Update 12-4-07

Hi,

To start with, I was cleaning out some old e-mail last week after I'd sent the newsletter, and I found two notes from Mark Perlman.  I'd received and read them the week before, but they didn't make it into the newsletters because I think the embedded animations shifted the notes to my spam file rather than my save file.  Sorry for the delay.
   
    The first note from Mark:  To answer Barnet Kellman's question, "fruit loops" were those stupid loops on the back of guys' shirts.  I don't remember what we did with them, but the girls use to rip them off and collect them.  I lost a couple of really nice Madras shirts that way.
   
    And the second note:  Two e-mails to you in one month -- or one year for that matter.  That's a new record for me, and I guess that I should have waited before answering Barnet's question.  As for your question:  I am pretty sure that the YMCA you are referring to was in Cedarhurst.  I think that I remember taking dancing lessons at that location.  I also seem to remember that Alan Finder and Kenny Seelig went there.  I could be wrong about that as my memory is getting a little shaky sometimes.  My personal RAM is getting a little to random.
   
    A third note, though not from Mark:  Word has it that Henry Gabbay was doing something in the hospital other than visiting a sick friend.  Word also has it that Henry is home again and fine.  But if you're a friend of Henry's, this might be time to send a cheerful word.
     
    [Rich -- And who is this mysterious Word?  Unfortunately, it isn't me.  I didn't even know Henry well enough forty years ago to yank the fruit loop off his shirt.
        Speaking of Henry though, I was recently talking with someone who did know him in high school, Naomi Stein Miller.  I had asked her if she ever remembered doing homework, because I didn't and I was trying to compare my experience then to the two or three hours of homework my present tutoring students seem to have each night.  Naomi said she not only remembered doing at least an hour of homework every night, she also recalled calling her friends about it and discussing their answers.  I had to laugh at that.  I could just picture me calling Bill Brady or Chuck Gleichmann to talk about homework.]
   
    Next, forwarded by Barbara Blitfield Pech, a note from Marilyn Weiner Kugler:  Paul Breiter -- one of my classmates -- has started the ball rolling to have some sort of reunion/get-together in February 2008.  We also think it should not be limited to the class of '66.  Do you have any interest in joining us and inviting members of your class or any other for that matter?  Let me know what you think. (smkugler@aol.com).
        Barbara adds:  If you are interested in attending, as always, there are good "rates" and poolside rooms available at the Pech Palace.  But book early.
   
    And a consumer alert from Zelda White Nichols:  There's a credit card scam that's been around for a couple of years, but it seems to be active again this holiday season.  This checks out on Urban Legend / Snopes.com.  The scam works like this:
        The person calling says, "This is (name), and I'm calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA (or Mastercard).  My badge number is 12460.  Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm calling to verify this.  This would be on your VISA card which was issued by (name of bank).  Did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for $497.99 from a marketing company based in  Arizona?"  When you say "No," the caller continues with, "Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching, and the charges range from $297 to $497, just under the $500 purchase pattern that flags most cards.  Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address), is that correct?"  You say, "Yes," and the caller continues, "I will be starting a fraud investigation.  If you have any questions, you should call the 1-800 number listed on the back of your card and ask for Security.  You will need to refer to this Control Number."  The caller then gives you a 6 digit number and asks, "Do you need me to read it again?"
        Here's the important part of how the scam works.  The caller then says, "I need to verify that you are in possession of your card."  He'll ask you to "Turn your card over and look for some numbers."  There are 7 numbers:  the first 4 are part of your card number, and the next 3 are the security numbers that verify that you are the possessor of the card.  These are the numbers you sometimes use to make Internet purchases to prove that you have the card.  The caller will ask you to read the 3 numbers to him.  After you tell the caller the 3 numbers, he'll say, "That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have you card.  Do you have any other questions?"  After you say, "No," the caller then thanks you and states, "Don't hesitate to call back if you do." Then he hangs up. 
        You actually say very little, and the caller never asks for or tells you your card number.  But after we were called on Wednesday, we called the 1-800 number within 20 minutes to ask a follow-up question, and are we glad we did.  The real VISA security department told us that the first call was a scam, and that in the last 15 minutes a new purchase of $497.99 was charged to our card.
        Of course, the scammers want the 3-digit PIN number on the back of the card.  Don't give it to them.  Instead, tell them you'll call your VISA or Mastercard company directly for verification of the situation.  The real VISA company told us that they will never ask for anything on the card since they already know the information.  If you give the scammers your 3-digit PIN Number, when you get your statement you'll see charges for purchases you didn't make, and by then it's more difficult to have them reversed or to file a fraud report.
   
    And, yes, there is an Alumni Association meeting this Thursday, December 6th, in the library at South, probably about 7:15.
        Loosely connected to that, US News and World Report just issued its annual "100 Best Public High Schools" list.  South didn't make it, though I seem to remember that last year it scored somewhere pretty high.  But the school that South's former principal, Stephen Lando, transferred to did make it.  That's Great Neck South.
   
    Finally, information you can file under Rich is an Idiot:  For the past three or four days, my morning oatmeal has tasted off.  But I didn't really think about it because I knew we'd temporarily shifted brands when the store was out of ours.  Then, this morning, Tom -- who almost never eats cereal -- said, "Yuck, this milk is sour."
        In my slight defense:  the expiration date on the milk carton is still three days away, not that I ever really check expiration dates.  But I did take the carton back to the store as Tom suggested, and the manager gave me a fresh gallon.