reading_guide.txt 127. Nine Tons of Trash (((female voice))) A work crew consisting of 150 volunteers worked for eight hours in a light drizzle on Saturday to clean Carson Creek of almost nine tons of debris. “A job well done,” smiled Alan Specter, the director of the event. “We’re scheduled to come back here one more time, three years from now. Of course, we hope that there won’t be nine tons of garbage next time.” The garbage came in all shapes, sizes, and colors: cans, bottles, bicycles, car tires, auto batteries, sofas, furniture, clothing, shopping carts, bowling balls, plastic bags, dolls, baby carriages, TV antennas, and portable radios. There was even a golf bag with a full set of golf clubs. Much of the backbreaking work was done by two community groups—the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, and two environmental groups—Save the Bay and Watch the Whales. Concerned retirees and volunteers from police and fire departments assisted. Everyone was issued boots, gloves, and rain gear. The work occurred along a two-mile stretch of streambed. The debris was hauled roadside, where trucks lined up to take the trash to the landfill. More than 500 big yellow trash bags were filled. No one found anything of great value, although a five-year-old boy found an earring that he thought might be worth a million dollars because it was so shiny. He said he would sell it. Then he would donate half of the proceeds to Watch the Whales, and use the other half to buy a triple-scoop ice cream cone every day for the rest of his life. A work crew consisting of 150 volunteers worked for eight hours in a light drizzle on Saturday to clean Carson Creek of almost nine tons of debris. “A job well done,” smiled Alan Specter, the director of the event. “We’re scheduled to come back here one more time, three years from now. Of course, we hope that there won’t be nine tons of garbage next time.” The garbage came in all shapes, sizes, and colors: cans, bottles, bicycles, car tires, auto batteries, sofas, furniture, clothing, shopping carts, bowling balls, plastic bags, dolls, baby carriages, TV antennas, and portable radios. There was even a golf bag with a full set of golf clubs. Much of the backbreaking work was done by two community groups—the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, and two environmental groups—Save the Bay and Watch the Whales. Concerned retirees and volunteers from police and fire departments assisted. Everyone was issued boots, gloves, and rain gear. The work occurred along a two-mile stretch of streambed. The debris was hauled roadside, where trucks lined up to take the trash to the landfill. More than 500 big yellow trash bags were filled. No one found anything of great value, although a five-year-old boy found an earring that he thought might be worth a million dollars because it was so shiny. He said he would sell it. Then he would donate half of the proceeds to Watch the Whales, and use the other half to buy a triple-scoop ice cream cone every day for the rest of his life. 134. Not Sitting Around (((female voice))) All seniors 55 and older are invited to a special meeting next Tuesday in the Senior Center. The meeting will begin with cookies and lemonade. The speaker will be James Carter, the director of a nonprofit organization dedicated to making the golden years fun and interesting. “We have too many seniors who act old because they think they’re old,” said Carter. “Our goal is to help seniors realize that they’re as young and active as they want to be. Getting older does not mean sitting around waiting to die. It means getting out and doing all the things you never had time to do while you were working and raising a family.” Carter will identify the services and activities that are available to seniors locally and statewide. Included are legal aid, tax advice, discounts for bus and taxi travel in the city, and free blood pressure testing on the first Monday of each month. Testing for diabetes and for cataracts is offered four times a year for a nominal fee. The city also provides inexpensive dinners called Meals on Wheels. Volunteers deliver these meals to seniors who are homebound because of illness or injury. An Internet class begins this month for seniors who want to visit the World Wide Web. “Many seniors still use typewriters,” said Carter. “They see no need for a computer. But after they take this course, some of them may decide to buy their own laptops.” New activities at the Senior Center include Bingo on Friday and Saturday nights, with a grand prize of $50 each night. The center is also offering Strength Training classes. “As you get older,” said Carter, “you need to keep both your mind and your body active. An active mind helps prevent Alzheimer’s, and an active body helps prevent osteoporosis.” 170. The Lost Guitar (((female voice))) A classical guitarist was thrilled to hear from New York City police that his valuable guitar had been found. It disappeared almost a year ago when he got out of a taxicab and forgot to take the guitar with him. Laurence Lennon, 44, said he was running late that day. He was talking to his manager on his cell phone when he dashed out of the cab. He said that he gave the driver $60 and told him to keep the change. He walked through the front doors of the concert hall still talking on the phone to his manager. Upon discovering his loss, Lennon used his cell phone to call the police. The policewoman asked him for the name of the cab company, the number of the cab, and the name of the driver. He said that she had to be kidding. She told Lennon that he could file a missing items report at the police station or online. Lennon asked for the online address. It was www.nypd.gov/toprotectandtoserve/haveaniceday. She told him that finding the guitar might take a couple of years—finding guitars was not as important as finding murderers and marijuana smokers. Then she told him to have a nice day. "This year has been depressing," said Lennon. “I had to postpone the recording of two new CDs. I’ve been using borrowed guitars. And I was losing hope of ever recovering my guitar.” Lennon was reunited with his $100,000 guitar yesterday. The case and the guitar had been discovered in the corner of a coffeehouse only two blocks from where Lennon had lost it in the first place. Lennon had offered a $10,000 reward for its return. He said he would give the reward to the coffeehouse owner, who had notified the police. The police department prepared a news release about its success in tracking down the guitar. 179. Let’s Go to Vegas! (((male voice))) Sandra had not been to Las Vegas in more than a year. She was excited. Her sister Janice was coming by to pick her up in about ten minutes. Sandra finished putting her toothbrush and toothpaste into her travel bag; those were the last two items on her “to pack” list. She had called ahead, of course, to get a room for Janice and herself. The hotel told her that no more rooms were available at the price that was advertised in the newspaper. This was no surprise to Sandra. So, she put down a $100 nonrefundable deposit on a room for two nights. The cost for both nights was going to be $200 plus taxes, surcharges, and other fees. She looked at her watch. Janice was late, of course. Sandra had forgotten to remind Janice of today’s departure time. To put it kindly, Janice was not exactly the most organized person in the world. Sandra called Janice up. She left a short message: “Where are you? It’s time to go to Vegas!” A few minutes later, Janice called back. She had a big problem—a schedule conflict. She had already promised to attend her daughter’s eighth-grade graduation ceremony this very weekend. “Oh, Sandra, I’m so sorry,” Janice said. “I know how much you had wanted to do this. I thought Alice’s graduation ceremony and party were next week. I get so confused sometimes. I’ll make this up to you, I promise. Maybe you can call up Lily; she might be available, even though it’s really short notice. If not, don’t worry, I’ll pay you for everything and we can make plans again.” Sandra sighed and dialed her friend Lily. She wondered how Janice had made it through life so unorganized. 188. Check Your Bags at the Store Entrance (((male voice))) Adrian’s favorite store was the $1 Store. This store had everything, from fresh produce to birthday cards to gasoline additives. Everything was one dollar. Usually, he got very good deals; occasionally, he got ripped off. A few days ago, Adrian bought six packages of ink for his printer. Then he found a deal on better ink at the local computer store. So Adrian went back to the $1 Store to exchange the ink for some other items. He put the ink into a plastic bag and tied it up. When he entered the store, he immediately showed the bag to a clerk and told her that he was returning some items. She looked at him but said nothing. There were about ten people in her line. She was obviously very busy. Not knowing exactly what to do, Adrian put the bag into a push-cart and started shopping. He was midway through shopping when a female employee suddenly stopped him. “Sir,” she said sternly, “you are not allowed to carry a plastic bag of items around in this store. What’s in this bag? Show me what’s in the bag!” Adrian was taken aback. There was no need for her to yell. He opened the bag and showed her the six packages of ink. “I’m returning these to exchange for some other items,” Adrian said. “You should have left the bag with the clerk when you entered this store. Let me see your receipt!” the employee demanded. Adrian was embarrassed. He felt like a shoplifter. He looked around to see if anyone was paying attention. He showed her the receipt. “Perhaps in the future you’ll learn how to follow store policy. Leave this bag here with the clerk. You can have your receipt and bag back when you check out.” By the time Adrian had finished shopping and exchanged the items, he was angry. How dare she treat him like a criminal? He went looking for her. He wanted an apology. He found her in the produce section and asked what her name was. She mumbled something. He asked her again, and this time he heard “Ursula.” “Ursula what?” he asked. She yelled at him, “Ursula!” and stormed away. When Adrian got home, he called the store’s corporate headquarters. This rude employee was about to lose her job, he said to himself. He described his unpleasant experience to a customer service representative. She was sympathetic. “Our employees are taught to be polite. We will not tolerate such behavior. Give me your phone number and I will call you back.” Two days later, Adrian received a phone call from the representative. “I’m sorry,” she said, “but there’s no one at that store named Ursula. Can you describe her? I’ll find out who she is. I assure you, we do not tolerate rude behavior, nor do we tolerate lying to customers.” By this time, Adrian had calmed down. He didn’t really want the employee to lose her job. He told the representative to forget about it. 198. Take me Out to the Ball Game (((male voice))) Ralph and Ilene hadn’t been to a baseball game in about five years. They were only 15 miles from the stadium, but the heavy traffic on game day made those 15 miles seem more like 60 miles. It took about an hour to get to the stadium. Then, when the game was over, it took half an hour just to get out of the parking lot. Then the drive home was another hour. In other words, the traveling took longer than the game itself. “Honey, the Giants are in town,” Ilene said. “I want to see Barry Bonds hit a home run. Can we go to the game? We haven’t gone in such a long time.” “You’re right. It has been a while. OK, I’ll go if you don’t mind driving,” said Ralph. “Great! Let’s get ready. If we get there early enough, I might get his autograph. Maybe he’ll hit a foul ball we can catch.” Ilene was excited. “We!?” Ralph thought. An hour later they were in their car. They lived in Pasadena near an old church. They went south on Orange Grove and then south on the 110 freeway. The 110 is California’s original freeway, full of twists and turns. Accidents occur daily; California drivers think yellow lights and sharp curves mean the same thing—speed up! The traffic was lighter than they expected. They arrived at the stadium 40 minutes before game time. They paid the $8 parking fee, parked and locked the car, and walked to the main entrance. Several individuals were standing around outside the stadium, looking casual but actually selling tickets on the sly. “Are you going to buy from a scalper?” asked Ilene. “Yes. Just like last time. That one looks honest,” Ralph replied. They walked over to a man in a red cap. Ralph’s instincts were correct. The man had tickets for good seats at a fair price. Ralph gave the man $45 and thanked him. “Don’t thank me, my friend. Thank your local police department. Put your hands behind your back, please. You’re under arrest.” “What?” Ralph was astonished. “What’s going on?” “Buying scalped tickets is illegal in Los Angeles,” said the undercover police officer. “It’s been illegal for 25 years. Don’t worry. The police station is right outside the park. We’ll have you back here right after we book you. You can pay the $150 fine with your credit card.” The officer handcuffed Ralph. “This has got to be a joke. You people have never enforced this law before,” said Ralph. “Well, we’ve got a new mayor and he wants us to enforce all the laws that bring in money. Come with me, please. I’ll have you back here in 20 minutes. Ma’am, you can wait here for him. You might want to buy some legitimate tickets while you're waiting. Have a nice day. Oh, and enjoy the game!”