Regional Art Museum is Renamed California Museum of Art Thousand Oaks

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The California Museum of Art Thousand Oaks (CMATO) is the new name for the Regional Art Museum (RAM).  The new name was announced at a town hall meeting on September 18, 2012.  The new name fully encompasses the mission and vision of the museum that will serve the communities of California. 

The development of a world-class art museum as a cultural centerpiece for our community is coming to fruition. The museum will be a vital resource and will offer access to, education of, and appreciation for contemporary and traditional fine arts. The museum will be located adjacent to the Civic Arts Plaza.

The CMATO's mission is committed to serving diverse audiences through the exhibition, interpretation, and exploration of the fine and design arts.

To learn more about the planned CMATO and how you can support efforts to bring it to fruition, visit www.cmato.org.

The CDC Warns That Turtles and Other Reptiles are Risky Pets Due to Salmonella

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Turtles and other reptiles are risky pets

Turtles are colorful and cute and are often kept as pets. However, many people don’t know that turtles and other reptiles like snakes and lizards can carry harmful germs that can make people very sick. For this reason, turtles and other reptiles might not be the best pets for your family, particularly if there are children 5 years old and younger or people with weakened immune systems in your home.

Turtles and other reptiles  often carry a germ called Salmonella, but appear perfectly healthy and clean. People think Salmonella infections are caused only by contaminated food, but these germs can also be caught by touching animals, including reptiles or amphibians, such as frogs. Salmonella infections can also result from having contact with an animal’s habitat, including the water from containers or tanks where they live.

Salmonella germs can make people sick with diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and sometimes abdominal cramps. This illness is called “salmonellosis.” Some people can become so sick that they need to go to the hospital. In severe illnesses, the Salmonella bacteria may spread to the bloodstream and can lead to death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics.

Young children are at increased risk for Salmonella illness because their immune systems are still developing. They also are more likely to put their fingers or other items that have come into contact with germs into their mouths. So, families with young children should avoid keeping turtles as pets, and turtles should not be allowed in schools or child care facilities with young children.

Since 1975, it has been illegal in the United States to sell or distribute small turtles with shells that measure less than 4 inches in length. This size was chosen because young children are more likely to treat smaller turtles as toys and put them in their mouths. This ban, enforced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, likely remains the most effective public health action to prevent Salmonella infections associated with turtles.

Since 2006, CDC has received reports of 11 multistate outbreaks, including 6 ongoing outbreaks, and more than 535 cases of laboratory-confirmed Salmonella infections linked to contact with small turtles and their habitats. These illnesses resulted in about 85 hospitalizations and one death. Because many people with salmonellosis do not seek medical care or are not tested, it is estimated that 16 times as many illnesses occurred than were reported.

Tips to reduce the risk of illness from turtles and other reptiles:

  1. Don’t buy small turtles from street vendors, websites, pet stores, or other sources.
  2. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water immediately after touching a reptile or anything in the area where they live and roam. Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not readily available. Adults should always supervise hand washing for young children.
  3. Don’t let young children handle or touch reptiles or anything in the area where they live and roam, including water from containers or tanks.
  4. Keep reptiles out of homes with young children or people with weakened immune systems.
  5. Reptiles should not be kept in child care centers, nursery schools, or other facilities with young children.
  6. Don’t touch your mouth after handling reptiles and do not eat or drink around these animals.
  7. Don’t let reptiles roam freely throughout the house or in areas where food or drink is prepared, served, or stored, such as kitchens, pantries, or outdoor patios.

For more information on protecting yourself and your family from illness and to learn more about safely cleaning reptile habitats, please visit www.cdc.gov/Features/SalmonellaFrogTurtle.

Million Hearts Launches New Program to Improve Americans' Blood Pressure Control

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Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched the Million Hearts initiative to prevent a million heart attacks and strokes in five years.

Every 6 seconds, someone in the world dies from stroke. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asks Americans to take immediate action to reduce their risk for stroke.

As part of this initiative, the CDC recently launched  the "Team Up. Pressure Down" program to help improve Americans' blood pressure control. Highlights from this program are provided below. For additional details, visit millionhearts.hhs.gov/resources/teamuppressuredown.html.

High Blood Pressure Basics

What is Hypertension?

Did you know? One in three adults in the U.S. has high blood pressure and many of them do not know it. High blood pressure (also called hypertension) increases your risk for a heart attack or stroke.

What is blood pressure? Blood pressure is the force of blood against your artery walls as it circulates through your body. High blood pressure is unsafe because it makes your heart work harder to pump blood. This can cause damage to the arteries and puts you

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Great Labor Day Weekend Culminates in a Rainbow Above the Conejo Valley

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The weather was seasonably warm this Labor Day weekend and under partly cloudy skies most of the day. To me the weather seemed picture perfect, and I believe this rainbow photo taken from the North Ranch section of Westlake Village sums up what a great weekend it was.

Photo courtesy of Ed Garnett. Speaking of Ed, he is a Board Member of the Conejo Free Clinic, which provides medical and legal services to local residents in need. I encourage you to take a look at this worthy local non-profit that helps our local community. .

Here were some of those clouds a little earlier tonight above Conejo Mountain, seen from the 101 Freeway in Camarillo.

CDC Reports High-Risk Behaviors for Skin Cancer is Actually Increasing in Young Adults

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. In 2008, 59,695 people were diagnosed with melanomas of the skin, and 8,623 people died from it. CDC leads national efforts to reduce skin cancer through education. When in the sun, seek shade, cover up, get a hat, wear sunglasses, and use sunscreen.

The CDC recently issued a press release indicating how common high-risk behavior for skin cancer are among young adults. Half of adults under age 30 report being sunburn in the last year.

Young adults are increasing their risk for developing skin cancer, according to two studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute.

One study, of people aged 18-29, found that 50% reported at least one sunburn in the past year, despite an increase in protective behaviors such as sunscreen use, seeking shade, and wearing long clothing to the ankles. Another report found that indoor tanning is common among young adults, with the highest rates of indoor tanning among white women aged 18-21 years (32%) and 22-25 years (30%).

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, and melanoma is the most deadly type of skin cancer.  Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun and from indoor tanning equipment is the most important preventable risk factor for skin cancer. Indoor tanning before age 35 increases a person’s risk of getting melanoma by 75%. Sunburn indic

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How To Make a General Donation to the United States Government

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For those of you who have done well in the stock market (the S&P 500 has nearly doubled in the last 3 years), won the lotto or lucky enough to be an original investor in Facebook stock, we know you've been wondering how to give back to all of us. Right!?

Well, the Financial Management Service (FMS), a bureau of the United States Department of the Treasury, is here to help out. They outlined how citizens an make a donation to the U.S. government!

From www.fms.treas.gov/faq/moretopics_gifts.html:

Gifts to the United States Government

How do I make a contribution to the U.S. government?

Citizens who wish to make a general donation to the U.S. government may send contributions to a specific account called "Gifts to the United States." This account was established in 1843 to accept gifts, such as bequests, from individuals wishing to express their patriotism to the United States. Money deposited into this account is for general use by the federal government and can be available for budget needs. These contributions are considered an unconditional gift to the

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New Ventura County Clerk and Recorder / Registrar of Voters Website Looks Great

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The Ventura County Clerk and Recorder / Registrar of Voters recently launched a new website that has a really nice new look and feel. Check it out at recorder.countyofventura.org.

Here are some excerpts of what the 3 divisions (County Clerk, Recorder and Elections) of the County Clerk and Recorder office does from the website:

The County Clerk issues marriage licenses, performs civil marriage ceremonies, processes fictitious business name filings, and provides for the qualification and registration of notaries, process servers and miscellaneous statutory oaths and other filings.

The Recorder is responsible for the recording of deeds, deeds of trust, court decrees and other documents affecting title to real property in Ventura County.

The Elections Division conducts all Federal, State, County, school and special district elections in the County, as well as the general municipal elections for all 10 Ventura County cities. It also administers voter registration and outreach programs, among other duties.

I've seen the before and after of the County Clerk and Recorder website and have to say this was a dramatic transformation all around. Many websites receive facelifts on the home page but as you click through to sub-pages find old, outdated pages and broken links dispersed through the site. Not so in this case. Nice job!

The Elections Division section highlights current voter registration information right at the top of the site, which is a nice feature. For example, as of 5/21/12, there are 406,644 registered voters in the County, including 157,539 Democrat, 150,919, Republican, 77,994 Non-Partisan and 20,192 Other.

The 2012 Presidential Primary Election was yesterday. Although the Vote By Mail ballots aren't fully counted yet, the Election Results page indicates 101,986 ballots cast as 2 a.m. this morning (6/6/12); a 25.1% voter turnout. In the 6/3/08 Primary, voter turnout was 29.5% of 392,088 registered voters. Not a good trend to see.

Turnout in the 2012 General Presidential Election s

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