Belmont Beacon
MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2014 - NOVEMBER 2, 2014
belmontbeacon.com
No more race-based lockdowns in California prisons by jennifer schlueter
mates who didn’t take part in the incident. According to the Los Angeles Times, another incident concerning a “riot between northern and southern Mexican gangs at Pelican Bay State Prison, resulted in a three-year lockdown” during which prisoners “were denied family visits,
The new grant will support the existing Covered California Outreach and Education Program and enrollment assistance. The grant award of represents the Health Department’s ability to effectively educate and enroll as well as help individuals with Covered Please see page 2
Please see page 4
issued housing and work assignments and assigned outdoor exercise times all based on race.” Because some gangs are associated with a certain race, these lockdowns happen. Lawyer Rebekah Evenson told CBS that out of 600 annual lockPlease see page 2
Long Beach Health Department receives $225,000 Covered California navigator grant The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services has received a $225,000 Covered California Navigator grant, aimed at increasing health insurance enrollment in the state. Covered California anticipates a total registration of 1.7 million Californians by the end of the coming openenrollment period.
“Working with our local partners, Long Beach is helping to ensure residents enroll in Covered California and stay in the program,” Mayor Robert Garcia said. “We are committed to being a healthy city where residents have easy access to health services and information, and this is an important step in that direction.”
Drunken driver sentenced for killing two friends With concern escalating across the U.S. about the threat of a wider Ebola outbreak, National Nurses United today called on President Barack Obama to “invoke his executive authority” to order all U.S. hospitals to meet the highest “uniform, national standards and protocols” in order to “safely protect patients, all healthcare workers and the public.” The request, send in a letter to the President, came on a day in which NNU, the largest U.S. organization of nurses, hosted a national call-in conference in which 11,500 RNs from across the U.S. joined to discuss what steps should be taken to confront a virulent disease that the World Health Organization has termed the most significant health crisis in modern history. On the call, RNs from California, the District of Columbia, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon, and Texas described widespread concerns in their hospitals about inadequate preparedness at a time at least two nurses have been tested positive for the Ebola virus in a hospital where one patient infected by the disease has died. The call came just hours after NNU released a statement by RNs who work at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas voicing frustration and concern over what they viewed as a lack of preparation and training at their hospital, the first in the U.S. to see, first a patient with Ebola who subsequently died, and now an RN who has been infected with the
California High Desert State Prison, where a race-based lockdown called for a civil rights law suit - Courtesy Photo
In 2006, African American inmates of the California High Desert State Prison had been locked down for 14 months deprived from outdoor exercise, rehabilitation programs, and prison jobs after two guards had been attacked by prisoners. The lockdown was solely based on race and unjustly included in-
VOLUME 1, NO. 26
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Brad Pitt turns to more serious, contemplative work in Fury By Michael James Gonzalez The topic of World War II battles might sound dull for many, as it is arguably the most written about topic and most depicted on film than any other world war. Writer/Director David Ayer, however, has produced one of the most original and exciting new films in recent war
movie history with Fury, a gritty action drama set deep in Nazi Germany a few months before the end of the war where Don “War Daddy” Collier, played by Brad Pitt, leads his tank crew against merciless and desperate Nazi forces who outnumber them. Ayer—who is known for
Navigator grant for Health Department Continued from page 1
California coverage renewals in the upcoming months. “Working with the Health Access Program, our enrollment team provides language specific services and a human touch to healthcare enrollment,” said Kelly Colopy, Director of the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services. “We continue to enroll residents in Covered California by providing them with timely, accurate and meaningful customer service.” Covered California is an easyto-use marketplace implementing the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in California. The next open enrollment period begins November 15, 2014, and continues through February 15, 2015. In October, Covered California will be reaching out to those with insurance to get them ready for renewing their coverage. The Long Beach Depart-
ment of Health and Human Services is participating in various community enrollment forums. Also, walk-ins and appointments are welcomed Monday throughFriday from 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM at the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Service, 2525 Grand Avenue. Services are available in English, Spanish, and Khmer. In addition, the Health Department will provide Saturday and evening enrollment appointments upon request. For more information on Covered California enrollment services and/or community enrollment forums, please contact Anthony Ly with the Medi-Cal Outreach Program at 562.570.7979 or visit the health department website at www. longbeach.gov/health/fss/medical.asp. You can also obtain Covered California information at www.coveredca.com.
high-concept, high action movies like The Fast and the Furious, Training Day, and End of Watch—wrote what is no doubt his most sophisticated screenplay to date with Fury. While there are plenty of explosions and gunfire to satisfy the most ardent actionmovie fans, it is the relationship of the tank crew and how they individually and internally cope with the carnage, the death, the utter destruction of war that keeps us interested. We begin as the fourman tank crew—which includes Shia LeBeouf, Jon Bernthal, and Michael Pena—is on a temporary and much needed respite from battle after one of their gunners has just been killed. Norman, a child-like, enlisted typist with no battle experience is assigned as the new gunner. He’s played by Percy Jackson’s Logan Lerman. Not surprisingly, Norman is immediately despised by the crew— who have been together since the North African Campaign several years earlier—for his innocence and lack of experience. The wise and battle-weary “War Daddy,” however, understands that their survival is predicated on trust, and he therefore assumes responsibility for coaching Norman, through some painful teachable moments, to become a warrior. A bond between all of the men is forged and strengthened after much loss and devastation. On a mission to hold off a vital German supply route, an entire tank platoon of Allies is obliterated and only Fury—the nickname of
our protagonists’ tank—remains functional but immobile after running over a landmine. With a parade of a few hundred SS soldiers marching toward the only surviving tank crew, the men are faced with the choice of either hiding in the German forest to wait for reinforcements, or fight to the death. All of the performances in this film are bold and raw with emotion albeit restrained. Brad Pitt convincingly embodies the strong, silent, battle-hardened commander, and the respect and reverence he was no doubt given on set by his fellow actors is quite palpable on screen. Ayer purposefully steers clear of the fast-cut, steadicam shooting style that has now been overused in other films to heighten war sequences and instead uses slow tracking shots and still, wide frames which effectively juxtapose the beauty of the German countryside with the ugliness of human misery, a style which keeps the tension alive while giving us a sense of calm before the storm. This is Ayer’s second collaboration with cinematographer Roman Vasyanov who diminishes the film’s color palate to make vivid the grayish mood of the narrative. It is beautifully photographed but retains the grit and harshness of the disrupted landscapes. The film is a tightly woven two hour thriller that hangs on knife’s edge and has real potential to go down as a classic war film. Only time will tell, however.
No more race-based lockdowns Continued from page 1
downs in California prisons, 200 are based on race. No other state has such race-based policies, reported the Times. Prison officials claim these lockdowns are safety measures, so that they can conduct investigations after violent occasions. Following the incident at the California High Desert
State Prison, lawyers for inmates filed a civil rights lawsuit against the unfair lockdown. Out of the resulting settlement, last Wednesday’s decision of California officials to end these lockdowns came forth and ruled them to be unconstitutional because they violate the equal protection granted by the 14th Amendment.
OCTOBER 27, 2014 - NOVEMBER 2, 2014 | 3
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California ranked #1 in after school programs State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today that California leads the nation in after school programs, placing first among all states in a national survey released Thursday by the Afterschool Alliance. “The good news is, because we have followed through on our long-term commitment to invest in our children, California has the largest network of after school programs in the country,” Torlakson said. “These programs are helping our children learn and stay safe after school, while helping working parents keep their jobs. The challenge is that many more children still need to be served.” Torlakson celebrated California’s number one ranking with students, parents, community leaders, and advocates Thursday in a visit to the after school program at Roy Romer Middle School in North Hollywood. The Alliance gave California its top ranking in the 2014 edition of its “America After 3PM” survey, singling the state out for both strong participation among students and high satisfaction with after school programs among parents. It found that expanded learning participation in California had increased to 25 percent, compared to 19 percent in 2009, with more than 1.6 million students enrolled. The survey also found that 92 percent of California parents were satisfied with the quality of care of their child’s after school program, up from 83 percent in 2009. “Superintendent Torlakson has spearheaded efforts to make California number one in the nation,” said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant. “He created a statewide after school initiative within the California Department of Education that has increased quality and access to after school programs across this state. California stands head and shoulders above the rest of the country, not only for the percentage of
students it serves, but for its emphasis on making high-quality after school programs a state priority. From extraordinary STEM programs, to service learning, to its trailblazing literacy programming, California has done an amazing job with afterschool programs.” The Alliance’s report also noted California’s work to emphasize the quality of programs, including Torlakson’s move to create an After School Division within the California Department of Education (CDE) and to develop a strategic plan to build on the state’s investments in expanded learning. The CDE also recently completed development of newQuality Standards for Expanded Learning programs. A teacher and long-time
track and cross-country coach, Torlakson has long been a champion of after school programs. Legislation he authored led to the creation and expansion of these programs. California’s expanded learning programs today reach about 4,500 schools around the state. They are, in large part, funded through voter-approved Proposition 49, which guarantees $550 million annually for the state’s After School Education and Safety Program. California administers another $120 million in federal after school program funds. For more information about expanded learning, visit the CDE After School Division’s California Expanded Learning Programs Facebook Web page.
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4 | OCTOBER 27, 2014 - NOVEMBER 2, 2014
Port honors OOCL executive Andrew Tung, CEO and Managing Director of Orient Overseas Container Line, was presented today with the prestigious “Port Pilot Award” by the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners. Tung is the 77th recipient of the award, which is presented to business and political leaders and advocates who have made contributions to international trade within the maritime industry. He is the first third-generation Port Pilot winner. His father, C.H. Tung (in 1987), and grandfather, C.Y. Tung (in 1977), were also recipients. “We’re pleased to present our prestigious Port Pilot Award
to a very deserving Andy Tung,” said Doug Drummond, President of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners. ““His progressive leadership and lifelong dedication to reshaping and enhancing international trade – as we’ve seen in our next-generation Middle Harbor terminal partnership – should serve as a glowing example for all industry executives.” Under Tung’s leadership, OOCL has moved ahead in partnership with the Port of Long Beach on the $1.3 billion Middle Harbor modernization project. The new terminal will feature the world’s most advanced technology, doubling
capacity and cutting emissions in half. Tung has led the Hong Kong-based OOCL, one of the top shipping lines calling at the Port of Long Beach, in various management roles since March 2006. However, he first worked for OOCL in various management positions from 1993 to 1998. Overall, Tung has held top management jobs in the maritime industry in both the United States and Hong Kong. Prior to his return to OOCL, he was a director of Cargosmart in Hong Kong and worked at Kong Dragon Airlines. The Port has presented the award to CEOs, prime ministers,
ambassadors, members of Congress, Cabinet officials and U.S. presidents, including Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan. The Honorary Port Pilot Award was established in 1954 by the Port of Long Beach to recognize significant contributions to the advancement of world trade. It was last awarded in 2011 to Jon A. Hemingway, CEO of SSA Marine. The award is named for the harbor port pilots who guide cargo ships safely in and out of the port in all conditions. For more information about the award and for a complete list of honorees, visitwww.polb.com/portpilotaward.
National nurses call on President Obama to help fight Ebola Continued from page 1
virus.
In the statement, the Texas RNs described confusion in the hospital over policies in responding to patients with Ebola, inadequate advance training and availability of proper personal protective equipment, and changing guidelines. In the end, the nurses, said they felt “unsupported, unprepared and deserted to handle the situation on their own.” “Sadly, the problems expressed by the heroic Texas Health Presbyterian RNs was predictable in our fragmented, uncoordinated private healthcare system, and it mirrors concerns we’ve heard from nurses across
the U.S.,” said NNU Executive Director RoseAnn DeMoro. It is the circumstances in Dallas, which have mirror the concerns nurses across the U.S. have been expressing, both on the call and via an online NNU survey filled out by more than 2,500 nurses that have prompted NNU to call on President Obama to mandate improved safety standards in U.S. health facilities. “Not one more patient, nurse, or healthcare worker should be put at risk due to a lack of health care facility preparedness,” DeMoro said in the letter to President Obama. “The United States should be setting the example on
how to contain and eradicate the Ebola virus.” The letter also states: “Every healthcare employer must be directed to follow the Precautionary Principle and institute the following: “Optimal personal protective equipment for Ebola that meets the highest standards used by the University of Nebraska Medical Center “Full-body hazmat suits that meet the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) F1670 standard for blood penetration, the ASTM F1671 standard for viral penetration, and that leave no skin exposed or unprotected and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health-approved powered air purifying respirators with an assigned protection factor of at least 50 – or a higher standard as appropriate. “There shall be at least two direct care registered nurses caring for each Ebola patient with additional RNs assigned as needed based on the direct care RN’s professional judgment with no additional patient care assignments. “There will be continuous interactive training with the RNs who are exposed to patients. There will also be continuous updated train-
ing and education for all RNs that is responsive to the changing nature of disease. This would entail continuous interactive training and expertise from facilities where state of the art disease containment is occurring. “If the Employer has a program with standards that exceed those used by the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the higher standard shall be used. The Ebola pandemic and the exposure of health care workers to the virus represent a clear and present danger to public health. “We know that without these mandates to health care facilities we are putting registered nurses, physicians and other healthcare workers at extreme risk. They are our first line of defense. We would not send soldiers to the battlefield without armor and weapons. “In conclusion, not one more patient, nurse, or healthcare worker should be put at risk due to a lack of health care facility preparedness. The United States should be setting the example on how to contain and eradicate the Ebola virus. Nothing short of your mandate that optimal standards apply is acceptable to the nurses of this nation,” the letter from DeMoro to the President concludes.