April 29, 2021

Banning meat

So, I heard on Fox News that President Biden may be banning meat to combat global warming. Then I remembered that Colorado Democrat Governor Jared Polis had issued a similar proclamation last month.

My first reaction was, what kind of cockamamie idea will the Democrats cook up next. But then I read the article they quoted, and it made a bit more sense.

Apparently, a University of Michigan research report found that replacing 50% of animal products with plant-based foods would prevent more than 1.6 billion tons of greenhouse gasses by 2030, which is Biden’s target date for a 50% reduction in emissions.

Another article I found in The Guardian, argues that animal farming is a major driver of climate change, as well as air and water pollution, soil depletion, and destruction of wildlife habitats.

It’s possible that, in an environmentally sustainable world, we may eventually need to replace meat and other animal products with vegetables, fruits, and grains, just as we replace fossil fuels with wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources.

I may look and see what the internet and my local supermarket have to offer in terms of plant-based meat products.

Victor Castanza
Ventura

Concerned for our children’s education

I am writing because I am very concerned about the quality of the learning environment for our children.

The news of OUHSD breaking its contract with our teachers is alarming. Students were promised a stable learning environment for the remainder of the year; this was agreed upon in the contract signed by both the school district and the teachers. Yet, now the district is requiring teachers to return in person and that they are to teach physical classes and their virtual classes simultaneously. I do not see how this is a conducive learning environment.

The contract signed allows teachers to teach from their home office or to return to a physical classroom. This gives the teacher the ability to choose which environment works best for them. I want my child to have a teacher who can work at their best- this gives my child and all children in the class the best learning experience possible.

It also has been said that if the classrooms do not have enough space, that the district will send our children to tents to learn. I certainly hope this is not true. Our children are already enduring enough stress. Sending them to a tent to do their studies is not acceptable- this is not the best learning experience for our kids.

Why put such destress on teachers and children with only 37 days left of the school year (as of the April 26 implementation date)? Why compromise students’ learning environment and break the trust (and legal contract) with teachers?

I do not see this as rational or responsible leadership on behalf of OUHSD. As a stakeholder, as a parent, and as a member of this community- I completely disagree with this decision. Our teachers deserve better. Our families deserve better. Our children deserve better.

Tiffany P. Lewis
Camarillo

Bullies and censorship on Nextdoor

The alternative world of Nextdoor.

What could be positive and used to help in these hard times is being abused by some.

Nextdoor is meant to bring neighbors and community together and to help each other, but what is practiced in the beach areas is something very dastardly. They have rogue Leads/Reviewers (L/R) who now use this to ostracize innocent people from their own communities. Corporate Nextdoor has rules/guidelines yet a few local L/Rs do not respect and have formed their own coups.

We have all experienced some form of disrespect on this website but the racists remarks that are left up in posts or the false claims of someone doing something illegal can take on its own energy. This is how Nextdoor is being used, especially since elections. Some have taken it upon themselves to delete any info they personally do not agree with.

We need to turn this around to make it fair and equitable for all residents in Oxnard beach areas and beyond. Something can be done. Please write to Nextdoor corporate about your experiences and lead/reviewer complaints.

We need each other more than ever and there must be some kind of community connections that are fair and unbiased. We are not in junior high school anymore. A platform that truly is for the greater good of our loved hometown and it’s long time residents too.

Dotty Pringle
Oxnard Local Artists

April 8, 2021

Sung to the tune of “Corina, Corina.”
By Steppenwolf (but love Taj Mahal’s version best)

Moderna, Moderna,

Where you been so long?
Moderna, Moderna,
where you been so long?
 
I’ve been worried about you baby.
You’re my good shot in the arm.
 
Gotta black bird that whistles.
Gotta white bird that sings.
Gotta blue bird that whistles.
Gotta a pink bird that sings.
 
But if I ain’t got my Moderna,
Pretty birds won’t mean a thing.
 
Moderna, heard you’re a drive away.
Maybe 12 miles, an’ some say 10.
You’re closer each an’ every day.
Soon be flyin’ back into my life again.
 
Moderna, Moderna.
Moderna, Moderna.
Moderna, Moderna..
 
FLY BACK INTO YOUR LIFE AGAIN 
            !GET VACCINATED!
*This message brought to you by Nurses for Social Responsibility; shared by Grant Marcus of Ventura

To Be or Not to Be . . .Vaccinated 

There is a lot of information and disinformation about COVID-19 vaccinations.  Here are the facts you need to know. 

  1. Safety – All the vaccines approved by the FDA are safe and effective.  It doesn’t matter if you receive the Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson &Johnson or another FDA-approved vaccine.  They can all save your life and keep you out of the hospital.  It is important to follow the protocol for the vaccine you receive.  Getting one dose when you should get two may mean your immunity does not last for long. 
  1. Cost – The vaccine is free for everyone who wants it.  The federal government is covering the costs under the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security) Act.  If you have Medicare or Medicaid, your vaccine will be paid for by CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid); if you have commercial insurance, you will not have any out-of-pocket costs; if you don’t have insurance, your vaccine is still covered and the providers get reimbursed through the Provider Relief Fund, a pool of money the government distributed to support healthcare workers and hospitals.
  1. Where – The Public Health Department and some of the national pharmacies (Walgreens, CVS, Kroger/Safeway) are offering vaccinations.  In Ventura County, the easiest way to get an appointment for your first dose is through https://www.venturacountyrecovers.org/vaccine-information/portal.  Schedule your  second dose is through https://www.venturacountyrecovers.org/vaccine-information/portal/registration-d2/

Meanwhile, until the pandemic is controlled, wear a mask, social distance, wash your hands often, and continue to follow the CDC Guidelines. 

Patricia Butler
Ventura

Ormond Beach’s Environmental Pioneers
 
Your current VCReporter story on Ormond Beach (“Worth Saving: Ormond Beach receives $1M for desperately needed restoration,” Chuck Graham, April 1, 2021) is welcomed and timely.
 
However, it needs to celebrate the work of two long time and early environmentalists, Roma Armbrust and Jean Harris. They worked all their activist lives to save that beach and in 2000 won national honors from The National Wetlands organization for doing so.  We have to remember our pioneers and elders in the environmental community and the work they started so we could build on it. We need to keep our local environmental memory deep, sharp and focused on past and present.
 
Please read this national tribute to them and recall them in the next issue.Without Roma and Jean, Ormond Beach could have been washed away in the swirl of development: http://elinwa.org/awards/recipients/roma-armbrust-and-jean-harris
 
Also see the attached tribute I wrote for them some years ago for the environmental community on my website: environmentalventura.com
Bob Chianese
Ojai     

April 1, 2021

This is  no time to think vaccination is our cure-all or Camelot

Although we have been given fantastic news recently in Ventura County, that our county is doing better than most and the spread of COVID-19 is decreasing, and that 44% of our county’s population is on its way to being vaccinated by April’s end, we shouldn’t think that this news entitles us to relax from this pandemic.   
 
The majority of public health physicians and epidemiologists are in agreement that it is fair to warn us against thinking of the vaccine as a cure-all. The CDC and NHS, on CNN and MSNBC, have warned us that there have been at least two new variants from the East Coast that are far more contagious, have spiked cases and are more deadly, hospitalizing those in the 40-49 year-old age range who had no preconditions. Children are spreading one new variant the same as adults.
 
We should also keep in mind that it has also been confirmed that if we contract COVID-19, we may also have “long-haul” effects as the disease could affect different parts of the body years later.  These complications include and are not limited to such illnesses as heart disease, clotting, stroke and pulmonary disease as well as fatigue that is similar to a symptom found in Lyme’s disease.
 
My concern is that we will again bite at the bit, and open too soon, before we know the data and its authentication as to how protected we really are. As we do know, Gov. Newsome is under tremendous pressure to open up the state at all times. And as we perceive this false sense of security in vaccination, and as we move to red and gold tiers, lowering cases, hospitalizations and transmission, my concern is that we will be blindsided once again by these new variants when we are feeling most carefree. 
 
I do not want to be the barer of bad tidings, like “Dr. Doom,” but it is safe to say, buckle up people. Buckle up. Better still, continue masking, sheltering and distancing. Be hygienic. Protect yourselves. And by hook or crook, get vaccinated.
— Grant Marcus (Retired RN)
Ventura