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<p><span class="breadcrumbs">Quick Links<br>
</span>• <a href="#simon" class="smallLinks">Email: From Ms. Susan
K. Simon to Philip G. Haddad Jr.</a> ><br>
• <a href="#simon" class="smallLinks"> </a><a href="#haddad" class="smallLinks">Email:
From Philip G. Haddad Jr. to Ms. Susan K. Simon</a> ><br>
• <a href="#simon" class="smallLinks"> </a><a href="#hast" class="smallLinks">Conversation
and Questions Posed to Mr. Ron Hast</a><a href="#haddad" class="smallLinks"></a>
></p>
<hr size="1" noshade>
<h2><br>
<a name="top"></a> Update – June 16, 2005 </h2>
<p><br>
In the June 2, 2005 update in <strong>“Justice at What Price”</strong>,
I indicated I would update you on ALL matters that have EITHER originated
from or for which the industry publication – THE FUNERAL MONITOR –
has taken issues out of context and have published information and articles
that are blatant lies in some cases and presented without any attempt to
validate the authenticity of the information reported.</p>
<p>I must begin by qualifying the aforementioned statement. I am prevented
from presenting ALL the facts as we know them to be, for that would violate
our commitment to “hold sacred” that which has been found through
discovery. When I refer to “hold sacred”, I mean we cannot legitimately
release this information until the civil action is heard in Superior Court.
(Quite frankly, we have obtained almost all the facts and verified the facts
through our own investigation that has clearly led to the “Colossal
Conspiracy” referenced in previous updates and of which I have written
to officials within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on numerous occasions).</p>
<p>I did have one, and only one, telephone conversation with Ms. Susan K.
Simon, editor of the FUNERAL MONITOR, and that conversation was a result
of an email I received from Ms. Simon on September 17, 2004. Prior to receiving
Ms. Simon’s telephone call, I had never heard of The FUNERAL MONITOR.
</p>
<p>The Chronology of events vis-à-vis the Funeral Monitor is as follows.</p>
<p>• Received email dated Friday, September 17, 2004 from Ms. Simon
<a href="#simon" class="smallLinks">(see attached)</a></p>
<p>• I called Ms. Simon on Monday, September 20, 2004 and answered some
of her questions / those not answered were either personal or proprietary
in nature. Ms. Simon was distressed that I was unwilling to answer All her
questions, and that I took issue with her obvious negative perspective and
approach to the future of the funeral industry. This is indeed the case
as you will see as the chronology of events continues</p>
<p>• On Tuesday, September 21, 2004 I responded by email to Ms. Simon
<a href="#haddad" class="smallLinks">(see attached)</a></p>
<p>• No further communications; be they by phone, email, or written
correspondence have occurred between me, Westland Services, or the Funeral
Monitor – yet Ms. Simon and the Funeral Monitor have published no
less than seven (7) articles about me personally, Westland Services, and
Nordgren Memorial Chapel – a funeral home in Worcester in which I
have a minority interest. The content of the articles are libelous, slanderous,
and defaming to say the least and certainly reminiscent of “Supermarket
Tabloid Journalism.”</p>
<p>• No effort was made “NONE” by Ms. Simon or the FUNERAL
MONITOR to verify the accuracy of the content of the articles either before
or after their publication in the Funeral Monitor. The “Editor’s
Notes” – observations made by Ms. Simon throughout the articles
– are careless, inaccurate, and blatantly prejudicial. Her obvious
lack of professionalism and that of the Funeral Monitor in their reporting
policies and procedures is a blemish on the “Freedom of Speech”
issue and a vicious representation of the death-care industry comprised
mostly (special emphasis on <strong>“mostly”</strong>) of professionals
deeply concerned and committed to the welfare of families experiencing the
loss of a loved one.</p>
<p>• The source(s) of information gathered by the FUNERAL MONITOR and
“negatively spinned”, which is and has been the ‘rule
of thumb’ at the Funeral Monitor, are known to me through our investigation
of the circumstances. The information has also been obtained through discovery,
which now prohibits me from releasing the names of the source(s) at this
time. For the time being, we will reframe from naming the <strong>“DEEP
THROAT”</strong> biased source(s) employed by the Funeral Monitor.</p>
<p>• On April 15, 2005 at the International Order of the Golden Rule
Annual Conference in San Francisco, Mr. Ron Hast, publisher of the Funeral
Monitor addressed the group on the issue of “Embracing Cremation.”
In attendance were approximately 60 funeral directors from OGR, Ms. Christine
Pepper, Chief Executive Officer, National Funeral Director’s Association,
and several suppliers and exhibitors from the conference. </p>
<p>• At the conclusion of Mr. Hast’s presentation and after one
question had been answered, Mr. Hast asked if there were any further questions.
I stood up and posed the following observation and two part question to
Mr. Hast. <a href="#hast" class="smallLinks">(see attached)</a></p>
<p>• Mr. Hast was obviously quite shaken and surprised that I was unaware
of the existence of the Funeral Monitor Publication until being contacted
by Ms. Simon. He asked if I had contacted Ms. Simon about my concerns with
the articles published in the Funeral Monitor, to which I replied,<strong>
“No! My attorneys have!”</strong></p>
<p>• Mr. William Edmunds, Executive Director, International Order of
the Golden Rule, politely interrupted the proceedings indicating the room
was now needed for the next presentation.</p>
<p>In future updates on this web site <strong>www.justiceatwhatprice.com</strong>,
I shall reveal in more detail the perpetrators of the vicious lies and describe
in more detail the policies and procedures used by the FUNERAL MONITOR that
can only be characterized as <strong>“Tabloid Journalism at its Worst!”
</strong></p>
<p><strong>More Soon</strong></p>
<p><strong>Philip G. Haddad, Jr. </strong></p>
<hr size="1" noshade>
<p><span class="breadcrumbs">Quick Links<br>
</span>• <a href="#simon" class="smallLinks">Email: From Ms. Susan
K. Simon to Philip G. Haddad Jr.</a> ><br>
• <a href="#simon" class="smallLinks"> </a><a href="#haddad" class="smallLinks">Email:
From Philip G. Haddad Jr. to Ms. Susan K. Simon</a> ><br>
• <a href="#simon" class="smallLinks"> </a><a href="#hast" class="smallLinks">Conversation
and Questions Posed to Mr. Ron Hast</a><a href="#haddad" class="smallLinks"></a>
></p>
<hr size="1" noshade>
<h3><a name="simon"></a>Email from Ms. Susan K. Simon, Editor, THE FUNERAL
MONITOR to Philip G. Haddad, Jr., President, Westland Services Corporation
dated September 17, 2004</h3>
<p><br>
Dear Mr. Haddad,</p>
<p>My name is Sue Simon and I am the editor of the Funeral Monitor, a weekly
newsletter of the funeral industry published by Abbott and Hast, headquartered
in Monterey, California. After reading about Westland on your company website,
I've got some questions:</p>
<p>• Approximately how many consumers have availed themselves of Westland's
services to date, and in how many states do you do business?</p>
<p>• What constitutes a franchise, and how many franchisees have you
recruited?</p>
<p>• To what do you attribute lowering the cost of your services from
$5k, $7.5k, $10k, and $25k in 1988 to $4k to $14k today?</p>
<p>• How much are consumers typically willing to spend to insure the
care and maintenance of their gravesites?</p>
<p>• At which "major financial institution" are the funds
held in a custodial account, and who has access to them?</p>
<p>• If the contract is revocable, may the purchaser or family members
cancel it at any time into the 25 years?</p>
<p>• Are there penalties for cancellation and if there are, on what
basis are they calculated?</p>
<p>• Most states put an upper limit on the amount of money that can
be set aside for funerals and burials when it comes to Medicaid qualifying
purposes. Where does Westland fit into those restrictions -- often set by
individual states? Since Westland is apparently the only company offering
gravesite beautification and maintenance nationwide, where is the set aside
for such purposes spelled out in Medicaid regulations?</p>
<p>• Taking four percent of the principal and interest earned annually
for 25 years would leave less and less money for cleanup, planting, and
maintenance each year. How do you locate mini-landscapers across the country
willing to commit themselves to a declining income over 25 years? And who
swallows the declining income over the life of the contract: Westland, the
grave-tenders, or a combination of both?</p>
<p>• Assuming a $4,000 contract, after 25 years approximately 35 percent
of the principal remains (roughly, $1,380). What happens to that money?</p>
<p>• What provisions have you made for consumers' money and uninterrupted
care of their cemetery plots in the event Westland goes out of business,
changes ownership, or otherwise leaves the market? Would whatever remains
of the funds set aside for Medicaid purposes be forwarded to the responsible
government agency?</p>
<p>• Who is running your Denver and Las Vegas operations?</p>
<p>• On what basis do you project establishing 380 offices in the next
three to five years?</p>
<p>Thank you for your attention, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.</p>
<p>Regards,</p>
<p>Sue Simon<br>
Editor, Funeral Monitor<br>
800-556-5866</p>
<p><a href="#top" class="smallLinks">Return to the top</a></p>
<hr size="1" noshade>
<h3><a name="haddad"></a>Email from Philip G. Haddad, Jr. to Ms. Susan K.
Simon dated September 21, 2004</h3>
<p> Ms. Simon:</p>
<p>It was a pleasure speaking with you late yesterday afternoon. It is so
refreshing to hear beliefs and observations of others when it comes to perceptions
of the deathcare industry, process for planning for "End of Life"
experiences, and reacting to what the future may hold. Thank goodness Westland
Services Corporation has been the catalyst for the creation Of the Remembrance
Industry; and that we have distanced ourselves from day one from the so-called
"Death Care Industry. Like you, the death care industry continues to
react to what they see and hear, rather than attempt to understand trends
prior to formulating a course of action - and then taking that important
leap in potentially the wrong direction. From our conversation, I find you
in the majority; but unfortunately marching in the wrong direction.</p>
<p>I was and still am a bit disturbed (maybe a better word would be "perplexed")
about the actions taken by your mother in planning for her "end of
life" experience. Did you say, mom lives in another state and on her
own went to a cremation society and made her arrangements? If so, I feel
so sad. For someone to make these plans all alone, without benefit of a
partner, family, or a friend to accompany them, seems like such a lonely
and isolated decision - and one can only ask "Why?"</p>
<p>Each of us will have had an impact on someone (hopefully many people, but
at least someone for all of us), and to leave this life as we know it, for
what I believe to be a better place, without benefit of others to at least
be part of the process and understanding - is truly sad. I believe "A
Life Worth Living, Is a Life Worth Remembering"(Registered for Westland
Services with Patents & Trademarks), and you and I (and your mom) have
a responsibility to family, friends, and others to assure we are respectfully
remembered now and in the future. Westland is here to assist those in need,
to assure their final resting place and that of their loved ones receive
the attention and care they personally want. We are pleased to forward color
photographs to family members regardless of where they may live in the world.
Maybe if mom knew about Westland, just maybe she too would have opted for
a more traditional service, an earth burial, and possibily a Westland contract
whereby we would be sending you color photographs twice annually? Such is
Life!</p>
<p>Ms. Simon, you do not have my consent to write about Westland, but you
certainly have every right to do so within the framework of your journalistic
background as you so clearly stated to me. I shall, with the permission
of each source, reprint for your information and that of the general public,
each and every article written about Westland, which will demonstrate the
willingness of the print media to write about the creativity and innovation
that Westland brings to the "End of Life" planning cycle - for
"When a Loved One Becomes a Memory, the Memory Becomes a Treasure"
(Also registered for Westland with the U.S. Office of Patents & Trademarks).</p>
<p> Best regards,</p>
<p> Philip G. Haddad, Jr.</p>
<p><a href="#top" class="smallLinks">Return to the top</a></p>
<hr size="1" noshade>
<h3><br>
<a name="hast"></a>Conversation and questions posed to Mr. Ron Hast, Publisher
of the FUNERAL MONITOR at the OGR Annual Conference in San Francisco on
Friday, April 15, 2005 </h3>
<p><strong>The following dialogue took place between Philip G. Haddad, Jr.
and Ron Hast, Publisher of the Funeral Monitor, on Friday April 15, 2005
at the Independent Order of the Golden Rule Annual Conference in San Francisco.</strong></p>
<p>Mr. Hast was a speaker on the subject of Cremation from 8:00-8:55 A.M.
In attendance were approximately 60 persons; the majority of whom were funeral
directors from throughout the U.S. & Canada. At the conclusion of his
presentation, the following dialogue ensued.</p>
<p>Mr. Hast:<strong> “Does anyone have any questions?”</strong>
Philip G. Haddad, Jr. raised his hand, was acknowledged by Mr. Hast, and
proceeded:</p>
<p><strong>“Mr. Hast – my observations and 2-part question I shall
ask come to you as publisher of the Funeral Monitor.”</strong></p>
<p><strong>“Until 8 months ago, I had not heard of the Funeral Monitor.
Since then I have read several articles in the Funeral Monitor – the
subjects of which I have a great deal of knowledge. I have found the reporting
of the facts to be biased, prejudiced, distorted, and dishonest –
reminiscent of supermarket tabloid journalism. But this is a subject for
another venue.”</strong></p>
<p><strong>“My two-part question to you concerns the disclaimer at the
end of your publication and on your web site and I quote:”</strong></p>
<p><em><strong>“The information herein was obtained from sources that
Abbott & Hast Publications believes to be reliable, but does not guarantee
its accuracy. Abbott & Hast Publications shall not be liable for any
errors in the content or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Neither
the information, nor any quoted statements, necessarily represent the opinions
of the staff of Abbott & Hast Publications.”</strong></em> </p>
<p>My question to you Mr. Hast is – <strong>“What is the policy
of the Funeral Monitor to verify the accuracy of the information obtained
– getting both sides of the issue prior to publishing an article?”</strong>
The second part of the question being – <strong>“Do you consider
the insertion of ‘Editor’s notes’ as representing the
opinions of the staff of Abbott & Hast?”</strong></p>
<p><br>
<strong>Dialogue between Ron Hast, Publisher, Funeral Monitor & Philip
G. Haddad, Jr. / April 15, 2005 / OGR Annual Conference / San Francisco
Page 2.</strong></p>
<p></p>
<p>Mr. Hast proceeded to attempt to explain the disclaimer was boilerplate
terminology and that he has given Sue Simon, Editor of the Funeral Monitor,
full reign to write about the funeral industry as she sees it.</p>
<p>Mr. Hast indicated the publication (Funeral Monitor) would print responses
in most instances and had I contacted Sue Simon about my concerns? I responded,
<strong>“No! My attorneys have!”</strong> At this point Bill
Edmunds, Executive Director, O.G.R. interrupted the proceedings indicating
another session was scheduled at this time in the room and that this issue
could be discussed further one on one outside the room if we wished</p>
<p>No further dialogue ensued.</p>
<p><a href="#top" class="smallLinks"><br>
Return to the top</a></p>
<h2> </h2>
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