Welcome to Novotopia

We hope that you enjoy your stay.
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Picture This

Emma Woods State Beach, Aug 2012

Thought for the Minute

People are more violently opposed to fur than leather because it's safer to harass rich women than motorcycle gangs.

Punishment

The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.

Q&A

How many mice does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Only two, but the hard part is getting them into the light bulb.

Not Really That Old News

The FDA Is Out to Lunch

The Food and Drug Administration, the federal agency charged with protecting our health, is a miserable failure—OnEarth.org

Low wages and high unemployment are paralyzing the global economy

The race to become "competitive" by lowering wages is killing us—The Real News

Fact check: Mitt Romney's convention speech

We're not calling him a liar, but...—CBS News

Your networth has tanked. Thank a Republican

Their "Get Obama at any cost" tactics have made our economic position far worse—AFL-CIO

Pennsylvania's Voter Suppression Laws

ACLU, others argue Pennsylvania's new photo ID law could thwart a million potential voters—McClatchy

Americans know squat about military spending

Americans are consistently misinformed about the amount we spend on the military--and many don't like the truth when they hear it.—Alternet

New Media - but Familiar Lack of Diversity

Women, people of color still marginalized online—FAIR

It's the Inequality, Stupid

Eleven charts that explain what's wrong with America.—Mother Jones

Whistling Past the Wreckage of Civil Liberties

Watchdogs slept through a decade of civil rights rollbacks—FAIR

Americans Don't Realize Just How Badly We're Getting Screwed by the Top 0.1 Percent Hoarding the Country's Wealth

With an unprecedented sum of wealth held within the top one-tenth of one percent of the US population, we now have the most severe inequality of wealth in US history.—Amped Status

People We Know

imamanga

Ima to Eien ni - Now and Forever: the comic

OblivionInk

Anime-style art from Ryan Bunter

Spage Age Polymers

The Facebook page

Always Thinking

Ted Talks

Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world

Health, Nutrition, Environment

Health Insurance

Concerned about your health insurance?—http://californiaonecare.org/

Global Warming: Really?

Complete with colorful graphs—InformationIsBeautiful.net

Start a Farmer's Market!

Can't find a farmers market near you? Here's a gude from the USDA

Nutrition Wonderland

An In-Depth Gudie to the World of Nutrition

Center for Food Safety

Promoting sustainable agriculture for health and envronment

eFoodAlert Blog

A daily digest of international outbreaks, alerts and food safety news

Food Safety News

Web-based newspaper dedicated to reporting on issues surrounding food safety

Union of Concerned Scientists

Citizens and Scientists for Environmental Solutions

Visit the Links Archive

Upcoming Events (click here)

http://www.venturacountyfair.org/pages/3441/ Wednesday, July 31st, 2013 through Sunday, August 11th, 2013

See Events

Places to Go In Ventura

Surfing, Nov 2009. See it now on the Beachcam from the Ventura County Star


There's plenty to do in Ventura County that's free or cheap, come check out our list.

Novotpoia Lists

Attractions

Annual Events

Museums

Farmer's Markets

A Farmer's Market usually offers the products of local farmers, including flowers, honey, fruits and vegtables that are fresh and cheap. Many also offer baked goods and prepared food.

Retail Stores

Thrift Stores

Save money and support people in need at the same time.

Libraries

Paid for by your tax dollars (yes, it's socialism at work) public libraries cannot be understated as a source of knowledge. They are not just a respository for books and magazines; they typically offer recordings on other media like CDs and DVDs, and play host to to things like community events, after-school activities and career assistance. This is also usually the place to go for local history.

The Ventura County Library System has 15 libraries. The city of Oxnard has three libraries, offering—among other things—computer classes, study rooms, and passport services.

Ventura County Trails

State Parks

There are three state beaches in Ventura: McGrath State Beach, Emma Wood State Beach and Point Mugu State Park. A good overview is here.

Lake Piru

Near Fillmore along the highway 126 in Ventura County.

Channel Islands National Park

This national park is composed of five islands accessible by private boat, park concessionaire boats or planes. Mainland visitor centers are in Ventura, Camarillo and Santa Barbara.

Los Padres National Forest

Nearly 2 million acres of coastal mountain, stretching from Big Sur in Monterey County to the western edge of Los Angeles county (it's a pretty big place).

Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara Zoo

Tours

Do Good Bus Tour

Amazing LA Race

Ridge Route Highway

Favorite Restaurant

In Oxnard's Heritage Square there's a locally-owned Italian and Mediterranean resataurant named La Dolce Vita. It's not the cheapest place in town, but they have excellent service and make really delicious food. They even offer cooking classes and have their own cook book for sale.