ReaderWire ReaderWire (September 02, 2005)

Creative compassion

I am a relatively new import to the Bay Area via New Orleans. I work for Stanford Management Company here in Menlo Park. The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina has been very upsetting for all of us.

I have family and friends who are coping with the disaster first-hand. To many of them I am their only link to the outside world, as their communication lines to each other have disintegrated.

This is why I am trying to make people more aware of the crisis and encourage people all over the country to support the relief efforts in creative ways.

The easiest and fastest way to provide help is to donate to national agencies whose relief efforts are already in place. But many people I have spoken with are interested in helping in more direct ways. I would like to encourage Midpeninsula communities to "adopt" specific communities in the hardest-hit areas of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.

An "adopt-a-community" program would facilitate local efforts to rebuild schools, homes and infrastructure in individual areas destroyed by this catastrophe. Local residents and businesses could then follow the progress of these communities and their residents on a close, personal and regular basis.

I am contacting local officials throughout the Peninsula to explore this program, which is still in a conception stage.

To get a personal glimpse into the crisis in New Orleans and the recovery assistance effort I am undertaking, please access my blog at http://helpneworleansnow.blogspot.com. Since I just entered the world of Weblogging this week due to this disaster, I can attest that it is simple and easy to use.

Feel free to contact me via e-mail with ideas or add your thoughts to the blog itself. We are all in this together. Thank you.
Keith Schneider
keith.schneider@stanford.edu

Summer sadness

Pat Flynn's comments regarding the shortened school year (Weekly, Aug. 26) are on the money.

The fact that this issue was not presented to parents prior to the vote suggests an attempt to avoid a public outcry. When initially considered, the Board of Education voted wisely against shortening the summer vacation.

It is unfortunate that this vote did not carry the day, and a calendar appropriate to the needs of students and families was sacrificed because the board was reluctant to drag the issue into negotiations with its employee unions.

This shortened summer is academically unsound: numerous vacations -- both long and short -- eliminate extended periods of focus necessary for learning. While many voices say this minimizes stress, such is not the case when homework is assigned over these "breaks."

This schedule also compromises other community activities, such as theatre, specialty camps and other learning experiences that require extended periods of time during the summer. As school board Vice President Mandy Lowell sagely noted: "A longer summer has greater benefits for our community than several intermittent breaks."

I strongly urge early consideration of this issue so that we are not forced into continuing a pilot program that neither the board nor many parents find beneficial.
Cy Ashley Webb
West Bayshore Road, Palo Alto

Temporary experiment?

I have several issues with the Palo Alto school district's new schedule.

First, it completely ignores the needs of working parents. Both my husband and I work full time, as do many other parents in Palo Alto. Both of our companies offer above-average paid vacations, but neither quite stretches to cover 26 days off during the school year, in addition to federal holidays.

During the summer our kids can go to day or overnight camps, but for these breaks we are on our own. So our options are to take unpaid time off (which our employers are not obligated to provide) or take our vacations separately (so much for the family time together).

Oh, and the time for the parents to recharge? We'll just forget that, won't we?

Teenagers are not served well by this schedule either. A longer summer gives them an opportunity to obtain paid or unpaid work, internships or participate in enriched study programs -- what better way to help a teen figure out what to do after high school? Instead, they'll have plenty of breaks during the school year to perfect their videogame skills.

For children of all ages, frequent short breaks during the school year are very disruptive. It takes several stress-filled days after each break to get back into the school and homework routine. What a waste of effort.

I hope this experiment on all of us does not last beyond this school year.
Tanya Berezin
Marion Place, Palo Alto

Mercury article retaliation

I strongly object to San Jose Mercury News reporter Dan Stober's claim in a "news" article (Aug. 28) titled "Palo Alto's Wide-Open Race" that Palo Alto City Council candidate Danielle Martell is a "long shot."

As Ms. Martell's campaign manager, I called Mr. Stober and demanded an explanation. He said the "other candidates" say Martell's a "long shot," therefore she is. The perverse logic of this is mind numbing.

Martell is the only candidate in the race willing to stand up to the increasingly secretive and militant Palo Alto Police Department. Martell is dedicated to ending the reign of the "special interest" Palo Alto political machine that is presiding over the dismantling of the airport and other important local businesses in favor of more and more high-density housing.

Danielle Martell is honest and of the highest integrity. She's not afraid to stand up for the average person in this community. Palo Alto needs Ms. Martell, she's the strongest candidate in the race and I, for one, will not stand idly by and allow her to be marginalized by a biased corporate press.
Dennis "Galen" Mitrzyk
Maclane Street, Palo Alto

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