As parents who rely on the After School Care Program led by Zoe Langley at Juan Cabrillo School, we are alarmed by the recent reports that the program staffing qualifications may be scaled back.

The qualifications of both Zoe Langley and Jennifer Douglas are what has made our experience and our son’s experience in the program a joy, and has given us a sense of trust that our child is taken care of with intelligence, creativity, humor and immense caring and love. It is incomparable. The one vacation they were not at the day care we were shocked at the institutionalized and impersonal experience we received from the day care, it was like night and day, and had Zoe and Jennifer not come back, we would have pulled our son out of the program.

Our son, now in the fourth grade, has been participating in the program since kindergarten. We travel constantly for our work and have come to rely on the quality of our son’s day care program to provide the consistency of relationships that all children require. Ms. Langley plans her program to fulfill a variety of needs for parents and children. There is homework support as well as crafts and even dramatic productions. In addition, Ms. Langley’s program fosters trust in social relationships, something invaluable in our opinion. The children learn to cooperate and work well together and form a sense of group belonging. The parents can communicate family needs in confidence and trust that the best will be done for their child after the formal school day ends. Her program matches the effort, commitment, personal care, and follow up that we have received at Juan Cabrillo and that we have come to expect.

Parents do pay for this extra program and we have paid more every year. It is discouraging that the School District plans now to jeopardize two credentialed teachers who have the training and background to care for the whole child. The District has specifically required special certification for day-care teachers up, apparently, until now. Presumably these criteria were justified to provide proper care for children. Thus, the District’s own policies would dictate that it is not possible that teenage casual labor combined with fleeting visits by activity specialists will provide families the quality support that is needed. Is the District planning to greatly reduce the fee for Day Care? Is the resulting reduction in quality what the community wants? We think not. It would be a great loss to this family oriented community that we all love.

Lita Albuquerque

Carey Peck

Lynn Marzulli’s new novel, “Nephilim,” had its genesis in his examinations of theology and the Bible, as well as the modern UFO phenomenon. While amazon.com ranks the novel No. 2 in Malibu sales, Marzulli still works at his day job. “Paul the Apostle, who wrote much of the New Testament, was a tent maker to earn a living,” he notes.

In the days of Noah, he quotes, the sons of God saw the daughters of men and chose them for their wives, and their offspring were the Nephilim.

“‘Sons of God’ are translated from the Hebrew B’nai HaElohim as ‘angels.’ And in this case it was the fallen ones, the ‘bad guys.’ So it was a demonic union.

“The angels left their first estate and cohabited with the daughters of men, something they were definitely not supposed to do.

“Why the severity of the flood?” he queries. “All cultures have a flood legend. The flood happened because of this demonic union, which tainted the genetic code, the DNA of the inhabitants of Earth.

“Another interesting text is when Moses sends spies into the Promised Land. Joshua and Caleb report the Nephilim were in the land and say, ‘We were like grasshoppers in their sight.” The Jewish historian Josephus reported their skeletons were over 12 feet in height.

He connects his novel’s story to the modern world through the UFO phenomenon.

“Fifteen years ago, I’d be labeled ‘wacko-fringe,'” he says. “Today, there are sightings all over the world, sightings by policemen, pilots.

“I, of course, don’t believe they are aliens,” Marzulli says. “I believe it’s demonic activity.” He says he has spoken to abductees to confirm their stories.

“From a Christian point of view, what I think we’re looking at is the demonic manifestation to deceive.”

Marzulli, a devout Christian, says other Christians have “blasted” him. “But the Book of Enoch, quoted in the Book of Jude, speaks of the time of Noah and the B’nai HaElohim and what they did.”

He points to the prophetic portions of the Bible. “Someone has left a signal who is outside the space-time continuum. This is a heads-up.

“It says, when Israel comes back to the homeland, you’d better start watching out. This whole thing with the Pope apologizing … Israel had to be gathered from the four corners of the Earth. Once that happens, the prophetic clock starts ticking. The Diaspora has lasted almost 2,000 years. No other nation was born in a day. And Israel is a major UFO area.”

Why fictionalize his thoughts? “It’s a great medium,” he says. “You can download through great characters and a mesmerizing plot. A writer can still slip his views in, or at least warn against something.”

Years ago, a friend had challenged him to write about life on other planets. “I had no answers,” Marzulli says. He wondered, “If there is a sovereign God, would there be life on other planets.”

A writer friend told him about Zondervan Publishing and introduced him to the senior acquisitions editor. Three months after sending three chapters and a loose outline to the editor, Marzulli got the call: The publisher was interested, liked the title, found the concept fascinating and was sending a contract.

“It was wonderful but also terrifying because I never had to produce, staring at an empty computer screen that was saying, ‘Be creative! Knock me out! Make me want to turn the page!'”

He promises Nephilim is an easy read. It’s in its fourth printing. “It takes the reader who knows nothing about the phenomenon and indoctrinates the reader into what may, please capitalize and underline may, be happening.”

Nephilim is called a supernatural thriller. Marzulli says people look for the spiritual and supernatural in psychic hotlines. If you want supernatural, he says, read the Bible.

Otherwise, Marzulli sounds like a pretty normal guy. Born in Massachusetts, he was always telling stories as a child, he wrote his first composition at age 6, which talent, he says, later developed into writing tall tales. He “got serious” 15 years ago and says this is “the first olive out of the jar.”

Also a classically trained musician, primarily in piano, he began writing and arranging for a 56-piece jazz orchestra immediately after graduating high school. He now serves as music director of First Nazarene Church in Ventura, hired because of his Christmas musical for Malibu Presbyterian.

He spotted a woman named Peggy at church 15 years ago, but she had a boyfriend. After they broke up, he says, “I swooped down. ‘How about a cup of coffee?'” he asked her. They married, and their two daughters, Corrie, nearly 13, and Sarah, 9-1/2, are doing spectacularly. Sarah has one more year before being pronounced cured of her leukemia. Then, her father says, “the Sword of Damocles lifts. When I start getting down about things, I just look at her. That’s a tremendous blessing.”

How else does he deal with life’s traumas? “Life is a trip to the dentist’s office,” he says. “We’re floating in a shell. And when life is over, we’ll forget it.”

“Nephilim,” by L.A. Marzulli, is available through amazon.com. A chapter may be read online at www.spiraloflife.com.

Malibu News Briefs!

Malibu City Council candidates and incumbents are extending dinner invitations to each other to prove their mutual love and respect despite appearances to the contrary during the current campaign. All agreed that their comments concerning each other were taken out of context and that any harsh statements were made by well-meaning but overzealous press representatives.

Barbra Streisand has offered to tear down all her houses, fill in the basement excavations, pitch a tent a half mile back from the bluffs and sell handsome Jim Brolin to the highest bidder with the money going to charity, just to assuage her neighbors and show what a good sport she is. Neighbors respond, “Is that all?”

The Malibu Philosophical and Debating Society, ala “The 8 AM Gang at Lily’s,” have promised to (1) give full support to whatever candidate is elected (2) to refrain from criticizing any council members or measures in the future, (3) to speak only in subdued tones or whispers in their daily morning discussions, the latter due to complaints from residents of Forest Lawn as well as local roosters.

Pending legislation before the City Council will bar gray whales from PCH unless they have a special city permit. Pink elephants are reported to be next.

“Do it Yourself” pothole repair kits are available at a local building supply store. They consist of 50 lbs. of quick mix asphalt, a shovel, a tamper, thirty aspirin tablets, muscle liniment, and a list of curse words approved by the local clergy. I’ll be darned.

The average age of the Malibu Optimist Club is so high the Senior Citizens’ Club is suing for invasion of primacy. The Optimists are looking for a “few young men” in their 60’s or guys with “the real stuff” in their 70’s. If you’re over 50, they waitlist you.

(And a belated April Fool’s Day to you!)

Bill Dowey

The glory of Malibu politics is fleeting, but obscurity is forever. I, along with other Malibuites, believe that The Malibu Times has made a blunder. The Malibu Times quotes Carolyn Van Horn (page A 10, April 13 edition) as stating on election night, “Whatever is printed in The Malibu Times is trash. Your paper sucks.” Ms Van Horn is a Malibu Icon. Carolyn helped establish and operate the city of Malibu from its creation. Malibuites look up to Carolyn and she is appreciated, respected and esteemed in this community. It would have been atypical of Carolyn to have ever made such comments regarding The Malibu Times. The Malibu Times has very high-quality issues and sometimes just first-rate issues, but it is not trash and it by no means sucks. Carolyn Van Horn may decide to run once more for office in Malibu. Heaven forbid Malibuites would not want to think callously of the grand aged lady of Malibu politics and remember her eternally as saying The Malibu Times sucks and is trash. The glory of Malibu City politics may be fleeting, but Carolyn’s city retirement pension will cost the Malibu taxpayer $500 per month forever. Now that sucks. And that’s all I have to say (sure).

Tom Fakehany

Subject: Response to letter by Mark Abramson in the April 13 issue.

Mark Abramson of Heal the Bay wants to “Take Back Our Creek.” Today he still has a unique opportunity to create an extensive wetlands at the mouth of the Creek inexpensively on land already owned by the State government. On the East (Santa Monica) side of the creek at the bridge are several acres that the State has allowed to lie fallow for around 20 years. Mr. Abramson should make this a super high priority issue before he is shocked to find a State Parks parking lot on this obvious wetlands.

State Parks always pleads poverty in developing the area. Perhaps Mr. Abramson can take the action along with his friends in the Malibu Conservancy to use private funds to create desirable wetlands. A public-private cooperative group could create a wetlands in months rather than the eons needed to capture and use government funds for wetlands restoration.

We are a rich community – Go for it.

Bill Carson

I know there are many people here in Malibu that have a peanut allergy. I want to tell everyone about an internet site I discovered recently. It is called Peanut Allergy.com. I want to urge everyone with an interest in this allergy to explore this site. Knowledge is the key to survival with this illness and I feel better than ever about my ability to deal with this illness after spending time reading different entries at this site.

Andy Stern

I was very concerned to hear about the Malibu Bay Company using lots of poison to kill the ground squirrels on “The Chili Cook-off site” last week. Not only do some endangered species live close by but all the people and the heavy equipment during the festivities in September sure kick up a lot of dust and toxic chemicals. Please stop the poisoning of our community. There must be a better way for the environment, and each other. This is a whole eco-system and all is related.

Valerie Sklarevsky