Foster VC Kids seeks to double amount of foster caregivers in Ventura County By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805 While National Foster Care Awareness Month actually falls in May, Elizabeth Thasiah wants to raise that awareness immediately because of the urgent need for foster care families in Ventura County. “We just can’t wait. The need is so important and so we don’t want to delay. For us, every day is Foster Care Awareness Month,” said Thasiah, foster home recruitment, development and support program manager for the County of Ventura Children and Family Services. There are about 500 caregivers available...
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By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805 It was an interesting bit of political theater presented in Congress last week. Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe wandered onto the Senate floor during a discussion questioning the science behind climate change. “Do you know what this is? It’s a snowball,” said Inhofe, who was seen holding the frozen orb aloft in a television news segment and story on CBS News. “It’s just from outside here, so it’s very, very cold out … very unseasonable,” he said. “Mr. President, catch this,” as he tossed the “evidence”? in the direction of a congressional page. And...
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Editor’s note: Amigos805 welcomes guest columns, letters to the editor and other submissions from our readers. All opinions expressed in submitted material are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of Amigos805. By David Magallanes / Guest contributor Just when we thought the Catholic Church, the institution in which I grew up, was becoming drenched in tolerance and enlightenment, we see that the relatively recent phenomenon of girls serving at the altar during Mass is being altered.  Actually, in at least several churches throughout the country, girls are being told that they are no longer welcome at that...
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CARPINTERIA — Girls Inc. of Carpinteria has announced that Arianna Lopez, an 18-year-old senior and a long-time Girls Inc. of Carpinteria participant, has been selected as a 2015 scholarship winner in the competitive Girls Inc. National Scholar Program. She was awarded $20,000 to be applied toward going to college and earning a degree. Girls Inc. National Scholars are outstanding young women selected for exemplifying the Girls Inc. mission of inspiring all girls to be strong, smart and bold, the organization reported in a media release. They are role models for other girls who demonstrate a commitment to achieving academically...
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By Metro Editorial Services (MS) Some people do not have the ability to begin saving for retirement early on. Others may have brushed retirement savings aside for so long that they are now worried that it’s too late to begin socking away money for retirement. While it’s best to start saving for retirement as early as possible, the good news is that it’s never too late to start planning for retirement. If the 40th birthday has long passed and it’s time to finally thinking ahead to retirement, consider these catch-up strategies. • Research tax-advantageous retirement savings plans. A financial...
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> The Office of Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, District 44, has announced a regional workshop designed to help business owners understand the application process to apply for the “California Competes Tax Credit” from 10 a.m. to noon Friday, March 6 at the Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, in the Oak Room. The program provides upwards of $31 million in tax credits to businesses that want to locate, stay and grow their business in California. Workshop co-hosts include Irwin, the Camarillo Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Development Collaborative — Ventura County, the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber...
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By Metro Editorial Services (MS) Doctors are urging pregnant Hispanic women to be more aware of the potential birth defects that affect children of Hispanic mothers in seemingly higher rates than other ethnicities. According to a major finding in a report released by the March of Dimes, babies born to Hispanic mothers have a higher risk of developing defects of the brain and spine known as “neural tube defects.” Neural tube defects, or NTDs, are some of the most common birth defects, affecting more than 300,000 births across the globe each year. An NTD happens when an opening in...
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> Clinicas del Camino Real Inc. will provide information on Covered California and free health screenings at selected locations throughout the month of March in Ventura County. Visit http://www.clinicas.org/outreach/calendar/2015-03 to find times, dates and locations.   > The Ventura County Health Care Agency provides a calendar of upcoming health events, including breast feeding education and support classes during March, at http://www.vchca.org/events   > Gold Coast Health Plan will present “Baby Steps Program by Santa Paula Hospital” from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 17 at 825 N. 10th St., Santa Paula. Information will be provided on Medi-Cal Managed Care,...
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THOUSAND OAKS — Thomas Vozzo of Thousand Oaks, the first CEO of Homeboy Industries, will discuss his efforts to make the nonprofit more self-sufficient at California Lutheran University’s Corporate Leaders Breakfast in Agoura Hills at 8 a.m. Tuesday, March 3 at the Sheraton Agoura Hills, 30100 Agoura Road. Breakfast and networking begins at 7:30 a.m. Homeboy Industries is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive gang intervention program, event organizers reported. The Los Angeles organization provides support services and job training to former gang members and ex-cons and puts them to work in its enterprises, which include cafes, a bakery and a...
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OXNARD — The 2015 Oxnard College Spring Literature, Arts and Lecture Series will present Tinto Tango in concert and dance performance from 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 4 at the Oxnard College Performing Arts Center, 4000 S. Rose Ave., Oxnard. The free event includes the Argentinean tango ensemble, featuring director and bando-neonist Mariano Dugatkin. Violinist Alan Busteed, guitarist Dino Durnad and pianist Pablo Medina will perform popular tango classics to accompany dancers Dennis Cante and Anna Folkerth. Visit http://www.oxnardcollege.edu/news/oxnard-college-literature-arts-and-lecture-series-spring-2015 for more information.
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SANTA BARBARA — The UCSB Multicultural Center will present the Cup of Culture film screening of “La Mission” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 4 at the MCC Theater. Growing up in the Mission District of San Francisco, Che Rivera has always had to be tough to survive. A reformed inmate and recovering alcoholic, Che has worked hard to redeem his life and do right by his pride and joy: his only son, Jes, whom he has raised on his own after the death of his wife. Che’s path to redemption is tested, however, when he discovers Jes is gay. To survive...
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OXNARD — Teatro de las Américas will present “A Night of Boleros — Our Parents’ Songs” from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 5 at Oxnard College, 4000 S. Rose Ave., Oxnard. Teatro de las Américas and Oxnard College inaugurate their 2015 Season of Concert-Dinners with A Night of Boleros. In this first edition enjoy a gourmet dinner from the Mexican gastronomic tradition prepared by students from the Culinary Arts Program at Oxnard College. After dinner, MusicaLatitudes, a local band, will entertain us with a repertoire of boleros made famous in Mexico. The band will be joined by Juan Gonzalez on...
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CAMARILLO — The art exhibit “Isabel Martínez: Un diálogo en arte y cultura” will open with a reception from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 5 at CSU Channel Islands. The exhibit, continuing from March 5 through April 4, celebrates everyday women in Mexico by painting them as manifestations of divine beings. “Everybody has gods and goddesses inside,” Martinez stated in a media release. She integrates cultural and historical elements from her native Mexico in her work such as painting “mestiza” (mixed race) women as manifestations of the Virgin of Guadalupe; the Aztec fertility goddess Coatlicue; and as a female sage...
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VENTURA — The Museum of Ventura County will present “Expectation,” a new series by Women’s History Month artist Marissa Magdalena Sykes and photographer Marie Gregorio-Oviedo, at the Tool Room Gallery at the Bell Arts Factory, 432 N. Ventura Ave., Ventura. The exhibit is a collaboration where feminine identity and critical thought converge on the expectant figure. The exhibit continues through April 1. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1597243517157128 for more information.
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Editor’s note: Amigos805 welcomes guest columns, letters to the editor and other submissions from our readers. All opinions expressed in submitted material are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of Amigos805. By Armando Vazquez / Guest contributor In his best-selling and seminal book, “Chaos, Making A New Science,” the brilliant writer James Gleick writes, “Where chaos begin, classical science stops, for as long as the world has had physicists inquiring into the law of nature, it has suffered a special ignorance about disorder in the atmosphere, in the turbulent sea, in the fluctuation of wildlife populations, in the...
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SANTA PAULA — The Ventura College Financial Aid Office will discuss changes in California legislation in regards to AB540 and how undocumented students are now eligible for Financial Aid and other resources from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26 at the Ventura College Santa Paula Site, 957 Faulkner Road, Suite 106, Santa Paula. Students will speak about AB540 and information will be provided on services available through the Ventura College Foundation, Registrar’s Office, EOPS and MESA. Hands-on Dream Act application assistance will be available. Click here for more information.
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Editor’s note: Amigos805 welcomes guest columns, letters to the editor and other submissions from our readers. All opinions expressed in submitted material are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of Amigos805. By David Magallanes / Guest contributor Recently, as I perused the news items on my computer screen, an article caught my eye. The synopsis of the article was chilling:  The Islamic State is no mere collection of psychopaths. It is a religious group with carefully considered beliefs, among them that it is a key agent of the coming apocalypse.* We Americans, with our somewhat shallow understanding...
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SANTA BARBARA — The UCSB Multicultural Center will present the Cup of Culture film screening and discussion of “No Más Bebés Por Vida / No More Babies for Life,” the story of Mexican-American women who were sterilized at the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center during the 1970s, at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25 at the MCC Theater. English and Spanish with Spanish subtitles. There will be a question-and-answer session with director Renee Tajima-Peña and producer Virginia Espino following the screening. Visit http://mcc.sa.ucsb.edu/Calendar/index.aspx for more information.
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SANTA BARBARA — Santa Barbara’s Casa Dolores — Center for the Study of Popular Arts of Mexico is presenting “Banderaware — Colores of a Republic” through May 31 at 1023 Bath St., Santa Barbara. The exhibit opened Feb. 24. “Banderaware” pottery represents the colors of la bandera, the Mexican flag: green, white and red. Red is commonly used as background color, while green and white are used for decorative details which may feature flora and fauna common to Mexico, in particular deer and birds. The pottery originates in Tonalá and is used for utilitarian purposes. It is first coated with...
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Editor’s note: Amigos805 welcomes guest columns, letters to the editor and other submissions from our readers. All opinions expressed in submitted material are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of Amigos805. By Rodolfo F. Acuña / Guest contributor On September 11, 1973, General Augusto Pinochet in cooperation with the CIA led a military coup assassinating constitutionally elected Salvador Allende and unleashing a reign of terror that in the first year conservatively murdered over 11,000 people. By 1982 neo-liberal wunderkind Milton Friedman declared that dictator Pinochet “has supported a fully free-market economy as a matter of principle. Chile is...
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OXNARD — M.A.K.U. SoundSystem will perform during the Oxnard World Music and Arts Series from 7 to 10 p.m. Monday, Feb. 23 at La Fonda del Rey, 455 S. A St., Oxnard. M.A.K.U. SoundSystem is an immigrant band from New York City with most of its members coming from Colombia. Blending the Afro-Colombian rhythms of their homeland with the amplified kicks of synths, bass guitar, clarinet and trombone, M.A.K.U. SoundSystem combines traditional Colombian folklore with elements of hip-hop, funk, rock and jazz, and an urban and eclectic vibe. Many of M.A.K.U.’s song lyrics delve into topics of poverty and injustice, creating...
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OXNARD — Dolores Huerta will speak on the new Latino Interactive Voter Education Project from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22 at the home of Dr. Manuel and Irma Lopez, 1911 Cascades Court, Oxnard. Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers union and president of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, recently launched an organization called LIVE (Latino Interactive Voter Engagement) that focuses on: Educating Latinos regarding their state and federal constitutional rights Educating the Latino public regarding actual and proposed state and federal legislation, regulations and governmental programs Improving the lives of Latinos through voter education and outreach Conducting research and...
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OXNARD — Clinicas del Camino Real Inc. will celebrate National Children’s Dental Health Month with a Dental Health Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22 at Del Sol Park, 1500 Camino Del Sol, Oxnard. “Children’s teeth are meant to last a lifetime, and a healthy smile is important to a child’s self-esteem. With proper care, a balanced diet and regular dental visits, their teeth can remain healthy and strong,” Dr. Jaspreet Bal, dental director at Clinicas, stated in a media release. The event includes free child dental screenings, coloring activities, oral health education, free toothbrushes, games and...
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Editor’s note: Amigos805 welcomes guest columns, letters to the editor and other submissions from our readers. All opinions expressed in submitted material are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of Amigos805. By Armando Vazquez / Guest contributor In the past few months, every day increasing in severity, I have been living in a suffocating catatonic panic stricken, very real, world of both drowning by water and suffocation by asphyxiation; I cannot for the life of me catch my breath. Death, much like a dying flickering candle that has consumed all of its energy has made an unsolicited courtesy...
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Editor’s note: Amigos805 welcomes guest columns, letters to the editor and other submissions from our readers. All opinions expressed in submitted material are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of Amigos805. By David Magallanes / Guest contributor When I was in elementary school, the Catholic Mass was always celebrated in Latin, the language of the early Romans. As a youngster, I did not understand the language very well. “Dominus vobiscum” sounded like a commercial for Nabisco, and “et cum spiritu tuo” sounded like a number for a spirit: 2-2-0.  But after many years of being dragged—oops, I...
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