What Happened the Year You Were Born? Here is a Handy Guide!

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What world events took place the year you were born? What was the unemployment rate?  The big news in sports? Population of the U.S.? Don't know off-hand?  Well not to worry, a website called Infoplease has enabled us to provide a quick to this information by year, going back to 1900 (for any centenarian Conejo Valley Guide readers).  Enjoy!

19001901190219031904190519061907190819091910191119121913191419151916191719181919192019211922192319241925192619271928192919301931193219331934193519361937193819391940194119421943194419451946194719481949195019511952195319541955195619571958195919601961196219631964196519661967196819691970197119721973197419751976197719781979198019811982198319841985198619871988198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009

Ventura County Sheriff "Social Host" (Underage Drinking) Ordinance Message

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Community Safety Message from the Ventura County Sheriff's Department

Summer is almost upon us and schools will be closing their doors for a well-deserved vacation. Experience tells us that we will experience an increase in daytime residential burglaries, more unsightly graffiti and many “party disturbing” calls.

I want to take this opportunity to talk about those parties and the potentially lethal combination of teenagers and alcohol. There is nothing wrong with celebrating the end of the school year with an evening of fun with family and friends. However, too often these events end in tragedy. Alcohol consumption and binge drinking in combination with prescription drugs are the most common cause of overdose for teenagers in the community.

Some parents want to be “cool” by permitting their children and their friends to consume alcohol while throwing a party in the home. Other parents rationalize their behavior by arguing that teenagers will find alcohol elsewhere if they don’t allow it at home. Concerned parents do not abandon their parental responsibility while placing their teens and the community at risk in this way.

Several years ago, Ventura County Ordinance 6113 was passed to combat this problem. Also known as the Social Host Ordinance, individuals responsible for the party can be held accountable, even if they didn’t personally buy the alcohol, for “hosting” the party. Should deputies be called to respond to an underage drinking incident on property you own, lease or otherwise control, you could be cited and required to pay a fine of $1000. If this is not incentive enough to discourage such conduct, imagine being the parent who permits underage drinking that leads to a tragic death when one of the partygoers crashes on the way home forfeiting their life of that of other innocents.

Sheriff’s deputies and California Highway Patrol officers will be vigorously enforcing these laws throughout the summer. Remember, it is fun to celebrate the end of the school year, just do so legally and responsibly so your teenager can attend the first day of the next school year.

For more information on the subject, please visit www.venturacountylimits.org.

What Not to Do in Your Job Search: 10 Common Mistakes Made by Job Hunters

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What Not to Do in Your Job Search

10 common mistakes made by job hunters—and how to avoid them

By Kathyrn Ullrich

Five out of six working Americans—a full 84 percent—plan to look for a new position in 2011, according to a recent survey by job-placement firm Manpower. If you are, or soon will be, one of them, you’ve got to stack your deck to stand out and succeed. But how? Start by knowing—and avoiding—10 common mistakes made by job hunters:

1. Playing the generalist card

Now more than ever, companies look for specialists, not generalists. Develop a personal brand, distinguish your skills and strengths, and design your job search around specific industries and functions. For inspiration, turn to the Internet or a Sunday newspaper and study searches from real-life companies. Recently, for instance, a well-known software company was seeking a seasoned marketer “skilled in developing online video for B2B marketing.” In short: specialize!

2. Bloated resumes

Employers don’t read resumes—they scan them in mere seconds. Put

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By Law, California 7th-12th Graders Must Receive Whooping Cough Vaccine by July 2011

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AB 354: The New 7th – 12th Grade California Immunization Law
California Department of Public Health, Immunization Branch

Whooping cough is a serious disease that causes coughing fits that can last for months. It can be deadly for infants. In recent years, whooping cough has been increasing in the United States. In 2010, whooping cough was widespread in California.

Starting July 2011, a new law (AB 354) changing California immunization requirements for all students entering 7th-12th grades goes into effect. The law requires:

  • This coming school year (2011-2012), all students entering into 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th or 12 th grades will need proof of an adolescent whooping cough booster shot (called “Tdap”) before starting school.
  • For the next school year (2012-13) and future school years, all students entering into 7th grade only will need proof of a Tdap shot to start school.

This law includes current students, new students and transfer students in both public and private schools.

Tdap is a booster vaccine for older children, adolescents, and

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The Curious Appeal of Curious George

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This is George. He was a good little monkey and always very curious.

These words are emblazoned in my brain as I've read Curious George books to my kids hundreds, if not thousands, of times.

There are so many great kids books to read but something keeps bringing me back to Curious George. Many books I find painful to read after awhile, but not Curious George.

Maybe it is the predictable storyline of the books:

  • George goes out on some type of excursion, usually with the Man with the Yellow Hat.
  • The Man with the Yellow Hat leaves George to go do som
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Conejo Chronicles by Sheli Ellsworth

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Conejo Chronicles

by

Sheli Ellsworth

Conejo is the Spanish word for rabbit. But when I relocated to the Conejo Valley I wasn’t worried.  After all, what’s in a name? Los Angeles is not over run with angels. When I realized that a dozen rabbits lived on my street, I begin to get a clue, and finally, when my backyard began looking like a rabbit refugee camp, I understood how aptly named the area is. But I didn’t mind. I liked bunnies.

In college, I collected bunny-themed children’s books with the excuse they were for future offspring. Not long after that, the occasional stuffed rabbit would wander into my dorm room and take up residence. I claimed homesickness and a love of anything small and furry. I also used this rationalization as a young professional when I built a hutch to house a real rabbit that lived on my patio. Meanwhile the stuffed rabbits had multiplied faster than real ones.  When I married, my husband agreed to have children in a desperate hope of relocating the 105 stuffed animals out of our bedroom.

So, when my T.O. neighbors pointed out that my dirt lawn was due to the bunny breakfast menu I served round the clock—grass over-easy, I felt betrayed by my furry friends.

In my first attempt to wean the rabbits off my grass, I planted Serbian bellflower in the beds for the bunnies’ dining pleasure. From the parsley family, bellflower grows in bunches and blooms a purple flower. The bunnies loved it.

Feeling inspired by my eco-friendly solution, I read Watership Down. For two weeks, I was complacent in the knowledge that the main rabbit characters:  Hazel, Silver and Fiver were smart

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