OPINION
4 SIgNaL TrIBuNE
JaNuary 13, 2012
Thoughts from the Publisher
PuBLISHEr/EDITOr-IN-CHIEF
by Neena Strichart
NEENA R. STRICHART aSSOCIaTE PuBLISHEr
STEPHEN M. STRICHART MaNagINg EDITOr
CORY BILICKO DESIgN EDITOr
LEIGHANNA NIERLE aDVErTISINg CONSuLTaNTS
BARBIE ELLISEN JANE FALLON MARK MCCORMICK STaFF WrITErS
CJ DABLO VIVIAN MALAUULU STEPHANIE RAYGOzA RACHAEL RIFKIN COLuMNISTS
JENNIFER E. BEAVER CAROL BERG SLOAN, RD CuLTurE WrITErS
DANIEL ADAMS VICKI PARIS GOODMAN aDMINISTraTIVE aSSISTaNT/ WEBSITE MaNagEr
Here’s another edition of what I like to call “So, What’s New?” Mother got a Kindle for Christmas. It looks as if they are going to get along nicely, that is as long as I can keep it loaded up fast enough for her. She is a voracious reader. More about Mom and her Kindle soon. Loving hazelnuts and chocolate as much as I do, I find it strange that I had never tried Nutella before yesterday morning. Wow! It is so yummy– especially spread on warm glutenfree waffles. I picked up a small jar of the Nutella at Fresh & Easy, along with waffles and two containers of soup: split pea with ham, and baked potato. Thanks to my pal Barbie for telling me about the soup. So good! Looks as if Shell and Sheldon Grossman are planning something special for the 35th anniversary of their Bixby Knolls Car Wash
and Detail Center. The event will take place sometime in the summer. If it’s anything like the last anniversary party they hosted, it will be amazing! The City of Signal Hill is hosting a design presentation of the conceptual plan for the new library at a special park and recreation commission meeting. The presentation will take place Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 6pm at the City Council Chambers 2175 Cherry Ave. According information supplied by the City, there is no need to RSVP, and childcare for children 3 years and older will be provided. If you have any questions, give a call to the Community Services Department at (562) 989-7330. Mom reported lots of construction activity in a building directly across from her abode at Bixby Knolls Towers (3700 block of Atlantic Ave). With curiosity getting the best of me, I
just had to stop by and check it out. According to the construction supervisor, it looks as if a rather large dermatology clinic will be located at the site. Hmmmm. Wonder if they will be able to do anything to bring out more of my “natural beauty?” Hey, no smart-aleck remarks– I mean the dermatology clinic– not the construction company! Sweetheart Sweepstakes fans can start gearing up for the two-week run of our 17th annual special section. We already have lots of prizes and surprises, and we are looking forward to publishing the sweepstakes details Feb. 3 and 10. With only room for 24 participating retailers, spaces are going quickly. If you own a business in our distribution area and would like to sponsor a drop-off location for entry blanks and/or would like to donate a prize or two, please give us a call at (562) 5957900.
TANYA PAz
C O M M E N TA R I E S
CONTrIBuTINg PHOTOgraPHEr
MATT SUN INTErN
MICHAEL ORELLANA –––––––––––––
The Signal Tribune
Animal abuse and exploitation in pursuit of entertainment is unacceptable By Madeline Bernstein, President Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Los Angeles
adheres to the following policies The SiGnAl Tribune welcomes LETTErS TO THE EDITOr. Letters should be signed, dated and include a phone number in order to verify authenticity. The SiGnAl Tribune reserves the right to edit letters for grammar, language and space requirements. The SiGnAl Tribune does not print letters that refer substantially to articles in other publications and might not print those that have recently been printed in other publications or otherwise presented in a public forum.. LETTErS TO THE EDITOr & COMMENTarIES are the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the SiGnAl Tribune or its staff. Although the editorial staff will attempt to verify and/or correct information when possible, LETTErS TO THE EDITOr & COMMENTarIES are opinions, and readers should not assume that they are statements of fact. Letter writers will be identified by their professional titles or affiliations when, and only when, the editorial staff deems it relevant and/or to provide context to the letter. The SiGnAl Tribune is published each Friday with a circulation of 25,000. Yearly subscriptions are available for $45.
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Privileged starlets, pranksters, aging rockers and those hoping for a miracle are welcomed into American homes with growing frequency, as “reality” entertainment overtakes its scripted counterparts. We’ve watched as housewives behave badly, people undergo surgical procedures and rigorous exercise routines in a quest for beauty, and grown men try weekly to render themselves eunuchs. What we must not welcome– must never welcome– is abuse, cruelty and exploitation in the pursuit of entertainment. The NBC show Fear Factor recently rebooted and premiered the episode “Snake Bite” on Jan. 2, 2012. During one stunt, contestants in teams of two were set to face their “fear” of snakes. One team
member [lay] in a clear, coffinshaped box filled with 500 various live snakes while the other team member set about removing the snakes using only his or her mouth. Apparently, to overcome your fear of snakes, you must bite them. Notwithstanding the potential health risks to humans (salmonella, e-Coli and a host of other bacteria), little, if any, thought to the health and well-being of the snakes is evident. From the footage presented, experts agree that many of the snakes– whose backbones are [composed] of many fine, delicate and easily broken ribs underneath fragile skin and musculature– likely suffered permanent injuries and trauma. Fear Factor, as a “reality” TV show, is not mandated to abide by
the industry standard guidelines (created and enforced by [the American Humane Association]) that provide for the humane treatment of animals, as well as their protection from abuse, cruelty and exploitation. Many networks and producers of such shows claim they are filmed in a manner similar to that of documentaries. But, unlike a documentary, shows like Fear Factor are staged. They are games. Contestants can choose to be catapulted off of skyscrapers, hang upsidedown from a moving helicopter and push themselves to the brink of physical and emotional exhaustion (as they did during the “Snake Bite” episode). I urge the producers of Fear Factor, NBC and the others who produce and air television shows
glorifying the abuse and mistreatment of animals to stop. Those who cannot choose– in this case, snakes– must not be forced to suffer injury and trauma. And, before you brush this off, telling yourself “they’re only snakes,” think about this: your Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles (spcaLA) was started in 1877 to protect those who people deemed to be “just women,” “just children,” “just horses” and “just pets.” For the voiceless, there is no payoff, no prize, no fame, and no glory. There is only suffering, confusion and death, all for our entertainment. Animal cruelty is a crime in the state of California and the rest of the country regardless if it is a reality show. That is the reality.
Child sex trafficking is a problem that’s closer than we think By Don Knabe, Los Angeles County Supervisor, Fourth District
A few weeks ago, I received a deeply troubling briefing regarding minor girls who are being bought and sold as prostitutes across Los Angeles County. Some of these girls are as young as 11 and 12. While we often think of child sex
trafficking as a problem in other countries, it’s happening right here in our back yard. In fact, 84 percent of the children arrested for prostitution in Los Angeles County in 2010 live in the Fourth District, mostly in Long Beach and the South Bay area.
Right now, these young girls are being arrested for prostitution and often being released, as it is a misdemeanor charge. As such, we think these numbers are representative of a much larger number of girls forced into prostitution who have not yet
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been arrested, or are not being determined to be sexual victims in screenings when placed in either foster care of the juvenile justice system. That’s part of the biggest problem on this issue– we don’t know what we don’t know. This week, I am asking the Probation Department to track and gather more statistics so that we get a real sense of what is happening out there. Then we can aggressively address prevention tactics, figure out ways to combat the problem and develop aftercare programs. I would also like to look at the possibility of establishing a special unit in the Probation Department, dedicated to sexually exploited minors and the development of specialized services for the victims of this horrendous crime. These young girls have often suffered in their own homes and then move to a life on the streets where they are further victimized by local pimps and gangs. As a grandfather, it is horrifying to think of the lives these young girls face. We must do everything we can to get these girls off the streets and on a path to a better life ahead.