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“Movies in the Park” Gets Animated This Weekend Printer FriendlyNormal View

admin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:57:01 +0000

The County Department of Parks and Recreation will be blasting off to “Planet 51” at dusk from Sweetwater Reservoir regional park in Bonita on Friday. On Saturday, meteorologists are forecasting the weather at Dos PIcos Park in Ramona as “Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs” starting at dusk.

“Our popular ‘Movies in the Park’ series offers free box office hit movies and fun activities for the public at our terrific County parks,” said Brian Albright, Director of County of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation.

The series, which started June 4, features 29 movies at local parks and pools and is the largest free movie event in San Diego County.

“Movies in the Park” takes a brief intermission after this weekend but resumes on July 16 with a showing of “The Tooth Fairy” at Spring Valley Park. Future listings include: “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel,” “Avatar,” “How To Train Your Dragon,” and “The Blind Side.” The movies will be presented in high-quality on 28-foot inflatable widescreens designed for large audiences.

Just prior to showtime, families can enjoy karaoke challenges, games, contests and music. Audience members are reminded to bring their own chairs, blankets and refreshments.

The movies are free and open to the public. Showtimes start at dusk. Some locations have a parking fee. For a complete list of dates and locations for the “Movies in the Park” series, visit sdmoviesinthepark.com.

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The Pro-Abortion Health Care Bill is Back, Are You Ready to Defeat It?

admin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:53:15 +0000

President Barack Obama and his pro-abortion friends in Congress have never claimed to really listen to the American people.

While poll after poll has informed them that strong majorities of Americans don’t want the government-run health care bill and don’t want to be forced to fund abortions, the Senate passed a pro-abortion measure that contains massive abortion funding.
They didn’t listen.

When Obama’s polling numbers fell through the basement and when Americans cited his pushing the pro-abortion health care bill as the main reason why, he pressed on.
He didn’t listen.

When the Massachusetts Senate race became a microcosm of how Americans felt about the pro-abortion health care bill and when one of the most liberal states in the country elected someone who pledged to support the filibuster against it … you would think they would listen.
But they’re not listening.

As LifeNews.com has reported over the last week, Obama and his pro-abortion friends are looking to bend the rules to railroad their radical pro-abortion health care bill through Congress. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said as much and top Democratic aides confirmed they would rely on this “trick.”
Now, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid confirms reconciliation is the plan and the pro-abortion health care bill will become reality in 60 days.
There is no time to waste and the pro-life movement needs to pull out all the stops to keep this pro-abortion bill — that could fund hundreds of thousands of abortions and cause many other pro-abortion problems — from becoming law.
I hope you will keep these two web sites handy as the battle begins to unfold after this publicity stunt that is the upcoming White House health care summit:
1) http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml
2) http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
These are the two main web sites where you, your pro-life friends and family, fellow church members and other pro-life advocates can quickly and easily find contact information for any House or Senate member.

When the time comes, we need you to get everyone you can to tell every pro-life person possible to go to these web sites and contact their elected officials to tell them to vote NO on the pro-abortion health care bill and the reconciliation bill.
In the meantime, can you please help LifeNews.com inform as many pro-life people as possible about these important abortion-health care battles?

We’ve added thousands of new pro-life subscribers over the last several weeks thanks to your help and donations and they will now be ready to act when the battle to protect unborn children unfolds. Can you help us again with a donation or make a donation now if you haven’t before?

Whether its $37 or $100, or $1,000 to help our $37,000 Winter fundraising campaign, your donation will help educate and inform pro-life advocates via LifeNews.com.
Just click the donation button below, or visit the left-hand side of http://www.LifeNews.com to use one there if the email button doesn’t work for you. Or, use the handy form below.

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County Debuts New Medical Examiner and Forensic Center

admin — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 00:14:25 +0000

Not enough room for grieving families. A cramped examination room. Temporary trailers to make up for the lack of space. Staff at the County Medical Examiner’s office has labored in challenging quarters for decades. Not anymore.

Chairwoman Dianne Jacob and the Board of Supervisors today unveiled the new County Medical Examiner & Forensic Center in Kearny Mesa. The facility puts state-of-the-art technology in a setting designed to maximize workflow and enhance the intricate science that take place within its walls.

“This is critical public infrastructure designed to meet the region’s changing needs for decades to come,” Jacob said. “The center than can accommodate a large-scale disaster while prioritizing compassion for grieving families.”

The 84,000-square-foot facility at 5570 Overland Ave. includes a Bereavement Center, expanded toxicology lab, teaching classroom and electronic touch-screens at exam stations to better manage cases.

The center meets silver-level LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

“Every day, there are tremendous developments in the forensic sciences. We now have the space to harness those breakthroughs to solve crime, find answers, track trends of disease, trauma, drug addiction and better serve the public,” said Dr. Glenn Wagner, Chief Medical Examiner.

“The facility provides a unique opportunity to explore critical public-private partnerships among government, academia and industry.”

The Board of Supervisors budgeted $85 million for the project; the project came in on time and under budget at $73 million. The County paid for the project in cash. It is the first building to be completed within the larger County Operations Center campus currently under construction.

“Every case is special; it is that person’s last opportunity to tell of their death and their life— a story certainly worth hearing and learning from,” Wagner said.

To learn more, visit the the County Medical Examiner Web site.

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Mystery thriller “Postmortem” at Sunshine Brooks Theatre – Jan 29 to Feb 14 (Oside)

admin — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 00:09:10 +0000

Downtown Oceanside’s New Vision Theatre Company presents a family-friendly mystery thriller “Postmortem”, a Sherlock Holmes type whodunit, from January 29 to February 14, 2010, Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. (except Feb 7 on Super Bowl Sunday at 12:30 pm) at Sunshine Brooks Theatre, 217 N Coast Highway, Oceanside.

Synopsis:

It is April 1922 and the cast of William Gillette’s latest Broadway revival of “Sherlock Holmes” has assembled for a weekend of relaxation at his magnificent medieval castle on a bluff overlooking the Connecticut River. For entertainment, actor-manager, playwright and heart-throb William Gillette, “best known for his 30-year portrayal of the famous crime sleuth Sherlock Holmes”, has arranged a séance. Now the scene is set for his greatest role. Someone is trying to be “a villain” at this gathering, and he suspects it is one of his guests. Intrepid, eccentric and wildly romantic, Gillette plans to solve the case himself à la Sherlock Holmes.

Prices are: adults $17.00, seniors $14.00, military $10.00, students $10.00. For tickets please call 760-529-9140 . New Vision Theatre Co. operating Sunshine Brooks Theatre is a 501c3 non-profit organization and an official participant of the civic revitalization program from the city of Oceanside. Visit web site at www.sunshinebrookstheatre.org for more information about this and other events.

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Senior take note on your medicare if it is with AARP Medicare complete Plan 1 (HMO).

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:39:44 +0000

There is an article in the AARP bulletin dated November 2009 “A Move to Block Increases in Part B Premiums that is misleading. I have AARP Medicare complete Plan 1 (HMO)” and I received a notice of a $25.00 increase in my Part B Premium. Last year it was 0. The AARP article states that “While 75 percent of Medicare beneficiaries were protected from premium hikes because of a provision triggered when there is no COLA, (cost of living allowance) about 11 millions beneficiaries would still have faced increased without congressional action. These included beneficiaries who don’t have their premiums deducted from Social Security, or who pay an additional high-income surcharge for Part B, or who are new to Medicare.

I called Medicare or the number on my insurance card and found out that yes, I am paying $25.00 a month more, so the article is untruthful. Be sure to check your new Medicare packages to see how much your insurance has changed.

I will have more information soon as I have asked AARP Medicare to send me the information as to why this is so and a possible way to change this.

Ann

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VISTA: New Sonic carhops learn the ropes of serving, skating

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:15:46 +0000

Restaurant is set to open in Vista on Monday

Yvette Garcia laced up a pair of clean white roller skates on Thursday as part of a two-day training program for more than 30 carhops at the new Sonic Drive-In in Vista.

The 17-year-old said she’s more accustomed to ice skates or Rollerblades, but chose the white 4-wheelers for work at the outdoor restaurant, which will open at 5:30 a.m. Monday at the corner of South Santa Fe Avenue and Main Street.

“For me it’s a great first job,” said Garcia, of Vista. “It’s really exciting to be out here and around all these people.”

Sonic restaurants are a throwback to 1950s drive-ins with no indoor dining. Customers can congregate on patios or order via car-side intercoms and roller-skating servers deliver their food.

The Oklahoma-based chain has more than 3,500 locations nationwide; the nearest Sonic locations are in Murrieta, Hemet and Santee.

On Thursday afternoon, workers were still installing light fixtures and painting the finishing touches at the restaurant while employees wearing bright green, red and black shirts were learning how to prepare signature items such as Tater Tots and Cherry Limeades. Others practiced skating while carting trays of food or directing traffic through the restaurants three staging areas.

Nicole Romero, who works at Sonic in Apple Valley northwest of Los Angeles, helped train the Vista workers Thursday. She said not all of the carhop hopefuls will make the cut.

“We’re going to make sure they can skate, brake, count change and do it with a smile,” Romero said. “We have to pick out the ones who can do it and have the attitude for it.”

After carhops laced up their skates, which they must provide for themselves, Romero told them they have three minutes and 33 seconds to serve each drive-up stall.

“Be fast, but be safe,” she said.

Tim Shepard, a carhop in Santee, knows all about being safe on skates. He was once hit by a customer driving through the Santee restaurant’s parking lot.

“Watch out for cars,” Shepard told the trainees. “You will be cutting across the drive-thru, so make sure you’re aware of where they are.”

Nineteen-year-old Jackie Evans of Vista said she’s one of about 20 local carhops who have been training at the Sonic in Santee during the weeks leading to the opening of the new restaurant.

“The job sounded so fun and there’s nothing like this where you’re on skates,” Evans said. “It’s hard, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes like second nature.”

Terron Yates, of Oceanside, heard about the carhop position at a local job fair. Yates, 20, said he was an avid Rollerblader when he was younger and is excited to find a job where he can be on wheels.

“You still get that sense of freedom,” he said. “It could be difficult carrying trays with a lot of drinks, and (when we open) the whole lot will be full. But I think my pockets should be good from tips.”

Contact staff writer Cigi Ross at 760-901-4067.

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8th ANNUAL OCEANSIDE MUSIC FESTIVAL, OCT 7 – 25

admin — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:52:46 +0000

October is “National Art and Humanities Month“. Here is your chance to enjoy great music and support our local youth musicians! The 8th annual OMFest, Oceanside Music Festival – sponsored by Oceanside Cultural Arts Foundation, members of “Americans for the Arts” – opens with a gala and follows with five great concerts this October. This event is held each year to raise funds for performing artists from local high schools of North San Diego county. Oceanside Music Festival will present a variety of performances including big band, high school showcase, liturgical music (see schedule below) – all taking place between October 7 – 25.

MISSION: OCAF and OMFest believe in mentoring young musicians, supporting artists, music groups, and arts organizations. We believe in supporting both the student and the professional artist, with the goals to aim high, educate and entertain all races of people, cultures, ethnic backgrounds, and artistic styles of expression.

Pricing:

Concert Admission for each event* (not including gala): $15 adults, $10 children, $12 students, military, seniors, $25 family A special Festival Pass for 5 concerts (not including gala): $35.00 John Steiger Memorial Performing Arts Scholarship Gala admission: $30.00

Note* Oct 11, St Mary’s Star of the Sea Church performance is for free-will offering

Tickets may be ordered by emailing to 1ndrwmn@sbcglobal.net or calling the OCAF message center 760-433-3632. More info will be found on the OMFest website at: http://www.ocaf.info/OMF/index.html

OCEANSIDE MUSIC FESTIVAL – SCHEDULE:

Wed. Oct 7, John Steiger Memorial Scholarship Gala, Broadway Tonight!, 7:00 pm (6:00 pm reception) Sunshine Brooks Theatre 217 No. Coast Highway, Oceanside

2009 OCAF Honorees: Marvin Read, Tom Morrow Champagne Reception & Entertainment, Silent Auction Special guest performers including El Camino High School’s “The Wiz” and Damsels in Dis Dress

Fri. Oct 9, Rhythm & Jazz 7:00 pm

Sunshine Brooks Theatre, 217 No. Coast Highway, Oceanside Featuring “Blues Pharoahs”, “Frequency Vocal Jazz Ensemble”, and “Will Sumner, Latin Jazz”

Sun. Oct 11, Global Spirit, 2:00 pm

at St Mary’s Star of the Sea Church, 609 Pier View Way, Oceanside Featuring international folk and liturgical songs from St. John of Damascus Orthodox Church Choir, North Coast Singers with Palomar College Choral, and Zhena Folk Chorus (Eastern European folklore music)

Wed. Oct 21, American Country, 7:00 pm

Sunshine Brooks Theatre, 217 No. Coast Highway, Oceanside Featuring Sara Petite and other local country and Americana musicians TBA

Thurs. Oct 22, High School Showcase, 7:00 pm Truax Theatre, 400 Rancho Del Oro, Oceanside, CA An evening of vocal performances from North County high school musical theatre groups, show choirs, and chamber singers. Truax Theater is located on the El Camino High School Campus

Sun. Oct 25, Big Band, 2:00 pm

Mission San Luis Rey, Rancho del Oro and Mission Ave, Oceanside CA Tom Morrow’s “Oceanside Society Orchestra” performs American songbook and dance music

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REGION: Health care town hall draws SRO crowd

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:23:13 +0000

Crowd

The debate over various prescriptions for health care reform came to North County Tuesday, with Rep. Brian Bilbray hosting an occasionally raucous town hall meeting in Rancho Bernardo that was followed by a group of clergy in Vista calling for an end to the often-vitriolic rhetoric attached to the issue.Bilbray, R-Solana Beach, heard an array of worries from the mostly older, standing room-only crowd at the Ed Brown Senior Center.

Peppered with questions about the three bills now before the House of Representatives and two before the Senate, he repeatedly said that whenever the government gets involved, there are going to be problems.

“I’ve learned there’s a huge gap between theory and reality,” Bilbray said in reference to the promises of health care reform and what ultimately may be delivered.

He said nothing to dispel one woman’s mistaken belief that she would be forced to take part in an “end of life” discussion with a bureaucrat who also would decide what prescription medicines she could and could not have.

Bilbray later agreed there was a lot of misinformation being bandied about, but said there are legitimate concerns that a solely government-run system, the so-called single-payer option, could lead to Draconian requirements.

“There’s a big difference between doing something because it’s the right thing to do and Washington requiring it,” he said.

He cited the Endangered Species Act, saying that regulatory agencies promulgated far more restrictive regulations than Congress envisioned when it passed that legislation.

“It’s a kind of mission creep,” he said. “That fear is real.”

Universal health care proponents say providing some form of coverage for all is overdue. Roughly 20 percent of Californians are without any health insurance at some point of every year, according to the UCLA Center for Health Policy. Health groups say about 45 million Americans, including an estimated 15 million illegal immigrants, have no health insurance.

At one point during his “community coffee,” Bilbray compared government health care with public housing.

“If you ask the American people if they want a free house, the answer is ‘yes,’” he said. “But if you ask them if they want to live in public housing, the answer is ‘no.’ There’s a huge difference between promising and delivering.”

Sustained cheers and clapping came when one speaker said Americans have to fight “to keep government from controlling every aspect of our lives.”

After the 60-minute meeting, Carlsbad’s Steve Helmbold said he heard “a lot of talk without any real answers.”

Hank Foley, a former health care administrator from Rancho Bernardo, said he was hoping for a lot more facts than the session seemed to generate.

“There weren’t good-enough answers to what the alternative to reform is,” Foley said.

Escondido resident Jenifer Leinedecker said she was frustrated by much of what she heard from the audience —- and from Bilbray.

“I’m amazed at what went on in there,” said Leinedecker, who has an Obama sticker on her car. “There was so much disinformation, and Congressman Bilbray didn’t dispel any of the myths.”

Lawmakers’ focus on health care during their annual August recess does have one major benefit, she said.

“At least the debate is getting people to study what their current health plans really offer,” Leinedecker.

What Congress ultimately may pass this year depends on the funding mechanism, Bilbray later said.

Pastors weigh in

Ninety minutes after the town hall meeting, a group of pastors and priests aligned under a group called Faith Works, representing 11 congregations and 21,000 families, called for toning down the rhetoric and working for passage of meaningful reform that assures affordable coverage for all.

“Our families are suffering from a lack of affordable health care,” said Monsignor Lawrence Purcell of the Church of the Nativity in Rancho Santa Fe. “It’s time to address and reform health care.”

The Rev. Michael Henderson from Oceanside’s Shiloh Church of God in Christ said health care reform is a moral issue.

“We are here to remind our elected officials that this is not about politics,” he said during the presentation at Vista’s Church of St. Thomas More.

Henderson said he and his wife are now paying $700 a month for health care as a result of her employer reducing her work schedule from full-time to part-time status, resulting in a higher cost to cover their family.

“We feel we are being robbed and raped,” he said.

The Rev. Beth Johnson of Vista’s Palomar Unitarian Universalist Fellowship said failure to pass reform this year could derail the issue for years, resulting in continually rising costs.

“The American people want affordable health care for all families and they want it now,” she said. “We will not wait any longer.”

While the momentum for reform is palpable, the Rev. Michael Ratajczak of The Church of St. Thomas More said it’s clear that sectors of the health care industry are doing all they can to prevent it.

“Congress needs our help in spreading the truth,” he said.

Call staff writer Mark Walker at 760-740-3529.

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Two More Local H1N1 Flu-related Deaths

admin — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:55:52 +0000

The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) has confirmed two additional deaths associated with the Novel H1N1 Influenza virus. The deceased are a 49-year-old female and a 75-year-old male.

“These two deaths are a reminder that everyone needs to be aware that H1N1 Influenza continues to infect people in our community,” said Dr. Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., San Diego County Public Health Officer. “Our thoughts are with the friends and families of these individuals.”

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Assembly Democrats Pass Massive Tax Increases

admin — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:40:35 +0000

So What's New

June 29th, 2009, 12:15 am · 43 Comments · posted by BRIAN JOSEPH, Sacramento Correspondent
Exploiting a legislative loophole, Assembly Democrats late Sunday passed a tax increase and other fixes to bridge the state’s $24.3 billion deficit without a single Republican vote.

Typically, tax increases and budget votes require a two-thirds majority. Since just over one third of the Assembly is controlled by Republicans, that means Democrats need at least a handful of GOP votes.

But under the plan approved late Sunday, the Democrats were able to approve the tax increases and budget fixes, which come close to solving the entire deficit, on a simple majority vote.

The State Senate is scheduled to vote on the same plan starting at 9:30 a.m. today.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s office, however, has said the governor “will veto any majority-vote plan.”

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