Oxnard High School Stadium is Named After Three-Time Olympic Gold Medalist Houser

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I was at a kids track meet at Oxnard High School the other day when I stopped to admire the school track and field records reflected on the large sign shown above. In admiring my way through the impressive array, I did a double take when I saw the boys' shot put record. Bud Houser has the record of 56' 3" that was set in 1922. This record is 92 years old!!

That's not something you see every day. So I took a look at the Oxnard High School website alumni section, which indicated that 1922 graduate Clarence "Bud" Houser went on to compete at the 1924 Olympics in Paris and won the gold medal in both the shot put and the discus throw! No one ever since has won gold medals in both of these events at the same Olympics.

He returned to the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam and earned another gold medal in his only event that year, the discus throw. Competing in the Olympics three times and earning the gold medal each time is pretty darn epic if you ask me. Bud Houser is a legend. I'm not the only one to observe that as the Oxnard High School stadium is named after him!

Houser was a three time national champion in the discus and two time champion in the shot put (including 1921, while he was still in high school). He held the world record of 158 feet, 1 3/4 inches in the discus throw from 1926 to 1929.

In 1979, at the age of 78, Bud was inducted into the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame. He later enrolled in the dentistry program at USC and opened a dentistry practice in Palm Springs. He died in 1994 at the age of 93.

"Prank it Forward" Brings Surprise Five Star Meal to Homeless Shelter in Glendale

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Here is an uplifting video featuring a "Prank it Forward" at the Ascencia Shelter in Glendale. Director and prankster Greg Benson worked with his team to transform the shelter for one night into a fancy restaurant, complete with classical music and filet mignon, to the delight of 50 attendees. Learn more about Prank it Forward at sites.break.com/prank-it-fwd.

Quicken Loans and Warren Buffett Team Up For the 2014 NCAA March Madness "Billion Dollar Bracket Challenge"

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According to a post on WarrenBuffet.com, Warren Buffett's holding company Berkshire Hathaway and Quicken Loans have teamed up to offer $1 billion to someone who is able to pick a "perfect" NCAA March Madness bracket. Registration for the Quicken Loans Billion Dollar Bracket Challenge opens up on March 3rd.

What is a perfect bracket? That means picking the correct winner of every single game in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament that begins on March 18, 2014. Berkshire Hathaway is ensuring the grand prize. I think they're good for the money, given the company has over $200 billion in net assets (assets less liabilities) as of September 2013.

The chances of winning are 1 in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808, which in words is nine quintillion, two hundred twenty three quadrillion, three hundred seventy-two trillion, thirty-six billion, eight hundred fifty four million, seven hundred seventy-five thousand, eight hundred and eight. This actually gives me some incentive to play POWERBALL, with its much better chances of winning the prize at 1 in 176 billion!

Is this really $1 billion!? Well, kind of. If you take the winnings over 40 years, you'll receive $25 million each year. Or you can take a lump sum of $500 million up front. I think I'd go with that option. Of course, if there are multiple winners, you'll split the proceeds.

Quicken Loans is also giving away $100,000 to the top 20 scoring brackets! They are capping contest entires to the first 10 million registrants, thought they may expand that at their discretion. The contest is open to legal, 21 and older residents of the U.S. and District of Columbia.

Follow the Quicken Loans Billion Dollar Bracket Challenge Facebook page at www.facebook.com/notes/quicken-loans/quicken-loans-billion-dollar-bracket-challenge-short-form-rules/10152185833560489 for details and official rules.

Local Family's Marathon Toy Making Session Captured on This Time Lapse Video

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Simi Valley resident Tony Pinto captured this time lapse video of his boys putting together a Starcraft II Mega Bloks BlizzCon 2011 Exclusive Limited Edition Set Battlecruiser during the recent Christmas break. This LEGO-like, 1,738 piece spaceship took an elapsed time nearly 10 hours over two days to put together, including a little help from pop. This explains the change of clothes mid-way into the video. This time lapse also captures a cameo appearance from their sister, one beverage spill and clean-up and a 90 minute period where younger bro takes a video game break. Looks fun!

To Tweet or Not to Tweet? That is the Question for Conejo Valley Residents

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I have been an active Twitter user under the name @ConejoJoe since November 21, 2008. Twiiter users are also referred to as Twitterers and Tweeters. Are you on Twitter yet? Should you be?

As an active user in both Twitter as well as Facebook (www.facebook.com/ConejoValleyGuide) my observation is that Facebook users are more interactive and engaged. Facebook allows for more organized, easy to follow dialogues among users, while Twitter is geared towards brief interactions. With over 1.1 billion registered users, Facebook has over double the number of users as Twitter.

That said, Twitter can be a great source for breaking news and other items of interest. Whether or not you Tweet, consider creating a Twitter account and following some of these local Twitter accounts (as well as @ConejoJoe but of course):

I've discovered that many people are confused about Twitter and its lingo, so how about a little refresher course for those still considering taking the plunge.

  • Twitter allows users to post short messages up to 140 characters long, called "Tweets."
  • Like Facebook, you don't actually have to sign up with Twitter to read a Tweet. However, if you do sign up and start "following" others, their Tweets will show up on your Twitter home page.
  • Unlike Facebook where only a small fraction of posts from your followers are shown on your wall, all Tweets will be shown on your Twitter page. All Tweets are treated equal.
  • But...not all Tweets are created equal...they range from mindless babble and utterings, information sharing, news, communicating with others, humor, promoting yourself, etc.

Here's an example of an information sharing Tweet about local wedding reception venues in Ventura County with a link back to the posting here on Conejo Valley Guide

  • When you enjoy a Tweet and want to share it with your followers, you can click "Retweet" and it will be shared. Retweet is basically the equivalent of the "Share" feature in
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