Michele Chapin Says "Bring It!"

The Video by John Thomas Rose that I really, really want you to see, is a hilarious and beautifully handled portrait of our sculptor friend Michele Chapin

Watch the Video here - http://vimeo.com/62299340

Michele has a website with lovely images and details of her work, and classes she offers at her amazing Art Spot known as Stoneworks on Ventura Avenue.  You can visit there any time by appointment - call 805.643.5431.

OR stop by this Friday evening, as Stoneworks is a vibrant part of First Fridays!

Austi's Phascinating Photography - See It Tonight in Ventura

Tonight from 6. to 9 pm, if you're anywhere near Ventura, CA, don't forget to check out First Friday, when local artists show off their stuff!

Leaflets are available around town, with details of the local venues which take part, and the information is in the local Press.

I wanted to show you some of our brilliant friend Austi V. Campbell's dramatic, psychological Photographs, but Google doesn't want to let me do it, so here's an image of a different kind:

You'll be able to see more - and chat with the Artist herself - at M. B. Hanrahan's studio at Bell Arts, the wonderful venue in the former mattress factory, 432, N. Ventura Avenue.

Very much worth the trip!

Fracking the Ojai Valley - a California Story

"Citizens For Responsible Oil and Gas (CFROG) was formed by a group of 20 west county residents, in response to what they deem has been a lack of environmental review by Ventura County, which recently approved nine new oil wells and two wells to be reopened in the area above Thomas Aquinas College in Upper Ojai." (Ojai Valley News)

CFROG are calling for as many people as possible to show up in support, when they present their Appeal to the County Planning Commission at 8.30 am in the Supervisors' Hearing Room at the Government Center on South Victoria Avenue, Ventura, California.

You can get full information from their site at http://www.cfrog.org/, or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CFROGvc.

UPDATE to "Overthrowing Citizens United: Progress!"

In addition to the material below, People For the American Way tell us that there's a Ballot Initiative in progress right here:  "in California, where we've already achieved a major victory in the legislature, an effort to get a referendum on the 2014 ballot supporting a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United JUST launched -- think of the incredibly powerful message it will send if we can get voters in a state of 40 million people to overwhelmingly approve this measure directly!"

They're also "... working with a coalition of state groups and state legislators to draft an advisory referendum to push back on Citizens United in Wisconsin and are engaged in similar efforts in Minnesota..."

Of course, PFAW need money;  you can donate here:   https://secure.pfaw.org/site/Donation2?3446.donation=form1&idb=349402178&df_id=3446&autologin=true


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People For the American Way report that

• 12 states have passed legislation supporting a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, including West Virginia just last week...and we're working on getting it passed in New Hampshire, Washington State and Nevada this session...
• We're helping to build grassroots and "grass tops" support in more states, like Delaware, where we've helped organize support for a sign-on letter from state legislators to the congressional delegation, and Wisconsin, where we're building support with a statewide petition effort...
• More than 500 local resolutions have passed, including one we recently helped get passed by referendum in the New Hampshire Senate Majority Leader's district, in part to increase pressure on him to move the state bill...

Happy to say that here in Ventura, California, our Board of Supervisors passed a Resolution calling for a Constitutional Amendment.

As they so accurately say,

"The Supreme Court's disastrous 5-4 decision in 2010's Citizens United v. FEC made the longstanding problem of big money in politics exponentially worse, opening the floodgates for unlimited spending by Super PACs, corporate special interests and billionaire right-wing ideologues in America's elections. It's getting worse with each cycle, but PFAW is mobilizing Americans in every corner of this country to build the support we'll need to amend the Constitution and undo Citizens United."

You can check out PFAW and their issues here.