The Ojai Post

On the Red Carpet of the Ojai-Ventura International Film Festival

2009-11-08T08:17:05Z

Wow, what a night at the Ojai Valley Inn! I just returned from the film festival's red carpet, where I talked with celebrities and filmmakers about their screenings. Demitri Corbin was there with camera in tow, so I expect we will see some great footage from him. Tomorrow is the last day of the fest, with 46 films being screened from 10:00 a.m to 8:00 p.m. Get out there!

Click here to listen to 11 interviews in 20 minutes on Radio Ojai.

Health Care Reform Passes The House

2009-11-08T04:46:19Z

Big doin's. Thoughts?

AP: House narrowly passes landmark health care bill

In a victory for President Barack Obama, the Democratic-controlled House narrowly passed landmark health care legislation Saturday night to expand coverage to tens of millions who lack it and place tough new restrictions on the insurance industry. Republican opposition was nearly unanimous.

Stolen Lives Tonight at 8pm

2009-11-07T18:23:22Z

I did a telephone interview with director and producer Anders Anderson who's film Stolen Lives will screen tonight at 8pm at Ojai Art Center theater. His co-producer Andy Steinman will attend this evenings screening but Mr. Anderson is on holiday with his family, so we did a conference call set up by his publicist Matthew Wolf of Rogers & Cowen:

Matthew Wolf: Anders this is Demitri Corbin of the Ojai Post.

Anders Anderson: Hello Demitri, how are you?

Demitri Corbin: Hello Anders, I'm doing well, thank you. Nice to meet you.

AA: Thanks.

Me: So my first question is how old are you?

AA: I'm 35.

Me: And how did you team up with Andy Steinman?

AA: Well, it was about 7 years ago. We met on a short I was producing and he came on board as the cinematographer and we hit it off. We found that we had similar interests in film making and were interested in starting a production company, so we started A2 Entertainment.

Me: Tell me about Playhouse West Repertory, I've never heard of that.

AA: Well, started out as an actor and when I moved to LA in 2001 I knew I had to do some studying. I had heard about Playhouse West, it had a great reputation. It was started by Jeff Goldblum and it's the Meisner technique. So I went there and it's there that I was inspired to direct.

Me: My next question is why aren't you here.

AA: Well, yesterday was my birthday -

Me: Happy Birthday!

AA: Thank you. And my wife's birthday is in a couple of days, so my whole family decided to take a vacation in Carmel. My parents live on the east coast and it's hard to get together. We planned this vacation 6 months ago, we have to make time to see each other.

Me: Yes, family time is important.

AA: Yes. Came across this story by Der Beek and Glen Taranto.

AA: Yes, Glen. Andy met Glen when he worked on a project with Code Entertainment. Boy in a Box is the original title based on a true story that happened in the 1950's. This boy was found in a box and he was dead, of course and it became this great mystery. When we started the production company we were looking for scripts and we came across this one. At the same time Josh Lucas got involved and things just took off from there.

Me: That was my next question, you hit a grand slam with this cast, how did that happen.

AA: Our casting director Stephanie Corsalini. She got the script to Josh Lucas and then everyone else climbed aboard after that. Yeah, I was really lucky, there.

Me: Thanks Anders, I think that's it.

AA: Thank you, Demitri. It was nice meeting you.

Me: You too.

AA: And tell Andy I said 'hello.' He's a really great guy, you'll like him.

Me: I look forward to meeting him.

AA: Bye.

MW: Okay Anders, talk to you soon. Goodbye, Demitri.

Me: Bye Matt, thank you.

First time director Anders Anderson and first time producer Andy Steinman will have their feature, Stolen Lives screened this evening at Ojai Art Center Theater. It stars Jon Hamm and Josh Lucas.

Ojai-Ventura International Film Festival: Ingredients

2009-11-07T02:13:13Z

I went to the first screening at the Ojai-Ventura International Film Festival of the documentary film "Ingredients," and bumped into local food activist, Marty Fujita of Food for Thought, who participated in the post-screening panel discussion. Following the two-minute interview with Marty, I offer my brief review of the film. It's an excellent film! Go see the second screeing tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. at Matilija. Listen to the interview here.

Blogging The Ojai-Ventura International Film Festival

2009-11-05T23:59:08Z

The opening night party begins tonight, Thursday at 4 p.m. at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, 905 Country Club Road.

It is to be followed by a 7 p.m. free screening, at the inn’s recreation field, of “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers.”

Afterward, Ellsberg, his wife Patricia, along with filmmakers Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith, are set to do a question-and-answer session.

For more information on the festival go to:

http://www.ojaifilmfestival.com

The full program can be downloaded by going to the folllowing link:

http://www.ojaifilmfestival.com/files/OVIFF09-Program.pdf

Over the next four days we will be reporting back at this site on what films viewers recommend...

Check back frequently for periodic updates.

Las Fotos, de Dias de las Muertos ...

2009-11-05T19:45:16Z

"De la Sierra Morena, Cielito lindo, vienen bajando,
Un par de ojitos negros, Cielito lindo, de contrabando ..."

a few of our photos from the finest music-fest, cultural-gathering, I have ever attended in this Ojai Valley. Dias de Los Muertos honors our ancestors ... as depicted in these family shrines, to Mothers and Fathers, Aunts and Uncles, Grandmothers and Grandfathers, past ...

and the song, Cielito Lindo, by Ana Gabriel ...

thank you Roberto and Angelica for this most loving/honoring of our families, of our family!

Stabbing: Highway 33 at Matilija Canyon Road

2009-11-05T15:33:07Z

From the VCSD Major Crimes Unit - stabbing took place around 1:30pm yesterday:

Deputies from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Ojai Substation responded to a call of a female stabbing victim. Upon arrival, deputies located a female in her mid-twenties on the side of the roadway. The female victim appeared to have been stabbed multiple times. The victim was airlifted by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Air Unit to the Ventura County Medical Center. At this time, the extent of the victim’s injuries are unknown.

Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Crime Scene Investigation Unit and Major Crimes Unit are on-scene looking for evidence and possible witnesses to the crime. Anyone having information regarding this crime is asked to call (805) 477-7000.

Lions Club Holiday Tree Sale

2009-11-04T18:55:25Z

Check out the Lions Club Fundraiser to benefit local schools and non-profits. The pre-sale and donation offer expires November 13th.

The Ojai Valley Lions Club is having a PREMIUM Quality Holiday Tree sale this season in cooperation with the Ojai Valley Chamber of Commerce as a fundraiser benefitting local schools and non-profit groups. By pre-ordering your holiday tree, you will save 15% off tree lot prices and designate another 15% donation to the local school or non-profit of your choice.

ORDER ONLINE w/ CREDIT CARD | ORDER FORM for CASH/CHECK

Bear Dance Ceremony in Ojai

2009-11-03T07:36:21Z

From Julie Tumamait-Stenslie:

Bear Dance Ceremony
Location:710 S. La luna Ave. Ojai ,Ca. 93023
Time:5:00PM Saturday, November 7th

This gathering is for the community, come and understand the connection with native people and the bear. This is a time to come together and heal. Everyone in the valley is invited. I want to see families, bring the children. Dress warm, bring chairs, food and water for yourselves. - To learn more about the Bear Dance: http://blueskywaters.com/beardancehome.html

Ojai Poetry: The Ballad of the Aliso Street Bear and Other Poems

2009-11-01T17:56:31Z

It's a beautiful, sparkling, sunny autumn day here in the Ojai Valley. Three weeks have gone by since the death of the Aliso Street Bear. Some are saying, "Why all the fuss over one bear, when every day millions of other animals and people are suffering and dying?" That first Sunday morning, a few hours after I heard the bear crashing down from the tree, I knew at some level that my grief was not only for this individual bear, but for all the injustice and senseless death in the world.

The Ojai Bear Poems featured here are by local poets David Moody, Robert Peake, mt2 and Crow.

Ballad of the Aliso Street Bear
By David E. Moody, Ph.D.

I fear the two-legged creature
More than any other.
I know not why.
But my thirst
Drives me into his lair.

I wait until dark
When all his kind
Have gone into their caves
And my blackness
Blends into the night.

And there in the very heart of his land
I find where the two-legged creature
Keeps his supply of sacred water
A whole fountain of precious water
And I slake my aching thirst
To my heart's content.

I want to make my escape
But delicious scents surround me.
I smell fish and new aromas
Beyond anything I have ever tasted.

Powerful fragrances inflame my hunger.
Maybe the two-legged creature
Will allow me to follow my nose
For one small hour
Before I find my way home.

But wait -- there he is --
I have nearly stumbled into his cave.
And there is another, and one
With a short stick in his hand.

Nowhere to go but to climb.
Here is a strong, sturdy tree,
One equal to my weight.

In ten seconds I am forty feet high.
Maybe the two-legged creature
Cannot see me here.

I will wait here quietly
Until he goes back into his cave.
Then I will make my escape.

I am good at waiting.
I will wait longer than he can.
He is so quick and impatient.
I will wait in this tree
All night if I must.

But the two-legged creature
Remains down below.
I can hear him
I can smell him
My fear of him grows.

Why won't he go back in his cave?
I want to go home.

I have dozed off
And now light is filling the land
And many two-legged creatures
Are gathering down below.

I am afraid.
I want to go home.

The hot sun fills the sky.
More and more two-legged creatures
Gather down below.
I see them and smell them and I can sense
Their restless energy.

I am hungry.
I am afraid.
I want to go home.

At long last sweet night falls once again,
Black night, black like my body.
Maybe I will be safe now.

I am tired.
I am afraid.
I want to go home.

But now I can see the two-legged creature
Is holding a long stick.
He is pointing it at me.

The stick spits a vicious arrow
Deep into my leg,
Hot like a thousand bee stings.

I try to climb higher
But I am feeling weak.

The stick spits again and another
Wicked arrow pierces my back.

I am so tired now

I feel faint

I am falling

I want to go home

************************************************

To the Bear in a Neighbor’s Tree, by Ojai poet Robert Peake
Written the morning after the bear was killed.
This piece came through me this morning, and I want to offer it up to our grieving community

To the Bear in a Neighbor’s Tree
By Robert Peake

How quickly we become accustomed to the light,
blinking through discomfort, standing upright,
when our claws break, we fashion tools, use
them, and then just as easily put them down.

We discover clumps of hair on the ground,
and see our lack of fur as a great improvement,
stamping and shivering, we like a cold wind!
When our night vision fades, we stumble a dance.

Now, we have lost you too, primeval cousin,
lost the instinct that might have guided us
in shooing you back where you came from.
We can no longer smell what is on the wind.

You sat all day in a tree, learning our gestures.
You waved at the crowds and considered making a speech.
When you became too much like us, we brought you down,
and hauled your massive blackness into the night.

The truth is that we lost you long ago, long before
our friends loaded up their guns. Look how far
we have come! Our fingers fit the triggers.
And still we remember not to look in an animal’s eyes.

I looked, and became frozen on my couch.
I blinked into the sunlight, and you were gone.
The black spot in the tree is no longer you.
It is the place that you have burned into my mind.

*******

Poems and other writings by Robert Peake can be viewed on his website:
http://www.robertpeake.com/archives/642-aliso-street-bear-poem.html

*****************

Our Dearest Bear
By mt2

our dearest bear
your tears did share

your love of life
the stars in the night
sparkling water so bright

all of this did, and more, give up
berries and brook, honey, dew, and buttercup

that we might see,
hear your desperate plea,
feel/reveal our two-legged insanity

our murder of your 'once' sacred Mother,
every living/breathing sister/brother

whose tears you did share ...

the tears we now share ..

********************************************

Bear
By Crow

You knew you were in a tight spot
Yet you remained present, focused;
Neither fearing nor hoping
Only Wise
Seeing Things As They Are
And Being One with All That Is

Blessed Be to You, Bear Spirit
O Wise One; Such Courage, Strength
Thank you for blessing us with your presence in our lives
Forgive us for we are ignorant
And do not understand certain things of great importance

May you forever enjoy happiness and
Freedom from suffering!

****************************

Related Stories and Videos

http://www.robertpeake.com/archives/613-the-bear.html

Aliso Bear Resource Page
http://www.ojaipost.com/ojai-bear.shtml

A video with Derrick Jensen: "Don´t Fear the Bears."
http://rememberthebear.ning.com/video/derrick-jensen-dont-fear-the

~ Dia De Los Muertos ~

2009-11-01T00:56:06Z

Meiners Oaks Block Party, Sunday, 1 November, Noon to 6pm!

MultiCultural Celebration, Art, Music, Food, Dance ...
139 West El Roblar, at Cardinalli's Music Store
Two Blocks East of Farmer and The Cook

Roberto Garcia wrote:
Celebrating Death ... Celebrating Life
In the spirit of a street fiesta or block party we invite you
to enjoy traditional food, music, dance, arts & crafts.

What makes this Día de los Muertos in Ojai unique is the invitation to individuals, families, artists, organizations, faith communities, and diverse cultural groups to come and create ancestor memorials in their own style and tradition.

The Day of the Dead has its roots in Latin culture, nonetheless our vision is of a celebration that attracts the rich diversity of our community – celebrating with an event for all ages, all faiths, all backgrounds.

The reason:
So our youth can identify various traditions celebrated for festivals of the Dead throughout the world.

So they can find the similarities and differences between Halloween and Dia de los Muertos.

So they can recognize the work of Jose Guadalupe Posada, his images and his style.

To stimulate their curiosity in their own family tree, and begin gathering stories of their family’s history.

PET PSYCHIC ON TIME WARNER CABLE

2009-10-31T21:13:09Z

THIS IS FREE FOR ALL TIME WARNER SUBSCRIBERS!

Watch a segment on me and my work "Laura Stinchfield - Pet Psychic" on Video OnDemand. Here is how to find the "Pets-Pet Psychic" Segment :

Click on the ‘Local’ Folder in your OnDemand…

then select “SoCal’s Best”…

then select “SoCal Living,

then “Pets – Pet Psychic.

They’ve also have been running it a lot on the Channel 101 station!

Features Iris the goat, Zuma the black Lab and Ike the cat and their people

The Gifts of Uncertainty: Joanna Macy Speaks to the Present Moment

2009-10-31T18:20:18Z

The Ojai Foundation, a sanctuary for spiritual seekers of all sorts, this week inaugurated a "great teacher series" by bringing deep ecologist and Buddhist Joanna Macy in to lead a workshop and give a talk on Thursday night. She spoke in the Foundation's gorgeous Council House, which was filled with people for the occasion.

A truly inspiring talk it was, and that's coming from one who is skeptical about gurus and leaders of all sorts, be they Buddhist, Christian, Democratic, ecological, you name it.

It's so easy, so enjoyable really, to turn our problems over to some one else to solve.

[Here's a picture of the Council House, designed by local architect Jane Carroll]

For skeptics and others troubled by the degradation of the planet, Macy made a fundamental point, .

"It is natural for us to be distressed over the state of the world. We are integral components of it, like cells in a larger body. When that body is traumatized, we feel it," she pointed out. "Our culture conditions us to view pain as dysfunction. A successful person, as we conclude from commercials and electoral campaigns, brims with optimism... "Be sociable." "Keep smiling." "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."

With that said, she went on to describe our plight as a conflict between two stories. In the first story, variously called Business as Usual, Late Capitalism, or the Industrial Growth Society, all the focus is on the growth of the economy -- money. "In order for us to be comfortable and safe, this system is ready and willing to do anything."

In the second story, which she calls The Great Unraveling, we see the bill for decades of extraction, exploitation, and ruin of the plane's ecosystems come due. "Just to speak of this, to transform it into words, seems inadequate," she said. "It takes moral imagination to see what is happening now, this moment is so huge."

But her focus is on the third story, which she dubs The Great Turning, and what's fascinating is that unlike most of our leaders -- even enormously popular ones, such as President Obama -- she admits to a profound uncertainty as to our fate. We really don't know how it's all going to come out.

Macy sees this uncertainty as a gift. As in love, as in childbirth, as in raising a garden, our success is not foretold.

"We have this notion in America that we ought to be sure [of triumph in an endeavor] before we start," she said. "We are addicted to hope in this culture. But hope takes you out of the present moment. You have a chance to be alive at this moment. Isn't that what you want?"

Thank you, Joanna Macy, for articulating this thought, for giving skeptics and believers alike a means by which to transform our fear for the world into a desire to act for it...out of love.

[cross-posted at A Change in the Wind]

Woman Among Warlords

2009-10-31T16:56:40Z

Malalai Joya and the Tale of 2 CNNs
http://www.commondreams.org/video/2009/10/30-1

Published on Friday, October 30, 2009 by AntiWar.com
Malalai Joya and the Tale of 2 CNNs
by Eric Garris

"The Bravest Woman in Afghanistan," Malalai Joya did two CNN interviews on Thursday. Joya is an elected member of the Afghanistan parliament who has been suspended for "insulting fellow members of parliament" in a television interview. She is articulate and firm in her position that the Western occupation is feeding the violence.

The first interview was broadcast on CNN (US). In the middle of the interview, as Joya made clear she opposed US occupation, interviewer Heidi Collins said "occupation would certainly be your word, a lot of people would take great issue with you calling the US presence in your country an ‘occupation'." Joya went on to defend her position as Collins' interrupted snidely. As Joya tried to respond to Collins, she was cut off.

Statistically Speaking the Person Sitting Next to You Is Either A Terrorist or Has Swine Flu ...

2009-10-29T17:47:32Z

Or Else is An Alien, An Iranian, or A Bolivian!

This is NOT A Time for Complacency! (Or Shopping, Or Dragon-Boat Racing ...)