A few days ago I was happily caching on Gulberson Road, part of the Hwy 126 series by Max Gold. Then I reached the eastern edge of my pocket query and there were no more caches in my GPSr. At home I saw that there were about 20 more unfound caches on and near the remaining part of the road and dozens more on the other (North) side of Hwy 126.

I went back for those 20 caches to meet my 2009 goal of 1,200 finds. Many of the Gulberson Road caches were 40 year old aluminum 35mm film canisters hidden under a rock at the base of random roadside bush. The cache below was a break in the routine.
Don’t get me wrong. I REALLY appreciate the all the planning, time and effort by Max and friends to place and maintain the caches.

It was a work day for many people so the area wasn’t as deserted as it was on my Christmas Eve trip. I had to skip the caches that were near various work crews. That left me a few caches short of 20 when I reached the Eastern end of Gulberson Road. So I turned North on Torrey Road and kept finding caches. I stopped at River Bottom View (GC1PH9Q), at a bridge over the Santa Clara River.
Crossing Hwy 126 northward, I reached the town of Piru. Even on my quick pass through, historic sites were clearly noticeable. This is the restored railroad station.
There’s a cache 1902 Railroad Bridge (GC12Q6N) 400’ beyond where this picture was taken. A chain link fence prevented access from the west. The eastern end appeared to be on the grounds of an elementary school so I moved on without approaching. Looking on the map later, I saw that the “school,” is a public park. The cache is likely a walk up.
No. This isn’t an image from a colonoscopy. It’s a view into a horizontal pipe where a cache is hiding, complete with guardian mouse. I wasn’t about to end 2009 with bubonic plague or hanta virus so I logged a DNF (Did Not Find).

By noon I knew that I’d finally reached my goal of 1,200 caches for 2009. The finds were coming at the rate of 11 per hour, more than double my usual plodding pace. So I found 10 more for “insurance” in case I’d miscalculated. This was a good thing because on the next day, December 30, it rained. Now, I’m relaxing, free from the stress of needing “just 1 more cache,” until 2010. Happy New Year !!

Oxnard police shot and killed a man to avoid this happening. Was it worth the sacrifice?

One of the things that I think irks people on the left in the anti-war movement is the military/government’s concept of “acceptable losses.” You know, letting a few casualties slip by for the sake of the rest of mankind. If the loss of a few hundred innocent people means saving thousands or millions, than it’s A-OK, right?

I’m not saying that the truck driver Oxnard police blew away yesterday was an innocent man. Right out of a scene from a bad remake of “Speed,” this guy hit the gas full speed down the Ventura Road corridor, eluding police in a high speed chase, plowing into parked cars, and injuring a motorcycle cop who swerved from certain death.

It’s worth mentioning that the 70 propane tanks this guy was hauling could have blown sky high, incinerating Oxnard as we know it into sheer oblivion.

What I am saying is that perhaps police could have approached the situation differently, and instead of shooting into the truck’s front cab just to slow down or incapacitate the driver, a 46-year-old Oxnard man would still be alive today.

A few weeks ago I blogged about the debate over excessive force. Last week, we published a cover story on suicides by cop: those sad cases where a gunman or hostage taker is just asking for a bullet between the eyes.

But since Oxnard police shot and killed the truck driver, we’ll never know how or why this incident happened. (He’s dead, and dead men don’t talk.) Maybe he was ill, suffering a heart attack or seizure that caused the truck to careen out of control. Hell, the man could have needed medical attention, not a chest full of lead.

Maybe his brakes went out, or there was some other kind of system failure making the vehicle uncontrollable.

Of course, maybe none of this is true, and the guy really had snapped, laughing maniacally as he led police on, knowing this would be the final joyride of his life.

And, like one of the big rules of crime scene dissection, a million eyewitnesses could see the same event, and each one will have a different account of what happened. So we’ll never really know exactly what went down yesterday in Oxnard, aside from an official police report and another addition to the county morgue.

That’s why the phrase “acceptable loss” is one of the biggest oxymorons this side of the English language. A loss? Certainly. Acceptable? Not a chance.

This is raw coverage of Main St. in Santa Paula.  A public service announcement (PSA) on seat belts is being filmed so they closed off a couple of blocks of the street.

There have been several films done on this street including Mr Woodcock with Susan Sarandon, Billy Bob Thornton, and Sean William Scott.  In that film, this street was supposed to be in Mississippi.

I took a quick look to see the whole setup as they prepared for the next take.

airing during 12/13 to 12/18/2009 in Ventura (see air times)

airing 12/7/2009 in other cities in Ventura County (see air times)

click to view video

Lilly Ledbetter, pioneer of the "Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009"

Speech by Lilly Ledbetter, pioneer of the “Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009″ about pay discrimination, loss in the Supreme Court, and final passage of a bill in Congress to allow recourse and guarantee equal pay for equal work. Sponsored by the Ventura County Womens’ Forum 2009 and held at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks on Oct. 10, 2009.

In the 1974 ruling of Procunier v. Martinez, the US Supreme Court sustained that prisoners are allowed to communicate with the outside world, and that their mail could not be seizured unless it pertained to “an important or substantial governmental interest unrelated to the suppression of expression[1].”  This precedent, regarding the postal service, should be considered, in my opinion, when deliberating the cases of Sam Riddle and Roger Avary. These two men have both seen retribution from officials for utilizing their Twitter accounts in regards to or during their prison sentence.

First, the Detroit Free Press reports today on the Riddle case, quoting the Twitter post that saw him being chastised by his honor, U.S. District Avern Cohn, who said in regards to Riddle’s tweet:

“[K]eep his fingers off the keyboard as well as his mouth closed.”

This is what Riddle had written:

“Going To Fed Court Today. Drop Dead Date For Me To Say. “No Deal” & Go To Trial. Hate This Crap But Gotta Deal With It.”

He didn’t mention any details of his case, which involves him spreading bribes for a pawn shop in Southfield, including hand-delivering a bribe to secure the vote of Detroit Councilwoman Monica Conyers. Riddle did not provide information pertaining to anything which could be construed as governmentally sensitive. He merely stated where he was headed and his personal feelings on the matter. Does a Federal Judge have any legal right to bar his communication with the internet community pre-trial, particularly considering that he is not even an in-mate yet (and let alone may be found innocent)?

Okay, that may be too obtuse; how about the case of Roger Avary, the co-writer of Pulp Fiction and director of the film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ novel The Rules of Attraction, who is currently serving time for vehicular manslaughter whilst under the influence? As CNN reports, he’s been tweeting over the past month. He was part of a program that allowed him to leave during the day, to hold a job, but wherein he would be incarcerated over nights and weekends – he’s recently been removed from the program, and the tweets have stopped.

Does this not infringe on his inalienable rights? Ventura County, where Avary is being held, does not allow internet access in their facility (which stops prisoners from recieving emails from criminal contacts and relations alike): but shouldn’t they? Internet filters could be installed to screen emails that refer to contraband, as that pertains to prison security, but a complete ban? This is an undoubted infringement on the First Amendment rights of every single American – even those incarcerated. As Riddle posted on his Twitter later in the day:

They Stop Me From Tweeting -You Are Next

     For years, the city of Ventura was merely a bed-room-town for me.  All I did was work and sleep. With working the long hours, it is very difficult to appreciate what this city has to offer.
     The down economy provided me with less time at work and more time at home. Yes, this is a bad thing. It is a struggle, but what better place to be living with free time then in Ventura California. I have found a new and interesting appreciation for the city that I live in.
     This site is being created in appreciation for all of the people that are choosing to create business in Ventura County. I will be writing about products made in Ventura and people selling products in Ventura.
     If you create business in Ventura County and would like to have a blog written about you, please contact me. Just tell me a little about yourself and the business that you do. I will contact you immediately.
Thank you,
Jason Schepers.
jason@madeinventura.net
Phone: 805-290-1094
Skype: made_in_ventura

Maybe it was the guilt over taking, and not giving, this holiday season. Or some last-minute remorse knowing that once the score goes down, you’re in big trouble.

It was the most unique part of a Thousand Oaks bank robbery this week: witness reports that the thief-at-large began crying as he made his escape.

Now, I don’t recall Robert De Niro getting all misty eyed following the big bank heist in “Heat,” but that’s Hollywood, and this is Ventura County.

And this is a thief who doesn’t sound, from police reports, like he’s a hardened professional who’s done this sort of thing before. In fact, according to officials, when he made his demands for cash, the man said he was a former employee that the bank owed money to.

“Sympathy for the Burglar” would be the criminals’ rights-endorsed Stones reworking as a theme song for this robber, who understandably has fallen on hard times. Unemployed, broke, no opportunities, maybe even starving for Thanksgiving, we’ve all heard of people turning to acts of crime in times of sheer desperation.

The man’s tears symbolize that feeling we’ve all had at one point or another of hitting the bottom with no apparent way out. The sensitive criminal, so to speak.

But in the same vein, if you apply a song like “Breaking the Law” to the situation — that mighty, metallic justification of a life of crime against a world that’s turned its back on someone — it becomes clearer that this man is like any other criminal … using force and the threat of violence to steal and get their way.

That’s why we shouldn’t be swayed into feeling sorry for anyone who makes excuses for why they turn to a life of crime, whether they cry crocodile tears or not. Let’s hope this guy’s guilt at the scene leads him to turn himself in.

Luckily, nobody was hurt during the incident. But imagine the stress and fear bank patrons were forced to endure, thinking they could be taken hostage, hurt, or worse.

I wouldn’t want to imagine a simple checking account deposit during my lunch break turning fatal because some foolhardy thief blew me away for my trouble.

It’s something for anyone else thinking about robbing any banks to reflect on this Thanksgiving.

Beautiful views from Serra Cross Park in Ventura, CA. The park is up on a hill and from there you can see several views of Ventura County.

It's not how you sign, but what you're signing for.

With Election Day now passed, we’ve had a few quiet weeks devoid of a boggling alphabet of ballot measures, a myriad of candidate speak, and an inundation of campaign literature enough to drive you crazy.

But just as quickly as one election season ends, another has begun, and it starts with petition takers you may see at grocery stores and other retail locations were foot traffic is likely to generate at least a few John Hancocks in favor of a certain cause.

I encountered such a petitioner this past weekend and thought I knew what I was signing for … and what I was getting myself into.

I was pretty sure after I left the polls two weeks ago that I had cast each of my votes  carefully, without any errors. It’s the post-election OCD that commonly afflicts many a concerned voter: Did I vote for the right candidate? Oh no! I voted no when I meant yes, and now if the measure fails, it’s all my fault.

On Saturday, I didn’t exercise the same measured care with this petition I usually carry out at the ballot booth.

The sign at the table asked people to endorse a ballot measure legalizing marijuana. Informed by our paper’s recent and ongoing coverage of the issue, I decided to sign because it’s been proven that marijuana, in many forms, is medicinal and beneficial for many patients of serious and terminal illnesses. THC is not the evil drug despised by masses of the uninformed.

In our conservative-minded Ventura County, I noticed my signature was one of few — very few. Try 3 at 3 o’clock in the afternoon.

Yet just as I’d dotted the ‘I’ in my last name, the page was flipped over to another page which I was asked to endorse … and another.

Mid-autograph, I stopped and hesitated to wonder, then to ask, “Are these all for medical marijuana?

No, the woman told me, and quickly rattled off that my additional two signatures were to endorse two separate, and completely unrelated, potential ballot measures. I think one was for auto insurance reform, I don’t remember. I may have even supported one or both of them had I been a student of the issues at hand.

But that’s besides the point. The point is that petitioners will try to take advantage of signers who endorse their first, major cause by quietly getting you to sign for other matters you may know nothing about … or even realize you’re blindly signing for.

So be careful when you go to vote or if you sign a petition that you have a good, working knowledge of the issues at hand. A poor grasp of some political matters have no doubt caused ballot measures to fail (or pass) at the polls when they shouldn’t have because people weren’t better acquainted with information.

And that goes for anything you may sign your name to: you could be getting ripped off.

I could have been signing over my soul to Satan, for all I knew.

Get out of your contract, you say? When hell freezes over.

Thats right! Westlake won! Woot! So happy!

Here is the preview:

Here is the LINK to the highlights on the VCSPreps website. The wrap-up should be posted later today.

HOORAY!

I’m still reeling from the intensity of last week’s local DUI summit, and I wasn’t able to stay for the whole event, which was undoubtedly impactful and eye-opening to the dangers of drinking and driving.

The summit was held at the eve of a time of year when people are partying, drinking, and driving home from said parties, drunk.

Of course, as we all learned, not everyone who drives drunk dies.

So why is it that DUIs seem to have a more public stigma attached to them?

Case in point: our local daily paper published two auto accident stories within the last 24 hours.

In the first, a Thousand Oaks woman was arrested for driving under the influence after she crashed her car, seriously injuring herself.

In the second, 3 young Oxnard men were all killed in a brutal car accident. The driver of the car was also seriously injured. Alcohol is not being ruled as a factor in the crash at this point.

Considering the severity — and the number of fatalities — in the second crash, why is it that the paper has barred readers from submitting online their comments to the Thousand Oaks accident?

Rumors have circulated that the woman has indeed passed away since the story hit the WWW yesterday afternoon; yet nonetheless, locking the comments section on a free Web site indicates to me that this confirmed DUI story is being more … guarded by the powers that be.

It’s especially noteworthy because the story of the second crash relayed such a terrible vulnerability on part of the deceased: all in their late teens, and one a father who leaves behind a young family.

Shouldn’t both reports be open for public comment, for condolences and for discussion? Trolls will always abound on the ‘Net and insensitive comments will always be attempted, but that’s what Web moderators are for: to moderate the suitability of what should be published.

But by closing off that avenue of conversation for a drunk driving story, we do the opposite of raising awareness to the problem. It’s more akin to pushing the problem away than acknowledging it and discussing it.

We should have that freedom of speech just like we have the freedom to drink. But just as it’s against the law to drink and drive, it shouldn’t be prohibitive to talk about it before another fatality happens again.

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2009/nov/11/3-oxnard-men-die-in-solo-crash/?partner=popular

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2009/nov/11/major-injuries-in-to-crash/?partner=popular

Sometimes, we don’t fully grasp the gravity of tragic situations until we learn about them in vivid detail from someone who’s experienced one firsthand … or until we experience it ourselves.

A drunk driving prevention summit today in Ventura was full of explicit detail, no doubt; but it was the kind that we don’t like to see or hear.

The event struck that middle ground — more like a chasm, actually — between what is enlightening and what is uncomfortable. If you can believe that can be achieved, after hearing the professionals and doctors speak at the summit, you would never, ever consider having a drink and starting that ignition again.

ER and trauma specialists often experience high burnout rates because of the pressures and severities, and maybe even the carnage, their job constitutes almost every day, according to Dr. Javier Romero.

We read about DUI fatalities all the time … and maybe we become a bit desensitized to the news. But hearing Drs. Romero and Kimbrell go into lucid detail about the inuries sustained to some of the drunk driving victims they’ve treated, makes one realize that cars truly are deadly weapons when we operate them under the influence of alcohol.

The damaging effects of alcohol are not just limited to roadway incidents, either. According to Dr. Romero, CDC data shows that fire deaths and drowning explain 30 percent of alcohol-related deaths, accidental falls 40 percent.

And they’re not accidents, either, he says … they’re preventable deaths.

But people need to be aware of the dangers of alcohol for injury and death to be prevented, especially now that we’re entering the holiday season, the season of parties when drinking is in abundance.

Because of that increase, Dr. Romero believes that the numbers he cited are, sadly, inaccurately *low* for this time of year.

Don’t drink and drive!

3 parts

airing during 11/1 to 11/20/2009 in Ventura (see air times)
airing 11/2, 11/9, 11/16/2009 in other cities in Ventura County (see air times)

click to see full video

Todd Thayer, executive director of CAPS TV, Channel 6 in Ventura

Hap Freund, executive director of The Santa Barbara Channels, 17 & 21

Interview with Todd Thayer, executive director of CAPS TV – community access Channel 6, and Hap Freund, executive director of The Santa Barbara Channels – community access Channels 17 and 21, by Cindy Piester, producer of PULSE. Discusses state of media, localism and public access stations.

Cindy Piester, host and producer of PULSE

Here is the wrap-up video from that epic game!

Fillmore won 41-34 in a dramatic last second touchdown over the Cardinals.

Enjoy!

I would never personally drink this stuff ... but go buy it in Thousand Oaks, and prepare to encounter a warning first.

It must either be a slow news day, or people care about drinking alcohol just a bit too much in these here parts of Ventura County.

Daily paper coverage of new regulations in Thousand Oaks, requiring liquor vendors to post signs in their establishments warning of the dangers of alcohol-energy drinks, has amassed the most reader comments than any other story today.

And that’s about on par with another story of a murder indictment.

I’m not a fan of those hybrid alcoholic energy drinks — think Monster or Red Bull with a 9-percent alc/vol — but walk into a Thousand Oaks liquor store from now on, and you’ll find signs warning that the drinks, apparently from the unique combo of alcohol with heart-amping energetics, are not only impairing, but in bold, INCREASE YOUR RISKS OF INJURY.

It’s all good, right? So then why are some people so irate? Says one reader:

Just another form of Nanny Government. Last time I checked the City had a major deficit and the economy is in the toilet so why are they even discussing this issue when they have zero authority over it. This is nothing more then the council pushing its moral beliefs onto others. What a waste of taxpayers money.

Unless you may think signage is an infringement of your personal rights, I don’t really see how it’s any more harmful than suffering the impairment and injury local authorities are looking to prevent by warning consumers.

Hell, it’s not like the T.O. brass is prohibiting alcohol altogether.

It’s like any other warning, on a pack of cigarettes, for example, or Yield signs on the road … you don’t have to stop your car into oncoming traffic, but if you heed the warning, you just might be better off.

This reader posted their ideas with a bit more consideration to the dangers of alcohol:

I can’t believe it, there was an article on drunk driving and every one was for hanging the guys, the city passes a law to help keep them off the streets, I don’t see how anybody can be against that, the signs do not infringe on anyone they just inform. I have attended to many funerals of drunk driver victims.

And like the root of the word, to inform is to relay information, which never killed anybody before. But drinking and driving has, all too often on Ventura County’s roads. And there’s no doubt there’ll be a lot of it happening on Halloween this weekend, once again.

Here’s hoping for a safe holiday, and that people will learn to read before they drink.

The wrap-up from 10/23

When CNN released their top 50 places to launch a new business for 2009, my first reaction was that there were no cities west of the Rockies on the list.  No surprise to those who run small businesses on the west coast.  My eyebrows really lifted when I realized most of these cities have Walmarts, the supposed slayer of all small business.  Many of the cities on the list have more than one Walmart serving their town.  El Paso, TX, number 17 on the midsize city list, has 10.

Cities that fight a Walmart are just demonstrating their difficult climate to start and run a small business.   No surprise that California is full of these cities.   There still might be hope for Ventura.  We need to start creating jobs and stop protecting special interests.

As a business owner in Camarillo Old Town, participating in the Chamber’s Old Town Association committee is an important priority in our business plan.   Although the benefits of a revitalized Old Town to businesses located here are obvious, the benefits to our community are often understated.    Since public/private partnerships are essential to revitalizing the Old Town district, it is important to note the benefits to Camarillo’s residents, government and its economy.

Unlike traditional shopping centers, businesses in Old Town are connected by public sidewalks and utilize public parking spaces.   Our city council recognized the need to redevelop the neglected district and funded a multi-phase project to upgrade the public property in the district.  The award winning project has improved and/or added sidewalks, planters, streetscape, signage and parking.    Many private property owners and their tenants have in turn upgraded facades and building interiors.

Revitalizing a commercial district requires more than upgrading physical improvements.   The redevelopment must include elements that create a sense of community, provide opportunities to socialize in a vibrant and safe environment and draw visitors to our area.   Our committee members assist in organizing special events for the neighborhood such as Fiesta, Art and Jazz Festival and our most recent event, Cruise Nights.

These events also require a public/private partnership to produce and could not happen without the support of the City, Chamber of Commerce, local businesses and property owners.   Our festivals and special events contribute to quality of life, giving neighbors a chance to celebrate community and create memories.  Confirming the “staycation” trend, a California/Nevada Festivals and Events Association survey shows 66% of organizers reporting increased attendance this year with some reporting record setting attendance.  A thriving downtown commercial district with a calendar full of special events and festivals is another marketing point to attract new businesses and residents as well as retain and recruit new employees.

 The City’s investment in Old Town is rewarded with additional property and sales tax and reduced pressure for sprawl development.   Festivals and special events augmented with our convenient car and train access also attract visitors from outside the area to Camarillo.   Increased visitor traffic and healthier economy benefit businesses outside the district.

The challenge in these tight economic times is funding these events.    Sponsorship and public money sources are shrinking.   The Old Town Association committee has been exploring various alternatives for funding events, marketing, security and physical improvements for the neighborhood.    The leading option is a forming Business Improvement District (BID) similar to those of downtown Oxnard and Ventura.   Property owners in these districts voted to impose a parcel tax dedicated to funding neighborhood needs.

The BIDs in our neighboring cities are further examples of the public/private partnership necessary to improve downtowns.   They are also well organized and funded competitors to downtown Camarillo.

Disaster Alert

California – A wildfire in Santa Cruz County burned hundreds of acres, threatened homes and prompted the evacuation of residents in the surrounding area on Sunday. The Santa Cruz Chapter deployed a Disaster Action Team (DAT), opened an evacuation center, provided food and water to affected-area residents and placed a shelter and an Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) on stand-by.

With all the talk of the need for affordable housing in the City of Ventura, we sometimes seem to overlook other local cities, and no other city is focusing on that need than Fillmore.

Fillmore has had a rough year, coping with the exodus of several city officials — some of them under fire for questionable acts — and now, a dispute over rent control and senior citizens rights in Fillmore’s low-income, mobile home tenant community.

This is the basis of what Measure F proposes for Nov. 3: a mobile home exclusive zone,  rent control for mobile home tenants, and easier conversion of mobile home rentals to ownerships.

And with all the talk of Measures A, B, C and E, it’s become like Alphabet City around here … with the exception of F.

Since our paper doesn’t predominantly cover Fillmore, this blog provides a good opportunity to endorse Measure F.

Like allegations that seniors in Ventura had been treated unfairly by code enforcement rules, the heart of Measure F is really all about senior citizens. Whether working or retired, many don’t have a lot of money; renting a mobile home in their twilight years is often all they can afford. Where can they turn to if landlords keep jacking up their rents?

Some people on online message boards posited that many seniors can move in with family. But why should they if one is still capable of independence at an old age? Greed has displaced one too many low-income people one too many times. It’s harder when someone is over 65 and not upwardly mobile any longer.

Measure F would establish better rent controls in Fillmore, specifically, at the El Dorado Estates, for those who qualify.

One reason why it’s called the Fair Rent and Home Ownership Initiative is because Measure F also looks to adopt better, easier standards for renters looking to purchase their mobile homes. Stabilize rent for those who do, and allow better ease of purchasing that same rented home.

Within all this, Measure F’s focus on mobile home exclusivity is another, third factor: to change Fillmore’s zoning laws so certain areas in town are zoned specifically for mobile homes.

It’s one of the most important parts of Measure F because it ensures that mobile homes aren’t squeezed in wherever there’s a random parcel available.

Let’s hope Measure F passes so we can see similar initiatives across Ventura County in the future.

The past weekend was spent with close friends in Camarillo, CA. Just off the 101 Freeway, and south of Santa Barbara, the suburban city is home to agriculture and California State University, Channel Islands. The quaint section of town known as “Downtown Camarillo” is also home to a bevy of restaurants, including our most recent visit: “El Rey” (the king en espanol.)

At the suggestion of one of our friend who is also a Camarillo local, the rest of our group decided to have dinner at the restaurant which boasts of “Elvis Presley” decor (hence the “King”) and a menu of Mexican favorites. Fully enamored with Mexican cuisine, my husband and I jumped at the chance to have our second taste of Mexican cuisine that day (we started our morning with breakfast burritos for a local joint known as “Las Olas” or “the waves.”)

Upon arriving with our group of seven we were told there was a wait of about thirty minutes. The bar was initially full, and the Camarillo location lacks a proper waiting area, so our wait began with the group of us standing near the middle of the one-room restaurant with confused looks on our faces. Luckily, another friend mentioned a new IPhone app, so I was entertained while we waited. Once a few people left the bar our group was able to take their places and, in true bar form, we were also left with their glasses and used napkins. Even when the pregnant member of our group pushed one of the used glasses to the edge of the bar and loudly asked for a soda, the bartenders failed to catch-on.

About twenty minutes, two amber Dos Equis (they did not have lager), two house margaritas on the rocks with salt, a regular coke, and a mango margarita on the rocks later, we found our table was ready to go and we were seated. Our waitress was quick to greet us and the busboy was great about providing us with ample chips and salsa.

Unfortunately, the greeting was about all that was quick. We took our time looking over the extremely brief menu that was most definitely not the collection of Mexican-American cuisine we had hoped for. Instead, we saw such dishes as “Beer Chicken” and “Hamberguesa.” I personally opted for the chopped salad with ranch dressing, as it seemed to be a healthy-yet-tasty option. My husband and a friend chose to share the largest burrito on the menu and a four-taco plate (two carnitas, two carne.)

The next time we saw our waitress, maybe fifteen to twenty minutes later, we were able to make our orders, but our food took more than thirty minutes to arrive and the food itself was about as tasty as the service.

My salad was lacking in taste and the dressing had to be the canned ranch of pizza parlors and fast food venues. The burrito and tacos, had by husband and friend, was definitely better than the salad, but I would have paid for the waitress to walk down the street to Las Olas and order me another breakfast burrito before I ate the entire thing.

The best part of the meal was the dessert, “fried” vanilla ice cream complete with caramel topping and seven spoons. However, when the bill eventually came and it took the waitress well over fifteen minutes to pick it up and run our cards, I was officially over the positive moment.

That is the game of the week for this Friday! Here is the link to the preview video:

Rio Mesa vs. Hueneme

3 parts
airing during weeks of 10/4 – 10/24/2009 in Ventura
airing 10/5, 10/12, 10/19/2009 in other Ventura County cities (see Air Times)

Speech by Naomi Klein, author of No Logo and The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, at the Ethical Culture Society in New York, NY, on Sept. 17, 2007.Discusses how radical capitalism take advantage or crisis to push forward unpopular economic agendas.Produced by DEMOCRACY NOW! and featuring Amy Goodman.

A "MySpace" photograph of Mitrice Richardson (Courtesy: CBS)

From the L.A. Times:

“Mitrice is out there,” LAPD robbery-homicide Det. Chuck Knolls said. “We don’t believe she’s a victim of foul play.”

But her whereabouts still bedevil Knolls and fellow detective Steven Eguchi. Both men are working the case full-time, and had past assistance from 12 other detectives.

They get this from the fact that there has been no activity in her bank account and with her credit cards, a sure sign that someone, some stranger, stole from her, and may be a perp of much worse. They claim that if she had died or were lying injured in Malibu Canyon, she would have been found by now. The scent dogs and helicopters have been used to no avail.

Um, not necessarily.

“There’s no indication of murder whatsoever,” the detective said. “We don’t think there’s a drug or alcohol issue involved. She didn’t live a risky behavior life.” Nor does she seem to have ties to gangs or criminals, according to Knolls.

Hello?

This is what her parents and friends have been saying since jump.

However, this could be a clue to the girl’s inner life:

Ronda Hampton, a psychologist for whom Richardson worked as a research intern during her last year of college, said she has stayed in touch with Richardson since her graduation.

“There were times when I’ve known her when she didn’t seem OK, and we talked about that,” Hampton said. She points to the incomprehensible phrase, ‘my eyes over ees,’ on Richardson’s MySpace page. “I said, ‘What does that mean?’ ” recalled Hampton. “And she said, ‘Dr. Ronda, you just don’t understand me!’ “

Mitrice may indeed have been suffering a mental crisis, and that night, it just came to a head.

However, her great-grandmother, Mildred Harris, interviewed on Friday, says otherwise, going against the opinions of her grandchildren.

“I just don’t know where she is,” Richardson’s great-grandmother Mildred Harris told Crimesider in a Friday phone interview. “I love her so much.”

[...]

“The reports being made about my granddaughter are completely out of character,” she said through tears. “She is not mentally disturbed.”

Something just occurred to me. Barring the possibility of cop misbehavior or misadventure in the wilderness, could it be that someone may have followed the cops and Mitrice from the restaurant, knowing she was having an episode, and waited outside for her?

No, it couldn’t be. Perhaps I have been watching too much TV as well.

The police have sent word to shelters all over the county and in Ventura and Orange Counties, asking if Mitrice or a woman answering to her description has been seen. Naturally, there have been “sightings” from people trying to help. A half-burned body of a woman found in a dumpster in Santa Fe Springs was not Mitrice Richardson’s body. A disoriented black woman answering to her description was interviewed in Santa Monica and was not found to be the missing woman. One witness said that a woman who appeared to be Mitrice had boarded a Greyhound bus going to San Jose, California, prompting police bulletins and news articles in Santa Clara County.

The Orange County Register is reporting that the family and friends of Mitrice Richardson are holding a rally in front of the Malibu Lost Hills-Agoura substation on Saturday October 11 at 10 a.m.