d“Bye Bye Birdie” is a loving send-up of the early 1960s, small-town America, teenagers, and rock and roll and still remains as fresh and vibrant as ever. When teen heartthrob Conrad Birdie gets drafted, his manager, Albert Peterson, must act quickly to grant Birdie one last performance. With the help of his secretary, Rose Alvarez, Conrad Birdie is set to kiss All-American girl Kim MacAfee for a very public farewell kiss. With songs that you’ll love and performances that will make you laugh, “Bye Bye Birdie” is a show that is sure to be a joy for the entire family!
Where: Los Alamitos Performing Arts Center
When: March 7 at 3:30 pm and 7 pm
March 8th at 7 pm
March 9th at 2 pm.
How much: Tickets are $15
Head to losaldrama.org for tickets and more information.
Hey, Mr. Genie, how about flying audiences on your magic carpet to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts where “Aladdin, the Musical” is playing March 6 – 23, 2019. Once upon a time an ‘A’ ride ticket symbolized the crème de la crème of the Magic Kingdom. Disney’s animated films have ventured onto Broadway and now its newest blockbuster musical, “Aladdin”, is off on an ‘A’ ticket tour as Disney waves the magic wand and Abracadabra, behold an enchanting tale of Arabian nights, young lovers and dastardly doings that is an elaborate feast for the eyes and ears. This is a Disney production so expect great music, extravagant sets, gorgeous costumes, captivating choreography and always a bonus, plenty of humor. Add in a talented cast and energetic ensemble and call it sensational.
Among the first-rate leads is Johnathan Weir who plays the evil Jafar, villain of the piece. This isn’t Weir first ride on the Disney train, he ruled as Scar in “The Lion King.” He says “some might associate the villain with me, I could title my memoirs ‘From Scar to Jafar,’ but I actually appreciate and have enjoyed playing a wide scope of characters in my career.”
Weir admits that being a part of “Aladdin” was particularly appealing because it’s a Disney production. He says “Disney is a world class operation, always elaborate, always spectacular. Our touring show is the equal of what Broadway audiences have been seeing. It’s a fully realized production with all the magic, sparkle and wonder of a great creative team at the top of their game. Everything from Alan Menken’s music to Greg Barnes costumes to Casey Nichclaw’s direction and choreography is well thought out, good entertainment. They just do it right.”
Audiences, especially millennials, will be familiar with “Aladdin,” the classic story, set in the Arabian city of Agrabah about a poor youth who is granted three wishes by a Genie in a lamp which he uses to win a Princess and to thwart Sultan’s evil Vizier, Jafar.
Jafar is just about as wicked as it gets as is his henchman Lago who in the animated version is a dirty bird morphed into a horrid human being on stage. This, incidentally, opens up the stage adaptation for new songs and is one of the differences between the film and the musical.
Jafar is the villain of the plot and that’s fine with Weir who likes playing characters with strong points of view, saying “It’s good to be bad!” He continues, “Villains don’t think they’re doing anything bad. They think they’re doing the best thing possible, albeit for themselves. So, it fun to play the cunning, sly and powerful antagonist who clearly gives an entirely different perspective to the story. Jafar has a singular goal, absolute power and this leads to his downfall.”
JONATHAN WEIR (Jafar). Broadway: Disney’s The Lion King (Scar/Pumbaa). National tours: Jersey Boys (Gyp DeCarlo); The Lion King; Scrooge the Musical. Chicago credits: King Charles III and Twelfth Night (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); The Merry Widow (Lyric Opera Chicago); 2666, Candide, The Visit and A Christmas Carol (Goodman Theatre); Stepping Out (Steppenwolf Theatre); Days Like Today, The Liar, A Little Night Music, Arms and the Man, Misalliance (Writers Theatre); Ragtime & Camelot (Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre). Adjunct Professor Theatre Theater, Loyola University Chicago.
Playing Jafar does have it challenges admits Weir. For example, the elaborate make-up takes about 40 minutes to apply and his extravagant costume, while stunning, weighs in at twenty to twenty-five pounds. That’s a lot of fabric to be hauling around night after night. Weir says another of the huddles he faced in his interpretation of Jafar is “Jonathan Freeman, who originated the role, has a distinctive voice. So when I was recreating my Jafar, I knew a lot of the architecture, the image that people have of the character with his rich, deep voice. As a result my voice has dropped. The voice is a muscle, it stretches, it transforms so it has definitely gotten lower. Yeah, it’s a challenging role but Jafar is a great character to play because he’s an iconic Disney villain and he’s so richly drawn.”
There are a few other differences between the movie and what audiences see on stage. As noted above, Lago is no longer an animal and neither is Abu, the monkey who represented Aladdin’s three best friends. As Weir explains it, “Originally, in the interest of time, the friends were put in the trunk. When the musical was adapted to the stage, the script writers brought out the boys because they had all these great songs for them. In many ways, audiences are getting the intended version of the animated feature.”
Weir continues, “What’s stays the same is the carpet flies, there’s magic, fireworks, dazzle and bling onstage. Especially spectacular are the 350 plus costumes. In the dreamlike Prince Ali number there are 100 costume changes in less than a minute. So yeah, the show is spellbindingly brilliant.”
The moment in the show that resonates with Weir is the opening number “Arabian Nights” which he says “is the only time the entire company is on stage together. I like it that we are all there, singing to the audience as the characters are introduced by the narrator. It’s just a cool moment, all of us being together.”
Weir may savor the opening number and the creatively staged, swashbuckling “High Adventure” is his favorite song. However, the song/dance scene he watches from the wing is at the end of Act 1 when Genie explains to Aladdin about the three wishes. Weir says “Genie, Aladdin and the ensemble perform for about 13 minutes comprised of two songs. The ensemble just blasts their way through the two and one/half show with high spirits. The ensemble is the real engine of the show and that Act 1 finish is a powerhouse number, my favorite.”
“Aladdin” is a show that can be enjoyed by all ages. As Weir says “It’s got comedy that’s funny to kids and sophisticated humor that’s appealing to young couples. It has an adult theme about a young man wanting to make his departed mother proud and about a young couple falling in love. Most importantly its theme deals with coming of age and realizing truth, honesty and being real are what is important.
Weir is excited to sprinkle some of Disney’s magic dust on audiences at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. “Aladdin” will be playing at Segerstrom Hall, March 6 -23, 2019. For tickets and information: online, SCFTA.org; phone 714-556-2787; The Box Office, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
In a ceremony nearly 50 years in the making, the Queen of England and the United States Air Force have honored 28 professionals for their collective contribution to the invention of a system of global positioning that has given society a tool to literally remake the way it operates.
Tom Logsdon, of Seal Beach, was one of those 28 inventors honored Friday at a special ceremony in Los Angeles. “It was such an honor to be recognized,” he said.
In addition to the presentations, the event premiered a documentary film, “The Lonely Halls,” which tells the story of GPS and Dr. Brad Parkinson, generally accepted as being the “Father of the Global Positioning System (GPS).
Logsdon and his wife Cyndy, a graphic artist who is uniquely able to transform his geometric charts into readable graphics.
Logsdon enjoyed an outstanding career at Rockwell (later Boeing) as a rocket scientist. He recognizes his good fortune in being given an essential assignment back when scientists and engineers were still exploring ways to coordinate satellites in space to provide exact positioning on earth.
In addition to the U.S. Air Force, Queen Elizabeth this week announced the “Queen’s Prize for Engineering” will go to the team of 28 inventors, even if only the top four (of which Logsdon was not one) shared a cash prize. Nevertheless, Logsdon is deeply touched by being named as one of the inventors of GPS.
“We have awarded the prize to [an American team of inventors] who have invented a system to enable all of us to know where we are, what time is it and where we are going,” said Lord Browne of Madingly, Chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Foundation.
“Everything in the modern world, more or less, today depends on this technology (gps),” he said, including transportation, banking, agriculture, medicine, and the “smart phones in our pockets.”
Logsdon and his wife Cyndy, a graphic artist who is uniquely able to transform his geometric charts into readable graphics.
Back in 1973, however, it was a much different world; the internet was still a defense research project, computers were archaic, and maps were still printed on paper. It was a very long time ago.
Logsdon’s journey had begun in eastern Kentucky, quickly learning to do math magic at Springfield High School, then Eastern Kentucky University, then grad school at the University of Kentucky.
Out west, as the space race heated up, a coastal section of California from Huntington Beach to LAX began to attract America’s best and brightest to populate the incredible array of defense and technology companies engaged in the effort.
As a geometric mathematician, Logsdon got his start at McDonnel Douglas in Santa Monica. Later, at Rockwell, Logsdon remembers his date with destiny in 1973. “My boss called me in and said ‘I have an assignment for you.”
To hear Logsdon tell it, on a day when the Pentagon “was closed for some reason,” the lights in a conference room shone bright as top brass determined they needed a global positioning system using satellites.
They were going to ask for proposals and Rockwell, already a defense contractor, wanted in.
The conversation occurred between Logsdon and his boss, Dick Meston. “We are going to bid on a new satellite constellation,” said Meston, “and we have to be able to see four satellites at every point of the world all the time.” And, Meston told Logsdon, “they can’t be in a straight line across the sky.”
He told Logsdon he had five weeks to figure it out.
Despite the corporate pressure, Logsdon said he was smiling inside because he knew “this was the perfect assignment for a geometric mathematician.”
Assignment in hand, Logsdon went to work. Instead of reaching for his very basic computer or a slide rule, however, Logsdon pulled out his trademark oversize quad pad (4 times) and his color markers. For Logsdon, working in color helps to visualize complex equations and patterns.
Quickly, using equations, Logsdon figured out that the required satellites in the constellation “couldn’t be bunched up,” nor could they be “all on the horizon.”
Then came other challenges, how to figure out how long would it take for a satellite to lap other satellites in the projected orbits?
Given five weeks by Rockwell, Logsdon took only three days before the ‘eureka’ moment. Using a geometric math equation with no more than eight, maybe ten, symbols and enumerators, “ Logsdon figured how the satellites could orbit in a constellation and comply with the requirements necessary to triangulate and create geographic positioning on earth.
‘I just needed scattered geometry to solve this problem,” he said this week.
Logsdon’s “Rockwell Constellation” would eventually consist of three rings of eight orbiting satellites encapsulating the earth. The math magic he’d learned in Kentucky would, for the first time, provide the Pentagon, and eventually, the rest of us, with the orbital geometry necessary for a global positioning system.
Later, once his work was validated by the Pentagon, government contracts awarded to Rockwell and one-by-one, each of the satellites were eventually launched to take their place in the constellation Logsdon had etched onto his quad pad.
The Rockwell rocket scientist would go on to write two books on GPS and give more than 200 speeches around the world on the subject.
After determining the orbits, Logsdon had again used geometry and math to figure out the “force multiplying effects” that the GPS technology could add to various military and other missions. As the technology grew, so did the appetite for knowledge surrounding it and Logsdon was asked to speak from coast-to-coast.
Of course, Logsdon, now 81, has long since retired but is still active. He teaches four GPS courses and has written more than 20 books, including textbooks, GPS, and other subjects. His book, “Six simple creative solutions that shook the world,” became a best seller.
Even today, Logsdon still lectures on GPS and he’s now following newer, competitive technologies being developed by India, Russia, China, Japan and the European Union.
As a rocket scientist, Logsdon made many other contributions to the success of the American space program. He was recognized for increasing the performance of the Saturn V by nearly 5,000 pounds, saving the program $3.5 billion for its remaining missions (equivalent to the lifetime earnings of 1,000 Americans). He also helped masterminded a cryogenically cooled infrared Space Telescope for a Mars mission and other robotic missions headed to asteroids.
In a lighter moment, he once told an ABC television interviewer that the role of a trajectory mathematician was “before the flight, we predict where the space capsule will go. Then, after the flight, we try to explain why it didn’t go there.”
In one of his more notable years at Rockwell, when there were 44 projects turned in to the U.S. Air Force, Logsdon’s survivability assessment project was the only one of Rockwell’s projects to receive a rating of a perfect 10. After that, they nicknamed Logsdon “Bo Derek.”
For Logsdon, it was not about being perfect, but about smart. When given seemingly impossible tasks, he used his mind and color markers to make the world an easier place to navigate.
For the rest of us, we can be happy he found his way here from Eastern Kentucky so many years ago.
While discussing the hiring of a consultant to come aboard to assist the city of Los Alamitos through its serious financial situation, Mayor Warren Kusomoto reminded city manager Bret Plumlee that he wants to know “everything” and that he wants to see a “work product,” not necessarily a “carved out” job for a consultant.
The exchange came after a presentation by Plumlee on the city’s ongoing efforts to address fiscal sustainability. At the city’s last meeting, it was disclosed that the city could be broken in seven years if the financial trajectory was not changed.
“You cannot overstate the importance of this,” said Mayor Pro-Tem Richard Murphy at the council’s last meeting, referring to the acknowledge of the city’s challenging financial situation. “This is bleak. The overall momentum is cascading against us,” he said.
Plumlee was updating the council on their ongoing meetings and strategy and said the city was “fortunate” that Professor David Cain was available to come aboard to help the city plan for the sustainable fiscal future.
Plumlee said the city had budgeted 220 hours for Cain this year and would make an allocation for 440 consulting hours next year should the city want to continue working with him. According to the staff report, Cain would be paid approximately $65 per hour.
“The City is fortunate to have Mr. David Cain available,” said Plumlee, adding that the former “will help us develop our long-term sustainability, community July – educating the community and I’m excited for the possibility.”
Plumlee’s written recommendation said Cain has more than 25 years of experience in leading Finance Departments and developing budgets and long-term fiscal sustainability plans and 45 years of professional managerial experience in both public and private sector finance.
In addition, Cain is the retired Director of Finance and Treasurer for the City of Fountain Valley. Professor David Cain teaches Public Budgeting and Financial Administration, Public Sector Labor Relations, Public Policy Analysis and Human Resource Management at CSUN, CSULB and CalPoly where he brings a practical approach to field of public finance, labor relations, public policy analysis and Human Resource Management, among a number of other qualifications.
Nevertheless, even though the Council had no objection to the recommendation, Kusumoto told Plumlee that “I would caution you” to ensure that any consultant hired on the project is qualified for delivering a result.
“When you start talking about the individual, I get a little bit uncomfortable,” said Kusomoto. “What I want you to understand is the relationship between the position and what we have to get out of it from a work product,” he said, “and how it interacts with the budget standing committee.”
“What this appears is like is that we carved out for a person to have work,” said Kusumoto, and “I know that was the furthest thing from your mind. But for clarity’s sake, we have a need to take an outsider’s view of what we do,” he said, and advised Plumlee to focus on the problem and refer to it as a “work product that you have to produce and this guy (Cain) can help you get there.”
Kusomoto further noted the seriousness of the situation by telling Plumlee “I want to know everything. “I want to see evidence of looking at every possibility,” said Kusomoto, including the possibility that the city outsources all services with contracts, considering the city’s “extraordinary problems.”
Kusumoto noted, however, that the “contract model” is an extreme solution.
While council members Shelley Hasselbrink and Mark Chirco are the city’s appointed representatives on the budget standing committee, Kusomoto made it clear, as did Murphy and member Dean Grose at the last meeting, they want to know every detail regarding the city’s options going forward so they can make informed decisions.
Plumlee said they were making “outstanding progress” developing a long-term plan and they are indeed “looking at everything (option).” With Cain’s help, said Plumlee, the task force will document every potentiality and eventually provide them to the Council – and the community – in a detailed document.
In other action, the city:
Heard Chief Eric Nunez introduce newly appointed school resource officer Shawn Watkins and other newly sworn in officers D’Angelo Gossett, Mark Ryan Navarro, of Carson, Eddie Gonzales, of Orange, Kevin Steinhauser, of Long Beach and Records Specialist Veronica Wilson.
Heard OC Human Relations Commission spokesperson Becky Esparza they were introducing new tools to enhance civil discourse in communities. “It’s more important now than ever before,” she said, because of the “strife locally and across our nation.”
Heard Nunez say reports of crime across the board were down in Los Alamitos, except for aggravated assaults, which were up.
Heard a report from James Peterson, Government Relations Manager for Southern California Edison, on its ongoing infrastructure improvements. He said the company serves approximately 27,000 commercial and residential customers in the city, including 16 circuits and 11 substations.
Voted to approve parts of proposed changes in Residential parking permits, though they agreed to send the “Carrier Row” section back to the traffic commission for another review.
The 2019 Race on the Base drew thousands of participants and hundeds of onlookers as the three-day event without a hitch.
“Overall, we are really happy with everything,” said Race Director Emeline Noda on Monday. “I really can’t recall a legitimate complaint over the entire weekend,” she said. Noda is also a recreation manger for the City of Los Alamitos.
Given the horrendous weather over the past three weeks, Noda said organizers were especially pleased with the turnout. She said 3,233 residents registered to participate in the various events.
“We are really trying to build it back up to levels of more than 4,000 participants,” said Noda, adding that the consistent threat of rain and inclement weather likely dissuaded many from attending.
More than 3,200 participants for this year’s Race on the Base
Noda said there were participants of all ages and it has become a family event.
She also thanked the many corporate and government sponsors and strategic partners, including the following:
Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base
California Military Department
500 Volunteers
Charities
NAF/MWR
Civil Air Patrol
The Pub at Fiddler’s Green
Navy Golf Course
AAFES
Sunburst Youth Academy
Los Alamitos City Council
Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Commission
City of Los Alamitos Staff
RUN Racing
Gemini Timing
Senator Tom Umberg
Assemblyman Tyler Diep
Emcees
ASL Interpreters
National Anthem Singers
40+ Expo Vendors and Food Trucks
JFTB Fire
OCFA
Care Ambulance
Center Stage Productions
Big Top Rentals
Eagles Portables
American Rentals
24/7 Event Services
Powercell
In addition to the usual slate of activites, Noda said organizers added a new “Rucking 5K,” wherein runners had to carry a weighted “rucksack” on their backs the entire way.
“Everything went well,” she said, and the only thing she hopes will change for next year will be “better weather.”
After some years of being very fiscally conservative, the city of La Palma is now faced with somewhat of a pleasant conundrum—they have a surplus, and how ought it to be spent?
At last week’s City Council meeting, Administrative Services Director Sea Shelton provided the Mid-Year Operating Report for Fiscal Year 2018-19.
The city is overall in good standing. In past years, any surplus that existed, City Council opted to hold on to and not use, due to uncertainties.
But now, Council expressed, the city has gotten its financial feet under it and is in a position to spend some money.
Though the city’s official Budget Workshop will take place in April, at this Council meeting, the members heard and received the Mid-Year Operating Report, and could begin making some tentative decisions on what to do with the assets it has now.
Several options were presented for what to do with the surplus in the general fund.
Median improvement is something the city has wanted to do for a long time, on three of the city’s main streets. All members present—Council member Michele Steggell was absent—expressed support for the medians being a priority. They discussed the fact that surrounding cities are already ahead of them in this process; since the medians cannot be watered, cities must be creative and intentional about improving their appearances.
Council member Gerard Goedhart emphasized the importance of making investments in the community with the surplus, by following along the path they have already been on, which has included painting at city sites and improving streets.
Mayor Goodman agreed, saying of the medians in particular, “we have a footing,” so there’s no reason to wait for some future deadline or go through more negotiations as to whether surplus funds should be allocated for this purpose.
The possibility of building a dog park in La Palma has also been on the city’s mind in recent months, with two “Bark in the Park” events being held, where a simulated dog park was set up at the civic center and residents could bring their dogs and give city staff feedback and suggestions.
City staff said a formal report on the status of the dog park will be presented in the near future, but Goedhart said “I think there’s clear support for this” as something the city could create with these funds.
Other considerations are a new electronic reader board at the community center, as the current one has frequent glitches; additional allocation to the Civic Center Replacement Fund—the city expressed a goal of building a new City Hall in the next 20 years; additional allocation to the Emergency Reserve Fund; establishment of a Pension Stabilization Fund; and additional allocation to an OPEB (Other Post-Employment Benefits) Trust.
The Council was unanimous on the medians, but will continue to discuss the rest of the possibilities. The Budget Workshop will take place on Tuesday, April 23.
Los Alamitos Mayor Warren Kusumoto gave a shout out to Monday to local resident Edmund Rusinek, a 92-year-old engineer and Army veteran who lives in Rossmoor with his wife Krystyna.
On Feb. 8, Rusinek stopped by the neighborhood Chick-fil-A where he gave the manager a wad of cash, reportedly $1,500, along with the instructions to pay for service members and their families meals.
Since the article appeared originally in the Orange County Register, it has been widely reported and picked up by websites around the country.
The article contends that back in 1945, while attending training in Little Rock, Arkansas, he wanted to take a break from Army food and left the base for some ‘good ole Southern food.’ During the meal, Rusinek said an elderly gentleman walked up during the meal and asked if he could pay for their food. Apparently, the act of kindness was a lesson that Rusinek never forgot.
After the war, Rusinek was a Rockwell engineer and said in the article that he always wanted to pay the gift forward.
Kusomoto said he wanted to give a “shout out” to Rusinek for his good deed, saying he hoped all local citizens could “emulate” the kindness of the local veteran.
The Chick fil’a in Rossmoor is equidistant between the Joint Forces Training Base and the Seal Beach Naval Weapons station, so there was no shortage of active duty veterans to enjoy the free lunches.
The Event-News Enterprise announced this week that Liz Vucurevic has been named an account manager to serve the paper’s advertisers within the Los Alamitos trade area.
“We are very excited about the qualities Liz brings to our team,” said Group Publisher Steven Remery. “Liz has great energy and will be a great asset for us going forward,” he said, adding that the Event-News Enterprise is one of the Orange County Neighbor Newspapers flagship newspapers.
“I am looking forward to meeting local business owners and community leaders in our circulation area,” said Vucurevic. She said her sales and marketing experience will enable her to create effective advertising solutions for her accounts.
Following a ten-year stint in the software industry, Vucurevic completed her degree in Human Development at California State Long Beach. While raising her two daughters, Julia and Isabella, she sold promotional products to small businesses and later started her own business.
Vucurevic said she quickly realized the critical role that print advertising plays in connecting with the community, having used print ads to grow her business. She understands the product well, having often run ads in newspapers within the Event News parent company. “I know personally how effective print ads can be,” she said.
After selling her business to spend more time with her family, Vucurevic provided sales consulting for a German skincare company, later becoming the company’s SoCal training coordinator.
Now that her girls are grown, Vucurevic said she wanted to get back into the full-time workforce and is happy to have found a “great fit” with the Event News.
“I am extremely excited to help other small businesses grow by providing them with experience and creativity I used to grow mine,” she said. Liz will be handling accounts in the paper’s Los Alamitos territory with a goal of creating successful relationships with customers. She can be reached (562) 251-6626 or Liz@event-newsenterprise.com.
The Griffins Varsity Boys Volleyball team won an exciting three-set match over Servite to take the championship of the Redondo Union Volleyball Tournament on Saturday. Several Griffins took individual honors, including Jake Maffett, a senior outside hitter, who won the Redondo Tournament MVP. Others included Erik Weissinger, a junior setter named to the all-tournament team and Mac Beggs, a senior libero, named to the all-tournament team.
The Los Alamitos High School Boys Volleyball Team will host their first home game of the season on Wednesday (tonight), Feb. 27 at 5:30 p.m. Griffins Varsity Volleyball: Pictured above. L-R Erik Weissinger, Eric Allen, Sean Park, Tobias Murphree, Troy Bamberg, Josh Lorenz, Oliver Schulten, Luke Alvarez, Trevor Hart, Mac Beggs, Jake Bilbao, Jake Maffett, Noah Sanacore, Coach Sean Swetnam and Coach Katie Kelly. At right, Jake Maffett, a senior outside hitter won the Redondo Tournament MVP.
Since opening last summer, Mama’s Comfort Food & Cocktails in Los Alamitos committed to donating 25 cents for every scoop of ice cream served, to the Los Alamitos Education Foundation (LAEF). LAEF recently learned that Mama’s has served 11,355 scoops of Thirty Ice Cream in that time.
On February 5, Mama’s co-owners Robert Corrigan and Pete Truxaw presented LAEF with a check for $3,000. Proceeds from the ice cream sales amounted to just over $2,800, but these generous co-owners insisted on rounding up. LAEF Vice President Brian Leibl accepted the check along with Treasurer Tom Lent, Director Felicia Gonzalez and Executive Director Carrie Logue.
“LAEF is thankful for the continued partnership with Mama’s and their commitment to supporting the kids of the Los Alamitos Unified School District,” said LAEF Executive Director Carrie Logue. With support from community organizations such as Mama’s, LAEF can continue to provide free after-school global language classes, support the salaries of district mental health counselors and continue promoting STEAM education.
LAEF is the non-profit partner of Los Alamitos Unified School District. LAEF enhances educational excellence by providing after-school and summer enrichment programs to children in grades Pre-K to 12. LAEF provides significant funding for STEAM teachers and instruction, as well as igniting new programs and providing valuable resources, to impact all students. For additional information on LAEF, please call 562-799-4700 Extension 80424 or visit www.LAEF4Kids.org.
Cypress College President, Dr. JoAnna Schilling, was the keynote speaker. She shared her experiences of overcoming early failures following high school as well as her perseverance to push through these setbacks. Dr. Schilling stressed that, “When failure comes our way, we need to embrace it and not quit.”
Actor Glenn Edwards outlines his career path with Connor Franzen and Louie Gallagher.
Following her message, over 250 Los Al Griffins had the opportunity to meet in table talks with over 70 mentors from a wide range of professions. These career mentors included representatives in nursing, medical doctor, physical therapy, business, sales/marketing, airline pilot, education, law, engineering, fashion/design, performing arts, and film.
Students were encouraged to ask questions regarding educational paths the mentors took, future career possibilities in the field, pitfalls of the industry, and obstacles they may have overcome to get to their current position.
Unleash your inner “mad scientist” at Boys & Girls Club of Cypress’ Pop! Fizz! Splat! Spring Break Camp. This explosively fun weeklong program will run from March 11 through 15 at the Main Clubhouse located at 10161 Moody St. Boys & Girls Club of Cypress is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and provides fun, affordable activities for kids six years old and up.
Spring Break attendees will enjoy a variety of messy, fizzy, hands-on science experiments, as well as compete in multiple STEAM building challenges. Each day will feature a yummy food science project and cool takeaways to continue the fun at home. Arts and crafts projects, video games, outdoor games, and computer lab time will also be featured daily.
Optional field trips will be offered to John’s Incredible Pizza, Microsoft Store for video game design labs, and Laser Quest. On Friday, March 15, all members will enjoy a free field day at Veteran’s Park.
This entire all-inclusive program week is offered for less than $1.75 per hour. Choose the dates and times that work for you. Enroll for $100 per child or $25 for the day. A registration fee is required for new members. Family discounts are available for multiple children and scholarships are available for families who qualify. Daily snacks are included.
For more information, call Boys & Girls Club of Cypress at 714-527-2697, visit www.BGCCypress.org or stop by the Main Clubhouse located at 10161 Moody St.
Spring Break is going to be bigger and greater than ever before—don’t miss out.
This school year the seven Boys & Girls Clubs in North Orange County (Anaheim, Brea-Placentia-Yorba Linda, Buena Park, Cypress, Fullerton, La Habra and Stanton) have partnered together through the North Orange County Public Safety Task Force to provide fun collaborative opportunities for teen Club members. These opportunities engage teens in activities that break down barriers, build greater awareness and understanding of cultural diversity, and encourage teamwork through fun. Each month one of the Boys & Girls Clubs from “The Big 7” host a fun, teens-only night for all partnering Club teens.
Pictured are Boys & Girls Club of Cypress Teen Director Alejandra Villanueva, Cypress Police Department Officer Marshall, Boys & Girls Club of Cypress Unit Director Samantha Johnson, Laura Gil-Trejo and Soo Kang at the Anti-Valentine Teen Night.
On Friday, Feb. 15, the Boys & Girls Club of Cypress hosted an Anti-Valentine Teen Night for over 140 Boys & Girls Club teens. The Anti-Valentine Night activities included “speed dating” icebreaker games, a healthy relationships workshop provided by Western Youth Services, and a delicious Italian dinner generously donated by Dominic’s Ristorante Italiano and Caterina’s Club. After the workshop, teen attendees enjoyed a variety of fun friendship-building activities such as karaoke, a movie screening, video game tournaments, a piñata, cookie decorating and much more. It was a great night bringing an amazing group of teen leaders together at the Club.
The Boys & Girls Club of Cypress will be opening a 1,600 square foot expansion to better serve teen Club members this Spring. The Bandai Teen Center will have room for 100 teen members and will enable the Club to offer even more leadership development projects for the teens in the local community. For more information about the teen program at the Boys & Girls Club of Cypress visit the website at www.BGCCypress.org, call 714-527-2697 or stop by the Club at 10161 Moody St. in Cypress.
On Monday, Feb. 25, professional opera singer and magician Patrick Bell performed for the lunch program provided by SeniorServ at the Cypress Senior Center. Patrick started singing professionally at the age of 13 and his performance was enjoyed by 83 people who attended the birthday celebration.
Mr. Bell performs for the seniors. Courtesy photo
Lunch is served daily and adults 60 years and older are requested to make a suggested donation of $3. If you are under 60 years of age there is a charge of $5 per meal.
The Cypress Senior Center is located at 9031 Grindlay Street, just south of Lincoln Avenue and about a mile west of Valley View Street in Cypress. For more information please call 714-229-2005. Information about other services at the Cypress Senior Center may also be found on the Cypress Recreation & Community Services’ website at cypressrec.com.
Tuesday, Feb. 12 was opening day for Boys & Girls Club of Cypress’ new Clubhouse at Cypress College. This is a partnership with Cypress College to provide free homework help, arts and crafts, and enrichment games for school-age children of Cypress College students. Open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., this new Clubhouse located in College’s North Orange Continuing Education Building will give college students with children the opportunity to access campus services such as counseling appointments, tutoring services and library visits.
For more information visit www.BGCCypress.org/college-clubhouse or call 714-527-2697.
In somewhat of a surprise move, the Cypress Chamber of Commerce announced this week that as of February 1, there were no longer any paid positions within the Chamber to administrate the Chamber’s daily activities.
For the past 14 years, Ed Munson acted as “President and CEO” of the organization. In a statement sent to Chamber members and the media this week, there was no mention of any reason other than finances in taking the action.
It is believed that the Chamber eliminated Munson’s position and that of one administrative assistant.
Cypress Chamber Chairwoman Theresa Murphy said the part-time administrative position was eliminated last October and it was more-or-less a financial decision to eliminate Munson’s position.
“We have recently made some changes within our organization and have eliminated all administrative positions effective February 1, 2019,” said the statement issued by the Chamber’s Board.
Murphy said the board felt like the full-time position had become “an event job” and that the Chamber will reassess it needs going forward. “If you’re going to have a full time position,” she said, “you have to be able to pay for it.”
“The Board Members of the Cypress Chamber of Commerce would like to assure you that we are maintaining our office, located on the Cypress College campus, ready to serve and help promote your business,” the statement continued.
“We are excited for the events scheduled for 2019 and beyond. Our 2019 Directory has arrived, and all active members can anticipate receiving their copy within the next few weeks,” said the statement.
“We are grateful for your membership and appreciate the opportunity to partner with you and give you the most value out of your membership,” the statement concluded.
The Event-News Enterprise attempted but was unsuccessful in reaching Chairwoman Theresa Murphy for comment on the situation.
Meanwhile, Cypress Mayor Stacy Berry said she attended the Chamber’s networking breakfast last week and said the Chamber appeared to be functioning well, with no noticeable changes since the reorganization.
Murphy said for now, the board has divided duties among themselves and thus far, is working out just fine.
Munson said it was simply a matter of “downsizing” the Chamber and that he had enjoyed his 14 years as a paid administrator for the organization.
For an institution founded even before the City of Los Alamitos, the non-profit Youth Center has qualified for White House recognition after having logged more than one million service hours to the community they continue to serve.
According to Executive Director Lina Lumme, the Los Al Youth Center began “transforming children’s lives” back in 1952, while the city itself was not incorporated until 1960.
“This is an amazing milestone for us,” she said, and one that deserves a very special celebration.
Therefore, for the first time ever, the Youth Center is a having a ‘black-tie optional’ fundraising gala on March 16 at the Old Ranch Country Club, at which many of those in the community that have donated or volunteered over the years are expected to attend.
In many cases, said Lumme, service has become a generational thing as some of grandchildren of kids first served by the Youth Center are now involved with the program, providing service to others.
Very few organizations have this rare opportunity to celebrate one million service hours, she said, and the many families who have been assisted never seem to forget.
“We will make it a night of inspiration,” said Lumme, adding that she hopes his year’s campaign will raise more than $200,000 for the award-winning program.
In addition to the one million service hours, the Youth Center routinely is rated as one of the best nonprofit organizations in the USA. Lumme gives credit to the community, saying “it takes a village” to make this happen year after year.
President Donald Trump has issued special White House recognition for the Youth Center that will be shared with the community along with other stories of its glorious history, said Lumme.
In this vintage Youth Center photo, Eric Webb and Youth Center volunteer Jan Larson play a game of “foosball” as Victor Nolasco looks on.
“We want people to remember this night,” she said.
Lumme said this year’s fundraising campaign is already underway but hopes the new gala will give it extra impetus this year.
In addition to providing two popular summer camps, Camp Shark and Teen Camp, the Center provides music instruction to all elementary schools in the area. In many cases, Lumme said the Youth Center provides music scholarships to families in financial need.
Since the center is located very near the Joint Forces Training Base, Lumme said they often host, help and feed incoming military families. “We have a legacy of community service,” she said.
The Youth Center also sponsors an annual Youth Leadership Academy for 120 kids and operates a Christmas tree service every holiday season, among varied participation in community-oriented projects.
Lumme said Youth Center musicians will play at the opening of the gala, but there will be a professional band to provide live music later in the evening. “We have much entertainment and many surprises,” she said.
Gala tickets cost $125 and can be purchased by calling 562-493-4043 or visiting www.theyouthcenter.org.
Courtesy photos
Volunteers and Youth Center supporters smile on a ‘dated’ red carpet photo.
Opal Singleton is a woman on a mission. Every moment of every day, she matches wits with some of the smartest, filthiest and diabolical people on earth in her role as a human trafficking expert and training officer the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
Working in human trafficking since 2010, Singleton has authored two popular books on the subject, she’s written courses for the Safe Communities Institute, the University of Southern California and she also consults for the Los Angeles Police Department.
Also partially funded by the U.S. Justice Department, Singleton trains lawyers, judges, probation officers and parents.
“We are living at one of the most important times in all of history,” Singleton told her audience at the Grace Christian School in Cypress Thursday. Because of technology, said Singleton, “we live in world without borders” and in “homes without walls.”
With six billion users expected to be connected to the internet by 2020, Singleton said we are approaching the “first generation ever when someone with a smartphone can reach everyone in the world,” she said. More worrisome, said Singleton, “and everyone can reach them.
“I’m here to help people understand how this works,” she said, explaining that human and sex trafficking has become a multi-billion business run by “gangs and cartels” using social media.
History will eventually show, said Singleton, that the online revolution will have been “more important than the industrial revolution.”
In rapid fire succession, Singleton laid out for the audience of parents how human trafficking was more “a crime of psychology” rather than the more popularized version of being taken.
Singleton quickly pierced the more common notions of human trafficking. “Ever see the movie Taken,” she asks the audience, “that isn’t generally how it happens.”
Her first book, “Seduced: The grooming of America’s teenagers,” describes how gang members mask themselves on the internet through various dating sites to capture the attention of young girls, mostly whom “have a very big hole in their hearts.”
The gang members promise “a fantasy” to these young girls who are not old enough to have the cognitive skills required to understand the ruse.
In fact, her latest book is entitled “Societal Shift” and in it, she outlines many of the social changes occurring in a transformative world dominated by escalating technologies.
She said research indicates that 87 percent of today’s children and teenagers sleep with their phones, making it easier for perpetrators to come into a child’s bedroom at night “right through the sheets,” never opening a door.
More alarming, Singleton said these gang members have been incredibly successful at learning how to lure these young girls into the promise of a new life, only for the victims to learn too late they have been delivered into a new life of turning tricks for pimps.
“Their lives can be changed forever in ten seconds.”
Once trapped in the “sex circuit”, said Singleton, they are captive to a market for sex with underaged girls that is huge. She said girls locked in the sex trade make $800 per session for their pimps, many of whom are driving Bentleys, Mercedes and other luxury cars. Each girl could be worth as much as $1.5 million per year to the network.
“Pimping is not about sex,” she said. “It’s about control and power.”
Singleton provided real world examples of cases she has personally worked on in the past, saying the shadowy figures on the web are the “worst people ever.”
As obvious as it may seem, Singleton said sex trafficking is “one hard crime” to prove in court. New technologies such as encrypted messaging, vaporware (disappearing video) and crypto currencies are making the tasks even harder.
Letting kids use “adult devices” can produce disastrous results. New outlets like “Live.me” allow any kid with a smartphone and a network connection to “start monetizing” selfies and videos of themselves, making the situation exponentially more challenging.
Singleton gave an example of a 9-year-old twerking naked on the site. She explained how networks of pedophiles on the dark web use the “surface web” to lure unsuspecting girls into commercial sex work or sending a naked photo. Once they do, they in many cases fall victim to “sextortion” and many of them eventually tumble into the world of captive sex.
Sadly, according to Singleton, here are the facts: More than 18,000 kids a day send a naked photo of themselves; 9,000 kids a day then fall victim to sextortion because of the photos sent and 58 percent of them to go meet their sextortionists and “it becomes a virtual superhighway for sex trafficking.”
Foster kids are at very high risk, she said, and the ratio of girls to boys is 5-1.
Singleton says most victims average about seven years on the commercial sex circuit with a variety of reasons for them leaving, including disease, drugs or death.
She said the gangs in Southern California have a pattern of moving the girls around in hotels, motels and other locations that are known to law enforcement.
Under California law, any teen caught in the commercial sex trade below 18-years-old cannot be charged with a crime. They are automatically considered victims, except in very special circumstances.
More tragically, when these experiences occur at a very impressionable age, it negatively affects their views of themselves in multi-dimensional ways for the remainder of their lives.
She urges parents to use the most powerful four words in the English language. “I believe in you.” Parents should not only monitor how their kids are using social media and technology, but also use common sense arguments if confronted by a child. “If a parent gets in a tug-of-war with a child over a fantasy, the parent is going to lose every time.”
She briefly explained literary and social devices parent could utilize if this happens to them. “You have to learn to unpack the fantasy.”
Moreover, she says the fact that the technology changing every 6-9 months makes the job of a parent incredibly more difficult. As the internet widens its grip on a collective society, the dilemma becomes “the DARE program of this generation.
Parenting has become more difficult, she said, adding that luring of America’s kids over the internet represents the “greatest societal challenges of all times.”
Singleton was introduced by Selina Mullaney, Director of Recruitment as Grace Christian School Superintendent Don Pettinger thanked Singleton for sharing a compelling message that “every parent should hear.” Cypress Mayor Stacy Berry and Chief of Police Rod Cox also attended the presentation
Editors Note: Singleton has started her own “Million kids” nonprofit foundation (www.millionkids.org), she appears on “The Answer” every Saturday at 3 p.m. (AM 590) and she said hundreds of hours of free human trafficking instruction is available on www. exploitedcrimes.com.
When Harumi Rhodes applied for a teaching position at the University of Colorado at Boulder, how could she have known that a twist of fate would hand her the “chance of a lifetime” to become a violinist for the Takács Quartet, arguably the most famous string quartet in the world.
“For me, it was a dream come true,” said Rhodes this week. When the Takács Quartet takes the Segerstrom stage Feb. 28, it will be the first time they have performed here since Harumi was named to replace founding violinist Károly Schranz.
Rhodes obviously landed the teaching position at the university where she remains a Professor of Violin, but her new job also placed her in close proximity to the Takács Quartet, who remain in residence there.
“I had a few chances to play with them before Karoly retired,” said Rhodes. Even though Rhodes is a world renown violinist in her own rite, the violinist was “beyond excited” when named as his replacement earlier this year.
“It is not an exaggeration to say that I have admired them my whole life.”
Rhodes is now second violinist in the internationally famous string quartet that originated in Hungary in the late 1970’s. Now entering their 44th season, the group has been residence at the University of Boulder since 1983, when they decided to move to the U.S.
Based in Boulder at the University of Colorado, the Quartet — Edward Dusinberre, Harumi Rhodes (violins), Geraldine Walther (viola) and András Fejér (cello) — perform eighty concerts a year worldwide.
For their Segerstrom engagement the program includes Haydn: Quartet Op. 76 #1, Bartók: String Quartet #6 and Grieg: String Quartet.
The Takács Quartet, in residence at the University of Colorado, has developed a program geared toward students who relish the chance to develop their artistry with a special emphasis on chamber music. Rhodes said she, and other students at the University of Boulder, enjoy thriving in a small, tightly knit community of chamber musicians, where students will not be lost in the crowd.
Members of the Takács admit a small number of students to their individual classes each year and work intensively with a resident graduate string quartet. Although the quartet maintains a high-profile international career, the schedule is managed carefully to allow for regular and frequent periods teaching in Boulder, according to information released by the school.
On stage, the Takács Quartet continues to blend their “trademark intensity” with the delicate lightness for which they are known and applauded at each performance around the world.
The New York Times recently lauded the ensemble for “revealing the familiar as unfamiliar, making the most traditional of works feel radical once more”, and the Financial Times described a recent concert at the Wigmore Hall: “Even in the most fiendish repertoire these players show no fear, injecting the music with a heady sense of freedom. At the same time, though, there is an uncompromising attention to detail: neither a note nor a bow-hair is out of place.”
It is perhaps difficult to comprehend how such incredible sounds and melodies that form the music filling a Takács Quartet concert hall. Sounds that seemingly come to life created by four master musicians manipulating 16 strings of steel and gut strung between four wooden instruments.
But to hear Rhodes explain it, we begin to better understand why string quartets evoke such emotion. She explains that a violin is considered to be the closest musical instrument to a human voice. There are forests in Italy from which comes the wood that these delicate instruments are made. The violin played by Rhodes dates back to the 1700’s.
And the violins, viola and cello (the only instruments used by the quartet) are all similar sounding instruments. According to Rhodes, it is kind of like “members of a family having a deeply personal conversation with music.”
“A conversation between like-minded instruments,” she said.
As the stringed instruments begin to speak to one another, the sounds evoke “wild emotion” among its audience. “It’s raw emotion,” she says, “yet loving and sincere,” she explains with the same deep commitment that seemingly comes from the music itself.
“Beethoven and the most renown composers in history “all wrote their most intimate compositions for the string quartet,” she said. The unity, expressiveness and musical bonding of a string quartet, she said, is incredibly unique and moving.
Such harmony is, in this unique characterization, very difficult if not impossible to achieve with larger ensembles.
Long associated with Chamber music, Rhodes was very accomplished before being named to Takács Quartet. According to information published on the University’s website, Rhodes has been acclaimed by the New York Times as a “deeply expressive violinist.”
“Ms. Rhodes has gained broad recognition as a multifaceted musician with a distinctive and sincere musical voice. Her generosity of spirit on stage is contagious, making her one of the most sought-after violinists of her generation.”
The Takács Quartet plans to perform a variety of compositions at the California show, but among them is the String Quartet#6 by Bartók, which Rhodes calls a “absolute masterpiece.” Rhodes said she was especially excited about performing the Bartók piece at their upcoming Feb. 28 show in Costa Mesa. He reportedly composed the piece in a state of deep and utter sadness prompted by the loss of his mother and the outbreak of World War II.
Rhodes said of all the “intimate” pieces ever written for string quartets, this is perhaps, “the most profound piece of music ever written.” Quite a statement from one of the world’s youngest masters of the violin. After all, her instrument has given Rhodes a voice in the world’s most famous string quartet; and she’s got plenty to say in her conversation among the strings.
The Takács Quartet returns to Segerstrom Center for the Arts on February 28, 2019 at 8:00 p.m. in Samueli Theater. Single tickets start at $39 and are now available online at www.SCFTA.org, at the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa or by calling (714) 556-2787. For inquiries about group ticket savings of 10 or more, please call the Group Services office at (714) 755-0236.
Rossmoor Community Services District announced the installation of new LED street lighting scheduled for February 18, 2019. As part of an incentive program offered by Southern California Edison (SCE), the District will replace the High-Pressure Sodium Vapor (HPSV) streetlights in all residential tracts and arterial streets with newer Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology. Conversion to the new LED technology will result in a savings to the District due to reduced energy usage.
The Rossmoor Board of Directors approved using 3000Kelvin (K), 70 Wattage (W) equivalent LED street lights for residential, 3000K, 100W around schools and select thoroughfares and 300K, 150W equivalent on arterial streets. The new fixtures will provide whiter and brighter lighting compared to the District’s existing HPSV lights.
In 2018 the District entered into an agreement with SCE to implement the lighting conversion program. Under this program, SCE will replace all SCE-owned streetlights with LED light fixtures with no up-front costs. Southern California Edison owns and maintains 796 streetlights in Rossmoor. The improved LED lighting technology will provide better illumination throughout the community resulting in cost and energy savings as well as enhanced safety for residents. After installation, please contact the Rossmoor Community Services District at 562-430-3707 to report any immediate issues with flickering and the District will promptly notify Southern California Edison for repair. For additional information please visit our website at www.rossmoor-csd.org.
