If printing, please conserve by doing so on the front and back of one sheet.  Reduce font size if necessary.

Montebello E-News

 March 15, 2010

We are all captives of the picture in our head - our belief that the world we have experienced is the world that really exists. Walter Lippman

What can we conclude from this? That our experiences are not the experiences of others and, therefore, we must be very careful in judging others or in making policies affecting others?

1. Announcements
 2. I Can't Believe These Numbers!
3. About Montebello E-News and “My Montebello”

Library events. Monday, March 15, Montebello Stamping Mavens, 5:30 – 7:45 p.m.;     Tuesday, March 16, Family Fun Night, 6:30 p.m.;    Wednesday, March 17, Toddler and Preschool Story Time, 10:00 a.m.;    Monday, March 22, "Beading with Memory Wire", 3:30 p.m.;    Wednesday, March 24, Toddler and Preschool Story Time, 10:00 a.m.;    Saturday, March 27, "Who Framed the Big Bad Wolf", 2:00 p.m. For more information, 323.722.6551.

Free movie, real-life horror. The Save the Montebello Hills Task Force, Sierra Club Angeles Chapter  invites you to see "Split Estate".  Free film-showing Friday, March 19, 2010, 7:00 p.m. Montebello City Hall Council Chambers, 1600 West Beverly Boulevard, Montebello, CA  90640. Learn about major environmental and public health issues related to oil and gas drilling practices.  Question and answer session follows the screening.  [Emphasis mine.] I have seen this film.  I encourage you to see it.

Vietnam Wall coming to our area. This exhibit will be at Rose Hills from March 23 to 30, 2010. ..."The monument was created as a service to those who might never travel to the nation's capital to experience the Vietnam Wall firsthand," said Kenton Woods, president of Rose Hills Memorial Park & Mortuary, a Dignity Memorial provider. "Our replica offers visitors a chance for healing and reflection; we are pleased to be able to share it with the community especially in conjunction with California's first Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day."  Free and open to the public 24 hours a day during its stay in Whittier, the replica is 8 feet high and 240 feet long. Its black, reflective surface is inscribed with the names of more than 58,000 servicemen and women who died or are missing in Vietnam. ...The opening ceremony will take place on March 23. A prelude concert by The Air Force Quintet will start at 4 p.m. The event will include the Riverside Memorial Color Guard Team 21, the national anthem performed by Kimberly Neal, placement of the wreaths with representatives from each branch of service, and a keynote address by Jose Ramos, founder of Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day. ... Volunteers are needed to read names and staff the weeklong event. To volunteer, please call Phyllis at 805-341-7269 or e-mail phyllis@corridorcomms.com. 

A lesson from Chile. The earthquake in Chile two weeks ago re-affirmed a nagging notion, namely, that civil and military authorities would not react quickly enough to protect neighborhoods during a disaster. Imagine a major earthquake, which is supposed to happen somewhere along the California coast, devastating transportation and communication in Montebello. Imagine looters immediately going to the grocery stores and pharmacies, which would not have armed guards. What would be your solution? I would see the need for neighborhoods to prepare and deploy their own temporary protection until the authorities came to take over. Sufficient protection during those first few days in Montebello might save lives. So, is anybody talking about organizing "neighborhood responders" during a major disaster?

Another lesson from Chile. Despite what appeared to be early resolve by Chilean President Michelle Bachelet -- who made the controversial decision to order the military to direct the emergency relief effort after the powerful earthquake in Chile -- mounting criticism suggests that Bachelet's political legacy might have been rocked by the quake. Critics say that Chile failed to warn its people along the coast of the threat of tsunamis, which were responsible for some of the most significant damage. Bachelet defended herself against accusations that the government was slow to ask for assistance. Abstracted in UN Wire, March 4, 2010, from The New York Times, March 3, 2010.

Me siento asombrado! I'm astonished! If the thermostats in every house in America were lowered one degree Fahrenheit during the winter, the nation would save 230 million barrels of crude oil—enough to fill an oil tanker 400 times. (That's the amount of oil being imported into the United States from Iraq each year.) For more astonishing statements, see "I Can't Believe These Numbers!" below.

Money for youth. NOMINATE A YOUNG SERVICE-LEARNING LEADER FOR A $2,500 BARRON PRIZE! The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes seeks nominations for its 2010 awards. The Barron Prize honors young people ages 8 to 18 who have made a significant positive difference to people and our planet. Each year, ten national winners each receive $2,500 to support their service work or higher education. Nomination deadline is April 30. For more information and to nominate, visit http://www.barronprize.org. From K12-SL listserv, February 17, 2010.

That worked well! On February 25, there was a "virtual town hall", which means that you are connected in real-time with people across the country, via your Internet. This one, sponsored by Common Cause, was easy to connect with. There was a video of Congressman John Larson and a host, talking about a bill in Congress for campaign reform for which the Congressman was the lead sponsor. The public was able to listen, watch, and interact by typing questions. The Congressman answered this question submitted from Montebello: Congressman Larson, good evening. James Madison, in a Federalist Paper, referred to 27,000 constituents per Member. We now have nearly 700,000 constituents per Member. This has an impact on the ability of a Member to communicate effectively, which, in turn, greatly affects his or her need to "dial for dollars". What do you intend to do about this ratio? Thank you.

At least it is not happening in my backyard. Global warming heralds nightmare future for U.K.  A report issued by the U.K. Government Office for Science says that carbon rationing, agribusiness collectivization and mass migration from the southeast of England could easily be the fate of the U.K., given the present realities of global climate change and growing population trends. Scientists say that a projected population increase of 9 million people by 2031 will create an unprecedented demand for land, while global warming could greatly decrease river flows by 2050. The Times, London, February 26, 2010

Words of wisdom. It seems as if famous quotes take on more meaning as I get older. Even if they be made outside of a religious context, they deserve consideration at the least, adherence at best. Here is one from Thomas Jefferson: "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."

The road paved with good intentions. We have noticed previously the law of unintended consequences or, colorfully, "LOCO", "limits on constructive output". Here is an interesting example from the book La Guerre en Espagne, about the Spanish civil war in the Thirties. [Background. The French prime minister Blum wanted to help the elected government of Spain against Francisco Franco and the nationalists.] ... the unlucky French intervention in the events of Spain unleashed a series of other interventions, multiple and contradictory. The Paris government made up its mind based more on passion than reflection. We often decide in this way. Our history is full of ill-conceived movements leading generally to disasters. There are people who, like the French [should we include Americans?], show as much common sense in their private lives as they show foolishness in their public lives. ... It is Blum who saved Franco [the person who overthrew the elected government]. ...

Why capitalism is not working optimally. That business leaders are frequently all too willing to sell out the core principles of the free market system in the name of perceived and often illusory short-term profits is not exactly news. Adam Smith wrote over 200 years ago that "people of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices." ... http://www.geneveith.com/big-business-vs-capitalism/_4843/ ?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A +geneveith+%28Cranach%3A+The+Blog+of+Veith%29&utm_content=Yahoo!+Mail

I was cleaning some files and came across an article, "The Power of One", from Delta Airline's passenger magazine, Sky. The statements were so astounding as to the impact of our collective consumption that I copied the article and put it at www.mymontebello.com/power_of_one_1.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.