July 3, 2008 Issue
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Classified Chestnut Hill Local Don't Miss an Issue, Tell us what you see or Winner of Two |
From our readersTipping and profit unrelated I am responding to Ms. Oliver’s letter [“Get rid of the tip jars on Hill,” June 19]. Ms. Oliver mentioned several eateries on the hill that she believes are over-priced. She states further that employee tip jars should be eliminated. Really, the two are not related. Getting rid of tip jars will not have any impact on the pricing of the goods being sold. Plus, for two of the shops mentioned (Metropolitan Bakery, Chestnut Hill Coffee Company), the profit margins are small. These local shops are providing high-quality goods in a high-rent, labor-intensive environment. Even with employees making minimum wage, their margins are slim. Regarding the employees at these establishments, including Starbucks, they are worth their tips in gold. As one of the first customers to frequent each store mentioned by Ms. Oliver, I have been pleased with the high standard of customer service I have received over many years (purchase and serving suggestions, pick-up/hold orders, quick attentive service, friendliness, etc). It’s this service that keeps me coming back three to four times a week. It is with pleasure that I put my “thank-you” into the tip jars. Tipping is normal in service-related industries. I am amused that Ms. Oliver finds the tip jars intimidating. She feels the “idea is to make you feel guilty if you don’t tip.” Ms. Oliver, why do you feel so guilty? Perhaps you should try working in one of these employee’s shoes. Only then, do I believe you would understand and appreciate why there are tip jars. Ellen White
CHCA should address negative perception Having attended the raucous open forum Monday night, I was reminded of the words of Rodney King, “Can’t we all just get along?” The public turnoff to the CHCA as evidenced by the 50 percent decrease in voting and contributions appears predicated on two rancorous issues: 1. The ”Agatha Christie” mystery of the ballots; 2. The shenanigans or possible skullduggery regarding the previous directors’ financial mismanagement. The fact that the oversight committee, led ably by past president Ron Recko and Jim Foster, was sundered null and void when there appeared to be unsavory financial discrepancies requires thorough investigation. Their petition to de-legitimize the CHCA’s affiliation with municipal and state authorities, however, seems like overkill, analogous to “throwing the baby out with the bath water.” The solution to these two divisive issues would appear to be: Revise the bylaws to state that only members in designated zip codes be allowed to vote; Have the individual or individuals involved in the previous financial mismanagement (if it be so) answer to the new board after an independent audit of the issues in question; Have the meeting minutes or the summary of the audit available for publication in the Local, and a monthly financial statement available on the Web site. The CHCA should function as a democratic body to avoid the suspicion that it is acting in a Machiavellian manner. Bob Connor
Looking for an answer At the June 23 community meeting held at the Chestnut Hill Library, I asked a question about 65 disputed ballots representing 130 votes, with almost half of them coming from as far away as California, Washington state and Florida) cast in the recent CHCA election. My question was: If there was no wrongdoing involved, no deception, no need for secrecy, then why when Ron Recko and Pete Mazzaccaro asked to review these ballots was their request denied by the judges? Why would judges not have jumped at the chance to dispel all suspicions and restore the odor of sanctity to the board members? My question was not answered. It’s a simple question, and it’s not rhetorical, so I’ll ask it again: Why if the board had nothing to hide did the judges hide and subsequently destroy the ballots? Why did they refuse to allow Recko, Mazzaccaro and, by extension the community, the right to see them? In fact, why was no one at the meeting willing or able to answer my question? I await an answer. Come on CHCA board members, how hard can this be? Kate Cassidy
“Ev’rybody’s got one” Some are stuck with only one — and their dreary complaints are regular as rain. “What about ME? Why won’t you print my every letter complaining about why you don’t print my every letter?” While the last remnants of the Second Opinion Caucus suffer under the bleating about “equal time,” the unwritten opinions and unsent letters of this so-called Silent Majority are said to rest at the bottom of the editor’s trash bin. SHOW ME THE LETTERS. Relief is in sight. The paper’s most prolific, most brilliantly funny, profoundly well-informed Possessor of Many Opinions is leaving town. Far from the vulgar display of director Tom Fleming’s so-called *joke* mocking a COMMUNITY MEETING, Feldman had readers running for the Webster’s Unabridged trying to keep up with the delicious wit, the scholarly references, quotes from the old and new Testaments and obscure Greek poets. Sorry Feldman poked his finger in your eye hoping that the scales of ignorance would fall away. Sorry he was more often right than wrong — that he managed to dazzle the self-regarding LUPZ crowd and other august assemblies when he was in the mood to do it. He wrote new lyrics to “Wild Colonial Boy” — all seven verses — on a paper napkin in two minutes and then sang it. He made Jane cry and the crankiest guy in Chestnut Hill collapse with laughter. He said rude things about our furniture. He perfected the art of the follow-up question, a crucial skill in this environment of the put-down, move along organizational model. He squared off against Snowden and his minions and Sanjiv Jain and his “operation.” He got the joke. Martha Haley
“Boobs” in headline is not in good taste As someone who has seen Les Miz more times than I can count, I really enjoyed the article on Hugh Panaro. I particularly enjoyed reading about Hugh’s experiences in Germany and with Barbra Streisand, which I was unaware of before (in fact, I did not even know Hugh was from this area), but I do not see the point of using the word “boobs” in the headline. I realize, of course — as a person with gray hair who has been around for a while — that good taste is pretty much a thing of the past in our so-called popular culture, but I would expect more of the Chestnut Hill Local, which is still a pretty classy little paper, than of the Daily News, supermarket tabloids or network television. I suppose you’ll say that Hugh really did use that language, and I do not doubt that he did, but does every slang word referring to body parts have to wind up in a headline? Can’t you clean it up a bit? Jacqueline Drayton
Panaro article good, but it has two errors I enjoyed the interview you ran with my friend, Hugh Panaro [“Local star of Les Miz would ‘rescue stray dogs,’” June 26), but I have to offer two quick corrections as someone who follows his various roles closely (for his Web site, which I run). One paragraph in the article says, “Panaro, a veteran of several Broadway productions including The Phantom of the Opera (in which he is the only person to have played both Raul and the Phantom), says that his reaction to playing Valjean is driven by the fact that ‘I’m actually seen.’” Hugh is not the only actor to have played both Raoul de Chagny and The Phantom. There are a few others who have. Steven Barton (the original Raoul), Kevin Gray, Gary Mauer, John Cudia and several others have also played both. Also, in the caption for the second photo reads: “Valjean spends years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his starving child.” Valjean’s steals the bread for his sister’s child, not his own. Just a minor detail that stood out for me as a long-time fan of Les Miz. Excellent interview, though! Paula Lemire
Regulate Oil Cos. You’re angry and you’re frustrated at the gas pump. Meanwhile, it’s all smiles at Exxon (and the other petroleum kingdoms) as it looks around at record profits — $40 billion and a return of 32 percent And the profits for the five largest oil companies have been $585 billion since 2001, as the price at the pump has soared. Oh yes, congress calls them in to testify about their “excessive profits” and wags its finger at them. But in the end, nothing happens And, therein lies the crux of the problem that we, the American people, have with our government in more ways than one … greedy corporations and a free market government whose interests lie more with corporations than with the American people. Surprised? I wonder how many shares of oil company stock Sen. Arlen Specter and friends have in their stock portfolios. What to do? For a start, their profits should be regulated by law similar to gas, electric, water and phone companies because their products are essential to our lives Take the $585 billion in profits since ’01. If the companies were limited to a 10 percent profit vs. the 30 percent plus they suck out of our pockets now, we could have seen lower prices at the pumps. And the oil companies would have taken a hit on their multi-million dollar salaries, bonuses and stock options. Of course, for every action there is a reaction. The oil “plantation” executives would bemoan “big government” and even worse, “creeping socialism.” They would inundate the air waves with messages like “the free market works,” “hands off oil,” and “keep America free.” And they would probably cut back on their token contributions to concerts and nature shows on public television. Truckers all over the world are taking to the streets. Isn’t it time something started happening here? Lawrence Geller
|
