The first-ever TEDxConejo Conference, a one-day locally organized gathering of renowned thinkers and doers produced in association with the Conejo Valley Unified School District, will bring a diverse line-up of speakers to the Scherr Forum at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Center on March 27th.  A limited number of tickets are still available.

The conference is built on the model and under license from the TED Conference, an annual gathering of some of the worldʼs most fascinating and influential people. This local edition, brings together some of the leading minds in the area to share ideas, insight and discussion. The program features talks, ranging in length from 3 to 18 minutes, and conversation breaks where audience members and speakers have the opportunity to talk and exchange ideas. In addition to the internationally recognized presenters, the organizers have identified several outstanding area students who will speak or perform.

The daylong program is organized around the theme, “Whatʼs The Big Idea,” and is divided into three sessions: “Thinking,” “Doing,” and “Seeing.” Topics to be covered include the neuroscience of beliefs, innovations and discoveries in medicine and healthcare, the principles of meaningful enterprise, new ideas in education, effective communication, microfinance, human perception and music.

Thomas Goetz is the executive editor of Wired Magazine and author of the new book, The Decision Tree: Taking Control of Your Health in The New Era of Personalized Medicine. His writing on science and medicine has appeared in the Best American Science Writing and Technology anthologies. A former reporter for the Wall Street Journal, his work has also appeared in The New York Times op-ed page and in The New York Times Magazine. He holds masterʼs degrees in American literature and public health.

Dr. Scott Patterson is the executive director of Medical Sciences at Amgen Inc. He is well known in the field of protein chemistry and is one of the pioneers in the field of proteomics. At Amgen, he leads the Molecular Sciences department with primary responsibility for application of biomarkers across all research studies. He received his Ph.D. and B.Sc from the University of Queensland, where he held positions of increasing responsibility culminating in that of senior research officer. Patterson is also a former faculty member of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York.

Mark Robert Waldman is Associate Fellow at the Center for Spirituality and the Mind at the University of Pennsylvania and Adjunct Faculty at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He is a therapist, co-author of ten books, including Born to Believe and How God Changes Your Brain (both written with Dr. Andrew Newberg, M.D.), and the founding editor of Transpersonal Review. He lectures throughout the country on neuroscience, religion and spirituality and conducts research with numerous religious and secular groups. His work has been featured in dozens of newspapers, magazines and on syndicated radio programs.

A Press Conference will be held to announce the complete speaker line-up and beposted at the TEDxConejo website, www.tedxconejo.com.

About the Conference

Big ideas will fill the Scherr Forum at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza on March 27th, when TEDxConejo brings together some of the most interesting and interested people in our community for a day of talks, entertainment and conversation.

Well, that's not exactly the case. If you run or participate in a sports betting pool that has at least $2,500 at stake and/or is run...gulp...online, you continue to face a possible misdemeanor or even felony charges.

But even if you participate in a little $5 sports pool and fill out your selections on those printed bracket sheets, you still face the prospect of a $250 infraction.

Now I'm wondering if there are any loopholes. If everyone wagers, say, a six-pack of beer, does that

New Rules for Roth IRAs

Presented by Bradley Bronk, CFP^®

Roth IRAs, despite their attractive features, have yet to match the popularity of traditional Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA).  One reason Roth IRAs constitute such a small percentage of total retirement assets, just 5%, is that many wealthier individuals, who potentially stand to benefit the most from them, have been ineligible either to contribute to one or to convert their existing traditional IRAs to a Roth IRA.  As of year-end 2008, over $3.5 trillion was invested in traditional IRAs compared with a mere $165 billion in Roth IRAs.¹

The Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 changed tax laws regarding the conversion of a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA.  The act specifically allows anyone to convert their traditional IRA to a Roth IRA regardless of their adjusted gross income (AGI), beginning January 1, 2010.  This is a unique opportunity that was not available to everyone in the past.

What is a Roth IRA?

A Roth IRA is a retirement investment vehicle in which all earnings are tax free when distributions are taken. Other benefits include eliminating the need to take minimum distributions after age 70½ and avoiding the early distribution penalty on certain withdrawals.

We have the Germans to thank for the Easter Bunny concept, which came about in the 1500s. Hares and bunnies are signs of fertility and eggs signify rebirth. The Germans brought Easter traditions to America and it wasn't until after the Civil War that Easter became widely celebrated. Now we celebrate by gorging ourselves on candy! Yeah!!!

Mar 12th to Apr 3rd: Easter Bunny at Simi Valley Town Center

Mar 13th to Apr 3rd: Easter Bunny at Pacific View Mall in Ventura

Mar 13th to Apr 3rd: Easter Bunny at The Oaks Mall Thousand Oaks

Sat, March 27th: Conejo Recreation & Park District Spring Eggstravaganza Thousand Oaks