By: Lauren Rauschenberg

Here is some valuable information that you cannot live with out:

Why get vaccinated?

Influenza (“flu”) is a contagious disease. It is caused by the influenza virus, which can be spread by coughing, sneezing, or nasal secretions. Anyone can get influenza, but rates of infection are highest among children. For most people, symptoms last only a few days. They include:

• fever/chills
• sore throat
• muscle aches
• fatigue
• cough
• headache
• runny or stuffy nose

Other illnesses can have the same symptoms and are often mistaken for influenza.

Young children, people 65 and older, pregnant women, and people with certain health conditions – such as heart, lung or kidney disease, or a weakened immune system – can get much sicker. Flu can cause high fever and pneumonia, and make existing medical conditions worse. It can cause diarrhea and seizures in children. Each year thousands of people die from influenza and even more require hospitalization.

By getting flu vaccine you can protect yourself from influenza and may also avoid spreading influenza to others.

Inactivated infl uenza vaccine 2
There are two types of infl uenza vaccine:

1. Inactivated (killed) vaccine, the “flu shot,” is given by injection with a needle.
2. Live, attenuated (weakened) influenza vaccine is sprayed into the nostrils. This vaccine is described in a separate Vaccine Information Statement.

A “high-dose” inactivated influenza vaccine is available for people 65 years of age and older. Ask your doctor for more information.

Influenza viruses are always changing, so annual vaccination is recommended. Each year scientists try to match the viruses in the vaccine to those most likely to cause flu that year. Flu vaccine will not prevent disease from other viruses, including flu viruses not contained in the vaccine.

It takes up to 2 weeks for protection to develop after the shot. Protection lasts about a year. Some inactivated influenza vaccine contains a preservative called thimerosal. Thimerosal-free influenza vaccine is available. Ask your doctor for more information.

Who should get inactivated influenza vaccine and when?
WHO:
All people 6 months of age and older should get flu vaccine.

Vaccination is especially important for people at higher risk of severe influenza and their close contacts, including healthcare personnel and close contacts of children younger than 6 months.

WHEN:
Get the vaccine as soon as it is available. This should provide protection if the flu season comes early. You can get the vaccine as long as illness is occurring in your community.

Influenza can occur at any time, but most infl uenza occurs from October through May. In recent seasons, most infections have occurred in January and February. Getting vaccinated in December, or even later, will still be beneficial in most years.

Adults and older children need one dose of influenza vaccine each year. But some children younger than 9 years of age need two doses to be protected. Ask your doctor.

Influenza vaccine may be given at the same time as other vaccines, including pneumococcal vaccine.

Some people should not get inactivated influenza vaccine or should wait.

To read more, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/

By: Lauren Rauschenberg

Most riders have a dominant side, one that is stronger than the other and bears more of the rider’s weight in the saddle to compensate for the weaker side; however, many aren’t aware that they have straightness issues. Elizabeth Hanson developed Equestrian Pilates, a fitness program featuring three routines, to help riders become aware of and fix common posture, balance and flexibility issues while strengthening the areas of the body that are most important for proper riding. Here, excerpts from Hanson’s “Equestrian Pilates” e-book provide insight about one-sided weaknesses and exercises to remedy this common problem.

Understanding One-Sidedness

The muscles of the stronger side are shorter, causing the rider to lean to that side. Straightening the rider’s posture requires stretching the muscles of the dominant side and strengthening the muscles on the weaker side. Riders who are stronger on their right side should stretch their lower back and both the right and the left leg, focusing more on the right side. The left leg and abdominal muscles need to be strengthened so riders can support themselves with their core to be able to open the hips and use the legs as aids instead of using them to stay in the saddle.

To read further about equestrian Pilates, go to: http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-exclusives/equestrian-pilates.aspx

Robert Rauschenberg in his Captiva Studio

By: Lauren Rauschenberg

Robert Rauschenberg was the defining force in contemporary art for nearly sixty years, creating a wealth of art (painting, photography, sculpture, performance, and printmaking) more varied than that of any artist of the twentieth or twenty-first centuries.  For him, painting entailed not only using a brush, but also silkscreening, collaging, transferring, and imprinting, and he did so on the widest array of materials from canvas, board, and fabric to sheet metal, Plexiglas, plaster, and paper. He has been called a forerunner of virtually every postwar American art movement since Abstract Expressionism, however, he remained fiercely independent from any particular affiliation throughout his protean life.

Rauschenberg was born Milton Ernest Rauschenberg in Port Arthur, Texas, in 1925. He briefly attended the University of Texas at Austin to study pharmacology before being drafted into the United States Navy in 1943. He enrolled at the Kansas City Art Institute on the G.I. Bill in 1947 and at the Académie Julian in Paris the following year. From 1948 to 1952, Rauschenberg oscillated between the Art Students League in New York and the avant-garde Black Mountain College in North Carolina. At Black Mountain College, he studied under Josef Albers and befriended composer John Cage and dancer/choreographer Merce Cunningham, with whom he would later collaborate as a set and costume designer off and on for his life.

Rauschenberg’s artistic vocabulary—including sequences and progressions through time; grid formats; doublings, mirrorings, and reversals; contrapuntal shifts between building up and stripping away; and a sense of human scale—was established within the first four years of his career, which began in earnest in 1949.  From that time forward, he has drawn from, reused, and looped back through this vocabulary, imbuing each artwork with fresh ideas.  In 1951, Rauschenberg created his seminal White Paintings, seemingly blank surfaces activated only by the viewer’s shadow. This initial investigation into the direct relationship between the viewer and the artwork became a consistent line of inquiry that stretched throughout the artist’s entire career.

Rauschenberg’s celebrated Combines (1954–64) brought real-world images and objects into the realm of abstract painting and countered the traditional divisions between painting and sculpture. These works initiated his ongoing dialogue between the handmade and the readymade, the gestural brushstroke and the mechanically reproduced image, and between mediums. Like most of the artist’s work to follow, the Combines were permeated with art-historical and mass-media references, making use of reproductions from newspapers and magazines, while emphasizing autobiographical subjects and utilitarian objects. Animals, body parts, modes of transportation, fine-art reproductions, lettering, and diagrams are many of the motifs that were central to Rauschenberg’s oeuvre, which was typically produced in series.

Rauschenberg returned to two-dimensional painting in 1962 when he introduced a new body of work using transferred images culled from his own photographs and contemporary news sources via the silkscreen technique. In 1963 a major exhibition of his work was mounted at the Jewish Museum in New York and in 1964 he was awarded the Grand Prize at the Venice Biennale that established his international reputation.  For the remainder of the 1960s, Rauschenberg concentrated his art practice on printmaking, performance (mostly his own choreography), and technology-based works. Rauschenberg’s lifelong commitment to collaboration—with performers, printmakers, engineers, writers, artists, and artisans from around the world—is a further manifestation of his expansive artistic philosophy informed by his belief that “painting relates to both art and life.”

With his move in 1970 from New York to Captiva (an island off the Gulf Coast of Florida), Rauschenberg cleared his palette. Retreating from urban imagery, he now favored an abstract idiom and the use of natural fibers, creating assembled works on paper, cardboard, and fabric. His lifelong quest for new materials and new ideas led him to continuously explore innovative and often untraditional avenues.  In 1976, he was recognized as America’s bicentennial artist with a retrospective exhibition at Washington’s National Collection of Fine Arts (now the Smithsonian American Art Museum), an exhibition that traveled to four other major American cities.

While Rauschenberg’s references became increasingly international throughout the 1970s, this engagement reached an official and consolidated manifestation when the artist founded the Rauschenberg Overseas Culture Interchange (ROCI) in 1984. An evolving exhibition of over 200 works, the project was a tangible expression of Rauschenberg’s belief in the power of art and artistic collaboration to bring about social change on an international level and the culmination of his long-term commitment to human rights. From 1984 through 1991, he traveled to ten politically repressed countries. This experience incited direct cultural references in his own works during this period in which he explored the use of metal as a support for paint, tarnishes, enamel, and screenprinted images. Beginning in 1992 through to his death in 2008, Rauschenberg utilized an Iris printer to make digital color prints of his photographs, which he transferred by hand with biodegradable, vegetable dyes.  The resultant high-resolution images and luminous hues of these large-scale works underscored his life-long interest in the latest advances in technology as well as echoed his concerns for the environment.  Rauschenberg was honored with his third and last retrospective in 1997, a 450-work exhibition that filled three New York museums and toured internationally.

As Rauschenberg’s career developed, he took full measure of the world. He came to incorporate images—mostly his own photographs—from around the globe into his ever-expanding repertoire. Both as an artist and as a person, he knew no boundaries. In effect, Rauschenberg served as a global ambassador in much the way that Baroque artist Peter Paul Rubens did. Rauschenberg’s artistic vision invariably evinced optimism, hope, and humor, while at the same time sustaining serious insight into the human condition. His social activism embraced racial equality, anti-war efforts, ecological issues, artists’ rights, and human rights in general. Like Thomas Jefferson—one of America’s foremost statesmen—Rauschenberg possessed an innate belief in philanthropy and a grand sense of goodwill.

In 1990 the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation was created in New York, which embraced a socially responsible mission in the arts, creating works for organizations involved in such issues as education and world hunger.  Rauschenberg was an artist who thought, acted, and painted globally, and for over half a century, he produced a truly inventive art.

By: Lori Einhorn

If you want to have a wonderful dining experience and enjoy the atmosphere at the same time, take a ride to Jinkey’s Cafe in Agoura Hills. This casual restaurant offers great food choices including healthy alternatives along with amazing chili and mouth watering omelets. They are known for their hearty south of the border option like the Santa Fe Scramble, Yucatan Quesadilla, Huevos Rancheros and the Desperado. They also serve a great lunch and dinner, but be prepared to wait. It is worth it!

18 Billion in Cuts

By: Michele Hren

Based on the sentiments expressed in the March 10th Acorn, the public is fine with $18 billion in cuts being made to our schools. That’s $18,000,000,000.00.

I admire the letter from Tina, in the 3/24/11 Acorn, a mother with 3 children who has the opportunity to see more than we can imagine. Her kids are getting and education in the CVUSD where PTA’s see the necessity to help supply amenities and programs to their students while Tina teaches in a less fortunate school in Oxnard that has no extra funding for the students, and unfortunately, but not surprisingly has a lower graduation rate than in Thousand Oaks.
My kids are in college but I still hope to be paying taxes to schools when the present babies and kindergarteners start running the world. However, it’ll be a travesty if fewer and fewer kids graduate or don’t experience what is their right to get an education because of a poorly run government that made selfish cuts to eliminate such things as new books, enough teachers to successfully teach students or after school programs that unite and excite. We don’t want students to lose interest in their dreams and resort to just hanging out in the streets. Let’s not crush their dreams and potential to someone who can make a positive impact in their family, community or worldwide.

When it comes to the future, let’s do for children as if they were our own. Taxes to help schools thrive should be like feeding our kids. It’s a top priority. They are the generations that will make the decisions when we’re retired or in poor health. We want them educated and thankful to the generations that came before them.

Here’s a little advice from my experience in this recession: If you don’t think you can afford funding schools look at what you have in your cart the next time you go shopping at the grocery store of the mall. If you’re honest with yourself I bet you will find more than a few items you can live without. See the big picture.

EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.

Big Brand Saves you money

By: Denise Arledge

When my Prius needed a new touch screen system, I took it to the Toyota dealership and received a quote for over $1,590 including labor. A bit suspicious, I went online to find the part for substantially cheaper. I purchased the part and went over to the Big Brand Tire Shop in Thousand Oaks to see what they could do the job for. With parts and labor, a $1590 job was done for about $350!

This auto shop in Thousand Oaks is managed by Matt who consistently does my auto repair for roughly 1/3rd the cost of the dealerships. It’s been family owned and operated for 35 years for a reason – they are honest, hardworking, and aim to offer value to their customers. Don’t pay dealer prices, go to Matt the manager at Big Brand Tire shop in Thousand Oaks (click for map).

EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.

The signs of a stroke – now a 4th indicator

By: Sheri Karp

This is story that’s been floating around and it’s so important, it just may save someones life.

During a BBQ, a woman stumbled and took a little fall – she assured  everyone that she was fine (they offered to call  paramedics) she said she had just tripped over  a brick because of her new shoes.

They  got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of  food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Jane went about enjoying herself the rest of the  evening

Jane’s husband called later  telling everyone that his wife had been taken to  the hospital -
(at 6:00  pm  Jane passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the  signs of a stroke, perhaps Jane would be with  us today. Some don’t die. They end up in a  helpless, hopeless condition instead.

It  only takes a minute to read this…

A  neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke  victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the  effects of a stroke…totally. He said  the trick was getting a stroke recognized,  diagnosed, and then getting the patient  medically cared for within 3 hours, which is  tough…

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Thank  God for the sense to remember the ’3′ steps, STR  . Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a  stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately,  the lack of awareness spells disaster. The  stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage  when people nearby fail to recognize the  symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a  bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three  simple questions:

S  *Ask  the individual to SMILE.
T  *Ask  the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE  (Coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out  today.)
R  *Ask  him or her to RAISE BOTH  ARMS.  If  he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these  tasks, call emergency number immediately  and describe the symptoms to the  dispatcher.

New  Sign of a Stroke ——– Stick out Your  Tongue

NOTE:  Another ‘sign’ of a stroke is this: Ask the  person to ‘stick’ out his tongue.. If the tongue  is ‘crooked’, if it goes to one side or the  other,   that is  also an indication of a  stroke.

A  cardiologist says if everyone who gets this  e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that  at least one life will be saved.

I  have done my part. Will  you?

EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.

5 Great Events in Agoura Hills and Calabasas

By: Karen Lee

What’s going on in Calabasas this weekend? Wouldn’t all the families love a few ideas on how to entertain the kids? Here are a few ideas on what’s going on in Calabasas March 25th-28th.

1. The Dole Great Race of Agoura Kick Off

• Where/When: Thursday and Friday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center
• Why go: The Great Race Sports and Fitness Expo is a great way to kick-off the weekend.  Entertainment, vendor booths, an indoor rock wall and last chance registration are just a few of the activities you and your family will enjoy.
• Pricing: Free!
• Ideal for: Families with kids of all ages.

2. The Dole Great Race of Agoura Hills

• Where/When: Saturday starting at 7 a.m. at Chumash Park in Agoura Hills.
• Why go: The Great Race celebrates running and has events for all levels and ages.  The first race begins at 7:30 a.m. and events will continue throughout the day until 3 p.m. when the Run Party starts.  Enjoy live music, vendor booths, food, kids activities and more.  Grab your running shoes and the kids and enjoy this awesome annual event!
• Pricing: $40-$90 per race.  Registration is required to run, call 1-877-GR8-RACE for more information or visit their website.
• Ideal for: Families with children of all ages.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/gr8rc[/youtube]

3.  Food Truck Festival

• Where/When: Saturday from 2-9 p.m., Calabasas High School.
• Why go: Over a dozen food trucks serving up tasty fare, live entertainment and a boutique. Need we say more?  Don’t miss this deliciously entertaining event!
• Pricing: Free for kids under 3; students with I.D.,$3; and adults, $5.
• Ideal for: Families with children of all ages.

4. Get To Know Some Animals Up Close

• Where/When: Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., America’s Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College.
• Why go: Help the Moorpark Zoo raise funds for their amazing zoo program and take advantage of VIP tours, food and craft vendors, animal shows and a kids’ zone.
• Pricing: $5 for kids and seniors, $10 for adults.
• Ideal for: Families with children of all ages.

5. Get That Carseat & Stroller Cleaned

• Where/When: Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., The Pump Station in Westlake Village.
• Why go: Go because you’ve probably never washed your carseat or stroller, and let’s face it, kids can be pretty messy!  CleanBeeBaby is celebrating the launch of their mobile cleaning service by visiting local stores and cleaning your baby gear.  You’ll be in and out in 30 minutes.
• Pricing: Free
• Ideal for: Families who still use carseats or strollers.

EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.

Who Pays?

By: Michele Hren

I didn’t get a cozy feeling when I read the March 10^th Acorn article by Michelle Knight about the No-shows and last minute cancellations that cost Dial-A-Ride and Americans with Disabilities Act Transit programs an average of $150,000 a year, according to the city records. My discomfort is not about the money lost when the city pays $22 whether the rider shows up or not. This is a generous service to our seniors at $1.50 each way that is surely appreciated by the riders.  $3.2 million is spent annually helping seniors with many errands and important doctor and hospital visits. But, as I read the article I felt the burden of lost revenue, solely landing on the riders, is gravely misrepresented.

Unlike most transit agencies, Thousand Oaks was without adopted policies for no-show and late to cancel riders until this past February, where upon the city approved a new policy that would establish consequences for riders who are frequently no-shows and late to cancel. However, in my opinion, I feel the council is putting too much emphasis, as I interpret them to say, by cracking down on the 4%, or 3,200 seniors and disabled riders who don’t follow the rules. The new policies may suspend riding privileges for 2 weeks if after 90 days of phone reminders and written notices the pattern persists. Did anyone take responsibility and acknowledge what the transportation companies could have done to help these dependent citizens before? Did the transportation companies call the scheduled seniors, over 62, and the disabled riders to confirm their ride just as, for instance, Super Shuttle does? I wanted to know, so I called Dial-A Ride.

I asked the scheduler, “How much notice do you need from me when scheduling a pickup?” Answer: two hours. OK, great. Then I asked, “How far in advance can I make a reservation?” I read that standing reservations can be made up to 6 months but she didn’t give me that option. Her answer was 2 weeks. I said, “Wow, I’d probably forget about it, that far back. Do you call me to confirm?” She answered, “Oh, no, no, no, no. It’s up to the rider to call us to confirm that we have it scheduled.” Hmm.

If those riders in need can schedule a ride within 2 hours of a pickup, why can’t Dial-A-Ride and the ADA make the call to scheduled riders 2.5 hours before pickup. These are seniors and disabled people who still want to live life as fully as possible but may be forgetful at times. Aren’t we all? They would appreciative getting a reminder call and it could alleviate the $22 cost. If the schedulers are too busy, hire someone part time who just makes those calls and it would more than pay for the extra employee’s salary. 3200 no shows etc. x $22 per trip = $70,400 lost revenue.

EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.

The Story of Melissa Matthews

By: Denise Arledge

A good friend of mine, Melissa Matthews, recently partnered with a few dermatologists. These dermatologists happened to be the creators of Proactiv. This is what Melissa recently said:

I never thought of myself as the entrepreneurial type of person until I was given the opportunity to join a business in its beginning stages. A good friend of mine shared with me an opportunity to partner with the dermatologists that created Proactiv. What doctors Katie Rodan and Kathy Fields have done for the acne market they are now doing for anti-aging market through independent business ownership.

Aside from a phenomenal business opportunity; the award winning, clinically proven skin care products will give you the best skin of your life… guaranteed! Rodan + Fields has brought dermatological solutions for common skin concerns to the masses, there is something for everyone.

I was an Oak Park resident just about my whole life before I met and married my husband, Eric. We are now thrilled to be happy homeowners raising our family in Westlake Village. When I found out I was pregnant with our first child my husband and I started preparing for me to stay home with our children. We faced the ultimate question – “how will we live on one income?” Rodan + Fields has been a helpful solution to that question. I am thoroughly enjoying the discovery of personal & professional life balance and am more than happy to discuss the opportunity with anyone to see if it is right for them.

For information about products visit https://blushbrush.myrandf.com/
For information about how to join my team visit https://blushbrush.myrandf.biz/
To learn more about our cornerstone product visit http://www.bestspentminute.com/
To contact me by email

EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.