TORRANCE TRIBUNE November 19, 2015 Page 11 Community Briefs from page 3 Operation Christmas Child Collection Week From November 16 – 23, families, churches and groups in South Bay will pack gifts during Operation Christmas Child’s National Collection Week. Collection points are now open to receive colorfully wrapped shoebox gifts packed by local residents. In 2015, the project hopes to collect enough shoebox gifts to reach more than 11 million children, with many coming from the South Bay area. Locate the nearest drop off sites http://www. samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmaschild/ drop-off-locations/. More information regarding these local drop-off locations and about Operation Christmas Child can be found at samaritanspurse.org/occ City of Torrance Rose Parade Float The city of Torrance 2016 Rose Parade and friendship. Volunteers are encouraged float entry, celebrating our 61st year in the to sign up to decorate the float by joining Rose Parade, honors the theme of ‘Find your the Torrance Rose Float Association at the Adventure’ by celebrating the city’s Class 1 meeting to be held at Torrance City Hall, Fire Department, with the design of “What 3031 Torrance Blvd., on Thursday, November a Purr-fectly Paw-ful Adventure’. The city is 19th at 7 p.m. For more information call proud to have decorators between the ages 310.618.2425. If you have never participated of 13 and 90-plus working side-by-side in a in this wonderful community event, come wonderful show of community togetherness out this year! • Film Review from page 4 This also makes it arduous to endure through (and its runtime is well over two hours), but that is undoubtedly the intention. It is not a film for the light-hearted, nor would it ever be. Alas, although this story is fiction, this has been crafted to highlight the many facets of the child solider journey. Director Cary Fukunaga is also the cinematographer: therefore the camera work here is always on display. Numerous tracking shots expose the grandiose artistry at work and adds to the hypnotic nature of this warfare. The static shots are equally well composed. A provocative opening shot challenges the viewer to think about what they are watching, and how they are watching it. Is this entertainment? As affluent viewers (especially those on Netflix), how is this to be viewed? In this case, it is as important as the film itself to think about the social impact of this film. How can this film benefit a tragic, ongoing situation in a continent many Americans know little about is a question worth a further discussion. I don’t have the answer, but I urge anyone who sees this film to go into Beasts of No Nation looking for their answer to this question. Beasts of No Nation is a Netflix Original film and is available for streaming on Netflix. • Veteran’s Day from page 2 City Council from front page adopt an ordinance to amend the rules and regulations regarding the city’s farmers’ market was approved by the city council during Tuesday night’s city council meeting. The approved changes include the creation of an Expressive Conduct Users Zone, which would be an area in the middle of the market that will accommodate three individuals or groups. “Every month, applications for the Tuesday and Saturday market expressive conduct users’ zone will be received stamped,” states the staff report. “The applicants will be scheduled for the following month on a first-come, firstserve basis. No one will be assigned more than two markets per month, and applicants must reapply for subsequent months.” Within the new zone activities such as fundraising, information sharing by community groups, political outreach and campaigning can take place, within specific rules and codes of conduct that have been developed. “Over the years, the Torrance Certified Farmers’ Market has grown significantly, both in terms of vendors and customers,” states the staff report. “Currently there are a total of 112 sellers; 61 farmers and 51 ‘non-agricultural’ vendors who primarily sell food items such as bread, pastries, fish, and olives.” In addition, the ordinance established penalties for any violations by vendors or members of the public. However, to date staff has not been forced to penalize anyone for any type of violation to the farmers’ market rules. Nor has the Torrance Police Department been required to remove “unruly patrons” or have to cite anyone for legal violations. • my unit was extended for another year, (by President Truman), beyond their anniversary date. At that point, we became part of the regular army.” Immediately, ‘basic training refreshing’ was held at Camp Cook in Lompoc. By December, he was selected out of his group, and flown from Los Angeles to Columbus, Georgia (Fort Benning) for a nine-week radio repair course specializing in the type of radios used at that time. He said, “After nine weeks, the course was extended to eighteen weeks, so in the end, we were categorized as full-fledged electronics technicians. Then I got sent back to Camp Cook, (Vandenberg Air Force Base) and learned my unit had been shipped overseas to Sendai in northern Japan.” The Korean War Veteran then told me that his beautiful young wife, and a friend, Donna Wegnes, (whose husband was already in the service) drove him to San Francisco where his ship was docked. He added, “I had to take a separate troop ship from San Francisco to Japan, which took fourteen days.” At this point I asked him what were the conditions on the ship and he told me, “Well, for sleeping quarters, we were stacked four hammocks deep - and it was so hot down there that we would sneak up on deck to cool off under the life boats of the troop ship. I recall singing songs with my buddy.” I asked what songs they sang and he said, “Oh, just westerns that we knew at the time.” Half jokingly, I asked if it was anything like a cruise - and he laughed and said, “You’ve got to be kidding.” Then the ship arrived in Yokohama, Japan. He said, “One of the things that impressed me when I got there was, from the ship, and when I got on the train to go north to Sendai, where my unit was located, - was that all the buildings in the harbor of Yokohama were riddled with bullet holes. You could see the bullet holes all over where our dive bombers attacked Yokohama Bay during WWII.” The Korean War Veteran was then put on a bullet train toward Northern Japan, and when he finally arrived, his fellow troops were leaving in two days headed to an army base in Southern Japan for permanent quarters. He had one or two days to learn how to climb the rope ladders that were hang over troop ships, carrying his heavy backpack, and rifle – not an easy task. The Veteran then said, “This was on the sea of Japan. The ship took a week to get down to Southern Japan. I stayed there about three weeks and I was given notice that I had finished my one-year extension and they wanted to ship me home. So I had the option of shipping home or signing up for another year. I thought about a millisecond and selected, I am taking my discharge and going.” He then took another train from his camp to Tokyo where he spent two to three weeks. At this point in the interview, the veteran’s wife said, “Yes, and he bought me a silk pillowcase.” I looked at the veteran and said, “You bought your young wife a pillowcase?” He laughed and said, “I was not very good about writing [either] – because I was…I was 20 years old.” “He has made up for it [buying gifts for her] since,” said his wife. “I do recall going to a department store in Tokyo with one or two of the guys. My job while waiting, was working at Camp Drake, outside Tokyo, where I helped with the soldiers coming back from Korea on R & R, taking their equipment, etc. I did that for two or three weeks until my orders came in to ship out of Tokyo, home. It took ten days by ship to Seattle and from there I was bussed to Fort Lewis, Washington. I was discharged and then bussed back home to Los Angeles. I was honorably discharged as a Corporal in the United States Army. My specialty was listed as ‘radio electronics repairman’. I repaired walkie-talkies, and other radios used in Korea. I have the Official DD214 separation papers,” added the veteran proudly. Then, I asked this very special Korean War Veteran what he thought about Veteran’s Day and he said, “I hear stories about the government not treating the veterans very nicely and I am appalled about that, and that ought to be fixed. I have some friends that are veterans and use the veteran’s facility, and some of it is good, [the care] and some of it is not so good. At any rate, we need to be more compassionate to veterans – because when they sign up – they know they could get killed. It is that simple. You sign up and just as well say, you are putting your life on the line, and you could certainly be killed, and that is what happened to hundreds and thousands of people in Korea. We ought to honor those folks. And I have been to the Korean War Memorial in Washington DC and it is very heartwarming. It is very moving.” My daddy, Thomas Lancaster, told this story to me. He is a proud Korean War Veteran who honors those who served before him, and after him, and knows, as all veterans do, the price of service. Abraham Lincoln’s quote is still relevant today. We need to care for those who serve. May I suggest you take time to hear a veteran’s story this year and thank them. Remember them. Happy Veterans Day to all veterans! • Up and Adam from page 5 That inconsistency is eventually what got the best of Holt and his team as the Warriors (6-5, 4-1) disappointingly succumbed to an early playoff exit. West will be back next year with hopes of making it back to the playoffs and this time, past the first round. South High & Torrance High Despite ending their season with a win vs. North, the South High Spartans were unable to make the playoffs. They finished with a record of 7-3 (3-2 in league), good enough for fourth place in the Pioneer League standings. Likewise, after a 3-7 season (1-4 in league) the Torrance Tartars were unable to make it into this year’s playoffs and finished in fifth place in the Pioneer League standings. • School Board from front page “This is a prevention program so it’s not so much reactive like some of our other programs are, but this will help to identify students that may have an issue or that may need some assistance,” Dr. Dugal said. “Students can attend with parents’ permission and this is on our campuses rather than students having to go somewhere else. CHOICE activities will be scheduled to take place after school at the participating middle and high schools. The program is designed for both students who do not use alcohol and other drugs and students who may be beginning to experiment. “As such, CHOICE can be used as both prevention and intervention,” states the agenda item. “Sessions are conducted by Prevention Coordinators and Outreach Specialists and funded by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Substance Abuse Prevention and Control. Students must get parent(s) and/or guardian(s) permission to participate.” Independent Contractor Jostens Approved to Provide Graduation Apparel The request to enter into a contract with independent contractor Jostens to supply graduation and promotion ceremony apparel to all Torrance Unified School District high schools and select TUSD middle schools for the 2015-2016 school year was approved by the school board. “All TUSD high school graduating students will have the option of purchasing or borrowing a set of ceremony apparel for their school’s graduation ceremony,” states the agenda item presented to the board. “Students who choose the option of borrowing a set of ceremony apparel will pay a ‘reservation deposit’ that will be refunded to the student or student representative by Jostens upon return of the complete set of ceremony apparel and submission of the completed refund request form.” While Jostens helps parents and students by making the ordering, sizing, delivery and collection of ceremony apparel process a lot easier, School Board Member Michael Wermers asked that one part of the Jostens’ business plan be clearly explained to parents. The company will refund parents with a $20 check for all gowns sent back to the company [from the high schools]. However, Jostens then bills the district for that check that was reimbursed to the parents. “Most people, I don’t think, have the desire to stick the bill to the district,” said Wermers. “I am baffled. Until the last time this gown issue came up at the middle schools, I was not aware this worked that way.” Dr. Dugal, who has met with the Jostens representatives, shared that there is an effort between Jostens representatives and the four high schools and the middle schools to work closer on improving communication, especially as the spring approaches and the schools begin preparing promotion season. “The messaging will be the same at all four high schools in terms of what a loner gown is, [what it entails] if you are buying and keeping your gown, what that includes and what the different packages are,” Dr. Dugal said. “The activities directors are also putting the message across as how the process works in terms of the refunds. The refunds are not coming from the district, they are coming from Jostens and Jostens will then bill the district for the number of returned gowns.” • Follow Us on Twitter @heraldpub
Torrance_111915_FNL_lorez
To see the actual publication please follow the link above