Seals in need of some TLC!
The Marine Mammal Care Center, in San Pedro, is in desperate need of volunteers. The center, is dedicated to rescuing sick and injured seals and returning them to the wild. If an animal cannnot be successfully returned to its natural environment, then they do their best to find it a home in aquariums across America.
They often have more than 70 animals at a time that need feeding and care. ”We especially need volunteers over the weekend,” said Jill Romano, the center’s business director. “Vounteers need to be at least 18 years old,” she added.
So if you’re into animals, especially sea mammals, then taking the time to log some hours with the center would be for a good cause. If you’re interested in volunteering then contact the center at:
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Tags: Charity · Upcoming events
July 20th, 2008 Written by: Bobbie · 1 Comment
The Fort MacArthur Museum was the setting for a trip through time this past weekend. On Sunday, it was warm and the sky was blue while an assortment of 70 different reenactment organizations, dedicated to various periods of military history, enjoyed sharing their knowledge and passion for a bygone era. Armed warriors, from the Roman legion to the Viet Cong, enthusiastically demonstrated their skills on the old battlements of the museum.
Turning in to Angel’s Gate Park, my niece Fiona and I, saw a trio of Native American Indian tepees camped just beyond the Korean Friendship Bell. This startling contrast, on the hills that overlook the Pacific Ocean, boded well for an exciting experience.
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Tags: Local LA · Reviews
If you’re into military history; then a visit to the Old Fort MacArthur Days, happening this weekend, is a must for you. The Fort MacArthur museum, located on the Angel’s Gate Park in San Pedro, is celebrating it’s 22nd year of this exciting event.
There will be reenactors recreating periods of famous military times from the Roman legions to the Vietnam War. Included in the weekend’s events are a reenactment of the 110th anniversary of Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Rider’s storm up San Juan Hill.
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Tags: Local LA · Upcoming events
A few weeks back, I took a short trip on the Red Cars in San Pedro. As it was late, we couldn’t ride them to their last stop. Since then I have gone back several times and would like to share all the wonderful things to enjoy on the waterfront.
First of all, it’s worth taking the Red Car to it’s last stop at the World Cruise Center. At the end of the line, is a large fountain which puts on a show to music every twenty minutes. A mini Bellagio in San Pedro, who would have thought? I haven’t had the opportunity to see it at night yet, but they say with the lights on, it’s quite a show. From what I saw though, it was pretty exhilarating.
The fountain is split in two, with a walkway in between. During the show, if you’re walking between the two fountains you’re guaranteed to get wet. This could be a problem if you plan to board the Red Car again. The conductors, rightly so, prefer you don’t drip on their well maintained seats. However, the walk to the next station isn’t far and if you get too warm there’s another fountain on the way that you can play in, the kind with the intermittent popping water balls that thrill children and confounds dogs.
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Tags: Reviews · Transportation
The calamitous LA Unified School District has been fodder for the news for several years now. Despite all the negative press, they’ve done little to improve their reputation or competency. It’s no wonder so many of their schools are being turned into charter schools and that parents are seeking alternatives such as educating their children privately or through homeschooling.
Now they’ve made front page news again, with a story illustrating their continued waste of state funding. In a front page story entitled, “L.A. Unified schools won’t lack for space,” in the Los Angeles Times dated Monday June 23rd, the school district states they are continuing to build schools despite falling enrollment. Because of the loss of students, these schools and extra classrooms currently being built will most likely stay empty.
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Tags: Editorials · Local LA
I am an unabashed fan of San Pedro and today I found another reason to visit this city on the harbor. I discovered the pleasure of riding the Red Cars.
These electric cars, once operated by the Pacific Electric Railway, served the Los Angeles area for over sixty years but the last of the line was put out of service in 1961. Forty-two years later; in July of 2003, on a section of the San Pedro waterfront, the affectionately dubbed “Red Cars” were resurrected. On a short 1.5 mile track, you can travel back in time and feel what it was like to ride the public transit of 1920’s Los Angeles.
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Tags: Local LA · Uncategorized
Two weeks ago; Dylan Bradshaw, an Irvine teen who attended Northwood High School, died after football practice. Several months previously another athlete, fourteen-year old Megan Myers, died during a cross country race. Whenever I hear these stories, I can’t help but wonder if these teens were ever prescribed medications for attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder and could it have been a factor in their deaths.
Medications such as Ritalin and Adderall are stimulants used in the treatment of behavioral disorders like ADD and ADHD. However, the recreational drug Cocaine, is a stimulant as well. Cocaine use has been determined to cause heart damage. Whenever adults; who are relatively young, experience heart problems, hospitals check to see if Cocaine abuse was a possible factor.
Therefore, if stimulants are known to cause heart damage, why are we prescribing them in abundance to young children? There have been no long term studies done about the effects of these drugs on developing bodies but these medications are prescribed everyday across America to children as young as three and four years old.
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Tags: Editorials
In part one I explained the four legal options a parent can choose from to educate their child at home. This article focuses on the choice of an independent study program through a public school. The recent appellate court ruling stating parents must have a teaching credential to homeschool has created such an outcry in the state that the court has decided to reopen the case and will begin hearing oral arguments this month. Whatever the outcome of this second trial though, it won’t affect students on this option.
Kristina Kersey, who lives in North Orange County on the border of Los Angeles has homeschooled her ten-year-old son for the past two years. She has several reasons why she pulled her child from her local public school but the teachers are not one of those reasons.
“I love public school teachers,” said the red-haired, classically trained dancer. “My Dad is a retired high school teacher, my mother taught third grade before becoming a full time mom and my brother and his wife are also public school teachers.’ ‘I’m surrounded by them!” she laughed.
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Tags: Local LA · News
Seal Day, which happened on May 18th, was a big hit with my eight-year old daughter Judy. The Marine Mammal Care Center who hosted the event specializes in rescuing sick and injured seals and returning them to the wild. The center had 75 seals they were caring for that day and one arrived while we were there to Judy’s delight.
Jill Romano, the center’s Director of Business and Development, was delighted too with the amount they took in fundraising for the day. “It was our most successful year yet!” she said. According to Romano they raised $6,500 along with an additional $1,500 worth of “in-kind” donations.
“We also had 26 organizations represented, which is a pretty good size,” she added. Some of those organizations were the Coast Guard, the Cabrillo Aquarium, Aquarium of the Pacific and several nature centers who brought along a variety of animals for inspection.
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Tags: Local LA · Reviews
Bob Rose passed away last week. I know you don’t know who he is and that’s the tragedy of his short life. But Bob was only 17 years old when he died of complications due to Duschennes Muscular Dystrophy and what’s most heartbreaking is he died alone.
Bob had lived in a group home from the age of eight years old when his parents were unable to care for him any longer and made him a ward of the state. Unlike the title character in the film Rory O’Shea Was Here, played by James McAvoy, he didn’t have an electric wheelchair nor did he ever get a chance to live out of the group home.
My husband, Tim McIntyre, a special education teacher met Bob just over a year and a half ago when Bob became his student. Touched by Bob’s plight my husband did his best to try to improve the quality of his life. However this was not my husband’s responsibility. He did this out of the kindness of his heart.
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Tags: Uncategorized
Just a reminder that this Sunday, the 18th, is the 16th annual Seal Day celebration. The Marine Mammal Care Center located on Fort MacArthur does this fundraiser to enable them to continue their ongoing work of rescuing seals and returning them to the wild when possible.
This will be a great way to spend the day as there will be lots of food, music and animal demonstrations along with lectures. There’s also going to be major prizes to be won with the purchase of some raffle tickets.
Here is a list of amazing prizes you you could win if you come out to enjoy the day… [Read more →]
Tags: Local Happenings · Upcoming events
We’ve all seen those courtesy reminders with the baby crying, laughter, conversation and the incessant phone ringing at the movies. Better yet those elaborate movie trailers you think are real until they get interrupted by the nokia ringtone. The latest ones are where famous directors such as Martin Scorcese interrupts a phone conversation and attempts to direct the action and content of the call. Frankly I appreciate them because they remind me to turn off my cell so as not to have the embarrassing situation of scrambling through my purse as it annoys my fellow theater goers.
However the annoyance of cell phones has spread from just noise to light. With the increasing amount of Blackberry’s, iPhone’s, and what not, more and more people are reading their e-mail, texting, checking the time, or even worse PLAYING GAMES in the middle of a movie! Just as you are enjoying your movie someone invariably opens up their phone and that beacon of light from their cell distracts you from the film on the screen. Since it’s not making noise the cell phone owner will often keep it open for several minutes. I don’t know about you but this drives me crazy!
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Tags: Editorials · Film
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