January 30, 2009

A long life in journalism convinced me many presidents ago that there should be a large air space between a journalist and the head of a state.

A man has honor if he holds himself to an ideal of conduct though it is inconvenient, unprofitable, or dangerous to do so.

Walter Lippman

 1.  Announcements

2.   A Secretary of “Arts”?

3. About Montebello E-News and “My Montebello”  

FROM OUR LIBRARY.  “Feng Shui” with Angi Ma Wong, a world famous expert on Feng Shui and the author of fifteen books on the subject.  She has been on “Oprah”!  Saturday, February 7, 2009, 2 p.m.  Also, Friends of the Montebello Library is holding a book sale on Friday, February 13, 2009, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  For details on either of these, 323.722.6551.

GOOD JOB.  In honor of a favorite teacher, Lupe Farias, Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary High School students raised $624 which they donated to White Memorial Medical Center’s Cecilia Gonzalez De La Hoya Cancer Center in Boyle Heights last month.  Spearheaded by the school’s ASB Associated Student Body, the funds were raised by giving students a day off from wearing the traditional school uniform and letting them enjoy a “free” dress” day at the cost of $3 per student. [Persuading people to pay for a privilege is a creative way to fundraise.]  The students raised additional money by collecting pink yogurt lids. … “Cantwell-Sacred Heart Students Raise Funds for Cancer Patients”, Donofrio-Holter, Anne, The Wave, January 15, 2009.

MONEY.  Subject to the availability of appropriations for fiscal year 2009, the Corporation for National and Community Service (the Corporation) announces the anticipated availability of approximately

*    $4.2 million for qualified organizations to provide subgrants, training, and other assistance to local partnerships to implement Community-Based service-learning projects;

*    $5.7 million for qualified organizations to provide subgrants, training, and other assistance to local partnerships to implement School-Based service-learning projects;

*    $710,000 to federally-recognized Indian Tribes and the "State Educational Agencies" for the following U.S. Territories – Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Island - to implement School-Based service-learning projects  From HE-SL listserv, January 14, 2009.  Emphases added.

Online petitions, generally, are not a good idea, because the recipient of the petition cannot verify that the names would be of people who agreed to sign.  However, I checked the following online petition and two things made me think that the petition might be taken seriously by the new President:  (a) the number of signatories and (b) the comments made by some signatories.

Quincy Jones has started a petition to ask President-Elect Obama to appoint a Secretary of the Arts. While many other countries have had Ministers of Art or Culture for centuries, The United States has never created such a position. We in the arts need this and the country needs the arts--now more than ever. Please take a moment to sign this important petition and then pass it on to your friends and colleagues. http://www.petitiononline.com/esnyc/petition.html

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, and for submitting stories to “Montebello Memories” at the Web site.