Boxing phenom Dorian Anthony is, in many ways, unlike most athletes in the world today. This 22-year-old LBCC student-athlete has a true passion for his sport; that passion shines through and is always evident.
A big factor that makes Dorian different from many other athletes is that he didn't start to box at a young age, his talent had to develop quickly.
In the heart of Long Beach's ghetto located near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and 21st Street, where police sirens replace children's laughter, there is one peaceful secret tucked away called the Pacific Winds Arts Sculpture Garden, ran by Long Beach native Trace Fukuhara, who also is the resident artist.
Imagine relocating to a foreign country with your parents. You are very shy and highly apprehensive toward communication. The foreign language is hard, you miss your friends, and you want to go home. Your family ends up leaving, but you are told to stay.
"My parents were staying for one year.
In a sea of electronic equipment from both the past and the present, LBCC students produce radio programs that inform, entertain and inspire. "We have a state-of-the-art studio complete with four microphones, two CD players, a shortcut machine for commercials, three computers, input jacks for iPods, turntables for people who go old school and spin vinyl, plus a decent music library," KLBC DJ J.
"As a child I saw my people starved to death, tortured, and brutally executed. To this day, these tragic and gruesome events remain clearly etched in my mind. When I close my eyes, I see my Godfather taking his last breath, I see the bodies of infants and children lining the gutters, and I see the pain that was written on every member of Cambodian society during the insurgence of the Khmer Rouge.
In a community that used to be known for its colorful crowd of drug dealers and brothels; real estate, the arts, and a devoted group of citizens developed a plan to transform the East Village into a cohesive "Arts District," propelling tree plantings, public art installations, an ever-changing throng of boutiques, and a congregation of hipsters.
"Being married to Elke has changed my life," Margaret LaRue said. LaRue, 45, married the love of her life, Elke Reidling, 40, on June 17, 2008 in the Norwalk courthouse surrounded by a frenzy of media.
This was a historic day for the couple and society.
