Oxnard City Councilmember Carmen Ramirez distributed the following information regarding the 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8 meeting focusing on simultaneous broadcast in Spanish of Oxnard City Council meeting: “To people who care about the people of Oxnard — Approximately 30% of Oxnard’s homes are Spanish-speaking.…
Category: Opinion
Commentary: Tips on places to sleep when you travel
By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor The holidays are coming soon, and you might be traveling to visit family or friends, and for myriad reasons cannot spend the nights in their home. After that, before you know it, you may…
Commentary: The power of Mexican mythology
By David Magallanes / Guest contributor We must not lose sight of the reality that Mexico is the confluence of two very distinct cultures: one European, and the other indigenous, with its own cultures, beliefs, practices, religions and mythologies. In…
Commentary: A lasting legacy
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier / Guest contributor A good friend, Josie Salinas, passed on to meet her Creator this past August. She filled her life serving others through her friendship, mentoring, and career. As the first female Native American Spiritual Advisor, she…
Commentary: Boomers and seniors — Learn how to relate to your adult children
By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor If you have adult children, they are among the most important of your relationships. Unfortunately, many retired people are estranged or emotionally distant from their adult children. Relationships between you and your adult children…
Commentary: Day of the Dead
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier/ Guest contributor The first of November begins the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) festivities. Its roots can be traced back to indigenous cultures. The Aztecs had a celebration in the ninth month of their calendar…
Commentary: The Occupiers
By David Magallanes / Guest contributor We read about them and see them on the daily news: the Occupiers of Wall Street, Chicago, San Francisco, and now even of Ventura. They are protesting the economic conditions that have befallen the…
CVUUF community forum set for Oct. 27 in Newbury Park
The Conejo Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship is presenting the CVUUF Community Forum David Korten — “American Awakening: From Wall Street Protests to a Main Street Economy,” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27 at Conejo Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 3327 Old…
Commentary: The ideal vacation — northern Tuscany
By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor If you are dreaming of or planning a vacation abroad next spring or summer, I have a recommendation. Tuscany has been a favorite vacation spot for Americans for many years, but it has…
Commentary: Giftedness
By David Magallanes /Guest contributor When I was in college studying mathematics, I often enjoyed listening to music, though not the kind that most young people listen to today. For some reason, I seemed to do my best mathematical work…
Commentary: Chicano Rock!
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier / Guest contributor I love museums, big ones, dinky ones, modern, old, doesn’t matter. And I love most music, oldies, new stuff, R & B, even some rap (my kids could not believe me when I played Eminem…
Commentary: Final De Colores Art Show reception set for Oct. 15 in Santa Paula
By Frank X. Moraga / www.Amigos805.com Say it’s not true, but it looks like the final De Colores Art Show will kick off with a farewell reception from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15 at the Santa Paula Museum…
Commentary: Preparing for retirement
By Boyd Lemon / Guest constributor In an earlier column I told you about how I found my life’s passion — writing — in retirement. It is important to have a passion to pursue when you are retired. This column…
Commentary: Why I Am Catholic. Or am I?
By David Magallanes /Guest contributor I sometimes wonder what pastors of small, struggling churches think when they compare their small, incipient Sunday flocks scattered throughout the meeting room with the packed, standing-room-only masses that attend, well, Mass at the vastly…
Commentary: Ending class warfare in education
Class warfare in education has been waged for years. It must end. Cries from the extreme right have accused President Obama of starting a “class warfare” because corporations and the ultra-rich are being asked to pay their fair share in…
Commentary: Travel as therapy
By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor Have you ever said, “I really need to get away.” Behind this not uncommon expression is the implied recognition that travel, despite its sometimes stressful moments, can be therapeutic. My experience in recovering from…
Commentary: Raising a daughter
By David Magallanes /Guest contributor I have had the experience and privilege of raising a daughter. Many people throughout the years have indicated to me their belief that I had accomplished this task successfully. It was not always easy nor…
Commentary: Young filmmaker shows stamina
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier/ Guest contributor At twenty years of age, Bibiana Martinez, is well on her way to living her passion. She is a student at the Art Institute of California in Santa Monica, California and has already won an award…
Commentary: Retirement — Prepare, prepare, prepare
By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor In September 2003 I sat on my beach chair, cream colored sand caressing my feet, a hundred steps from my front door, my sight drifting from the stark silhouette of Anacapa to the purplish-browns…
Commentary: Nudges: Staying alert
By David Magallanes /Guest contributor Yesterday one of my sisters, who is very attuned to the spiritual dimension, wrote to me that she had gone to bed for the night when suddenly something “nudged” her to get up and go…
Commentary: César’s last fast
César’s Last Fast: “One man taking on Goliath-like forces in a fight for social justice.” The second of a two-part series: By Mona AlvaradoFrazier/ Guest contributor The Kickstarter campaign to raise money to complete the documentary “Cesar’s Last Fast,” began on…
Commentary: So you want to write
By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor I am a retired lawyer who, in the past six years, has re-invented himself as a writer. Since then I have met hundreds of people who tell me they want to write, but they…
Commentary: The dance of life
By David Magallanes / Guest contributor Generally, boys learn about becoming men from their peers (God help us) and their fathers. This could be beneficial if the peers and fathers were raised in a healthy environment — something that seems…
Commentary: César’s last fast
César’s Last Fast: “One man taking on Goliath-like forces in a fight for social justice.” This article is a two part series: By Mona AlvaradoFrazier/ Guest contributor A couple of weeks ago I chatted with a friend about the need for…
Williams sides with consumer protections in votes
SACRAMENTO — As issues relating to consumer protection arose for state lawmakers during the first part of the legislative session, Assemblymember Das Williams (D-Santa Barbara) sided with consumers 100 percent of the time, the office of Das Williams reported in…
Capps celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month
WASHINGTON — Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) issued the following statement in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 through October 15 every year. “This week we begin celebrating Hispanic Heritage month and will pay tribute to…
Commentary: Digging deep
By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor I have been married and divorced three times. A few years after my last divorce I wrote a memoir about my journey to understand my role in the destruction of those three marriages, “Digging…
Announcement: Author presentation this weekend
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier / Guest contributor This weekend we have an interactive and fun author presentation for children within Ventura County. At the Ventura Bank of Books, we have “My Handy Writing Book: A New, Fun and Easy Way to Write…
Commentary: A Mexican cousin’s view of the U.S.
By David Magallanes /Guest contributor It was their 8/25. It doesn’t resonate with us as well as “9/11” does and always will. The events of August 25, 2011, weren’t of the gasping magnitude of 9/11, but it shook Mexican society…
Commentary: Baseball, horse races and trains
Editor’s note: Boyd Lemon reported this week that his book “Digging Deep: A Writer Uncovers His Marriages,” was the 65th best selling book in its genre on Kindle. This week the ebook version is on sale for 99 cents on http://www.Amazon.com, http://www.BarnsandNoble.com and http://www.Smashwords.com By…
Commentary: Dieting…Or A Way of Life?
By David Magallanes / Guest contributor Sometimes I wonder if at my age and considering my gender, I’m a candidate for anorexia. Especially when I get dressed for the day, look at my profile around the waist area in the…
Commentary: Recovering from divorce
By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor Since one in two marriages in the United States ends in divorce, it is a subject many of us think about, but, except for celebrity divorces, not much is written or publically said about…
Commentary: My Daily Fix
By David Magallanes / Guest contributor It’s something I have to have. I buy it and have it delivered to my house every day. I can’t imagine not having it, and if I’m out traveling and can’t get it, I…
Commentary: Complications of diabetes in the United States
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier/ Guest contributor Last week’s article discussed the ‘Diabetes Epidemic’ in the Latino community. I hope you remembered the challenge: eat more green vegetables and begin to exercise fifteen to thirty minutes a day. The other day I mentioned…
El Concilio urges ‘Get together. Give together’
As we enjoy the last days of summer in Ventura County, it is a time to appreciate all that we have — sunshine, beach time with friends, summer vacations, Yvonne Gutierrez of El Concilio Family Services reported this week in…
Commentary: Forgiving
By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor Half of the time my father worked nights, so he had more leisure time during the day than most fathers. He spent much of that time with me. We went to baseball games and…
Commentary: Remodeling…What have I done?
By David Magallanes / Guest contributor I look around my home now and see devastation. But this is good. It means my remodel project has finally begun. But as I look around sometimes, I catch myself asking, “What have I done?”…
Commentary: Diabetes in the U.S. Latino community
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier/ Guest contributor Last week I shared a family incident, which many people said they identified with on two levels. One was the “Sandwich Generation,” which I also call the “Quesadilla Generation,” because I often feel like sticky queso pulled…
Latino Links: Media trends
To counter opponents of NBC’s proposed merger with Comcast last year, NBC promoted a number of TV series featuring minorities. But little more than six months after the approval of the merger by the Federal Communications Commission, some of NBCUniversal’s…
Commentary: What they have
This is the second of a two part article started last week about my visit to an African village. By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor After walking more than a mile from the village center, we arrived at the village…
Commentary: Chaos
By David Magallanes / Guest contributor Earlier this year I started to read a book that is not your average bedside novel. When people at a party ask me, “What books are you reading now?” I no longer tell them that…
Commentary: The Sandwich Generation, Hold the Mayo
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier/ Guest contributor Last night my sister and I lounged on the balcony watching the sunset. We’re on vacation, with our mother and other sister, near San Diego and it’s a lovely warm evening. The mountains turned from green…
Commentary: WHAT THEY HAVE (Part 1)
A Personal Essay By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor Not long ago I joined a small tour group to visit a village in Malawi, Africa, a small country east of Tanzania. “I will be your tour guide,” Kea said. “The…
Commentary: Searching For Aztlán—Part IV (final part)
By David Magallanes/ Guest contributor When I was young and my parents would take me and my siblings to Mass on Sundays, we would pass through the main doors at the back of the church, entering the vestibule as the ushers…
Commentary: The debt ceiling debate: Was it lunacy?
By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor Polls show that the vast majority of Americans were appalled this week at the debate over the debt ceiling that seemed to take the country to the edge of economic catastrophe. Did this debacle…
Commentary: Searching For Aztlán—Part III
By David Magallanes / Guest contributor On April 3, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, Martin Luther King gave, in retrospect, an eerily prophetic speech that hinted at his assassination one day later. He also appeared to shred the veil between our perceived…
Commentary: Why read multicultural literature?
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier / Guest contributor Last month a survey found that nearly 80 percent of U.S. adults believe multicultural books are important for children, but one-third say they are hard to find. The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, a non-profit organization…
Commentary: Expectations
By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor Our minds generally are responsible for determining how “happy” we are in life, assuming we have enough to eat and shelter from the weather, though I have seen homeless people who are happier than…
Commentary: Searching for Aztlán, Part II
By David Magallanes / Guest contributor In my article last week, the first regarding the search for Aztlán, I mentioned that I first heard about this mysterious place during my college years. Since I was an engineering major, and not a…
Commentary: Why write?
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier/ Guest contributor Today was one of those days when I just didn’t want to write. It was chilly outside my warm blankets and overcast. My character, Juana Maria, pobrecita, had just received a letter from her mother-in-law, Mrs.…
Commentary: Recovering from divorce or the breakup of a committed relationship
By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor Breakups and divorces are so common in our culture that it is a topic that cannot be discussed too much, in my opinion. It leaves many deep scars. I am not a psychologist or…
Commentary: Searching for Aztlán
By David Magallanes / Guest contributor This article is the first in a series on the concept of “Aztlán.” It is such a deep concept, and despite the Hispanicization of the original native Mexican word from which it sprang, its essence…
Commentary: Writing memoir and life history
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier / Guest contributor Three years ago, “The Bucket List” came out in movie theaters across the nation. Two terminally ill men drew up a wish list and then hit the road to accomplish those things before they “kicked…
Commentary: The importance of place
By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor I was born in Alhambra, California, 9 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, and at the age of 63 I hadn’t strayed far across L.A. to the west side. For many years I felt…
Commentary: Dealing with prejudice
By David Magallanes / Guest contributor Prejudice has not been a major problem in my life — at least as far as I know. I’ve brushed against it throughout my lifetime, as we all have in one form or another, whether…
Commentary: So you want to write
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier / Guest contributor There is a saying that “everyone has a story,” and that is true, but few know how to translate stories into books for readers. What motivates a person to write? What are the tips and…
Latino Links: Media Trends
Biculturalism is a key to understanding the advertising, marketing and media consumption habits of Latinos in the United States, according to a recent study by Horowitz Associates. In its annual FOCUS: Latino Report, 18 percent of those Latinos surveyed identified…
Commentary: Eating in the 805 (and the rest of America)
By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor I recently returned from living in Paris for about a year. Of course, everyone raves about French food, but we have great chefs here in the United States. Is it really true that French…
Commentary: On Becoming An “Old Guy”
By David Magallanes/ Guest contributor The Fourth of July was a glorious summer day in Ventura, as are many summer days in our coastal county region. But the Fourth was particularly joyful for me because I was able to spend the…
Commentary: Hey, let’s blame the President!
By David Magallanes/ Guest contributor This is my first foray into anything remotely political. I know that writing political articles is like touching that third rail: I’m asking to be “fried.” That’s not a typo; I don’t think I’m going to…
Commentary: What’s “The Big Deal?”
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier/ Guest contributor Michele Serros fans, mark your calendars. Lulu y Mucha present a Lucy Rodriguez film based on a short story from Serros’ book “How to Be a Chicana Role Model.” It debuts at the Ventura Film Festival,…
Commentary: Reminiscences and wisdom
By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor Ever since I read “The Old Man and the Sea” for high school English, I have been an ardent fan of Ernest Hemingway, but I was disappointed when I read “The Moveable Feast” at the…
Commentary: Staying healthy in an unhealthy nation
By David Magallanes / Guest contributor Summer is at last arriving! Here on the coast, the sun manages to finally break through the clouds every day and bestows upon us a tempered warmth that invites us all to head for the…
Commentary: Staycations
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier / Guest contributor School is out, summer is officially here, and the kids want to go on vacation. What do you do when you have limited resources and time? You ‘staycation.’ “What’s that?” the kids said when I…
Commentary: New in downtown Ventura
By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor I lived in Ventura from 2003 to 2007 and after living in Boston and then Paris for four years, moved back to Ventura three months ago. I wouldn’t give up my adventures in Boston…