Update 1-27-04


Hey,

Wanna see me make the ground shake? All I have to do is gloat about the warm weather in California. I have that power. Meanwhile, some news:

From Stu Borman: After many moons of procrastination, I've finally updated the site containing my South High School photos. The URL hasn't changed, so the existing link to my photo page on the main South High School Class of '65 Reunion home page still works. The revised site uses frames, and a major enhancement is the fact that people now don't have to look at my mug to view the page. Thumbnail images for a few Forest Road School class photos that I've added to the site can be found at the very bottom of the left frame. I hope you like the new page design. I think you'll find it easier to use and more accessible than the former one.
     Also, one of my sons and I saw Touching the Void last night, and we enjoyed the great privilege of participating in a Q&A session with the movie's main subject, Joe Simpson. He was also kind enough to autograph a promotional flyer for my 13-year-old. I would highly recommend this movie. It's an absolutely incredible story of endurance and hope, and after seeing what Mr. Simpson had to go through to survive, it was very moving to see him actually walk into the theater. When Mr. Simpson signed my son's flyer, he asked my son if he had enjoyed the movie. When Daniel said, "Yes," Mr. Simpson asked him to tell his "mates" to see it. So I'm effectively doing that in this message.

[Rich -- As I just wrote Stu: nice update to his site. Though I also mentioned we liked seeing his face, and he's welcome to add it back in -- or you can check it out on the South home page.]

From Jean Cohen Oklan: I'm thoroughly enjoying reading all the updates on these cold Tuesday mornings. But now I have to dutifully check in with the Northwestern Vermont stats. We have over three feet of snow and had a temperature of 28 below zero last week -- and that is what we call "February weather" up here. What's going to happen in February is anyone's guess!
     When our son was young and the temp reached 25 below or less, we would boil one cup of water on the stove, and as soon as it reached boiling temperature, we would run out onto our front porch and toss the water up into the air. It would instantly vaporize and hiss, causing a trail of fog that would hang in the cold air. My lame explanation is that the molecules are being forced into a smaller molecular size. You see? We really do have fun up here.
     In other news, one of my brother's avocations is acting, and he has recently started taking acting lessons again in New York City after many years of being in the educational field. He has landed a gig (they LOVE his face) on the show Ed as Ed's uncle. (This is not to be confused with Mr. Ed -- my brother is not a horse.) This show is filmed in Piermont, New York, a mile from where he lives. I'll let you know when it's going to air!
     And with that, I wish everyone a very happy, healthy, and fun year. Take care, and have a great winter.

From Allen Moss: Hello from Maine! LOVED the New England Temperature Conversion Chart! What a hoot. Being a die-hard dog-lover, my spoiled beagle pup gets to sleep indoors (and with Papa) ALL the time. And I remind him often of how lucky he is!
     Other than that, I could probably attest to some of those items on the list, especially the door-to-door Girl Scout cookie sales, which are just about to start. Would love to hear from our other New England Falcons, Judy Peters Sylvan, Jean Cohen Oklan, and Dennis Pizzimenti on the subject!
By the way, Portland, Maine broke a record last week during the incredible cold snap. Brunswick didn't break or tie any records, but we did get down to 14 degrees below zero one night, with a windchill factor of 35 below. Ahhhhh, it reminds me of the good old days in Windy Chicago! The best thing about that Brunswick night was that it was crystal clear with no clouds. The stars and moon were absolutely brilliant against the pitch black sky, and there was still a nice layer of snow on the ground, so the whole scene was bathed in this beautiful white glow against the reflections of the sky. Really wonderful!
     Best to all.

[Rich -- See, like, Allen thinks a "nice layer of snow," is something to applaud.]

A note within a note, from Terri Donohue Calamari: I'm finally settling into Naples, and I'd love to hear from Barbara Blitfield Pech and the rest of our Floridian alum. Again, my e-mail address is: terrcal@cs.com.
     Also, I've attached an e-mail that might be of interest from my daughter Trish, who has just entered the Peace Corps. From Trish:
     Zdravstvuyte! Or "Hello" in Russian. I've been in Uzbekistan for a week, and so far so good. My first few days in the country were in a town called Qibray, which is outside of the capital where we were sequestered in orientation. Then, on Wednesday, I met and moved in with my host family in a town called Chircik. It's about 20 miles from Tashkent, and it's a military town, but it used to be a manufacturing hub for cotton during the Soviet Era. Between the agricultural scandals of the '80s and the independence movement of the '90s, the factories were largely abandoned, and they still are at this point in time.
     My adopted family is really great -- they've hosted Peace Corps volunteers before. Originally, they emigrated from China, where they lived in the Ugaray region near the Kazah border. They have a daughter who speaks English, who's been helpful in communicating with the family, and they've been helping me with my Russian as well. At this point, my time is divided between Russian lessons and technical training, so, in essence, my life has been eat, sleep, and school.
     I did go to the capital yesterday, which is a pretty modern city with exception of a couple of mosques built in the 14th Century. Most of the other structures were built during the Soviet era, the oldest buildings created toward the latter end of the Stalin era. Also, there's been a lot construction since the country declared independence in 1991.
     On the whole, I feel pretty safe here. I live in a Russified city, so it has more of a European feel, as opposed to a Middle Eastern one. Though it is an Islamic country, the people are not as religious in comparison to their counterparts. At most, people pray once-a-day to Mecca as opposed to the requisite five times as dictated by the Koran. In other words, it's Islam Light.
     Also, there's been a resurgence of Christianity and Judaism since the fall of the Soviet Union. In general, many former Easter Bloc and Soviet Satellite countries have had religious exploration and resurgences since the fall of Communism. It's a big trend throughout Eastern Europe and Central Asia. This was evident when I was in Prague and Budapest in 1999.
     From now on, I'm going to switch to my Yahoo account. If everyone could respond to: psquid2002@yahoo.com, that would be appreciated. Also, if you could include your snail mail addresses, that would be great.
     As far as supplies that I need sent to me, I just need thermals (Size L, dark colors), a copy of Barron's Say It in Russian phrasebook/dictionary, Lonely Planet: India,The Great Game by Timothy Bissel, and photos of everyone to show to my host family. Also, I was wondering if I could get the following things for my host family:
Peanut butter
Wine (note: declare it as juice for US Customs; anything in the $5-$10 range is fine)
Pop music. If anyone can burn a CD of Teeny Bopper stuff (aka: Brittany, the Boy Bands, Beyoncee, Sean Paul, JT, etc.), that would be great)
Stickers of cartoon characters or pop bands
     I hope everyone is doing well in the States. I'll try to send an e-mail within the next week to 10 days. My best to everyone. Take care.

[Rich -- I don't think Trish's requests were specifically addressed to us, but if anyone would like to help out, please coordinate with Terri. And, Terri, keep sending us these updates.]

From Liz King Giordano ("Who?" you ask -- she's the secretary to South's present principal, Stephen Lando): In their January meeting, the Valley Stream Board of Education approved the Vincent Tampio Scholarship, and they will soon be sending you a letter of confirmation. Thanks again for offering this.

[Rich -- Mainly thanks to the people who are contributing. I'll give this group more information as we make the final arrangements. Meanwhile, Liz is checking to see if we can also put up a plaque.]

Finally, from The Associated Press, January 18: Chester, Illinois -- Before Popeye the Sailor, Olive Oyl, and Wimpy were the stars of a beloved comic strip, they walked the streets of this little town where their creator grew up. Popeye's real-life alter ego, residents say, was Frank Fiegel, a one-eyed, pipe-smoking man with a penchant for fistfights. Dora Paskel was unusually tall and thin and wore a bun at the nape of her neck. And J. William Schuchert, a theater owner, so loved hamburgers that he would send his employees out between performances to buy them.
     Popeye made his debut in the funny pages 75 years ago, walking onto Elzie Segar's "Thimble Theatre" comic strip on Jan. 17, 1929. The colorful locals from Mr. Segar's hometown had evolved into a pipe-tooting spinach-chomping hero, the "goil" he was always rushing to save, and a man with a paunch to prove his passion for hamburgers. In honor of Popeye's 75th anniversary, the Empire State Building is shining its lights spinach-green this weekend, a 3-D animated movie will be broadcast before Christmas on Fox, and Chester, population 5,200, will hold its annual picnic for Popeye fans after Labor Day. All for a character who humbly declares "I yam what I yam" and got his start when Mr. Segar cast his eyes around his hometown, about 60 miles from St. Louis.
     Locals say they do not know if Mr. Segar ever acknowledged his inspiration, but around town, it seemed obvious that Popeye, Wimpy, and Olive Oyl got their start in Chester, especially considering Mr. Fiegel's jutting chin, wiry frame and pipe. "This is the folklore of Chester and you've got to listen to it," said Laurie Randall, who runs a Popeye museum in town. Ernie Schuchert, 75, has spent his entire life in Chester and remembers finding Mr. Fiegel kind of creepy when he passed by. "He'd sit on a stoop outside his house, which was really dilapidated. I don't know that he ever knew he was Popeye."
     Mr. Fiegel was a little guy like Popeye, Mr. Schuchert said, but without the dash of sweetness in his swagger. He often got into fights at Wiebusch's tavern, and he did not lose many. Mr. Schuchert's great-great-uncle, J. William Schuchert, hired Mr. Segar to run the lights in his Chester Opera House, a job that helped Mr. Segar pay for a correspondence course in drawing. The elder Mr. Schuchert sent Mr. Segar and others who worked for him around the corner to Wiebusch's to buy hamburgers between performances. Like Wimpy, he was on the roly-poly side. Dora Paskel looked like the character she inspired, but was otherwise unlike the daffy and devoted Olive Oyl. Children watched her long, shadowy figure behind the counter at the general store she owned, but they would seldom go in. And she would seldom come out. "We were kind of scared of her," Mr. Schuchert said.
      Mr. Segar did not visit Chester much after he left in the early 1920s, though by the time he died in 1938, nine years after Popeye's debut, the strip was appearing in more than 500 newspapers. The opera house now holds the Spinach Can Collectibles store and the Popeye Museum. "He's an American icon," said Ms. Randall, who runs both. "He stands for being who you are and standing up for the little guy. Ms. Paskel, Mr. Schuchert and Mr. Fiegel all died in the 1940s and early 50s. "These were just our friends and family," Ernie Schuchert said. "We're just happy the rest of the world knows them, too."

The home page: http://hometown.aol.com/falcons1965a

Rich