Letters

True talents
If you ever go looking throughout all his written works, L. Ron Hubbard’s “invention” of Scientology is probably his most encompassing deed of progressive plagiarism.

However, the penultimate plagiarist act that L. Ron (and his institutional cult-compatriots) committed was during the early ’60s, and was accomplished against Robert A Heinlein, who was a true master at writing science fiction. Anyway, it wasn’t until after Heinlein published his seminal novel, “Stranger in a Strange Land” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land), that L. Ron decided to take the work of his San Francisco colleague and apply its most insightful representations regarding the modern incorporated religious model (that most “fruitfully” flowered during the 1980s and ’90s) and initially apply it to his own rather perversely dynamic, cultic fantasies.
After getting a clue from Heinlein, L. Ron ultimately transmorphed from a third-rate, minor-league pulp-fiction writer into a global-cult-following demigod.

In the meantime, if you follow the history of L. Ron, you will ultimately discover that the only true talent the man ever had at taking somebody else’s ideas and working them into his own prevalent scams. Even the “deeper mysteries” of Scientology can effectively be traced back to the writings of both earlier and contemporary authors of science fiction and science-fact literature.
~(If you print this, just sign me DanD.)

 Up ticks
With all the Alzheimer’s and pharmaceutical ads on TV these days, things are looking up for older actors. Though auditions are down because of the so-called recession (if the unemployment figures aren’t depressing, I never saw anything that was), the chances for my getting good parts increases with each day I get older.

I’d like to see someone do a study to see how many women are chosen for those ads versus men. If the odds for women actors over 60 get better, maybe I’ll spend more time at auditions, less time freelancing and book writing and a little time convincing my friend Ellen Snortland to return to her acting roots. 

With each tick of the clock, her chances of beating the odds may get better, not worse.
Oh, yeah. Those figures from Editor&Publisher are damn depressing, too!
~CAROLYN HOWARD-JOHNSON, GLENDALE

Go with Scott
We first got to know Pasadena Board of Education member Scott Phelps when he was our daughter’s teacher at John Muir High School. Scott came to our house to tutor her and her friends in science. We spoke up for him when he was criticized for his letter about student behavior at Muir because we knew him to be a caring teacher and friend of our family.

Scott told Eddie Newman, the principal at Muir, that Tecumseh would be a great person to help with mentoring the male students at Muir. Tecumseh did so and established a mentoring program that continues to this day to help young people. Scott has always supported this program.

Scott ran for the board to make a change toward more attention to secondary schools like Muir, and to that end he helped bring in a great new superintendent, Edwin Diaz, who with the board’s support has focused many new resources on the reinvention of Muir. Like Mr. Diaz, Scott supports dropout recovery efforts and now teaches science labs at a charter school in Pasadena that is devoted to helping young people who have not succeeded in regular schools.

We think that the board and the new administration are moving the district forward in a positive direction in many areas, and we support Scott in his re-election campaign. Please vote to keep Scott on the board!
~ANNETTE AND TECUMSEH SHACKELFORD,ALTADENA

The ‘Sarahs’ of this world
To Patti Carmalt-Vener: Thanks for mentioning my project in your column (“Extra-special love,” Jan. 15)!
However, we have not been affiliated with the Arc for some time now. You can find a link to our project below. You may wish to refer Sarah to our SibNet Yahoo or Facebook group. You also may wish to learn more about Sibshops (lively peer support programs for young sibs) and read the paper “What Siblings Would Like Parents and Service Providers to Know.” This information may be found on our Web site, www.siblingsupport.org.

Thanks for calling attention the “Sarahs” of the world. There are literally millions of them, and they are an amazingly deserving and underserved community.
~DON MEYER, DIRECTOR, SIBLING SUPPORT PROJECT
SEATTLE, WASH.

Can we get a witness?
I am looking for witnesses to an accident that occurred on Dec. 19 at the Alice’s Dog Park in Pasadena, off Orange Grove Boulevard.

I was knocked over twice by a black Doberman. The second time, I was told by witnesses that the dog was coming at me at full speed. There were few dogs at the park that day. I was running with my dog, Kumori, beside me. There were no other dogs around us. I must have blacked out for a few seconds because I do not remember falling. I only remember two fawn-colored boxer dogs around me and a man and woman asking me if I was OK.

The first time I was knocked down, my dog, a blue merle collie, had stayed beside me. The second time, I recall thinking it was strange that he had wandered off.

My collie had to be put down on Feb. 7 as a result of head trauma he suffered that day. I have vet bills and my own doctor bills that total a little more than $1,000.

Although witnesses informed him that I was injured, the owner of the Doberman continued to speak on his cell phone until I was well enough to walk over to him. He gave me a business card, but he has not responded to my emails.

I have tried to post a flyer at the dog park, but it was immediately torn down. I have seen the owner of the Doberman at the dog park since then with his dogs.

I am looking for those witnesses. I would hate to see another small human (adult or child) injured or hear of another dog, child or adult person suffering head trauma due to this owner’s negligence.

Witnesses can contact me at Jana.Monji@earthlink.net.
~JANA J. MONJI, PASADENA
(Jana J. Monji is a longtime contributor to the Pasadena Weekly. Anyone with information may also contact kevinu@pasadenaweekly.com.)