Pondering Support for the Second Annual Tri Art Festival

The second annual Tri Art Festival, in downtown San Pedro is going to be held on Saturday September 13 and Sunday September 14.

Bob and the Ponte Vista gang offered financial support last year, but it appears they are no longer involved in financially supporting the Festival.

I attended the first annual Festival last year, and it was so much less than what is planned for this year's Festival.After I attended the first Festival, I wrote a post encouraging folks to attend last year's Sunday day. I also wrote that I would support future Tri Art Festivals.

The Tri Art Festival is run by Mr. Joe Caccavalla. He and I do not see eye to eye on our ideas for Ponte Vista, but this great gentleman is putting together another wonderful event for OUR community and I strongly urge everyone to try out Tri Art, this year.

This year's Festival will offer so much more and be quite a bit bigger than the first Festival.

Artisans from all over California Will be participating in a juried exhibition.There will be lots of different types of art for viewing and purchasing.

"Cars as Art", a classic and custom car show will be held, with awards presented in different classes.Several car clubs have been invited to participate, including San Pedro's Rascals and the Woodie Cars Club.

To me, this photo represents art in the form of an engine compartment of a car so many ridiculed, yet would very much like to have, right now.

It got decent gas mileage, it carried folks wherever they wanted to go, it was affordable in its day, and it was so simple.

Yes, it is a photo of the engine and engine compartment of a Pinto. Look how clean the lines are and how simple it was to look at, maintain, and enjoy, back in 1971.

There is much more to the Tri Art Festival than the art we enjoy on walls, under hoods, or sitting on tables.

There will be a Mario Lanza movie featured at the Warner Grand Theater and two days of other entertainment at the Warner Grand.

The late tenor's movie will be shown on September 14, at 1:00 PM and if you haven't seen one of Mario Lanza's musical movies, I think you might have a wonderful experience watching the movie in a theater designed to treat the eyes and ears and stir memories of movie watching in bygone days.

But wait, there's more!

7Th Street will be alive with music both days of the festival. There will be two stages set up to provide musical and dancing entertainment from many of L.A.'s finest entertainments groups.

For those of you who love dance, Sunday September 14 will be filled with dances and dancers from throughout the area, including our own San Pedro City Ballet.

As I learn more of the schedules for the Tri Art Festival, I will create more posts.

Big Give Project and a Fundraiser!

The Big Give Project has been formed to help fix issues at San Pedro High School.

Here is one way OUR community can get together and support our largest high school by providing teachers and groups within the school with much needed items that there simply is no budget for through LAUSD channels, at this time.

I think we need to realize that the budget shortfall is a real issue and it is not the students' fault that our government and school system can't provide everything our kids need.

Below, is a flier that begins the spreading of information about Big Give.


Click on each image to enlarge.

Big Give was inspired by Oprah Winfrey's show that gives items to individuals who are deemed needy and Ms. Jilonda Johnson, the founder of Big Give found Oprah's show so inspiring that she is heading the Big Give Project, with help from some very wonderful people.

Big Give is one great way we can all help to become a small part of "Fix Pedro High" as many members of OUR community want to do.

Below is another way to help San Pedro High School's programs and activities.

A wine tasting event is another great way to support the many deeds and goods the Pirate Lady Boosters give to the students, faculty, and staff of San Pedro High School.

Periodic events like wine tasting help the Lady Boosters provide for the common good of the student body and faculty at San Pedro High School.

Big Give targets the needs and wishes of classroom teachers, departments, and activities on campus.

I don't think we can rely on the LAUSD School Board to provide enough of the funds to keep improvements going at San Pedro High School and it will take OUR community to back San Pedro High School as it tries to achieve improvements it certainly needs and wants.

I am not willing to throw up my hands and cry that improvements can't be made at San Pedro High School. I am also not willing to 'wash my hands' concerning OUR Pirates.

I hope we can demonstrate, by our willingness to participate in 'fixing Pedro High', that through the improvements the students, faculty, staff, and WE make at San Pedro High School, we will not need to build a new campus because San Pedro High School will become so successful at managing things, that a new campus is simply not needed.

Pondering on "East"

Take a gander at all the streets in San Pedro that run from the harbor to the hills.

These are the streets that run from 'basically' east to west, even though they really don't.

Now think of the addresses we use to address folks and businesses that live or are on those streets.

All the numbered streets in San Pedro run that direction and we always use "W" or "West" for every address.

We have to. There doesn't seem to be an "East" or "E" address on any of our streets in San Pedro.

The closest street that MIGHT qualify as having an "east" address would be 22nd. Street because it actually can be found farther east either Harbor Blvd, or any othe street in San Pedro.

I don't know if there were streets with "east" address on Terminal Island when it was considered "East San Pedro".

Perhaps we should ponder not using "W" or "West" any longer, because there aren't any of those addresses available.

Think of the minute amout of ink, carbon, toner, or crayon we can save by not using the directional symbol for streets that have only one direction of addressing.

And what about our sectionalized streets?

MacArthur, Crestwood, Upland, and several other streets have segments to them, some like the three mentioned are within two different cities.

Should we have a "West MacArthur", "Wester MacArthur" and "Westest MacArthur"? I highly doubt it.

These and other silly things are also worth pondering, perhaps only sometimes.

Pondering About the Kitty Hawk

It may come to pass that the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk will be decommissioned in early 2009.

Currently the non-nuclear powered Aircraft Carrier is on its last mission from it home port in Japan. It will be replaced by the U.S.S. George Washington.

Both San Diego and New York City have full-sized carriers as tourist attractions and historical sites.

Perhaps it is time to put all our heads together and ponder whether we would want to try and get the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk for our own waterfront.

There would certainly be many challenges to having a large carrier along our waterfront.

I probably would not fit into the old fishing boat slip, but it would add to our port's ability to call itself a destination port instead of an on-loading and off-loading of passengers and freight port.

If the Port of L.A. could acquire either a smaller helicopter carrier/assault ship or even the massive U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, it would bring lots of tourists, their dollars, and more fame to our port.

Just think of the T.V. shows that would pay to shoot scenes on a real aircraft carrier.

We could probably move the Museum of Flight from where it currently is to the flight deck and hangar deck of the carrier and offer a wider audience for the museum.

Of course there would be other airplanes and flying things that would fit nicely on board a carrier of any size.

I do feel we need to start really pondering this issue sooner than later. I don't want to see the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk used as target practice like the U.S.S. America was.

I certainly don't want it to be scrapped in a foreign country just to come back to America as a bunch of sub-compact vehicles.

The U.S.S. Kitty Hawk is the last conventionally powered full size carrier the U.S. Navy has.

The only other ship within the U.S. Navy that has served us longer is the U.S.S. Constitution and it is a mere 209 years old!

The Kitty Hawk has welcomed returning astronauts, and has served offshore of Viet Nam, Iraq, and other hot spots.

We could be well honored to have such a distinguished ship come to the Port of Los Angeles.

Whether you love war or hate war as much as I do, there is something very grand about our aircraft carriers and I think we may have an opportunity to help all of OUR community out.

The city of Wilmington, North Carolina is already lobbying to have the Kitty Hawk become a floating museum next to the U.S.S. North Carolina, which is already there.

The nation of India is also thinking about purchasing the ship.

Pondering some small changes along Western Avenue

The 'Curse of the Tasman Sea' has once again struck, it seems.

The Blue Crab seems to have crawled away.

The building has been given a new coat of paint, but it seems there is probably nothing that can be done to get rid of the curse that makes all restaurants in that space face untimely deaths, if they even open in the first place.

August 1 also brought one opening and one gone business, all within just a couple of hundred feet of each other.

Sunken City, the one that WAS in Rancho Palos Verdes, has moved out.

P'SKETTIE opened today in the space right next to Marie Calendar's on Western Avenue.

We bought our lunch at the new restaurant, today.

Would you believe there is yet another restaurant in OUR community that offers Spaghetti?

P'SKETTIE's sign states that it is open for lunch between 11:00 AM and 2:30 PM, with dinner hours between 4:30 PM and 9:00 PM.

The new place is a drive-thru and it was in operation today.

Spaghetti and salads make up the menu options of the restaurant.

The Spaghetti comes in varius sizes, and without any additional cost, Marinara sauce is put on.

Meat sauce, meatballs, sausage, and chicken can be added for additional charges.

We did not see an antipasto salad on the menu board, but Terri had the Chicken Caesar salad and she enjoyed it.

There are other drive-thru restaurants in San Pedro that offer Spaghetti, but I hope everyone give P'SKETTIE a try.

I still don't know the name of the store directly next to P'SKETTIE, but it seems to sell school uniforms for cash only.

Our Ralph's continues to be remodeled. The produce section is being moved to the middle of the store.

Older versions of supermarkets had their basic foods, meat, produce, and dairy on the outer portions of the stores.

Canned foods, many frozen foods, breads, cereals, and other foods were found along the isles in the center portion of the stores.

It seems that when someone finally gets to know their supermarket and where everything is located, the store is remodeled and we have to relearn where everything is finally put.

I wonder if the Western Avenue Albertson's is going to get remodeled soon.

Pondering Taste in San Pedro

Yes folks, it is time for Taste in San Pedro.

It is the 20Th year of the feat, festival, overeating extravaganza, music enjoying concerts, community inclusion event, and all around good time thing to do.

Below is a map and a legend for the event.



This year, the picnic several alumni of S.P.H.S. have shepherded for the past five years, moves inside the fence, for the first time.

If you want to see a couple of old yearbooks from the early 1970's, and get a gander at what I look like, please come by our booth on Sunday. We will be at booth 115, I have been told.

A Gathering of "The Crowd" and Friends Picnic is held on the Sunday after a Class' reunion is held.

This year, the Ke-Alians, Class of 1973 celebrates its 35-year reunion Saturday night.

We are sharing a booth, to the best of my knowledge, with a group supporting "Big Give" which is a wonderful way to support projects at San Pedro High School.

I will provide lots more information about "Big Give" in future posts, because I do support projects at San Pedro High School, and so should you, I hope.

Taste in San Pedro is not a free event. There is an admission price and there are tickets sold for food and beverages.

There is beer and wine available at Taste, along with a large variety of different menu items from many local restaurants.

There will be a Ferris Wheel, a climbing wall, and other activities to enjoy, if you aren't shopping the wares from local vendors or enjoying dancing or listening to music, all day long.

On Saturday, there will be an evening concert and a fireworks show to end that day's activities.

The normal hours are 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM, but Saturday's evening will end with fireworks at about 9:30 PM.

Taste in San Pedro is held at Point Fermin Park, for those of you who do not already know.

To get to Point Fermin Park, the easiest way is to find Gaffey Street. Proceed towards the ocean on Gaffey Street.

Just before you run the stop sign at Paseo Del Mar, notice the large gathering, with tents, portable stages, and a fence surrounding the Taste in San Pedro site.

You will most likely not be able to park that close to the park, and you might not get to park at the parking lot on the corner.

You may be instructed to go to the parking lot at 22nd. Street and Miner. There will be shuttle buses to take folks from the parking lot to the site.

If you want a wonderful walk along the cliffs overlooking the Pacific, you can park farther southwest along Paseo Del Mar and stroll to the site.

A good walk may also help you get up a good appetite for the great food at Taste in San Pedro.

If you are an Illusion, Mystic, Ke-Alian, Promethean, or Primo, please think about coming by our booth and filling out a name tag. You might want to try and find other alumni from those classes at the site.

Some of us don't look like we did in high school. Some of us do look like we did, but now are much, much larger.

Some of us don't remember what we even looked like in high school, let alone others.

You will also see lots of volunteers from OUR community helping out. This is a community-wide event that lets all of us participate in one way or another.

Taste in San Pedro is a great event for the whole family or just folks who want something different to do on a weekend.

Pondering a FIFTH School Bond

Let us first review the four previous bond measures passed by voters over the past eleven years.

Proposition BB. Year passed-1997. Amount of bond-$2.4 billion dollars.
Proposition K. Year passed-2002. Amount of bond- $3.35 billion dollars.
Proposition R. Year passed-2004. Amount of bond-$3.87 billion dollars.
Proposition Y. Year passed-2005. Amount of bond-$3.985 billion dollars.

Cumulative total of bond indebtedness for the four bonds-$13.605 billion dollars.

The new bond proposal, which was unanimously passed by the LAUSD Board of Education, for placement on this November's ballot is for $7 billion dollars.

If the new bond passes, property tax payers will be held to pay for $20.605 billion dollars in JUST school construction bonds.

Repayment of the school bonds does not include all the other things our property taxes go to fund.

This time, I truly hope we all ponder whether LAUSD deserves such a large new bond measure being passed by voters.

I think somebody should find the graduation rates of high school students in 1997, 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2008 to try and determine if the more money is given, the dropout rate actually goes up.

I pay the property taxes for the house I live in. I cannot afford another school bond, especially when it will go to a school district that is failing to keep accurate record of the expenditures for the previous bonds.

I cannot afford to pay for schools that are failing the students who attend them.

I am not very willing to pay for "Hip-Hop High".

The school district has not even used the funds from the previous four bonds, why do they need another one?

Besides repaying the four previous bonds, if this new bond passes, our tax rates will go up to top out at $60.00 per $100,000 dollars of assessed valuation, just for this newest bond. And we would be paying for this new bond until the year, 2044, THIRTY-SIX years into the future.

Haven't we given enough already, with so little in the way of real education of students to show for it?

South Region High School No. 15 (SRHS 15) MAY already have funding to build that campus on the Upper Reservation of Fort MacArthur, so this shouldn't be a pondering about that particular issue.

But when language in the proposed bond calls for another 810-seat campus to ease overcrowding at Narbonne High School, somewhere in the local area, that is something that needs to be carefully considered.

Between Harbor Gateway, south of Sepulveda, and all of the San Pedro area, there could potentially be at least EIGHT schools where high school students attend.

What type of educational results might we expect if we voters provide another $7 billion dollars into the LAUSD system?

Would more teachers be hired to lower class size?

Would every student be able to have every textbook he or she needs?

Would San Pedro High School finally get access for people with movement issues?
(San Pedro High School in not wheelchair accessible)

Would graduation rates be guaranteed to improve?

Would students receive the best education $20.605 billion dollars might provide?

Would we have any consideration that the money approved of would be spent wisely, with OUR interests being considered.

Would we be proud of what we see when the bond money is finally exhausted?

Folks, I just cannot afford more bond indebtedness if what is shown for all the expenditures are results we are currently seeing. Can you?

The parents of the majority of the students attending Los Angeles Unified School District schools are not paying their share, fair or unfair.