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Montebello
E-News
October
4, 2007
We must not forget that when radium was discovered no one knew
that it would prove useful in hospitals.
The work was one of pure science.
And this is a proof that scientific work must not be considered from
the point of view of the direct usefulness of it.
It must be done for itself, for the beauty of science, and then there
is always the chance that a scientific discovery may become, like radium, a
benefit for humanity.
Marie
Sklodowska-Curie, 1867 – 1934,
Polish
physicist and chemist, pioneer in the field of radioactivity, the first
twice-honored Nobel laureate and still the only one in two different
sciences
[Could
we, should we, agree with Dr. Curie even though the needs today have become
greater and the funding for research scarcer?]
1.
Three Strikes and Still at the Plate?
2.
Gatekeepers They Are, Sleepers Are We, Part 7
3.
Announcements
4.
Fun Facts about Alaska
5.
The Flashback Quarterback about “Gotcha!”
6.
About Montebello E-News and “My Montebello”
Three
Strikes and Still at the Plate?
At one time, a batter in baseball had four strikes
before being called out. That rule was changed. There
is a different situation in which the rule must be changed.
It was reported on “World News Tonight” on
September 17, 2007, that the airline companies recently had made the most
profit since September 11, 2001, but in the face of delays and passenger
frustrations.
On Sunday, September 16, I went shopping at the
Montebello Costco. When I
brought my basket to the front, I saw that the line extended into two long
aisles running toward the back of the store. I left my basket and exited, noticing that several of the
cash registers were not being used.
Our business in Montebello has low to moderate
telephone traffic, most of which is local.
Yet somehow AT&T manages to stick us for $200 to $300 in monthly
billing. The customer service
has been generally poor, as when the business owner has waited over an hour
to speak with a customer-service representative.
Is the problem that we the public are a captive market?
While none of the above is a monopoly, each operates like a monopoly.
We have neither choices nor voices.
It is as if these corporate giants were the batters and Major League
Baseball went back to the four-strike rule.
If you answer the
multiple-choice questions below and e-mail to lessonanswers@mymontebello.com
with “Lesson answers” in the subject field, you will be credited toward
a “certificate of recognition in community affairs” to be awarded in
2007 by a local nonprofit organization.
1. What is the problem being described?
(a) Baseball rules favor the batter over the pitcher.
(b) Large companies can make much money and provide poor service
without the public being able to quickly correct the situation.
2. What can be done?
(a) Implement the “open suggestion box”, mentioned in a
previous online lesson.
(b) Nothing. We are
smaller than David and they are bigger than Goliath.
Gatekeepers
They Are, Sleepers Are We, Part 7
“Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?”
is a Latin phrase variously
translated as "Who will guard the guards?", "Who watches the
watchmen?", "Who shall watch the watchers themselves?",
or similar.
Decimus
Iunius Iuvenalis,
known in English
as "Juvenal," was a Roman poet
active in the late
first and early second century CE
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juvenal
This is an addendum
about gatekeepers. I was going
to start a new essay, but something happened today at the office which led
me to extend this essay.
Our business is a
paralegal office, sometimes like a real-life soap opera or telenovela.
Today the owner, a paralegal for sixteen years, had three clients who
told her that their papers which she had helped prepare had been returned by
the immigration service because the filing fee had been wrong.
For a number of
immigration forms, there had been a significant fee increase at the end of
July of this year. The papers
for these clients had been put in the mail before the deadline.
The paralegal called the
office of a member of Congress to report this.
She was told that each client should report this to the member in
whose district the client lived. The
paralegal then called an advocacy organization.
What is wrong here?
With all her experience in dealing with the immigration service, the
paralegal says that the service abuses its discretion, deceives applicants,
and violates the law. Those are
strong charges.
Interestingly, one of
the three clients chose to pay the increased fee, rather than assert his
right and possibly stir the ire of the immigration service. Note that: fear
of reprisal from the government. Justified?
That there is no way to
rectify this injustice other than by a call to a member of Congress or a
class-action suit by a dedicated or debt-ridden attorney is cause for
concern.
The
system is not working. Either
there is too much injustice which goes uncorrected or it takes too much time
to fix the injustice. What can
be done?
Every agency of government should have an oversight council of
constituents to monitor, report, and in some cases, rectify.
So, for every office of the immigration service, there would be a
group of local citizens and immigrants, unrelated to any employees, who
would sit on such a council. The
same would apply to the IRS, a state’s department of motor vehicles, a
municipality’s economic-development department, and so on.
Significantly, constituents would elect from among themselves;
elected officials would not appoint.
Thus, “diversity” would be created to ensure, to the extent that
anything could be ensured, that the council of constituents be watchful and
not co-opted.
Announcements
FOR EVERYONE. Montebello’s
fall festival. Thousands
attended last year's fall festival on Whittier Boulevard.
This year's will be held on Saturday, October 6, on Whittier
Boulevard, between Montebello Boulevard and Fourth Street. There should be over seventy booths, food and entertainment
for the whole family. This is
an opportunity for residents and businesses to come together as a community
and enjoy the afternoon with friends and family.
Admission for the public is free.
Vendors who are interested in a booth are to call the Montebello
Chamber of Commerce at 323.721.1153.
FOR RETIREES AND FAMILIES. The basics about hospice care.
Tuesday,
October 9, 2007, 9:30 a.m. When
someone becomes seriously ill, it can be difficult to know what type of care
is best or where to turn for help. VISTAS
staff educates practicing physicians and others engaged in health- care
services regarding the benefits of hospice and palliative care for patients
and their families. Free sugar
and cholesterol screening and lunch. For
more information, 323.887.4575.
FOR YOUTH, TEACHERS, PARENTS.
More than $1,000,000 in scholarships and grants.
Lexus, the automaker, and Scholastic Corporation have announced the
launch of the “Environmental Challenge Education Deadline.”
The program encourages middle- and high-school students across the
United States to develop and implement environmental programs that
positively impact their communities. More than $1 million in total
scholarships and grants will be awarded to students, teachers, and schools.
Submission deadlines are for challenge #1, land, October 5, 2007; for
challenge #2, water, November 5,2007; for
challenge #3, air, December 5, 2007; and challenge #4, Climate, January 7, 2008.
From Foundation Center RFP Bulletin, September 28, 2007.
FOR EVERYONE. Meeting. The
next regular meeting of the Montebello city council will be at city hall on
Wednesday, October 10, 2007, at 7:30 p.m.
If you wish to speak during orals, come before 7:30 p.m. and sign up.
If you have more to say than there is time allotted, prepare a one
pager, make copies, and hand out before you speak.
Fun Facts about Alaska
In 1867 United States
Secretary of State William H. Seward offered Russia $7,200,000, that is, two
cents per acre, for Alaska.
When a scale map of
Alaska is superimposed on a map of the forty-eight lower states, Alaska
extends from coast to coast.
The Tongass National
Forest is the largest national forest in the United States.
Seventeen of the twenty
highest peaks in the United States are located in Alaska.
The Alaskan malamute
sled dog is strong and heavily coated.
It was developed as a breed by a group of Eskimos named the Malemiuts.
http://www.fun-facts.com/item/85928
The
Flashback Quarterback about “Gotcha!”
Somebody
would argue that we Americans had a split personality.
How on Earth would we justify misrepresentation and lying by
companies as legitimate advertising? And
why would we entangle ourselves in legalism, namely, that if the law did not
specify a crime, none had been committed?
Our
business received a mail solicitation from Yellow Pages United a couple of
weeks ago. By signing, we would
receive a listing. On one side,
we read “This is not a bill.” At
the bottom was the statement “This is a solicitation for the order of good
or services, or both, and not a bill, invoice or statement of account due.
You are under no obligation to make any payments on account of this
offer unless you accept this offer.”
No amount was mentioned.
On the
back, in small print, tucked away as item 13 of the terms and conditions,
was this condition: “The
listing fee is $296.00 for one listing.”
How do
we deal with this? Before
signing any contract, we should ask our circle of friends to look over the
solicitation and make suggestions. The
more eager a company is to sell us something or the more attractive the
offer looks, the more reluctant we should be to buy that something.
Good rule to remember and follow.
About
Montebello E-News and “My Montebello”
To learn about this newsletter, Montebello E-News,
and the accompanying, growing Web site, “My Montebello”, visit
www.mymontebello.com. Also, you
will find instructions and contact information for submitting announcements
for publication in this newsletter.
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