Update 8-10-10

Hi,

Another catch-up note about the reunion, from Jay Berliner:  Although my name was on the list to attend the reunion, I didn’t show.  I apologize for that.  I thought I could overcome a personal problem, which, as it turns out, I couldn’t.
    It was the one-year anniversary of my wife’s passing that weekend.  There were many people I would have liked to see, to renew and continue friendships, but I just couldn’t.  I expect to be at the next reunion, and I look forward to seeing many people at that time.  I appreciate your understanding.

[Rich -- As I wrote Jay, his thoughts make perfect sense to me.  Under similar circumstances, I'd probably still be locked in my house.]

In other notes, first, from Stu Borman:  All the new reunion photos have been posted and captioned on the class photo site.  Enjoy!

And from Mary Ferranti Kahn, paraphrased:  You're right.  My e-mail address is listed correctly on the class e-mail list, but the font makes it look wrong -- an o instead of an 0.  As long as people copy and paste addresses, this will work fine.

[Rich -- Thanks, Stu, of course.  And, everyone, please be aware of Mary's warning that the font on our online e-mail list plays tricks.  But the addresses are also listed as links, so if you click on one, that may automatically open a new e-mail.
    This is also a good time to mention that Mary has nicely volunteered to keep the class e-mail address list up-to-date.  No more waiting for slacker Rich to notice two years have passed.  I can't tell you how much I appreciate Mary doing this, but I can tell you it matches how much I appreciate Stu taking care of the photo site.  Now, you have three elves at your bidding.
    To keep things simple, the process of updating your e-mail addresses will stay the same.  Just send the change here, I'll put it in the newsletter for everyone, and that will alert Mary.

For example, from Ira Levy:  Dear All.  Please note that my new e-mail address is: iraslevy1@gmail.com
Thank you.

Mary should take it from there.  Especially once she gets the secret password.
    In less cheerful news, at the reunion, Irene Saunders Goldstein and I were discussing some of our still-missing former classmates.  Irene suggested that I use the Social Security Death Index, a depressing thought, but practical.  On a slow day, I checked a couple of names and happily discovered that people whose names started with A were alive though still missing.  Unfortunately, I found that Jeff Edelson was, indeed, dead.  I'd heard word of this three-or-four years ago but had no way to check.  Now, unfortunately, I do.]

More off-putting news, first relayed by Barbara Blitfield Pech though originally from Newsday on July 30, 2010:
    Summer school classes were postponed at a Valley Stream high school Friday after vandals spray-painted a swastika and "vulgar language" in the building, targeting staff members, authorities said.
    Vandals broke into Valley Stream South High School at 150 Jedwood Place about 2 a.m., setting off an alarm, said Marc Bernstein, superintendent of the Valley Stream Central High School District.  School personnel went to the school, but saw no one, Bernstein said.
    Nassau County police were investigating Friday, Bernstein said.  Department spokesman Det. Sgt. Anthony Repalone said vandals also discharged fire extinguishers in several hallways.  Police estimated the damage at $20,000.
    Walls on three floors of the high school were painted with "vulgar language directed at staff members and a swastika," Bernstein said.  He said he could not elaborate, citing the police investigation.  Bernstein said he did not think there was any other significant damage to supplies, equipment, or furniture.  "We will do a cleanup over the weekend and plan to resume classes on Monday," he said.
    Painters arrived at the school Friday afternoon.  Police had set up crime scene tape around garbage disposal containers outside.
    Repalone said it appears the vandals broke into the locked school by climbing on the containers and breaking a second-floor classroom window.  He said the nature of the damage leads police to believe there was more than one person, and that the culprits are likely students or former students of the school.
Repalone said exterior security camera footage is being examined, and that it may show the identities of those involved in the break-in. The Nassau County Crime Scene Unit also found physical evidence left by the vandals, he said.
    Despite the presence of a swastika, Repalone said the vandalism is not now being investigated as a bias crime.  "It may be escalated to a bias crime in the future, if the investigation points to it," he said.
    Parents and students who went to the school were turned away during the day Friday.

Back to happier stuff, cribbed from Facebook:  Arlene Ainbinder Lynn noted that Risky Business's performance on Valley Stream's Village Green on Wednesday, August 4th was a great success.

And Joanne Shapiro Polner '59 and Alex Polner '58 wrote:  Hello, classmates of South High School.  We hope you are having a happy summer.  In the most recent Valley Stream South High School Alumni Association Bulletin, prepared by our dedicated Association president, Emily Kleinman Schreiber, '61, please see the last page for the Association application and take a membership.  Also enjoy reading the news.  And please think about planning to come to Valley Stream in October, to celebrate the continued popularity and longevity of a great favorite teacher at South, Booker Gibson.  Until then, best regards to all.

Further details, as promised last week, about Irene Saunders Goldstein's proposed Washington, DC get-together in conjunction with Mark Bittman's lecture on The Food Matters Cookbook.  Tuesday, October 5, 2010.  7:00 PM.  The 6th and I Historic Synagogue.
    In The Food Matters Cookbook: Lose Weight and Heal the Planet, Mark Bittman offers more than 500 recipes for fresh, delicious dishes that rely largely on fruits, vegetables and whole grains.  Fish, meat, and poultry are treated as garnishes, and for those who prefer to avoid meat, there are plenty of vegetarian recipes.  The book also discusses why food matters to our health and to that of the planet.  There’s information on what ingredients are best and how to buy seasonally, responsibly, and sustainably, whether you’re shopping for tomatoes or grass-fed beef.  Bittman is the author of a New York Times column and appears on the "Today Show."  Irene's e-mail address is:  ireneEdit@comcast.net

Finally, Stu Kandel also nicely attested to the fact that I wouldn't wear brown shoes with a blue suit, and Marc Jonas and I electronically discussed why those old-fashioned fashion limitations no longer apply.  Somehow, Alan Finder and the entire The New York Times archives got sucked into this.

The South '65 e-mail addresses:  reunionclass65.blogspot.com

The South '65 photo site:  picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65


Rich