The Ojai Post

The world’s greatest newspaper, the Ventura Star, in it’s quest to provide a balanced point of view, has outdone itself by publishing just about anything. Including letters from unhappy folks who seek a platform to misinform.

Carla Bonney claims to be part of a “diverse, nonpartisan group of people, who share a common commitment to work as hard as we can to stop our government from running wild over our rights and freedoms.”

Carla is the organizer of one of many Tea Party protests scheduled for the Fourth. She and others are opposed to the continuation of the tax and spend policies that have brought us to the brink of insolvency and moral ruination. Evidence of her glowing patriotism and her supporters can be found at her website Patriot Revival.

Included in Carla’s list of objections are socialized medicine, deficits, and the administration running roughshod over the Constitution. Good thing socialized medicine was in the list or I would have thought she was talking about her favorite past president. Ooops. Excuse me. She’s non-partisan.

Continue reading "Tea Parties on the Fourth" »

Posted by Fred Rothenberg at 03:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

From the Ojai substation of the VCSD...

On July 3, 2009 the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department / Ojai Substation will be hosting a Multi-Agency DUI Check Point called “Avoid the 14”. “Avoid the 14” represents the 14 law enforcement agencies involved in a grant that the Oxnard Police Department obtained through the Office of Traffic Safety. The grant calls for multi-agency cooperation on DUI Check Points with the intention of increasing DUI awareness during the holiday season as well as acting as a deterrent to driving while intoxicated.

This checkpoint will be on July 3, 2009 between the hours of 6:00 P.M. and midnight at an undisclosed location in the Ojai Valley.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 01:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

Cities across the Nation are reconsidering where to put their funding. The idea of fireworks is becoming a luxury when stacked up against citizens going hungry or people losing their jobs. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-fireworks29-2009jun29,0,2351470.story

"The last food bank line I saw had more than 1,000 people in it," said Mayor Rosemarie Vasquez of Montebello Ca. "We figured that, instead of burning the money in the air, why not give it to people who need it." ~~ on why she's spending the $39,000 budget on food rather than fireworks.

Posted by DK Crawford at 02:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (36) |

Down here at Ojai Coffee Roasting Co. getting a little work done, and David Harris is set up with a drum machine and an electric guitar playing and singing really tastefully. Very nice. He'll be playing here until about 3:30pm or so - if you get a chance, pop in, grab a tea and enjoy some tunes.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 02:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Press Release:

Meegan Huff Expected to Expand Existing and Forge New Community Partnerships as Visibility of Regional Festival Rises

OJAI, CALIF. (June 25, 2009) – Formerly the Ojai Film Festival, the Ojai-Ventura International Film Festival is proud to announce that Meegan Huff has been named the organization’s new executive director as the Festival approaches its 10th anniversary this fall. The behind-the-scenes leadership change comes on the heels of the Festival’s recent announcement that it is broadening its regional footprint by becoming an event encompassing the cities of Ojai and Ventura.

“We are thrilled to have Meegan as a part of our team,” says David Shor, chairman of the Festival. “She brings a strong creative energy to the team—not to mention enormous professional experience in diverse industries that benefit the Festival. We are confident that Meegan will move our vision forward and will take us to the next step in our evolution as we enter our next chapter as a lifestyle-driven destination festival.”

Continue reading "OJAI-VENTURA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR 10th ANNIVERSARY" »

Posted by Lisa Snider at 09:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Posted by evan austin at 05:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) |

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 03:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

Some of you may remember when Deepak Chopra came to Ojai a few years ago. First he spoke to a SRO crowd at the Krotona Institute where he eloquently reminded us of the perennial wisdom, the oneness of all life, and not to identify too much with the various roles we play in this world. For one fleeting moment I almost felt enlightened. I "got it" when he said, "Life is not only stranger than you think, it is stranger than you CAN think."

I'm sure Deepak has his flaws like all human beings, but I am impressed by his astute observations on the human condition. I just finished reading his compassionate tribute to Michael Jackson on the Huffington Post, and felt moved to post it here.

A Tribute to My Friend, Michael Jackson

"Michael Jackson will be remembered, most likely, as a shattered icon, a pop genius who wound up a mutant of fame. That's not who I will remember, however. His mixture of mystery, isolation, indulgence, overwhelming global fame, and personal loneliness was intimately known to me. For twenty years I observed every aspect, and as easy as it was to love Michael -- and to want to protect him -- his sudden death yesterday seemed almost fated.

Continue reading "Deepak Chopra: A Tribute to My Friend, Michael Jackson" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 03:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

If you're feeling too CENSORED here on The Ojai Post, then you have a brand new home at The Uncensored Ojai Poste.

Says UOP Founder Jock Doubleday: "Voice your opinion without censorship! Please include your full name, town and state, web site, and email address with every post or comment."

He also says "The Illuminati Will Fall" just so you know what you're getting into. Congrats, Jock, on an original site with an original name!

UPDATE 3:27pm: Did the Illuminati get to Jock?

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (26) |

[UPDATE 06.28.09] We could use a 2 OR 4 seat Gem-type electric car for our second dignitary. Please help, even if all you can offer is your neighbor's name and phone number! :)

Hey friends,

The Ojai Peace Coalition is looking for a 4-seat electric car to bear dignitaries in next weekend's Independence Day parade. If you own one that you'd be willing to lend, or know someone else who might help out, please email me.

Thanks!
-evan austin
Director, OPC

Posted by evan austin at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) |

Michael Jackson, the sensationally gifted "King of Pop" who emerged from childhood superstardom to become the entertainment world's most influential singer and dancer before his life and career deteriorated in a freakish series of scandals, died Thursday, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. He was 50.

A winsome smile, tousled hair and unfettered sensuality were Farrah Fawcett's trademarks as a sex symbol and 1970s TV star in "Charlie's Angels." But as her life drew to a close, she captivated the public in a far different way: as a cancer patient who fought for, then surrendered, her treasured privacy to document her struggle with the disease and inspire others. Fawcett, 62, died Thursday morning at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, nearly three years after being diagnosed with anal cancer. Ryan O'Neal, the longtime companion who returned to her side when she became ill, was with her.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 04:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (10) |

Death cuts you off with a very, very, very sharp razor from your attachments, from your gods, from your superstitions, from your desire for comfort . . . So how can I find out, actually, not theoretically, what it means to die? It means to be totally free, to be totally unattached to everything that man has put together, or what you have put together . . . totally free. . . While you are living, every moment you are dying, so that throughout life you are not attached to anything. That is what death means.
-- J. Krishnamurti, public talk, January 1, 1986, six weeks before his death

The Ojai Valley News web site has a spot that lists "RECENT DEATHS." There I read the names of my teachers and classmates from Matilija and Nordhoff... childhood dentists and doctors from long ago...my yoga students.... former mayors and city council members....Ojai activists....old friends and acquaintances... I am aware that someday my parent's name and then my own name....will appear under "RECENT DEATHS..."

Yesterday I got a shock when I suddenly saw the name of Ted Cartee, a man with deep roots in Ojai, a man only a few years older than me. I got on the phone and called one of his longtime friends. Today I read his obituary in the Ventura County Star. I am posting it here. I don't know what else to do. Life goes by in the twinkling of an eye. One brief moment in eternity he and I were carpooling to a meeting at the Government Center. We were laughing, speaking out, celebrating some small victory for Life On Planet Earth. Next moment we drop the body and fly free of this Earthly realm, with all it's joys and sorrows.

Yoga classes end with Savasana, Corpse Pose. Why do we do yoga? We do yoga to fully incarnate and consciously inhabit our bodies. And to prepare for death.

Continue reading "In Memory of Theodore "Ted" L. Cartee, Ojai Activist, Spiritual Seeker, Kindred Spirit" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 10:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) |