Montebello E-News

 September 11, 2008

 I am opposed to millionaires, but it would be dangerous to offer me the position.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, 1835 – 1910,
better known by the pen name "Mark Twain", was an American humorist, satirist, lecturer and writer.  Twain is most noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which has since been called the "Great American Novel", and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He is also known for his quotations. During his lifetime, Twain became a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists and European royalty. 

[Is Twain saying that each of us has a price?  That we prefer not to be tempted?]  

  1.  Dying from Good Intentions      

2.  The Beat of a Different Drummer, Part 1

3. Announcements

4. Fun Facts about Inventions and Theories

5. The Flashback Quarterback:  Are You Sorry?

6. Be Aware and Share:  This Is Normal, But Is It Good?     

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

Dying from Good Intentions

Have you lost a loved one to poor hospital care?  I lost a relative over ten years ago because her hospital room was too cold.  What is your solution to the problem below?

Report Raises Red Flag on Infection Control at Burbank's Providence Hospital
An inspection last fall found 'serious deficiencies' that could threaten the federal funding for the medical center, which says it's aggressively addressing the issues.
by Rong-Gong Lin II, Los Angeles Times, July 13, 2008

Something was amiss last fall at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank.

On Nov. 27, one patient had a wound infection in her groin after an operation.  Another patient, who was in the hospital because of a blocked bowel, had a drug-resistant form of staphylococcus bacteria detected in his urine.

She expected routine surgery -- but not flesh-eating bacteria.

Yet the hospital employee assigned to track and prevent the spread of infections and communicable diseases was unaware that the two patients were in the hospital, according to state inspectors working on behalf of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

An inspection the next day revealed other problems.  An anesthesiologist who should have been wearing sanitized scrubs was found wearing, in the operating room, a black fleece jacket that had visible stains and spots on the back.  Visibly soiled cloth tape held up paper notices in a different operating room.

Citing such problems, the state inspectors said the hospital, the largest serving the San Fernando Valley, had "serious deficiencies," and federal officials said it did not meet Medicare's standards for infection control. ...

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 2008 by a local nonprofit organization. 

1. What is wrong at this Burbank hospital?

(a) Infection control is inadequate.

(b) The hospital needs more staff.

2. What should we do about this?

(a) Ensure that hospitals have adequate funding for infection control.

(b) Set up independent hospital monitoring and rating, posting the findings on the Internet.

If a man loses pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured, or far away.
Henry David Thoreau, July 12, 1817 – May 6, 1862,
 was an American author, naturalist, transcendentalist, tax resister, development critic, sage writer and philosopher. He is best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay, “Civil Disobedience”, an argument for individual resistance to civil government in moral opposition to an unjust state.

…We have valued grades and scores more than learning. We have forgotten to teach you that all understanding begins with wonder and with following unexpected discovery in unknown directions. We have tried to stomp the wonder out of you by getting you to choose a track and stick with it. We have asked you to excel in every endeavor and to avoid anything that might diminish your record of excellence. When we rewarded you only for following all of our rules and not for making any of your own, we did more to close your minds than to open them. … I am sorry that we have taught you to value economic success over passionate engagement with your work. …  http://www.theroot.com/id/46623
Melissa Harris-Lacewell

If you were to combine the two quotations above, what would you conclude?  That we have taken the “different drummer” out of the classroom?

Let us take a respite from talking about problems and, in its place, let us talk about solutions.  We start with young Austin Gutwein.

Like many 14-year-old guys, Austin Gutwein loves basketball. Unlike most, however, Austin has used his love for hoops to raise over $450,000 for AIDS orphans in the nation of Zambia. Hoops of Hope began in 2004, when Austin was 9 years old.

“I wasn’t as good as other players, and I’m still not,” Austin told CBS Sports. “But I’m really passionate about helping kids, especially kids who are less fortunate than me. What really moves me is when I hear about kids who have been orphaned.” … http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2008/07/austin-gutwein-hoops-of-hope/

What in young Austin’s school or home environment led him to undertake such a noteworthy endeavor?

After begging his dad to let him do something, Austin was put in touch with World Vision. The next thing he knew they were having a conference call. And after taking stock of his talents and interests, they came up with a simple idea: free throws. …

“The second year I went up to my dad and told him, Hey Dad, I want to shoot free throws again, but this time I want to get 1,000 of my friends to join me.” Austin says, laughing. “He kind of gave me that look.”

That year Austin and his dad went around to dozens of churches and schools and told them about Hoops for Hope.  Austin reached his goal: 1,000 friends shooting free throws for orphans.  And he wasn’t ready to stop yet. …

It seems as if he had a supportive father.

FOR EVERYONE.  Free events at our library.  Asian “Harvest Festival” celebration Saturday, September 13, 2008, 2 p.m.  Celebration of Mexican Independence Day, Tuesday, September 16, 2008, 6:30 p.m., with performance by Mariachi Arriba Jalisco.  The library is at 1550 West Beverly Boulevard.  For more information, 323.722.6551.

FOR PARENTS, TEACHERS, YOUTH.  Competition.  “’Do Something’ Announces ‘Increase Your Green’ School Competition”.  Deadline:  December 8, 2008.  Do Something is inviting America’s middle and high schools to reduce their carbon footprint this fall through the “Increase Your Green” competition.  ... Participating schools are eligible for a first-place prize of $1,500, a banner, plaque, and eco-friendly gift bags.  Three second-place prizes of $500 each will be awarded.  Winners will be features on the Do Something Web site and in local press. … Visit the Do Something Web site for complete program guidelines and application procedures.  www.dosomething.org

FOR EVERYONE.  Is your money safe?  You can find out whether your bank would be in trouble financially.  See http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cover7-2008sep07,0,6888046.story

FOR MOTORISTS.  Tire danger.  June 2, 2008.  SRS [Safety Research and Strategies, Inc.] efforts lead to NHTSA [National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration] Consumer Advisory warning that aged tires, regardless of tread, are subject to greater stress increasing the likelihood of catastrophic failure.  SRS has called on the agency to issue an advisory since 2004.  “While this doesn’t solve the tire aging problem, it is a significant step toward improving information available to consumers” said Sean Kane, president of SRS. As of June 2, 2008 SRS has documented 159 incidents in which tires older than six years experienced tread / belt separations—most resulting in loss-of-control crashes. These incidents were the cause of 128 fatalities and 168 injuries. We have also included an additional 10 cases involving tires older than five years at the time of failure (half of which were more than five-and-a-half years old at the time of failure). These 10 incidents account for an additional 14 fatalities and 24 injuries. http://www.safetyresearch.net/tires.htm  

FOR EVERYONE.  Cough it up?  No!  There is an e-mail which advises people to use “cough CPR” if a heart attack is coming.  This is a hoax.  While cough CPR might be used when monitored, people should not do so on their own. http://www.hoax-slayer.com/survive-heart-attack.html

FOR EVERYONE.  It’s getting better all the time.  While our city-council meetings are not on television, you may go to city hall and order a copy of a video recording for $10.  I do not know whether the recordings would be edited so as to receive a “family” rating.  For more information, 323.887.1200.

FOR EVERYONE.  What is the message here?  Interesting short film, “Historia de un Letrero”, “The History of a Sign”, which won in the NFB Online Competition Cannes 2008.  http://en.zappinternet.com/video/nilSqaMboM/HISTORIA-DE-UN-LETRERO-THE-STORY.  What do you think is the message?

How would you sum up the lesson to be learned from the anecdotes below?  Imagine a person in power, like the president of the Royal Society, stopping an invention or a theory which might turn out to have great value.

In 1894, the president of the Royal Society, William Thomson, Lord Kelvin, predicted that radio had no future. The first radio factory was opened five years later. Today, there are more than one billion radio sets in the world, tuned to more than 33 000 radio stations around the world. He also predicted that heavier-than-air flying machines were impossible. The Wright Brother's first flight covered a distance equal to only half the length of the wingspan of a Boeing 747. He also said, "X-rays will prove to be a hoax."

In the 6th century BC Greek mathematician Pythagoras said that earth was round - but few agreed with him. Greek astronomer Aristarchos said in the 3rd century BC that earth revolved around the sun - but the idea was not accepted. In the 2nd century BC Greek astronomer Erastosthenes accurately measured the distance around the earth at about 40,000 km (24,860 miles) - but nobody believed him. In the 2nd century AD Greek astronomer Ptolemy stated that earth was the centre of the universe - most people believed him for the next 1,400 years.

In the early 20th century a world market for only 4 million automobiles was made because "the world would run out of chauffeurs." Shortly after the end of World War II (1945), the whole of Volkswagen, factory and patents, was offered free to Henry Ford II. He dismissed the Volkswagen Beetle as a bad design. Today, more than 70 million motorcars are produced every year. The Beetle became one of the best-selling vehicles of all time.

The telephone was not widely appreciated for the first 15 years because people did not see a use for it. In fact, in the British parliament it was mentioned there was no need for telephones because "we have enough messengers here." Western Union believed that it could never replace the telegraph. In 1876, an internal memo read: "This telephone has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication." Even Mark Twain, upon being invited by Alexander Graham Bell to invest $5 000 in the new invention, could not see a future in the telephone.

Irish scientist, Dr. Dionysius Lardner (1793 - 1859) didn't believe that trains could contribute much in speedy transport. He wrote: "Rail travel at high speed is not possible, because passengers ' would die of asphyxia' [suffocation]." Today, trains reach speeds of 500 km/h.

In 1927, H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers, asked, "Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?" In 1936, Radio Times editor Rex Lambert thought "Television won't matter in your lifetime or mine."

In 1943, Thomas Watson, the chairman of IBM forecast a world market for "maybe only five computers." Years before IBM launched the personal computer in 1981, Xerox had already successfully designed and used PCs internally... but decided to concentrate on the production of photocopiers. Even Ken Olson, founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, said in 1977, "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."  http://www.didyouknow.cd/predictions.htm

We look at a statement by Mark Twain, like the one in the August 21, 2008, E-News, and we chuckle:   Don't let schooling interfere with your education.

But do we have a serious problem with education, one which handicaps our youth?

... We have taught you to think of education as a program, formula or code that you can crack. We have valued grades and scores more than learning. We have forgotten to teach you that all understanding begins with wonder and with following unexpected discovery in unknown directions. We have tried to stomp the wonder out of you by getting you to choose a track and stick with it. We have asked you to excel in every endeavor and to avoid anything that might diminish your record of excellence. When we rewarded you only for following all of our rules and not for making any of your own, we did more to close your minds than to open them.

I am sorry that we have taught you to value economic success over passionate engagement with your work. As educated Americans you have choices that many people in the rest of the world do not have. Even with the vast inequalities and deepening economic crisis in our country, your diploma or degree places you among the most privileged in a privileged country. But instead of teaching you to follow your passions and to serve others, we have encouraged you to follow the money. ... 

People like me saw our grandmothers scrub floors and mend other people's clothes to feed their children in the Jim Crow South. Or we saw our grandfathers worked to an early grave by jobs that they hated. We wanted to save you from that fate. But we forgot that our grandmothers and grandfathers had dreams, just not the choice to follow them. Our advice to measure yourself by a paycheck instead of by the love of your work may mean that, for you, work will still just amount to a way to pay the bills -- far bigger bills than our ancestors had. We are sorry for teaching you to trade your soul for a paycheck.

I am sorry that we punished you for making mistakes. We forgot to teach you that mistakes are the path of greatness. If you fall in love, don't be afraid of the break-up, and if you break-up, wallow in the exquisite agony of heartbreak. If you ask a stupid question in class or on the job, listen to the answer. If you are unwilling to make mistakes, you cannot live your best life, you cannot be humble, or find your passion, or be productive, or be of service. ...

More than anything, I am sorry that we have not listened to you. For most of your lives you have been taught that young people should sit and listen while older people, those of us with the "information" and the "knowledge," do the talking. School is set up this way, faith communities are set up this way, and many of your homes are set up this way. Many well-meaning adults tell me, "I want to go and talk to the young people." Few ever say, "I want to go and listen to young people." Our greatest failure has been that we have not listened.

For all of this, you have my apologies. …

by Melissa Harris-Lacewell, TheRoot.com, May 27, 2008

CHICAGO - One of the largest studies of its kind shows just how sluggish American children become once they hit the teen years: While 90 percent of 9-year-olds get a couple of hours of exercise most days, fewer than 3 percent of 15-year-olds do.

What’s more, the study suggests that fewer than a third of teens that age get even the minimum recommended by the government — an hour of moderate-to-vigorous exercise, like cycling, brisk walking, swimming or jogging.

The sharp drop raises concerns about inactivity continuing into adulthood, which could endanger kids’ health throughout their lives, the study authors said. ...  July 15, 2008
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25692068/from/ET/

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