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ohn McCone came to the CIA as an outsider. An industrialist and an engineer by training, he replaced veteran spymaster Allen Dulles as director of central intelligence in November 1961, after John F. Kennedy had forced out

Dulles following the CIA’s bungled operation to oust Fidel Castro by invading Cuba’s Bay of Pigs.

McCone had one overriding mission: restore order at the besieged CIA. Kennedy hoped his management skills might prevent a future debacle, even if the Californian—mostly a stranger to the clubby, blue-blooded world of the men like Dulles who had always run the spy agency—faced a steep learning curve.

After JFK’s assassination in Dallas in November 1963, President Lyndon Johnson kept McCone in place at the CIA, and the CIA director became an important witness before the Warren Commission, the panel Johnson created to investigate Kennedy’s murder. McCone pledged full cooperation with the commission, which was led by Chief Justice Earl Warren. He testified that the CIA had no evidence to suggest that Lee Harvey Oswald, the assassin, was part of any conspiracy, foreign

or domestic. In its final report, the commission came to agree with McCone’s depiction of Oswald, a former Marine and self-proclaimed Marxist, as a delusional lone wolf.

But did McCone come close to perjury all those decades ago? Did the onetime Washington outsider in fact hide agency secrets that might still rewrite the history of the assassination? Even the CIA is now willing to raise these questions. Half a century after JFK’s death, in a once-secret report written in 2013 by the CIA’s top in-house historian and quietly declassified last fall, the spy agency acknowledges what others were convinced of long ago: that McCone and other senior CIA officials were “complicit” in keeping “incendiary” information from the Warren Commission.

According to the report by CIA historian David Robarge, McCone, who died in 1991, was at the heart of a “benign cover-up” at the spy agency, intended to keep the commission focused on “what the Agency believed at the time was the ‘best truth’—that Lee Harvey Oswald, for as yet undetermined motives, had

John McCone was long suspected of withholding information from the Warren Commission. Now even the CIA says he did.By Philip Shenon, author and former Washinton and foreign correspondent

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Beyond TerrorParis attacks reflect failure to learn since 9/11By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor

n n The Art of War, Sun Tzu writes, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor

yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”In the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris, two things are obvious:

First, we do not know our enemy—neither the youth being recruited, nor the higher-ups, nor the organizations, nor, most importantly of all, the process that produces them all. Second, many of the voices being raised the loudest want us to become even more ignorant of ourselves. On one hand, forgetting the best of ourselves—our values, our principles, our civilization and humanity. And on the other hand, ignoring and denying our mistakes of the past, which we must know in order to stop repeating them and start correcting them.

Since 9/11, ignorance of our enemies and of ourselves has only made matters much worse. To reverse that process, here is a brief overview of what we need to know:

Let’s begin with the process that’s generating terrorism. In an article in The Nation magazine, policy analyst Yousef Munayyer suggested

Rancho San Pedro Development is at Least Two Years Away p. 3

SCIG Railyard Trial Resurrects Old Concerns p. 4 Special Report from Paris p. 8

Nuoc 2030 Speaks to Climate Talks in Paris p. 11

RLn Guide to Holiday Parties, Banquets and Catering p. 12

Former CIA Director John McCone

Accused Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald

Abraham Zapruder film footage in Dallas, Texas, 1963

[See Cover Up, page 6] [See Terror, page 10]

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Memorial at La Place de La République

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Committed to Independent Journalism in the Greater LA/LB Harbor Area for More Than 30 Years

Residents Aggrieved by Homeless Have Their SayBy Kevin Walker, Neon Tommy, Annenberg Digital News

[See Aggrieved, page 5]

Community activists from San Pedro left City Hall satisfied on Nov. 17, after the City Council approved new measures to deal with the Los Angeles’ 26,000 homeless people.

The activists are members of the group Saving San Pedro, which was formed on Facebook earlier this year in response to the neighborhood’s increasingly visible homeless population.

They made the trek from the Waterfront to the Downtown Civic Center to support 15th District Councilman Joe Buscaino, a San Pedro native who now represents the Harbor Area, Watts and Harbor Gateway.

The amendment, which was passed by a 14-0 vote, will add language to municipal code 56.11, giving the Los Angeles Police Department explicit authority to confiscate tents and shelters erected in public spaces between the hours of 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. if the owner refuses to remove them. The city council also passed three other motions to provide emergency shelter and off street parking for the growing homeless population.

“It’s going to uncuff the police and allow them to do the job we want them to do,” said George Palaziol after the meeting.

Palaziol, a founding member of the social media group Saving San Pedro, maintained that while homelessness is not a crime, it is not a legal

protection either. “Drinking in public is not a homeless problem,

doing drugs in public is not a homeless problem,” he said. “That’s just behavior from someone who doesn’t care about their community.”

Some people, like Eric Ares of the Los Angeles Community Action Network disagree. He sees Buscaino’s approach as too reliant on the LAPD and said it does nothing to address the underlying reasons for the city’s homelessness crisis.

“You need services,” he said. “Outreach, drug rehab, things like that. Not just officers to arrest people and push people out of the community.”

Ares said that the amendment will have the practical effect of leaving the city’s most vulnerable out in the rain during an El Niño year.

His group, Los Angeles Community Action Network, is based on skid row, the traditional homeland for Los Angeles’ homeless. He believes that people in outlying neighborhoods like San Pedro are having a hard time adjusting to the citywide reality of a growing homelessness population in Los Angeles.

“They’re not saying ‘end homelessness,’” said Ares. “They’re saying ‘get these people out of San Pedro.’”

San Pedro’s homeless population stands at less than 400, less than 1 percent of Los Angeles’

total. Yet, the issue looms large in the portside community.

At a recent neighborhood council meeting, the president of the Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council, James Preston Allen, was suspended after Thomas Soong of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment issued a last minute notice of non- compliance for having not finished required ethics training. This action is rarely if ever taken by DONE and was ordered by Grayce Liu the director after having communication with Dennis Gleason, Councilman Buscaino’s director of policy.

Allen, who returned to the meeting after completing the online course, says he was not aware of DONE ever excluding a council member because of an incomplete ethics training. And

that the bylaws are particularly vague in regard to the grace period allowed for members who were just renewing their ethics training.

“Everybody was basically ambushed by this thing,” he said after the meeting. “My mistake was not slowing the meeting down and going ‘let’s take a look at this.’” He continued, “the CSPNC bylaws can be read in two ways and we obviously have a disagreement with DONE on their interpretation”.

He has become public enemy No. 1 to Saving San Pedro for his positions on defending the rights of the homelessness and is regularly slammed on their Facebook page with calls for his resignation from the neighborhood council.

During the meeting, Joanne Rallo, another founding member of the Saving San Pedro, read a message to the remaining council members.

“For those board members who continue to support James not only will you make the entire board look bad,” she said, “those members will be putting a target on their own backs that will make the remaining time on this board an unpleasant one.”

Allen later described Rallo’s comments a threat directed at the board.

“Her comments only made it more clear that the Saving San Pedro group had made this a personal attack that was not supported by the community at large or the majority of the CSPNC board,” Allen said.

This past summer, Allen and the neighborhood council came out in favor of the “tiny houses,” small shelters that were given out by local homeless advocates to four homeless individuals living in San Pedro. Saving San Pedro members took the decision as a sign that Allen, who didn’t vote as the chairman of the meeting, and that the

Councilmember Huizar joins Council President Wesson, Mayor Eric Garcetti and colleagues to commit dollars for permanent supportive housing, shelter and services. File photo

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Community Announcements:

Harbor AreaNightly Road Closures Postponed

The temporary nightly road closures in the vicinity of Pico Avenue and Ocean Boulevard to facilitate work over Pico and the on-ramp to westbound Ocean have been postponed.

The Pico on-ramp to westbound Ocean will now be closed nightly from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m,. Nov. 30 through Dec. 3. The Pico underpass at Ocean and the westbound Ocean off-ramp to Pico will now be closed nightly from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., Dec. 4 through 9.

These closures will affect Port traffic headed to Terminal Island (Piers S-T) and San Pedro, and Port traffic that uses Pico Avenue to travel between Piers A-D and Piers E-J. For more information and detour routes refer to the “GDB Replacement Project Work” section below.Details: www.newgdbridge.com/updates/default.asp

Harbor Interfaith Services FundraiserThe Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council

Committee on Homelessness is sponsoring a film night to raise money for Harbor Interfaith Services. The feature is The Soloist, a true story about Los Angeles Times columnist, Steve Lopez, and his encounter with Nathaniel Ayers, a Juillard-traned musician living without a home in downtown Los Angeles. Time: 6:30p.m. Dec. 3Cost: $10; $15 Details: helphis-atthegrand.brownpapertickets.comVenue: Warner Grand Theatre, 478 W. 6th St., San Pedro

New Civic Center Hispanic Town HallDistrict 6 Councilman Dee Andrews will host

a Hispanic Town Hall meeting, at 6 p.m. Dec. 3, at MacArthur Park’s Gamboa Theater in Long Beach.

The meeting will focus on the new Civic Center approved by the City Council in 2014. The public portions of the Long Beach Civic Center Project include a new seismically safe Long Beach City Hall, Port of Long Beach Headquarters and Main Library, along with a redesigned park. The private portions of the project include transit-oriented mixed-used developments, high-rise condominiums and retail.Time: 6 p.m. Dec. 3Details: (562) 570-6816Venue: Gamboa Theater, 1321 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach

West Side Story AuditionMusical Theatre West will have open auditions

for equity and non-equity roles from Dec. 6 through 8 for its upcoming production of West Side Story.

Performers will be asked to audition with a song in the style of the show or a piece from West Side Story. An accompanist will be provided (each performer should bring their own sheet music in their own key).Time: 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Dec. 6 through 8Details: www.musical.org/MusicalTheatreWest/auditions.htmlVenue: Musical Theatre West, 4350 E. 7th St., Long Beach

Coastal SPNC Communications MeetingThe Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council

Communications Committee meeting will take place on Dec. 9 at 6:30 p.m.in the San Pedro High School Olguin Auditorium.Time: 6:30 p.m. Dec. 9Details: http://tinyurl.com/CoastalSPNCHomelessMeetingVenue: San Pedro High School Olguin Campus Auditorium, 3210 S. Alma St., San Pedro Construction Job Fair

This is a free event for residents seeking work in the construction sector, hosted by Plenary-Edgemoor Civic Partners. This is the first major event hiring event for the new Civic CenterTime: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Dec. 9Details: (562) 239-2220Venue: Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach Spay/Neuter Clinics

The Peter Zippi Fund for Animals is once again sponsoring a cat-only mobile spay/neuter clinics for Harbor Area residents in the 90731 and 90744 zip codes. The service includes vet exam, surgery, and pain injection and rabies shot.Time: Dec. 11Cost: $10Details: (310)379-1264; www.lucypetfoundation.orgVenue: Los Angeles Harbor College, 1111 Figueroa Place, Wilmington

On Nov. 18, a consortium of Los Angeles public officials and their team of consultants told an audience of almost 200 community members that redevelopment of Rancho San Pedro is infeasible in the near future. The infeasibility is largely due to scarce public monies. A market environment that will be less than ideal until redevelopment of Port O’Call Village and realignment of Sampson Way, which is at least two years from now is another reason.

The committee consisted of officials from the Los Angeles Housing Authority, City Councilman Joe Buscaino’s District 15 office and the consulting team selected this past spring—Economic & Planning Systems, CSG Advisors and Quatro Design Group. The consulting team actually put the feasibility study together. Bottom line, the committee said, Rancho San Pedro needs more assets to be more attractive to private developers.

Housing Authority community liaison John King applauded Buscaino for prioritizing affordable housing in Watts and San Pedro. King also noted that the process was done under the watchful eye of the Rancho San Pedro’s resident advisory committee.

But King and Buscaino’s economic development advisor, David Robertson, repeatedly noted that even if there were enough public monies to fund Rancho San Pedro, at least two other projects—including Jordan Downs and Rose Hills—are higher priorities

Former Housing Authority board member Dianne Middleton called the meeting a “dog and pony show” designed to placate Rancho residents and affordable housing advocates.

The feasibility study produced four scenarios in which Rancho San Pedro could be redeveloped in the next decade or more.

The scenarios ranged from simply rehabilitating all 479 units to increasing the density of the Rancho San Pedro property by demolishing some units and replacing them with a larger mix of affordable and market rate town houses. One alternative called for demolishing 110 units, rehabilitating 369 units and building 128 affordable townhome units and 44 market rate townhome units on-site. Yet another calls for higher density and the building of off-site affordable housing units at some undetermined location.

Councilman Buscaino restated his desire to improve Rancho San Pedro and that “no one should have to live in World War II housing.” Buscaino and others said that the units should at least have modern appliances.

Both the council office and the Housing Authority officials noted that federal law requires that affordable housing is replaced on a one-to-one basis.

Still, Middleton’s skepticism was common among the meeting’s community attendees. Though King noted that the Housing Authority has adopted right of return rules and other reforms to protect low-income housing tenants, audience members continued to ask for assurances that they would have a right to return in the event of any rehabilitation of Rancho San Pedro.

Neither the council office nor the Housing Authority ever quite explained what they meant by “affordable housing.”

Rancho San Pedro Won’t Be Redeveloped in Near Future By Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor

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Despite more than a decade of welcome environmental progress by local ports, haunting echoes of the China Shipping lawsuit hung in the air on Nov. 16 and 17. Judge Barry P. Goode held a hearing on a lawsuit challenging the Port of Los Angeles and City of Los Angeles and the BNSF railroad over the planned Southern California International Gateway railyard.

As with the China Shipping case, plaintiffs charge that the SCIG railyard was approved in violation of the California Environmental Quality Act, as well as three other similar, central failings: 1) SCIG was allegedly defined improperly as a replacement for BNSF’s Hobart yards in East Los Angeles, rather than an expansion of BNSF’s processing capacity; 2) SCIG’s impacts allegedly were not properly assessed; 3) The correct public process was not followed. A civil rights violation charge was also included—that the project disproportionately impacts communities

of color.“The EIR’s most troubling deficiency is

that it systematically understates the Project’s environmental impacts.” the plaintiffs argued in their opening brief. “First, it presents an artificially narrow description of the Project by never disclosing that SCIG will create new capacity for Port-related cargo....The EIR defines the Project as a near-dock railyard allowing BNSF to handle 1.5 million containers per year. It then claims that the 1.5 million containers handled at SCIG will simply replace an equal number of containers that would otherwise be handled at BNSF’s existing Hobart/Commerce Railyard (‘Hobart’), which is located 24 miles from the Port. Because SCIG is located four miles from the Port, the EIR claims that Project will actually benefit the environment.”

“This characterization of the Project is

Echoes of China ShippingSCIG Railyard Trial Resurrects Old Concerns, Despite Decade of ProgressBy Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor

[See SCIG, page 5]

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The Local Publication You Actually Read Novem

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Aggrieved Have Say

fundamentally inaccurate,” the brief continues. “The record shows that rather than replacing Hobart’s capacity, SCIG will add to it, thereby greatly expanding BNSF’s and the Port’s ability to handle cargo. The record also shows that Hobart will not reduce its rail operations when SCIG commences operation. Indeed, one of the Project’s core purposes is to facilitate cargo growth at the Port so that it will remain competitive with other ports.”

What’s more, “The EIR also posits a baseline for its evaluation of environmental impacts that allows SCIG to claim credit for improvements in air quality that have nothing to do with the Project,” the brief explains. “Thus, while future NOx emissions from trucks will decrease due to state and federal regulations, the EIR frames its analysis to suggest that the Project is responsible for the improvement. CEQA forbids such a misleading analysis.”

“We remain very concerned that the Port of Los Angeles hasn’t done nearly enough to reduce the impacts on the local community,” said Joe Lyou, CEO of the Coalition for Clean Air, one of the wide range of plaintiffs, stretching from some of the state’s poorest communities all the way up to the state attorney general. Both the City of Long Beach and its school system joined the suit, as did the Air Quality Management District, the first time it has ever sued a government entity in a CEQA case. This unprecedented range of parties gave the case a much higher profile than China Shipping originally enjoyed.

“BNSF and the Port of LA took a beating,” said Jesse Marquez, executive director of Communities for a Safe Environment, a plaintiffs represented by the Natural Resources Defense Council. “They were a nervous wreck.”

“There was a lot of inconsistency in the discussion,” added Jan Victor Andasan, an organizer with East Yards Communities for Environmental Justice, another NRDC plaintiff. “Some of the arguments that the BNSF and the Port of LA lawyers shared, the judge would question it, and it didn’t make sense.”

Goode, who has taught environmental law, took the unusual step of generating a long list of detailed questions for the attorneys on both sides, rather

than letting the back-and-forth arguments of each side structure the hearing. something no one involved had ever seen before.

“I have never been in another CEQA court case where the judge had a long list of questions he wanted to have answered,” Marquez said. “It was very good, because he was trying to search out the truth in everything.”

“Of all the many petitioner lawyers working on this case, none of us had ever experienced a judge giving this much time for oral arguments and hearings, and for preparing such detailed questions,” said Morgan Wyenn, an NRDC attorney on the case. “It was very impressive,” she said. “We actually had a call with the judge on Friday before the hearing where he spent the whole hour walking through most of the questions he had.”

Community members attending the trial got an additional sense of vindication from the process. “The judge’s questions mirrored a lot of some of the concerns the community had,” Andasan said. “Some of the questions community members have been trying to get answered since the inception of the project,” he said. “These are things we talk about with our neighbors. These are things we talk about with other community residents that we’re trying to engage.”

Marquez cited the transportation analysis as a key example of this. “When they did the port transportation analysis, basically, they looked at the truck routes. And the truck routes, the way they present it, goes from the port of LA to the SCIG project and back.”

But that ignores all the necessary driving before and after a trucker drives his route, which Marquez had detailed in his public comment—getting the truck from its point of origin, fueling up, getting a chassis, picking up the container, going through inspection, perhaps even getting fumigated, before finally dropping off the container. Then, the container has to be picked up and taken to a storage yard. All these “auxiliary services” generate emissions, noise, etc., each with their own health impacts.

“They saw this as one of the key things to squash as much as possible,” Marquez said. “So what they were arguing was that, ‘Yes the members of the public submitted public comment that had those issues on it, but without the specific addresses of those locations, how can the port possibly go back and update their traffic study without specific data?’ And so the judge was looking at them, like, ‘Wait a minute! It’s impossible for the public to know where all these locations of these services are. The port is in the best position to be able to talk with its clients and tenants to determine what else they are doing.’”

This was typical of why Marquez said the port “took a beating.” But he also pointed to the noise analysis, in which the port used a method that averages noise levels,

SCIG Railyard

[See SCIG, page 7]

[SCIG, from page 4]

[Aggrieved, from page 2]

majority of the members of the council didn’t have the neighborhood’s best interest at heart. The vote was unanimous.

The arrival of the houses on city streets provoked a backlash on social media from residents worried they would create a skid row-like situation, with entrenched encampments dominating sidewalks and parks. Although they were eventually removed, the controversy has lingered and has only been aggravated by the lack of solutions coming from the City Council office.

Nora Hilda, founder of the group Helping the Homeless in Need San Pedro, was also at the meeting and who has supported Allen. Her group spearheaded the Tiny House initiative and still regularly gives out food and basic toiletries to the neighborhood’s homeless.

“I don’t know how the hell you guys can sit here in the meeting and think that it’s OK for human beings to sleep on the ground,” she said.

Hilda believes that the construction of a long-term shelter in San Pedro would solve the neighborhood’s homeless problem.

Ares with LACAN doesn’t think that scenario is very likely.

“It’s a ‘not in my backyard problem,’” he said. “Everyone wants it, but they don’t want it in their homes.”

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acted alone in killing John Kennedy.” The most important information that McCone withheld from the commission in its 1964 investigation, the report found, was the existence, for years, of CIA plots to assassinate Castro, some of which put the CIA in cahoots with the Mafia. Without this information, the commission never even knew to ask the question of whether Oswald had accomplices in Cuba or elsewhere who wanted Kennedy dead in retaliation for the Castro plots.

While raising no question about the essential findings of the Warren Commission, including that Oswald was the gunman in Dallas, the 2013 report is important because it comes close to an official CIA acknowledgement—half a century after the fact—of impropriety in the agency’s dealings with the commission. The coverup by McCone and others may have been “benign,” in the report’s words, but it was a cover-up nonetheless, denying information to the commission that might have prompted a more aggressive investigation of Oswald’s potential Cuba ties.

Initially stamped “SECRET/NOFORN,” meaning it was not to be shared outside the agency or with foreign governments, Robarge’s report was originally published as an article in the CIA’s classified internal magazine, Studies in Intelligence, in September 2013, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. The article, drawn from a still-classified 2005 biography of McCone written by Robarge, was declassified quietly this past fall and is now available on the website of The George Washington University’s National Security Archive. In a statement to Politico, the CIA said it decided to declassify the report “to highlight misconceptions about the CIA’s connection to JFK’s assassination,” including the still-popular conspiracy theory that the spy agency was somehow behind the assassination. (Articles in the CIA magazine are routinely declassified without fanfare after internal review.)

Robarge’s article says that McCone, quickly convinced after the assassination that Oswald had acted alone and that there was no foreign conspiracy involving Cuba or the Soviet Union, directed the agency to provide only “passive, reactive and selective” assistance to the Warren Commission. This portrait of McCone suggests that he was much more hands-on in the CIA’s dealings with the commission—and in the agency’s post-assassination scrutiny of Oswald’s past—than had previously been known. The report quotes another senior CIA official, who heard McCone say that he intended to “handle the whole (commission) business myself, directly.”

The report offers no conclusion about McCone’s motivations, including why he would go to lengths to cover-up CIA activities that mostly predated his time at the agency. But it suggests that the Johnson White House might have directed McCone to hide the information. McCone “shared the administration’s interest in avoiding disclosures about covert actions that would circumstantially implicate [the] CIA in conspiracy theories and possibly lead to calls for a tough U.S. response against the perpetrators of the assassination,” the article reads. “If the commission did not know to ask about covert operations about Cuba, he was not going to give them any suggestions about where to look.”

In an interview, David Slawson, who was the Warren Commission’s chief staff investigator in searching for evidence of a foreign conspiracy,

said he was not surprised to learn that McCone had personally withheld so much information from the investigation in 1964, especially about the Castro plots.

“I always assumed McCone must have known, because I always believed that loyalty and discipline in the CIA made any large-scale operation without the consent of the director impossible,” says Slawson, now 84 and a retired University of Southern California law professor. He says he regrets that it had taken so long for the spy agency to acknowledge that McCone and others had seriously misled the commission. After half a century, Slawson says, “The world loses interest, because the assassination becomes just a matter of history to more and more people.”

The report identifies other tantalizing information that McCone did not reveal to the commission, including evidence that the CIA might somehow have been in communication with Oswald before 1963 and that the spy agency had secretly monitored Oswald’s mail after he attempted to defect to the Soviet Union in 1959. The CIA mail-opening program, which was later determined to have been blatantly illegal, had the code name HTLINGUAL. “It would be surprising if the DCI [director of central intelligence] were not told about the program” after the Kennedy assassination, the report reads. “If not, his subordinates deceived him. If he did know about HTLINGUAL reporting on Oswald, he was not being forthright with the commission—presumably to protect an operation that was highly compartmented and, if disclosed, sure to arouse much controversy.”

In the 1970s, when congressional investigations exposed the Castro plots, members of the Warren Commission and its staff expressed outrage that they had been denied the information in 1964. Had they known about the plots, they said, the commission would have been much more aggressive in trying to determine whether JFK’s murder was an act of retaliation by Castro or his supporters. Weeks before the assassination, Oswald traveled to Mexico City and met there with spies for the Cuban and Soviet governments—a trip that CIA

and FBI officials have long acknowledged was never adequately investigated. (Even so, Warren Commission staffers remain convinced today that Oswald was the lone gunman in Dallas, a view shared by ballistics experts who have studied the evidence.)

In congressional testimony in 1978, after public disclosures about the Castro plots, McCone claimed that he could not have shared information about the plots with the Warren Commission in 1964 because he was ignorant of the plots at the time. Other CIA officials “withheld the information from me,” he said. “I have never been satisfied as to why they withheld the information.” But the 2013 report concluded that “McCone’s testimony was neither frank nor accurate,” since it was later determined with certainty that he had been informed about the CIA-Mafia plots nine months before his appearance before the Warren Commission.

Robarge suggests the CIA is responsible for some of the harsh criticism commonly leveled at the Warren Commission for large gaps in its investigation of the president’s murder, including its failure to identify Oswald’s motive in the assassination and to pursue evidence that might have tied Oswald to accomplices outside the United States. For decades, opinion polls have shown that most Americans reject the commission’s findings and believe Oswald did not act alone. Four of the seven commissioners were members of Congress, and they spent the rest of their political careers badgered by accusations that they had been part of a coverup.

“The decision of McCone and Agency leaders in 1964 not to disclose information about CIA’s anti-Castro schemes might have done more to undermine the credibility of the commission than anything else that happened while it was conducting its investigation,” the report reads. “In that sense—and in that sense alone—McCone may be regarded as a ‘co-conspirator’ in the JFK assassination ‘cover-up.’”

If there was, indeed, a CIA “cover-up,” a member of the Warren Commission was

LAPD Harbor Area Unveiled Little Free LibrarySAN PEDRO—On Nov. 19, the Los Angeles Police Department Harbor Area hosted Harry Bridges Kindergarten students for an unveiling of their Little Free Library

LAPD Harbor Area, in conjunction with The Literacy Group, partnered to establish a Little Free Library inside the Harbor Area Station lobby.

In its most basic form, a Little Free Library is a freestanding bookcase where anyone may stop by and pick up a book and bring back another book to share. Harbor Area’s Little Free Library is registered in a National Registry where community members can locate the library online.

The Harbor Area Community Police Advisory Board along with the Harbor Cadets will serve as stewards of the library teaching them important life skills, ownership of a project, and the importance of community.

Garcetti Announces Program to Assist Students in Military FamiliesSAN PEDRO—On Nov. 12, Mayor Eric Garcetti unveiled a new program that will help deliver essential resources to Los Angeles Unified School District students whose parents or guardians are either veterans or active-duty service members at Leland Elementary School in San Pedro.

Through a new collaboration between the Mayor’s Office of Veterans Affairs, LAUSD, the University of Southern California’s Building Capacity Project and the Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative, the school district will now immediately, upon enrollment, identify students from military families by adding a few simple questions to the district’s mandatory student emergency information forms.

The data collected will help district and school officials direct critical services and apply for new federal funding for campuses with high enrollment among military and veteran-connected families.

Authored by the Building Capacity and Welcoming Practices team at USC, 5,000 resource guides will be distributed throughout the district to assist schools in developing school-based interventions for children in military, Guard, Reserve and veteran families.

POLA Imports DropSAN PEDRO—On Nov. 12, the Port of Los Angeles reported that imports decreased by 3.3 percent, compared to October 2014. POLA handled 358,602 containers loaded with imported goods in October.

For January through October of this year, loaded imports to Los Angeles were down 3 percent over same period this past year. Loaded exports were down 15 percent.

“The past few months of volumes around and above the 700,000 TEU range show that terminals, labor and supply chain partners are adjusting to the cargo surges and other fluctuations that come with the larger vessels that are now calling in L.A. – and that’s a good sign,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said.

Exports dropped 14.7 percent to 134,963 TEUs in October. Factoring in empties, which increased 13.1 percent, overall October volumes of 704,588 decreased 1.5 percent compared to October 2014.

For the first 10 months of 2015, overall volumes (6,824,212 TEUs) are down 2.7 percent compared to the same period in 2014.Current and past data container counts for the POLA may be found at: http://www.portoflosangeles.org/maritime/stats.asp LA Harbor Commission Approves $1.8 Million FEMA GrantsSAN PEDRO—Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners has approved three grants

[Cover Up, from page 1]

Former CIA Director Involved in JFK Cover Up

[See News Briefs, page 7] [See JFK, page 7]

The most important information that McCone withheld from the commission in its 1964 investigation, the report found, was the existence, for years, of CIA plots to assassinate Castro, some of which put the CIA in cahoots with the Mafia. Without this information, the commission never even knew to ask the question of whether Oswald had accomplices in Cuba…

“”

Former president of the United States John F. Kennedy (center) with former CIA directors Allen Dulles (left) and John McCone. File photo

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apparently in on it: Allen Dulles, McCone’s predecessor, who ran the CIA when the spy agency hatched the plots to kill Castro. “McCone does not appear to have any explicit, special understanding with Allen Dulles,” the 2013 report says. Still, McCone could “rest assured that his predecessor would keep a dutiful watch over Agency equities and work to keep the commission from pursuing provocative lines of investigation, such as lethal anti-Castro covert actions.” (Johnson appointed Dulles to the commission at the recommendation of then-Attorney General Robert Kennedy.)

The 2013 report also draws attention to the contacts between McCone and Robert Kennedy in the days after the assassination. In the wake of the Bay of Pigs disaster in 1961, the attorney general was asked by his brother, the president, to direct the administration’s secret war against Castro, and Robert Kennedy’s friends and family acknowledged years later that he never stopped fearing that Castro was behind his brother’s death. “McCone had frequent contact with Robert Kennedy during the painful days after the assassination,” the report says. “Their communication appears to have been verbal, informal and,

evidently in McCone’s estimation, highly personal; no memoranda or transcripts exist or are known to have been made.”

“Because Robert Kennedy had overseen the Agency’s anti-Castro covert actions—including some of the assassination plans—his dealings with McCone about his brother’s murder had a special gravity,” the report continues. “Did Castro kill the president because the president had tried to kill Castro? Had the administration’s obsession with Cuba inadvertently inspired a politicized sociopath to murder John Kennedy?”

The declassification of the bulk of the 2013 McCone report might suggest a new openness by the CIA in trying to resolve the lingering mysteries about the Kennedy assassination. At the same time, there are 15 places in the public version of the report where the CIA has deleted sensitive information—sometimes individual names, sometimes whole sentences. It is an acknowledgement, it seems, that there are still secrets about the Kennedy assassination hidden in the agency’s files.

Read more: http://tinyurl.com/Politico-CIA-coverup. Philip Shenon, a former Washington and foreign correspondent for the New York Times, is author, most recently, of A Cruel and Shocking Act: The Secret History of the Kennedy Assassination.

from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency totaling $1.8 million. The grants will support Port Police security and operation integration initiatives, as well as cyber security infrastructure.

As a condition of the FEMA Port Security Grant Program—a competitive grant program supporting security enhancements at ports nationwide—the port will contribute 25 percent in additional non-federal funds, or $625,000. The match brings total funding for the three port security initiatives to $2.5 million.

The security projects to be undertaken include integration, maintenance and repair of port security systems; integration of external security video feeds from various government departments, terminals and mobile sources; improvements to the port’s mass notification system; and infrastructure upgrades that address a variety of cyber risks associated with port complex security.

CSU Faculty Demand RaiseLONG BEACH—More than 1,000 California State University faculty, and their students, took to the streets, Nov. 17, outside the chancellor’s office in Long Beach.

The group was demanding a 5 percent raise in the midst of negotiations between the CSU Board of Trustees and California Faculty Association representatives.

The CSU Chancellor’s Office and the association are in mediation for 2015-2016 salaries. In October the chancellor’s office rejected a 5 percent general salary increase and the association rejected a 2 percent increase that the office offered instead. The association, which represents faculty in the 23 CSU campuses, voted ended up voting for a strike.

According to the association, the average salary is about $45,000 a year. However, CSU officials say that is not exactly true. They contend that salaries for faculty range from $59,000 to $96,000.

POLB Celebrates Women Working in International TradeLONG BEACH—A heavy equipment operator, port construction manager, shoe company executive and maritime university student encouraged Long Beach young women to explore careers in shipping industry at this week’s fifth annual Celebrating Women in Trade luncheon, Nov. 17, at the Long Beach Convention Center.

More than 300 people attended the event, including 160 local female high school students. The educational outreach event was first created during the Port of Long Beach’s 100th anniversary.

In a panel discussion during the event, women who work in the industry talked about their inspiration, education, and career paths and described their job duties and typical workdays.

rather than measuring peak noise. When it comes to typical night-time noise from trucks and locomotives, “It can wake you up because it’s so loud,” Marquez said. Averaging it out over long stretches of quiet bears no resemblance to the real-life impacts.

Another result of the detailed questioning was that a second phase of the trial, dealing with questions of due process, which was held over to Jan. 28. Key concerns here involved the Los Angeles City Council review process, including Councilman Joe Buscaino’s high-profile advocacy for the SCIG, which should have required him to recuse himself from the vote. There were broader procedural failings as well, to be taken up in January. The judge has promised to rule within 90 days, but it’s unclear when that clock starts ticking. The civil rights claim will only be considered after that.

The port sought to put a positive spin on things, saying in a statement, “The City of Los Angeles, Port of Los Angeles and BNSF Railway were pleased to have the opportunity to address and refute the legal challenges by petitioners to the final Environmental Impact Report for the proposed SCIG intermodal railyard project at trial.” However, further comment in response to questions was refused.

In another parallel with China Shipping, the case appears to mark a potential policy watershed.

“This case sets the tone for environmental analysis for the ports in the future,” Wyenn said. “We’re really at an interesting crossroads in terms of advanced technology, awareness of the severe health impacts, leadership by the governor, and state of California, and the California Air Resources Board, and many other agencies to really transform the freight industry in California. This case is right in the middle of all that, and plays a huge role in what we can hope to see from that transformation in the future.”

As an example of how the port was out of step, the brief notes, “the EIR summarily dismisses all effective mitigation for the Project’s admittedly significant air quality impacts, including the Project’s exceedance of the nitrogen dioxide (‘NO2’) standard. The Air District implored the Port to adopt mitigation requiring the use of cleaner, ‘zero emission’ trucks and more ‘Tier 4’ locomotives by 2020—measures identified as essential in the Port’s own Strategic Plan and Clean Air Action Plan—but the agency refused.”

This points to one of the most perplexing aspects of the case.

As mentioned at the beginning, both local ports have come a long way since the China Shipping settlement in 2003. They’ve made dramatic environmental improvements which have received national, even international recognition. And yet…

“I don’t understand why they’ve chosen to adhere to old ways of thinking in terms of EIR analysis and their relationship with the community and the state. I really don’t know,” Wyenn said. “There’s people at the port who really do want the Port of LA to be more of a leader, and yet it seems that there’s still a lot of foot-dragging.”

Given the past progress, “I really

[SCIG, from page 5]

[News Briefs, from page 6]

don’t know why they took the positions that they did on the SCIG, and why they haven’t just stopped the fight,” she said. “We’ve been fighting over the project for many years, and at any point the City of LA, the Port of LA could have just hit the pause button and say that they were wrong, and that they want to do better, and that they’re changing what they want to do with SCIG. But they haven’t done that. They’ve continued to fight it.... It honestly doesn’t make any sense to me.”

It seems like everyone from local residents to the AQMD to the Attorney General is equally as puzzled.

SCIG: Echos of China ShippingFormer CIA Director Involved in JFK Cover Up

[JFK, from page 6]

JFK Cover Up

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“A newspaper is not just for reporting the news as it is, but to make people mad enough to do some-

thing about it.”

Columnists/ReportersLyn Jensen ReporterGina Ruccione Restaurant Reviewer Andrea Serna Arts WriterMelina Paris Culture Writer

Publisher/Executive EditorJames Preston Allenjames@randomlengthsnews.comAssoc. Publisher/Production CoordinatorSuzanne MatsumiyaManaging EditorTerelle Jerrickseditor@randomlengthsnews.com

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Design/ ProductionSuzanne Matsumiya, Ashley WrightAdvertising RepresentativesDavid Johnson, rlnsales@randomlengthsnews.comAshley Wrightreads@randomlengthsnews.comEditorial Intern Arlo Tinsman-Kongshaug

—Mark TwainVol. XXXVI : No. 24

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.

CartoonistsAnn Cleaves, Andy Singer, Matt Wuerker

Random Lengths News editorial office is located at 1300 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro, CA 90731, (310) 519-1016. Address correspondence regarding news items and news tips only to Random Lengths News, P.O. Box 731, San Pedro, CA 90733-0731, or email to editor @randomlengthsnews.com.Send Letters to the Editor or requests for subscription information to james @randomlengthsnews.com. To be considered for publication, all Letters to the Editor should be typewritten, must be signed, with address and phone number included (these will not be published, but for verification only) and be kept to about 250 words. To submit advertising copy email adv@randomelengthsnews.com or reads@randomlengthsnews.com.Extra copies and back issues are available by mail for $3 per copy while supplies last. Subscriptions are available for $36 per year for 27 issues.Random Lengths News presents issues from an alternative perspective. We wel-come articles and opinions from all people in the Harbor Area. While we may not agree with the opinions of contributing writers, we respect and support their 1st Amendment right to express those opinions. Random Lengths News is a member of Standard Rates and Data Reporting Services and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. (ISN #0891-6627). All contents Copyright 2015 Random Lengths News. All rights reserved.

It’s hard to describe the feelings of just one week ago, because so many emotions have since piled up, one upon the other. You can’t peel it back. Unlike the rest of the world, and even most of Paris, this was happening in our neighborhood—a feeling too similar to the Charlie Hebdo massacre in January. The murderers chose the Boulevard Voltaire, surely not because such buffoonish and nihilistic individuals had any grasp of the symbolism; more likely, because the broad boulevard (where a million people marched in united outrage after Charlie Hebdo just 10 months ago), would not be congested on a Friday night. Unlike many of the arteries of the city, Boulevard Voltaire would be conducive to moving rapidly from place to place. A car could get in from the east or north “doors” to city and get about relatively freely.

There are signs that something is wrong—that second of doubt you look back at and recognize as the moment things changed, as the dividing line between before and after. These days that moment comes via Facebook or Twitter. For me, it was an online post on my phone, from one friend to another, with the deceptively mundane words, “We’re okay.” Seconds later, my youngest daughter was calling. She was at her mom’s house that night, 15 minutes by foot from our flat. Because we live right off the boulevard that

the terrorists chose as their murderous axis, we were in the middle of the horror.

My daughter had left the house on foot an hour previously, just as I, returning from work on Line 9 Métro, had passed directly under the Bataclan concert hall. The Bataclan is two blocks west of us. The Belle Equipe café, where another massacre took place, is visible up the street. Further west down the Boulevard Voltaire is the restaurant and bar where the first hail of bullets was unleashed, where the first deaths set horror into motion.

I told my daughter we were fine. She was shaken. My wife, Amy, understood something awful was happening from the tone of my daughter’s voice. Her call was a clue that fell into place: the sound of sirens were already filling the night, nothing surprising in itself, the side street next to our house, a famous but narrow north-south axis, is a preferred route of ambulances going from the Place de la Bastille to hospitals along the less congested east-west boulevards to the north, of which Voltaire is one.

I was experiencing, but was not quite processing, the narrative of the evening. I looked at the street downstairs. All the shops and cafés were closed up. No one was on the street.

Ironically, the broad Parisian boulevards were

Special Report from the 11th arrondissement

On the Street at Place deLa République, ParisWilliam Below, Jr., Paris Bureau

The Monday before Thanksgiving was one

of those bright and beautiful Southern California days—clear and not too hot. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti came to the bow of the U.S.S. Iowa to announce that the Navy had agreed to make the Port of Los Angeles one of its West Coast stops for Fleet Week 2016. Scheduled during the week of Labor Day, the tour is expected to draw large crowds to this often forgotten waterfront.

Along with some 5,000-some-odd sailors in Navy whites walking the streets, some speculate that the families of those sailors could bring15,000 or more through LAX and stay in area hotels. This, of course, is a major boon for tourism in the City of Angels, where in 2014 the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board recorded 44.2 million visitors—two million more than in 2013. Some travel and tourist reports rank Los Angeles as the No. 1 destination, surpassing New York after some 570,000 Chinese visited this city recently. All of this bodes well for those with visions of making the Los Angeles waterfront a world-class attraction.

Tourism isn’t the only area where Los Angeles ranks first. Less than a half mile from this press conference, overlooking this great industrial port that generates $290 billion in

Prix and other major events, just to keep up appearances. But appearances can be deceiving and in this case they don’t solve the problem. So what’s a city to do?

There are a few actions Los Angeles could take while waiting for FEMA’s response. First, a portion of the bed tax on hotels should be transferred to the homeless housing fund starting Jan. 1, 2016. If tourism dollars are up, the hotel bed tax would be an appropriate source of revenue to start giving the appearance that the city actually cares.

Second, there should be a similar bed tax for Airbnb vacation rental units—the company and business

model that is currently being debated by the Los Angeles City Council. The proceeds of this tax should go to the homeless fund because this unregulated business model is actually taking rental units off the local market and directly or indirectly affecting the affordable rental market in Los Angeles. There is cause and effect here that shouldn’t go unnoticed.

Third, there needs to be a gentrification fee attached to any building permit that converts low-income rental property into market rate hipster digs or reinstate the provision that 15 percent of all new developments should be low income “affordable housing” units.

And last but not least, the city council needs to define what exactly “affordable housing” really means in a city where $30,000 a year barely places a family of four above the poverty line. These are actions the city council can do while the mayor is waiting on an answer from Washington, D.C.

In the end, Angelenos should be as offended by the gulf between the chronically impoverished and the top 1 percent in our city as they are about problems connected to homelessness on our streets and parks.

While money alone will not solve the problem of sheltering the most vulnerable among us, it is a key ingredient. The three suggestions noted above could become a revenue stream to start what will take years to resolve.

Disclaimer : Nothing in this editorial or the pages of this newspaper should be taken as the official position of the Central San Pedro Neighborhood council, to which I was elected president in 2014, nor does it reflect the opinions of any of its board members. The opinions expressed here are my own.

revenue per year, is an entrenched homeless encampment in the shadow of the U.S. Post Office—a symbol of the fact that our city also ranks first in the number of residents without shelter every night.

A few months ago, the mayor called homelessness in Los Angeles to be officially designated a “state of emergency.” The Los Angeles City Council even voted on Nov. 17 to give him the tools to act on the crisis. But he hesitated, choosing instead to wait for the director of Federal Emergency Management Agency to respond to the hypothetical question, “If I declare a state of emergency, will the feds step in and support it?”

One might posit that there is a linkage between creating a world-class tourist destination and eliminating the homeless problem. Many cities just hide the problem or ship homeless people out of town during major tourist events. Long Beach has often been accused of sending their homeless over the bridges to San Pedro ahead of the Grand

A Beautiful Day on the Bow of the U.S.S. IowaGarcetti, the Navy and the HomelessBy James Preston Allen, Publisher

[See Paris, page 9]

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RANDOMLetters

designed in the 1850s by Baron Haussmann, in part so that the police and the army could move quickly through the city to put down insurrections—memories of the revolution of 1848 were still fresh. But Boulevard Voltaire also connects a number of popular neighborhoods—Oberkampf, Canal Saint-Martin, Charonne—that are teeming with mostly young people on any Friday night.The Bataclan is on the same broad boulevard, three blocks to the west of Place Léon Blum, just to the south of Père Lachaise cemetery.

One of the persistent but false media reports was of an attack on the Boulevard Beaumarchais, where my daughter lives when she is with her mother. Eventually, that bit of misinformation faded away. My daughter’s reports were more accurate than any network. But it was on that boulevard, a wide east-west avenue stretching from Place de La République to Place de La Bastille, that the emergency crews set up their staging area, dispatching the various vehicles carrying the wounded to hospitals on both sides of the Seine.

As we watched along with the whole world, news reports focused on the Bataclan, first

announcing a hostage situation and then a massacre. As we heard the totals, as we watched the reports, how could we fathom any of the numbers, any of the images—any of what was happening, or even that it was happening right down the street? How could I get my head around the horror that was being inflicted upon people with whom I had no doubt crossed paths an hour before? Or people who taken Line 9 with me, traveled in the same car—perhaps in the next seat—but had gotten off the train one station before my stop?

We stayed inside most of the next day. The neighborhood was quiet, almost normal. In the late afternoon, I convinced Amy to come out with me. We walked down the street and lit candles in front of the Bataclan. Just as with the Charlie Hebdo massacre, the world press was camped in front of the site, their reporters, lights, satellite dishes and generators launching their accounts of events all over the world. There was a bizarre, almost festive atmosphere among them. Just another day at work, I suppose.

As Amy and I lit candles, a Los Angeles Times photographer snapped a picture of us, documenting our small, somber walk to get fresh air and somehow get our heads around what had happened. The next

day our photo was on the front page of the Sunday paper.

We were safe. Our family was safe. One of my colleagues lost his wife. While he was in China on a photo shoot, she made the fatal choice to have dinner with friends at a local café.

Tonight, exactly one week later, Amy and I had dinner at La Robe de la Girafe, a favorite neighborhood bistro of ours. The owner wasn’t there. He was staying away after losing three friends last Friday. We knew we were among those spared direct tragedy.

Halfway through dinner, TV cameras appeared outside the restaurant window, their lights peering through the curtains like burglars. They were surely doing a one-week-later piece on the neighborhood, documenting the packed restaurant and the peculiar spirit of Parisians. At precisely 9:20 p.m., the lights dimmed and the music went up. Spontaneously, we all stood and took each other’s hands, forming an unbroken chain throughout the restaurant. When the music was over and the lights returned we all applauded, then returned to what Parisians do so well, enjoying life, food, wine, conversation, unafraid, unapologetic, indomitable.

William Below Jr. is a Los Angeles native with family ties to the San Pedro Harbor Area, who lives in Paris.

Paris

About Feeding the Pigeons

I just read your article [Don’t Feed the Pigeons (or the Homeless) RLn Oct. 31, 2015] and I found it to be fair, understanding, compassionate and in search of and discussing a solution(s).

The people at the [Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council] meeting tonight were hostile and totally blind to the seriousness of their actions. There must have been 50 teenagers at the meeting and the example the audience set for them was just horrible.

The idea of neighborhood council’s is not to be a vigilante committee, but to be a bridge to making choices in the best interest of all community members. Like it or not, our neighborhoods are slowly becoming places with more and more homeless. We can’t just go around screaming about it. This is a national tragedy and a very deep wound in our nation’s side. Unfortunately, this problem needs to be faced head on and not shoved under the rug. We do need solutions that work. Your article was so gentle, thoughtful and resonated good will for all who come to San Pedro. The “haters” really don’t know what they are endorsing. The tide will turn as it always does and many in that room

tonight will have to revisit their personal vendetta on poverty and homelessness.

Dorsay Dujon, Los Angeles

Thank you,

James Preston AllenPublisher

More Letters on Homeless

Editor’s note: Random Lengths News received a slew of letters to the editor from San Pedro High School students on stories published this past summer ranging from RLn’s coverage of the community debate on homelessness, the potential dangers of Rancho LPG and the 50th anniversary of the Watts Rebellion.

The students did an admirable job deconstructing the issues covered in RLn that piqued their interest. The result was more than 10,000 words from high school students engaging the most topical issues today. In the interest of space, we organized the letters thematically and chose to run the letters commenting on stories related RLn’s coverage of homelessness in the Harbor Area first. See more of the students’ letters at www.randomlengthsnews.com

San Pedro Homeless Crisis

I have recently found out that there has been a growing population of homeless people in San Pedro. Where are they coming from? I have a theory that they are coming from LA and other cities and just finding random places to live. The city council says it is “impossible” for this situation to go away. The truth is it’s not. We can easily get rid of these homeless people by giving them a 6-month shelter with running water and toilets [that] would be the first step toward giving people dignity and self-worth and make them feel like a productive part of society again. This process to get these homes up and running is very crucial. The faster this happens the faster the city of San Pedro can look cleaner and the residents of San Pedro can be more proud of their city. All these controversies about where they are going to put the homeless people has created a big pretext for not taking care of this situation. The city of San Pedro needs to stop making excuses and take action. I am glad to say that the city council has been having meetings about this and more people are learning about it and wanting to help. If we work together we can help these poor people get back on their feet and revive this lovely city.

Luna ManzanoSan Pedro

Re: Locals Vent about homeless at Coastal SPNC Meeting

Reading the article, “Locals Vent about Home-less at Coastal SPNC Meeting” made me feel very ignominious because it shows how people waste their lives. It is sad and devastating seeing that so many people did not care and how they are taking their life for granted. This situation causes low expectations for new residents, new students, and business. These homeless people cause discomfort, many controversies and crucial issues. I agree with those who say it is a waste of time and resources having the homeless arrested and even providing a shelter for them.

I think that by taking away the shelter they would start to realize that they will not have help and maybe strive to get a job. If not that, I think the police should enforce more laws in reducing the amounts of homeless people. I disagree that homeless are exposed to many dangers, including: illness, theft, and assault. I disagree with this statement because in controversy the homeless cause us to have danger, illness, theft and assault.

Sarai PenalonzoSan Pedro

Helping the Homeless in Need

Love, stability, and peace can be found at home most of the time,

so that everyone should be able to try to obtain one.

You don’t choose your circumstances, but you can choose the way you overcome those hard situations. People are sometimes too lazy to work hard, to find a job, or even to dream. However we can’t blame anyone for being lazy, because we all are; instead we can contribute to our society just as Nora Vela did. I certainly believe that Nora Vela’s organization is the best example in San Pedro to learn and teach ourselves to care about making our society better.

Frank Pereyda agrees with the fact that our collective loss of access to our waterfront is a real matter. My perception of heroes is

[Paris, from page 8]

[See Letters, page 18]

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“the best way to think about comprehensive counter-terror strategy is the boiling-pot analogy. Imagine that you’re presented with a large pot of scalding water and your task is to prevent any bubbles from reaching the surface. You could attack each bubble on its way up.” Or you could “turn down, or off, the flame beneath the pot; to address the conditions that help generate terrorism.”

To date, we’ve focused on the bubbles, not the flame of terrorism, ignoring the underlying conditions, if not making them worse. “In the case of ISIS, no event did more to create the conditions for its emergence than the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the subsequent dissolution of the Iraqi state,” Munayyer wrote. One of the key big lies used to sell the Iraq War put forth the claim that Saddam Hussein was collaborating with al Qaeda, which he actually despised. Only after the invasion and several years of insurgent resistance did a core group of former Baathist leaders join key elements of al Qaeda in Iraq to form what became ISIS.

Given those conditions, ISIS and its allies intend to make things worse. As anthropologist Scott Atran explained in The Guardian, “The greater the reaction against Muslims in Europe and the deeper the west becomes involved in military action in the Middle East, the happier ISIS leaders will be. Because this is about the organisation’s key strategy: finding, creating and managing chaos.”

Atran went on to note that “There is a recruitment framework. The Grey Zone, a 10-page editorial in ISIS’ online magazine Dabiq in early 2015, describes the twilight area occupied by most Muslims between good and evil, the caliphate and the infidel, which the ‘blessed operations of Sept. 11 ‘brought into relief.’” Their aim is to do everything possible to eliminate that grey zone, to force Muslims to choose sides. Although the vast majority of Muslims have chosen sides against terror, rejecting the notion that it has anything to do with Islam, responding to terror in kind can erode the position of moderate Muslims, especially the young.

Lydia Wilson, a research fellow at the Centre for the Resolution of Intractable Conflict at Oxford, interviewed ISIS prisoners in Iraq. In The Nation, she wrote about what she learned. They were not the textbook religious fanatics you might expect:

These boys came of age under the disastrous American occupation after 2003, in the chaotic and violent Arab part of Iraq, ruled by the viciously sectarian Shia government of Nouri al-Maliki. Growing up Sunni Arab was no fun. A later interviewee described his life growing up under American occupation: He couldn’t go out, he didn’t have a life, and he specifically mentioned that he didn’t have girlfriends. An Islamic State fighter’s biggest resentment was the lack of an adolescence.

This is not to say that all ISIS recruits are like these. Conditions in Iraq then, and in Syria today, are much more brutal than in Europe, for example. But it does underscore how much the growth of terrorism comes out of the breakdown of a healthy social order. It reinforces the importance of nourishing a positive environment—not imposing our own version of what that means, but supporting what different people choose for themselves.

At our best, this is what we do, what we stand for. It’s why America has the most diverse

population on Earth, especially in cities like Los Angeles, where becoming an American doesn’t mean abandoning your cultural heritage, but sharing it with others. If anything, our collective experience makes us ideally able to support others around the world in finding similar ways of living together in peace.

But there’s another side to our history as well—and not ours alone.

In an excerpt from his book, Islamic State: The Digital Caliphate, published in Salon, Abdel Bari Atwan noted that “for centuries Western countries have sought to harness the power of radical Islam to serve the interests of their own foreign policy.” It began with the British, long before us. Wrote Atwan, “From the sixteenth century onwards, Britain not only championed the Ottoman Empire but also supported and endorsed the institution of the caliphate and the Sultan’s claim to be the caliph and leader of the ummah (the Muslim world).”

Throughout this long era there was no “tradition” of religious terrorism, or violent jihad. It was changing geopolitics, nothing spiritual or religious, which brought that about. During World War I, the Ottoman Empire allied itself with Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. At that point, the British decided it was time for an Arab caliphate, instead, someone they could trust—Hussein bin Ali Hussein, the sherif of Mecca, who Atwan noted was claimed to be a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. “It is a strange thought that, just 100 years ago, the prosecutors of today’s War on Terror were promising to restore the Islamic caliphate to the Arab world and defend it militarily,” he noted.

What happened next was popularized in the 1960s movie, Lawrence of Arabia. A good deal more happened in the shadows—including the carving up of Arab lands into spheres of French and British influence. A unified Arab replacement for the Ottoman Empire had never been part of the plan. To the contrary, British policy everywhere was “divide and rule,” keep naturally unified cultures divided locally by warring political powers, in order to secure what Britain really cared about in the grand scheme of things.

Manipulating religious identity was merely a means to this end—and it has persisted in different variations ever since, particularly when oil entered the equation, but there was another major concern Atwan noted:

“The United States, UK, and European powers were also deeply troubled by the cohesive potential of Arab Nationalism, a hugely popular movement led by Egypt’s

Beyond Terror[Terror, from page 1]

[See Beyond, page 19]

Policy analyst for The Nation magazine Yousef Munayyer. File photo

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Nuoc 2030 didn’t get the attention it deserved when it premiered at the San Pedro International Film Festival in October. That is a shame, considering its proximity to the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11.

The conference intends to achieve a universal and enforceable agreement on the world’s climate — despite failing to achieve such an agreement at 20 previous annual conferences.

Nuoc 2030 is a piece of science fiction more-or-less based on that failure. It’s set in Vietnam in not-so-distant 2030, where rising sea levels have driven 80 percent of the population from Ho Chi Minh City. Those that remain live on floating barges and a few specks of land above water. Fittingly, “nuoc” is the Vietnamese word for “water.”

Although the film’s message is obvious, it is not heavy-handed. Filmmaker Minh Nguyen-Vo takes a Shakespearian approach to telling this story. Underpinned by the beautiful cinematography of Bao Nguyen, Nuoc 2030 depicts a different kind of dystopian future, enabling Nguyen-Vo to seamlessly weave the film’s environmental themes into a plot driven by a love triangle and mysterious murder, ultimately achieving a film that spans many genres.

Nuoc 2030 opens with a wife (Sao) grieving the apparent murder of her husband (Thi). With the use of well-placed and neatly executed flashbacks, Nguyen-Vo unveils the couple’s backstory: a happy one, despite the hard scarcity of water and food as well as Thi’s desire to remain on his family’s land, which is under water.

The effects of climate change pervade the movie, relentlessly revealing how completely the facts of life have changed from a diet abundant in seafood, but with few quality fruits and vegetables to balance it. People must buy large jugs of water for drinking and bathing. It even affects sexual relations and family planning.

Climate change has also transformed land disputes into territorial water disputes between private individuals. Large corporations buy up whatever land masses remain and charge exorbitantly for food, which is genetically engineered in laboratories and grown on floating farms.

Nuoc 2030 Water and Absolute Truth Ahead of the Paris Summit on Climate Change

By Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor

[See Nuoc, page 14]

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Harbor Area Restaurants

Lend a Helping Hand

Preparing Thanksgiving dinner for the whole family year after year can be a real chore, not to mention irritating when distant relatives you never see show up on your doorstep with their own take-home containers.

Here are a few Harbor Area restaurants Random Lengths recommends to shirk your workload.

Queen Mary You can enjoy first-class dining aboard

the world-famous Queen Mary and celebrate Thanksgiving in style. Reserve your table at Sir

Winston’s, Chelsea Chowder House before it’s too late. Otherwise you can walk into the Promenade Cafe (walk-ins welcome) for their award winning brunch, before their tables are full.

Sir Winston’s Restaurant & Lounge award-winning cuisine features a diverse menu of traditional favorites. But if that weren’t enough, pianist Scott McDonald will tickle standard tunes on the ivory keys standard tunes for your musical

entertainment. Hours of operations are from 12 to 7 p.m. Costs range from $20 to $68. Reserve your seats at (562) 499-1657. Parking is $7 with a 3-hour restaurant validation.

Football fans can catch NFL games at the Observation Bar and Chelsea Chowder House. Join everybody for delicious roast turkey and all your Thanksgiving favorites. No trip to Chelsea’s would be complete without trying one of their signature chowders. Hours of operations are from

5 to 10 p.m. Costs are between $20 and $45. For details call (562) 499-1685.

The Promenade Cafe is casual and fun with a friendly atmosphere. Bring the family for a classic Thanksgiving Day dinner overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Hours of operations are from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Cost per meal range from $20 to $40.

The rest of the family can burn off holiday calories by visiting Chill - where you can go ice skating, ice tubing, or marvel at the incredible Ice Kingdom.

Please note: The Tea Room will be closed on Thanksgiving. The Midship Marketplace and Observation Bar will be open during their regularly scheduled hours.

Details: www.queenmary.comVenue: 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach

www.RandomLengthsNews.com

Season of Giving & Gathering

Sir Winston Restaurant on the deck of the Queen Mary.

Lamb chops are just a taste of the culinary wonders at Sir Winston’s Restaurant.

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www.RandomLengthsNews.com

Season of Giving & Gathering

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Big Nick’s PizzaTradition, 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, of course, our amazing selection of signature pizzas, each piled high with the freshest toppings. Like wings or greens? We also offer an excellent selection of appetizers, salads, beer and wine. Call for fast delivery. Hours: 10

a.m.-11 p.m. Sun.-Thurs., 10 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Fri. & Sat. Big Nick’s Pizza • 1110 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro • (310) 732-5800 • www.facebook.com/BigNicks

BuoNo’s autheNtic PizzeriaA San Pedro landmark for over 40 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 hand-selected i n g r e d i e n t s that are p r e p a r e d fresh. You can dine-in

or take-out. Delivery and catering are also provided. Additionally, there are two locations in Long Beach. Hours: Sun.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri. and Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. • Buono’s Pizzeria • 1432 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro • (310) 547-0655 • www.buonospizza.com

haPPy DiNerThe Happy Diner isn’t your average diner. If you pay attention to its special menu on blackboards, it’s almost a certainty you’re going

to find something new each week. The cuisine runs the gamut of Italian and Mexican to American continental. The Happy Diner chefs are always creating something new. They believe that if an item is good, its reputation

will get around by word of mouth. You can even find items normally found at curbside lunch trucks. You can take your pick of grilled salmon over pasta or tilapia and vegetables, prepared any way you like. Try their chicken enchiladas soup made from scratch. Happy Diner • (310) 241-0917 • 617 S. Centre St., San Pedro

Niko’s PizzeriaOne of downtown San Pedro’s signature restaurants features a full Italian menu, huge selection of pizzas, Greek specialties and a beer and wine bar featuring a wide selection of beers

on tap and by the bottle. Watch sporting events on plasma TV screens throughout the r e s t a u r a n t . Delivery service to all of San

Pedro, Port locations and hotels. 399 W. 6th St., San Pedro (at the corner of Mesa and 6th sts.) • (310) 241-1400

PhiLie B’s oN siXthOwner Philie Buscemi welcomes you to Philie B’s on Sixth, where New York–style pizza, Sicilian rice balls and pizza by-the-slice are the specialties. Fresh hot or cold sandwiches,

gourmet pizzas and fresh salads are also served. Try the “white pizza” with smooth ricotta, mozzarella and sharp Pecorino-Romano cheeses topped with torn fresh basil. Extended hours accommodate San Pedro’s unique lifestyle and work schedules. Catering and fast, free

local delivery ($15 min.) available. Philie B’s On Sixth • 347 W. 6th Street, San Pedro (310) 514-2500 www.philiebsonsixth.com

SaN PeDrO BreWiNG COMPaNyA microbrewery 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. Wi-Fi bar connected for Web surfing and email—bring your laptop. Live music on Saturdays. Hours:

From 11:30 a.m., daily. San Pedro Brewing Company • 331 W. 6th St., San Pedro • (310) 831-5663 • www.sanpedrobrewing.com

soNNy’s Bistro aND thiNk caféSonny and Carly Ramirez are the husband and wife team behind Sonny’s Bistro and Think Café. They operate both establishments: Sonny works in the kitchens and Carly attends the front of the house. The hands-on attention to detail makes their restaurants so successful, in both

quality of food and service. Sonny’s Bistro’s lunch and dinner menus feature dishes made from locally sourced and hand–selected meats, seafood and seasonal vegetables. Try the $10 lunch menu served Mon. through Friday. Think

Café serves breakfast in addition to lunch and dinner with fresh egg dishes, omelettes and griddlecakes. Both restaurants have a fine selection of wines and beers that complement the dishes. Sonny’s Bistro • 1420 W. 25th St., San Pedro. Hours: Mon-Fri, 11:30 a.m.-9

p.m., Sat and Sun. from 4 p.m. • (310) 548-4797. Think Café • 302 W. 5th St., San Pedro • Hours: Mon-Sat. 8 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun. 8 a.m.- 2 p.m. • (310) 519-3662.

THe WHale & aleSan Pedro’s British gastro pub offers comfortable dining in an oak–paneled setting, featuring English fish & chips, roast prime rib, sea bass, rack of lamb, beef Wellington, meat pies, salmon,

swordfish & vegetarian d i s h e s . Open for lunch & d i n n e r , 7 d a y s /wk; great selection of

wines; 14 British tap ales, & full bar. Frequent live music. First Thursdays live band & special fixed price menu. Hours: Mon.-Thu. 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Fri. 11:30 a.m.-midnight Sat. & Sun. 1-10 p.m. Bar open late. The Whale & ale • 327 W. 7th St., San Pedro • (310) 832-0363 • www.whaleandale.com

striPe caféStripe Café Executive Chef Brett Hickey’s focus is on plant-based fare, with farm-to-table option

h i g h l i g h t i n g his conscious cuisine. The quality food is fresh, organic and natural. Everything is made in-house and brings the seasons

in, while having good prices. Hickey’s menu is full of delightful surprises: salmon smoked each day, Nutella latte, lavender-infused olive oil cake topped with lemon curd, and daily fresh soups. The café is open for lunch, but pop-up dinners have already become highly anticipated special events. Reservations for October 8, 9, 10 dinners being taken now. Stripe Café • 5504 Crestridge road, rancho Palos Verdes • Mon-Sat 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., • (310) 541.2479

Include Your Restaurant in the Dining Guide In Print & Online • (310) 519-1442

Waterfront DiningBOarDWalk Grill

Casual waterfront dining at its finest! Famous for slabs of Chicago-style baby back ribs, fish-n-chips, rich clam chowder, cold beer on tap

and wine. Full lunch menu also includes salads, sandwiches and burgers. Indoor and outdoor patio dining available. Proudly pouring Starbucks coffee. Open 7 days a week. Free Parking. Boardwalk Grill • 1199 Nagoya Way, la Harbor - Berth 77, San Pedro • (310) 519-7551

POrTS O’ Call WaTerFrONT DiNiNGSince 1961 they’ve extended a hearty welcome to visitors from every corner of the globe. Delight in an awe-inspiring view of the dynamic L.A. Harbor while

enjoying exquisite coastal California cuisine and varietals. Relax in the plank bar or outdoor patio for the best happy hour on the waterfront. With the award-winning Sunday champagne brunch, receive the first Spirit Cruises harbor cruise of the day free. Open 7 days, lunch and dinner. Free Parking. Ports O’Call Waterfront Dining • 1199 Nagoya Way, la Harbor - Berth 76, San Pedro • (310) 833-3553 www.Portsocalldining.com

sPirit cruisesAn instant party! Complete with all you need to relax and enjoy while the majesty of the harbor slips by. Their three

yachts and seasoned staff provide an exquisite excursion every time, and all-inclusive pricing makes party planning easy! Dinner cruise features a three course meal, full bar, unlimited cocktails and starlight dancing. Offering the ultimate excursion for any occasion. Free parking. Spirit Cruises • 1199 Nagoya Way, la Harbor - Berth 77, San Pedro • (310) 548-8080, (562) 495-5884 • www.spiritmarine.com

Michael’s on Naples: Antinori Wine Dinner

By Gina RuccioneRestaurant and Cuisine Writer

The Nov. 11 Antinori wine and dinner pairing at Michael’s on Naples Ristorante was a mind blowing culinary experience. This should come as no surprise, as Michael’s on Naples just came in 10th on the Zagat Top 50 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles for 2016.

Sometimes food is only as good as the company and wine it is paired with, but when the food, wine and company are actually outstanding together, the trifecta is a game changer.

Maybe the impact of the evening had something to do with a heaping mound of freshly grated white truffles on a small serving of risotto that was paired with my very first sip of Amarone wine. Whatever it was, something clicked in that moment. It was exactly like the scene from the movie, Ratatoullie, when the food critic, Anton Ego, takes a bite of ratatoullie and is immediately transported back to his childhood, a nostalgic moment that melts his hard exterior and all of a sudden, he’s changed forever.

That night was my Ratatoullie moment. And, while moments are fleeting, this was one of those instances that seemed to linger for a while. It was a reminder to slow down, appreciate simple things in life, like a great food or excellent wine, and just be thankful.

Enough of that. Let’s talk food shop. The wine dinner consisted of five courses,

each paired with a wine. But this is much more than, “Oh, red meat goes with red wine.”

Just to give a bit of perspective, the Antinori family has been making wine in Italy since the late 1100s.

There’s are reasons certain dishes are paired with particular wines.

There were a couple of dishes on the menu that really stood out, in part because they were paired with exceptional wine.

Gambero alla Griglia: A grilled Kaui prawn with Meyer lemon marmalade and watercress that was paired with a 2013 Orvieto Superiore “San Giovanni” Castello Della Sala. Isn’t that a mouthful? What I particularly enjoyed about this dish was the sensation of different flavors that were so apparent with each sip of wine and bite of prawn, ranging from peppery to sweet orange. It was outstanding!

Orecchiette con Coniglio: Pasta with devil’s gulch ranch rabbit sausage, Tuscan chard, chestnuts and sage paired with a 2009 Chianti Classico “Gran Selezione” Badia di Passignano. Orecchiette in Italian means ear, so picture little ear-shaped pasta. The Tuscan chard was a nice change of pace from the traditional pasta dish, which is typically dressed with a bitter green-like broccoli rabe or rapini. The wine lent velvety components to the dish and brought out the nuttiness from the chestnuts. Again, it was just well-executed in so many ways.

So, when is the next wine dinner? That I don’t know, but what I can tell you is that I will be at their next event. This is a monthly event. Reservations are recommended.

Details: (562) 439 - 7080 www.michaelsonnaples.comVenue: Michael’s on Naples Ristorante 5620 E. 2nd St., Long Beach

Gina Ruccione has traveled all over Europe and Asia and has lived in almost every nook of Los An-geles County. You can visit her website at www.foodfashionfoolishfornication.com.

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[See Calendar, page 16]

2016 Focus On HealthJanuary 7January 21In the first 2 issues of the year, RLn will feature health related content, encouraging readers to start the year off right. This is also a time when people change healthcare providers or insurers and may be looking for a new doctor.

Make sure they find you!

• Update on Healthcare Issues• Doctor Profiles/Advertorials Available• Introduce Yourself to Patients Shopping for a New Health Care Provider

• Diet and Fitness Tips and Tricks

Attention: doctors, dietitians, health care providers, fitness experts, chiropractors

& alternative medical practitioners

RLn is proud of the support and readership of the Harbor Region’s labor unions who allow our newspaper exclusive distribution inside most of their union halls.Distributed at Local Union Halls: Machinists Union, ILWU Casual Dispatch Hall, ILWU Training Center, Laborers Local 802, ILWU Dispatch Hall, Master Mates and Pilots, SUP, Pile Drivers Union, ILWU 13, ILWU 63, Local 56 and ILWU Credit Union Amongst Others.

EntertainmentNov. 27

Battle of the BandsSupport your favorite local band and help them get an opening slot for next month’s headliner.

Time: 8 p.m. Nov. 27Cost: $10Details: www.alpinevillagecenter.comVenue: Alpine Village,

833 Torrance Blvd., Torrance

The Mad RecklessFresh off a successful Las Vegas run of its own production, Limelight, Ridicula Imitatio Productions present its newest show.

Time: 9 p.m. Cost: $10 to $20Details: http://longbeach.harvelles.com/Venue: Harvelle’s,

201 E. Broadway, Long Beach

Nov. 28Scott Henderson TrioHenderson’s blend is a mixture of blues, rock, funk and jazz

Time: 8 p.m. Cost: $25Details: (310) 519-1314;

www.alvasshowroom.com Venue: Alvas Showroom

1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro

Circus of SinFire dancers, contortionists, aerialists machinate in a femme fatale cabaret

Time: 9 p.m.Cost: $15 to $25Details: http://longbeach.harvelles.comVenue: Harvelle’s 201 E. Broadway, Long Beach

Nov. 29Young Pianist Showcase The Studio of Linda Govel showcases pianists who you wouldn’t call old.

Time: 5 p.m. Cost: $20Details: (310) 519-1314 www.alvasshowroom.com Venue: Alvas Showroom 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro

SlippersDo the Slippers play music for just-about bedtime, running on icy sidewalks or chronic 12-step relapsers? Come find out!

Time: 8 p.m. Cost: $5Details: www.alexsbar.comVenue: 2913 E.Anaheim St. Long Beach

Dec. 1The Dirty Little SecretsUnderground comedy and burlesque for 21-and-older with a two-drink minimum.

Time: 8:30 p.m.,Cost: $10Details: http://longbeach.harvelles.comVenue: Harvelle’s 201 E. Broadway, Long Beach

Dec. 5Tim Weisberg Band, Chuck AlvarezWeisberg is one of the pioneers in rock-jazz fusion whose career includes 20 albums on the biggest record labels in the business.

Time: 8 p.m.Cost: $25Details: (310) 519-1314 www.alvasshowroom.com Venue: Alvas Showroom 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro

Warehouse One Holiday ShowJudging by its eclectic set list, local favorite Warehouse One believes the reason for season reaches from rockin’ ska to fa-la-la-laaah, la-la-la-laaaaaah.

Time: 8 to 10 p.m. Cost: $15 to $30Details: www.grandvision.orgVenue: Grand Annex 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro

Golden State Pops OrchestraJoin Maestro Steven Allen Fox, the GSPO and Chorale (led by Choir Maestra, Marya Basaraba) for a rousing performance of holiday film music and traditional favorites.

Time: 8 p.m. Cost: $28.50 to $60Details: www.gspo.comVenue: 478 W. 6th St., San Pedro

Dec. 6The 18th Annual Carlos Vega Memorial Birthday ConcertCarlos Vega was a Los Angeles-based ses-sion drummer best known for his studio re-cordings and tours.

Time: 4 p.m. Cost: $30 to $40 Details: www.alvasshowroom.comVenue: Alvas Showroom 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro

COMMUNITY Nov. 27

Chill at the Queen MaryExperience the frozen magic that will bring holiday celebration at the giant dome - once home to the legendary Spruce Goose. Chill will also feature ice tubing, ice skating, live music and carolers.

Time: Nov. 27 to 29, Dec. 1 to 6, Dec. 8 to Jan. 3, and Jan. 7 to 10Cost: $29.99 to 44.99Details: www.queenmary.comVenue: 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach

The Ice Kingdom- A Xmas CarolCharles Dickens’ classic novel comes to nose-stinging, toes-biting life, thanks to more than 2 million pounds of ice. Follow Ebenezer Scrooge through the frozen streets of London to discover the meaning of Christmas.

Time: Nov. 27 through 29, Dec. 1 through 6, Dec. 8 through Jan. 3, and Jan. 7 through 10

Cost: $29.99 to 44.99Details: www.queenmary.comVenue: 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach

Nov. 304th Annual Free Night at the Aquarium of the PacificBring your family and bring your friends and please bring an unwrapped toy for Councilman Joe Buscaino’s toy drive. And don’t forget your GPS navigation device -- the place can be hard to find

Time: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 30Cost: FreeDetails: http://tinyurl.com/Free-Night-

at-the-AquariumVenue: Aquarium of the Pacific 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach

Dec. 430th Annual Candy Cane Lane This year’s festival will have music, dancing, and entertainment, food, cookie decorating as well as visits with Santa Claus and pho-tos.

Time: 5 to 9 p.m. Dec. 4Cost: FreeVenue: 8th and Weymouth, San Pedro

Alpine Kraft Bierfest 2015As the festival’s name implies, Alpine Vil-lage has come up with another reason to celebrate beer -- this time, it’s just … beer! The Kraft Bierfest will feature more than 40 craft breweries and over 100 craft beers to sample.

Time: 8 p.m. Dec. 4, 11 a.m. Dec. 5Cost: $45Details: www.alpinevillagecenter.comVenue: Alpine Village 833 Torrance Blvd., Torrance

Dec. 5Wilmington Winter WonderlandThe forecast calls for 20 tons of snow in Wilmington, which isn’t as rare as you might think--seems like every year about

Against this ever-startling backdrop, the strong-willed Sao must make a crucial decision about her ex-lover, Giang, a scientist whose breakthrough created the salt-water-growing plants that enabled this new world and is also a suspect in her husband’s murder.

This film was released in 2014 and has been making the rounds in the independent film circuit since.

San Pedro resident and filmmaker Minh Nguyen-Vo, has worked to keep attention on his film ahead of the conference. He hopes that a new universal climate agreement that is applicable to all the 195 states parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will be reached.

Nguyen-Vo concentrates attention on Sao pursuit of the truth behind her husband’s murder. In his film statement, Nguyen-Vo says the, “truth is not always available in life.” The filmmaker noted that Sao went to the floating farm near where her husband was murdered and uncovers the fact that the farm was actually a genetic engineering research laboratory headed by her ex-lover.

“Many different explanations for the death of her husband seem possible,” Nguyen-Vo wrote.

“Is Giang a passionate researcher who is raising a legitimate warning about his own research breakthrough for the good

of others or is he a delusional scientist who would commit murder to keep the secret? Will Sao come back to her former lover? Or will she run away from a murderer? An extremely important decision has to be made without knowing the absolute truth.”

Nguyen-Vo draws a parallel between Sao’s search for the truth and humanity’s search for the truth about the cause of climate

change, noting, “The search for the absolute truth in global climate change is still going on. What causes the seawater level to rise?”

Nguyen-Vo doesn’t provide clear answers to either the film or the large climate change questions. What he does create is a large opening for conversation on both the film and climate change.

[Nuoc, from page 11]

Scene from nuoc 2030.

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[Calendar, continued from page 15]

this time. Anyway, bring the children and teach them how to make a snowman — even if it’s warm and sunny outside.

Time: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cost: FreeDetails: (310) 732-3567Venue: 1170 W. 9th St., Wilmington

Alpine Village Christmas FaireThis is a family event for all ages, complete with a snow machine blowing flurries, a chil-dren’s craft area with ornament and stocking decorations and photos with Santa Claus and ice princesses.

Time: 11 a.m. Cost: Free Details: www.alpinevillagecenter.comVenue: Alpine Village 833 Torrance Blvd., Torrance

Dec. 635th Annual Spirit of San Pedro Holiday ParadeThis festive tradition brings families, little leagues, scouts, students, high school bands, equestrian units, and volunteers to downtown San Pedro to celebrate the holiday season .More than 9,000 people are expected to along the streets to view the parade, which steps off at 13th Street and Pacific Avenue; heads east on 6th Street and ends on Palos Verdes Street.

Time: 1 to 3 p.m. Cost: FreeDetails: (310) 832-7272Venue: 13th St. at Pacific Ave., San Pedro

Annual Victorian Xmas Enjoy period entertainment, blacksmith dem-onstrations, walk-thru tours of the Banning Museum decorated in holiday splendor, cook-ies and hot cider, a children’s Victorian craft and a horse-drawn trolley ride between the Banning Museum and Drum Barracks Civil War Museum.

Time: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 6Venue: Banning Museum 401 E. “M” St., Wilmington

THEATERNov. 27

Ethan ClaymoreIt’s the week before Christmas as struggling egg farmer Ethan meets a woman who could turn his life around, and receives a visit from his recently deceased older brother. Foster adds an edge and depth to his trademark light comic touch, resulting in a show that is poi-gnant, thought-provoking, and a perfect way to start the holiday season. Ethan Claymore runs through Dec. 19.

Time: 2 p.m. Nov. 29 and Dec. 6 8 p.m. Nov. 27, Dec. 4, 5, 11, 12,

17, 18 and 19Cost: $25 to $45Details: www.littlefishtheatre.org/wp/ ethan-claymoreVenue: Little Fish Theatre 777 S. Centre St., San Pedro

Dec. 4Somberton Senior Residence Presents: “The Nutcracker”

The Found Theatre’s warm and wacky holiday tradition returns. When a young man performing community service in a rest home decides to put on a production of the world’s most famous ballet, things are bound to get a little crazy. Funny, incisive, uplifting...and the best evidence yet that the arts improve every-body’s lives.

Time: 8 p.m. Dec. 4 through 19 and Jan. 8 through 16, with 2 p.m. matinees Dec. 6, 20 and Jan. 10 and 17

Cost: $20Details: (562) 433-3363; foundtheatre.orgVenue: The Found Theatre 599 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach

Dec. 5Hay FeverThe Long Beach Playhouse continues its87th Mainstage season with Noel Coward’s classic comedy, Hay Fever. The play examines what was supposed to be a quiet weekend away

with the Bliss family as it degenerates into a ridiculous, banter-filled farce.

Time: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays, through Dec. 5Cost: $14 to $24Details: (562) 494-1014 www.lbplayhouse.orgVenue: Long Beach Playhouse 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach

Miracle on Anaheim StreetHeld2Gether presents Miracle on Anaheim Street, an improvisational comedy show ben-efiting the Women’s Shelter of Long Beach.

Time: 8 p.m. Dec. 5Cost: $10Details: www.lbplayhouse.orgVenue: Long Beach Playhouse 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach

ARTSNov. 29

Mark Shaw GlamourExperience exhibition of prints by one of fash-ion’s foremost photographers of the 1950s and ‘60s. The event is presented in partnership with Mark Shaw Photographic Archive and its rep-resentatives, Liz O’Brien of New York and Hol-lyhock of Los Angeles. Mark Shaw:Glamour is curated by Palos Verdes Art Center’s Execu-tive Director Joe Baker, and is accompanied by an essay by art historian Alan Rosenberg.

Time: Through Nov. 29Cost: FreeDetails: pvartcenter.orgVenue: Palos Verdes Art Center 5504 West Crestridge Road Rancho Palos Verdes

Dec. 6Victor Hugo Zayas: The River PaintingsThis solo survey exhibition of Los Angeles art-ist Victor Hugo Zayas features over 40 recent works which were created in and around the artist’s studio on the banks of the Los Angeles River. Curated by Edward Hayes, the exhibition is dominated by urban landscape paintings of extraordinary scale and emotional energy.

Time: 3 to 5 p.m. Dec. 6Cost: FreeDetails: (562) 437-1689; www.molaa.orgVenue: Museum of Latin American Art

628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach

Dec. 9Faculty Show 2015: Works by ECC Art Dept & Photography Dept. FacultyFaculty Show 2015 includes a variety of works in a wide range of media. The exhibit provides a look at the aesthetic and educational philos-ophies advocated by the El Camino College Art and Photography departments and demon-strates an array of concepts and techniques currently characteristic of the art world.

Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mon and Tues; noon to 8 p.m. Wed. and ThursCost: FreeDetails: (310) 660-3010Venue: El Camino College Art Gallery 16007 Crenshaw Blvd, Torrance

Creative Images Capture Wonder of the WaterfrontBeauty is not often the first word that comes to mind when discussing the industrial views of the Port of Long Beach. However, that’s ex-actly what photographers have captured in this year’s Port of Long Beach Photogallery.

The photographs featured in the Photogal-lery are the result of a workshop taught by POLB photographers that was followed by a twilight shoot during a special harbor boat tour. Eighty beginning, amateur and professional photographers participated.

Time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday through Jan. 3, 2016

Cost: $6 to $9Details: www.molaa.orgVenue: Museum of Latin American Art

628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach

A Victorian Christmas in Los Angeles

Christmas in the 21st century still resembles the 19th century with the decoration of trees, children sitting on the knee of a jolly Saint Nick and the exchanging of presents. But the only places where we get to see and remember what Christmas was really like 150 years ago is by go-ing to Banning mansion in Wilmington, the print museum in Torrance, or Rancho Cerritos Historic Site in Long Beach.

Dec. 6Annual Victorian Xmas

Enjoy period entertainment, blacksmith dem-onstrations, walk-thru tours of the Banning Mu-seum decorated in holiday splendor, cookies and hot cider, a children’s Victorian craft and a horse-drawn trolley ride between the Banning Museum and Drum Barracks Civil War Museum.

Time: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Venue: Banning Museum, 401 E. “M” St., Wilmington

Dec. 12Dickens Holiday Celebration

Meet up with some Dickens characters like Fagin, the jovial Mr. Micawber, the weird Miss Havisham at the Dickens Holiday Celebration. The event includes a holiday lunch along with meeting with Mr. Charles Dickens Note: The event is for children 10 years and older with adult admission.

Time: 11 a.m. Dec. 12 and 13Cost: $20Details: (310) 515-7166; www.printmuseum.orgVenue: The International Printing Museum

315 W. Torrance Blvd., Carson

Dec. 13Old Time Christmas at Rancho Los Cerritos

Get into the holiday spirit and enjoy 19th cen-tury Christmas traditions at Rancho Los Cerritos Historic Site. People of all ages can experience and celebrate customs from the California fron-tier while learning about history in Long Beach’s only National and State Historic Landmark.

Time: 1p.m. -7 p.m.Cost: $5/person, free/3-and-under free, pay-

able at the door.Details: (562) 206-2040Venue: 4000 Virginia Rd., Long Beach

Victorian Christmas at Banning Museum

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Arts • Cuisine •

Entertainment >> IN

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A R T O p e n i n g s | F i n e D i n i n g | L i V e M u s i C | s p e C i A L p e R F O R M A n C e s | F O O D T R u C k s

Dec. 3

The soloistHelp support Harbor Interfaith ServicesThursday, Dec. 3rd | 6:30 p.m.$15 | $10 Pre-sale tickets The true story of when an L.A. Times writer encounters a mentally ill homeless man, who is also a Juilliard trained musician and only through music can he escape many of the challenges on the streets.

Also coming up— Saturday, 12/5

golden state pops Orchestra Saturday, 12/12 & Sunday, 12/13

san pedro City Ballet presentsThe nutcracker

Frday, 12/18 — Sunday, 12/20The Troupe presents “White Christmas”

Monday, 12/21 Misty Copeland’s Masterclass

pre-sale tickets available here: helphis-atthegrand.brownpapertickets.com

Studio Gallery 345Studio 345 will have new work showing as well as books,boxes, scarves, jewelry, and unframed work. Guest artist will be Margie Rust. 1st Thursdays 6-9 p m; appointments please call Pat (310) 374-8055 or Gloria (310) 545-0832. 345 W. 7th St., San Pedro.

South Bay ContemporaryTHe LOFT: sAM ARnO ReTROspeCTiVe, 1995-2015Sam Arno was a founding member of Angels Gate Dultural Center. His work has been shown in LA County Museum of Art rental gallery, LAX, the Bridge Gallery, Barnsdall Art Park and galleries in Long Beach Palm Springs, Idyllwid an Los Angeles. The show opens on Nov. 5 with a reception for the artist and continues through Dec. 18.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thurs., Fri. and Sat. (call when you arrive) (310) 429-0973. South Bay Contemporary, At the LOFT, 401 S. Mesa St., 3rd floor, San Pedro. www.southbaycontemporary.com

Michael Stearns, Every Mother’s Son, mixed media installation.

From the Sam Arno Retrospective, at The Loft

The National Watercolor Society The National Watercolor Society presents the 2015 95th International Exhibition with masterworks from around the world from Oct. 24-Dec. 20. NWS will be celebrating with workshops, exhibitions and demos.

Now on Exhibition at NWS Gallery, 915 S Pacific, San Pedro, CA 90731. October 25 - December 19, Thursdays thru Sundays 11:00-3:00. Closed Thanksgiving.

Michael Stearns Studio 347MORTAL AnD iMMORTALThe exhibit will address the endings of life as well as the eternal beginnings of life on this planet. Michael Stearns Studio 347 is open each month during the First Thursday Artwalk and by appointment.

Contact michael@michaelstearnsstudio.com or 562.400.0544.

TransVagrant TransVagrant and Warschaw Gallery are pleased to present Warschaw/Winter II, a group exhibition of works by Craig Antrim, Merwin Belin, Arnée Carofano, Ray Carofano, Katy Crowe, Christopher Hernandez, Nate Jones, Hyung Mo Lee, Ron Linden, Marsha Mack, William Mahan, Jay McCafferty, Elizabeth Medina, Zac Roach, Regine Rode, Yong Sin, Gary Szymanski, Marie Thibeault, Ted Twine, and HK Zamani.

The exhibition will open with an Artists’ Reception on Saturday, December 5, from 4-7 PM.