Against the backdrop of an exotic land, a lone filmmaker is granted one hour to ask ten questions of the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. Containing rare historical footage as well as footage taken inside Tibet, a story is woven between a journeyman’s personal observations, the troubled history of a government-in-exile, and the life and wisdom of one of the premiere spiritual leaders of our time.

How do you reconcile a commitment to non-violence when faced with violence? Why do the poor often seem happier than the rich? Must a society lose its traditions in order to move into the future? These are some of the questions posed to His Holiness the Dalai Lama by filmmaker and explorer Rick Ray. Ray examines some of the fundamental questions of our time by weaving together observations from his own journeys throughout India and the Middle East, and the wisdom of an extraordinary spiritual leader. This is his story, as told and filmed by Rick Ray during a private visit to his monastery in Dharamsala, India.

Also included in the film is rare historical footage as well as footage supplied by individuals who at great personal risk, filmed with hidden cameras within Tibet. "Part biography, part philosophy, part adventure and part politics, 10 Questions for The Dalai Lama conveys more than history and more than answers - it opens a window into the heart of an inspiring man" according to Reba Vanderpool, co-founder of The Visionary Edge.

The film will enjoy a strategic US theatrical release beginning with the 2007 visit of His Holiness and culminating with a simultaneous nationwide event weekend prior to the North American release Tuesday, October 23rd. A pre-release screening will be shown in Half Moon Bay, California on Saturday October 20, 7:30pm at the Johnson House Depot, hosted by The Visionary Edge. Advance tickets $10, door $15. Call 650-560-0200 for tickets and information.

The Half Moon Bay Fire District is having a big year—and a controversial year. It is, essentially at the same time, merging with the Point Montara Fire District and contracting out all of its fire-fighting and medical services to CalFire, the state fire-fighting agency. This has not been a smooth process and it follows upon years and years of acrimony between firefighters, their management, and their governing board and enough intrigue to make fans of Richard III blink.

This debate among the candidates for the Half Moon Bay fire district was held by the Midcoast Community Council meeting Wednesday, Oct 3. Candidates for the Point Montara Fire Board are running in a separate election. The two boards will soon merge together to form a "super-board" of eight members governing all of the coastside, then the board will appoint a ninth member (an odd number of members allows tie breaking votes) before shrinking down to five members at some point in the future.

But don’t give up—watch the videos, at least a few where the question seems especially interesting. You’ll care when you smell smoke. Videos by Darin Boville and reproduced with permission from Montara Fog.

Opening Statements:  | Quicktime | Flash |

  What do you consider to be the root cause of problems in the Fire Department , what do you plan to do to fix them, and—not at all coincidentally—how many meetings of the Board have you attended in the last two years?  | Quicktime | Flash |

A public agency board of directors is there to represent the public. Please comment on the conflict-of-interest with having fire fighters, paid or volunteer, or labor union representatives, serving on the Board. And, are you a fire fighter? Are you a Union member?
  | Quicktime | Flash |

The current Board has voted to contract fire services to the State based upon financial reasons. The budget report from the October 1st board meeting shows that the District has a healthy financial status. Do you agree with the current Board’s reason as to why they should contract out fire services to the State?  | Quicktime | Flash |

Do you believe that the Department of Forestry is the long-term solution for management problems in our District and how do you intend to end the long-standing management failures that have led to law suites and settlements with fire fighters?  | Quicktime | Flash |

How important is employee retention to you? What do you plan o doing to get employees to stay?  | Quicktime | Flash |

As a fire district board member would you continue to send crews over the hill to train or would you advocate construction of a fire tower, as currently proposed in the District? Would you express reservations about the District’s ability to handle emergencies in buildings of a certain height and if so what height?  | Quicktime | Flash |

Do you feel that board members who receive lifetime medical benefits from the District should be able to vote on health-care increases for retirees?  | Quicktime | Flash |

Closing Statements:  | Quicktime | Flash |

On October 10, Point Montara Fire Protection District board candidates Vince Williams and Christopher Cilia answered questions from the audience at the meeting of the Midcoast Community Council. One of these two candidates will sit on the merged Coastside Fire Protection District board. Videos by Darin Boville and used with permission of Montara Fog.

Opening Statements:  | Quicktime | Flash |

What are the challenges facing the Coastside fire board and what would you do to meet them?  | Quicktime | Flash |

With the so-called emergency staffing at Station 44 Half Moon Bay was staffing your station, Montara, with some overtime employees. Now CalFire is staffing your station with overtime employees. Why do you feel it was a necessary move when both departments are filling the station with overtime personnel? Could it not have waited until the districts were merged?  | Quicktime | Flash |

How many meetings of the Fire District Board have you attended and why do you want to be on the Board?  | Quicktime | Flash |

This year’s budget has over three million dollars in reserves. The $430,000 loan for the land under Station 41 will be paid off year. Do you believe that we can’t afford to run a local fire department?  | Quicktime | Flash |

Are you aware of ex-convicts working for CDF and do you know if any are currently working at Station 44?  | Quicktime | Flash |

Should the current board have ignored the petitions that taxpayers and voters of the District signed? | Quicktime | Flash |

How important is employee retention and what are you going to do to retain employees of the district?  | Quicktime | Flash |

The money saved from year directly benefits some of the directors who are retired from the Half Moon Bay Protection District. Do you consider issue a conflict of interest? Should those directors that benefit from such issues be allowed to discuss and vote on them?  | Quicktime | Flash |

Closing Statements:  | Quicktime | Flash |

Half Moon Bay’s legendary Art and Pumpkin Festival provided the perfect opportunity for spirited Barack Obama activists to get the word out about their candidate. With crowds of over 200,000 expected during the two day event, a dozen Obama supporters from Santa Cruz, Boulder Creek, Saratoga and the Coastside converged on Main Street, staffing a colorfully decorated booth and fanning out into the crowds with literature, campaign stickers and Obama-monogrammed Halloween candy.

Obama was the only candidate with a booth at the event on Saturday, while three Edwards supporters did set up a table on Sunday. Hundreds of voters visited the Obama booth throughout both days to get information,  pick up campaign buttons and bumper stickers and change their registrations from Republican and Decline to State to Democratic so that they can vote for Barack Obama in California’s Democratic Primary on February 5, 2008.  A man in a Jack the Ripper costume proudly put on an Obama button, admitting "I’m probably not the best spokesperson for Barack while I’m wearing this outfit," and a woman in a George Bush mask posed in front of the Obama booth holding a large color photo of the Illinois Senator. As one passerby enthusiastically put it,"This is Baracktober—it’s Obama’s month and Obama’s time!"

Apparently in the recent past a student of the Cunha Intermediate School had an encounter with a moving vehicle along Kelly Avenue between the school and the Ted Adcock Center.  So today I noticed an armed police man standing at the drive way entrance to the Adcock center.  He was stopping kids from jay walking across Kelly Avenue.  The sentiment is nice, but it is not an effective or economical solution by all means. 

Does the city plan on spending tax dollars for this traffic control for the remainder of the school year; possibly in subsequent years?  I remember when the little girl was killed on Kelly by the school district office; the police were out in force for only one to two days.  Then the signs went up on Kelly and in the Miramontes district at the intersections leading to the school that were mostly traveled.  They were not erected at the lesser travel school intersections.

For the amount of money it takes to pay for the policeman/woman, a center block crossing could be installed.  One with ‘flashing’ ground lights that would require the traffic to stop when they are flashing or in other words when the crossing is occupied.  There is such a crossing in San Mateo on one of the main avenues in its down town area.  The kids are the ones we need to protect, ushering and ticketing children is not the answer!

I really hate to see a government only on a ‘reactive’ track instead of a proactive one.  Kelly Avenue really needs this mid-block crossing so that the children can access the ‘bus’ station across the street at the Ted Adcock Center.  This center is also an area for ‘after school’ activities such as ballet.  The church is also an area where the children collect after school and even though they are located at an intersection I know the children jay walk over there too. 

Another problem with Kelly is the convenience market.  It is located on the corner and with the drive way located near the intersection it does impact traffic.  What is needed is a ‘keep clear’ notation on the west bound traffic side in order to allow for left hand turns by the east bound traffic on Kelly.  This will help keep traffic from congesting inside the intersection. 

Now that I got it out I would appreciate some good government decisions and real solutions to these two problems on Kelly Avenue.

A missing 75-year-old man who disappeared from the HMB Pumpkin Festival around 5pm Saturday near the IDES Hall. was found around midnight at Kehoe Avenue and Highway 1, reports KCBS.

"He was a little disoriented, but fine," O’Keefe said.

[Chin-Yi ] Liao was reunited with his family and "is safe now," [Police Chief Don] O’Keefe added.

Officers had posted flyers throughout the downtown area after Liao was reported missing, which prompted the resident who spotted Liao to call police, according to O’Keefe.

This weekend, more than 100,000 people are expected to crowd onto Main Street in Half Moon Bay for the annual Art and Pumpkin Festival.

That’s about 10 times the population of the coastal town, and all of those people are attracted to more than pumpkins – they also enjoy the beautiful beaches along the San Mateo County coast.

And after the Pumpkin Festival crowds leave, those beaches need help.

That’s why the League for Coastside Protection, a local nonprofit environmental political action committee, is organizing and sponsoring its Second Annual Post-Pumpkin Festival Beach Clean-up.

This year, volunteers will scour Montara State Beach on Saturday, Oct. 20, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Volunteers receive a free T-shirt for participating in the clean-up effort.

Our thanks to 7th Street Café in Montara, which is supplying free coffee for the event.

Last year, more than 40 full bags of trash were plucked from the sand of Half Moon Bay State Beach in the League for Coastside Protection’s beach clean-up.

For more information please contact: Dana Kimsey @ 650-726-1309.or visit the website of The League for Coastside Protection @ www.LCP.sanmateo.org

Posted by Sue Lockyer of the Coastside Academy of Fencing.

Coastside Academy student Elizabeth Jug made the top 8 in Cadet Women’s Saber, earning her first national medal in Tucson, at the Division II, Division III, and Cadet national competitions. Check out the results of all of our fencers on the usfencing website.

Elizabeth fenced strongly in her pool, (5-1) her only loss was to Celina Merza. But she beat Tringa, Hee, and Major to name a few.

The Cabrillo Unified School District has announced that it has hired Robert (Rob) Gaskill as the new Superintendent of the Cabrillo Unified School District. Mr. Gaskill will officially assume the Superintendent position of CUSD in January 2008.

Mr. Gaskill has 35 years experience in the education field and currently serves as the Superintendent of the Sonora Union High School District in Tuolumne County. Charlie Gardner, President of the Board of Trustees explained "Rob was one of two finalists for the position out of a field of 23 candidates.  We believe that he is a terrific match for our small unified Coastside school district."
Chosen as the 2005 Superintendent of the Year by the Association of California School Administrators, Region VII, Rob has been described as "a catalyst" who inspires "esprit-de-corps", builds "critical partnerships in the community" and has a "terrific sense of humor".  At Sonora, Rob spearheaded improved articulation between the high school and seven independent elementary school districts; completed and implemented a comprehensive Strategic Plan; led efforts to develop a "middle college" program, and represented District interests at Joint Powers Authority meetings and SELPA sessions. Rob was also the co-Chair of the Tuolumne County Community Indicators Study and President of the Sonora Rotary.

NOTE: The County Times has a really good article on this property and its acquisition.

Today the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) announced that it has acquired Mindego Hill, a stunning 1,047-acre property near the town of La Honda on the San Francisco Peninsula.

This distinct natural landmark and historic ranch visually dominates the western flank of Skyline Ridge just off Alpine Road. With its top-of-the-world views, rich wildlife habitat and excellent trail connections to adjacent Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve, the land is perfectly situated to become a major addition to the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD) and a spectacular public recreation resource for Silicon Valley and beyond.

"The protection of Mindego Hill is a dream come true," said Audrey Rust, POST president. "Looking west from Russian Ridge, you can see Mindego Hill rising up in front of you, just out of arm’s reach. It’s so enticing, and the hill beckons you to hike and explore it, but as private property, it’s always been off-limits. Now that’s about to change, as POST works to transfer the land as soon as possible to a public agency for trail development and permanent protection."

Currently a working cattle ranch, Mindego Hill lies close to Silicon Valley near the intersection of Skyline Boulevard and Alpine Road. Breathtaking panoramic vistas unfurl from its 2,143-foot summit, including views of MROSD’s Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve, San Gregorio Creek Valley, Pomponio Creek Valley and, on the far western horizon, the Pacific Ocean.