EL SEGUNDO HERALD November 30, 2017 Page 7
Pizza, Pasta & More VALENTINO S
“A Taste of Brooklyn”
Spaghetti with Meat Sauce,
Garden Salad, Garlic Bread,
Plus Tax
Preparation
If you’re a fan of the classic seven-layer dip (chopped layers of pepper
jack cheese, refried beans, avocado, corn and pickled red onions),
you’ll love this savory concoction sprinkled with cilantro and grilled
between buttered bread slices. Cook up a warm, gooey batch for the
gang gathering around the TV for the next big game, or bring it to
your next game-side tailgate.
Ingredients
Politically Speaking
One Man’s Opinion Another Man’s Opinion
It’s Finally Time to Stop Shining
the Spotlight on the Talentless
By Cristian Vasquez
In our 24-hour news cycle, it’s hard
to ignore people who seek the spotlight
despite lacking any real talent to justify
the attention they seek. Perfect example is
loudmouth and annoying media personality
LaVar Ball. For the few lucky enough to
not know who this pseudo-celebrity is,
his son Lonzo Ball was a star basketball
player with UCLA and is now trying to
reach NBA glory with the Lakers. So yes,
that’s how the dad became famous--through
the accomplishments of his son. In any
case, last week the oldest of the Balls made
headlines for refusing to acknowledge that
President Trump had a hand in his second
son’s release from China where the youngster
was being accused of shoplifting with two
other UCLA basketball teammates. Usually,
I’d say ignore Mr. Ball and he’ll go away-
-but in this case, it’s hard to ignore such
ungratefulness and ignorance.
Ball’s reaction to his son’s release from
China highlights a bigger problem in our
society: People are so filled with selfishness
that they have forgotten to say thank
you. This epidemic extends beyond Ball and
his feud with the President because television
and the Internet are fueled by these
shenanigans. Society rewards the loudmouth
that “stirs” things up by “keeping it real”
and saying what they feel. Since Facebook
and Twitter became household amenities,
we can make a list of insignificant people
who have made headlines because of
their obnoxious behavior and have been
monetarily rewarded despite their lack of
talent (remember Jersey Shore? Heard of
the Kardashians?).
Watching people act like they lack common
sense has become our version of
Roman Coliseum fights. It’s a train wreck
that nobody wants to look away from and
the consequences come in the form of LaVar
Ball. These people know that being outlandish
will make them trend online and will put
them on a radio station or in a newsroom for
an unnecessary interview. Let’s stop raising
their profile. Ironically, mentioning Ball in
this keeps his name in the limelight--but
when we stop listening to the self-centered
hacks with a false sense of grandeur of this
world, this behavior will end and at the very
least slow down.
I personally do not know how much influence
President Trump had in having the Ball
kid and his teammates released from China.
However, I don’t for one second doubt that the
President didn’t use his leverage to save these
kids from life-changing consequences. Unlike
the senior Ball, the three UCLA athletes did
thank the President for his help and at their
young age demonstrated more humility than
the grown-up. It’s time that we stop looking
at the wreckage. Just like we shouldn’t slow
down on the freeway to look at the accident on
the shoulder, let’s stop looking at these fringe
hacks with a loud mouth and no substance
and keep society moving forward. When we
stop rewarding selfishness and begin being
grateful again, the loudmouths will become
irrelevant once more. •
Bloom is off the Rose, as Once-
Esteemed Journalist Gets Canned
By Duane Plank
As more lefty miscreants, including the
respected journalist Charlie Rose, get humbled
by their deviant sexual proclivities, it was
recently divulged that the worst-kept secret
in the hall rooms, boardrooms and bedrooms
of Washington, D.C. was the existence of a
taxpayer-funded slush account that is utilized to
silence and pay off sexual harassment accusers.
Amazing! Your money, my money is cavalierly
used by Washington pols as the basis
for checks they write to buy the shutting-up
of their accusers. And it has been going on
for a very long, long time, with those in the
know turning a blind eye to rampant sexual
shenanigans and tawdry behavior from our
elected leaders.
Millions have been paid out to “settle”
harassment cases racked up by shameless
politicians and others in power. And if that
isn’t bad enough, the deck is totally stacked
against the victim’s accusation ever seeing the
light of day. The harassment “whistle-blower”
faces a well-constructed maze of obstacles as
she or he tries to get justice.
The accusers must attend mandatory counseling
sessions lasting up to 30 days. Then there
is a “mediation” period which can last up to 30
days. If the accusers still want to continue with
the convoluted process, they will be forced to
endure an administrative hearing before filing
a federal lawsuit.
These payoff steps have been around the
“swamp” since about 1995. For the past 20
years or so, more than $15 million of our
money has been forked over to settle harassment
accusations and make them disappear.
So, who was accused, who got bribed, and
how much was the check written for in the
cover-up culture of our nation’s capital? And
why didn’t the accused politician write the
check from his or her campaign cash account,
or from his or her own personal account?
If anyone knows who was accused and who
was getting paid, no one is talking. No shock
there, right? It seems the main goal after winning
an election is staying in power, staying in
office. Certainly not implementing the taxpayer’s
business... Ergo, nothing seems to get done even
when the pols are “working”--between taking
their extended breaks to visit their disdained
constituents, or by taking vacations. No repeal
and replace, no tax reform, no this, no that.
Anyone paying attention back in the day
knew that, allegedly, a lot of dudes named
Rose were abusers and miscreants. We had Pete
Rose, one of the greatest hitters in baseball,
who was caught dallying with an underage
gal back in the day. Don’t remember if she
was 14 or 16. Or if he was 46 or 64 when
he dallied with a young gal. Then there was
NBA player Derrick Rose, who, along with
his posse of hangers-on was accused of some
not-so-pleasant encounters with women. No
word on whether rocker Axl Rose has had
dodgy dealings with women.
The one-time revered journalist Charlie
Rose accomplished the employment trifecta
when he was canned by CBS, PBS and
Bloomberg on the same day when his tawdry
actions came to light. Another proud day in
American journalism! •
ª
Ample Seating
Now Open Sundays!
and a drink
$1199
No substitutions and coupon must be presented.
Please mention coupon when ordering. One per customer. Expires 12/14/17.
EL SEGUNDO
150 S Sepulveda Blvd.
310-426-9494
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310-318-5959
• DELIVERY IN LIMITED AREA AT BOTH LOCATIONS •
Nine-Layer Dip
Grilled Cheese
Recipe by Sara Lee Bread. Provided by BPT.
1. Add 1½ slices of Pepper Jack to 1 slice bread. Next, layer on the refried beans,
avocado, pickled red onions, tomatoes, cilantro, roasted corn, and the other 1½ slices
of Pepper Jack. Add the top piece of bread and evenly smear the salted butter onto
both exteriors of the sandwich and set aside.
2. Grill the sandwich in a cast iron skillet until the bread is golden brown and the
Pepper Jack has melted (approximately 5-10 minutes). Remove from heat and let
sit for 1 minute before slicing in half.
• 2 slices Sara Lee® Artesano™
Golden Wheat Bread
• 3 slices Pepper Jack cheese
• 1 tablespoon refried beans
• avocado, sliced
• 1 tablespoon pickled red onions
• 2 tablespoons chopped tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon fresh
cilantro leaves
• 2 tablespoons roasted corn,
shaved off the cob
• 2 pats salted butter,
room temperature