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Published August 20, 2008
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Letters to the Editor
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Dear Editor, Well, I sleep better at night knowing that members of our citizenry are protecting the populace from crime. As reported in the Lamorinda Weekly (Aug. 6), a resident was willing to arrest people "illegally" playing soccer without permission on the Campolindo sports field. This is despite the fact that such playing is not illegal. Just imagine: people playing soccer on a soccer field! The police should have thrown those miscreants in jail, rather than just speaking with them. And I must confess that I have taken my children—and now take my grandchildren—to play on sports fields and playgrounds at local schools. Those children will probably be a menace to society some day. So we Moragans must unite! Let's keep people from having good clean fun at school facilities. After all, this country needs more couch potatoes.
Stan Oberg Moraga
Dear Editor:
I read with interest your article on July 23 regarding the Spanish students visiting the Lamorinda area. I was glad that the students enjoyed themselves here. My concern with the article was the commendation given to the ECI program. Not all Lamorinda parents have had a good experience with ECI. In the interest of fair and balanced journalism, I felt compelled to write in . I have been in touch with several parents of the students participating in the Costa Rica program for middle school students. The number one concern was the lack of supervision. There were 21 students and only 2 female chaperones. To add to the problem, one of the chaperones became ill and was taken to a medical clinic leaving 1 chaperone for 21 students (boys and girls ages 13 to 15)! The other concern was that social problems including racial tension, name calling and sexual harrassment betweem "casita" mates went completely unaddressed. The staff was either unprepared to deal with these serious issues or was too overwhelmed trying to keep track of so many students. Finally, I would advise your readers "Buyer Beware". The ECI flyer advertises "almost 3 weeks in Costa Rica for $3995". Actually, the time in Costa Rica is 2 weeks plus 1 day and the actual cost is close to $5000. Parents are required to pay the $3995 plus a filing fee, airline tax, fuel surcharge, departure tax and send along a minimum of $200 speinding money. There are other programs similar to ECI. Berkeley Parents Network is a good place to start. There may be write ups in websites like yelp.com as well. I wish I had done more research before sending my child on an ECI trip.
Kathleen Wahlberg Lafayette |
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| Reach at: sophie@lamorindaweekly.com |
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA