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CSUDH in talks for Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum collection p. 3 The Habits and Nia Andrews’ Art of Storytelling p. 9 Conrad’s Mexican Grill: Mexican and Peruvian cuisine with a large vegan menu p. 10
The Habits
Today’s BattleBot Competitor, Tomorrow’s Engineer By Hunter Chase, Reporter
A
Rolling Robots student Sean Stassi poses with the insides of Shellshock, the robot he helped design for BattleBots. Photo by Terelle Jerricks
Escaping Trump’s Twitter Trap:
Eleven Things the Media Can Do Differently
[See Twitter p. 5]
[See BattleBots p. 4]
But that’s a false dichotomy, media critic Jay Rosen, noted on Twitter. And a few weeks later, the El Paso massacre showed it wasn’t a dichotomy at all: repeating and amplifying Trump’s hateful antiimmigrant rhetoric helped normalize it so much that 20 people lay dead as a result—and two more have
Robots became Stassi’s passion before he started grade school when his parents bought him his first Lego set. In elementary school, Stassi joined his school’s Lego League team. The Lego League was established by the education nonprofit, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), which was founded in 1989. One of the guiding principles of FIRST is what’s called gracious professionalism — a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others and respects individuals and the community. With gracious professionalism, fierce competition and mutual gain are not separate notions. Heise, Stassi’s Shellshock team mate and a more
By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor
August 8 - 21, 2019
After two-and-a-half years in office, the press is still befuddled by how to cover Donald Trump. On July 14, the Los Angeles Times editorial board wrote, “We shouldn’t rise to his bait, but how can we not? If we ignore him, we normalize his reckless behavior, and that’s even worse.”
Stassi, the Competition and Shellshock
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
250-pound machine created purely for destruction may sound like something from a science fiction movie, but it’s reality for five students from Palos Verdes. They designed and built a robot with solid steel armor that spins three blades at 200 miles an hour. Rancho Palos Verdes residents Sean Stassi and Trevor Heise were featured in the third season of BattleBots, a fighting robot reality series. The show consists of robots competing in three-minute one-on-one bouts with the goal of destroying or disabling the opponent. If there is no knockout during the battle, a panel of judges declares the winner. Stassi and Heise, along with their team and mentors at Rolling Robots, a nonprofit robotics school in Palos Verdes, built Shellshock, a turtle-shaped robot. Stassi and Heise are also representative of the future Rolling Robots founder George Kirkman is trying to raise and bring the future of automation and robotics into the present. To Kirkman, the fight over converting Pier 400 into a fully automated cargo terminal is an opportunity to further the conversation of building up a new generation of engineers and mechanics to develop, build and maintain tomorrow’s machines.
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Community Announcements:
Harbor Area Free Spay and Neuter for Cats
During the month of August, Los Angeles Animal Services is offering free vouchers to help low income cat parents before unwanted litters are born. This program is available only to Los Angeles residents 18 and older. Each household may receive up to three vouchers for three cats. Free spay or neuter surgeries are for companion cats only. Once a free certificate is received, it must be redeemed at a participating veterinary hospital within 10 days of issuance. Details: www.laanimalservices.com/generalinformation/spay-neuter/
Senior Briefing and Health Fair
Join Rep. Nanette Barragán at her senior health fair on Aug. 9. Residents of the 44th Congressional District can receive free eye exams, blood pressure checks, diabetes screenings and free lunch. Barragán will also provide a legislative update on her work in Congress. Time: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 9 Cost: Free Details: 310-831-1799 Venue: Community Center, 801 E. Carson St., Carson
Committed to Independent Journalism in the Greater LA/LB Harbor Area for 40 Years
Long Beach Welcomes New Civic Center By Melina Paris, Editorial Assistant Long Beach hosted the grand opening of its new civic center and city hall in downtown July 29. A crowd of about 600 people showed up to the new town square to hear speakers and see the new complex. The civic center houses several new municipal facilities. It includes a new city hall, new meeting facilities for the city council, the main new public library to be named for tennis icon Billie Jean King, opening in September, an administration building for the Port of Long Beach and a renewed Lincoln Park.
Back To School Fair
Harbor Community Clinic will distribute free backpacks and school supplies to students. Enjoy games, entertainment, and face painting, and goodies from nonprofit organizations. Children must be accompanied by parents. Time: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 10 Cost: Free Details: 310-547-0202 Venue: Harbor Community Clinic, 593 W. 6th St., San Pedro
Director of Public Works Craig Beck addresses an audience of about 600 at the grand opening of the new Civic Center/City Hall in downtown Long Beach.
Lomita Sheriff Collecting School Supplies
August 8 - 21, 2019
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
Donate new back-to-school items to benefit students in Lomita. Basic school supplies for students include papers, pencils, pens, colored pencils and crayons, glue sticks, erasers, rulers, calculators and scissors. Deposit your donations at the drop off box inside Lomita Sheriff’s Station lobby until Aug. 18. Details: 310-539-1661 Venue: Lomita Sheriff’s Station, 26123 Narbonne Ave., Lomita
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Torrance Dems Meeting Featuring Rep. Waters
Enjoy a buffet and a special presentation by Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters. After the presentation a moderated Q&A session will follow. Must RSVP. Time: 6 p.m. Aug. 12 Cost: $14.25 Details: https://www.facebook.com/ TorranceDems/; 310-538-0245 Venue: 3520 W. Carson St., Torrance
Long Beach Career Fair
Bring several resumes, dress in business attire and be ready to be hired on the spot. Registration for the event is online and will trigger periodic reminders, as well as a guide listing all employers and job titles they are hiring for. Time: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 15 Cost: Free Details: https://tinyurl.com/LongBeachJobFaire2019 Venue: Long Beach Marriott, 4700 Airport Plaza Drive, Long Beach
Belmont Pier Beach Clean Up
Enjoy the sun on your face and the good feeling you made a difference at the Belmont Pier Beach Cleanup. Time: 12 to 1 p.m. Aug. 18 Details: 562-434-1542 Venue: Belmont Pier, Long Beach
The new Long Beach Civic Center and City Hall grand opening, on July 29, marked the beginning of a new era for downtown Long Beach. Photos by Diana Lejins.
The complex is part of a multi-year, almost $1 billion transformation of the Long Beach Civic Center by a public-private partnership, which provides Long Beach with new municipal facilities in exchange for private developers gaining access to build housing, retail facilities and public amenities on the old civic-center land. This project is notable in that it’s the largest public-private development of its kind on the West Coast and is expected to serve as a model for other cities in the United States. Private real estate developers agreed to build public buildings and a city park in exchange for land where they will build their own profit-making apartments, condominiums and stores. The new civic center development, with nine partners and 13 separate agreements cost $428.3 million. The grand opening celebration included comments by Mayor Robert Garcia and other city leaders. Below are details about the new complex • Public Services: the city hall first floor will support all cashier, city clerk, and citizen police complaint commission business activities. The city hall second floor will support all permitting needs and will house Development Services (Building and Safety, Code Enforcement and Planning), health, fire and Public Works groups. First and second-floor operations will both utilize a new queuing system to provide a more streamlined service experience. • Changes coming to the civic chambers:
Meetings in the new Bob Foster Civic Chambers will function similarly to meetings in the old city hall. The public will enter through the main entrance of the city hall building and proceed to security where they will pass through metal detectors before entering the civic chambers. • Construction schedule: construction will continue through 2022. After the Main Library is open, construction will begin on Lincoln Park, which is scheduled for completion in 2021. Private development in the old city hall location will take place through 2022. • Lincoln Park and the Main Library:
Demolition of the existing Main Library will begin in Fall 2019 and its grand opening will take place at 10 a.m. Sept. 21, with the construction of Lincoln Park to follow. Planning for the revitalization of Lincoln Park’s 4.8 acres is underway now and is scheduled to reopen to the public in 2021. • Current city hall property: As part of the city’s innovative public-private partnership with Plenary-Edgemoor Civic Partners, the land where city hall is located will be transferred for private development. Opportunities include mixed-use residential, retail and a hotel.
Harry Bridges Unveiled
ILWU Southern California Pensioners President Greg Mitre, stands with union members at the installation of the Harry Bridges statue a few days before the unveiling ceremony. Local 13 of the ILWU, labor allies and renowned sculptor Eugene Daub unveiled the bronze statue of Harry Bridges on July 28 at the new ILWU dispatch hall in Wilmington. Taking place on what would have been his 118th birthday, the statue depicts Bridges speaking at a lectern, his right arm and forefinger extended as he makes a point. The pose was a familiar one of his during his organizing years, according to those who knew Bridges. The $90,000 statue was commissioned by ILWU’s Southern California Pensioners with strong support by former union President David Arian, who before his death pledged $50,000 toward the cost from the Harry Bridges Foundation. Photo by Robin Doyno.
CSU Dominguez Hills in Talks to House the Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum By Dennis J. Freeman, Reporter
Cal State University Dominguez Hills is in negotiations to house the Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum collection — more than 2 million historical artifacts, rare books, photographs, and other types of memorabilia about the African American experience in this country. After more than a decade in a Los Angeles County facility, occupants of the Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum vacated that property for good on July 31. The end goal for the Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum is to be housed in a permanent location, said Lloyd Clayton, executive director and son of the founder. Clayton stated that West Los Angeles Community College has proposed putting up the collection on a two-year temporary basis, though that could not be confirmed. That leaves Cal State University Dominguez Hills. “As far as a permanent location, we haven’t come to that conclusion yet because my family, including my mother and brother, Avery, want Mayme Clayton to have its own building with her name branded on the top of the building,” Clayton said. “She gave 45 years of her entire life and every dollar towards this collection. This
collection wouldn’t exist if she didn’t sacrifice her money to save African American history.” This stretch of uncertainty has not been easy for Clayton. From the county’s perspective, the building was simply uninhabitable for such a collection to remain where it was. “The county has been very supportive to protect and preserve the collection,” the county representative said. The tug of war between the Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum and the building it operated under the County of Los Angeles jurisdiction is officially over. For the past 13 years, the esteemed library and museum that housed a vast collection of African American artifacts, was a cultural center point in the Culver City community. “It seems like it had a great impact on Culver City,” Clayton said. “We’ve had many of the schools … they come here every year for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so the kids would take the tour, very attentive and very interested because they are hearing things and seeing things that are not in their library. So, they’re getting another perspective of what African Americans have contributed in this country.”
Report from Cuba:
Internat’l Environmental Conference By Brenda Lopez and Mark Friedman, Correspondents
light. A representative claims that the lease for the property expired after one year but the individual added the county remained supportive. So, to the county, for the past 12 years, the Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum have basically operated rent-free. It has been reported that the monthly rent for where Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum occupied cost an estimated $93,000 a month. The dispute between the county and those representing the library and museum is somewhat confusing. The original agreement between the county and the museum and library was authorized by former Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke. Lloyd Clayton says Brathwaite Burke negotiated a $1 per year arrangement with the library and museum. A proposed partnership between the county and the library and museum fizzled out because the library would not hold its bargain when it came to fundraising efforts, according to the county representative. The county, through this representative, argues that besides not paying rent for the past 12 years, the facility in which the Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum has dwelt, is no longer suitable for housing its content, which includes films, audio, books and other artifacts. “It was meant to be a temporary fix,” the county representative said it relates to the agreed one-year lease agreement. “It was not meant to be a permanent home.”
sea topics. Everything from environmental education, managing ecosystems and biodiversity, international sustainability, human rights and justice, transportation, conservation and sustainable marine ecosystems, natural history
museums, indigenous populations … there were over 1,000 presentations in several hundred multilingual workshops led by academics, scientists, activists, non-governmental and governmental organizations.
Real News, Real People, Really Effective August 8 - 21, 2019
HAVANA, CUBA — More than 1,400 guests instead of environmental disaster. attended the 12th International Environmental “While the United States continues its Conference in Havana, Cuba, this past July. aggression against Cuba, limiting people-toMore than 250 of the guests came from more people and academic exchange, continuing a than 43 countries. The large turnout was for 60-year long blockade, activation of the Helms good reason, as emphasized by Elsa Perez, the Burton bill and countless efforts to destroy the Cuban minister of Science, Technology and the Cuban people and our socialist economy and Environment, when she opened the conference internationalism,” Perez said. “These measures by stating, “The very existence of life on planet will not make us renounce our principles, our new Earth is threatened.” Perez supported her position by reciting some dire statistics: • 800 million people have no access to fresh water, hundreds of millions are without electricity • One half of food produced is wasted, not reaching people • 9 million tons of plastic waste/garbage enter the ocean annually • 80 percent of marine birds have micro-plastics in their bodies • 92 percent of the world’s population does The U.S. delegation touring the coffee, cocoa and bee farm in Viñales, Cuba not breathe clean air this past July. Photo by Brenda Lopez • 22 million people are displaced annually by extreme weather events constitution and our efforts to join internationally caused by global climate change with most to stop global climate change.” A U.S. delegation of 19 young people and affected being underdeveloped nations, especially chaperones attended the conference to present in island nations. At almost any other moment before this one, multiple workshops. San Pedro youth of the Los Perez’s remarks would have been accepted at Angeles Maritime Institute Youth Crew/Explore face value. But Donald Trump and his climate- the Coast program participated. The conference consisted of 16 concurrent change-denying administration occupies the White House, leading a war against science symposia on environmental air, land and
That part of the city’s history is now a thing of the past as the library and museum said goodbye to its Culver City home on Culver Boulevard. According to Clayton, the library and museum were basically given the boot by the county. The fight to overturn the eviction notice became nothing more than fruitless exercise and hard to swallow, he said. “They are not going to renew our lease,” Clayton said. “It’s a little sad to leave this facility because before my mother died, she actually came into the building, and I can remember her expression and how happy she was … I wished that it could have worked. I wish that (Los Angeles County Supervisor) Mark RidleyThomas could have worked with us more to give us a building that is air-controlled. It would have been a great legacy for him, too.” When it comes to legacy, Mayme A. Clayton built one that will last for a very, very long time. For over four decades, Mayme A. Clayton collected memorabilia that captured the essence of the African American experience via books, photographs, and film. Mayme A. Clayton passed away in 2006, leaving sons Avery and Lloyd to oversee her collection. Lloyd Clayton feels the library and museum have gotten a raw deal. He is concerned that the hard work his mother and others put into making the library and museum a nestle that one the public could enjoy might be harmed because of the move. The county sees the dispute in a different
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[BattleBots from p. 1]
BattleBots Competitors
senior student at Rolling Robots, had competed previously in robot competitions, but on a much smaller scale. He had built 20- to 30-pound robots for VEX competitions with other Rolling Robots students, and 120-pound robots for FIRST as part of his high school team. But none of them compared to the monster that was Shellshock. “Since this is at a much larger scale, [you] need to be a lot more precise with your components,” Heise said. “We had a really fast-moving shell so if that was a little bit off, it could pretty much explode.” Heise was the driving coach, and he helped build the robot. Shellshock appeared on the show on July 19. It lost to a robot named RailGun Max, which hit Shellshock and flipped it over. The Rolling Robots team was unable to right it and lost because of it. Matches can last up to three minutes if there is
no clear winner, but that was not the case in this instance. The referees gave the Rolling Robots team 20 seconds to right Shellshock, but there was nothing they could do. Shellshock let off smoke after it was flipped on its back and caught fire after the match was over. The insides were badly burned, including the battery, said Bing Jiang, who founded Rolling Robots with Kirkman. However, they were able to replace them. “Some of the build is not rugged enough to prevent these kind of high impact [hits],” Jiang said. “The big thing we learned is in BattleBots, with high impacts, things are working very differently.” The team built the Shellshock in about a month, Kirkman said. After BattleBots told Rolling Robots they wanted them on the show,
Rolling Robots founder George Kirkman teaches his students as they work with robots. Photo by Terelle Jerricks
August 8 - 21, 2019
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
they had 60 days to prepare, but it took 30 to buy all the parts. Making the shell took more than a month. “I felt like we could have put more time into building the robot,” Heise said. “We did have a very rushed time building it, so I felt like if we had [more] time, we could have done a lot better.” The time that the Rolling Robots filmed was also a busy time for Heise, as it was Advance Placement test week at his school. “It was a big time commitment, but in the end I feel like it all paid off,” Heise said. “Having it work and fighting was really worth all the time.”
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The Enduring Influence of Apollo 8
Five days a week, Kirkman spends hours teaching, guiding students on math, coding and design. It’s clear Kirkman sees himself in his Rolling Robots students. Kirkman is a child of the ‘60s, inspired by the Apollo missions to the moon. “As an 8-year-old kid, particularly the Christmas trip to the moon is etched into my mind,” Kirkman said. “That was a big media event, because it was Christmas. All the toys that [See Robots p. 5]
[Robots from p. 4]
Robots
year were space related.” Kirkman found that he enjoyed teaching, so he retired from the aerospace industry to found the school. “I had been teaching at community college and teaching at USC a little bit, and found that I liked teaching, and enjoyed working with these younger kids better than I did the graduate students,” Kirkman said. “I just liked that they’re very curious. They’re here about the fun and the learning. Whereas, by the time you get to college, you’re there for the grades.” Former students of the school have worked at Google and Apple and studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the California Institute of Technology, said Paul Saluzzi, the director of business development at Rolling Robots. “Parents get it,” Saluzzi said. “Your kid’s not going to make the NFL, your kid’s not going to make the NBA. But your kid can become an engineer and a scientist if they put the work in.”
Future of Rolling Robots
Kirkman and Saluzzi see their work as a possible panacea to the likely job losses due to the further automation at our ports, goods movement system and other industries. Kirkman recently went to Councilman Joe Buscaino’s office to discuss ways to educate students in the community in robotics as a response to recent Maersk recently bringing more automation to the Port of Los Angeles. “There’s some concern that a lot of jobs are going to go away,” Kirkman said. “Of course, we’re trying to preserve those jobs, but these kids in 10 years, they need to be able to handle that automation.”
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have average annual wages of $98,000 and $72,000 respectively) account for almost half of local CTE concentrations, but just 4.4 percent of local employment. Conversely, the study found that almost no Los Angeles students concentrate in lower-paying fields such as marketing; manufacturing, hospitality and tourism, and transportation, distribution and logistics—despite the fact that they support a majority of local jobs. Saluzzi, in response to the recent labor dispute over automation at Maersk terminal, said that in a decade a billion jobs will be displaced by a hundred million robots and that we will need a hundred million jobs to service the robots. “We have to train everyone now, Saluzzi said. “The future economy, it’s only a few years away.”
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Preparing for a possible strike against Kaiser Permanente, more than 85,000 workers from 26 unions in Southern California alone, are voting to strike against the nation’s largest healthcare provider. Negotiations stalled again July 12 after Kaiser pushbacks. The National Labor Relations Board has charged Kaiser with failing to bargain in good faith. From registered nurses to x-ray technicians, workers seek higher wages, preservation of existing health-care benefits and assurance of adequate staffing. “This should have been settled a year ago,” said Eric Jones, a radiology technician at Kaiser’s Los Angeles Medical Center, and a member of the bargaining unit. According to the Feb. 15, 2017 edition of the San Francisco Business Times, Oakland-based Kaiser Permanente reported a strong year in 2016, with growth in its operating revenue and income and 11 million members in its health system. With a footprint in eight states and D.C., the health care giant reported its 2016 operating revenue at $64.6 billion, up from $60.7 billion in 2015, but despite this refuse to agree to much needed pay increases. Nonprofit Kaiser Permanente drew a whopping $3 billion in net income in the first quarter of 2019. The integrated health system, which includes Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, recorded $3.2 billion in net income in the first quarter, which ended March 31, up 127 percent from the first quarter of 2018. 5
August 8 - 21, 2019
Palma Mattera Mejia, EA
Working without a contract since March, thousands of grocery workers throughout Southern California have rallied to raise public support for their fight for a fair agreement with Albertsons, Ralphs, Pavilions and Vons. In June workers gave strike authorization for action against hundreds of stores operated by the above chains. The most recent strike was in 2003. These 46,000 workers organized by the United Food and Commercial Workers are demanding higher wages, more hours (thousands work less than 40 hours and thus receive few if any benefits), continued health care and retirement benefits. The company has offered a 1 percent pay raise. Broad labor solidarity has already forced the corporate owners to drop plans to slash checker pay by 25 percent and eliminate payouts of unpaid sick days. Rallies organized by UFCW Local 770 on July 31, were in Studio City, Los Angeles, Camarillo and Pasadena. Text “grocery770” to 698329 to receive additional negotiation updates and alerts.
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Kirkman wants to create a program in San Pedro for families that work in the port. However, he did not specify what exactly it would entail, but it would offer classes to children and workshops where they can invent things. Saluzzi sees a Silicon Bay in San Pedro, just as there’s a Silicon Beach in Playa Vista and Silicon Valley near San Francisco. Los Angeles Unified School District is already on the case, addressing this labor shortage through career technical education in the industries with the most jobs available. Studies have shown that such classes are popular, but only a quarter of students take courses that could lead to the nation’s biggest industries. This past April, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank in Washington, D.C. released a first-of-its-kind report that looks at how career and technical education courses match up with U.S. job opportunities. The study found that more than half of the CTE courses taken by high school students in the Los Angeles metropolitan area are in arts, audio/ visual technology and communications; information technology; STEM, and hospitality and tourism. The study found that almost no students take CTE courses in government and public administration, education and training or finance. Compared to students in the rest of the country, students in Los Angeles take more courses in STEM and arts, audio/visual technology communication. However, they take fewer courses in information technology, manufacturing, business management and administration. The study also found that the distribution of CTE concentrations in Los Angeles is highly skewed towards fields with higher average wages. For example, the STEM and arts, audio/visual technology and communications fields (which
Bernie and the Daughters of New American Revolution By James Preston Allen, Publisher
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
As much as the mainstream media and the conservative side of the Democratic Party try to deny it, Sen. Bernie Sanders has redefined the platform on which the party and the top 10 primary candidates are running —from health care and drug prices to education and global warming, and once again, gun control. With a rash of mass shootings and scorching heat waves burning up middle America, climate change deniers and NRA supporters will have a much harder time denying Sanders and a cadre of young progressive women in congress. NBC’s Meet the Press host, Chuck Todd, confronted Sanders with, “Why haven’t you changed your message?” Bernie’s response was, “Because nothing has changed.” Indeed, not only has nothing changed, but things have clearly gotten much worse since 2016. With the immigration crisis at the southern border and the progressive “squad” calling Trump’s detention centers “concentration camps” there is yet another media battle afoot. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is emblematic of the young leadership I have been waiting for since the end of the Vietnam War. She and fellow fresh-women representatives in Congress, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley (aka “The Squad”), and Katie Porter are what the boomer generation have wished for: progressive, passionate, fearless and honest. They are, indeed, the promise of the future in the present. They are the political equivalent of the USA women’s soccer team: smart, confident and bold. If Bernie Sanders is the father of this “New American Revolution,” these women are the “New Daughters” of it, except they won’t be staying home and sewing Betsy Ross flags or baking cherry pies. These women are not demurring to their senior counterparts who have forfeited the fight and whose principles are compromised. And for this they deserve the respect of every true American patriot in this nation who still believes that certain truths are self evident, that all people are created equal, that we are all endowed with certain unalienable rights. I remember well the cautious arguments of compromise over idealism and pragmatism versus polemics from 50 years ago. Both brought us the mission to the moon as success AND an unsustainable defeat in Southeast Asia that still haunts this nation today. One still has to question the wisdom of fighting that
war that was brought on by the rationalizations of the “best and brightest minds” of that generation, as well as the lies and deceits of two administrations. Today, like long ago, Trump’s attacks on his adversaries are all too much like Nixon’s disdain for the press with a huge helping of racist George Wallace thrown in. Singling out the “squad” and calling them a “racist group of troublemakers who are young, inexperienced and not very smart,” is a sad defense for a man who is conniving but not wise and who has absolutely no historical context or moral grounding to guide him. Too often, Trump accuses his opposition of the very things of which he, himself, is guilty — racism, inexperience and stupidity. Donald J. Trump is the personification of the tyrant that the founding fathers warned us about and it’s damn well time all of our elected officials in Congress speak out boldly and passionately in defense of all our rights and against this tyrant. You will notice once again that the Tweeterin-Chief always causes an uproar in the media the closer an investigation gets to revealing his taxes, what Robert Mueller actually meant in his report or when another one of his buddies gets indicted. Recently, he threatened to go to war with Iran when these things got too close. Then Trump starts calling people names, trying to sow discord and confusion. He recently tweeted, “They are pulling the once great Democrat Party far left, and were against humanitarian aid at the Border … And are now against ICE and Homeland Security. So bad for our Country!” Trump regularly labels his political opponents in Congress as “socialist” or antiAmerican, people who actually take their oaths seriously. Remember the part that reads, “I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” Trump, it seems, is that domestic threat to our republic. A growing number of people he believe hasn’t entirely renounced all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty. What he has done is inspire a new generation of white nationalists willing to go to war at Walmart in El Paso or the Gilroy Garlic Festival. As for the red-baiting term “socialist,” Bernie Sanders is about as much of one as President Franklin D. Roosevelt was and he brought you Social Security. Publisher/Executive Editor James Preston Allen james@randomlengthsnews.com
August 8 - 21, 2019
Assoc. Publisher/Production Coordinator Suzanne Matsumiya
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“A newspaper is not just for reporting the news as it is, but to make people mad enough to do something about it.” —Mark Twain Vol. XL : No. 16
Published every two weeks for the Harbor Area communities of San Pedro, RPV, Lomita, Harbor City, Wilmington, Carson and Long Beach. Distributed at over 350 locations throughout the Harbor Area.
Managing Editor Terelle Jerricks editor@randomlengthsnews.com Senior Editor Paul Rosenberg paul.rosenberg@ randomlengthsnews.com
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Katie Porter, you are the Daughters of the New American Revolution and we as a nation should honor you for your patriotic, courageous service to this nation in this time of conflict, fear and hate. One day, we will look back and call you heroines or simply heroes — it really doesn’t matter what’s politically correct as long as you get the job done and stay true to your ideals. Keep fighting!
The revolution will not go better with Coke The revolution will not fight the germs that cause bad breath The revolution WILL put you in the driver’s seat The revolution will not be televised — Gil Scott-Heron, 1970 However, the counter revolution is being fought on twitter — JPA, 2019
On Medicare for All By Bill Weeks
One of the things I like about living in San Pedro is that I have all different kinds of neighbors with all different kinds of political views. It has sometimes been interesting to see how some of those views have been evolving lately. One neighbor (whom I strongly suspect voted for Trump last time) recently confided to me that he would not vote for Trump in the next election. He also told me he had changed his mind about Medicare, now supporting it wholeheartedly. Healthcare is now favored by a majority of all Americans, according to recent polls. There are still 30 million Americans uninsured today, and another 40 million who can’t pay their copays or deductibles with their insurance.(1) Life expectancy continues to fall for Americans, and infant mortality rates have risen (especially for minorities), yet we pay far more for healthcare per capita than any other industrialized country in the world. Billions of dollars are siphoned out of our economy that goes to “middle men” insurance company bureaucracies, alarming rises in costs and medicines, and wasteful practices
Columnists/Reporters Lyn Jensen Reporter Richard Foss Restaurant Reviewer Andrea Serna Arts Writer Melina Paris Staff Reporter Send Calendar Items to: 14days@randomlengthsnews.com Photographers Terelle Jerricks, Steven Guzman, Benjamin Garcia, Raphael Richardson Contributors Hunter Chase, Richard Foss, Dennis J. Freeman, Mark L. Friedman, Ari LeVaux, Greggory Moore, Bill Weeks, Gretchen Williams
like the recent $212 million bonus just given a CEO a few months back. It is time to eliminate the profit motive, correct the ineffectiveness of the current system, and guarantee quality healthcare to all Americans as a human right. Over the last six election cycles, Big Pharma has given nearly $79 million (more even than Big Oil) to members of Congress to keep control of what Americans pay for healthcare. (2) Important members of both parties receive varying contributions regularly (for example, Democrat Nancy Pelosi received well over $1 million just last year—and voted against all single-payer legislation that came before her). In 2016, Sen. Bernie Sanders was ridiculed for his healthcare plan and other ideas,yet in the two recently televised Democratic debates, the 20 candidates spent most of the time debating the centerpieces of their campaigns, all of which were based upon Bernie’s ideas. Although all the candidates will say they
Cartoonists Andy Singer, Jan Sorensen, Matt Wuerker Design/Production Suzanne Matsumiya, Brenda Lopez Editorial Interns David Belhouse, Pratyush Shukla
[See Medicare, p. 7] Address correspondence regarding news items and tips to Random Lengths News, P.O. Box 731, San Pedro, CA 90733-0731, or email: editor@randomlengthsnews.com. Send Letters to the Editor to james@randomlengthsnews.com. To be considered for publication, letters must be signed with address and phone number (for verification purposes) and be about 250 words. For advertising inquiries or to submit advertising copy, email: rlnsales@randomlengthsnews.com. Annual subscription is $36 for 27 issues. Back issues are available for $3/copy while supplies last.
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RANDOMLetters The Battle of Automation — One Perspective
You seem to be clinging on to some old visions of what the San Pedro and the POLA should be. Like a latter-day Don Quixote - trying to throw advancing technology under the old noblelabor bus. One of these days, with new and better technology, San Pedro and Wilmington might actually get rid those overpaid ILWU jobs for good and finally and hopefully, all the stinky, polluting trucks and ships that continue to kill the families surround the existing ports. Richard Pawlowski Oregon
The Battle of Automation — Second Perspective
I have a similar sentiment. Self-driving everything is coming, and there’s going to be a huge
upheaval in the workforce. It can’t be fought - no one will be able to toss their wooden shoes into the gears of technology. It’s far easier to automate a controlled environment like a port rather than freeways which must still (for now) accommodate unpredictable humans - this is why true full automation is happening in places like mines, farms, Amazon warehouses, and other fenced-off parcels where we need to ‘move stuff’.’ It’s only a matter of time. What to do with/for the non-knowledge workers is a big question. Jason Herring San Pedro Mr. Herring, Not all progress brings prosperity. There will be winners and losers. As I wrote in my last editorial, “good jobs and a clean
[Medicare from p. 6]
Medicare for All
New Dog, Old Tricks
Is anybody else among RLN’s readership shaking their head in amazement about the Daily Breeze’s op-ed page of late? You’d figure a paper that supported the Vietnam War to the end and Nixon deep into Watergate might change with new ownership. Nope!
horrors at our border, eerily similar to what I experienced during World War II -- with the added cruelty of family separation. The Trump administration once again is turning America into a nation that has lost its soul, where barbed wire camps become the symbol of a broken and cruel system. George Takei Los Angeles
More on Trump
Who is Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-Baltimore) and why is the president repeatedly attacking him over Baltimore? Who are those four congresswomen he constantly slurs? It doesn’t matter
to the president. Slurs and insults are a “little game” of hatred that the president uses to divide voters. What are his rules? Rule 1: “Haters hate hatred of their hate.” Rule 2: “Lovers hate hatred of their love.” Rule 3: “While Lovers and Haters are hating each other, Tycoons grab the Monopoly money.” Maxine Waters might agree that Members of Congress and reporters and football players and anyone with brown skin have become mere pawns in a silly little game of hate. Meanwhile, the one percent of [See Letters, p. 15]
Cruelty at the Border
When Donald Trump tells American citizens to “go back” to their country, I hear chilling echoes of my own childhood. I was born in America, but when I was just five years old, my family and I were put into American internment camps. One hundred and twenty thousand Japanese Americans were rounded up and uprooted from our homes simply because we looked like the people who had bombed Pearl Harbor. We lost everything. We were allowed to keep only what we could carry. It was a dark, harrowing time. Today, we are witnessing new
that would be an even more extensive Medicare for All and would kick in even faster. Corporations want people to believe the election coming up is about getting anyone in but Trump. Actually, this election is about whether or not Americans will finally stand up and take democracy back from the big corporations who have corrupted it. Look closely at those candidates taking money from Big Pharma, insurance companies and Big Oil. Ask yourself if those candidates are sincere about making changes to improve the lives of common Americans and committed to overthrowing Citizens United, (the 2010 Supreme Court ruling legalizing bribes by corporations), or if they are more interested in continuing to get money for their campaigns that keeps us as the only nation not having decent healthcare for all and not facing the existential threat of climate change. Most Americans I have spoken with about this know someone who has been unable to work because of a hernia problem or other health issue, that was a “previous condition” and went untreated, sometimes for years and years. It’s time we get the money out of politics by electing officials who refuse to take the bribes even when it’s legal to do so. There are signs that things are changing. Although most established, incumbent Democrats are still taking the money, seven out of eight candidates new to politics have vowed not to take any. Many savvy voters now see the commitment to not taking corporate money as a “litmus test” for just how committed a candidate really is to change. (2) The rate that healthcare costs are rising is unsustainable. If we continue to do nothing the number of Americans declaring bankruptcy due to health expenses will continue to climb upwards of 600,000. This is no time for half-measures. This is, literally, a life and death issue. Vote wisely.
The last two Sunday editions have been a union buster’s wet dream. In particular, “Unions v Innovation” 6/30. Steven Greenhut lambasts unions for impeding progress while being political bullies. He praises Lyft and Uber, on the other hand, as innovators and political innocents. Trouble is, these two relatively new companies employ more lobbyists than Amazon, Microsoft and Walmart combined. They often barge into small statehouses with as many as 16 lobbyists and an already written bill they want passed. Talk about bullies! I highly recommend Leigh Anne Schriever’s 2018 piece in Regulation Review at https:// tinyurl.com/LASchriever RegulationReview Steve Varalyay Torrance
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
(1) “Medicare for All”, https://jayapal.house.gov/ Medicare-For-All/ (2) Mass. U.S. Reps. Are Big Beneficiaries of Big Pharma, Data Shows, https://www.wbur.org/ commonhealth/2018/11/02/drug-company-moneycongress-members
Bill Weeks and his wife, Yumiko, moved to San Pedro four years ago from Signal Hill. Bill teaches school in Long Beach and Yumiko is a member of SAG-AFTRA. Bill’s father was long-time Los Angeles Times staff reporter, Paul R. Weeks.
August 8 - 21, 2019
are for Medicare for All, there is one important difference between them. The majority of their proposals give Americans an option of coming into the plan or keeping their present insurance plan. Many of those plans would have underfunded programs for those needing it most, and would keep in place monstrous profits for insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies, thus prolonging their ability to legally bribe politicians and influence their decisions. If one looks closely at which Democrats are still accepting donations from Big Pharma and insurance companies, one finds only Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Sanders haven’t taken any—and vow not to do so. Even Sen. Elizabeth Warren shared $49,000 in pharmaceutical PAC donations with fellow Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey and has admitted she would accept more donations if she were to become the Democratic candidate. Although she and many other Dems signed onto Sanders’ healthcare bill, Warren and others have proposed “step gap bills” that would still keep insurance companies’ profits flowing for the immediate time being. The rationale behind these “half-way” bills seems to be a way to placate the public’s misperception that somehow Sen. Sanders’ plan would cause them to lose the doctor they now have. Nothing could be further from the truth. Under the current plan, any company could change their contract at any time, thus causing their employees to lose their current doctors. The current plan now also discourages innovators from going out on their own and starting new businesses, because they are afraid of losing their healthcare. With single-payer you keep the doctor you have, and change if and when you like. It’s the unnecessary middle-men insurance companies that would be going. Your doctors and nurses would not be going anywhere. Hospitals would remain privately run, but medicine prices would be subject to competition on a free market—not set by a monopoly-like system as they are now. Medicine prices would immediately be cut drastically, while Bernie’s plan would be phased in over four years. The only plan favored more by nurses and doctors is another single-payer system advocated by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (and 100 co-sponsors) this year,
environment must be equal to a sustainable economy and a healthy community. It doesn’t have to be an either-or decision”. We must not jettison the jobs that are already here for an unknown promise of future prosperity. We’ve seen how this didn’t work in the past with the shipyards and canneries closing. Technological advancement is a force of its own that is undeniable. But how it gets integrated into our economy is a discussion for debate, the same way that human DNA engineering is being discussed as ethics and legal issues. James Preston Allen Publisher
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[Twitter from p. 1]
Avoiding Trump’s Twitter Trap
August 8 - 21, 2019
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
died since. The shooter’s manifesto specifically echoed the same lying language Trump has used repeatedly in his campaign rallies and on Twitter—the language of “invasion” used to misrepresent civilians fleeing violence as a military threat. Most notably, in the run-up to the midterms last year, Trump repeatedly portrayed a caravan of Central American asylum-seekers— mostly women and children—as a military threat—a threat that magically disappeared on election day. In addition to being civilians fleeing violence, they had formed into a caravan for defensive reasons—for greater safety in numbers on a perilous journey. Misrepresenting them as a military threat, which Trump did repeatedly, was a monstrous, multi-faceted, ultimately lethal lie. The media did far more to amplify and spread than it did to question, warn against or condemn. After the massacre, Trump naturally blamed the media alone: “Fake News has contributed greatly to the anger and rage that has built up over many years,” he tweeted. But the main failing has been in mishandling Trump —taking his bait and spreading his message because they only see two options, both of which normalize him in different ways. “These are not the only choices,” Rosen said. He proceeded to describe five alternatives the press can take: you can change the way you cover him, you can focus elsewhere (on those he’s hurting) while still describing his actions,
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you can report his lies in a “truth sandwich,” treat his gaslighting as an issue or beat in itself, and ground 2020 coverage in “a transparent and public agenda that derives from a creative act of listening,” a model first developed by the Charlotte Observer in 1992. It’s useful to describe these, to make the media’s untaken options clear. But they aren’t the only ones, and Trump alone is not the problem. The problem is a far-reaching attack on democracy, including the very notion of shared public understanding, on which democracy depends. In light of the El Paso massacre, and recent social science research, I’ve added six more options. Four of them expand on Rosen’s
gaslighting proposal, to deal with other signature Trump forms of deception, while two build further on the public agenda idea: one built on mass (non-elite) public opinion priorities, the other treating Trump and his allies’ erosion of democratic norms as a distinct new beat. All in all, there are many ways for the press to escape from the box that they’ve put themselves into. They can choose as many of them as they wish— and you, as citizens, can push them to do better.
#1: Rosen suggests, the media can simply stop supplying Trump with oxygen by suspending normal relations with the Trump government. Instead of focusing primary coverage on the White House, “Send interns to the daily briefing when it becomes a newsless mess. Move the experienced people to the rim,” Rosen wrote before Trump took office. “Outside-in can become the baseline method, and inside-out the occasionally useful variant.” The different ways in which Trump has decimated cabinet departments, with only sporadic media coverage, show just how wise this advice was. In the same vein, Rosen noted, CNN could simply stop covering his speeches live: there are simply too many lies to deal with
otherwise. Rather than a single one-size-fits-all choice for everyone to take, Rosen wrote, “Each newsroom has to start asking: what game do we stop participating in this government?”
#2: A second option Rosen suggested, was coverage that reports Trump’s actions, “but he is not the main character,” and he cited an example brought to his attention by Antonia Hylton, a reporter/producer for Vice News on HBO. “We spend way more time with immigrants and lawyers and in courtrooms than we do circling his orbit in D.C. And it’s paid off,” Hylton said. When asked for an example, Hylton linked to a 30-minute documentary, Zero Tolerance. “[We] followed one Guatemalan family’s tough journey from separation to reunification last summer,” she said. “Center the experiences of the family over administration spin.” This is one example of a very rich journalistic tradition. Documentary filmmakers have used this kind of model forever. Pacifica’s weekday news program Democracy Now! has taken the same approach for more than 20 years, regardless of which party was in the White House. Independent journalists from George Seldes and I.F. Stone down to the alternative press of today have routinely worked this way. It can be done.
#3: If Rosen’s second approach was steeped in history, his third option was the opposite — a new idea called the “truth sandwich,” proposed by cognitive linguist George Lakoff, specifically suited to Trump’s flood of false statements. But the basis is anything but new: First impressions [See Tantrums, p. 16]
Nia Andrews’ Art of Storytelling By Melina Paris, Arts and Culture Reporter
Andrews calls herself a storyteller and a polymath, which she described as “A person who wears Niamany hats fully.”
Nia Andrews’ first full length album is No Place is Safe. Photo by Yvonne Schmedemann.
After listening to her first full-length album, No Place is Safe, I see why. She unveiled her talents as a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, music arranger and producer to name a few. On this magnum opus, she wore every hat with few collaborators. RLn recently spoke to Andrews recently spoke about her process and exactly what is behind that title. “Come on, there’s got to be another name,” Andrews said describing her reaction to the title. “Is this what I’m gonna call it? Nothing else felt right.’” Recounting the process of naming the new album she described the first two years under Trump seeming as if the world was falling apart. Truth be told, it still feels like that. Children are separated from their parents and locked in cages, immigrants, even those seeking asylum now, are turned away instead of welcomed, gun violence keeps happening as if it’s accelerating and the man in the White House stokes the fires of racism and division. This is a time in history when Andrews said she doesn’t want to be a bystander and she wondered, what does one do to be an ally or advocate instead of being a bystander while injustice is happening and also maintain your center and “not lose your damn mind.” “Just before people were freaking out about the [presidential] election, it [was] an unprecedented time of having so many black people being killed at the hands of the police — and being recorded [with] police getting off,” Andrews said. “It kept happening. ... It almost seemed like the election was a distraction from that because it was just [See Storyteller, p. 11] Real News, Real People, Really Effective
The Ever Changing Tastes of Wolf Bradley By David Belhouse, Editorial Intern
[See The Habits, p. 13]
Andrew Macatrao, left, and Wolf Bradley are The Habits.
August 8 - 21, 2019
It really seemed like everyone was deeply connected to the band. When Wolf Bradley, the lead singer, came on stage he was met with an uproar and about everyone in the crowd was singing along until the very end. The songs performed live had the same vibe as they have on tape. Granted, this is because a lot of the instrumentation is taped, only leaving the guitar and drum parts to be played live. Their music is a modernized version of late ‘90s or 2000s pop with some garage band influence. Think 21 Pilots, Yungblud and maybe the White Stripes. These bands all have one thing in common: They tightrope on the line between alternative and mainstream appeal, which this band accomplishes. This is a contrast from Bradley’s previous influences, which were very pop-punk based. Their self-titled EP that
The Harbor Area has always been home to underground artistry. San Pedro’s pop group The Habits is one example of the underground talent in the community. I first heard about The Habits while working as a cashier at a local grocery store. Late into a shift a customer came to pick up a cake. Being as bored as I was, I asked if they were celebrating someone’s birthday. “Nah, my friend’s band just got their first single released to Spotify,” she replied. I asked the band’s name during my break and I took a quick listen. Instantly, I was a fan. Just by fate, my girlfriend knew the lead singer. I messaged him and was able to go to their next show. Millennial crowds usually get a bad rap for being on their phones the whole time at a show, but that wasn’t the case at this concert.
9
August 8 - 21, 2019
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
As much as you may dislike fast food places, there’s no denying that what they promise, they deliver. A McDonald’s burger tastes just as mediocre in Los Angeles as it does in Oshkosh, Wis., or in New York City. That’s why chain restaurants became popular in the first place — because travelers in the 1950s preferred predictability to the erratically executed diner food typical of roadside cafes. The cookie-cutter burger joints and coffee shops that came to dominate the highways served the same thing every time, and they did it fast, but they were missing local specialties, as well as that elusive thing called soul. That’s in stark contrast to modern ideas about restaurants, which prize creativity and individuality to the point of eccentricity. If a Somalian-German fusion place opens up, it will send ripples of interest through the foodie community. That community might also be expected to investigate a place that serves Mexican and Peruvian cuisine with a large vegan menu. If that sounds like something I made up, then you might consider the menu at Conrad’s in San Pedro.
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Conrad’s Mexican Grill:
Mexican and Peruvian Cuisine with a Vegan Menu By Richard Foss, Cuisine Writer Conrad’s opened in March in the former Beach City Grill, and that formerly shabby place has been cleaned up considerably. It’s now neat and bright, the walls adorned with a few tropical landscapes, and each table has a little pot with a tiny succulent. Sit down and you’ll be offered a regular and a vegan menu, and though there’s some overlap the omnivores should take a good look at both. On our first visit we had plenty of time to do so, since our server presented them to us and then disappeared for almost 20 minutes. This might have been reasonable if the place had been full, but there were only two other tables occupied. When he finally returned, we ordered soft drinks and starters from the vegan menu: street corn,
ranchero sauce on the burrito had a nice gentle kick, so we might have liked either item with a different protein. The steak saltado, a Peruvian stir-fry of meat with french fries and vegetables, was the biggest disappointment of the meal. It usually includes about equal portions of potatoes, bell pepper, onions, tomatoes and meat, but we received mainly french fries with some meat
and onion but squash empanadas, very little tomato potato taquitos and or peppers. It was guacamole. strange that a The street place that caters corn arrived after to vegans and has some delay, the a deft touch with empanadas shortly vegetables would behind them, short the veggies taquitos much that give this dish later, and the its texture and guacamole not at flavor, but it did. all. As we were to The nice garlic discover throughout sauce that the the meal, the fries were tossed kitchen doesn’t in helped, but not have their timing enough to make synchronized yet so this dish a winner. that everything can On the other be served at once. hand, the chicken Nevertheless, the mole I ordered items we did get were excellent. The Conrad Aguilar and Teresa Barajas, owners of Conrad’s was something squash empanadas Mexican restaurant, celebrate the grand opening. Photo by I’d have again any time. Our in fried corn shells Steven Guzman server gave me a were delicious and It really was excellent choice of Oaxacan mole or the zucchini mix inside had mole and I asked a nice balance of spice with mole sauce, dark and Poblano for it to have half of each, natural vegetable flavor. The rich with chocolate and which he said was possible. two small turnovers were topped with avocado sauce chile and other spices. He then brought it with only Poblano mole, with the and grated vegan cheese, They nailed this. explanation that they were which had a mild flavor and out of Oaxacan. Regardless, crumbly texture that isn’t far it was really excellent mole sauce, dark and from the traditional cotija. rich with chocolate and chile and other spices. That vegan cheese was also on the street They nailed this, and if the rest of the entrées corn, which was easy to share because it was had been of this caliber we would have been delivered off the cob. The chile-lime seasoning delighted. and chipotle aioli gave it plenty of zip but even We decided to finish with churros, and as an the spice wimp at the table liked the way the apology for the slow service our server made it corn flavor wasn’t overwhelmed. The potato a double order. He didn’t need to bother to do taquitos hit the mark too, the tortillas crisp and this, because they arrived with a crisp exterior the filling very light and smooth with hints of but underdone and doughy in the middle, so pasilla chile. we abandoned them after nibbling the crunchy The entrées arrived in the same haphazard exterior. He recognized the problem and fashion, but over the course of the 10 minutes removed them from our bill. from the first to the last we all had a chance to Conrad’s seems to be on its firmest ground try each one. While our starters had all been when making the vegan items, because all of solid, these were hit and miss. The carnitas that those hit the spot, but the customer experience topped a pair of tostadas and stuffed a burrito needs improvement. If they can then this cafe had an unusually heavy smoky flavor, which could be a destination for omnivores and is something steakhouses sometimes prize but vegans alike. I’m not asking for chain restaurant isn’t really common in carnitas. This competed levels of speed and reliability because you don’t with the flavor of the meat and of any other get that with handmade food, but we expected seasonings that were there, but was OK in the better than they managed on our visit. tostadas where there were other elements to Conrad’s is at 376 W. 6th St., San Pedro. balance it. In the burrito this was the dominant Details: 424-264-5452; conradsmexicangrill. flavor, and we all quickly tired of it. Everything com else about those entrees was fine, and the mild
[Storyteller from p. 9]
Storyteller
such a call for alarm.” No Place Is Safe exemplifies Andrews’ consciousness and her personal growth as her talents shine on its beautiful arrangements. But the work is not subtle, it’s strong. The instrumentation draws one in. Intro’s recurrent Rhodes piano scales expand and contract like soothing breath work. Poignant violin with piano on Cleo and the King creates a cinematic story in roles of “perfectly casted love.” The Ceiling merges angst and humor while trying to cope with an overdue lover. It’s gospel spirit meets nocturnal anxiety producing revelrous grooves with hand claps, violin, viola, piano, keys, bass and percussion. Though Andrews grew up around music and musicians, in some ways, No Place Is Safe is also about her internal struggle as an artist. She struggled with shyness and being in the public eye versus the needs of artists to realize their expressions. At one time she quit music, making a complete pivot into film. As a fellow in the Project Involve program for screenwriting, she worked for a director doing all of his treatments,
BIG NICK’S PIZZA
Tradition, variety and fast delivery—you get it all at Big Nick’s Pizza. The best selection of Italian specialties include hearty calzones, an array of pastas and our amazing selection of signature pizzas. We offer a wide selection of appetizers, salads, beer and wine. Call for fast delivery. Hours: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sun.-Thurs.; 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Big Nicks’ Pizza, 1110 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro 310-732-5800 • www.bignickspizzasp.com
BUONO’S AUTHENTIC PIZZERIA
THE CHORI-MAN
Conrad’s menu reflects the cuisine of his native Oaxaca with a fresh focus on local, seasonal ingredients for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It features classic dishes from Oaxaca and regional Mexico, such as mole sauces, ceviche, empanadas and sopecitos. Sourcing the freshest ingredients, combining them with traditional flavors and rewriting familiar recipes into
At the north end of Gaffey Street, where the 110 Fwy. delivers you back to San Pedro, is where you’ll find the Gaffey Street Diner. Made famous by Guy Fieri’s Food Network show, Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, Gaffey Street is a destination breakfast and lunch spot serving the “Original” John Wayne Breakfast and all of the original menu favorites in generous portions. Extended hours coming soon. Open 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mon. - Fri.; 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sat. and Sun. Gaffey Street Diner, 247 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro • 310-548-6964
HAPPY DINER #1
The Happy Diner #1 in Downtown San Pedro isn’t your average diner. The selections range from Italian- and Mexican-influenced entrées to American Continental. Happy Diner chefs are always creating something new—take your pick of grilled salmon over pasta or tilapia and vegetables prepared any way you like. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Catering for any occasion available for your home or office. Hours: Mon. - Sat. 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Sun. 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Happy Diner #1, 617 S. Centre St., San Pedro • 310-241-0917
HAPPY DINER #2
Built on the success of Happy Diner #1, Happy Diner #2 just expanded its dining room for parties of up to 100 guests and soon to open for dinner service.
include fresh seasonal selections as well as traditional favorites. Ask about catering for your next event. During June and July, buy one pie at regular price and get the second pie for $4.99. Hours: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Marie Callenders, 1030 N. Western Ave., San Pedro • 310-832-4559 • www.mariecallenders.com
HAPPY DELI
SAN PEDRO BREWING COMPANY
The Happy Deli is a small place with a big menu. Food is made-toorder using the freshest ingredients. Breakfast burritos and breakfast sandwiches include a small coffee. For lunch or dinner select from fresh salads, wraps, buffalo wings, cold and hot sandwiches, burgers and dogs. Delivery to your home or office available. Ask about catering your next event. Hours: Mon. - Sat. 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sun. 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Happy Deli, 530 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro • 424-364-0319 • www.happydelisp.com
LA BUVETTE WINE BISTRO
Welcome to La Buvette Wine Bistro, San Pedro’s French bistro located in the historic waterfront district. La Buvette offers rustic French cuisine featuring the freshest ingredients from valued local purveyors. La Buvette pays tribute to the classic French bistros of various regions of France where good food, good wine and friends come together to create the special joie de vivre. Free, private parking lot in rear Hours: Tue.-Thur. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. La Buvette Wine Bistro, 335 W. 7th St., San Pedro • 424-342-9840 www.LaBuvetteBistro.com
MARIE CALLENDER’S RESTAURANT & BAKERY
Enjoy all your Marie Callender favorites at their new San Pedro location. From appetizers and salads to classic entrées and famous pies, there’s something for every taste and mood. For quick workday lunches or business meetings, try the Big, Boxed Lunch to go or delivery. Dinner entrées
A micro brewery and American grill, SPBC features handcrafted award-winning ales and lagers served with creative pastas, BBQ, sandwiches, salads and burgers. A full bar with made-from-scratch margaritas and a martini menu all add fun to the warm and friendly atmosphere. Live music. Open daily from 11:30 a.m.. San Pedro Brewing Company, 331 W. 6th St., San Pedro, 310-831-5663 www.sanpedrobrewing.com
THE WHALE & ALE ENGLISH RESTAURANT & PUB
The Victorian oak panels & elegant brass fittings will make you feel like you’ve crossed the Atlantic. Featuring popular pub fare such as Fish & Chips, Shepherd’s Pie, Choice Steaks, Roast Prime Rib, Beef Wellington & Roast Rack of Lamb. Seafood selections include Chilean Sea Bass, Atlantic Salmon, Jumbo Tiger Shrimp & Sand Dabs. International draft beers & ales, and domestic craft beers on tap. Full bar; free, gated parking lot. Happy hour five days a week. Hours: Mon. 5 to 9 p.m., Tues.-Thurs. 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fri. 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sat. 1 to 10 p.m., Sun. 1 to 9 p.m. The Whale & Ale, 327 W. 7th St., San Pedro 310-832-0363 • www.whaleandale.com
August 8 - 21, 2019
CONRAD’S MEXICAN GRILL
GAFFEY STREET DINER
American favorites like omelets and burgers, fresh salads, plus pasta and Mexican dishes are served. Happy Diner #2 is casual dining, a place to enjoy a relaxing meal with family and friends. Hours: Mon. - Sat. 6 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Sun. 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Happy Diner #2, 1931 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro • 310-935-2933
Fourth-generation artisanal chorizo and meats. Purchase chorizo by the pound or try our burritos and tacos! Menu specials change weekly. Open Wed. and Thurs., 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Fri. - Sun., 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. For catering email: info@thechoriman.com for catering and special orders. The Chori-Man, 2309 S. Alma St., San Pedro • 424-287-2414
exceptional cuisine is Conrad’s mission. Ask about Conrad’s vegan menu. Caterng available. Open Mon.Sat. 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sun. noon to 8 p.m. Conrad’s Mexican Grill, 376. W. 6th St., San Pedro 424-264-5452 www.conradsmexicangrill.com
[about] that day when Common asked me to sing.” More than a decade from that pivotal day on stage by way of Common, she still grapples with stage fright. “I’m pouring out my heart and soul because my music is very personal,” she said. Since that time Andrews has gone on to either write for, record, tour and or perform with Lauren Hill, Big Boi, Bruno Mars, Joi Starr (Kanye West), Marie Daulne (Zap Mama), Shafiq Husayn (Sa-Ra Creative Partners) and Solange. It’s an interesting juxtaposition between Andrews’ free, happy and peaceful demeanor and some of her intense, in-depth lyrics. But she has always been unafraid to go into the depths. “To say I’m a singer just doesn’t tell a story of who I am because I’m so many things,” Andrews said. “We’re all so nuanced. I sure as hell am ... a total polymath [doing] so many things. I tell stories … through various mediums and modalities and sonically I have a lot of tools. My voice is one of them, the pen is another, instrumentation is another. How those instruments come together, how they’re arranged and produced, it’s all a story to me.”
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A San Pedro landmark for over 44 years, famous for exceptional award-winning pizza baked in brick ovens. Buono’s also offers classic Italian dishes and sauces based on tried-and-true family recipes and handselected ingredients that are prepared fresh. Dine-in, take-out and catering. There are two locations in Long Beach. Hours: Sun.Thurs. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fri. and Sat. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Buono’s Pizzeria, 1432 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro • 310-547-0655 • www.buonospizza.com
[pitching concepts to be sold], while also writing screenplays. Andrews recounted her experience of being in a creative environment and exchanging ideas without fear that someone was going to steal and profit from them. Of note is Andrews’ writing talent. In fact, No Place Is Safe is a collection from a creative exercise in which she wrote one song a day for a few months. Andrews has said she writes to capture a mood that leads deeper into herself. It’s why she stays connected to her spirituality through meditation and prayer. As a result, Andrews’ writing process allows for memories and forgotten experiences — experiences she’s still processing to emerge. Andrews sings to herself often and much of that is toning, a “sound healing practice” and tool for her. When she looks for something, people often point out that she is singing. She does it for herself saying she has felt outed by this observation in terms of her artistry. It was the rapper, Common, who got Andrews, his thencreative assistant, to come out and sing The Light in public at his show. “It was one of those times in my coming of age where I needed a sign,” she said. “I wasn’t sure where I was going. And I think it was
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MUSIC
Aug. 17
No Doubt Tribute Enjoy a night of 90s music with No Doubt Tribute band. Doors open at 6:30, live music starts at 9 p.m. Time: 6 p.m. Aug. 9 Cost: $15 to $25 Details: 310-323-3954 Venue: Alpine Village, 833 Torrance Blvd., Torrance
Frank Unzueta Latin and Brazilian Concert Composer Frank Unzueta and his stellar band perform his original compositions and many Latin and Brazilian favorites. Time: 8 p.m. Aug. 17 Cost: $28 to $30 Details: alvasshowroom.com Venue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro
Aug. 9
Cubensis Cubensis had its beginnings in 1987 when a group of Deadhead musicians became frustrated with the Dead’s all-too-infrequent visits to Southern California. Time: 9:30 p.m. Aug. 9 Cost: $10 Details: longbeach. harvelles.com Venue: Harvelle’s Downtown Long Beach, 201 E. Broadway, Long Beach
Aug. 10
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San-São Trio – Brazilian Chamber Jazz Combining the worlds of Brazilian music and jazz in a chamber-music setting, SanSão Trio blends the swinging exuberance, virtuosity and charm of Brazil’s rhythms. Time: 7:30 p.m. Aug. 10 Cost: $20 Details: https://tinyurl.com/ san-sao-trio Venue: Casa Arjona, 4515 E. Harvey Way, Long Beach A Tribute to the Voices of Outlaw Country The 10-piece group with vocalist, Tony Suraci, captures the essence of outlaw country as defined by Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson. Time: 8 p.m. Aug. 10 Cost: $20 Details: www.ticketweb.com Venue: Gaslamp, 6251 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach Aelish The simultaneously intriguing and annoying notion that rock ‘n’ roll is dead provokes some disagreement from Aelish, a four-piece rock outfit from LA. The band will lay out its case from the stage at Alva’s. Time: 8 p.m. Aug. 10 Cost: $10 Details: www.alvashow room.tix.com Venue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro
August 8 - 21, 2019
Aug. 11
12
Summer Reggae Party The event features Common Sense with special guests Errol Bonnick and Root of Mind. Time: 6 p.m. Aug. 11 Cost: $20 Details: www.ticketweb.com Venue: Gaslamp, 6251 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach
Nellie Bly Join a great evening of live original music by Nellie Bly, artist-inresidence. Time: 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Aug. 17 Cost: Free Details: http://tinyurl.com/NellyBly-Aug17 Venue: Tamiza’s Treats, 3525 Pacific Coast Highway, Torrance Latin Jazz Night An evening of Latin jazz in the sculpture garden at the Museum of Latin American Art, includes access to exhibitions, as well as performances by Soul Sauce: A Tribute to Cal Tjader and Frank Cano Latin Jazz Band. There’s also a one-hour salsa class at 6 p.m. Time: 7 to 10 p.m. Aug. 17 . Cost: $20 to $25 Details: 562-437-1689; www.molaa.org Venue: MoLAA, 628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach The Young Dubliners Enjoy a night of live music with special guest Quel Bordel. Time: 9 p.m. Aug. 17 Cost: $20 Details: http://tinyurl.com/TYD-LB Venue: Gaslamp, 6251 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach Haley & the Zydecat This Grammy-nominated artist entertains audiences worldwide with Americana, Cajun and zydeco folk-rock music. Time: 6 p.m. Aug. 17 Cost: Free Details: www.torranceca.gov Venue: Wilson Park, 2200 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance
Aug. 18 Quiet Storm Sundays with Elan Trotman This Barbados native makes his homeland proud with the island sounds he brings to stages all over the world. Time: 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 18 Cost: $32 to $44 Details: http://tinyurl.com/ QSSElan Venue: Harvelle’s Downtown Long Beach, 201 E. Broadway, Long Beach Woodstock Reunion Tribute Join a tribute to the stars of Woodstock on the 50th anniversary of the festival that rocked the world. The Woodstock Reunion Tribute band brings to the stage impersonators of Janis Joplin, Carlos Santana, David Crosby, Jimi Hendrix, Ian Anderson, Grace Slick and Keith Moon. Time: 4 p.m. Aug. 18 Cost: $20
AUG 8 - 21 • 2019
Post your event at: www.randomlengthsnews.com/calendar Details: alvasshowroom.com Venue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th Street, San Pedro
Aug. 23 Strange Days Rarely, if ever, do tribute artists get to play with the actual artists. But the Doors tribute band Strange Days got to play with Doors guitarist Robby Krieger for three years. Time: 9:30 p.m. Aug. 23 Cost: $10 Details: longbeach.harvelles.com Venue: Harvelle’s Downtown Long Beach, 201 E. Broadway, Long Beach
THEATER Aug. 9
Shrek the Musical In a kingdom far away, things get turned upside down when an unseemly ogre – not a handsome prince – shows up to rescue a feisty princess Fiona. Time: 8 p.m. Aug. 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24 and 2 p.m. Aug. 17, 18, 24 and 7:30 p.m. Aug. 22 Cost: $45 to 85 Details: 562-916-8500; cerritoscenter.com Venue: Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 18000 Park Plaza Drive, Cerritos
Aug. 15 Jerry Seinfeld In Concert Enjoy a night of comedy Jerry Seinfeld style. Time: 7 p.m. Aug. 15 Cost: $47 Details: www.tinyurl.com/ seinfeldinconcert Venue: Terrace Theater, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach
Aug. 16 Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Based in the Academy Awardwinning animated feature, this stage version includes all the wonderful songs you know and love plus new songs. Time: 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m., Saturday 2 p.m. Sunday, 7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 16 to 24 Cost: $25 to $40 Details: 310-781-7171; www.torrancetheatrecompany. com Venue: James R. Armstrong Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance
Aug. 21 Beast On The Moon Aram Tomasian is an Armenian immigrant living in 1920s Milwaukee who has escaped the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians in 1915.The show runs Aug. 21 through Sept. 8. Time: 8 p.m. Aug. 21 Cost: $49 Details: 562-436-4610; www.internationalcitytheatre.org Venue: Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach
Aug. 22 Lonesome West First Look Journey to the west of Ireland where McDonagh’s vision of small-town despair, restlessness, and plain old boredom inspire behavior of the homicidal sort. Two brothers squabble over the inheritance left by their recently deceased father. The show runs Aug. 22 through Sept. 15. Time: 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Aug.22, 23 Cost: $26 to $28 Details: www.littlefishtheatre.org Venue: Little Fish Theatre, 777 S. Centre St., San Pedro
ART
Aug. 10 Resistencia Gráfica: Prints of Carlos Barberena The artist and printmaker will discuss his development as a selftaught artist and his involvement with artist collectives and studio workshops. Barberena’s print, Mater Dolorosa, is featured in Museum of Latin American Art’s current exhibition, Gráfica América and depicts the mother of Álvaro Conrado, a student killed at a protest against Nicaragua’s repressive government. Time: 2 to 4 p.m. Aug. 10 Cost: $10 Details: www.molaa.org Venue: MoLAA, 628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach
Aug. 11 Offal The Department of Cultural Affairs, the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery and the Barnsdall Art Park Foundation presents Offal, a group exhibition conceived as a subject from the culture of consuming innards. The exhibition will be on view through Sept. 29, with an opening reception Aug. 11. Time: 2 to 5 p.m. Aug. 11 Cost: Free Details: 323-644-6269 Venue: LA Municipal Art Gallery, 4800 Hollywood Blvd., Barnsdall Park, Los Angeles
Aug. 17 Phogust2 Phogust is a presentation of an array of cutting edge experimental sound practitioners from the greater Los Angeles area. Instrument manufacturers, synthesists and sonic explorers will converge on Angels Gate Cultural Center to revel in the beauty of sound as pure texture. Time: 5 to 9 p.m. Aug. 17 Cost: Free Details: www.angelsgateart.org Venue: Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro
Aug. 22 The Art of Bloom Long Beach’s first immersive popup exhibit focuses on the special relationship between humans and
nature. The Art of Bloom gives you the opportunity to connect with nature in an elevated environment. The exhibit runs through Sept. 29, closed Monday and Tuesday. Time: 12 to 10 p.m. Aug. 22 Cost: $12 to $24 Details: www.theartofbloom.com Venue: The Edison Theater, 213 E. Broadway, Long Beach
Aug. 24 Todo En Ti Fue Naufragio The exhibition will host a viewing of On Death, video footage of a one-night-only performance reflecting on the existential question “why stay alive?” The event launches the limited edition release of Allison Keating’s On Death Paper Tape, prints of the video documentation consisting of over 38,000 frames laid out over 1,107 pages. Time: 12 to 4 p.m. Aug. 24 Cost: Free Details: 310-519-0936 Venue: Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro
FILM
Aug. 9 Movies Under the Guns Join a movie night on fantail base of the Battleship Iowa. Bring your own chairs and blankets. Time: 6 p.m. Aug. 9 Cost: Free Details: 310-971-4462; www.pacificbattleship.com Venue: Pacific Battleship Center, 250 S. Harbor Blvd., San Pedro How to Visit Every Country on Earth Michael Graziano is attempting to be the youngest Canadian to visit every nation in the United Nations. Join Michael as he shares his amazing experiences and lends valuable insight. Time: 3 p.m. Aug. 9 Cost: $12 to $14 Details: 310-329-5345; www.tinyurl.com/discovery filmseries Venue: El Camino College, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance
Aug. 11 UHF 30th Anniversary You could say that KLBP’s launch story draws a lot of parallels to Weird Al’s UHF, so what better movie to celebrate the spirit of public media and all the thrills, challenges, and wackiness that come along with it. UHF (1989) — after losing yet another job, George (Weird Al Yankovic) wonders if there is any career that can handle his outrageous personality Time: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug 11 Cost: $10 Details: http://tinyurl.com/UHF30 Venue: Art Theatre, 2025 E. 4th St. Long Beach
Aug. 16 The Advocate Join the Feed and be Fed Summer Film Series film Screening of The Advocate. Time: 7 p.m. Aug. 16 Cost: Free Details: www.feedandbefed.org Venue: Feed and Be Fed Urban Farm, 429 W. 6th St., San Pedro Hotel Transylvania 3 Movie in the Park series features movies shown on an inflatable widescreen, food trucks. activities for kids before the movie. Time: 6:30 p.m. Aug. 17 Cost: Free Details: http://www.rpvca.gov/ calendar.aspx?EID=1309 Venue: Civic Center, 30940 Hawthorne Blvd., Rancho Palos Verdes
Aug. 22 Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands Each movie night will offer guests an immersive cinematic experience with assorted food trucks themed to the film, full bars and the legendary ship and Long Beach Harbor as backdrops. , Time: 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. Aug. 22 Cost: Free Details: www.queenmary.com Venue: The Queen Mary Seawalk, 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach
DANCE Aug. 24
A Night at the Oscars The Fred Astaire Dance Studios of Los Angeles will be presenting their annual dance extravaganza, This year’s showcase will highlight some of the most popular and memorable movies of all time, including songs from Top Gun, Grease, James Bond, Burlesque, and Chicago. Time: 4 p.m. Aug. 24 Cost: $40 Details: 310-329-5345; artstickets@elcamino.edu Venue: El Camino College, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance
FOOD
Aug. 11 Guac or Faux? A Tale of Two Moles There’s perhaps no Mexican dish more rich, colorful, and soul satisfying than guacamole. But the rising price of avocados has driven purveyors to substitute squash, tomatillos, and other vegetables for the increasingly expensive fruit. Chef Christina Sleeper demonstrates, preparing both a classic guacamole and one of its many avocado-free variants. RSVP. Time: 2 to 3:30 Aug. 11 Cost: Free
& S.
Aug. 17 ¡TANGOVINO! Since 2018, PacFAB has built a loyal and growing following that enjoys a steady diet of delicious, enlightening, and entertaining food and drink exhibits and culinary programming. Join in celebrating the first anniversary of LA’s Pacific Food & Beverage Museum’s opening with an evening of Argentine food and live music. Time: 7 to 10 p.m. Aug. 17 Cost: $69 to $79 Details: www.natfab.org/ events/pacfab-2019-08-17-1stanniversary Venue: Deco Art Deco Penthouse Loft, 520 W. 8th St., San Pedro
Aug. 24 2019 Taste of Brews Long Beach The festival features several brands and offerings that are not readily available at retail. Time: 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 24 Cost: $27.90 to $43.19 Details: 714-375-1132; www.go.evvnt.com Venue: Shoreline Aquatic Park, 200 Aquarium Way, Long Beach.
Aug. 28 Taste of Downtown: Waterfront Taste of Downtown showcases downtown Long Beach’s culinary culture, where restaurants come to a single place to offer patrons samplesized portions of some of their best dishes. Join this year’s closing event at the Waterfront for spectacular views and delicious sample sized dishes. Time: 6 p.m. Aug. 28, 29 Cost: $1 to $40 Details: www.tinyurl.com/ tastedowntown Venue: Shoreline Village, 401 Shoreline Village Drive, Long Beach
Aug. 10
Mixx Yoga at Liberation Brewing An hour of beginner level vinyasa flow plus beer. Classes take place on the second Saturday of the month inside of Liberation’s taproom in beautiful Bixby Knolls. Time: 10:45 to 11:50 a.m. Aug. 10 Cost: $18 Details: eventbrite.com Venue: Liberation Brewing, 3630 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach
Aug. 11
Point Vicente Tour Join a tour of the Point Vicente Interpretive Center museum, its native plant garden and a walk along the spectacular bluff top at the Vicente Bluff Reserve followed by a tour of the Point Vicente Lighthouse. Time: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Aug. 10 Cost: Free Details: 310-544-5260; www.losserenos.org Venue: Point Vicente Interpretive Center, 31501 Palos Verdes Drive West, Rancho Palos Verdes Madlyn Hall Join a live music festival from local musicians including food and drink samples and outdoor games. Time: 2 to 4 p.m. Aug. 10 Cost: Free Details: www.tinyurl.com/ delamosummermusic Venue: Del Amo Fashion Center, 3525 W. Carson St., Torrance
Aug. 11 Atacama, Land of the Copiapoas Join Wendell S. Minnich to as he shares exhilarating memories of travelling 20 plus years in Chile; the overall magic of this arid region, the Atacama; and why his latest trip became an epic adventure he will never forget. Time: 1 p.m. Aug. 11 Cost: $10 Details: www.southcoastcss.org Venue: South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Blvd., Palos Verdes Peninsula
Aug. 17 Eleventh Annual Phineas Banning Birthday Fiesta Join a party to celebrate the birthday of the “Father of the Los Angeles Harbor,” Phineas Banning. Guests of all ages will be treated to an evening of live music provided by Mariachi Ambiente and Ballet Folklorico Las Perlitas. Time: 5 to 8 p.m. Aug. 17 Cost: $10 to $45 Details: 310-548-2005; www.thebanningmuseum.org Venue: The Banning Museum, 401 E. M St., Wilmington See the Sea Come on board for a Cabrillo Marine Aquarium floating oceanography lab. This handson trip will be aboard a specially equipped vessel where you’ll have opportunities to study some of the near shore animals. Learn about the fascinating world of plankton, animals that call mud their home. Pre-registration is required. Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Aug. 17 Cost: $25 and $30 Details: 310-548-7562 Venue: Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro
Aug. 21
Aug. 24
Tea with Alice and Me Beginning with a parade through
Railroad Museum Community Day Join Lomita annual Community Day with local entertainment, raffles, face painting and art activities for the children, local food trucks, live music and dance, museum tours and railroad memorabilia. Time: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 24 Cost: $4 Details: http://www.lomita-rr.org Venue: Lomita Railroad Museum, 2137 W. 250th St., Lomita Letterpress Wayzgoose and Surplus Sale Join the letterpress sSurplus sale and Wayzgoose celebration including lectures and workshops. For sale will be printing presses, windmills, wood and metal type, printing cuts, type cabinets, paper cutters, and much more. Time: 12 to 6 p.m. Aug. 24 Cost: $20 Details: printmuseum.org/ wayzgoose Venue: The International Printing Museum, 315 W. Torrance Blvd., Carson The Urban Ocean Explore the urban ocean around the shores of Long Beach and San Pedro, During this 2 to 2.5 hour voyage aboard a doubledecker yacht. Gaining access to sail through local ports, passengers can see wildlife that dwells above and at the ocean’s surface surrounding this complex. RSVP. Time: 4 to 6:30 p.m. Aug. 24 Cost: $39.95 adult; $15 child Details: 562-590-3100, ext. 0 Venue: Aquarium of the Pacific 100 Aquarium Way Long Beach
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Eric Benét
Gail Jhonson of Jazz In P!nk
Arturo Sandoval
The annual Long Beach Jazz Festival is no stranger to mixing in rhythm and blues and soul music artists in their lineup. This year is no different with the addition of singer/ songwriter Eric Benét and soul music artist Angie Stone who is a special guest of jazz guitarist and vocalist Norman Brown. Don’t wait until the last minute to get your tickets. Check the lineup for the three festival and see why: Friday, August 9 • Eric Benét • Sax To The Max: Michael Lington, Paul Taylor, Vincent Ingala • David P. Stevens Saturday, August 10 • Norman Brown with special guest Angie Stone • Poncho Sanchez • The Jazz Classics Ft. Patrice Rushen • Jazz in P!nk Featuring Gail Jhonson, Karen Briggs and Mariea Antoinette • Al Williams Jazz Society Ft. Alexis Joi and Barbara Morrison – A Tribute to Nancy Wilson • Willie Bradley Sunday, August 11 • Brian Culbertson • Arturo Sandoval • Terence Blanchard • The Rippingtons Feat. Russ Freeman • Special EFX All Stars ft. Chieli Minucci, Karen Briggs, Eric Marienthal, Gerald Veasley, Lao Tizer, Elliott Yamin, & Joel Rosenblatt • Darryl Williams with special guest Bryan Thompson Time: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Aug. 9, 10, 11 Cost: $60 to $185 Details: https://longbeachjazzfestival.com/tickets Venue: Rainbow Lagoon Park. 400 Shoreline Village Drive, Long Beach
[The Habits from p. 9]
The Habits just released this past June is a good example of their music: bouncy and energetic. Their lead single from the EP, Love You, is more or less a love song, but the instrumentation is what really gives it its diversity, with summer-y guitar licks and varied percussion. Bradley talks about how the Harbor Area has been an influence in his music. “I feel like everyone here has like a, ‘Fuck it! We do what we wanna do’ attitude,” he said. “I feel like we carry that attitude with us because we don’t really fit in with the scene here.” The band’s song Callin’ You Up, recalling the struggles of a past relationship, is up to about 150,000 listens on Spotify — a staggering number for a local band. “These aren’t just some catchy pop songs,” Bradley said. “There’s also a lot of meaning behind them …we try and make something everyone can relate to.” The seasoned group members, Bradley and Andrew Macatrao, are making their way up ever so steadily. Bradley and Macatrao met 12 years ago, while they were
attending the San Pedro Ballet School on 13th Street and Pacific Avenue. The two weren’t always super close but their friendship grew over time. Bradley recalls various times when Macatrao would cancel when they were supposed to hang out. “I’d order a movie, some pizza, but [he] cancelled last minute.” Over time though the two got closer as they started practicing music more. After Wolf got his first guitar at 14, the two would just casually make music within their parents’ homes and eventually got the courage to start taking it seriously. By 16, the two were established and almost done recording their first few singles. Some of their earliest band names include The Ballerhinos, Last Day Off, and 20 Eyes, before settling on The Habits. Their reason? “It’s just really catchy” Bradley said. The group went through a big change over the past year as their pianist left to pursue his own thing. This isn’t unique to the band as they went through numerous transformations in their lifespan. “People come and go, you can’t really help that,” Bradley said. “We know we want to do this as a living, so we just
do what we can with what we have.” The Harbor Area music scene is dominated by punk but this hasn’t caused any difficulties when winning over crowds. “As long as we win a few people over, that’s a win in our book,” he laughed. The band has plans for the future already, looking to release another song just before summer ends. “I can’t really describe what it feels like to go up on stage, just connecting with people on another level is an entirely different experience,” said Bradley about finding the energy to keep going. The Habits are just one story out of dozens of artists in the area. You can always find The Habits, as well as other bands, at your local open mic nights or venue. Bradley and Macatrao hope to eventually make a living off of music, and see a bright future for themselves. The Habits are available on Apple Music, Spotify and SoundCloud. Check them out at https:// tinyurl.com/TheHabitsCalling-You-Up
August 8 - 21, 2019
Bear City: Free Comedy and Free Pizza Every first and third Wednesday of the month, Bear City brings free comedy and free pizza to Que Sera in Long Beach. Featuring comics from Comedy Central, Conan, Conan and The Tonight Show. Time: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Aug. 21 Cost: Free Details: 562-599-6170 Venue: Que Sera, 1923 E. 7th St., Long Beach
Remember the Music Festival Betty’s Foundation for the Elimination of Alzheimer’s Disease are pleased to be hosting their 9th annual festival in conjunction with the annual Rolling Hills Estates City Celebration. Music’s undeniable influence is extremely powerful for those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Donated funds go to progressive research institutions to support music related treatments for Azlheimer’s patients. Time: 1 to 7 p.m. Aug. 24 Cost: $15 to $60 Details: www.rememberthe music.org Venue: Ernie Howlett Park, 25851 Hawthorne Blvd., Rolling Hills Estate
32nd Annual Long Beach Jazz Festival
Meditation and Book Study Join every other Sunday for an open meditation and book study with either guided shamatha, dakini or four immeasurables practice each week. Time: 9 to 10:30 a.m. Aug. 11 Cost: Free Details: www.meetup.com/ Tara-Mandala-Greater-LosAngeles-Satellite-Sangha Venue: Angel’s Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro
Aug. 10
Downtown Long Beach to Cesar Chavez Park, this one woman performance takes the audience on a history making visit into women’s tearooms and bookstores. From 1775 through today, through pictures and personal stories Zoe presents a fascinating look at how the vote for women was accomplished. Time: 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Aug. 24 Cost: Free Details: 562-570-8890 Venue: The Amphitheater at Cesar Chavez Park, 401 Golden Ave., Long Beach
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WELLNESS
COMMUNITY
RANDOM Happening
Details: 657-204-2478; www.pacificfood.org Venue: Pacific Food Beverage Museum, 731 Pacific Ave., San Pedro
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Garcia-Villela By Priscilla Garcia (Parent) filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Joey Nathan Garcia-Villela to Joey Nathan Garcia The Court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the
Don Marshall CPA, Inc. (310) 833-8977
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1 American realist art school 7 Former “Tonight Show” host Jack 11 “What Do You Do With ___ in English?” (“Avenue Q” song) 14 BLAT ingredient 15 Entr’___ (play interlude) 16 Carson Daly’s old MTV show 17 Get a message across 19 Day of the week Uranus was discovered (abbr.) 20 Location of Ball State University 22 Future viewer 23 Farm habitats 24 Not worth a ___ (without value) 27 Classic (and, today, problematic) comic strip character Andy 31 Peevish mood 32 Went on an unfriending spree, maybe 36 “Old MacDonald” sounds 38 It’s equal to the sum of the two before it 42 Made up (for) 43 “A Streetcar Named Desire” shout 44 Sea eagles 46 Leaves town 48 Figure on Fox’s “First reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: Date: 8-27-19 Time: 8:30 am Dept.: S26
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1 Gp. that keeps planes from hitting each other 2 The Great Lakes’ ___ Canals 3 “Let me think ...” 4 “The Stranger” author 5 “Can you carry ___?” 6 Present time, poetically 7 Running speed 8 Trendy berry that will probably outlive its popularity thanks to crosswords 9 Fax cover sheet abbr. 10 Oboists need them 11 Like some goals 12 Sultanate on the South China Sea 13 Orioles’ div.
18 “If memory serves,” in text shorthand 21 “___, Mario!” (Nintendo catchphrase) 24 Abbr. on a sunscreen bottle 25 Yes, to Pierre 26 Snopes debunks them 28 Multiple-choice question choices, perhaps 29 ___ gow poker 30 “Chopped” props 33 Prepped 34 Brian who produced several U2 albums 35 “Aw, shoot!” 37 Cautionary connector 39 Head boss 40 State tree of Massachusetts 41 Sewer rodent 44 Fill with fury 45 Overtly enthusiastic 47 Made, like cotton candy 50 “Well, golly” 52 ___ forth 53 Kitchen tool for potatoes 54 Chopin practice piece 56 3-D scans 57 College in New Rochelle, N.Y. 58 Pool props 59 City pollution 62 Suffix for a particle 63 Photographer Goldi
For answers go to: www.randomlengthsnews.com Room: 5500 The address of the court is 275 Magnolia Ave,, Long Beach, CA 90802 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: Daily Journal
and RLn. Date July 16, 2019 Michael P. Vicencia Judge of the Superior Court 7/22, 7/29, 8/5, 8/12/2019
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HEALTH
LEGAL FILINGS ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME Case No. 19LBCP00255 Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles Petition of: Joey Nathan GarciaVillela By Priscilla Garcia (Parent) for Change of Name TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Joey Nathan
“The Secret Ingredient” — time to rack your brain.
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LEGAL FILINGS NOTICE INVITING BIDS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of Long Beach, California, acting by and through the City’s Board of Harbor Commissioners (“City”) will receive, before the Bid Deadline established below, Bids for the following Work: ON-CALL SERVICES FOR FURNISHING AND OPERATING MINOR WATERBORNE CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT at PORT OF LONG BEACH LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA AS DESCRIBED IN SPECIFICATION NO. HD-S3046 Bid Deadline:
ance endorsement forms, SBE/VSBE Program forms, Harbor Development Permit Applications and other Port forms are available at http://www.polb.com/ economics/contractors/ forms_permits/default.asp. NIB -2 Pre-Bid Questions. All questions, including requests for interpretation or correction, or comments regarding the Contract Documents, must be submitted no later than September 3, 2019, at 5 p.m. Questions received after the pre-Bid question deadline will not be accepted. Questions must be submitted electronically through the PB System. Emails, phone
Prior to 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 10, 2019. Bids shall be submitted electronically via the Port of Long Beach PlanetBids (PB) System prior to 2:00 p.m.
Bid Opening:
Electronic Bid (eBid) results shall be viewable online in the PB System immediately after the Bid Deadline.
Contract Documents Available:
Download Contract Documents from the Port of Long Beach PB System Vendor Portal: www.polb.com/sbe Click on the POLB Vendor Portal 1. Register and Log In 2. Click “Bid Opportunities” 3. Double-click on respective bid Project Title 4. Click on Document/ Attachments tab 5. Double-Click on Title of Electronic Attachment 6. Click “Download Now” 7. Repeat for each attachment For assistance in downloading these documents please contact Port of Long Beach Plans and Specs Desk at 562-283-7353.
Project Contact Person:
Date/Time: August 21, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. Location: Port of Long Beach Maintenance Facility 1st Floor Meeting Room 725 Harbor Plaza Long Beach, CA 90802 Deepen Upadhyay , Deepen. Upadhyay@polb.com
Please refer to the Port of Long Beach PB System for the most current information.
Copies of all Port insur-
NIB -3 Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting. The engineering staff of the City’s Harbor Department will conduct a pre-bid meeting at 10:00 a.m. on August 21, 2019, in the 1st Floor Meeting Room, of the Port of Long Beach Maintenance Facility, 725 Harbor Plaza, Long Beach, CA 90802. Attendance is mandatory for the Contractors. It is not mandatory for Subcontractors but highly recommended. Each Bidder shall attend the mandatory Pre-bid meeting. The City makes no guarantee that existing construction and
NIB -5 Contract Time and Liquidated Damages. The Contractor shall achieve Affidavit of Final Completion of the Project within two (2) calendar years as provided in Paragraph SC - 6.1 of the Special Conditions, from a date specified in a written “Notice to Proceed” issued by the City and subject to adjustment as provided in Section 8.2 of the General Conditions. FAILURE OF THE CONTRACTOR TO COMPLETE THE WORK WITHIN THE CONTRACT TIME AND OTHER MILESTONES SET FORTH IN THE SPECIAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING THE ENGINEER’S APPROVAL OF AFFIDAVIT OF FINAL COMPLETION, WILL RESULT IN ASSESSMENT OF LIQUIDATED DAMAGES IN THE AMOUNTS ESTABLISHED IN THE SPECIAL CONDITIONS. NIB -6 Contractor ’s License. The Bidder shall hold a current and valid Class “A”, California Contractor’s License to construct this project. NIB -7 Contractor Performed Work. The Contractor shall perform, with its own employees, Contract Work amounting to at least 50% of the Contract Price, except that any designated “Specialty Items” may be performed by subcontract. The amount of any such “Specialty Items” so performed may be deducted from the Contract Price before computing the amount required to be performed by the Contractor with its own employees. “Specialty Items” will be identified by the City on the Schedule of Bid Items. The bid price of any materials or equipment rental costs from vendors who are solely furnishing materials or rental equipment and are not performing Work as a licensed subcontractor on this project shall also be deducted from the Contract Price before computing the amount required to be performed by the Contractor with its own employees.
NIB -9 Prevailing Wage Requirements per Department of Industrial Relations. This Project is a public work Contract as defined in Labor Code Section 1720. The Contractor receiving award of the Contract and Subcontractors of any tier shall pay not less than the prevailing wage rates to all workers employed in execution of the Contract. The Director of Industrial Relations of the State of California has determined the general prevailing rates of wages in the locality in which the Work is to be performed. The rate schedules are available on the internet at http://www. dir.ca.gov/dlsr/DPreWageDetermination.htm and on file at the City, available upon request. Bidders are directed to Article 15 of the General Conditions for requirements concerning payment of prevailing wages, payroll records, hours of work and employment of apprentices. This Project is subject to compliance monitoring and enforcement by the Department of Industrial Relations. No Contractor or Subcontractor may be listed on a bid proposal for a public works project unless registered with the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to Labor Code Section 1725.5 (with limited exceptions from this requirement for bid purposes only under Labor Code Section 1771.1(a)). No Contractor or Subcontractor may be awarded a contract for public work on a public works project unless registered with the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to Labor Code Section 1725.5. Contractors and Subcontractors must furnish electronic Certified Payroll Records (CPRs) to the Labor Commissioner’s Office, and in addition, hardcopies or electronic copies shall be furnished to the Port of Long Beach. NIB -10 P r o j e c t L a b o r Agreement. This project is not covered by a PLA.
NIB -12
NOT USED.
NIB -13 B i d S e c u r i t y, Signed Contract, Insurance and Bonds. Each Bid shall be accompanied by a satisfactory Bidder’s Bond or other acceptable Bid Security in an amount not less than ten percent (10%) of the Base Bid as a guarantee that the Bidder will, if Conditionally Awarded a Contract by the Board, within thirty (30) calendar days after the Contract is conditionally awarded to the Contractor by the City, execute and deliver such Contract to the Chief
Harbor Engineer together with all required documents including insurance forms, a Payment Bond for one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract Price, and a Performance Bond for one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract Price. All Bonds shall be on forms provided by the City. NIB -14 C o n d i t i o n a l Award of Contract and Reservation of Rights. The Board, acting through the Executive Director, reserves the right at any time before the execution of the Contract by the City, to reject any or all Bids, and to waive any informality or irregularity. The Conditional Award of the Contract, if any, will be to the responsible Bidder submitting the lowest responsive and responsible Bid. If the lowest responsive responsible Bidder fails to submit the required documents including insurance forms, bonds and signed Contract within thirty (30) calendar days after Conditional Award of Contract, the Board reserves the right to rescind the Conditional Award and Conditionally Award the Contract to the next lowest responsive and responsible Bidder. NIB -15 P e r i o d o f B i d Irrevocability. Bids shall remain open and valid and
RANDOMLetters [Letters from p. 7]
Americans who are “super rich” are quietly pocketing 90 percent of the biggest tax cut in a century. If the president didn’t play his little game, what would happen? When voters see they got nothing from the president’s only accomplishment, ordinary Americans might just stop playing a poor little rich boy’s game. Billy Orton 44th Congressional District Candidate, Long Beach
A View From the Hand Basket
I am a lifetime resident of San Pedro and the changes that have occurred over the past few years are astounding. California is now a sanctuary state, with many sanctuary cities. It welcomes illegal aliens who can receive medical and other free benefits, compliments of the California taxpayer. It leads the nation in homelessness and allows vagrants to camp out on its streets, to do drugs, and relieve themselves in public without any restrictions or consequences. It’s passed laws that will cost the taxpayers billions of dollars to deal with the homeless problem. It has the highest state income
tax in the nation and its public education system is a disgrace. Its gasoline tax has been increased constantly while its roads continue to deteriorate. It’s passes laws that are a joke at best, no straws, no plastic bags at the supermarket unless you pay for them, etc. It has alienated businesses and property owners to the extent that many are leaving the state. It supports gender free restrooms which in my opinion can be a danger to children. Recently, it wants to teach children that capitalism is racist. It seems like everyday there is something new that is in conflict with America and its traditions. Most of the above can be attributed to the liberal politicians who have dominated its political offices. Unless significant changes are made California could become the first state to be recognized as a “third
Bidder’s Bonds and other acceptable Bid Security shall be guaranteed and valid for ninety (90) calendar days after the Bid Deadline or until the Executive Director executes a Contract, whichever occurs first. NIB -16 Substitution of Securities. Substitution of Securities for retainage is permitted in accordance with Section 22300 of the Public Contract Code. NIB -17 Iran Contracting Act of 2010. In accordance with Public Contract Code sections 2200-2208, every person who submits a bid or proposal for entering into or renewing contracts with the City for goods or services estimated at $1,000,000 or more are required to complete, sign, and submit the “Iran Contracting Act of 2010 Compliance Affidavit.” Issued at Long Beach, California, this 25th day of February, 2019. Mario Cordero, Executive Director of the Harbor Department, City of Long Beach, California Note: For project updates after Bid Opening, please contact plans.specs@polb. com.
world state.” Kenneth M. Bezich San Pedro Mr. Bezich, I presume that at one point your family immigrated to this country and then had access to at least a free public education, if not other public services supported by taxpayer dollars. And, as much as some nativists at that time may have discriminated against you and yours, no one shut the door on you as you are now proposing to do to those who come after. This area, and California in general, is a diverse cultural melting pot that has become an international cioppino of flavors that is difficult to replicate anywhere else. This should be celebrated and not disparaged. In the end, we will fix the homeless problem. James Preston Allen Publisher
August 8 - 21, 2019
For the link to the Port of Long Beach PB System and for information on this Project and other upcoming Port projects, you may view the Port website at http://www. polb.com/economics/contractors/default.asp.
calls, and faxes will not be accepted. Questions submitted to City staff will not be addressed and Bidder will be directed to the PB System.
NIB -4 Summary Description of the Work. The Work required by this Contract includes, but is not limited to, the following: Providing minor waterborne equipment for the Port of Long Beach on an on-call basis. Please see Technical Specifications.
NIB -11 Tr a d e N a m e s and Substitution of Equals. With the exception of any sole source determination that may be identified in this paragraph, Bidders wishing to obtain City’s authorization for substitution of equivalent material, product, or equipment, are required to submit a written request for an Or Equal Substitution using the form included in Appendix A together with data substantiating Bidder’s representation that the non-specified item is of equal quality to the item specified, no later than fourteen (14) calendar days after City’s issuance of Notice to Proceed (NTP). Authorization of a substitution is solely within the discretion of the City.
NIB -1 Contract Documents. Contract Documents may be downloaded, at no cost, from the Port of Long Beach PB System Vendor Portal website. Bidders must first register as a vendor on the Port of Long Beach PB System website in order to view and download the Contract Documents, to be added to the prospective bidders list, and to receive addendum notifications when issued.
Bidders are encouraged to RSVP for the Pre-Bid Meeting through the PB System; located under the “RSVP” tab of the Prospective Bidder Detail. Following the meeting, a list of Pre-Bid Meeting signed-in attendees will be available on the PB System.
NIB -8 SBE/VSBE. The Port has established a Small Business Enterprises (SBE)/Very Small Business Enterprises (VSBE) Program to encourage small business participation on construction contracts. Although an SBE/VSBE participation goal was not assigned to this contract, the Port strongly encourages all Bidders to include such participation wherever possible, by contracting with small and very small business contractors, vendors, and suppliers. The Port also strongly encourages SBE/VSBE firms to respond to this solicitation as prime contractors. The Port’s SBE Program staff is available to provide information on the program requirements, including SBE certification assistance. Please contact the SBE Office at (562) 2837598 or sbeprogram@polb. com. You may also view the Port’s SBE program requirements at www.polb.com/ sbe.
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting:
site conditions matches construction depicted on record reference documents. It shall be the Bidder’s responsibility to identify existing conditions. EACH BIDDER MUST ATTEND THE MANDATORY PRE-BID MEETING. FAILURE TO ATTEND THE MANDATORY PRE-BID MEETING SHALL DISQUALIFY YOUR BID.
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[Tantrums from p. 8]
sense of the world. Of course, one could handle gaslighting using Lakoff’s “Truth Sandwich”— and that’s what the Gaslight Desk should do. But handing it off to its own special department is a way of further underscoring just what’s going factual foundation. on—an additional act of accurately framing #4: Fourth on Rosen’s list was the creation precisely what Trump is up to, heightening public of a special kind of coverage—the “Gaslight awareness of how profoundly Trump is attacking Desk,” based on the recognition “that sometimes public understanding. the news he made today is meant only to bring Gaslighting isn’t the only trick Trump uses opacity to news he made yesterday.” so much it deserves its own desk. There are four Gaslighting is lying so deep it aims at other candidates, two of which are especially destroying your faith in your perceptions—in strong, that are similarly distinctive to require your own sanity. “Just remember, what you’re special identification and treatment. These were seeing and what identified by George you’re reading is not Lakoff just before Trump alone is not the problem. what’s happening,” Trump’s inauguration as Trump said in a speech The problem is a far-reaching the main ways Trump last summer. That’s attack on democracy, including uses Twitter: pre-emptive a gaslighter’s core framing, to define how message: Believe me, the very notion of shared issues or events are not your lying eyes. described; diversion public understanding, on which Rosen gave the (aka distraction), to shift example of Trump democracy depends. attention away from falsely claiming to troubling stories and have pushed back topics; deflection, to shift blame from himself against his crowd chanting “send her back,” onto others; and trial balloon, to test public when he had actually been quite pleased, as reaction. the chant lasted 13 seconds. This sort of claim, Diversion and deflection have both been used “exists only to confuse and erase earlier reports,” so frequently in a laser-like manner that scientists he noted. have been able to study them quantitatively, as I “By presenting — and fact-checking — reported for Salon on Aug. 4. Deflection has been these claims as if they’re just the next round, used to blame “fake news” in defense of Trump’s journalists co-author this confusion.” own prodigious lying, while diversion has been #5: This last point is crucial: fact-checking used to distract attention from the Mueller may be sufficient for ordinary false claims (though investigation, as major media outlets— the New that’s debatable), but it’s clearly insufficient York Times and ABC World News Tonight— when the point is not just to deny certain facts, have repeatedly reduced coverage following but to attack the whole framework of making Trump’s distractive tweets. There’s every reason
Trump’s Twitter Tantrums
August 8 - 21, 2019
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
matter. How you broach a subject frames the way it’s seen. And repeating claims makes them seem stronger, regardless of what you might say about them. So, rather than start by repeating Trump’s false claims, first explain the big picture about what’s really going on, then present Trump’s claim — which need not be a direct quote — and then debunk it: Truth/lie/truth: A “truth sandwich.” The big picture on almost any subject Trump likes is invariably the opposite of what he proposes. So put that first: immigrant crime rates are significantly lower than crime rates for native-born Americans and illegal immigration has been net negative since the great financial crash in 2008. There is no crisis on either count. Trump’s job-growth numbers his first two years are below Obama’s for the last two years of his term, he’s done nothing to fundamentally change the economy he inherited, except to shift more of the benefits to the rich; global warming is real, and oil company documents dating back to the 1970s prove that they’ve known it all along, so claims that it’s debatable or a hoax are the result of decades of deliberate lying. This is how any coverage of Trump’s lies about his favorite subjects should be introduced: Set the stage with cold, hard, documented facts before turning to discuss Trump’s latest lie, then debunk it with specific contradictory facts. Lakoff got a buzz of attention for the idea this past year, but it’s far more popular with social media critics than it is with the corporate media journalists in whose hands it would matter most. But it’s never too late to change and never too early to put 2020 campaign coverage on a solid
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to believe these strategies are effective more generally, even though it’s difficult to measure these more diversified uses and their impacts. The same can be said for preemptive framing and trial balloons as well. Hence, the following four desks are all called for as well—either separately or in a cohesively shared format.