Tuesday, November 26, 2013

CA Attorney General Harris Defends Freedom of Religion Restrictions in ObamaCare


Posted by CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa margarita! CA - Today,  Attorney General (AG) Kamala D. Harris today issued a statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s announcement that it will hear Kathleen Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.:

In a prepared statement, AG Harris basically says that for profit companies do not have the right to exercise their freedom of religion:     “For profit companies should not be able to deny women access to healthcare based on the religious beliefs of the company’s owners. The 10th circuit ruling should be reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court.”

In October, AG Harris filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the U.S. Supreme Court asking the court to take up this case.

In the prepared statement, AG Harris does not discuss whether she thinks non-profit organizations should also be compelled to forfeit their religious freedom under ObamaCare.

You may view the full account of the prepared statement at: http://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-kamala-d-harris-issues-statement-us-supreme-court-agreeing-hear

Saddleback College's Holiday tradition continues with the Nutcracker Ballet



Posted By CotoBlogzz

 

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA  – Saddleback College’s holiday tradition continues with  the enchanting production of the Nutcracker Ballet. The Laguna Ballet, a non-profit junior ballet company serving Orange County families since 1985, presents its 27th anniversary production of The Nutcracker December 19th-22nd in its seventh season on the McKinney Theater stage at Saddleback College



More than 90 Orange County students come together each year, under the direction of Shery Gilbert, to perform in a full-length production of The Nutcracker, one of America’s popular holiday traditions. This year’s guest artists are Antonio Carmena, current soloist and member of the New York City Ballet since 1999; Sven Toorvald, former member of the Houston Ballet and Hubbard Street of Chicago; and Seth Belliston, former principal dancer with the Pacific Northwest Ballet.

Tickets are going fast so purchase yours today by calling (949) 582-4656 (noon-4:00 p.m. Wednesdaythrough Saturday) or online at www.saddleback.edu/arts. Ticket prices are $24 general; $22 students/seniors/Angels; $20 children 12 and under.  Dates are December 19th and 20th at 7:00 p.m.;December 21st at 2:00 and 7:00 p.m., and December 22nd at 1:00 and 6:00 p.m.
Laguna Ballet is a non-profit junior ballet company that provides Orange County with exceptional productions, including The Nutcracker. Laguna Dance Theatre and Laguna Ballet, both based in Mission Viejo, were established together in 1985 under the artistic direction of Shery Gilbert. Laguna Dance Theatre (LDT) is a classical ballet school focusing on pre-professional caliber training and is the home of Laguna Ballet.  LDT also offers excellent training for children and adults in Classical Ballet, Contemporary Dance, Jazz, Lyrical, Tap, Hip Hop, Musical Theater, Pilates, Yoga and Zumba. For more information and class schedules, please call Laguna Dance Theater at 949.855.4702 or visit www.lagunadancetheatre.com.

Saddleback College is located at 28000 Marguerite Pkwy in Mission Viejo, just east of Interstate 5 at the Avery Parkway exit.  Parking is available in Lot 12.  Take Avery Parkway to Marguerite Parkway turn left to the third traffic light, which is Saddleback’s Marguerite entrance. Turn right into the campus and take the third left to “Theatre Circle,” turning right into Lot 12.


Located in Mission Viejo, Saddleback College provides quality higher education and training to the greater south Orange County community.  Having served more than 500,000 students since 1968, Saddleback College offers over 300 degree and certificate programs to help students reach their personal, career, and educational goals.  For more information, please visit www.saddleback.edu and for Fine Arts information, visit www.saddleback.edu/arts.  

Monday, November 25, 2013

Join the Feast of Lights at Saddleback College





Posted By CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA –  A Feast of Lights comes to Saddleback college on December 7th and 8th in the McKinney Theatre. The chorale ensembles, under the direction of Dr. Scott Farthing, and the symphony orchestra, under the direction of Yorgos Kouritas, come together for this very popular holiday program of vocal and orchestral music for all ages to enjoy. 






A Feast of Lights has been a holiday tradition for over 25 years--perhaps one of the oldest traditions at Saddleback College. This year’s festive program will highlight both old and new holiday favorites for chorus and orchestra. A traditional wassail and hors d’oeuvres will be provided by Saddleback College’s exquisite Culinary Arts program.


Dates are Saturday, December 7th at 2:00 and 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, December 8th at 2:00 and 5:00 p.m. Tickets are $20 general admission; $15 students/seniors and can be purchased by calling the ticket office at 949-582-4656 or online at www.saddleback.edu/arts.

The Music Department has established a comprehensive program which is considered to be one of the finest in California: a complete lower-division curriculum for transferring music majors, numerous performance groups, private and group lessons, a full concert series with faculty and guest artists, and general music courses. The nationally-recognized faculty is dedicated to performance and to teaching in all areas such as vocal, instrumental, jazz, guitar, and piano.  Other music classes include harmony, musicianship, composition, history, and appreciation of western art music, rock, jazz and world. The new Popular Music program offers classes in Songwriting, Multi-Track Recording, Intro to the Music Industry, and Commercial Music Ensemble.

Saddleback College is located at 28000 Marguerite Pkwy in Mission Viejo, just east of Interstate 5 at the Avery Parkway exit.  Parking is available in Lot 12.  Take Avery Parkway to Marguerite Parkway turn left to the third traffic light, which is Saddleback’s Marguerite entrance. Turn right into the campus and take the second left to “Theatre Circle,” turning right into Lot 12.

Located in Mission Viejo, Saddleback College provides quality higher education and training to the greater south Orange County community.  Having served more than 500,000 students since 1968, Saddleback College offers more than 300 degree and certificate programs to help students reach their personal, career, and educational goals.  For more information, please visit www.saddleback.edu.  For Fine Arts events, visitwww.saddleback.edu/arts


Friday, November 22, 2013

Traffic Accident Report - Coto de Caza Rate Continues at all time High






Posted By CotoBlogzz 


Coto de Caza, CA - The California Highway Patrol  (CHP) traffic accident report for the third  quarter of 2013 ending September 30, 2013 (3Q2013) shows the traffic accident rate in Coto de Caza is at an all time high at rates comparable to the ones when the CZ Master Association board of directors fired the CHP with fatal consequences in December 2005 and March of 2006 as shown below.

The traffic collisions for 3Q2013 include 3 injuries and 6 property damages.  No DUIs involved in this case.


3Q2013 Accident Report for Coto de Caza.  Source:  CHP

The sharp drop between 4Q2012 and 1Q2013 more than likely is due to the CHP's data collection practices, just like the Orange County Sheriffs Department




     


On the other hand, the accident report for Ladera Ranch keeps inching down, mostly as a result of the community’s focus on public safety.

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Ladera Ranch Traffic Accident Rate - Source:  CHP SJC
The Ladera Ranch traffic accident report for 3Q2013 include three injured and thirteen  property damage.  No DUIs reported
      
           





Historical Perspective - as published in the March 2006 issue of the Cotobuzz Journal: 
It also proves that the “Coto traffic accidents” are preventable incidents – and not the same as the accidents one finds in highway 405 on the way to LAX as a board supporter incredibly argued. It also refutes the notion that Coto did not have a traffic control problem as the same person told the LA Times.  "
"The figures also clearly indicate out-of-control increase in accident rates when the board fired the CHP and a mirror image decrease in accident rates when residents forced the board to bring back the CHP

Coto's Public Safety Ticking BombRhianna Woolsey died (December 7, 2005) in the first traffic fatality in Coto de Caza in the last ten years, followed three months later by a traffic accident that claime Mr  Morteza Manian’s life.



RELATED STORIES



Coto de Caza and Ladera Ranch 1Q2011 Public Safety Review
Coto de Caza, CA –By its own words and actions, it is fair to argue that Coto de Caza’s local governance is not only apathetic when it comes to public safety, but its own actions actually result increase the risk to residents. Worse, seems like adults in Coto de Caza have similar views as the local governance.

Our research over close to ten years indicate that whether a community is safe or not, is primarily a function of residents and local governance, not law enforcement. Consider that when a city in Orange County is deemed the safest city, what about the other 11 cities or the unincorporated areas? What about Coto de Caza with the highest crime rate in history in early 2010. After all, only common denominator is that the OCSD is the law enforcement agency. What does the OCSD do differently in the safest city, as opposed to the least safe city under its watch?



Coto de Caza's Traffic Incident Rate at Critical Danger Levels
Coto de Caza, CA - While the Coto de Caza's total population has been shrinking for the last ten years, including placement of 17 property liens for the month of January 2011 out of roughly 3500 homes, the policies pursued by the CZ Master association board of directors, the local governance, have consistently increased traffic with a reduction in CHP patrol hours, with predictable results. Consider that for close to a decade, we have consistently shown conclusive evidence that there is a direct correlation between the extent of the CHP traffic enforcement efforts and the number of traffic accidents in the community.


Coto Continues on Dangerous Course of Traffic Incidents

While Incident Rate Lower, Still at Critical Levels

Coto de Caza, CA - The good news for Coto de Caza residents is that the quarter-to-quarter accident rate for the quarter ending March 31, 2011 is significantly down from the previous quarter. The bad news is that it is still at the same levels as when the community experienced its two traffic fatalities within a three month period between December 2005 and March 2006

Coto de Caza Fires the CHP - Again!

Coto de Caza, CA - The CotoBuzz Journal has documented the one-sided hate-hate relationship between the CZ Master Association board of directors and law enforcement agencies in general, and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) specifically (CHP). In an open board meeting for example, a board member called the Orange County Sheriff's Department (OCSD) extortionists! Despite the public abuse the CHP has received from the Coto de Caza board of directors ever since the board was coerced into bringing the CHP back for pro-active traffic patrol, figures indicate that the CHP has been doing its job: - The Chart below was published Sept. 30, 2006.

Rhianna Six Month’s Anniversary Mr. Manian’s Three Month’s Anniversary

It has been six months since Rhianna Woolsey died (December 7, 2005) in the first traffic fatality in Coto de Caza in the last ten years. Sadly, this week also marks the Three Month Anniversary of Mr. Morteza Manian’s death, as he was struck by a...

Bicycle Safety Within Coto de Caza
During the June 8, 2006 Coto de Caza board meeting Yo Orduno described a public safety situation in the Summerfield district including a warning about an increase of rush hour cyclists in and around Vista Del Verde, some even riding pairwise making the...

Coto de Caza - New Election Laws - Call for Candidates
Dear CZ Board Members:

In July, 2006 the new state law governing HOA elections will take effect. That means that shortly thereafter, the Board should send out information concerning the mechanisms the Board intends to implement in 2007 to comply with...

First 2006-2007 Coto de Caza Board of Directors Meeting, Standing Room Only!  …and Coto de Caza’s Tar Baby
The first 2006-2007 Coto de Caza Board of Directors Meeting, can best be described as standing-room only, with the local media well represented.  A political junkie would have felt right at home, as you could sense the excitement, the energy and the...

COTOBUZZ RELEASES CRIME & VANDALISM MANAGEMENT TOOL
In its continued commitment to public safety, on June 1, 2006, CotoBuzz unveiled a Crime and Vandalism Management tool (see below for first installment), containing key metrics and a side-by-side comparison between Coto de Caza and Ladera Ranch....

COTO DE CAZA- SecurityAreNotUs
In today's Canyon Life, there was an article about Lyle Schlieder's leaving the BOD. Lyle was quoted as follows: "There are no patrols anymore. I am not sure if what we are dealing with is just a pretty face at the gate that we pay a lot of money for." So...

BREAKING NEWS: COTO IS SAFER THAN OTHER COMMUNITIES:
BREAKING NEWS: COTO IS SAFER THAN OTHER COMMUNITIES:

The April 21 issue of the CanyonLife reports that “Fred Lisanti of Pacific Oak Security, security consultants to the ( Coto de Caza) board, presented a report indicating the official crime...

CotoBuzz March 2006 Newsletter
First Traffic Accident Lawsuit Filed: Coto de Caza Public Safety Bandwagon is filling up Fast- Hop In!: . We just received the February 2006 CHP report – as previously reported in the Coto discussion forum, we had our first traffic accident in...

Lawless, Clueless Coto de Caza
Last night, December 12, 2006, the CZ homeowner’s association board of directors held their regularly scheduled open session meeting. Present were representatives from the LA Times and Freedom Communications.

Lawless, Values-less, Spiritual-less Coto de Caza
When we first moved to Coto de Caza over 12 years ago, we really thought there was No Place Like Coto. Shortly thereafter CNN/Money discovered Coto as well and included it in their list of One of the Best Places to Live/Best Places to Retire.

When the...
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Harry Reid Goes Nuclear On Minority Rights

The only vice that cannot be forgiven is hypocrisy. The repentance of a hypocrite is itself hypocrisy: William Hazlitt 

By Chriss Street

 Majority Leader Harry Reid and President Barack Obama rallied 52 Democrats and independents to vote to weaken 224 years of protection of minority rights in the Senate by eliminating the filibuster. 



Now only 51 votes, rather than 60, are required for Senate approval of executive and judicial branch nominees. Complaining that Republican intransigence drove him to use the “Nuclear Option”, Reid argued, “There are currently 75 executive branch nominations ready to be confirmed by the Senate,” he said, “waiting an average of 140 days.” But Republican Senator Susan Collins responded, “I think the minority will rue the day that they broke the rules to change the rules.”


Democrats were not always so willing to lecture America on how “Majority Rule” would be good for us. After Democrats won control of the Senate in 2006, Reid promised:
“As majority leader, I intend to run the Senate with respect for the rules and for the minority rights the rules protect. The Senate was not established to be efficient. Sometimes the rules get in the way of efficiency. The Senate was established to make sure that minorities are protected.
Majorities can always protect themselves, but minorities cannot. That is what the Senate is all about. For more than 200 years, the rules of the Senate have protected the American people, and rightfully so. The need to muster 60 votes in order to terminate Senate debate naturally frustrates the majority and oftentimes the minority. I am sure it will frustrate me when I assume the office of majority leader in a few weeks. But I recognize this requirement is a tool that serves the long-term interest of the Senate and the American people and our country.” (Congressional Record, S.11591, 12/8/06)

Barack Obama’s bitterly criticized the majority of Supreme Court Justices this summer for overturning the 48 year old Voting Rights Act that he said protected minorities:
“I am deeply disappointed with the Supreme Court’s decision today. For nearly 50 years, the Voting Rights Act – enacted and repeatedly renewed by wide bipartisan majorities in Congress – has helped secure the right to vote for millions of Americans. Today’s decision invalidating one of its core provisions upsets decades of well-established practices that help make sure voting is fair.”

Today might have given the President and his majority of allies in the Senate a political victory, but as William Hazlitt said: “The only vice that cannot be forgiven is hypocrisy. The repentance of a hypocrite is itself hypocrisy.”


Listen to Chriss Street and Paul Preston
Streaming 24 Hours Every Day
Click Here For: AGENDA 21 Radio


Orange County Crime Lab Discovers Errors in Blood-Alcohol Tests- Tip of the Iceberg?



Posted by CotoBlogzz


Rancho Santa Margarita, CA – Earlier this month, the Orange County Crime Lab (OCCL) discovered a clerical error in calibrating one of two machines used to analyze blood alcohol concentration.  The error affects cases from the end of May 2013 to the beginning of October 2013. 

According to an Orange County Sheriff Department’s (OCSD) press release, following the discovery, the OCCL conducted a full audit of the last five years of DUI alcohol casework.  In the course of that audit, the OCCL discovered a  calibration error of other blood alcohol instrument between December 2012 and May 2013.  One hundred blood samples processed between these two dates will be corrected.

We should note that we were not only  critical of the integrity of the  OCCL’s American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors ( ASCLD) accreditation, but also questioned the value of the fanfare associated with the accreditation’s announcement.    Subsequently, a  congressionally mandated report from the National Research Council released in early 2009 supported our concerns. 

Now, we assert that calibration errors are as basic as blocking and tackling in football.  Meaning that if ASCL accreditation has any value, calibration errors should never happen.  And we assert that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Dramatically shrinking gnome sequencing costs and mishandling and or abusing DNA processing are much bigger concerns.

According to the same press release, “the OCCL is working with ASCLD to document all corrective actions taken and the procedural changes detecting all calibrator variations. Additionally, the OCCL is cooperating fully with Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens and the Orange County Board of Supervisors to request an audit by the California Department of Health to confirm all procedural and casework standards.”

On a related story, the state of California is responsible for auditing the state’s Sheriffs departments.  Our research indicates that the state has not audited the Los Angeles, San Diego or the Orange County Sheriff departments.








Related Stories

OC-CSI is Official – OCSD ASCLD/LAB Certified
July 15,   2008      
    
The OC Sheriff Department’s Forensic Science Services Division is now Orange County’s only ASCLD accredited, full service law enforcement crime lab that provides crime scene investigation and laboratory examinations on evidence in all forensic disciplines, including fingerprints, DNA, toxicology and firearms to name a few. Their services are provided free to all law enforcement agencies within the county.


Posted by: CotoBlogzz | 02/19/2009 3:00 PM

The good news is that the OCSD’s Crime Lab reported  a new record for DNA database hits.  The Lab obtained 32 hits in a single day on Feb, 1 2009, beating the last hit record of 22 in one day set in September 2006.


Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Manas Moole Reddy, a Student Charged with Carrying a Loaded firearm onto UCI Campus




Posted by CotoBlogzz


Rancho Santa Margarita, California  - Manas Moole Reddy, a student at the  University of California, Irvine (UCI)  was charged today for carrying a loaded firearm on campus.

Reddy, 28, Irvine, is charged with one felony count each of possessing a loaded firearm on a college campus, unlawful possession of a firearm, and possession of ammunition by a prohibited person. 

According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, at approximately 3:00 p.m. on Nov. 18, 2013, Reddy is accused of standing near a tree just north of Steinhaus Hall Service Road on the campus of UCI. Reddy is accused of carrying a shoulder bag across the front of his chest and clutching a firearm inside the bag with his left hand. Student Jane Doe walked past the defendant and observed the firearm in his open bag and contacted UCI Police Department (UCIPD).

UCIPD officers arrived and arrested the defendant, who is accused of possessing a revolver loaded with six bullets. 

In the Aftermath of Super Typhoon Haiyan



By Chriss Street

 Super Typhoon Haiyan is estimated to have been strongest storm ever to ever make landfall.  The Philippines as a nation of 7000 islands experiences on average of nine cyclones coming ashore each year.  



But even with the their knowledge and relative preparedness for serious tropical storms, no nation could withstand the fury of a storm that reach 230 mile per hour winds.  There are approximately 2500 Philippine dead, 20,000 injured and 90% of the structures wiped out across a 500 square miles area.  Natural disasters have huge economic impacts, but their aftermath has long term social, economic and political ramifications.




The Philippines annually spends an estimated ½% of its total GDP on earthquakes, volcanos, storms and other natural disasters.  Over the last 30 years, the ongoing annual loss to the $250 billion economy is estimated at 2% of GDP annually.  Despite the fact that the storm came ashore in the impoverished Eastern Visayas, which contribute only about 2-3% of Philippine GDP each year, almost all the economic output of the region is gone.  Reports indicate that coconut production, a major Philippine export, will take years to recover and there is heightened risk that recent boom in manufacturing and mining may wither if the government cannot handle reconstruction.

Each year droughts in Africa, flooding in Pakistan and Australia, and tropical cyclones in Southeast Asia and the Gulf of Mexico, earthquakes in Turkey, Haiti and Japan undermine prosperity and challenge political stability around the globe.  According to Stratfor Global Intelligence, The Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters estimates that anywhere from 3-12% of the world population each year are affected by natural disasters and the global costs can range from $50 billion to $350 billion.

Disasters obviously have a disproportionate impact on richer and poorer states.  The direct cost of Japan’s triple disaster in 2011 of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown is estimated at $240 billion, but that is only 4% of Japan’s $6 trillion economy.  Whereas the cost of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti was only $10 billion, but that amounted to over 120% of the island’s total GDP.

Due to higher quality infrastructure, forecasting and early warning systems, response capabilities and insurance coverage, rebuilding businesses and reviving agriculture activity usually happens quickly in Japan, Europe, United States other developed countries.  But the trauma in undeveloped from a natural disaster can take decades to rebuild and often drives away any hope of attracting foreign investment and jobs.

But even in the rich countries natural disasters can threaten the socio-political stability and have long term economic growth implications.  Japan’s nuclear energy sector has not recovered from the Fukushima crisis, and its energy profile may be permanently changed due to domestic opposition to restarting Japan’s 44 other nuclear reactors.  Prior to the earthquake and tsunami of March 2011, nuclear reactors generated 30% of Joan’s electrical power from nuclear reactors and was planned to rise to over 50% in the next twenty years.  As a nation that imports almost all its oil or natural gas, nuclear energy was a national strategic priority to maintain competitiveness for its industry.  This was despite concerns about the ability of Japan’s nuclear plants to withstand seismic activity after the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant was completely shut down for 21 months following an earthquake in 2007.

Since the Tsunami, Japan has increased consumption taxes, run its national debt up to 150% of GDP, forced down the exchange rate of its currency and begun an offensive military buildup.  All of this threatens a big jump in inflation, but the Japanese national government is under severe pressure to demonstrate its responsiveness to the economic crisis caused by the loss of cheap nuclear energy in the short run and its ability to mitigate future natural disasters in the long run.
The Philippines has been promised assistance from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan and many others to address the immediate humanitarian and economic disaster.  But providing aid also allows pursuit of political objectives.  The U.S. assistance that is pouring into the Philippines may help generate public good will at a time when the two allies are negotiating expanding U.S. military port visitation rights to the former U.S. naval base at Subic Bay.  Japan’s contribution to the relief effort is symbolic from a nation that invaded the Philippines during World War II, but now wants as an ally to contain China’s effort to dominate the South China Sea.

Over time, the direct damage from natural disasters will fade, but there often are substantial long term social, economic and political ramifications.  The Philippine economy grew at an impressive 6.6% last year and was expected to continue to grow at similar rates this year and next year.  But before super typhoon Haiyan’s came ashore, the nation 107 million people already suffered from an unemployment rate of 20% and a poverty rate of 28%.  Given the scale of storm’s devastation, a collapse in Philippine economic growth in the aftermath of super typhoon Haiyan may be a formula for political chaos and popular rebellion.

Listen to Chriss Street and Paul Preston
Streaming 24 Hours Every Day
Click Here For: AGENDA 21 Radio


The First ObamaCare Casualty



By Chriss Street


Away from the cameras and the media scrum, the first political casualty of the President’s disastrous launch of Obamacare is a bipartisan Congressional revolt against crony capitalists’ effort to pass the clandestine Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) treaty. In an open letter following his Obamacare apology, 151 progressive Democrat members of the House of Representatives joined the 23 conservative Republican members in sending a letter urging the President to abandon asking for “fast-track authority” for approval of any new free trade agreement. Initially hailed as a free-market weapon to speed defeat of communism, fast-track has been corrupted by multi-national corporate interests into a tool to undermine American sovereignty and out-source jobs.

For 200 years, Congress wrote laws to oversee trade under the Constitution’s
Commerce Clause. Congress created fast-track authority through the Trade Act of 1974 to give the President of the United States the ability to negotiate without filibusters or amendments a “substantial reduction of tariffs and other trade barriers and the elimination of preferences, on a reciprocal and mutually advantageous basis” as a free market weapon against communist expansion around the world. Originally scheduled to expire in 1980, it was extended several times until the end of the Cold War that was marked by opening of trade with China, passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the 1995 formation of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Despite strong opposition from House Republicans, Presidential candidate George W. Bush made passage of fast-track part of his campaign platform in 2000. At 3:30 a.m. on July 27, 2002, bipartisan House members passed by just 3 votes the contentious Trade Act of 2002 that extended fast-track authority to 2007. Four days later, the bill passed the Senate by just one vote more than the 2/3 majority required to ratify treaties.

Following fast-track’s expiration, Congress ratified three separate trade agreements with Panama, Colombia and South Korea. But in 2010, the White House began secretly negotiating the expansive Trans-Pacific Partnership between Australia, Brunei, Chile, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam and the United States. The TPP final round of negotiations was held in Brunei last August, and there have been informal meetings to finalize sections of the agreement. But unlike past trade agreements, the text of the TPP is classified and members of Congress have only restricted access to it. If they do read the TPP draft text, they are not allowed to copy it or discuss any specifics of it. However, 600 large transnational corporations are on the advisory panel and have real-time direct access to the draft text revisions.

The Administration claims the treaty will allow Pacific Rim nations to not only trade goods with near-zero tariffs, but also reduce non-tariff trade barriers against the “free movement” of intangible services, investments, public projects and intellectual property. But my sources warn that only 5 of the 29 chapters contain provisions that are directly related to trade. My concern is that the “free movement” language in the treaty is code words for a back-door corporate power grab to swap out-sourcing of American service jobs in exchange for international enforcement of a radical expansion of intellectual property rights for the pharmaceutical, media and tech industries. Multi-national crony capitalists know that if they clandestinely implant self-serving language into TPP,

American federal, state and local law must be “harmonized” to conform to the treaty.
WikiLeaks confirmed those suspicions by publishing a 95-page, 30,000-word partial draft of the Trans-Pacific Partnership chapter on Intellectual Property Rights. The language “lays out provisions for instituting a far-reaching, transnational legal and enforcement regime, modifying or replacing existing laws in TPP member states.” Most troubling is the blatant effort to grant “policing” powers and “supranational litigation tribunals” that trump existing American laws regarding “individual rights, civil liberties, publishers, internet service providers and internet privacy.” According to WikiLeaks, “If you read, write, publish, think, listen, dance, sing or invent; if you farm or consume food; if you’re ill now or might one day be ill, the TPP has you in its cross-hairs.”

The TPP provisions would not only extend international copyright “protections” far beyond the current standard of the author’s “life plus 50 years”; the treaty undermines the “formalities” of registering copyrights by granting “unpublished works” protections of up to 120 years and uses a “3-step test” for enforcement that favors powerful transnational corporate interests over American small business and local inventors.

When the WTO was passed under fast-track, Congress was only allowed 90 days to review the bill’s 60 separate sections and tens of thousands of pages, before making an up or down vote after only 20 hours of debate and no right to introduce amendments. Despite being at least as complex as Obamacare, few members of Congress read the treaty or had the expertise to understand the breadth of its true intentions. One of the WTO “requirements” was that the Glass-Steagall legislation that separated banks and investment brokers since the Great Depression had to be repealed. I believe that the rise of derivatives and the 2008 financial crash were the inevitable blowback from WTO.

Despite the conceptual benefits of “free trade”, the WTO, NAFTA and other fast-track” treaties over the last two decades caused a net loss of 6 million American manufacturing jobs and the U.S. trade deficit to increase by 440% with the countries involved. Multinational corporations are aggressively lobbying Congress to pass the global climate change treaty; because their factories in China are competitively exempted from its brutal costs as “under-developed” economies. How can American small businesses and workers, burdened by brutal regulations, compete under TPP with huge transnational corporations paying their workers in Malaysia, where the minimum wage is $1.24; in Peru, where it is $1.37; or in Vietnam, where it is 30 cents?

Crony capital lobbyists must be in cardiac arrest over how quickly their schemes to use fast-track authority to stealthily pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership evaporated as the first political casualty from the Obamacare scandal. The main-stream-media is always complaining Congress is unwilling to work together to solve the nation’s challenges. They never expected that a bipartisan coalition of hard-left progressive Democrats and hard-right conservative Republicans would unite to take on the most powerful moneyed interests in Washington DC in defense of American sovereignty and good paying jobs.
Contact:   chriss.street@gmail.com
Website:  www.chrissstreetandcompany.com

Icicle Creek Big Works, Big Ideas Chamber Players Concert Series




Posted by CotoBlogzz

 Leavenworth, WA – The  Icicle Creek Big Works, Big Ideas Chamber Players Concert Series Season consists of four concerts, each with a three-part affair:




Part I: Great works of chamber music performed by the world-class artists.


Part II: Intermission = wine


Part III: Conversation between artists and audience led by the erudite and dynamic classical music spokesman, Timothy Christie, a familiar face to those who have heard him perform in the 2012-13 Icicle Creek Chamber Players season.




The season opener starts  Saturday,  November 23  7:30 PM and takes place at the Canyon Wren Recital Hall - 7409 Icicle Road with:

  • Korngold, "Much Ado About Nothing" for Violin and Piano
  • Ysaye, Sonata for Solo Violin No. 6
  • Stravinsky, Divertimento for Violin and Piano
  • Guns and Roses (Arr. Adam DeGraff),  Sweet Child O'Mine for Violin Solo
  • Maria Sampen, violin
  • Oksana Ezhokina, piano

Thanksgiving Holiday DUI Checks in Aliso Viejo, Laguna Hills, Laguna Nigel and Laguna Woods




Posted By CotoBlogzz


Rancho Santa Margarita, California  - Deputies from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department “AVOID the 13” DUI Task Force will be deploying this weekend to stop and arrest alcohol and drug-impaired drivers in the Department’s ongoing traffic safety campaign. 

DUI Saturation Patrols will deploy on Friday, November 22 at 7:00 pm until Saturday, November 23 at 3:00 am in the cities of Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Laguna Hills, and Aliso Viejo.  These patrols will be targeting areas with high frequencies of DUI collisions and/or arrests.

The goal of the program is to reduce the rate at which the citizens of Orange County are killed or injured in DUI related collisions.  Through implementation of these events, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department hopes to significantly reduce deaths, injuries and property damage in each of our contract cities.
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Funding for this program is from a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  If you see a drunk driver, call 9-1-

Saturday, November 09, 2013

Coto de Caza, Ladera Ranch 3Q2013 Crime and Vandalism Report

Coto de Caza still a Peter Pan Paradise


Posted By CotoBlogzz


Coto de Caza, CA – The Third Quarter of 2013 Crime and Vandalism Report for the Coto de Caza and the Ladera Ranch is out.  A brief compare and contrast  shows the following:


Coto de Caza Crime Rate, Source:  OCSD

Ladera Ranch Crime Rate, Source:  OCSD

 While Coto de Caza  is a  single gated community, Ladera Ranch consists of nine villages and ten or more neighborhoods per village with more than twice the population density of Coto de Caza, yet the crime rate per capita for 2013 is about the same.  No to mention that Coto de Caza residents pay more than $1.8 million/year to manage the gate access system






Coto de Caza Crime Distribution by age


Ladera Ranch Crime Distribution by age




 According to the Census Bureau 38% of the population in Coto de Caza is under 18 years, compared to 50% for Ladera Ranch.  Yet, most crimes in Coto de Caza are committed by individuals 40 years and above, why we say that Coto de Caza residents are afflicted by the Peter Pan Syndrome.



Coto de Caza Top Crime Categories


Ladera Ranch Top Crime Categories



 Even the top crime categories indicate a significant difference between the two communities.  While larceny is at the top of the list in both communities, Ladera Ranch with a much younger population shows zero cases of vandalism in 2013, while Coto de Caza reports 11 incidents.

While our research, conducted over a decade indicates that crime and vandalism rate is a function of local community leaders, we can now confirm that the wilds quarter-to-quarter swings in the Coto de Caza and Ladera Ranch charts above, are mostly a function of the Orange County Sheriff's Departement (OCSD) data collection system.














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Our research over close to ten years indicate that whether a community is safe or not, is primarily a function of residents and local governance, not law enforcement. Consider that when a city in Orange County is deemed the safest city, what about the other 11 cities or the unincorporated areas? What about Coto de Caza with the highest crime rate in history in early 2010. After all, only common denominator is that the OCSD is the law enforcement agency. What does the OCSD do differently in the safest city, as opposed to the least safe city under its watch?



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