Opinion
“It has been challenging, sad, anger filled, fearful, and heartbreaking, all of those emotions, for the community. So many in our community have strong and deep connections to Israel, whether they lived there, are from there, or have family there, friends. All of the attention and thoughts are with the people of Israel.” Photo/courtesy of the Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys
“This last month has been traumatic for the Jewish community around the world. For many of us, the attacks on October 7th triggered painful memories of Jewish history — antisemitism, pogroms, and the Holocaust. Many of us know people (or know people who know people) who were killed or taken hostage. The Jewish people see themselves as part of an extended family, so it feels as if our family members were attacked and murdered.” Courier photo/Steven Felschundneff
The decline in local news coverage is particularly troubling. Local news plays a crucial role in informing communities about issues that directly impact their daily lives. Without access to local news, citizens may be unaware of important developments in their communities, leading to a lack of civic literacy and disengagement, and opening the door to political corruption. The Pew survey is quite sobering, especially concerning is these are not old figures, with major changes starting just seven years ago. In 2016, 51% of U.S. adults followed the news “all or most of the time.” That fell to 38% in 2022, Pew found.
The 12-word title of Mick Rhodes’ column [“Israel-Hamas war is a teaching moment, but what is the lesson?” October 13] tells you all you need to know about what’s next. This is absolutely a teaching moment. However, your difficulty in grasping the lesson results from you misunderstanding the actual teaching moment.
“The title of Mick Rhodes’ column [“Israel-Hamas war is a teaching moment, but what is the lesson?” October 13] tells you all you need to know about what’s next. This is absolutely a teaching moment. However, your difficulty in grasping the lesson results from you misunderstanding the actual teaching moment.
As the Mayor of the City of Claremont, I feel compelled to address a recent incident that has shaken our community and prompted us to take a strong stand against hate speech. During a recent City Council meeting conducted partially over Zoom, we were confronted with an egregious act of intolerance: a Zoom “bombing” that unleashed a torrent of antisemitic, racist, and homophobic comments. Such behavior is not only offensive but fundamentally contrary to the values and commitment to inclusiveness that Claremont holds dear.
At the Claremont City Council’s recent meeting, several people used remote comment to make antisemitic and racist rants. This was outrageous and justifies protective action. In response, our city manager and Mayor Ed Reece announced that remote comments via Zoom or phone will no longer be allowed at meetings. This will exclude anyone who cannot attend in person: the elderly, caregivers, those who are handicapped, parents with small children, commuters, etc.
“I was really hoping the final updated guidelines for breast cancer screening would be published before this went out, but we can’t always get what we want. The 2016 recommendations are what we have as we find ourselves in the middle of breast cancer awareness month, so I am going with it.”
How to talk about this with our kids? These are the humans we’ve raised to be kind, to “use your words,” to stand up to bullies and help the helpless. How to square those lessons with what they’re seeing and hearing from Israel and Gaza? Again, this is a privileged position, one I am grateful to be in. But it’s also an important teaching moment in American parents’ lives, one I am loathe to fumble. I write this not in retreat or to hedge, nor to resort to “bothsidesism” to avoid taking a stand. I’m not Jewish. I’m not Israeli. I’m not Muslim. I’m not Palestinian. I am human, and I am not sure about the best way forward.
by Janice Hoffman This is a dog tethered to her person on the last walk they will take together. When is life and death real and when is it abstract? This is about pets and how we love them. Sometimes, pets are a stand-in for people because it’s simply less complex. Carina’s choice that day, […]
“One of the easiest ways to identify a true disciple of Jesus Christ is how compassionately that person treats other people,” according to Russell M. Nelson, president and prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Barring unforeseen obstacles there will soon be life again at the former Press location at 129 Harvard Ave. Escrow is due to close October 16, with Finney’s Crafthouse aiming to open in late 2024. This according to Brad Finefrock (pronounced “Finney-frock”), 52, who with his twin brother Greg co-owns the seven-year-old Westlake Village-based restaurant chain. Finefrock said the company has waved escrow contingencies and now has a pathway to close on the iconic 3,804 sq. ft. 1929 building. The price? Somewhere around $2.5 million, according to the latest listing on Loop.net.
“And though Lisa was born in England, she too has never seen Ireland, so this trip will be a first for both of us. She’s been busy monitoring the weather in Dublin and Galway — generally in the high 40s to low 60s, windy, rainy, typical for this time of year apparently — and doing practical stuff like finding hotels for our roundabout of the island by car over the course of two-plus weeks. Me? I’ve been obsessing about shoes, finding the perfect jacket (waterproof not water resistant!), and researching compression socks. Who knew compression socks were a thing?”
One day as we were sitting in the dirt eating our bagged lunches (like animals, I thought, even then) the old man who ran the show began one of his regular informal employment reviews. This had become a thing over the past few weeks, him scowling at me and muttering about how I wasn’t cut out for hard work, didn’t dig my ditches to his specifications, or fast enough, etc. He wasn’t wrong. I was a skinny kid with a questionable work ethic, and truth be told, had no interest in a life of blocks, bricks, and ditches. This time though, his critique included an extra dose of nasty old man, concluding with, and I quote: “I guess it’s because you didn’t grow up with a dad around.” Though I instantly despised the guy for being so cruel, he did have one thing right: dad wasn’t around. But mom sure was.
Local, free, and famous, that’s James Turrell’s “Dividing the Light,” one of over 80 “skyspaces” worldwide that demand the participant-observer look overhead to a naked, unadorned sky and allow their eyes to be tricked by light changing on the surrounding structure.
Owner/visionary Erica Dubreuil opened Crème Bakery on September 19, 2018, intent on complementing Claremont’s already lively coffee and pastry scene, with Some Crust the next block over, Last Drop Café across the street, and two chain coffee spots also steps away. I was skeptical, wondering how another Village bakery was going to fare. But then I made my first trip to Crème and wondered no longer. I was immediately hooked on Dubreuil’s fantastic baguette sandwiches, particularly the Saucisson Sec, a deceptively simple little bomb of happiness with its dry Italian salami, fontina cheese, Dijon mustard, and cornichons. Oh. My. God. Later I got my hands on the pastries. Game over. I was and remain a devotee.