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.

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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-

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.

RELATED STORIES

Ladera Ranch Traffic Accident Rates Stabilize, Coto de Caza continues at all time high
Coto de Caza, CA - While Ladera Ranch registered 16 injured, 16 property damage and 4 DUIs during the fourth quarter of 2011, the community experienced seven injuries, 12 property damage and no DUIs in the first quarter ending March 30, 2012, according to figures from the California Highway Patrol San Juan Capistrano Office

Coto's Public Safety Ticking Time Bomb, Ladera's Traffic Accidents Double in Second Quarter of 2011
Coto de Caza, CA - While the number of traffic accidents for the second quarter of 2011 in Ladera Ranch more than doubled, resulting in nine injuries and three driving under the influence, according to the figures supplied by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) San Juan Capistrano (SJC,) it appears that the traffic accidents in Coto de Caza are trending down. 

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 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
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Lawless, Clueless Coto de Caza
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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.

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Saddleback’s Speech and Debate Team Excels at 2013 Watson-Lancer Invitational Tournament

Posted By CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA -Approximately 30 colleges and universities including Saddleback College Azusa Pacific, Chapman University, and three CSU schools competed in the 2013 Watson-Lancer Invitational Tournament hosted by Pasadena City College on October 26^th – 27^th..

Saddleback Speech and Debate students

With only a quarter of the team’s students competing, Saddleback placed 6th overall with a total of 29 points. First place was awarded to Moorpark College with 88 total points. Saddleback College beat out Chapman University and made several colleges take notice. Led by team Co-Captain Dennis Meador, Saddleback planted itself in the speech community as a viable contender to win a championship

Saddleback’s new debate coach, Shawn O'Rourke, guided the Saddleback Debaters to a historic weekend. Individual Event Coaches, Larry Radden, Heidi Ochoa, and Lucas Ochoa helped the speech team advance to several final rounds.

Co-Director Larry Radden stated, "We have four amazing coaches for our team and also wonderful students. We have seen great results due to the fact that everyone is working synergistically." 

The results are:

1st Place: After Dinner Speaking- Dennis Meador
2nd Place: Programmed Oral Interpretation- Dennis Meador
2nd Place: After Dinner Speaking- Melissa Armstrong
Finalist: Novice Persuasion- Alex Sherwood
Finalist: Novice Informative- Shawn Walker Mendez
Finalist: Impromptu Speaking- Bailey Prince
Silver Medals: Novice Debate- Bailey Prince and Tyler Kline
Bronze Medals: Open Debate- Ken Caradang and Mitchell Carter

The Saddleback Forensics Team started in the 1970s and prides itself on offering students the ability to create innovative arguments for future writing and speaking engagements to strengthen their critical thinking skills and to better communicate with others. On the forensics team, students write, rehearse, and perform at 6-7 tournaments against students from Universities and Community Colleges to qualify for the national tournament. The students representing Saddleback at the national tournament have placed above several competitors representing institutions throughout the year, including: Concordia University, Point Loma, California State University, Los Angeles, California State University, Long Beach, and UCLA.
 

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, please visit www.saddleback.edu/arts.

 

Saddleback College students inNext to Normal Musical

Posted By CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA – The Department of Theatre Arts at  Saddleback College will presents students in the  inNext to Normal musical on December 6^th through the 15^th in the Studio Theatre.

  

L-R: Taylor Simmons, Nikki Rockett, Wade Kilbarge - Photo:  Ken Kinder

Directed by Trevor Biship, this rock musical is ultimately about how a family struggles to carve out an existence that doesn’t even come close to normal, but they are fine settling for something “next to” normal. Diana Goodman has been diagnosed as Bi-Polar depressive with delusional episodes and a 16-year history of medication. This contemporary musical is an emotional powerhouse that addresses such issues as grieving a loss, ethics in modern psychiatry, and suburban life. With provocative lyrics and a thrilling score, Next to Normal shows how far two parents will go to keep themselves sane and their family’s world intact.

Dates are December 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 at 7:30 p.m. and December 8, 15 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling (949) 582-4656 (noon-4:00 p.m., Wednesday-Saturday) and online atwww.saddleback.edu/arts.  Prices are $15 general; $10 students/seniors.

The Department of Theatre Arts’ program at Saddleback College produces several fully-staged shows each year.  All students are given the opportunity to audition for every production yet Theatre Arts students are given priority in the casting process.  In addition, there are numerous opportunities for students to contribute in backstage activities through the Entertainment and Theater Technology program.

Saddleback College is located at 28000 Marguerite Pkwy in Mission Viejo, just east of Interstate 5 at the Avery Parkway exit.  Free 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, please visit www.saddleback.edu/arts.  

ObamaCare: 41% More Expensive, Less Coverage

Pay 41% More and Get Less from ObamaCare

By Chriss Street

The Manhattan Institute just published an analysis of the Obamacare individual policy insurance rates demonstrating the average cost will rise by 41% next year. The results are very similar to the 2009 PriceWaterhouseCoopers analysis that predicted insurance rates would rise by 47%. The biggest hikes will hit the young people, where rates will jump by an average of 98% for men and 58% for women. Insurance rates will also increase for everyone who is healthy and for all males. Obamacare’s taxpayer-funded subsidies will primarily benefit those approaching retirement, despite substantially higher average net worth compared to the young. 

The real winners under Obamacare are huge insurance companies and HMOs whose stock prices have gone up twice as fast as the market, since Obamacare kills competition and creates monopolistic profits.

National insurance companies are exempt from federal anti-trust supervision under Obamacare; whereas manufacturing, transportation and service companies are prevented from unfair competition in the markets. According to a NY Times:
Of the roughly 2,500 counties served by the federal exchanges, more than half, or 58 percent, have plans offered by just one or two insurance carriers, according to an analysis by The Times of county-level data provided by the Department of Health and Human Services. In about 530 counties, only a single insurer is participating.

Obamacare promised to set fair-pricing rates for medical providers so that insured patients would not continue to pay higher rates to subsidize Medicaid and the uninsured patients. Doctor fees are being standardized under new “fair-pricing” rules, but the Administration exempted politically powerful hospitals who will continue to charge different rates without considerations of different quality of care.

Obamacare also supposed to reduce prescription drug spending, but the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America in 2009 saw the Affordable Care Act as a windfall when it add another 25 million people to Medicaid. The drug lobbying group agreed with the White House to sponsor a $150 million advertising campaign to drum up support for passing the Obamacare legislation.

Prior to Obamacare, government regulation made the United States the most expensive per person healthcare of any country on earth, while only barely ranking in the top 25% of male and female life expectancy. The CDC Health-Related Quality of Life surveillance data reveals that Americans report feeling unhealthy about six days per month. Adults with the lowest level of income or education reported more unhealthy days per month compared to adults with higher levels of income or education. The biggest factor for feeling unhealthy is that approximately one-third of all Americans report suffering from some form of mental or emotional problem every month.

The major cause of death in U.S. adults over the age of 65 was cardiovascular disease, cancer and chronic lower respiratory diseases. All other age group major causes were accidents, homicide and suicide. Seventy-five percent of America’s health expenditures are attributable to chronic diseases and two-thirds of spending over the last 25 years is attributable to the rise in chronic diseases. As the U.S. population continues to grow older, the incidence of chronic disease is expected to increase, since 60% of individuals age 65 or older will be managing more than one chronic condition.

Obesity and sleep deprivation are leading factor in the onset of most chronic conditions and are associated with higher medical costs and a lower quality of life. Approximately 72.5 million adults are obese and 25% of U.S. adults reported having insufficient sleep or rest at least half of the days per month.

Nothing in the Obamacare will improve any of these statistics. According to “The Scourge of Obamacare” by the Institute of Economic Affairs:

“The new law is fundamentally anti-competitive and anti-small business, riddled with onerous regulations and handouts to favored corporations. As usual, the relationship between big business and big government is not one of rivalry, but of symbiosis, routing genuine free markets in favor of collusion.”

Obamacare is rapidly becoming the most contentious political action since the Vietnam War, since it personally touches every American. We already knew that the software driving Obamacare was a disaster and now we know that the steep costs are also a disaster. But my biggest concern is that Obamacare is designed to provide healthy profits to giant corporations at the expense and wellbeing of most Americans.

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Streaming 24 Hours Every Day
Clicking Here For: AGENDA 21 Radio

French Rioting to dump the Euro

By Chriss Street

French riot police fired water cannons and tear gas at 30,000 truckers, farmers, fishermen and food industry workers waving banners of “Right to Work” and hurling rocks and iron bars at police to protest a new “ecotax” on commercial trucking.  The controversial $1.4 billion tax for rail and river expansion is causing layoffs across the French trucking industry.  While Socialist government of French President François Hollande is attempting to avoid a “spiral of violence”, former French Prime Minister François Fillon shocked the media by saying that voting for the far-right National Front that wants to dump the euro common currency may now be “acceptable.”

Acceptable is a code-word for acknowledging that Marine Le Pen’s right-wing National Front party that opposes immigration and euro common currency has such a strong lead in the polls and that French welfare-state politicians better get on board with the rebellious conservatives or be wiped-out in the next election.  With one in four voters supporting the National Front in France, Ms. Le Pen is forming a Tea Party type coalition with nationalists in the United Kingdom, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium and the Nordic states.  With momentum now on their side, the National Front and its allies seem positioned to win control of the 766 seats European Parliament next year.

François Charles Armand Fillon is far from a hard right conservative; he was the chief architect of expanding the French welfare state over the last decade.  As Minister of Labour in 2002, he pushed through the controversial French 35-hour work week law and lowered the age of full retirement in France to 55 years old.  In 2005 as Minister of National Education he led the adoption of the first “common core” Fillon law on Education.  He was politically rewarded by French President Nicolas Sarkozy with appointment as Prime Minister of France from 2007 to 2012.

But five years of economic crisis and rising unemployment, has caused anti-European rhetoric and calls for greater economic protectionism across France.  During this period, support for the National Front rose from less than 5% in 2008, to 17.9% in the 2012 Presidential elections, and possibly up to 30% today.  Before the last election former President Sarkozy tried to reach out to the Nation Front by calling for curbs on Muslim immigrants and protection of European industry from “unfair” Asian competition.  But the National Front rejected the overtures because Sarkozy refused to abandon the euro.

President Francois Hollande” hard-core socialist policies of attacking business and the rich have thrilled the Left.  But according to the Heritage Foundation, France’s score for Index of Economic Freedom has plunged to 64.1, the lowest of any major country in Europe.  Even before the ecotax, the socialist policies had hurt the economy and infuriated the vast majority of French with a witch’s brew of new tax increases, including:

1) Doubling one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world with a “surtax”;
2) Increase reporting of income and tax obligations subject to VAT tax;
3) Increased pension tax contribution;
4) Energy drink tax of $1.37 per can;
5) Financial transaction tax on all investments;
5) Raising assessed value of all French real estate to collect higher property taxes; and
6) Data tax on all transfers of all information outside the European Union.

The French Socialists under Hollande also increased deficit spending for “investments” to such an extent, that the country’s national debt is expected to reach a dangerous record level of 95.1% of GDP next year.  But while failing to stimulate growth and employment, Socialist massive spending violated the European Commission’s 3% deficit rule.  Consequently, France for the time in since WWII is being forced to make an “unprecedented” $20 billion in public spending cuts for 2014.  The Left is screaming that the cuts will bring “suffering to the people” and the National Front is screaming that the higher taxes are “anti-growth”.

All of this has stimulated the growth of the National Front in France and their nationalist allies from across the continent to run for 2014 European Union Parliamentary elections as common slate of candidates.  The election rules are unique, because European Parliamentary members are elected directly by the general population.  Europeans have traditionally been so apathetic about elections that in the last election in 2009, turnout was only 40%.  This low participation rate will magnify the nationalist parties who are highly motivated to end what they believe is undemocratic domination by liberal elites.

The Parliament after 2009 was given enhanced powers in nearly all areas of setting EU policy, including oversight of the EU budget and the ability to appoint the President of the EU Commission.  Consequently, the European Parliament now has equal status with the European Council, which directly represents the governments of EU members.  A nationalist takeover of Parliament in 2014 would usher in revolutionary change.  They reject most aspects of EU integration, such as the free movement of people within the bloc and the use of the euro currency.  Nationalists believe the European Union undermines member sovereignty and they are demanding restoration of states’ rights.

With the National Front and their allies on the verge of seizing control of the European Parliament and potentially naming its President, such a stunning victory over the Left would be unprecedented since the collapse of communism in the 1990s.  The member states strengthened the power of the European Parliament to win the hearts and the minds of all European voters, but what Europeans seem to want in those hearts and minds is to dump the euro and end the European Union.

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Obamacare.gov Tech Surge led by Top Obama Donor

Obamacare Tech Surge led by Top Obama Donor

By Chriss Street

In Congressional hearings on the day before Halloween, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius promised a “Tech Surge” will rescue Obamacare’s HealthCare.gov software by the end of November.  

But a review of campaign and fund raising activities by a key executive associated with general contractor for the surge,Quality Software Services Inc. (QSSI), raises substantial concerns regarding the appropriateness of awarding no-bid “emergency” contract to a firm associated with over $1 million in donations to President Obama.  QSSI is no stranger to conflicts regarding Obamacare; the software caused howls of crony capitalism after they were acquired in 2012 by mammoth insurance company UnitedHealth Group Inc.

Jeffery Zients, former acting director of the Office of Management and Budget was appointed on October 25^th to oversee a team of tech experts to repair HealthCare.gov.  Mr. Zients said QSSI, a unit of United HealthGroup Inc.’s Ovum, was retained on an emergency basis to work with federal agency Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to get the website running smoothly for most consumers by the end of November.   The QSSI contract was announced one day after HealthCare.gov contractors CGI Federal, and Optum, which owns QSSI, said they were not given sufficient time to test software for log-ins, insurance eligibility and insurance plan comparisons for its Oct. 1 launch.

The principal reason why the website for Obamacare’s federally-sponsored insurance exchange is crashing is that the system is trying to capture a huge amount of personal information far exceeding the traditional need for insurance underwriting.  This creates a massive traffic bottleneck on top of the governments need to verify information and decide if an individual is eligible for subsidies.  HHS bureaucrats must have known that this volume of data would make the website run more slowly, but capturing personal information appears to have been the priority.

Anthony Welters, Executive Vice President of UnitedHealth Group, and his family have gone all out to back President Obama’s ambitions.  During the 2008 election cycle, his wife Beatrice bundled donations totaling between $200,000 and $500,000 for Obama’s campaign. In 2009, the pair was among the president’s top inaugural donors, contributing $100,000, and bundling an additional $300,000 for the events.

Immediately after being sworn in, President Obama nominated Beatrice Welters to serve as the ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago.

Anthony and Beatrice Welters and their sons, Andrew and Bryant, contributed in excess of $258,000 to various Democratic candidates and committees in the last six years. That includes the maximum amount an individual can give to the Democratic National Committee of $30,800 each.

Records show that UnitedHealth Group has spent over $2.5 million in lobbying this year regarding the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2013.

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Monthly documentary screening in a series entitled Confluence at Icicle Creek announced.

Posted By CotoBlogzz

Leavcenworth, WA - In a partnership with local community leaders, Icicle Creek will be offering a monthly documentary screening in a series entitled Confluence at Icicle Creek. 

Cofluence is designed to foster critical thinking and moral deliberation on the issues of the day and each month will highlight films in varioud categories such as Nature & Environment, Outdoor Adventure, Arts & Culture, Food & Farming, Social & Economic Justice and  Health and Personal Journeys. All screenings at Snowy Owl Theater on the first Thursday of each month, starting at 7:00 pm, November 7, 2013 with the film titled, A farm for the future. A featured area non-profit and subject experts will be featured in a post-showing discussion session.

In A Farm for the Future, wildlife film maker Rebecca Hosking investigates how to transform her family's farm in Devon into a low energy farm for the future, and discovers that nature holds the key. With her father close to retirement, Rebecca returns to her family's wildlife-friendly farm in Devon to become the next generation to farm the land.   The Featured  Guest Speaker  is the local non-profit Leavenworth Community Farmers Market’s Grant Gibbs .

The public and join in the post-film conversation with local farmer Grant Gibbs and Farmer’s Market Director, Eric Lind for a discussion about this film’s relevance to farming issues in Leavenworth and the Wenatchee valley.

Tickets - $10 General Admission

Also This Month at Icicle Creek:

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Tosca (Live in HD) - Saturday, November 9, 9:55AM & 7PM (Snowy Owl Theater)

Puccini’s enduring favorite features a jealous diva and her lover, the painter Cavaradossi, in a dramatic tale of murder, lust, and political intrigue.
Run time - 3:35


Opera for Breakfast! 
: Live in HD at Snowy Owl! Mimosas are back by popular demand! And we'll be offering a light breakfast plate during the show.

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Black Lillies - Thursday, November 14, 7PM (Snowy Owl Theater)

Tapping into the new Knoxville, Tennessee music scene, the Black Lillies bring their effusive blend of progressive bluegrass deeply rooted in the richest veins of Americana music. A little bit country, lively picking and strumming, and delicious vocals -see show.

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Icicle Creek Youth Symphony Fall Concert - Monday, November 18, 7PM (Snowy Owl Theater)

Under the direction of Dan Jackson, the young artists of the Icicle Creek Youth Symphony perform in this favorite Fall concert!

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Icicle Creek Chamber Players- Saturday, November 23, 7:30PM(Canyon Wren Recital Hall)

L. van Beethoven: Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major, Op. 47 (“Kreutzer”) Featuring: Maria Sampen, violin and Oksana Ezhokina, piano.

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Box Office

 Call the box office Wednesday-Saturday, 12pm -5pm at (509) 548-6347 x47. 

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