Update 3-2-04


Hi,

Yeah, yeah, yeah: I don't pass on news for one week and instead send the contact list, and suddenly I have all these letters. Some of them, in the order received. More next week.

From Emily Kleinman Schreiber: I was happy to see the message from Booker Gibson. He introduced me to Eva Cassidy two years ago, and I now listen to almost all of her CDs. My husband works out every morning (so disciplined!) while she sings in the background. So, my advice to you is, "Buy Eva -- you'll love her, too."

[Rich -- Actually, I just bought an Eva Cassidy CD, Songbird, the one Booker mentioned. I popped it in my car's CD player on the way home, tracked to the recommended "Over the Rainbow," and suddenly, on an otherwise grey and drizzly day, there was a hundred-and-eighty degree rainbow arcing high across the San Fernando Valley. Unbelievable. Only the second one that size I've ever seen. Now I can't guarantee you that result, but Ms. Cassidy does sing very nicely.]

From Jean Cohen Oklan: I wanted to send part of last week's update (or the week before) to my brother. Went into archives and couldn't find any February newsletters. Do you wait for the end of the month to post the past news?        
     Speaking of my bro... he can be seen in the show Third Watch on Friday, February 27th and also the following week's show because of it being a two-parter. I'm not sure if this is a speaking part, and I was going to play Where's Waldo? and have you try to find him, but, alas, you probably never met him. So here's a hint: he's one of the bad guys dressed up as a Hasid. I believe he said he racked up 3 minutes!

To change the subject a bit... Allen Moss's blanket of snow remark was totally understood. Allen, how about those blankets of snow that look as if millions of diamonds have been embedded in the snow? When a thin layer of ice is created on that "blanket of snow," and the sun hits it just right, it turns into meadows of diamonds. And how about the Aurora Borealis! I'm lucky enough to see that a few times each year. Definitely worth the cold temps.
     Speaking of cold temps, I surprised my husband today for his birthday, and we took a 2-hour snowmobile tour in the woods of Stowe, Vermont. I've never been on a skidoo and never liked them much, but I'm up for trying something at least once. Handwarmers, a pair of UGGS, and long-johns made for a fun day! (And we only tipped over once.)

[Rich -- I usually post the Updates on the home page soon after I send them out, but, as I've mentioned, the main section of the home page is currently frozen because of an AOL glitch. AOL is still apologizing for the problem, to me and several thousand others, but they can't seem to fix it, and I'm afraid the home page is going to be stuck till I strip everything off it and start over. That's why I sent the contact list last week, so everyone would have that handy. Meanwhile, you can still view what's been posted, and I can squeeze small things onto other sections of the site. Just not onto the main page.]

Speaking of glitches, I made a mistake on last week's contact list, as Roz Minsky Bobrow quickly noticed. From Roz:  Not that I hear from many classmates, but you have my address listed incorrectly. It should read: rm.bobrow@comcast.net There is no Comquest that I know of.

[Rich -- Now that I'm not hoarding your address for myself, Roz, maybe you'll start hearing from other people. Meanwhile, I'm really sorry. And if anyone else catches address mistakes, please tell me.]

More from Emily Kleinman Schreiber: This is not some chain letter or hoax; it's a real correspondence from me to you -- and a serious one at that! Please respond if you also feel the empathy.
     I'm writing because I have a strong concern about the 2,500 children of Bam, Iran, who are now orphans because of the disastrous effects of the December earthquake. Many are without families, homes, friends, and hope. Persian/American friends of mine are organizing a dinner to raise money for the orphans, and the fund will be administered by ERFO (Earthquake Relief for Orphans) -- a charitable organization under the IRS 501c3 code. Since US sanctions on monetary contributions from ERFO have been lifted only until March 27, 2004, time is of the essence! No money can be sent to Iran after that date.
     Hopefully, you'll be able to help. Perhaps you would even be interested in attending the event. Checks should be made payable to: ERFO and sent to Dr. M. Farivar, PO Box 256, Rockville Centre, New York 11571-0256. Please e-mail RNaghavi@optonline.net for more information about the fundraising effort and/or the March 14th event. Or you can contact me at: Cre8em@aol.com. Thanks.

Fast follow-up from Jean: I knew you were having an AOL problem, but didn't associate it with the newsletter page. This just reinforces my theory that my brain got fried in the 60s, and all those expensive vitamins I've been taking aren't helping. I could have been vacationing in California every year instead of sending the owner of the local health food store.

From Jerry Bittman, about his niece, Robin Schwartz -- condensed from Daily Variety:
     Veteran network and cable programmer Robin Schwartz has been tapped prexy of Regency Television. Schwartz, who also has a background as a small-screen scribe, is leaving her job as VP of programming for ABC Family Channel. She replaces Peter Aronson as head of Regency, the boutique studio that's a partnership between News Corp.'s Fox TV Studios and Arnon Milchan's Regency Enterprises.
     Fox TV Studios topper David Grant said he took his time looking for a replacement for Aronson because, "There just aren't that many people right to run a high-end boutique studio. What's really worked well for us is having someone who has real ties to the creative community and yet also understands how the business side works. It's tailor-made for someone who's ready to make her mark, and she felt very right."
     Grant said Aronson first suggested Schwartz as his replacement. He didn't know much about Schwartz, but said he soon was impressed. "When the rumor got out that I was talking to her, I got a lot of unsolicited, genuine 'We love this person' (remarks). I was sort of floored by that." From her perspective, Schwartz says she's landed "the best job in TV."
     During her brief stint at ABC Family, Schwartz developed a successful brand of romantic comedy pics for the cabler, with such creative talent as Lisa Kudrow, Kate Hudson, Goldie Hawn, Britney Spears, and Kathy Baker. She also helped develop and launch a successful teen programming block that included the hit reality skein Switched, which increased the cabler's female teen demos by 92%.

From both Fran Bellucci and Barbara Blitfield Pech: Breast Cancer Hospitalization Bill -- important legislation for women. If there was ever a time when our voices should be heard, this is one of them. There's a bill called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act which will require insurance companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy. It's about eliminating the "drive-through mastectomy," where women are forced to go home hours after surgery, against the wishes of their doctors. Lifetime Television has put this bill on their web page with a petition drive to show your support. Last year, over half the House signed on. Please sign the petition by going to: http://www.lifetimetv.com/health/breast_mastectomy_pledge.html There's no cost or monetary pledge involved. You don't need to give more than your name and zip code, and this will take about 2 seconds. Thanks.

Finally, some roving Internet advice, attributed to Will Rogers: There are three kinds of men: The ones who learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence.

The home page: http://hometown.aol.com/vssouth65

Rich