Montebello E-News

July 12, 2007  

1.     Ah, the Smell of Fireworks

2.     To Laugh, to Lament, Perchance to Dream, Part 1

3.     Announcements

4.     Interesting Facts about Penguins

5.     The Flashback Quarterback on the $4,000,000 Happy Meal

6.     The Flashback Quarterback on Throwing Out the Rule Book

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

Ah, the Smell of Fireworks 

          The worst part of the Fourth of July might be the inability to cool the house by opening the windows, because there is so much smoke outside. 

          We in Montebello are in a minority by permitting the sale and use of fireworks.  A strong argument in favor of fireworks is that community organizations fundraise a considerable amount in a short time.  A strong argument against fireworks--well, there are two strong arguments--is the danger from injury and property loss and the not insignificant emission of smoke into the atmosphere. 

          What if, tomorrow, we found an alternative way for organizations to fundraise a considerable amount in a short time?  An example caught my attention recently:           

    Students in grades 5-8 at Howe Schools participated in a global project this March called the Global Run.  The Global Run is a community of students and teachers engaged in international service and learning.  Currently, participants from 25 schools in fourteen countries are using advanced technology to exchange information and ideas concerning relevant world issues.  In 2007, the Global Run participants raised funds to help two villages in Kenya with clean water projects.  In Kisii Village, the money will provide a continuous flow of clean water to Kisii Hospital.  In Itiati Village, the money will be used to develop a gravity-feed water distribution system. 

    Students in the partnership schools use pedometers to keep track of the miles they walk.  Corporate sponsors, such as Tandberg and International Rotary Club, match each mile with a dollar contribution toward the projects.  Howe students raised  $1003.07 by walking that many miles in Shawna Oglesby's P.E. classes.  The middle school teachers also raised $970.75.  ...

http://podcast.howeschools.org/~carolannford/Site/Global%20Run.html  

          Now, if we combined exercise with neighborhood cleanup, scavenger hunting, and fundraising, we might have a unique, attractive event.  Why should Montebello not take the lead in introducing "Four-in-One Fourth" to America?  And if that would not raise enough money, could we not put a local currency, Montebello E-News, December 13, 2007, into the mix? 

          However, "Four-in-One Fourth" would not eliminate the desire for the dazzle and din of fireworks.  What might be a solution?   Next week. 

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.  Why do we still have fireworks in Montebello?

(a)  The manufacture of fireworks employs many people in Montebello.

(b)  It is hard to break habits, even bad habits.

(c)  It is an excellent fundraiser. 

2.  Why would "Four-in-One Fourth" be special?

(a) Four goals accomplished through one activity.

(b) Montebelloans taking part together.

(c) Environmentally amicable instead of environmentally inimical.

(d) Less risk of injury or property loss. 

 We are all here for a spell, get all the good laughs you can.
Will Rogers, 1879 - 1935,
American humorist, social commentator, and actor 

How many of us have a moment or several moments when we say "This can't be real" or "Pinch me.  I'm dreaming". 

Life seems so odd, so illogical at times that we wonder whether we would be dreaming.  Our five senses are insufficient for us to figure out whether we would be in a dream.  Even if we concluded that what we were experiencing were real, most of the time there would be nothing which we could do to fix the oddity or illogic.  So, perhaps with a sigh, we would laugh or lament. 

There are many odd or illogical experiences in our lives that one wonders where to begin.  And what would be the point of talking about these experiences if we knew that, in the end, we could do nothing other than laugh or lament? 

We have explored in past essays and community lessons the useful notions of thinking outside the box and of taking charge of our lives.  One example came in the community lesson “My $90 Bill to the State of California”, June 28, 2007.  (And it seems as if the paralegal with whom I work is about to bill AT&T for poor customer service which has taken much of her time.)  If we combine the two notions, we might do something other than laugh or lament—we might actually fix something which is odd and illogical. 

So, where to start?  Let us take a look at long lines and long waits, which should not happen ordinarily because life is short and there is much to learn and do.  As in the case of the aforementioned community lesson, about lost time because of an error within the California Department of Motor Vehicles, and the paralegal’s lost time yesterday, because of an error by AT&T;  we could ask for compensation for our time which somebody had abused.  (In that regard, even unintentional abuse would be cause to ask for compensation if that abuse were egregious.)  The measure for compensation which was used in the community lesson was $18 an hour, based on an evaluation by the nonprofit organization Independent Sector, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volunteerism . 

True, charging the State of California or a large corporation for lost time would not guarantee that we would be compensated, but if we persisted and let others know about it, like the news media and state and Federal legislators, we would see a resolution, if not for ourselves personally than for the public generally.  If we used the open suggestion box mentioned in the community lesson “The AOL Founder Stole a Montebello Idea?”, March 8, 2007,  we could find people who had lost time in dealings with government and large corporations.  Working together, all of us with lost time would have a better or quicker resolution, as there would be strength in numbers. 

FOR ADULTS.  Commission vacancies.  The City of Montebello invites residents to apply for positions on the city civil-service and planning commissions.  Proof of residency is required.  Applications are available in the city clerk’s office, 323.887.1437. 

FOR EVERYONE.  Battle of the bands, round one.  July 13, 4 p.m., city-park band shell.  Free admission.  For more information, 323.887.4540. 

FOR EVERYONE.  “An Ethical Lifestyle”.  An essay by high schooler Pete Sandoval, winner in the Rotary-Hensel Ethics Essay Contest, is available for viewing at http://www.mymontebello.com/young_thinkers_tc_ael .

Penguins are easy to identify with their stout, waddling bodies and black-and-white feathers.  They are extremely social and don't seem to fear humans. Because of the size of these seabirds (the king penguin weighs roughly 30 pounds while the emperor weighs up to 90 pounds), penguins used to be killed for their meat and eggs.  These flightless birds were also easy targets for humans who made clothing decorations out of their feathers. ...

Penguins are among the most social birds.  Some species court on land and nest in huge colonies called rookeries.  These rookeries can contain hundreds of thousands of penguins.  Penguins communicate through extensive vocalizations and physical behaviors that tell others about nesting territories and mating.  They also warn against intruders.

Penguins can survive for more than 100 days without food or water.  Every year, penguins build up a layer of fat to prepare them for fasting.  Since penguins don't leave the nesting areas to feed, some species go through the entire courtship, nesting, and incubation period without food or water. For male king penguins, this period lasts for 55 days.  For the male emperor penguin, the fast can last up to 120 days.  

From http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/critters/penguin.html . 

We have explored diversity and a salient consequence of diversity, namely, that we cannot anticipate and correctly decide on everything which we encounter.  Mixed with this is our idealism which prevents us from gathering information to make correct decisions, as when we are denied access to criminal and health records.  For these reasons, it is ludicrous for juries to make million-dollar awards for unintentional or unavoidable police or teacher misconduct. 

Diversity is the culprit in a $4,000,000 lawsuit filed against McDonald's.  According to KCAL news last Saturday, a person born without hands drives with her feet.  Coming to a McDonald's drive-through window, she is refused service when she uses her foot to give a debit card to the McDonald's clerk.  This happens at another McDonald's. 

$4,000,000 is claimed for humiliation.  Is this fair?  The rarity of the situation aside, I would ask whether the clerk had a legitimate concern about sanitation.  I would not venture an answer without more facts, but $4,000,000 to an individual would not solve the problem.  Diversity and idealism would bring us more unique situations for which we were not prepared.  Punishing the offender for an unintentional or unavoidable act would not be the best solution.

A conclusion which we have drawn from increasing population is that complexity increases.  In other words, the more people, the more rules.  The more rules, the more clashes between rules and between rules and ideals.  The more clashes, the more gridlock (nothing is done) and violence (reaction instead of resolution). 

Almost a month ago, there was a sadly newsworthy event at Martin Luther King Hospital.  A woman died in the emergency waiting area, even though others claimed that it was obvious that she needed immediate help.  Hospital staff would not attend to her immediately.  Twice a call came from the waiting area to 9-1-1, but the uniqueness of the situation (see the "Flashback" immediately above) left the 9-1-1 operators with only one answer, 'There is nothing which we can do'. 

We run into less dramatic situations in which there are clashes.  There was the time when, while volunteering in a legislator's office, I witnessed a standoff between the office manager and the UPS delivery man, the manager wanting the delivery man to bring a package farther into the office.  The solution?  I volunteered to move the package.  Another example.  In the last few years, I have come across unlocked classroom doors at Washington Elementary and have notified the school police.  But this vigilance has come only because I have trespassed onto school grounds. 

To me, sometimes there is a difference between what is right and what is legal.  It is becoming less difficult for me to choose in favor of the right thing to do.

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.