Update 4-13-04


Hi,

All right, one of the reasons this newsletter exists is to spread word of occasional parties. So, first off, the initial report on our not-too-distant 40th Reunion.

From Paul DeMartino: A small group of us -- Robin Feit Baker, Dennis Shapiro, Danny Stellabotte, and Joan Aries Cleven -- met last Sunday to discuss ideas for the next reunion. Mark Yetman was a last minute scratch. We all like the idea of another three-day event -- Friday night through Sunday lunch -- and are looking at several new hotels in addition to our last site. So far, dates are open. I also spoke with Henry Gabbay, who reminded me that Long Island hotels may be booked in the summer tourist season, and that the best rates may be unavailable. We'll have to contact the hotels to be sure. There is always April again, and May or June are possibilities. We are thinking about the hospitality suite, and agree not to repeat that scene with the hotel security staff out in the hall. Negotiating a conference room with drinks and food is one option. Perhaps we can get a hotel to "comp" the room if we purchase a certain amount of food and beverages. Worst case is to congregate in the bar and lobby, and maintain one room as a message center.
     Also, this time, we should probably not repeat allowing "contributions" to cover the amenities such as food and beverages for the hospitality suite, "comping" meals for honored guests, and music. There were too many problems with that. A flat fee from everyone should cover all that, including the Saturday night party. Classmates will still pay for their own hotel rooms, but there's a chance we can get a group rate, and if we have enough rooms booked in a block, that might help us get the comped hospitality suite.
     As for keeping the reunion in New York: we feel that makes sense, as it allows classmates from afar to return home to visit with family and other friends. Having said that, however, we will in no way object if classmates in California, Florida, or wherever (though please not Nebraska, Jerry, please) wish to plan and prepare a great package for the reunion. In fact, if anyone wants to take the time to prepare a reunion package, we'd be happy to consider it, and it would be great to work with them.
     In any case, for a start, we've put this committee together and hope to report back with a proposal within the next couple of months. We plan to go out in 2-person teams to the hotels and report back with the details. From that, we'll narrow the list to the best two, and all of us can visit those as a group, and then pick the winner. Or, it may be that the winner is obvious from the start, and that will simplify things. As soon as we have a proposal, we'll post it for commentary.
     Aside from that, we could also use help locating the 90-or-so class members who are still missing, and persuading the 60-or-so who we're not in touch with each week to get in touch. There may be some who declined the last event, but have now changed their minds about attending. I know the 150 people we presently have as a base would make a good party, but it sure would be nice to have everyone there. Anyway, let's start the discussion going, and I'll keep you posted as to developments from here.

On a different subject, from Barnet Kellman: I'm way late in catching up with the Booker Gibson tribute idea. I just read his correspondence with Lynn Nudelman-Villagran, and all I can say is, "Thank you, Booker, for having gone through all that shit." We in the class of '65 are all richer because you did! And, of course, I support a more permanent expression of thanks.
Also, here’s an additional thought: I guess we owe a vote of thanks to Mr. Bergen, too. Who knew he had such balls?

A couple of telephonic warnings, first from Zelda White Nichols: I don't know how many of you already know this, but, about a year ago, the search engine Google implemented a feature wherein you can type someone's telephone number into the search bar, hit enter, and be given a map to their house. I just tested it, and it's quite scary. The safety issues are obvious and alarming, especially if you're single or live with vulnerable children.
     In order to test whether your phone number is mapped, go to: www.google.com Type your phone number in the search bar with dashes (i.e., 555-555-1212, as dashes and not spaces are very important), and hit enter. This will divulge your name and address. You will see a link option to the right for Mapquest, click on it, and it will use the address to provide a map to your home or place of business.
     If you want to BLOCK Google from divulging your private information, simply click on the telephone icon next to your phone number. Then read, and click where it says "Click here." I removed my name, but it takes 48 hours. If you are unlisted in the phone book, you might not be in there, but it is a good idea just to check.

On a different level, a report from the January 2004 issue of Discovery magazine: David Strayer, a Utah psychologist, and a team of researchers compared the attention levels and response times of 110 motorists in various driving situations. Strayer concluded, "Your driving performance while talking on a cell phone is impaired at levels comparable to, or worse than, driving with a blood alcohol level of .08." That's the legal limit in most states.

Leading into a more serious discussion, a note from Barbara Blitfield Pech, which arrived under the subject line, Hebrew School 101: Can anyone say, "Shecket ba-va-ka shor ..... HAY"!

[Rich -- not only can I not, but -- as with Mr. Faber's Latin -- I have no idea what it means. But other people in our class do, which explains the next two forwards, both of which have been edited for lack of space.]

First, from Emily Kleinman Schreiber, originally written by David Becker, staff writer for CNET News.com, on April 7th, 2004: Search site Google has been drawn into a controversy over a search listing that directs viewers to an anti-Semitic site. The dispute began several weeks ago when Steven Weinstock, a New York real estate investor and former yeshiva student, did a Google search on "Jew." The first site returned was Jew Watch, a site filled with short articles focusing on alleged Jewish conspiracies and other anti-Semitic topics, with headings such as "Jewish Controlled Press" and "Jewish Mind Control Mechanisms." The administrator of Jew Watch did not respond to an e-mail message requesting comment.
     Weinstock has launched an on-line petition, asking Google to remove the site from its index. He said if Google receives 50,000 requests to remove the site, it will comply. As of late Tuesday, the petition had about 2,800 signatures.
     The petition site appeared to have been hacked on Wednesday, however. Clicking on links to view or sign the petition brought up pages with pornographic images. Google spokesman David Krane also said the company can't and won't change the ranking for Jew Watch, regardless of how many signatures the petition attracts. He added, "Our search results are not manipulated by hand. They're determined by a complex set of algorithms that measure factors such as how many sites link to a given page. We're not able to make any manual changes to the results."
     That's still not good enough for another on-line organization, however, which has launched its own effort to push Jew Watch off Google via "Google bombing," a technique that exploits Google's search methodology. Daniel Sieradski, through his influential Web log Jewschool, is urging visitors to pepper any sites they control with links to the entry on "Jew" in online encyclopedia Wikipedia. Krane said he wasn't familiar with the Jewschool campaign, but that Google typically discourages such tactics to manipulate search results.

Next, forwarded by Jerry Bittman, and attributed to an Israeli woman: “I am not the least afraid to go any place by bus, or to a mall. I didn't change or stop doing anything I used to do before this mess began. People tend to forget that twice the casualties from terror get killed on the roads. More people still die from heart attacks, cancer, and other things. They just don't show them on TV. Don't misunderstand me -- there is a war going on. It's not pleasant, but, lets face it, we have never been better off. It's only TV and the media that make people think that the end of the world is coming. Only 60 years ago, they were leading Jews to their deaths, like sheep to the slaughter. No country, no Army, 55 years ago. Seven Arab countries declared war on the small Jewish State, only a few hours old. We were then 650,000 Jews against the rest of the Arab world. No Israel Defense Force, no mighty Air Force, just tough people with nowhere to go. Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Libya, Saudi Arabia attacked all at once. The country the UN "gave us" was 65% desert. The country started from scratch. 35 years ago, we fought the three strongest armies in the Middle East, and wiped them out in six days. We fought against different coalitions of Arab countries, with modern armies and masses of Soviet Russian weapons, and we still won. We have today a country, an army, a strong Air Force, and a Hi-Tech economy, exporting millions. Intel, Microsoft, IBM, all develop their stuff here. Our doctors win world prizes for medical developments. We made the desert flourish, selling oranges and vegetables to the world. Israel has sent its own satellite into space. We sit proudly with the US, with 250 million people. With Russia, with 200 million people. With China, with 1.1 billion people. With the Europeans -- France, England, and Germany -- with 350 million people. To think that only 60 years ago, we were led, shameful, with no hope, to our deaths."

On absolutely secular grounds: For years, I've remembered something John Knapp said in 7th or 8th grade History. He wasn't exactly teaching it, but mentioned it almost in passing -- that the original name of Valley Stream was Rum Junction.
     Now, I'd always thought it would be neat to come from a place called Rum Junction. Far better than from a place called Green Acres, even before Eva Gabor and the pigs. But I could never find truth in Knapp's story, even from the Valley Stream Historical Society. Then Nancy Garfield sent me a book, Hometown -- Long Island, and here's what it said: "Construction of the railroad to Far Rockaway meant hundreds of passengers had to change trains in Valley Stream, often waiting for hours. Hotels sprang up to serve them, transforming Tigertown into what became known as Rum Junction."
     Not only Rum Junction, but Tigertown! Wow. True, the same article says that the Rockaway Indians were the area's first residents, and that the name Valley Stream dates to 1843 when a Scottish immigrant, Robert Pagan, lobbied for a post office. But I'm sticking with Rum Junction. South Rum Junction.

Finally, from Amy Bentley: You don't know me, but I've been faithfully reading your update letters. I graduated in the class of 1971, so I know many of the names. Is everything okay? I haven't seen your letters on-line since January.

[Rich -- Yeah, yeah, yeah: I finally got the home page unsnarled. Well, I did a quick fix, which should hold for a while. The new home page address, as simple as AOL would let me make it, is: http://hometown.aol.com/vssouth65 Everything that used to be there is still there, only slightly better organized. And I have a couple new photos from Lynn Nudelman Villagran and Marc Jonas I'll try to get online later this week. But, for now, at least I can post the updates again, to attract people like Amy.]

Happy belated Easter. Happy belated Passover. Happy belated April Fool's Day.

Rich