By Gary Curreri

Pompano Beach’s Shannon Snell has not only made her mark locally as a junior lifeguard – she has competed at the highest levels.

At the end of month, the 20-year-old Snell and 2016 graduate of Cardinal Gibbons High School will represent the USA Open Team in the upcoming International Surf Rescue Challenge in New Zealand from Nov. 30 — Dec. 4.

Snell has been an Ocean lifeguard since 2016 on both the east and west coast of the United States, and prior to that was a Pompano Beach Junior lifeguard since the age of 9. During that time, she was selected to represent the United States Youth National Team in France in 2014. She also travelled to Japan and Australia the following two years.

Based on her performance at the United States Lifeguarding Association Nationals in Daytona Beach this summer, Snell earned her fourth invitation to represent her country.

“When I was younger, I just did junior lifeguarding for fun, I didn’t think it would turn into a professional level,” said Snell, who is lifeguard for both the city of Ft Lauderdale Ocean Rescue and Miami Beach Ocean Rescue. “Back then it was a killer workout for the summer and now it is more mental, physical, more intense and more professional.”

“I am super honored with all of the opportunities it has opened up for me in the sport. I have gotten to travel the world and meet people that I am still friends with today. It is just something that I never experienced and never thought would be such a big part of my life.”

Snell, currently ranked seventh in the Nation for Open Women, is self-trained and does distance running, swimming, weight training, yoga, stretching and concentrates on her nutrition to be a top flight athlete.

She also works 10 hours a day as a first responder, Ocean Rescue. At the nationals in the summer, she competed in 10 events and had 40-plus races during a three-day span that featured more than 1,000 lifeguards. She was fifth in Beach Flags and earned her overall ranking based on individual points through prelims, semifinals and finals.

Competitions involve everything from sprinting out of the water in the sand to paddling in overhead surf pounding your body; to simulated surf rescue races involving more than one person to surfsking a ski threw heavy surf.

Pool events also take place at the World Championship every two years, apart from swimming and rescuing an unconscious person (simulated as a mannequin) you have to pull to safety.

“Looking back, I never pictured myself being where I am today,” Snell said. “With the help of my parents making sure I did the right things as far as training, I am very proud to be where I am and I couldn’t have done it without them helping me get through all of the tough obstacles.”

Snell said there are lifeguards who still compete at the age of 50. She sees herself doing this a couple of more years and then enlisting in the Coast Guard.

“It has become a very mental and physical challenge because now you know what is important and the sacrifices you have to make in order to compete at this level,” Snell said. “I just want to race my heart out and make some memorable friends and meet up with some old friends who are going from other countries. I just want to have a really good time because New Zealand is someplace that I have not been, so I want to explore and see how their culture is.”

Snell has set up a GoFundMe page to help defray the cost of the trip since the United States Lifeguard Association covers nothing. For more information, go to www.gofundme.com/shannonsnell.

Ranse Classic this weekend

The Ranse Volleyball Classic Pro Am 2-man volleyball tournament is headed to Deerfield Beach this weekend (Nov. 4-5).

Last year’s tournament raised nearly $40,000 and the event is a blind draw grab bag event, with King of the Beach style of “pool play.” You will sign up as an individual, and then players are “picked” during the Friday night player’s party to determine what court they will be playing on to determine their division level (Open/AAA – OR – AA/A).

The cost is $53 for adults and $31.80 for juniors, and the registration is open until 6 p.m. Nov. 2. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/RanseVolleyballClassic or www.facebook.com/DigtheBeach.

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

With lightening and Led Zeppelin, Thor: Ragnarok opens this weekend with full sound and fury. As part of the Marvel Comics universe, Thor 3 feels more like the levity of the Guardians of the Galaxy movie than the character seriousness of an Iron Man, Spider-Man or Captain America movie. With the inclusion of the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Cate Blanchett as the villainous sister Hela, Thor Ragnarok is a critic proof movie that will be on the big screen through New Year’s Day.

While sticking around for only three more weeks, The 2017 Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) kicks into high gear this weekend with the annual Opening Night Party at the Seminole Hard Rock Cafe, which features Burt Reynolds and Graham Greene receiving their Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Graham Greene first came to fame with his Oscar nomination for Dances with Wolves. He has worked steadily as an ensemble player in big budgeted films like Die Hard with a Vengence, The Green Mile and The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Recently seen in the Western-Noir drama Wind River, Greene is a festival favorite and was seen in George Hickenlooper’s last movie about South Florida Casino gambling, Casino Jack, which debuted at the 2010 Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival.

Greene is expected to attend Rumble: The Indians who Rocked the World, along with Executive Producer Stevie Salas, a guitarist who wanted to share the contributions of Native Americans to rock ‘n’ roll. This documentary is presented on the big screen at the Seminole Hard Rock this Friday at 5 p.m.

Documentaries will be the strong suit of FLIFF this year and variety is the spice. Echoes will be screened at the Savor Cinema this Saturday and Cinema Paradiso Hollywood on Monday with musicians Nell Byrne & Ryan Kelly (from Celtic Thunder) in attendance. Essentially a small concert to promote their new album release, titled Echoes, this documentary features beautiful folk music and awe-inspiring visuals of Ireland.

The majority of the documentaries cover a variety of topics from fashion merchandising (Larger than life: The Kevyn Acoin Story) to forgotten mass genocide (Intent to Destroy). Both documentaries are slickly produced and will hold a viewers interest.

Cries from Syria represents documentary in its purest form. The visuals are horrible, featuring dead babies on the shoreline of the Mediterranean Sea. Told in English translation, mangled and deformed children describe the horrors of Isis on their Syrian homeland. This film fills in the bloody details of the Syrian Civil War that has taken on international proportions since 2011.

This film is a call for action, and the president listened… Having seen the slaughter of children from chemical weapons, President Trump launched 59 Tomahawk missiles last April in retaliation. It is appropriate that Cries from Syria screens Nov. 10, 2017 the first day of Veteran’s Day Weekend.

Deerfield Beach

Oct. 17: It was reported that $27,950 worth of lawn equipment was stolen from GRC Landscaping at 4100 Powerline Rd.

Oct. 17: A woman reported that her home at 3385 SW 1 Ct. was burglarized.

Oct. 17: A man reported that his home at 4188 NW 5 Dr. was burglarized. Firearms, jewelry and more than $3,000 were stolen.

Oct. 18: Someone entered a car parked at 4131 NW 1 St. and stole a wallet with $10.

Oct. 18: Someone stole a car that had been parked at 424 Lock Rd.

Lighthouse Point

Oct. 9: The victim at 2221 NE 40 Ct. received a message from someone claiming to be from Apple Care who said the victim’s iPad was hacked. The victim was told she would be reimbursed with $2,000 if she paid $1,400 in iTunes gift cards. After purchasing the gift cards, she was told she needed to provide more money on a credit card. The victim became suspicious and contacted police.

Oct. 9: Someone stole a license plate off a 1979 Kawasaki motorcycle at 4440 NE 29 Ave.

Oct. 12: Police responded to a smoke alarm fire at 3500 NE 31 Ave. The Fire Department was already on the scene. The garage door was open and Fire Dept. personnel were inside.

(This is a partial list. For Deerfield Beach Crime Watch in full, visit www.DFB.City and click on “Sign Me Up” to receive the city wide report.)

Exercise Classes

Thursday, Nov. 2, 9 to 9:45 a.m.

Steeple on the Beach (Briggs Hall)

1920 SE 5 St.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Strength & Balance Classes: Improve your flexibility, focus & overall movement. Sitting & standing with a chair. The goal is for you to move up to their cardio Zumba Gold class. Silver Sneakers welcome! Walk-ins: $7 a class! Classes continue every Tuesday and Thursday from 9 to 9:45 a.m. For more information and to sign up, call Angel at 954-224-0886.

“American Idiot” play

Thursday, Nov. 2, 8 p.m.

Pompano Beach Cultural Center

50 W. Atlantic Blvd.

Pompano Beach, FL 33060

Outré Theater Company brings Green Day’s punk opera “American Idiot” to South Florida. Written as a response to the political climate of the era of “extraordinary rendition,” the Patriot Act and “freedom fries,” “American Idiot” follows three friends as they struggle to choose between their dreams and the gray anesthesia of suburbia. To purchase tickets, visit www.ccpompano.org.

First Responder/Veterans Appreciation Breakfast

Thursday, Nov. 2, 7:30 to 9 a.m.

The DoubleTree by Hilton

100 Fairway Drive

Deerfield Beach, FL 33442

This is the first year the Deerfield Beach Chamber will honor each attending vet with a small token of appreciation as well as a breakfast. If you would like to “Sponsor a vet” please send an email to Daisja Brinson at info@Deerfieldchamber.com. The cost is $20 per vet and includes their breakfast and a small gift. The cost to attend for members is $25 at door and non-members is $30 at door. For more information, call 954-427-1050.

Old Town Untapped

Friday, Nov. 3, 6 to 9 p.m.

Bailey Contemporary Arts

41 NE 1 St.

Pompano Beach, FL 33060

Brew Bash at BaCA! Old Town Untapped is South Florida’s premiere Craft Brew and Arts Festival. A night filled with free craft beer samples from Pompano’s own breweries, live music, food trucks, art and more! This event will be held the 1st Friday of each month in front of Bailey Contemporary Arts. For more information, call 954-786-7824.

Pompano Green Market

Saturday, Nov. 4, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

NE 1 Avenue & Atlantic Boulevard.

Pompano Beach, FL 33060

A locally-produced open air market featuring the best of local fruits and vegetables, baked goods, fresh seafood, gourmet teas and coffee, specialty food items, as well as homemade crafts, health-related products and live music. Every Saturday through April. Dogs welcome. For more information, email greenmarketpompano@gmail.com or call 954-786-7824.

First Annual Ryan Owens Memorial Run

Saturday, Nov. 4, 8 a.m.

The beach across from the Main Beach Parking Lot

149 SE 21 Ave.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Presented by the City of Deerfield Beach and the Naked Warrior Project, this event is a four-mile beach run to celebrate and honor the life of SOCS (SEAL) William Ryan Owens, who was killed in combat in Yemen on Jan. 29, 2017. The kid’s fun run will begin at 9:30 a.m. The finish line festival will feature food trucks and a beer garden for race participants. To register online, visit www.active.com/deerfield-beach-fl/running/trail-heads/ryan-owens-memorial-run-2017. For the video of Ryan Owens, visit www.DFB.City. For more information about the race and other memorial events or to become a sponsor, visit www.nakedwarriorproject.org.

Pompano Chamber’s golf tournament

Saturday, Nov. 4, 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Pompano Beach Municipal
Signature Greg Norman Course

1101 N. Federal Hwy.

Pompano Beach, FL 33062

Tee off will begin at 9 a.m. The fee for the tournament is $125 per Ggolfer. $600 for sponsorship, including foursome, tee sign and lunch. For more information, e-mail Shanna Benson at sbenson@pompanobeachchamber.com. To register, visit www.pompanobeachchamber.chambermaster.com/eventregistration/register/677963.

Day of the Dead Margarita Festival

Saturday, Nov. 4, 11 a.m.

Tijuana Taxi Co.

1015 S. Federal Hwy.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

DJ MONSTA from Power 96 will be hosting. There will be giveaways, special margarita flavors, frosty Coronas, balloon art & face painting, cotton candy, delicious food, sugar skull coloring pages, costumes, Modelo & Herradura promos, raffles & great music! For more information, call 954-708-2775.

150 Charity Dinner

Saturday, Nov. 4, 6 to 10 p.m.

Pompano Beach Airpark

1001 NE 10 St.

Pompano Beach, FL 33060

Join the Exchange Club of Pompano Beach for their Charity Dinner and Auction. This year will be on a Sheltair jet hangar. There will be an exotic car and airplane show, tapsnap photo booth, full open bar, seafood raw bar, buffet, live band and dancing, casino tables, live silent and Chinese auctions, and a 50/50 drawdown wine wagon and booze cooler drawings. Proceeds will go towards the charities they support. Tickets are $150/person and may be purchased at www.exchangeclubofpompanobeach.com/wp/150-dinner. Sponsorship opportunities are also available, ranging from $150 to $6,000. For more information, e-mail exchange150dinner@gmail.com

St. Paul the Apostle “Annual Christmas Boutique”

Saturday, Nov. 4, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 5, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

2700 NE 36 St.

Lighthouse Point, FL 33064

Handmade decorations, unique crafts, knitted & crocheted items created by the Ladies of St. Paul’s Church, baked goods and special raffles .

50th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Sanctuary

Sunday, Nov. 5, 11 a.m.

Unity of Pompano

261 SE 13 Ave.

Pompano Beach, FL 33060

Special Guest Speaker Reverend Donna Johnson, president & CEO of Unity Worldwide Ministries. Ric Green, president & CEO of The Greater Pompano Beach Chamber of Commerce, will be present to deliver some special remarks. There will be a fellowship potluck luncheon and guests can participate in the Q&A session with Reverend Donna Johnson immediately following the service. All are welcome; love offering basis. For more information, call 954-946-0857.

Save the Date:

John Offerdahl’s Gridiron Grill-Off Food & Wine Festival

Saturday, Nov. 11, Noon to 4 p.m.

Pompano Beach Amphitheater

1801 NE 6 St.

Pompano Beach, FL 33060

It’s time to gear up for a weekend of food, football, music and philanthropy during John Offerdahl’s Gridiron Grill-Off Food and Wine Festival, presented by the University of Miami Health System. Miami Dolphins legends and top South Florida chefs are in position to compete at the eighth annual culinary showdown. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit www.gridirongrilloff.com.

“Arts ‘n Crafts” Sale

Saturday, Nov. 11, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Butler House

380 E. Hillsboro Blvd.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Handmade arts and crafts. Loads of creative crafts for gift-giving. Be a vendor or a shopper. For more information, call 954-429-0378.

Pompano Beach Garden Club meeting

Monday, Nov. 13, 12:30 p.m.

Emma Lou Olson Civic Center

1801 NE 6 St.

Pompano Beach, FL 33060

Open to the public. Topic: “Bromelaids” by Mike Michalski. For more information, call Cindy at 954-253-9938.

“Like a shepherd examining his flock, causing his sheep to pass under his staff”

(Ancient Jewish Prayer)

Why is this parable used to describe the experience of G-d judging us?

In Jewish law, we tithe our sheep, allowing each to pass through a narrow door, and every tenth one is dedicated for a sacred cause for an offering to G-d.

What happens if the animal has a blemish and is not worthy to be used as an offering? The animal still becomes sacred, yet exchanges it for money, conferring its holiness on the money with which we will purchase a complete one for an offering.

The only way that the animal can be disqualified is if the animal would have died within 12 months on its own due to an illness. Such an animal is not only not good for G-d on the altar, but cannot be eaten by kosher observant Jews even if slaughtered correctly. If the tenth animal happens to be disqualified, then it never becomes holy.

Why doesn’t the blemished animal get off the hook, but the ill one does?

Because the blemished animal is still kosher to eat if slaughtered correctly; however, it is only forbidden to be brought as a sacrifice on the altar. But an animal that is ill and forbidden even from Jews to eat, that can’t become holy.

This is a profound message. If I have a blemish and I can’t be brought as an offering to the Holy Temple, I am still holy and G-d forgives our blemishes. But if I am ill, if I can’t be taken even by people, if people hate me, then G-d can’t forgive me. I need to apologize to the people.

On this unique concept of clemency, in a show of unrestrained compassion, G-d forgives any sin He can, but He does not forgive those he “cannot.” How can G-d forgive a sin which I have committed against Mr. Goldberg? G-d is not Goldberg; for a sin I committed against G-d, G-d can forgive me. For a sin I commit against Goldberg — Goldberg has to forgive me!

Only those who were wronged can right. Only he who has suffered and only he against whom a crime has been committed is entitled to forgive, if he so desires.

The story is told of the rabbi of Brisk who was once unassumingly traveling home on the train. He shared company with a group of callous Jews playing cards. Bothered by his aloof attitude, one of them demanded that he join the game or leave the car. When the rabbi didn’t comply, the fellow physically removed him from the train car.

When the train arrived at Brisk, also the stop of the offender, he was shocked to see the throngs of people who stood there waiting to greet their rabbi. Mortified, he ran over to ask forgiveness but was denied. The rabbi would not forgive his abuser. Not able to be calmed, he tried again and again. Finally, he made contact with the rabbi’s son and begged him to find a way for him to be absolved.

The boy, surprised at his father’s uncharacteristic behavior, agreed to do whatever possible. He visited his father and began discussing the laws of forgiveness. Their discussion touched upon the law that a person must not turn away someone asking his forgiveness more than three times. Taking his cue, the boy asked his father, “What about So-and-So; he’s asked you to forgive him numerous times; yet, you deny him forgiveness?”

He replied, “Him? I cannot forgive him for he didn’t offend me, the rabbi of Brisk; he offended the simpleton he took me to be. If he would have known who I was, he would have never behaved this way; he assumed I was a simpleton and hence he can violate my dignity. I cannot forgive him, because it was not me who he shamed. Let him ask forgiveness from a simpleton.”

Rabbi Tzvi Dechter is the director of Chabad of North Broward Beaches, located in the Venetian Isle Shopping Center at 2025 E. Sample Rd. in Lighthouse Point. For all upcoming events, please visit www.JewishLHP.com.

By Emily Rosen

ERosen424@aol.com

www.emilyrosen424.com

November is calling, and perhaps I should be writing about turkeys or stuffing, or pumpkins, but I’m not. I’m writing about carrots. Stick with me here. I’m about to make my case, i.e. carrots as a symbol of what’s wrong with society. Well, it’s one of the symbols.

I remember when carrots were just in the produce department with the good earth still clinging to each bunch. Then someone came along with the brilliant idea of cleaning them up a bit and inserting them into a plastic bag; but that wasn’t good enough for the fast food nation and TV dinner families. We still had to peel them, or else we might ingest some of the residue of the good earth. So the next someone came up with the idea of baby carrots, sculpted out of the big ones or some sort of mutation — all peeled and washed, and cut and plastic-packaged. The consumer was relieved of all carrot responsibility, save having to chew and swallow. It comes in just the right size for good dipping, if you happen to be a dipper, conscious of avoiding the carbs one finds in crackers or bread.

But folks, I challenge you to compare the taste of an out-of-the-earth carrot to the ersatz orange, nutrition-drained elf-like, thumb-sized “things” packaged as carrots. However, if you want to substitute them for the traditional Thanksgiving yam (to save calories), the taste won’t matter too much when you add brown sugar or maple syrup, or even a marshmallow to it.

Okay, so this is not as tantalizing a subject as recent corroborating information about Harvey Weinstein, or as the thunderous danger of our relationship with the leader of North Korea, but indeed, it says something important about society.

It says that we, as a nation, prefer to have things “peeled” and “cut” for us and we kind of don’t really care about the quality of the final product. We can swallow it, become somewhat conscious of its inferior taste, accept “the deal,” giving up something (taste) to get something more valuable (convenience), and we go on with our lives, just as long as someone else does the “peeling.” It’s the long standing “let’s do stuff that’s easy-peasy” school of thought.

Of course, it’s not just carrots when it comes to “easy-peasy.” There’s a whole world of “bots” (robots for the uninitiated) out there waiting to do everything for us …Yes, pretty nearly everything …

It will soon be too late for us to consider how much of this is really good for us as opposed to how much we might still prefer to do things for ourselves.

I may be the only person in the world using baby peeled carrots in a plastic bag as a metaphor for a society that eschews the value of “doing the work and being rewarded with the flavor.”

Well, the good news is: We’re still eating turkey for Thanksgiving. Most people are still celebrating with family and friends, and maybe even dipping baby carrots into a dip; and, most importantly, actually sitting down at a table, and maybe even having face- to-face conversations. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.