For three-and-a-half weeks over winter break, I embarked on a journey that changed me and my entire outlook on life. Along with 13 other California Lutheran University students, I went for a trip to India led by professors Dr. Paul Hanson and Dr. Druann Pagliassoti. The previous semester of studying the country and seeing slides could never have prepared me for what was to come. Full story »

I am sitting on a bench in the chilly winter sunlight with a fellow teacher at Bilkent University, where I teach English conversation skills. Around us, the treeless steppes of Anatolia are blanketed in snow. A student walks by, her head wrapped in a scarf of purple silk. My friend, her own head exposed to the wind, takes a drag on her Winston. Full story »

We care deeply about our students and the quality of education they are provided. After reviewing the facts, it is clear that Measure B could severely impact the ability to educate Conejo Valley Unified School District students and poses a real threat to the future of public education in our district. Full story »

Thousand Oaks has come to a crossroad for the future development of the city. At this critical juncture rests Measure B — the initiative allowing the people to vote on a project larger than 75,000 square feet that lowers traffic service below our general plan minimum. Traffic at this level of service, according to the Highway Capacity Manual, varies from "noticeable to frequent intersection failures" and "significant rates of delay." Full story »

I strongly disagree with the "Committee to Keep Thousand Oaks Traffic Moving" that wants Thousand Oaks citizens to vote on all large development projects. Full story »

The recent hoopla by those against Measure B, the Thousand Oaks traffic initiative, set for the June 3 election, fails to explain what is really behind their motivations. Full story »

Earlier this year, the governor proclaimed a state of fiscal emergency. Our state budget is estimated to have a deficit of at least $16 billion. Needless to say, a fiscal crisis of this magnitude affects everything we do in the state and can be detrimental to school funding. Full story »

Full story »

Question posed by The Star on the Opinion Pulse page: "Do you approve of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger considering suspending Proposition 98, which ensures a minimum percentage of the state budget is spent on K-12 and community colleges?" Full story »

I am 21 years old and I was sentenced to life without parole when I was 17. I was residing in Ventura County at the time of my arrest. I was convicted of murder and robbery in 2006. I support Senate Bill 999 (the Juvenile Life Without Parole Reform Act) because I think juveniles are not adults mentally. I believe that no juvenile is very mature because I remember when I was one. Full story »

Tony Throop recently voiced his opinion in these pages that a 14-year-old child is not an adult and should not be tried in adult court (March 9, "Discarded souls"). One could say he wrote as an expert — he himself has firsthand knowledge of the grievous crimes that a juvenile can commit, as well as the result of applying adult sanctions to juvenile offenders. He was the first juvenile from our county, and perhaps in the state, to be sentenced to die in prison — the most severe adult sentence, short of execution. Full story »

Full story »

As will surely become clear when the hot days of summer arrive, California now confronts two problems more threatening to more people than any other current ones: the state budget deficit and a looming water crisis. Full story »

The problem: Our schools don't have enough money (again)! Why is that? There are many reasons, but here are a few of my observations. Remember when we voted on Indian gaming the first time? This was supposed to help our schools with all kinds of money. There were promises by the politicians of decreasing classroom size, raising teachers' salaries and the funding of extracurricular activities, such as music programs and physical education. Full story »

Recent events have caused a great stir in the home-schooling community in California, and rightly so. A state appellate court ruled it is illegal to school your children at home without a credited teacher's certificate. Most home-school families do not meet this requirement. When first learning about this decision, I felt frozen. Full story »