Belmont Beacon
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2015 - FEBRUARY 8, 2015
belmontbeacon.com
Californians Can Soon Vote on Death with Dignity by nick kipley Having once failed in the polls, voters in the State of California will soon be able to decide again whether or not a patient of a terminal disease can electively end his or her own life under new, “Death With Dignity,” legislature. The measure, which has seen various revisions from the time it has been up for debate in 1992, 2005, and 2007, is gaining in support after 29-year-old Brittany Maynard, a California resident, moved to Portland in order to electively end her life, which she succeeded in doing on the 1st of November, last year. Oregon, Washington and Vermont have voted into their state legislation the right for a patient of an end-stage terminal disease to take a deliberate overdose of a heavy sedative-hypnotic—typically a mixture of barbiturates—slip into a coma and die peacefully. Maynard had been diagnosed with a particularly aggressive form of brain cancer whose prognosis indicated irreversible physical and mental scarring if she were to undergo even the most successful treatment. Even
Long Beach Harbor to Host Royal Visitor The Queen Mary to be Visited by Cunard's Queen Elizabeth
sters in their behind-the-scenes shark nursery. The zebra shark pups are now about 2-and-a-half to 3 feet long. The 140-pound and 7-anda-half-foot long mother zebra shark can be seen swimming in the Aquarium’s Shark Lagoon exhibit with other large sharks. Aquarium experts have
The Queen Mary will receive her sea-going “niece”, February 5, 2015. This will mark the first time a modern Cunard liner will dock and disembark passengers in the Long Beach harbor. The QE is today one of the world’s most advanced passenger vessels and is currently on a global cruise. The original Queen Elizabeth was the sister-ship to Queen Mary and together made over 2,000 transAtlantic voyages when in active service for Cunard. “The Elizabeth will berth adjacent to the Queen Mary and her arrival will begin a day-long series of events and activities to celebrate the unprecedented meeting of ships. Admission to the Queen Mary will be complimentary that day from 10am to 8pm. Public guests are encouraged to come aboard and take advantage of special tours, discounted attractions, and live entertainment” said Queen Mary General Manager, John Jenkins. The Elizabeth is expected to dock early February 5th and will depart the same day at sunset. There will be no public access to the Queen Elizabeth. Prior visits by Cunard vessels to Long Beach have been restricted to floating salutes where the modern ships hovered in place while honor-
Please see page 2
Please see page 4
- File photo by Terry Miller
worse, it was feared that, after months of these personality-altering treatments, the radioactive waves would fire through her skull and kill her. “I considered passing away in hospice care at my San Francisco Bay-area home. But even
with palliative medication, I could develop potentially morphine-resistant pain and suffer personality changes and verbal, cognitive and motor loss of virtually any kind,” she said Please see page 2
First Baby Zebra Sharks Born From Artificial Insemination The Aquarium of the Pacific announced that it is the first to be able to successfully reproduce zebra sharks through artificial insemination. More than 100 million sharks in the wild are killed annually due to human impact. Being able to artificially inseminate large shark species like the zebra shark can further research in helping dwindling shark populations in the wild.
VOLUME 2, NO. 5
The 10-month-old sharks are on exhibit in the Aquarium’s Shark Lagoon since last Tuesday. Fern, approximately 20 years old, is the mother of the two female sharks. Fern arrived to the Aquarium in 1997. She was inseminated in September 2013, and both babies hatched from their eggs in late March of 2014. The Aquarium’s experts have been caring for the young-
2 | FEBRUARY 2, 2015 - FEBRUARY 8, 2015
Death With Dignity Continued from page 1
in a final statement released to CNN on the 2nd of November. “Because the rest of my body is young and healthy, I am likely to physically hang on for a long time even though cancer is eating my mind. I probably would have suffered in hospice care for weeks or even months. And my family would have had to watch that,” she added. Oregon’s forms “To Request To End My Life In A Humane and Dignified Manner” read: “I am suffering from _________________ , which my attending/prescribing physician has determined is a terminal disease and which has been medically confirmed by a consulting physician . . . I have been fully informed of: my diagnosis; prognosis; the nature of medication to be prescribed and potential associated risks; the expected result; and feasible alternatives, including comfort
care, hospice care, and pain control.” As a seeming counterpoint to the argument that this law might result in physicians or cruel family members, “putting down,” elderly patients unable to pay for treatment, Oregon paperwork has been designed to be a lengthy, complex, bureaucratic procedure. The form requests two separate witnesses who are not in any way related to the patient, that they are the patient’s physician, and that they will not befit monetarily from the patient once they are deceased. These two witnesses must indicate that the patient is in sound mind, that they know the patient personally, and that they aren’t employees at a health care center where the patient is receiving treatment. The Doctor’s consultation form for this procedure is much longer, requires two separate
visits and for the patient to receive the proverbial “go ahead” from a psychologist. Then, the acquisition of the drugs from the pharmacy requires a couple of days. The whole process requires of the patient, “to be logical to the bitter end.” And, probably for this reason, of the patients who have filled out the prescription to end their life in Oregon, only about two thirds have gone through with it. Julie Sosa, a Registered Nurse and the Clinical Supervisor at Five Star Home Hospice in Pasadena, said that patients have voiced their wish to die because of unbearable pain. Because the majority of these patients are under the influence of mindaltering medication, they would not fall under the “Death With Dignity” legislation. However, Sosa has “always supported this” proposed law for California.
At the Hospice, the nurse also cares for many Alzheimer patients, who “lose the ability to remember where [they] are, forget how to talk, how to walk, how to go to the bathroom . . . [and finally] how to chew and swallow food.” Those are not eligible under Oregon’s law to electively end their own lives; however, for them, Sosa claims that the Hospice is the best alternative to intensive care. The Hospice’s “job is to make them comfortable so they can prepare to die.” Some would see this as a total loss of dignity, dying choking on your food. Some would see wasting away in hospice care in your early thirties (Maynard) as a loss of all dignity. But what it comes down to, both in a philosophical sense and in a medicalterminology sense, is how comfortable you want to feel in the end.
Baby Zebra Sharks Continued from page 1
been working with Fern, who is trained to come to the surface for food as well as to voluntarily participate in her own medical exams. Zebra sharks, often called leopard sharks in Australia, are found in the Indo-West Pacific.
This includes the Red Sea, East Africa, New Caledonia, Japan, Australia, and Tonga. This species of shark prefers inshore marine or brackish water. They grow to be 5.5 to 11.5 feet in length and are 9 feet long on average. These sharks are noc-
turnal foragers, feeding on snails and bivalves, crabs, shrimp, and small bony fishes. Young juveniles are dark brown or black with narrow pale yellow or white vertical bars resembling a zebra’s stripes. When they begin to develop their adult features, the juvenile shark’s bars fade, becoming dots or open circular designs no longer resembling a zebra. These sharks reach maturity when they are about 5 to 6 feet in length. Pups normally hatch in about five-and-a-half to sixand-a-half months and are only about 7.9 to 10 inches when they emerge from their egg cases. Once hatched, they are immediately independent, able to swim and hunt on their own. Zebra sharks can live about twenty-five to thirty years, but face many threats in the wild. This species is listed as vulnera-
-Courtesy Photo
ble to extinction under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List mainly because of human activities. Overfishing poses a big threat, as these sharks are sold for human consumption or fish meal. Livers are processed for vitamins, and there is a large market for their fins. In Australia, where zebra sharks are not a target species for fishing, their population for that region is listed under IUCN Red’s List as Least Concern.
FEBRUARY 2, 2015 - FEBRUARY 8, 2015 | 3
hlr media EDITORIAL editor@belmontbeacon.com Editor Jennifer Schlueter Publisher HLR Media Advertising advertising@hlrmedia.com Submissions:
Please send all press releases to: editor@belmontbeacon.com HLR Media, LLC .All contents herein are copyrighted and may not be reproduced in any manner, either in whole or in part, without the express written consent of the publisher. The views and opinions expressed in this paper are not necessarily that of the management and staff at HLR Media, LLC 525 E Seaside Way, Suite 101B Long Beach 90802
Phone: (626) 386-3457 Fax: (626) 600-4452
Alhambra PRESS ANAHEIM PRESS
Baldwin Park
Belmont Beacon INDEPENDENT
INDEPENDENT
Pasadena Press
San Bernardino Press
Wildlife WayStation Animals Need Your Help Los Angeles’ Wildlife WayStation’s Wayke Up crowdfunding web campaign is well underway but also desperately in need of more help.. The WayStation founder-director, Martine Colette, calls this ”the start of a new chapter” in the history of the nationally regarded, non-profit, sanctuary dedicated to the rescue and rehab of wild and exotic wildlife situated in the Angeles National Forest. The WayStation is currently home to 450 animals, cared for by Colette, her staff, and her volunteers. The crowdfunding web campaign will be run via IndieGoGo, between December 14th, 2014 and February 10th, 2015. Missing these days at the WayStation are the visitors and groups of children visiting from the LA area School Districts as part of the WayStation’s educational programs. Getting them back is the purpose of the Wayke Up campaign. Says Wayke Up hostess, actress-singer Nikki Reed (“Twilight”): “The campaign’s purpose is to raise money to renew the WayStation’s Conditional Use Permit (CUP) which has expired. The Permit allows the WayStation to be open for visitors and continue the all-important educational outreach programs that can inspire the next generation of children to protect our wildlife and the environment. Reed also volunteers at animal shelters and works with the ASPCA. “Acquiring a conditional use permit is vital to our mission to once again share our home and vision with the world outside of Little Tujunga Canyon,” notes Colette. She created the Wildlife WayStation—”because there were no existing facilities to take care of wild and exotic animals” in 1965, the first exotic sanctuary to be established in the U.S. The WayStation was incorporated in 1976 and over the years has provided care and shelter to more than 76,000 animals, birds and reptiles. For many, it has been
-Photo by Terry Miller
a lifelong home and many more have been returned, healthy, to a natural habitat, also part of the WayStation’s mission. “But this growing need results in a growing Waystation budget,” says Colette. “Fundrais-
ing becomes a necessity. We are supported solely through donations, bequests and sponsorship—nothing from either State or Government. https://www.indiegogo.com/ projects/wayke-up
Long Beach Office 3780 Kilroy Airport Way Suite 360 Long Beach, CA 90806 Ph. (562) 472-0071 Fx. (562) 689-0071 Los Angeles Office 5701 South Eastern Avenue Suite 100 Los Angeles, CA 90040 Ph. (323) 727-1144 Fx. (323) 727-9198 www.heger-industrial.com Lic. #00814086
4 | FEBRUARY 2, 2015 - FEBRUARY 8, 2015
Free Lip Reading Classes Free Lip Reading classes are offered on Mondays and Wednesdays. Monday classes are: February 9, 16 and 23. Wednesday classes are: February 4, 11, 18 and 25. The classes are offered through the Hearing Loss Association of America Long Beach/Lakewood Chapter at Weingart Senior Center, 5220 Oliva Avenue, Lakewood, CA. The Wednesday class will have a special introductory class in the first half of the class for
new students with the remainder of the class continuing for returning students. The classes are held on Mondays and Wednesdays all year except July, August, and Christmas to New Years. Beginning lessons are repeated each January but beginners are welcome at any time. For more information, call 562-438-0597 orww.hlalongbeachlakewood.org. Students are encouraged to just show up. No formal registration.
Lesbian & Gay Pride, Inc. Announces Annual Theme & Art Contest Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride, Inc. has selected the 2015 Annual Pride Celebration theme of “Color our World with Pride” and is currently seeking entries of artwork conceptualizing the theme. The chosen art work will be utilized in both advertising and merchandising of Pride events and products. The artist who cre-
Queen Mary Continued from page 1
ing their ancestor. The February 5 visit will see the Queen Elizabeth dock adjacent to the Queen Mary - a first for Long Beach, Cunard and the seagoing royal relatives. Ship Model Gallery Dedication: February 5: Enhancing the Queen Elizabeth’s visit, and in recognition of the Queen Mary’s 80 years of public life, a new Ship Model Gallery will be dedicated on the Queen Mary at 11:00 AM during a private reception. Located on the Promenade Deck, the model gallery will house many important ship models and is the first phase of the Queen Mary’s announced plans to create a world-class maritime museum and learn-
ing center aboard the ship. “Having the Queen Elizabeth on-hand for the Gallery dedication makes the day even more special,” Jenkins. Included in the Gallery will be priceless large models of some of the world’s greatest ships; Titanic, Lusitania, Brittania, Oregon, Normandie along with Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth 2, Queen Mary 2... and the spectacular Queen Mary. “The gallery will debut these impressive ship models - with others on the way. Its centerpiece will be the original Bassett-Lowke shipbuilder’s model of the Queen Mary - a spectacular and historically significant model measuring over 20 feet in length and exact in
every detail,” Jenkins added. The model museum will open to the public at 12:30pm and will be free of charge. Other public offerings include limited engagement attractions: Vintage Double Decker Bus Tours ($15), Tea with Diana ($39.95 Adult, $29.95 Child) and Captain’s Art Tour ($12). The public is also encouraged to take advantage of discounted pricing on regular attractions such as Haunted Attractions ($10) and Diana: Legacy of a Princess ($9.95). Tickets and information can be found online and at Passenger Information onboard the Queen Mary. Tentative Schedule of Events: 10:00 AM The Queen Mary Opens to All 11:00 AM Private Queen Mary Model Room Dedication: Promenade Deck 12:30 PM Ship Model Gallery Opens to Public 6:00 - 7:00 PM Queen Elizabeth Pushes off. The public is encouraged to gather on the Queen Mary’s stern for a bagpipe salute, brief address to the crowd by Queen Mary Commodore, Everette Hoard and spectacular fireworks display. For more information: http://www.queenmary.com/ events/royal_rendezvous/
ates the chosen piece will be awarded $250. Specs: Paper: 8 ½” x 11” Formats: Illustrator, Photoshop, EPS, PDF and hi-resolution JPEG Color: (1) black and white and (1) in PMS Colors: Red 26, Orange 28, Yellow 12, Green 85, Blue 68 and Purple 48 PC and Mac compatible Print Ready Mail or Hand Deliver to: LBLGP, Inc. Attention: Publicity Committee 1017 Obispo Ave. Long Beach, CA 90804 The submission deadline for hand deliver is Friday February 13th, 2015 at 5:00pm. The submission deadline for mailed entries must be postmarked by Sunday February 15, 2015. The winning artwork becomes property of LBLGP, Inc. Contact us at 562-987-9191 or info@longbeachpride.com
Almost Ballet Dance Classes Learn to dance at any age! Classes include warm up, stretching, floor exercises, Pilates, cool down and relaxation exercises. Classes held every Friday at El Dorado Park Time: 10A-11:30AM Price: $10 per class Instructor: Mildred Caudillo Learn to dance at any age! To register please visit www.lbparks.org or call (562) 570-3111.