and-a-guitar ethos that has acted as the backbone of American songwriting since the early 20th century.

Case began his career as a teenage street musician in L.A. during the heyday of punk before forming the seminal power pop bands The Plimsouls and The Nerves. Going on to work with legends like T-Bone Burnett, Ry Cooder and David Hidalg Case has been honored with a three-disc tribute album by legends like Victoria Williams and Dave Alvin. Despite the accolades from his peers, Case is still focusing on making quality new music.

Guest Crosby Tyler performs a fusion of 60's pop mixed with a versatility of songwriting against a backdrop of urban Americana.

Stay informed by checking the Santa Paula Theater Center website for the most current play productions front and back stage and the four additional concerts through out the year. http://www.santapaulatheatercenter.org/

Conway Spitler

If you wish to become Danish, you; must attend three years of language classes. You must pass a test on Denmark’s
history, culture, and a Danish language test. You must live in Denmark for seven years before applying for citizenship. You must demonstrate an intent to work, and have a job waiting. If you wish to bring a spouse into Denmark, you must both be over 24 years of age, and you won’t find it so easy anymore to move your friends and
family to Denmark with you.

“If you don’t read the newspaper you are uninformed, if; you do read the newspaper; you are misinformed.” Mark
Twain

1. The Wall Street Journal is read by the people who run the country.
2. The Washington Post is read by people who think they run the country.
3. The New York Times is read by people who think they should run the country and who are very good at crossword puzzles.
4. USA Today is read by people who think they ought to run the country but don't really understand The New York Times. They do, however, like their statistics shown in pie charts in color.
5. The Los Angeles Times is read by people who wouldn't mind running the country -- if they could find the time -- and if they didn't have to leave Southern California to do it or take those pesky drug tests.
6. The Boston Globe is read by people whose parents used to run the country and did a poor job of it, thank you very much.
7. The New York Daily News is read by people who aren't too sure who's running the country and don't really care as long as they can get a seat on the train and the Yankees win.
8. The New York Post is read by people who don't care who is running the country as long as they do something really scandalous, preferably while intoxicated and the Mets win.
9. The Miami Herald is read by people who are running another country but need the baseball scores to see how the Mets & Yankees did.
10. The San Francisco Chronicle is read by people who aren't sure if there is a country or that anyone is running it; but if so, they oppose all that it stands for. There are occasional exceptions if the leaders are handicapped minority feminist atheist bisexual dwarfs who also happen to be illegal aliens from any other country or galaxy, provided of course, that they are not Republicans.
11. The National Enquirer is read by people trapped in line at the grocery store.
12. The Seattle Times is read by people who have recently caught a fish and need something to wrap it in.
13. The Fillmore Gazette is read by people who want the local city and community news, and enjoy a feisty editorial.

The Ventura County Library community libraries will be closed Monday, January 19, 2009, in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

The fourteen Ventura County Library community libraries include Avenue Library, Camarillo Library, Fillmore Library, E. P. Foster Library, Meiners Oaks Library, Oak Park Library, Oak View Library, Ojai Library, Piru Library, Ray D. Prueter Library, Saticoy Library, Simi Valley Library, Albert H. Soliz Library, and H. P. Wright Library. Books may be returned to the bookdrops at any of the community libraries.

The Ventura County Library is available via the internet, 24 hours a day, at www.vencolibrary.org.

Curves of Fillmore is offering free weight management classes to teach its proven method for losing weight and raising metabolism. More studied than any other program, Curves’ classes are based on the groundbreaking new research findings of the Exercise & Sport Nutrition Laboratory at Texas A&M University. Now, the women of Fillmore can learn the powerful secret that has helped millions of women lose millions of pounds and keep them off for good. Classes are open to members and non-members.

Classes include:
Start-Up Class (90 minutes) for first-time participants.
Phase 3 (30 minutes) to teach the last and most important stage of the Curves Weight management Plan and the secret that makes the plan work.
Special Topics Classes (30 minutes) will cover a different topic each month, including Smart Grocery Shopping, Choosing the Right Carbohydrates, Eating Out, Emotional Eating and more.
Classes will be taught by Curves’ Registered Dietitian, Nadia Rodman, and facilitated by weight management coaches from Curves of Fillmore, through a series of DVDs that will alternate teaching with hands-on activities. Participants will be encouraged to make a weekly appointment to weigh in with their weight management coach, who will provide accountability.
All classes are free to members and non-members, but participants will be able to take advantage of special pricing on essential tools that will enhance their success. For just $49.95, participants can purchase a bundle including: a bottle each of Curves’ multivitamin and Curves’ calcium supplements, a can of Curves’ protein shake, and a copy of the new book "The Curves Fitness & Weight Management Plan." Products are available for purchase separately and no purchase is required to attend classes.
"We’re excited to be offering free weight management classes," said Denise Johnson, owner of Curves of Fillmore. "This dynamic program and the book are brand-new, and packed with cutting-edge information and lots of practical advice that women can use immediately. Every woman who is even thinking about losing weight should definitely check out the free classes."
Curves of Fillmore will be offering classes 1/13/2009 at 10 AM & 7 PM.
For more information, contact Anna Chavez at 805 524-0337 or djinpiru@aol.com.

About Curves
Curves works every major muscle group with a complete 30-minute workout that combines strength training and sustained cardiovascular activity through safe and effective hydraulic resistance. Curves also works to help women lose weight, gain muscle strength and aerobic capacity, and raise metabolism with its groundbreaking, scientifically proven method that ends the need for perpetual dieting. Founders Gary and Diane Heavin are considered the innovators of the express fitness phenomenon that has made exercise available to around 4 million women globally, many of whom are in the gym for the first time. With nearly 10,000 locations worldwide, Curves is the world’s largest fitness franchise. For more information, please visit: www.curves.com.

This is a special time for us at Harrison Industries. As we prepare to celebrate the holiday season we are also celebrating the end of the company's 76th year in business.
Seventy-six years! Our family-owned company has been in operation since before any of our current employees were even born. What began as a two-person business - E.J. and Myra - has grown into one of the largest family owned trash businesses in the United States and for that we are very proud and grateful. Myra will be 94 in February and we are very happy to still have her with us as Co-founder.
Our family has made major investments in the company. We have combined this with a strong commitment to recycling but the challenges will be even greater to keep the momentum going with the downturn in the economy We wish to thank you, our friends and customers for working so hard to make our motto work---Keep Recycling - It's the Right Thing to Do!
We wish you and yours the very best this Holiday Season.
Myra, Ralph, Jim and Myron

The American Red Cross of Ventura County is pleased to announce the newest members to its Board of Directors for 2008-2009.
The board members include M. Cecilia Cuevas of Fillmore, a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch. Cuevas has a long history as an advocate fighting violence against women. She has provided proven leadership statewide as the California Coalition against Sexual Assault (CALCASA), Women of Color Representative for Southern California for several years and currently serves as the Vice President of the CALCASA Board of Directors.
A Ventura resident, Steve Doll, also joins the Board of Directors. Doll is Vice President of NAI Capital in Oxnard, specializing in the leasing and sales of commercial buildings and land.
Doll is actively involved in the community having served many organizations including the Ventura Rotary, Ventura Family YMCA, the Citizen’s Academy for the Ventura Police Department, Save our Libraries (Measure L), and much more.
Jacqui V. Irwin, former Mayor of Thousand Oaks joins the board. Irwin was appointed to the Planning Commission in 2003 and elected to and currently serving on the Thousand Oaks City Council in 2004. She has served on several city council committees including the Crime Prevention Task Force, Lynn/Olsen Road Traffic, Capital Facilities Committee and many more. She currently serves on the CSUCI Dean’s Leadership Advisory Committee and has also been the Chairman of the American Diabetes Tour de Cure Bike Ride for the last four years.
With over 20 years in the hotel & hospitality business, Glenn Hogan has taken on a new path to pursue humanitarian causes. A resident of Thousand Oaks, Hogan served as Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Hawaii Hotels & Resorts (HH&R), CEO of HH&R Information Technology and Communications including property management and points of sales systems. Presently, he serves on the Board of Directors for Pleasant Travel Service, which includes HH&R, Pleasant Aircraft Leasing, LLC, Royal Lahaina Development Group, LLC, and Hogan Family Foundation.
Serving as the seventh president of California Lutheran University, Chris Kimball of Thousand Oaks became president in April 2008 after having served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at CLU for nearly two years. With a distinguished career as a teacher, scholar, and academic leader, Kimball is an author and speaker on higher education. His scholarly work is in the field of American history, with a specialization in urban history and the history of sport. He served on the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), Chief Academic Officers Task Force from 2002-2006, and chaired the group from 2005-2006. He also served as a chair of the Academic Council of Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities (ACTC). CONTINUED »

Community Memorial Health System kicks off its 2009 seminar series with a seminar on vascular disease on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009 in the eighth-floor Nichols Auditorium at Community Memorial Hospital.

This free public education program, “Vascular Disease – A Guide to Assessing Your Risk,” will run from 6 to 8 p.m.

Naveen Sharma, M.D., who is board-certified in interventional cardiology, will lead the seminar. He will discuss the symptoms of vascular disease and ways to help reduce the chances of developing the disease. Dr. Sharma also will discuss the latest treatment options available and provide his candid opinions on the benefits and risks of the newest non-surgical procedures.

Dr. Sharma is a member of the American College of Cardiology, the American College of Physicians and the American Medical Association. He received his medical degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and completed his General and Interventional Cardiology training from Indiana University. He has completed training in Computed Tomography Angiography as well as fellowships in Peripheral Vascular and Interventional Cardiology. Dr. Sharma is a member of Ventura Cardiology Consultants and is on staff at Community Memorial Hospital.

Space is limited, so reservations are recommended. Call 805/652-5436, or register online at www.cmhshealth.org.

Community Memorial Hospital is located at 147 N. Brent St. in Ventura.

Conway Spitler

Name the five wealthiest people in the world. Name the last five Heisman Trophy winners. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest. Name the people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize. Name the last half dozen academy award winners for best actor and actress. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. There are no secondrate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

NOW...

1) List a few teachers who aided your journey through school. 2) Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time. 3) Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile. 4) Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special. 5) Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.

THE LESSON: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care. Charles Schultz

Soroptimist International of Fillmore, a volunteer organization for business and professional women, is calling for applicants to participate in our annual Women’s Opportunity Award. Soroptimist of Fillmore will present a $500.00 cash award to help an eligible Fillmore/Piru woman who is working to improve her economic situation through education and training. Do you know this woman? Does she need to be recognized for her efforts?
With the help of the Women’s Opportunity Award, many women have gotten the courage and determination to turn their lives around. If you know a woman who lives in the Fillmore/Piru area who has made incredible efforts to better her life please help and encourage her to apply for the Women’s Opportunity Award. Eligible applicants must be women who provide the primary financial support for their families, and who are enrolled in or have been accepted to a vocational/skills training program or an undergraduate degree program. If she wins, she will receive a cash award of $500.00 to help offset any costs associated with her efforts to attain higher education, including books, childcare and transportation. After winning our local award she may also win regionally and then nationally and possibly be one of three finalists which are awarded $10,000 each.
Applications are available from any Soroptimist member or from Kathy at Fillmore Mail Stop at 330 Central Ave. in Fillmore. To qualify, the application with all references must be received at Fillmore Mail Stop by January 30, 2009, before 5:00 p.m.

Soroptimist is an international volunteer organization for business and professional women who work to improve the lives of women and girls, in local communities and throughout the world. The Women’s Opportunity Awards program is one of our organization’s major service projects.

For more information about Soroptimist and to read stories about past Women’s Opportunity Award recipients please visit www.soroptimist.org.

Thank you for your consideration,
Soroptimist of Fillmore

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

Healthy Family Farms - 6780 Wheeler Canyon Road, Santa Paula, CA

Date & Time: December 18, 2008 / 1:00 pm Unit(s) Responsible: Sheriff’s Agricultural Crimes Unit / California Department of Food and Agriculture Milk and Dairy Food Safety Branch

(A)rrestees Address Age
Sharon Ann Palmer Santa Paula, CA 48

During the first week of December 2008, the Sheriff’s Department’s Agricultural Crimes Unit identified a subject suspected of operating an unlicensed milk processing plant. After further investigation, it was confirmed that the processing plant was operating while unlicensed, and using potentially unpasteurized milk to produce various milk products, including goat cheese and yogurt. The milk products produced at the plant were being packaged under the “Healthy Family Farms” label and sold to the public at various farmer’s markets in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles Counties.

On 12-18-2008, a detective from the Agricultural Crimes Unit and investigators from the California Department of Food and Agriculture Milk and Dairy Food Safety Branch, Ventura County Environmental Health Department, Ventura County Weights and Measures, and Ventura County Code Enforcement took part in an undercover operation focused on purchasing illegally produced, and potentially unsafe goat cheese being produced at the location and being sold at farmer’s markets.

Unpasteurized milk is raw milk that has not been heated enough to kill harmful bacteria including Listeria, Salmonella, E. Coli, Staphylococcus, and M. bovis (causes tuberculosis). Persons who become ill could suffer a miscarriage, illness to unborn babies, diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps, swollen neck glands, and blood stream infection.

Various containers of goat cheese and yogurt suspected of being produced using unpasteurized milk were purchased from the processing plant and a local farmer’s market during the operation. The food product containers purchased during the operation were seized by investigators from the California Department of Food and Agriculture and Ventura County Environmental Health Department, and submitted to the state laboratory for testing.

Sharon Palmer was arrested and charged with Food and Agricultural Code Sections 35283(a) – Processing Milk or Milk Products without Pasteurization, 35283(b) – and Processing for Resale Milk or Milk Products without a License. Palmer was booked into the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility. A background check of Palmer’s criminal history revealed a prior felony conviction for fraud.

The Humane Society of Ventura County is asking for the public’s help in order to continue housing and treating 37 severely neglected horses that were rescued from a Lockwood Valley ranch on Oct. 8.

“We are in a desperate situation right now,” said Jolene Hoffman, director of the Humane Society’s shelter in Ojai.

Hoffman said that the 20-stall portable barn that businessman David Murdock loaned to the Humane Society, following the October 8th rescue, was being dismantled and moved this week. “Although it was only for two months, we are very grateful for Mr. Murdock’s generosity in loaning us the barn” Hoffman said.

“What makes the Humane Society’s predicament most critical,” Hoffman added, “is that nine of the rescued mares are confirmed pregnant, and 11 more are possibly pregnant. The mares are due to foal between now and March, one any day. With temperatures in the 30s, we need to provide adequate shelter for these neglected mares and foals.”
Hoffman said the Humane Society is planning on purchasing a 20-stall permanent barn for the horses. Eventually this barn will be used for emergency evacuated animals in Ventura County during disasters. The cost for the new barn is approximately $47,000.

Donations may be sent to the Shelter at PO Box 297, Ojai, CA 93024. For more information, call 805 656-5031, or visit www.humansocietyvc.org.