Sunday 25 January 2004
Dear Jaspers,
The jasper jottings email list has 1,141 subscribers.
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This issue is at: http://ferdinand_reinke.tripod.com/jasperjottings20040125.htm
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Don't forget:
Sa Feb National Alumni Council meeting
please contact Peter Sweeney
’64 (973) 353-7610
We Feb 10 Treasure Coast Club (Florida) 2003 - 2004 Luncheon Meeting
For more information call: Joe Dillon 62 Director, Alumni Relations, (718)
862-7977
Th, May 6th Kevin O'Shea fundraiser
Sa Jun 12 '04 National Alumni Council meeting
please contact Peter Sweeney
’64 (973) 353-7610
===
My list of Jaspers who are in harms way:
- Afghanistan
- - Cote, Richard A. (1990)
- - Feldman, Aaron (1997)
- Iraq
- - Esposito, Steven G. (1981) [JR: Photos at the following URL. ]
- - Menchise, Louis (1987)
… … my thoughts are with you and all that I don't know about.
===
BTW, I suggest that EVERYONE use an
email not related to their employment for "personal" email. As a Info Sec pro, I know that employers regularly read
employees email and a legally allowed to do so. There are all sorts of free
web-based email sites where you can have a free account that you can have some
assurance of privacy. Like Yahoo, http://www.fepg.net/webbased.html
has a list. Word to the wise!
===
This month we mark the 31st year since the United States Supreme Court handed down its Roe vs. Wade decision which unleashed a holocaust on the unborn by declaring the "shedding of innocent blood" to be a constitutional right. Since 1973, the lives of more than 40 million unborn children have been sacrificed on the altar of convenience. With it went our national conscience, one more federal overriding of States' rights, and just an unmitigated disaster for the civil society.
=== <begin quote> ===
“Abortion is Murder in the womb... A child is a gift from God. If you do not want him, give him to me. ... I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a direct killing of the innocent child.... Please don't kill the child. I want the child. I am willing to accept any child who would be aborted and to give that child to a married couple who will love the child, and be loved by the child.” --Mother Teresa
“God’s greatest gift is human life ... We have a sacred duty to protect the innocent life of an unborn child [which] should be entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. ... We cannot diminish the value of one category of human life -- the unborn -- without diminishing the value of all human life. ... There is no cause more important for preserving that freedom than affirming the transcendent right to life of all human beings, the right without which no other rights have any meaning.” --Ronald Reagan
== <end quote> ===
In the wake of that loss of life, post-abortion trauma syndrome is now a widely diagnosed disorder. PATS may take years to emerge and manifests as depression, emotional distress and self-destructive behavior. If you have had an abortion and are now suffering emotionally, you are not alone.
For information on post-abortion trauma, contact Healing Hearts
at -- http://www.healinghearts.org/
For additional information on post-abortion syndrome, contact the Elliot Institute
at -- http://www.afterabortion.org/
Read the Presidential Proclamation of National Sanctity of Human Life Day
at -- http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/01/20040116-2.html
Reflect well on our alma mater, this week, every week, in any and every way possible, large or small. God bless.
"Collector-in-chief" John
reinkefj@alum.manhattan.edu
=====
CONTENTS
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Formal announcements |
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Bouncing off the list |
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Updates to the list |
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Messages from Headquarters (like MC Press Releases) |
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Jaspers publishing web pages |
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Jaspers found web-wise |
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Good News |
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Obits |
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"Manhattan in the news" stories |
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Resumes |
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Sports |
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6 |
Emails |
[PARTICIPANTS BY CLASS]
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Florance, Mr. ? |
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Florance, Ms. ? |
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Ingraham, Michael Emily |
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Morris, Patricia I. |
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O'Connor, John F. |
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Wilson, J. Michael |
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1953 |
Carito, Sebastian |
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1954 |
Bartilucci, Nicholas |
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1956 |
Ballweg, Robert F. |
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1956 |
LaBlanc, Robert E. |
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1958 |
Rader, Peter |
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Gibbons, Thomas D. |
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Schwarz, Kenneth |
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Regan, Raymond W. |
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Latus, Don |
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1967 |
Lawrence, Ron |
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1967 |
Orgon, Ed |
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1967 |
Turcich, Thomas |
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1968 |
Celeste, Salvatore |
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1969 |
Oakes, Gus |
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1969 |
Tucci, Joseph |
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1970 |
Horgan, Brian J. |
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1970 |
Keilly, John |
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1970 |
Matthews, Jim |
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1971 |
Van Valin, Robert |
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1972 |
Matystik, Walter |
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1972 |
Wengerter, Kurt |
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1978 |
Lilley, Alex |
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1982 |
O'Connor, Robert |
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1982 |
Petersen, Pat |
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1983 |
Argyros, Alex |
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1983 |
Gorman, John |
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1983 |
Sola, Raymond |
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1985 |
Waschenko, Donald |
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1987 |
Docteroff, Michael |
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1987 |
Gadaleta, Luciana |
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1987 |
Gadaleta-Digiacomo, Luciana |
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1987 |
Michael Forese |
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1989 |
Molino, Richard |
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1991 |
Minister, Stephanie |
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1993 |
Asusta, Yvette |
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1993 |
Boland, Mark |
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1993 |
Jones, Lisa |
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1993 |
Szeliga, Donna |
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1994 |
Konath-Chettiveettil, Seena |
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1994 |
Ward, Jon-Paul |
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1995 |
Kelly, Brian |
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1995 |
Mchugh, Patrick |
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1995 |
Recupero, Salvatore Jr. |
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1997 |
Agantovich, Jacinda
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2000 |
Corripio, Lisette
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2001 |
Brooks, Kieran |
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2001 |
Torrres-Melendez, Flor |
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2004 |
Jha, Amit
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2004 |
Pujols, Manny |
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Tiene, Charles D. Jr. |
[PARTICIPANTS BY NAME]
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Class |
Name |
Section |
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1997 |
Agantovich, Jacinda
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1983 |
Argyros, Alex |
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1993 |
Asusta, Yvette |
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1956 |
Ballweg, Robert F. |
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1954 |
Bartilucci, Nicholas |
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1993 |
Boland, Mark |
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2001 |
Brooks, Kieran |
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1953 |
Carito, Sebastian |
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1968 |
Celeste, Salvatore |
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2000 |
Corripio, Lisette
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1987 |
Docteroff, Michael |
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Florance, Mr. ? |
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Florance, Ms. ? |
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1987 |
Gadaleta, Luciana |
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1987 |
Gadaleta-Digiacomo, Luciana |
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1960 |
Gibbons, Thomas D. |
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1983 |
Gorman, John |
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1970 |
Horgan, Brian J. |
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Ingraham, Michael Emily |
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2004 |
Jha, Amit
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1993 |
Jones, Lisa |
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1970 |
Keilly, John |
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1995 |
Kelly, Brian |
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1994 |
Konath-Chettiveettil, Seena |
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1956 |
LaBlanc, Robert E. |
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1967 |
Latus, Don |
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1967 |
Lawrence, Ron |
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1978 |
Lilley, Alex |
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1970 |
Matthews, Jim |
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1972 |
Matystik, Walter |
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1995 |
Mchugh, Patrick |
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1987 |
Michael Forese |
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1991 |
Minister, Stephanie |
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1989 |
Molino, Richard |
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???? |
Morris, Patricia I. |
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1969 |
Oakes, Gus |
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???? |
O'Connor, John F. |
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1982 |
O'Connor, Robert |
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1967 |
Orgon, Ed |
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1982 |
Petersen, Pat |
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2004 |
Pujols, Manny |
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1958 |
Rader, Peter |
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1995 |
Recupero, Salvatore Jr. |
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1965 |
Regan, Raymond W. |
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1964 |
Schwarz, Kenneth |
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1983 |
Sola, Raymond |
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1993 |
Szeliga, Donna |
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xFac |
Tiene, Charles D. Jr. |
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2001 |
Torrres-Melendez, Flor |
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1969 |
Tucci, Joseph |
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1967 |
Turcich, Thomas |
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1971 |
Van Valin, Robert |
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1994 |
Ward, Jon-Paul |
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1985 |
Waschenko, Donald |
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1972 |
Wengerter, Kurt |
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Wilson, J. Michael |
[FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENTS ABOUT JASPERS]
[JR: The following people have "bounced off" the list. Some bounces expose my poor administrative skills and I can not "who" bounced off. Thus the subscriber total may change more than are shown in this section. I have done what I can to notify them. If you can help "reconnect" – or "connect" new people -- I really appreciate it. And as always, I need your "news".]
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None |
[JR: The following people have updated their information. To conserve space, "please change my email from X to Y" which isn't very interesting, and to alert you that they are here, I have listed them here. As always, I need your "news" and "recruits".]
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None |
[Messages from
Headquarters
(Manhattan College Press Releases & Stuff)]
[Messages]
From:
Marjorie Apel
Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2004 11:46 AM
Subject: jasperjottings
Dear John,
Here is an event for the alumni to attend who are looking for work this spring. Not-for Profit Job/ Internship Fair, March 24th, 2:00 - 5:00pm. Those who work for organizations that want to attend should go on-line and register. http://www.manhattan.edu/stntlife/career/careerfair.html
Marjorie Apel
==
From:
Jasper Recruiting [mailto:jasperrecruiting@manhattan.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2004 12:10 PM
Subject: Jasper Announcement: January 20th
Software
Guidance & Assistance, Inc.
Sales Trainee
Location: Westchester, NY
Pay rate: $25k to $35K + commission
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Channel Capital Group Inc.
This is a sales assistant and client service position, which requires sophistication on the part of representatives in order to understand the needs of the clients that they serve and the products that our firm provides. Candidates should have an academic background in business/finance/economics, and be highly motivated by entrepreneurial endeavors. One year of work experience in finance/financial services/sales preferred. Education about alternative investments, and training in products and firm operations will be provided. All representatives will be required to acquire Series 7 and Series 63 licenses.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recent
College Grad/Administrative Assistant
Great Opportunity with Financial Firm
Supporting Investment Banking Team $45K – 47K
The position supports 6-7 bankers: 2 Executive
Directors, 3 Associates and 1 Analyst
Hours are 8:30 - 5:30pm w/ OT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COLLEGE GRAD - ADMINISTRATIVE Coordinator Portfolio Funds- Midtown NYC $45-50,000-+ o/t + BONUS
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Bi-Lingual Spanish
Recent COLLEGE GRAD - 1-2 years exp in Finance
Will train Series 7 63/TRADING FLOOR ASSISTANT- $40,000 -$45,000 + BONUS
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EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT-EXECUTIVE FLOOR - Midtown NYC $60-70k + Bonus and Excellent Benefits (including health club and lunch)
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COLLEGE GRAD - ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT/TRADING FLOOR SECY- Midtown NYC $45,000 + BONUS
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JOB OPENINGS – January 2004
Account Representative, Business Development – Lower Manhattan
Enroll eligible members in the credit union while remaining abreast of account changes, procedures, and account issues.
-
Operations Officer – 2 Positions Available: Elmhurst, NY & Nyack, NY
Oversees the daily operation of the branch.
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Branch Manager – Bronx, NY
Manage the branch office in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
[JR: Contact me and I'll forward the whole email. ]
==
From: Jasper Recruiting [mailto:jasperrecruiting@manhattan.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2004 3:32 PM
Subject: Full Time Cold Caller Position Available At A Top-Tier Wall Street Firm
[JR: Contact me and I'll forward the whole email. ]
[JASPERS PUBLISHING WEB PAGES]
[WebPage1]
http://www.englewoodsurgical.com/wengerter.html
Kurt Wengerter MD, FACS
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Dr. Kurt Wengerter attended Manhattan College, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude in 1972. He then attended the State University of New York, Downstate School of Medicine in Brooklyn, where he also graduated with honors. After completing a five year training program in General Surgery at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, Dr. Wengerter continued his education with a two year fellowship in Vascular Surgery at the same institution. In 1987, Dr. Wengerter joined the staff of the vascular surgery service at Montefiore, where he practiced for nine years. In 1994, he was appointed Chief of Vascular Surgery at the Hospital of The Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
To be closer to his home in Bergen County, he left the Bronx in 1996 to join Englewood Surgical Associates. Dr. Wengerter has presented at numerous national and international surgical meetings and has published articles relating to vascular surgery bypass techniques. He is a nationally recognized expert in vascular non-invasive testing and was recently appointed Medical Director of the Vascular Laboratory at Englewood Hospital. He was among the first vascular specialists to treat arterial aneurysms by applying pressure using vascular laboratory instrumentation, thereby avoiding surgery. His expertise in small vessel arterial surgery as well as state-of-the-art vein surgery, including endoscopic vein ligation and Trivex vein removal, have made him a valued resource for the Wound Care Center. Dr. Wengerter is the most experienced vascular specialist in Bergen County in the performance of minimally invasive vascular repair, including arterial balloon procedures, stents, and endovascular aneurysm treatment.
He has been a resident of Bergen County for the past 11 years, where he lives with his wife, Virginia and their four sons.
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[Reported As: 1972 ]
[JASPERS FOUND ON/OFF WEB BY USING WEB]
[Found1]
http://www.dowling.edu/athletics/index.asp
DOWLING EMPLOYEE INDUCTED INTO MANHATTAN COLLEGE SPORTS FALL OF FAME
Dowling College UNIX and Novell Network Administrator Pat Petersen was recently inducted into the Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame. Peterson, a decorated long distance runner, holds two Manhattan College school records after only competing at Manhattan for two years. The 1982 graduate still holds the top time in the indoor 5000m (14:05), and the outdoor 10000m (28:38). Petersen was also crowned the IC4A champion in the indoor 5000m in 1981 and won the MAAC Championship. In 1987, Petersen achieved number one USA ranking in marathon running, and was ranked second in 1985 and 1989.
[Reported As: 1982]
http://www.engr.psu.edu/ce/Faculty/regan.html
Dr. Raymond W. Regan
Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering
University Park, PA 16802
Penn State University
Primary Research Interests
Advancing technology for pollution control (multi-media); environmentally conscious manufacturing; bioremediation; and beneficial use of industrial residuals, including those from the metal casting industry.
Specific Research Topics
Environmental pollution control
Solid and hazardous waste management
Beneficial use of industry residuals
Education
1972 Ph.D. University of Kansas, Environmental Health Engineering
1966 M.E. Manhattan College, Sanitary Engineering
1965 B.E. Manhattan College, Chemical Engineering
[Reported As: 1965]
http://www.brooklyn.liunet.edu/brookgrad/page132.htm
Brooklyn
Campus Full-Time Faculty
Richard L. Conolly College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences
Robert
F. Ballweg
Associate Professor of Biology
B.S., Manhattan College;
M.S., Ph.D., St. John's University
[MCOLDB: 1956 ]
Sebastian
Carito
Professor Emeritus of Biology
B.S., Manhattan College;
M.S., Ph.D., St. John's University
[MCOLDB: 1953 ]
Copyright
2004 Dolan Media Newswires
Long Island Business News (Long Island, NY)
January 16, 2004 Friday
SECTION: NEWS
HEADLINE: 2003 Professional Engineer in Mgmt. award presented
BYLINE: Ryan McCormick
Nicholas Bartilucci was the recipient of the 2003 Outstanding Professional Engineer in Management award presented by the New York Society of Professional Engineers. Bartilucci was selected because of his outstanding contribution to the engineering profession.
Bartilucci, president of Dvirka and Bartilucci Consulting Engineers, has been with that company for more than 33 years and oversees all aspects of the day-to-day operations, from client relations to public relations. He is also an active member of several professional engineering societies including, the Nassau/Suffolk Water Commissioners Association.
Bartilucci graduated from Manhattan College with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and received his master's degree in civil engineering from New York University.
In addition, he served in the U.S. Army Medical Services Corps. in the Panama Canal Zone, performing public health engineering duties.
Bartilucci resides in Laurel Hollow with his wife, Joan, and their three children.
LOAD-DATE: January 16, 2004
[MCOLDB: 1954 ]
Copyright
2004 Providence Publications, LLC
Providence Journal-Bulletin (Rhode Island)
January 18, 2004, Sunday All Editions
SECTION: Society/Weddings; Pg. J-09
HEADLINE: WEDDINGS 3
Mr.
& Mrs. Joseph P. Quinn
Michael E. Ingraham
Joseph P. Quinn
Married on Sept. 6 at the Wequassett Inn, Chatham, Mass., were Michael Emily Ingraham of Riverdale, N.Y., and Joseph Patrick Quinn of Warwick. Brian Rooney officiated.
The bride is the daughter of Michael Ingraham of Northport, N.Y., and Mary Ann Iacolino of Sidney, Australia. The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Quinn of Warwick.
Nelly Ingraham, sister of the bride, was the maid of honor, and the bridesmaid was Alexandra Quinn, sister of the groom.
The best man was Bernie Duque. The ushers were Michael Quinn Jr. and Matthew Quinn, brothers of the groom.
The bride graduated from Manhattan College. She is employed at Liberty Travel, Yonkers, N.Y. The groom graduated from Bishop Hendricken High School, Warwick, and Manhattan College. He is employed at Thomson Financial, New York. They visited Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on their honeymoon and live in Riverdale.
LOAD-DATE: January 20, 2004
[MCOLDB: ???? ]
[No Engagements]
[No Graduations]
[OBITS]
[Collector's prayer: And, may perpetual light shine on our fellow departed Jaspers, and all the souls of the faithful departed.]
Your assistance is requested in finding these. Please don’t assume that I will “catch” it via an automated search. Sometimes the data just doesn’t makes it’s way in.
Newsday
(New York)
January 22, 2004 Thursday ALL EDITIONS
SECTION: NEWS, Pg. A60
LENGTH: 2932 words
HEADLINE: DEATH NOTICES
Morris, Patricia Irene
MORRIS-Patricia Irene of Wantagh on January 20, 2004. Beloved wife of the late William. Loving mother of Patricia, Brian, Kevin and William. Cherished grandmother of Lucy, Mary Elizabeth, Brian Turner, Ruby and Emmett. Long time secretary in the office of Bishop Murphy of the Rockville Centre Diocese. Reposing after 7pm tonight, Charles J. O'Shea Funeral Home, 603 Wantagh Ave., (Exit 28N SS Pkwy.), Wantagh, NY. Funeral Mass, Saturday 8:30am, St. Frances deChantal RC Church, Wantagh, NY. Interment, Holy Rood Cemetery, Westbury, NY. Family will receive friends, Thursday 7-10pm and Friday 2-5 and 7-10pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Good Shepherd Hospice, Manhattan College, or Fr. George Maddock. Information is available at the wake from the family.
LOAD-DATE: January 22, 2004
[JR: While not a graduate, asking for donations to MC must make this lady at least an "honorary" Jasper. At least it does in my mind. Does anyone out there know the connection? ]
The
Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY)
January 21, 2004 Wednesday
SECTION: OBIT; Pg. B4
LENGTH: 245 words
HEADLINE: O'CONNOR
John F. O'Connor January 18, 2004
John Francis O'Connor, 85, of 2203 W. Lakeshore Dr., died January 18, 2004 at his home. A native of New York City, NY, he was the son of the late John and Brigid O'Neill O'Connor. He was a member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Tryon, NC, and attended Manhattan College, served in the N.Y.C. Police Department for over 20 years and as the Chief of Police for the City of Syracuse. During WWII, he was a Major in the US Army.
He is survived by his wife, Eleanore Brostek O'Connor, a graduate of The College of Mount St. Vincent; a son, Kevin O'Connor and his wife, Linda of Salt Lake City, UT; one granddaughter, Katie, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a grandson, Brian O'Connor.
The family will receive friends Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Petty Funeral Home in Landrum, SC. Funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, January 22, 2004 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church conducted by Father James Wallace C.SSR.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Multiple Sclerosis Society, South Carolina Regional Office, 2711 Middleburg Dr., Suite 105, Columbia, South Carolina 29204. Please sign the guest book at syracuse.com/obits
GRAPHIC: PHOTO; NO CREDIT; O'Connor
LOAD-DATE: January 22, 2004
[MCOLDB: ???? my guess 1941? ]
Copyright
2004 The Washington Post
The Washington Post
January 19, 2004 Monday
Final Edition
SECTION: Metro; B07
HEADLINE: Lawrence A. Callahan Maritim ...
Charles Drew Tiene Jr., 78, a retired manager with Sperry Corp./Unisys Corp., died Jan. 9 of complications from Alzheimer's disease at a Falls Church hospice. He also suffered from Parkinson's disease.
Mr. Tiene was born in Jersey City, N.J., and received a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Montclair State College. He received a master's degree in math from Columbia University and completed his doctoral course work there while teaching at Manhattan College for five years.
He worked for Sperry/Unisys on Long Island and in Virginia, where he managed a department which developed training programs in engineering for projects including the B-52 Stratofortress bomber and the Polaris/Poseidon/Trident submarines. He advanced innovations in the training field, including programmed learning, computer-based instruction and video-enhanced simulation.
He was a resident of Burke.
Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Dorothy Tiene of Burke; six children, Drew Tiene of Kent, Ohio, Mary Copeland of San Diego, Joanne Currie of Mississauga, Ontario, Cathy Gleason of Buskirk, N.Y., Kevin Tiene of Cupertino, Calif., and Richard Tiene of Arlington; and 14 grandchildren.
LOAD-DATE: January 19, 2004
[JR: Ex-faculty member that someone might want to remember ]
[News MC]
Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company
The Boston Globe
January 22, 2004, Thursday ,THIRD EDITION
SECTION: BUSINESS; Pg. C1
HEADLINE: REBUILDING A HIGH-TECH GIANT CEO'S COST-CUTTING AT STORAGE LEADER
PUTS GROWTH BACK ON TRACK
BYLINE: By Hiawatha Bray, Globe Staff
When EMC Corp. chief executive Joseph Tucci is in acquisition mode, he prefers the direct approach. That's why he picked up the phone last year and dialed Diane Greene, president of a small California software firm called VMware Inc.
"I love operating that way," said Greene. "You get to know each other very quickly." And the first thing Greene learned was that her future boss knew exactly what he wanted. "He said, 'Look, we were going to buy you in mid-2004 . . . we have the sense that we need to move more quickly.' "
There was not a hint of concern, on Tucci's part, that VMware might not be for sale. "It certainly stuck in my mind, the assurance," Greene said. "I just loved it because he was so bold and confident."
Confidence is a handy trait for a man who's spent the past decade resurrecting two fallen high-tech giants. In the 1990s, Tucci led Wang Laboratories Inc. from Bankruptcy Court to the marriage altar, arranging a $2 billion acquisition by the Dutch firm Getronics NV.
Ready for a chance to lead a solidly successful firm, Tucci accepted the presidency of EMC in 2000, just in time for the global collapse of the technology business. "It has dawned on me that my timing hasn't been the best," Tucci said. In the third quarter of 2001, EMC suffered a net loss of nearly a billion dollars, the first of four straight losing quarters.
But the turnaround experience at Wang didn't go to waste. Tucci followed the same formula - ruthless cost-cutting and a thorough rethink of the business model. And recent results suggest that it's paying off.
The company's third-quarter earnings rose sevenfold from the 2002 level, reaching $159 million. EMC's disk drive hardware revenues grew by more than 20 percent in the quarter and the company picked up 2.2 points of market share, according to researchers at International Data Corp., making it one of the fastest-growing companies in the storage business. The numbers are better than they look - the industry's other fast-growing firm is Dell Computer Corp., which makes and sells EMC storage products as part of an alliance between the two firms.
When EMC unveils its fourth-quarter 2003 results today, industry watchers are expecting a fourth consecutive quarter of growth. Mark Stahlman, a senior analyst at American Technology Research in Greenwich, Conn., predicts earnings of 7 cents a share, or about $168 million, on revenues of $1.8 billion. "They've been showing good strength from top to bottom of the product line," Stahlman said.
EMC under Tucci has rolled out new products, like its Centera system for long-term storage of critical data, and completely overhauled its top-of-the-line Symmetrix products, used by the world's largest enterprises. At the same time, the company has rethought its pricing strategy. During the boom times, EMC's first-class reputation had allowed it to charge a premium of up to 100 percent over rival products from IBM Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co., and Japan's Hitachi Data Systems. But as the economy recoiled and rival firms upgraded their offerings, Tucci knew it was time to match his competitors' lower prices. Today, EMC hardware is "street-priced at every level," said William Teuber, the company's chief financial officer.
And if these changes weren't enough, Tucci has relentlessly carried out his 2001 pledge to transform EMC into a leader in software for managing data storage. EMC has purchased a host of companies to fill out its software portfolio, last year spending $3 billion to acquire Legato, a data-backup software firm, and Documentum, an information management and indexing company.
Tucci even found time to address EMC's reputation in some circles for a bullying, overbearing approach to customers. "We have worked very hard to stamp out those pockets of arrogance," he said. How? "Firing," he replied.
"It's amazing what happens. As we get a few of the leaders, and you shoot 'em kind of publicly, the rest of them say, 'I really wasn't like this myself.' "
Despite his blunt demeanor, it's hard to find anyone who'd accuse Tucci of arrogance. Certainly not Anne Mulcahy, chief executive of Xerox Corp., a major EMC customer. Like VMware's Greene, she's impressed by Tucci's candor and accesibility. "I'd have no hesitancy to pick up the phone and call him," said Mulcahy, "and know I'll get the straight scoop." In fact, Tucci called Mulcahy himself, when EMC acquired Documentum, a strategic ally of Xerox. "He picked up the phone, and just wanted us to know . . . he's a personal touch kind of guy."
And a believer in teamwork, according to his colleagues. Finance chief Teuber said corporate strategy emerges from meetings in which the company's top people share ideas, then hammer away at them until a consensus emerges. "He wouldn't allow meetings to end where everybody wasn't in synch with the action plan," Teuber said. "Joe's very good, not in a dictatorial way, but in a consensus-building way."
Tucci's fondness for teamwork may stem from his youthful love of baseball. He still indulges in the occasional pickup softball game. Tucci also used to play guitar, till he lost the tip of one finger in a bizarre accident involving a beach chair in Cannes, France.
Baseball and music helped Tucci's early career, as did an affinity for mathematics. The Albany, N.Y., native earned a business degree from Manhattan College, then took a job on Wall Street in 1970, when the markets were moribund. Out of sheer boredom, he worked for awhile as a lifeguard. Then he interviewed for an engineer's job at RCA, which back then still made computers.
The interviewer believed that people with strong math skills and musical ability were well suited to program computers. Besides, RCA had a company baseball team, and Tucci would make a strong addition to it. "I guess I got the job because I played an instrument; I got A's in math; and I was a good baseball player," Tucci said.
A year later, rival computer firm Sperry bought RCA's computer business. Tucci moved into sales, and began his climb up the rungs of management. In 1986, Sperry merged with computer maker Burroughs to form Unisys Inc. Tucci became president of US operations at the company, but by 1991, he was ready for a change, and a challenge.
Tucci took a job as executive vice president of operations at Wang Labs, a once-dominant electronic firm fallen on hard times. "I learned a lot at Wang," said Tucci - mainly what not to do. Company founder An Wang had built a world-class company around electronic calculators and word processing machines. But the rise of personal computers in the 1980s caught Wang unawares, and his subordinates didn't awaken him to the danger until it was too late.
"A lot of founders' companies get too wrapped up around the founder, and if the founder takes a bad step, the whole company's going down the tubes," Tucci said. "What you want to do is get a mix of thoughts, a mix of energy."
Wang filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy soon after Tucci's arrival. Now he was faced with putting the company's affairs in order. "At the peak, Wang had 33,000 people," Tucci said. "When I took it out of bankruptcy, we had less than 5,000."
But cost cutting wasn't enough. Wang needed a survival strategy. Tucci, appointed chief executive in January 1993, decided Wang could no longer be competitive as a maker of minicomputers and word processors. Instead, it would focus on servicing existing customers, and offering service for other computer products.
It worked. By the late 1990s, Wang was one of the world's largest computer services organizations, and ripe for acquisition by Getronics.
"The Wang experience was phenomenal," Tucci said. "It was like graduate school on steroids. You learned so much in such a short time, because you had to." But now he was ready for a change. When EMC beckoned in 2000, at the height of its success, Tucci happily signed on - just as America's tech sector hit the worst downdraft ever. "In 2000 we made $1.7 billion," he said. "In 2001, we lost $508 million."
At least EMC wasn't at death's door. The company had billions in the bank, and plenty of loyal customers in the world's biggest enterprises and government agencies. By January 2001, Tucci was president and chief executive, one year after joining the company as president and chief operating officer. And much as he hated to do it, Tucci's time at Wang taught him what had to be done. Out came the knives again. Employee count fell from 24,500 to 17,000. But research and development spending stayed strong at 14 percent of revenues. And EMC used its cash and stock to establish itself as a force in the storage software business, which boasts better profit margins than the capital-intensive manufacture of storage hardware.
Now, with the economy rebounding and corporations facing tough new government data storage regulations, EMC is in a good position to consolidate its recent gains. "What do you do after growth? " said Tucci. "You do more growth. You pick up the pace."
Hiawatha Bray can be reached at bray@globe.com.
GRAPHIC: PHOTO, EMC chief executive Joseph Tucci / GLOBE STAFF PHOTO / PAT GREENHOUSE
LOAD-DATE: January 22, 2004
[MCOLDB: 1969 ]
The New York Times
January 21, 2004, Wednesday, Late Edition - Final
SECTION: Section B; Page 8; Column 2; Metropolitan Desk
HEADLINE: City Streets Provide a VersionOf
Old-Fashioned Ice Capades
BYLINE: By NORA KRUG; Ann Farmer and
Colin Moynihan contributed reporting for this article.
It was one of those days when it was indeed advisable to walk on the sunny side of the street. After a spate of winter weather, many sidewalks and roadways -- especially those the sun could not reach -- were covered with a thick layer of ice, making them more suitable for curling than for walking or driving.
Shady stretches along walkways, particularly around bus shelters and parks and in front of abandoned property, were treacherous, as temperatures that never went higher than 27 degrees sealed in the icy precipitation that had fallen over the last week. People were slipping, sliding and falling.
"Orthopedists have been very busy," said Bruce Lander, a spokesman for St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in Manhattan. Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn reported treating twice the number of ice-related slip-and-fall cases yesterday as on a typical day.
In several neighborhoods, whole blocks were covered with ice from end to end.
The ice on one of those stretches, in front of a shopping center parking lot on Broadway between 234th and 235th Streets in Kingsbridge, the Bronx, made reaching the bus shelter on the corner a challenge.
"With boots or without boots, you can go skating," said Massimo Grullon, 55, who was wearing boots and sliding his way to a nearby park for an afternoon walk.
Cesar Morales, 23, a student at Manhattan College in Riverdale, slipped about midway through the block but smiled when he got up. "I'm used to pain," he said, showing off his tattooed arm. His bottom lip and ears were pierced and, he said, both arms and his back are covered with tattoos.
Several wobbling pedestrians on an ice-covered block of Ninth Avenue in Hell's Kitchen were hoping to cash in on the situation, joking about taking a dive and filing a lawsuit. But whom would they sue? In September, a new city law went into effect that shifted the liability for many slip-and-fall cases from the city to property owners.
"You have a responsibility to the people that are walking in your building, in front of your building," Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said yesterday. "You know, the city can't do everything. People have to be responsible for themselves."
Some business owners were being extra careful. Jose Luis de Los Angeles, 38, whose sister owns Botanica San Lazaro in Washington Heights, which sells statues of saints and other religious objects, was hacking the ice off the curb in front of the store. "If I don't clear it, I'll get a ticket," he said.
There are certain positions that can prevent falls, said Milton Feher, 91, a former Broadway dancer and head of the Milton Feher School of Dance and Relaxation, which offers a course on walking on ice and snow: "Bend your knees, bend forward, so that if you fall, you don't fall back and hit your head. On every stride, make sure there's a moment where you feel both feet are grounded," he said.
But Marcy Dupree, 50, who was navigating an icy patch on 145th Street in Manhattan, put it more simply: "You just pray if you're walking -- pray that you don't fall."
http://www.nytimes.com
GRAPHIC: Photo: Massimo Grullon said that navigating the streets near Broadway and 234th Street in the Bronx yesterday was akin to ice skating. He was out for a walk. (Photo by Susan B. Markisz for The New York Times)
LOAD-DATE: January 21, 2004
[JR: Lucky he didn't slide down to the tracks. I remember doing something like that. Down to the Engineering building on my butt. Luckily the ice was so thick that the "gravel", more like debris, didn't have a chance to rip anything. When I gripe to one of the good brothers, he said I should be more careful. !!!! ]
The New York Sun
January 20, 2004 Tuesday
SECTION: BUSINESS; Pg. 11
HEADLINE: Hedge Fund Investor Uses Power of Pen To Get Results
BYLINE: By RODERICK BOYD Staff Reporter of the Sun
"If the Trustees desire to continue running ACPT as a real-life version of Monopoly whereby a 32-year old graduate of Manhattan College in the Bronx and former bank loan administrator is named CEO by his father, then I strongly suggest you take the company private, wherein un-deserved, nepotistic practices are not scrutinized."
Is this an excerpt from Charles Dickens? Or a tirade in today's tabloid press? Neither; it's an excerpt from the pages of an unlikely source of entertainment: the Securities and Exchange Commission's 13D filings, where a West Coast investor is raising eyebrows with some of the most florid filings on record.
Meet Robert L. Chapman Jr., the founder of Los Angeles-based hedge fund Chapman Capital, whose mission is to communicate to corporate managers and directors that he feels strongly about their being held more accountable to shareholders.
Mr. Chapman said he chose to let off steam in 13D filings (six in all), rather than simply to issue press releases, because he could go into greater detail - and could do so in an official document filed to the SEC. Any investor who acquires a stake of more than 5% of a company's stock has to file a 13D form.
By contrast, most investment managers express their concerns mildly and in private about the companies in which they invest. Mr. Chapman said "the sunshine" on companies served his purpose, by forcing them to react to his demands. He said that as a rule, "too many investors find it easier to sell than fight." A reading of some of these publicly available documents - traditionally read by only the most deeply concerned or committed investors - sheds light on one man's efforts to hold corporate officers accountable.
Consider the case of American Community Property Trust, a real estate investment company based in Maryland, which Mr. Chapman asserted had assets worth $21 a share versus a stock price of $3 5/8. At the time of his filing in March 2000, his fund controlled 5.4% of the company's stock.
Mr. Chapman's 13D filing began by noting that Chapman Capital was concerned about ethical shortcomings at the company: "Despite the fact that ACPT's predecessor Interstate General Company L.P. was (and continues to be) headed by your father...a four count convicted felon (by a jury of his peers after only 15 hours of deliberation in a U.S. District Court), under section 404 of the Federal Clean Water Act violations that landed him an unserved 21-month prison sentence... Unfortunately, it now appears that the restructuring's true motive may have been aimed at promoting Wilson family nepotism and furthering lucrative related-party transactions mentioned in your SEC filings."
An investigation into the matter by a reporter for The New York Sun reveals that Mr. Wilson's father, James. J. Wilson was indeed convicted and sentenced for Clean Water Act violations, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit ordered a retrial. An Interstate General financial filing said Mr. Wilson was attempting to negotiate a plea settlement.
A phone call to J. Michael Wilson, chairman of the company, was not returned. The company's stock is now trading at $8.30. Mr. Chapman said affiliates of the company now control about 10% of the stock.
His cajoling of corporate boards has paid off handsomely. Mr. Chapman said he had forced management to respond to his demands for greater efficiency, closing the gap between market value and asset-value and, he said, garnering 20% compound annual average returns for his $130 million fund over the past seven years. He said that the fund's return on "deep value" driven investments, wherein he agitates for management change, has "tended to double," measured by the difference between the average cost at which the shares were bought and the average sale price.
Mr. Chapman described his reversion to acerbic commentary "as a last resort, once I realized that many managements and directors simply are totally clueless about shareholder's interests." He added, "I would use honey more often than vinegar if [management] paid more attention at first." He concluded that "dousing them with vinegar," in the form of potentially damaging (and embarrassing) accusations, was the quickest way to share price appreciation.
Perhaps Mr. Chapman's fiercest complaints were contained in a long note he attached last March to his 13D filing of NWH Inc., a West 56th Street. company primarily engaged in linking health-care providers and payers. At the time, Chapman Capital had a 7.1% stake.
In a letter addressed to two of the company's outside directors, Thomas DiBenedetto and Louis B. Lloyd, Mr. Chapman treats the reader to a walking tour of purported incompetence that is more in the curmudgeonly style of H.L. Mencken than the usually stilted prose of an SEC filing. He alleged that the company tolerated unprofessional and short-sighted behavior from CEO Terrence Cassidy, employing a car-crash metaphor: "Rather than review Mr. Cassidy's executive behavior and rectify it immediately, it appears the board huddled together heedlessly in NWH's backseat while Mr. Cassidy continued to swerve figuratively into trusting NWH owners walking along Shareholder road."
Mr. Chapman later described a frustrated potential suitor for a unit of NWH as "having reached its limit of Cassidy Pain Tolerance [emphasis in original]." NWH's Mr. Cassidy was traveling on business, according to an employee at the company, and did not respond to a message seeking comment.
But Mr. Chapman's pen was only warming up for the other objects of his ire at NWH: outside directors Mr. DiBenedetto and Mr. Lloyd. In the 13D filing, he ascribed their hesitation to communicate with him as "Deadbeat Director Disease [emphasis in original]." He continued, elaborating on Chapman Capital's diagnosis: "the three most salient symptoms of one suffering from DDD are as follows: 1) the director appears to be uninformed and apathetic regarding subject matters affecting the public company's operations...2) the apparent shirking of the director's responsibility to the public company's owners for whom all director's work... 3) the appearance in the director of an intransigent reflex to defend the public company's management from outraged, financially battered public owners..." Calls to both directors at their offices were not returned.
Mr. Chapman has earned support among some colleagues in the investment-management community. John Francis, who runs Francis Capital Management in Santa Monica, Calif., said, "A warrior like Bob is necessary to help and protect shareholders against inept management and deadbeat directors." Mr. Francis said he was an investor in NWH during the period Mr. Chapman was involved in the stock.
A consistent feature of his 13D narrative of purported woes are the unsuccessful attempts of Mr. Chapman and his employees to contact executives and outside directors to express their grievances. An instance that seemed to set him off was reaching Mr. DiBenedetto via cell phone at a baseball game and being told he wouldn't talk to him. He described his efforts thus: "I made further attempts to engage Mr. DiBenedetto at times when he wasn't occupied by such consequential and momentous occasions as those involving his spectating uniformed men swinging dense wooden sticks at little white balls."
Mr. Chapman said that after investing in NWH at around $12,his fund sold out its position after the company paid a hefty dividend of around $24.
Chapman Capital's most recent 13D filing is for its 7.1% holding in Footstar Inc., a retailer of athletic wear and sneakers. A company with high-profile accounting issues, relegated to "the Tijuana Stock exchange equivalent of our country, the Over-The-Counter bulletin board," once its shares were delisted late last month by the New York Stock Exchange after it failed to file audited financial statements.
Mr. Chapman declined to comment on Footstar because his fund is seeking to lead a shareholder purchase of the company. He would only say that this was the first time his fund had been involved in a move of this kind. His purchase proposal of $8 per share was announced January 8.
Suffice to say, however, that the 13D describing the fund's ownership stake is as sharp as earlier filings. Of the company's accounting woes, he writes: "Footstar's estuary of progress is being thwarted by a sea of unaccountability by auditor KPMG."
About corporate governance committee chairman Kenneth Olshan, he said: "Kenneth Olshan may have been spending too much time on his 6.5 acre estate in Redding, Conn., as Footstar's fires began to dim. While Mr. Olshan may have been smelling the flowers in Central Park that are protected by the conservancy of which he is a trustee, why was he not conserving Footstar shareholder value instead?"
Of the balance of Footstar's board members and management, Mr. Chapman writes: "Chapman Capital looks forward to its introduction to the Company's new CEO and subsequently a new group of directors neither inept nor preoccupied with what to wear to an upcoming 50-year high school reunion." Mr. Olshan did not return a call to his residence seeking comment.
LOAD-DATE: January 20, 2004
[MCOLDB: J. Michael Wilson ???? ]
Copyright 2004 The Columbus Dispatch
Columbus Dispatch (Ohio)
January 19, 2004 Monday, Home Final Edition
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 01A
HEADLINE: EDUCATING WHITNEY ;
Determined mother saves her youngest child from a dismal diagnosis
BYLINE: Dennis Fiely, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
The heart of a mother coupled with the mind of a scientist made a miracle.
Speech-language pathologist Cheri L. Florance waged a years-long war against self-doubt, exhaustion and school administrators to conquer her toughest case: that of her severely mentally retarded son, John Whitney Conway.
"There were many nights when I fell asleep crying and woke up crying," said Florance, 55, during an interview from her Worthington home. "I was worried, scared and not sure what the next step would be."
Her commitment to helping her son overcome his profound problems eventually led to ground-breaking research that could help countless others.
With co-writer Marin Gazzaniga, Florance recounts her ordeal -- and Whitney's triumph -- in Maverick Mind: A Mother's Story of Solving the Mystery of Her Unreachable, Unteachable Silent Son.
The book takes readers on a journey through central Ohio schools, where she steadfastly refused to have Whitney assigned to special-education classes.
The schools "evaluated him as a very low-functioning child and in a way he was," Florance said. "But I wouldn't accept their recommendations at face value.
"I was trying to convince them that he was a bright, visual person and should be treated that way. They thought his situation was desperate."
Impossible dream
A single mother of three, Florance endured accusations of bad parenting.
One preschool administrator threatened to report her for neglect when she refused to place Whitney in a segregated program for students with disabilities.
A friend pleaded with Florance to give up on "the wild child" for the sake of his older sister and brother.
Florance feared that her dream of a normal life for her son was nothing more than the fantasy of a mother in denial.
The reward for her persistence and probing is a young man finishing his senior year at Bishop Watterson High School and shopping for colleges.
"If she had not been his mother, he would have never come out of this," said Tammi Pistone, a former research assistant for Florance who helped care for Whitney and his siblings. "He would have ended up in special education, an institution or even jail."
The turnaround is startling, even to Whitney, who barely recognizes himself in his early, most difficult years.
"How did I become so nice and genuine?" Whitney said. "How did my mom put up with me?"
It wasn't easy.
Wild child
Shortly after Whitney's birth, specialists said he was deaf, mute and severely retarded.
In her book, Florance describes an unresponsive baby as "dead weight" and a "sack of potatoes." Whitney failed to indicate desires or needs.
As a toddler, he began exhibiting behaviors commonly associated with autism. He was prone to several fits a day, during which he flailed, kicked, scratched and banged his head on the floor.
"When he was banging his head, it turned my stomach," Pistone recalled. "I thought he had to be giving himself a concussion. I didn't know what set it off, and there was nothing I could do to stop it."
Little Whitney frequently tried to bite people and urinate on them.
He unrolled toilet paper and emptied the contents of the refrigerator on the kitchen floor.
Florance found him at age 3 pressing a knife against an arm of his older brother, William.
His mother sensed that his anti-social behaviors were attempts to communicate, not malicious acts.
She also observed signs of intelligence.
Whitney learned to use the toilet without potty training.
He disassembled toys, pens and cameras, expressing a fascination for their inner workings. He also demonstrated an uncanny knack for finding his way to places he had visited only once.
In his silence, his mother concluded, Whitney was a visual learner who appeared to be thinking without words.
"We had to find a curriculum for him."
First words
Drawing on her professional experience in the diagnosis and treatment of communication disorders, Florance embarked on a strategy that exploited Whitney's visual strengths to develop his speech and language.
She recruited his brother and his sister, Vanessa, as assistants.
They mimicked with toys Whitney's daily routines to build his sequential thinking and demonstrate human interaction. They labeled all the items in their house and taught him words through logos and pictures instead of phonetics and oral repetition.
In their "therapeutic Disneyland" at home, the family adopted music, theater and dance as teaching tools.
"We used the arts to try to make Whitney better," Florance recalled. "The kids liked that more than sitting down with Whitney and trying to make him write the letter A."
Family members changed the way they spoke to Whitney, practicing supportive language that invited him to talk.
Whitney spoke his first words at age 6, when he recognized his mother as "Dr. Florance."
"I didn't care what he called me," Florance said. "I was just happy he talked."
School days
Some educators marveled at the sacrifices Florance made on behalf of her son.
"She tailored her life to make Whitney her highest priority," said Sally Lindsay, director of Clintonville Academy, where Whitney attended seventh and eighth grades.
Florance moved and changed jobs to enroll her son in the best schools and allow her to participate in his classroom instruction.
"She entered Whitney's world," said Dr. John Stang, a dean in the Ohio State University College of Medicine. Stang encouraged Florance to write her book, which was released last week.
Through Whitney's elementary-school years in the Dublin district, Florance fought skeptics and embraced advocates.
Some administrators and staff members at Riverside Elementary School thought Florance was foolish for rejecting special-education services for her first-grader.
"Segregating people with disabilities has never proved to work out too well," she said. "If we assimilate kids, everyone benefits."
When Whitney was in the second grade at Riverside, school psychologists filed complaints about his meddlesome mother to three practice boards. The boards eventually cleared Florance, and the district apologized.
"I tried to get the schools to understand that the visual thinking system was a powerful brain engine, but that concept was hard to convey and still is," she said. "School is a verbal game."
Classroom heroes
One of the heroes in her book is Philip Niemie, a former Riverside principal who risked his job to counter recommendations and mainstream Whitney.
"Cheri had a professional reputation that was off-center, and I have always been unconventional myself," said Niemie, a self-described "surfer dude from California."
Now the principal at Bailey Elementary School in Dublin, Niemie practiced what he preached: parental involvement.
He acquiesced to many of Florance's demands because, he said, "she was the mother."
Other heroes in the book include classroom teachers eager to work with Whitney despite the extra attention he required. Florance volunteered as room mother.
"I moved into the school," she said. "Whitney was so hard to handle, the teachers welcomed any help. The administration did not see where I was going, but the teachers would have welcomed me 40 hours a week."
At age 7, Whitney began to read and write some.
During his four years at Riverside, Niemie said, "he came in at a stop sign and left with the flow of traffic."
In the fifth grade at Deer Run Elementary School, he began to show academic achievement.
In the sixth grade at Willard-Grizelle Middle School, he successfully rejected an effort to move him to special education by pleading his case before a panel of teachers and administrators.
He made the honor roll and played sports at Clintonville Academy, where, Whitney says in his mother's book, "I became a human being."
"His progress has been miraculous to me," said Lindsay, the academy director. "I've never heard of an autistic child with his struggles come so far."
Higher purpose
Florance counted a final breakthrough in her son's development when he aced his 10th-grade biology test at Bishop Watterson.
"That meant he had a verbal brain that could handle college, graduate school or whatever he wanted to do," she said. "That made me feel we were done."
Through her son, Florance thinks she has discovered a communication disorder syndrome.
She has appeared with Whitney at the National Institutes of Health and at the Pasteur Institute in France to discuss her findings, which are the subject of a research project at Ohio State University, where Florance is an adjunct professor of psychiatry.
Whitney's influence on science matches that of the people he touched.
He is especially close to his brother and sister, who attend Manhattan College. Whitney may join them there next year.
The siblings shared their mother's hopefulness and dedication.
"He was my little brother, so I was going to accept him," William said. "Growing up, I thought all families were like us. I enjoyed the stuff we did with Whitney. It didn't seem like work."
Pistone, Whitney's caregiver during his preschool years, married and left Columbus when Whitney entered elementary school. She has thought of him often over the years.
"He changed my life," she said from her home near Dayton. "He steered me from a career in education to a career in counseling and made me a more understanding and patient parent for my two children."
Whitney acknowledges the possibility that he was born for a purpose.
"It has crossed my mind that I have made an impact on the world, like a modern-day Helen Keller," he said. "The person who should have never been cured got cured."
Box Story:Autism: an
overview
* Definition: a brain disorder that affects development in social interaction
and communication skills
* Characteristics: resistance to change; use of gestures instead of words;
repetitive language and behaviors; little or no eye contact; uneven motor
skills; unresponsiveness; tantrums; aloofness; over- or under-sensitivity to
pain; extreme over- or under-activity; difficulty mixing with others;
indifference to cuddling or being cuddled; apparent deafness, although hearing
tests normal
* Prevalence: afflicts two to six children in 1,000; four times more common in
boys
* Trend: increasing at a rate of 10 percent to 17 percent a year
* Cause: unknown, but suspected links are heredity, genetics and medical
problems
* Resource: Autism Society of America (www.autism-society.org or
1-800-328-8476)
Source: Autism Society of America
GRAPHIC: Photo, (1) TOM DODGE DISPATCH PHOTOS/, William Conway, top, grapples with his younger brother, Whitney, in the back, yard of their Worthington home. William, 19, helped their mother help Whitney,, 18, overcome profound problems./, (2) Despite her son's struggles, Cheri Florance would not give up on Whitney./, (3) TOM DODGE DISPATCH PHOTOS/, Above: Florance sketches a portrait of her son Whitney, the subject of her, book./, /, (4) Left: William Conway, Cheri Florance and director Jim Silcott watch a, rehearsal of the production of 42nd Street at Bishop Watterson High School on, the North Side. Whitney Conway, who did not speak until he was 6, sings and, dances in the musical./, (5) Whitney Conway learns tap-dancing from alumna Lenor Melendez for the, Bishop Watterson production of 42nd Street./, (6) Cheri Florance's license plate reflects her research at Ohio State, University, based on her experience raising her mentally retarded son.
LOAD-DATE: January 19, 2004
[JR: Unnamed siblings -- Florance, Ms. ? (????) & Florance, Mr. ? (????) -- who attend or attended the College. And, because of them, wr find a dramatic tale of the value of all human life and how it makes us all better people.]
Copyright 2004 Richmond Newspapers, Inc.
Richmond Times Dispatch (Virginia)
January 18, 2004 Sunday City Edition
SECTION: FLAIR; Pg. G-1
HEADLINE: IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE SEX
BYLINE: Jann Malone/ Jann's column appears on Saturdays and Sundays. Write her at P.O. Box 85333, Richmond, VA 23293; call (804) 649-6820; fax (804) 649-6836; e-mail jmalone@timesdispatch.com
Betsy Prioleau had her daughter Phoebe in mind when she wrote "Seductress."
Disturbed by the dating culture she witnessed as a college professor, she wanted to give her daughter, then a teenager, some operating instructions that would empower her in both her work and her love life.
Whoa! Before you dial up the Parent Police, maybe we'd better find out just what Prioleau's definition of seductress is.
"It's such a negative word," she said, but, contrary to what we may think, her study of seductresses through history - Cleopatra, Beryl Markham and Josephine Baker among them - turned up a collection of achievers blessed with talent, brains and a love of life. Sometimes they were beautiful, too, but often, they were plain, even homely.
And, yes, sex played a role, but it wasn't the only card these women had to play.
In fact, playing some of those other cards meant using the same social skills Prioleau, who is 61, learned growing up in Richmond, when she was Betsy Stevens, a student at St. Catherine's. "I'm talking about real TLC, making people feel wonderful."
So what is a seductress, anyway? "By seductresses," she said, "I mean women who were able to get and keep the men of their choice, the best men, men who were good for them."
Oh, OK.
Then let's hear more about those operating instructions.
Prioleau, who holds a doctorate from Duke University, saw the need for a road map at Manhattan College, where she was an associate professor of English and world literature. She taught a class called The Seductress in Literature.
"Of course the class was packed, because everybody thought it would be about sex. Afterwards, my office was mobbed with young women who told me that the hookup culture wasn't making them happy, that it was a boy's paradise."
In that hookup culture - we used to call it dating - the women pursued the men, something Prioleau said continues today. Instead of relying on the more traditional arts of charm and flirtation, "women are using a male model of seduction, the direct-strike method. This means men are the ones who can decide whether they're going to commit.
"These young women said they didn't feel empowered, they didn't have any rules and they were unhappy and lost. And that was why they were in the class, because they wanted some operating instructions.
"I didn't give them any at that point, but I thought it was worth exploring."
She did, starting with the seductresses she already knew, then adding more as her research expanded. After a few plot twists involving rewrites, additions, subtractions and voice shifts, Viking published her book last fall.
"Seductress" is an unusual hybrid, managing to be both scholarly and a little breathless. The reviews have been mixed, too, with some treating it as a scholarly history and others focusing on its entertainment value. USA Today suggested the book could be "more dangerous to a young girl's behavior than any gyrating, thong-baring MTV video, but she'd probably have a happier life were she to follow Prioleau's advice."
That's because Prioleau provides something she says women have lost.
"Women have lost the art of getting men to fall and stay in love with them. To make a man fall in love with you is 90 percent mental magic. That doesn't have anything to do with youth, beauty or Victoria's Secret."
Thank goodness. All this catch-a-man stuff was beginning to sound a tad anti-feminist. On the contrary, Prioleau said, these women were really the first feminists. "They were able to do an end run around male domination, escape domestic seclusion and the double standard and all of those things. I really wrote it as a kind of post-feminist manifesto."
She makes it clear she's not saying you have to be a seductress or even that you have to have a man around the house, but if you do, that's where the operating instructions come into play.
"A seductress knows how to keep a man once she catches one. It's relatively easy to make someone fall in love with you, but to keep them is the art of love."
What? We thought this wasn't going to be about sex.
It isn't. "The real route is through invading a man's mind and setting it spinning. The top way to do that is through self-development. Women need to trust themselves, to grow to their full height as people, to develop their unique talents.
"It's about a strong sense of identity. That is the one characteristic that all the women in my book had. This made them forever interesting. They were so multifaceted that men were never bored by them."
And don't forget those social skills Prioleau grew up with in Richmond: "bringing out the best in other people, just being a comfortable person to be around."
Along with those skills, though, goes "a certain amount of independence and autonomy, so that people don't get so comfortable that it's a hot tub bath where you fall asleep. It's about keeping everything alive."
It's also about having it all, which is exactly what she wants for Phoebe, now a 20-year-old student at Stanford.
"I thought, why not find role models, women through history who were able to have it all, without any compromises, without any of the fatal sacrifices. Show her this is entirely possible, that she doesn't have to compromise her brains, her dignity or any of her feminist ideals."
GRAPHIC: PHOTO
LOAD-DATE: January 22, 2004
[MCOLDB: Ex-fac ]
[RESUMES]
CIC'S SUGGESTION: Everyone who works for a major corporation should send resumes placed here into their HR system or department. While you may not see the value, it may be that one thing that delivers an opportunity to a fellow Jasper that changes their life.
FROM THE COLLEGE’S WEB SITE: Your resume can be sent to employers who contact our office seeking to fill positions. For more information contact the Recruitment Coordinator at (718) 862-7965 or Email to JGlenn@manhattan.edu
Actual jobs at MC are at: http://www.manhattan.edu/hrs/jobs
[SPORTS]
FROM THE COLLEGE’S WEB SITE: http://www.gojaspers.com [which is no longer at the College, but at a third party. Web bugs are on the pages. (That’s the benefit of being a security weenie!) So, it’s reader beware. Your browser can tell people “stuff” about you, like your email address, leading to SPAM. Forewarned is forearmed.]
The only reason for putting this here is to give us a chance to attend one of these games and support "our" team.
Date Day Sport Opponent
Location Time/Result
1/25/04 Sunday W. Swimming CW
Post/NJIT Brookville, NY 1:00 PM
1/25/04 Sunday W. Basketball
Rider* HOME 2:00 PM
1/25/04 Sunday M. Basketball Iona* New Rochelle, NY 4:00 PM
1/30/04 Friday W. Basketball Canisius*(DH)
HOME 5:30 PM
1/30/04 Friday M. Basketball
Niagara*(DH) HOME 7:00 PM
1/30/04 Friday W. Swimming
Fairfield* Fairfield, CT 7:00 PM
1/31/04 Saturday M. Tennis Columbia Big
Apple New York, NY TBA
1/31/04 Saturday Track & Field
Princeton 5-Way The Armory TBA
…………January events downloaded 06 Dec 03
2/1/04 Sunday M. Tennis Columbia Big
Apple New York, NY TBA
2/1/04 Sunday W. Basketball
Niagara*(DH) HOME 1:00 PM
2/1/04 Sunday M. Basketball Canisius*(DH)
HOME 4:00 PM
2/4/04 Wednesday M. Basketball Loyola
(MD)* Baltimore, MD 7:30 PM
2/6/04 Friday Track & Field Millrose Games Draddy/MSG 12:30 PM
2/6/04 Friday W. Basketball Canisius* Buffalo,
NY 7:00 PM
2/7/04 Saturday Crew New York Rowing
Assoc. Indoor Rowing Championships TBA TBA
2/7/04 Saturday Track & Field
Metropolitan Championships Draddy/Armory 10:00
AM
2/7/04 Saturday W. Swimming Saint
Peter's* Jersey City, NJ 7:00 PM
2/8/04 Sunday Track & Field
Metropolitan Championships Draddy/Armory 11:00
AM
2/8/04 Sunday W. Basketball
Niagara* Niagara University,
NY 1:00 PM
2/8/04 Sunday M. Basketball St.
Peter's* Jersey City, NJ 3:00 PM
2/12/04 Thursday W. Basketball
Marist* Poughkeepsie, NY 7:00 PM
2/13/04 Friday Track & Field Armory
Collegiate Invitational Draddy/Armory 8:00
AM
2/13/04 Friday M. Basketball Iona* HOME
8:00 PM
2/14/04 Saturday M. Tennis St.
Bonaventure Tournament St. Bonaventure,
NY TBA
2/14/04 Saturday Crew The Valentine's
Massacre: NYAC Indoor Rowing Championships
Pelham, NY TBA
2/14/04 Saturday Track & Field
Armory Collegiate Invitational Draddy/Armory 8:00
AM
2/14/04 Saturday W. Swimming St.
Joseph's HOME 2:00 PM
2/15/04 Sunday M. Tennis St.
Bonaventure Tournament St. Bonaventure,
NY TBA
2/15/04 Sunday W. Basketball Loyola
(MD)*(DH) HOME 1:00 PM
2/15/04 Sunday M. Basketball
Siena*(DH) HOME 4:00 PM
2/17/04 Tuesday W. Basketball St.
Peter's* HOME 7:00 PM
2/18/04 Wednesday M. Basketball
Marist* Poughkeepsie, NY 7:30 PM
2/19/04 Thursday W. Swimming MAAC
Championships Baltimore, MD TBA
2/20/04 Friday W. Swimming MAAC
Championship Baltimore, MD TBA
2/20/04 Friday Softball Indiana@ Houston, TX
9:00 AM
2/20/04 Friday Softball Florida@ Houston, TX
11:00 AM
2/20/04 Friday M. Tennis Queens
College Flushing, NY 12:30 PM
2/20/04 Friday Track & Field MAAC
Championships Draddy/Armory 1:00 PM
2/20/04 Friday W. Basketball
Siena* Loudonville, NY 7:00 PM
2/21/04 Saturday M. Basketball
TBA& TBA TBA
2/21/04 Saturday W. Swimming MAAC
Championship Baltimore, MD TBA
2/21/04 Saturday Softball
Nebraska$ Houston, TX 9:00 AM
2/21/04 Saturday Softball
Centenary$ Houston, TX 1:00 PM
2/22/04 Sunday Crew C.R.A.S.H.-B
Sprints, World Indoor Rowing Championships
Boston, MA TBA
2/22/04 Sunday Softball Houston@ Houston, TX
1:00 PM
2/26/04 Thursday M. Basketball
Rider*! Trenton, NJ 7:30 PM
2/27/04 Friday W. Basketball Iona* HOME
7:00 PM
2/28/04 Saturday M. Tennis Army West Point, NY TBA
2/28/04 Saturday M. Tennis Saint
Joseph's West Point, NY TBA
2/28/04 Saturday Track & Field
Jasper Last Chance HOME 10:00 AM
2/28/04 Saturday Softball Mt. St.
Mary's$ Washington, DC 10:00 AM
2/28/04 Saturday Baseball Delaware
State (DH) Dover, DE 12:00 PM
2/28/04 Saturday W. Lacrosse
Lehigh HOME 1:00 PM
2/28/04 Saturday Softball George
Washington$ Washington, DC 1:00 PM
2/28/04 Saturday Softball Colgate$ Washington, DC 4:00 PM
2/29/04 Sunday Baseball Delaware
State Dover, DE 1:00 PM
2/29/04 Sunday Softball George
Washington$ Washington, DC 1:00 PM
2/29/04 Sunday W. Basketball
Rider* Lawrenceville, NJ 2:00 PM
2/29/04 Sunday M. Basketball
Marist* HOME 2:00 PM
2/29/04 Sunday Softball Mount St.
Mary's$ Washington, DC 2:30 PM
…………Febuary events downloaded 10 Jan 03
[Sports from College]
MEN'S BASKETBALL WINS SEVENTH STRAIGHT, 63-60, OVER FAIRFIELD
Bridgeport, CT (January 21, 2004)- Behind 24 points from Luis Flores, Manhattan extended its winning steak to seven games with a 63-60 win over Fairfield tonight at the Arena at Harbor Yard.
Fairfield raced out to a quick, 8-4 lead 5:22 into the game before the Jaspers answered with five straight points from Luis Flores to take their first lead of the game, 9-8, with 12:22 remaining before the half. Manhattan stretched that run to 17-8, gaining a 21-16 lead 7:11 before the break. The Jaspers stretched the lead to seven, 25-18 with 2:50 remaining and the teams exchanged two free throws each over the final two-plus minutes of the half as Manhattan went into the locker room with a 27-20 lead.
Both teams struggled from the field in the first half, with Manhattan shooting 31.8% (7-22), while the Stags converted 28.6% (6-21) of their shots from the field. Both teams shot well from the line, as Manhattan converted all 10 of its free throw attempts, while Fairfield made seven of 10.
The Stags opened the second half with 10-4 run to pull within one at 31-30 with 16:09 remaining before Peter Mulligan nailed a three from the top of the key to put Manhattan back up by four, 34-30, with 15:39 left. A Jason Benton jumper pushed the lead to seven, 42-35, with 11:33 remaining. The Stags pulled back to within one, 42-41, following back-to-back three's with 10:33 left. After Fairfield took the lead, 43-42 on two Terrence Todd free throws, Manhattan quickly took the lead back on a Mike Konovelchick three with 9:11 left. A Konovelchick three, a Jason Wingate jumper and a Flores layup made the score 54-48 with 3:13 left. Manhattan converted its free throws down the stretch and survived a last second three-point attempt to emerge with the win.
Mike Konovelchick and Peter Mulligan added 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Manhattan's 7-0 MAAC start matched the 1991-92 team for the best in Jasper history.
The Jaspers get back in action when they host Loyola in a MAAC contest at Draddy Gym on Friday, January 23 at 7:00 p.m.
-1-
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL FALLS IN THE BATTLE OF THE BRONX TO FORDHAM, 55-58
Riverdale, NY (January 20, 2004) – In the annual battle of the Bronx with Fordham, the Lady Jaspers lost a close contest with the score of 55-58. Despite out-rebounding the Rams 43-25, Manhattan drops its eighth game of the season, and falls to .500 overall (8-8). Senior Rosalee Mason tallied 24 points, and grabbed a season high 18 rebounds in the loss.
Mason and Serra Sangar dropped three straight 3 pointers, propelling the Lady Jaspers to an early 12-8 lead. The Lady Jaspers shot 61.5 percent from the three-point line in the first half, freshman Kristen Tracey went 3-4, recording nine points. Manhattan held the lead until Kiely Donnelly sunk a jumper at the 2:53 mark, giving the Rams the 34-33 edge. After two free throws by Donnette Reed, the Lady Jaspers recaptured the lead at 35-34, but with two Fordham layups, the Rams went into the half with the a 38-35 lead.
The Lady Jaspers jumped out on a 5-0 run, giving them the 42-38 lead at the 16:32 mark. The second half was a back and forth battle, with four lead changes. Kyshawn Ruff and Beth Ann Dickinson dropped four free throws with under two minutes remaining giving the Rams the 58-55 lead, the Lady Jaspers had one last shot but the Rams forced a turnover with six seconds left, clinching the win for the Rams.
Sangar joined Mason in double figures, tallying 13 points, including 5 rebounds.
Fordham had four players in double figures, the Rams were led by Lauren Fleischer, who posted 11 points and seven rebounds.
The Lady Jaspers will host their fourth straight home game on Sunday, January 25 at 2 pm against MAAC rival Rider.
-2-
FLORES NAMED MAAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR THE THIRD TIME THIS SEASON
Riverdale, NY (January 19, 2004)- Manhattan College senior guard Luis Flores was named MAAC Player of the Week for the week ending January 18. This is the third time this season and 13th time overall that Flores has received this conference award. Flores averaged 29.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists as Manhattan claimed sole possession of first place in the MAAC with two wins. He outscored Keydren Clark, the nation's leading scorer, 32-22 in the battle of the MAAC's last two unbeaten teams, tallying a season-high in points while adding seven boards in Manhattan's 87-60 win over Saint Peter's on Wednesday January 14. He tallied 27 points and handed out three assists as the Jaspers defeated Fairfield, 89-69 on Sunday, January 18. Flores moved into fifth place on the Manhattan all-time scoring list, passing Steve Grant (1974-78). He also moved into ninth place on the MAAC's all-time regular season conference game scoring list.
Manhattan returns to action on Wednesday, January 21, traveling to Fairfield in a rescheduled game that was originally slated for December 5. The back-to-back games against Fairfield marks the first time the Jaspers played the same team in back-to-back regular season games since playing St. John's twice in the 1921-22 season.
-3-
MEN'S BASKETBALL DROPS FAIRFIELD, 89-69
Riverdale, NY (January 18, 2004)- Senior forward Dave Holmes posted his second double-double of the season with 22 points and a team-high 12 rebounds as Manhattan improved to 11-3 overall and 6-0 in MAAC play with a 89-69 win over Fairfield today at Draddy Gym. The win was the sixth straight for the Jaspers.
Manhattan roared out of the gate, connecting on its first six shots, including five straight three pointers to start the game, to open up a 17-9 lead 3:30 into the game. Fairfield (9-7, 2-3 MAAC) climbed back to within six, 30-24, after two free throws from Rob thomson with 7:30 to play in the first half before the Jaspers used a 10-0 run to open up a 16 point lead, 40-24, with 3:00 minutes to play before the break. The teams traded baskets the rest of the half and Manhattan went into the break with a 50-35 lead.
The Stags could not mount a sustained run in the second half, never cutting the deficit to less than 13 in the second half. The Jaspers led by as many as 22 on their way to the win.
Luis Flores led all scorers with 27 as Manhattan shot 53.7% (29-54) on the night, including 61.5% (8-13) from beyond the arc. The Jaspers dished out a season-high 18 assists as 10 different players tallied a field goal.
Rob Thomson led three Stags in double-figures with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Terrence Todd added 18 and Dewitt Maxwell chipped in with 14. Fairfield connected on just one of 19 three point attempts (5.3%).
Manhattan and Fairfield hook up again on Wednesday, January 21, in a makeup game from a game that was snowed out on December 5. The game will be played at the Arena at Harbor Yard and is scheduled to tip off at 7:30 p.m.
-4-
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TAKES FAIRFIELD, 61-50
Riverdale, NY (January 18, 2004) – In the first game of the doubleheader with the men's team, the Lady Jaspers down the Fairfield Stags, with the score of 61-50. Senior Rosalee Mason scored a game high 25 points and grabbed a game high17 rebounds. With the victory, Manhattan snaps their two game losing streak and improves its overall record to 8-7 and its conference record to 4-3.
The Lady Jaspers jumped out to a 7-2 run, but the Stags jumped back into the game with a 10-3 run, putting them ahead with the score of 16-14. After two free throws made by Nikkoletta Deutsch, the Lady Jaspers recaptured the lead at 17-16, taking that lead into the half, finishing with a Serra Sangar layup, making the score 29-25.
In the second half, the Stags went on a 10-0 run, capped off by a Janelle McNamus layup giving the Stags the 36-35 lead at the 11:13 mark. That would mark the last lead for the Stags in the game, Manhattan recaptured the lead at the 10:52 mark with the score of 39-38, and held that lead until the end, recording their eighth win of the season.
Mason was joined in double figures by teammates Serra Sangar, and Nikkoletta Deutsch. Sangar tallied 14 points and nine rebounds, while Deutsch knocked down 15 points, and tied a career high in rebounds with nine. Junior Donnette Reed added six points and six assists.
The Lady Jaspers will head back into action on Tuesday, January 20, for their third straight home game, when they face Bronx rival Fordham at 7 pm.
-5-
[Sports from News & Web]
Copyright 2004 Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
All Rights Reserved
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
January 16, 2004 Friday Metro Edition
SECTION: SPORTS; Pg. 7D
LENGTH: 560 words
HEADLINE: Big splash in Penfield
BYLINE: Jeff DiVeronica James Johnson, Staff
Lee out 3 weeks
C.J. Lee, Pittsford Sutherland's All-Greater Rochester basketball point guard, was told by doctors Wednesday that he will be sidelined for three weeks.
Lee suffered a bone bruise and a grade-one sprain of his right knee during a home game at Batavia on Jan. 8. He is somewhat upbeat about the news despite having to miss a portion of his senior season.
"Putting it into perspective, it could've been a lot worse," said Lee, who has accepted a scholarship from Manhattan College. "Nothing was torn, no cartilage is damaged.
"I've played a lot of sports, and this by far is the worst injury I've had. I've been very blessed."
LOAD-DATE: January 17, 2004
-1-
[EMAIL FROM JASPERS]
[Email01]
From: Horgan,
Brian J. (1970)
Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2004 3:18 PM
Subject: RE: Out of Office AutoReply:
http://ferdinand_reinke.tripod.com/jasperjottings20031221.htm
John-
Sorry I didn't respond sooner. It was a MAD December. The layoff, my wife had foot surgery (minor)and was bedridden for three weeks (still on crutches), my mother (82 yrs old) was hospitalized Christmas Day and is in rehab home - which is tough for her as she still substitute teaches at Catholic Elementary schools, and volunteers one day a week at the Dominican of Sparkhill's Motherhouse infirmary with the "old" nuns!
Through it all I was job searching - and found another position in Xerox.
Thanks so much for your offer. It is much appreciated. And thanks for the newsletter.
Hope you and your family had a joyous and blessed Christmas and a happy new year.
Take care.
Brian J. Horgan
Business Services Manager
Tri-State Operations - CT/NJ/NY
Xerox Corporation
Tarrytown, NY 10591
[JR: Don't mind me. You were busy landing on your feet. Glad to hear it. Now don't become complacent. So times life gives us a nudge of the future, which we can then change. It's happened to me but I was too dense to look at the road map. Real men don't need "directions". Much! Great news and good luck. ]
[Email02]
From: Gibbons,
Thomas D. (1960)
Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2004 5:31 PM
Subject: Making Life Choices
John:
I do not usually respond to many articles and items that arrive at my desk via e-mail. When I read this one sent to me by my son-in-law I knew that you would be the one I should share it with. It is not mine, and I do not believe that it is just a casual or new message, but it certainly seems to me to be one that is important and certainly all too frequently invisible today.
Use it
as yow see fit.
Tom Gibbons, '60 BCE
=
Subject: Making Life Choices
This will give you cold chills, but puts life into perspective!
At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of the school's students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.
After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question Everything God does is done with perfection. Yet, my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is God's plan reflected in my son?" The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued "I believe," the father answered, "that when God brings a child like Shay into the world, an opportunity to realize the Divine Plan presents itself. And it comes in the way people treat that child."
Then, he told the following story: Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they will let me play?" Shay's father knew that most boys would not want him on their team. But the father understood that if his son were allowed to play it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging. Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said, "We are losing by six runs, and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning." In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.
At the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the outfield. Although no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base. Shay was scheduled to be the next at-bat. Would the team actually let Shay bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed..
The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have ended the game. Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far beyond reach of the first baseman. Everyone started yelling, "Shay, run to first. Run to first." Never in his life had Shay ever made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled "Run to second, run to second!" By the time Shay was rounding first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman for a tag. But the right fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions had been, so he threw the ball high and far over the third baseman's head. Shay ran toward second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases toward home. As Shay reached second base, the opposing shortstop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third!" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams were screaming, "Shay! Run home!" Shay ran home, stepped on home plate and was cheered as the hero, for hitting a "grand slam" and winning the game for his team. That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, "the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of the Divine Plan into this world."
And now, a footnote to the story. We all send thousands of jokes through e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages regarding life choices, people think twice about sharing. The crude, vulgar, and sometimes the obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of decency is too often suppressed in school and the workplace. If you are thinking about forwarding this message, you are probably thinking about which people on your address list aren't the "appropriate" ones to receive this type of message. The person who sent this to you believes that we can all make a difference. We all have thousands of opportunities a day to help realize your God's plan... So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice: Do we pass along a spark of the Plan? Or do we pass up that opportunity, and leave the world a bit colder in the process? You have two choices now:
>1. Delete this.
>2. Forward it to the people you care about.
You know the choice I made
[JR: Well I would classify this as a parable or urban legend. I'd rather take that news story above and send that around. Without those unnamed siblings attending Manhattan, I would have never had the reinforcing story. It's much like this tale. Except that it is unnecessary, and highly improbable, that "Shay" could achieve the result. In the above story, the Mom and the child demonstrate the essential human ability to overcome adversity. ]
[Email03]
From: Michael Forese
(1987)
Sent: Saturday, January 17, 2004 5:51 PM
Subject: Re: http://ferdinand_reinke.tripod.com/jasperjottings20040118.htm
GOOD IDEA!
Please remove <privacy invoked>
And add <privacy invoked> .
I'll assume you don't give it out to spammers. Thanks
I'd like to acknowledge you for this monumental effort you do every week. It keeps the world communicating.
Mike Forese
This Message sent from my BlackBerry Wireless
Handheld
[JR: <1> I don't give it to ANYONE EVER. That was my deal when I solicited the readership and I stick to it religiously. The slightly cumbersome BCC process allows everyone to be in control of their address. AND, it is available on the website for those who don't want anyone to know about them. <2> Everyone needs a hobby right? Maybe when I finally do figure out how to palm this off on the Alumni Office, I'll get an honorary degree in Literature and a chance to teach "Using an Electronic media to build a virtual community – and annoy the hell out of everyone doing it!"!!!! J Thanks for the kind words but without reporters and readers I'm just alone. <3> Glad some one acted on m advice! Makes me feel like a positive influence aot a pia!]
[Email04]
From: LaBlanc,
Robert E. (1956)
Sent: Sunday, January 18, 2004 1:26 AM
Subject: Re: http://ferdinand_reinke.tripod.com/jasperjottings20040118.htm
John
I joined the CA board of Directors in July of 2002 and am very familiar with the allegations of wrongdoing at the company. If you or Ed Orgon ('67) would like to call me, I'd be happy to discuss the situation with you. I think you know me well enough to know I would not be involved with any illegal or immoral actions.
Bob
=
Robert E. La Blanc
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
[JR: Well, I have no first-hand knowledge of CA, and in the interest of full disclosure don't own any of the stock. But, just the other day, some more bad news about a past employee was reported again in the paper. I have no need to go into it deeper than that. Maybe it is old news. Hope you can steer them in the right direction. But, we'll just have to see if CA deserves the College's honor. ]
[Email05]
Electronic Newsletter - January 19, 2004
Alumni.NET News
Thank you for being part of Alumni.NET. This is a special newsletter listing all your organizations and fellow alumni. Please check out the current company affiliations and find people that could help you in your career, your college application, your own business, or just making new friends!
Current Company Affiliations
Manhattan College
1 Pujols, Manny (2000-Present) - Ny
United States Of America (United Parcel
Service)
2 Brooks, Kieran (1998-2001) - Ny United States Of
America (CRC Insurance Services)
3 Torrres-Melendez, Flor
(1997-2001) - Ny United States Of America (Mamaroneck
School District)
4 Corripio, Lisette
(1996-2000) - New York United States Of America
(DLT Entertainment Ltd.)
5 Minister, Stephanie (1987-1991) - Massachusetts United States Of America
(Boston Stock Exchange)
6 Gadaleta-Digiacomo, Luciana (1987) - Ny United States Of America (Walton High School)
7 Lilley, Alex (1974-1978) - New Jersey United States (Avaya,
Inc.)
8 Oakes, Gus (1965-1969) - Ny
United States Of America (Executive Directions INC.)
9 Reinke, Ferdinand (1968) - Nj
United States Of America (Manhattan College)
Manhattan College
1 Agantovich, Jacinda
(1997) - Ny United States Of America (IBM)
2 Recupero Jr., Salvatore (1995) - Ny United States Of America (DMR - Trecom)
3 Konath-Chettiveettil, Seena
(1994) - Md United States Of America (George Sharp Inc./The George Washington
University)
4 Ward, Jon-Paul (1994) - Wa United States Of
America (KCLS)
5 Asusta, Yvette (1993) - (TLP)
6 Boland, Mark (1993) - Denver, Co United States Of America (ING Institutional Markets)
7 Jones, Lisa (1993) - New York United States Of America (Self-employed)
8 Molino, Richard (1989) - Ny Other (IBM S/390)
9 Docteroff, Michael (1987) - New Jersey United
States Of America (M.A.D. Technologies, LLC)
10 Gadaleta, Luciana (1987) - Ny
United States Of America (Walton High School)
11 Waschenko, Donald (1981-1985) - Pa United States
Of America (Tracor Aerospace Electronic Systems)
12 Argyros, Alex (1983) - Ny
(Federal Aviation Administration)
13 Gorman, John (1983) - (USEPA Region 2)
14 O'Connor, Robert (1982) - Ct (Thomas W. Raftery,
Inc.)
15 Matystik, Walter (1972) - Ny
United States Of America (Manhattan
College)
16 Lawrence, Ron (1967) - Ca United States Of America (DMB&B)
17 Turcich, Thomas (1967) - Dorset United
Kingdom (Pressure Control Engineering)
18 Schwarz, Kenneth (1964) - New York United States Of America (Fischbein Badillo Wagner Harding)
19 Rader, Peter (1958) - Ny United States Of
America (Retired)
Manhattan College
1 Jha, Amit (2000-Present)
- Jharkhand India (manhattan
college)
2 Kelly, Brian (1995) - New York United States Of America (Westchester County
Health Dept)
3 Mchugh, Patrick (1991-1995) - Ny
United States Of America (Pepsi-Cola Company)
4 Szeliga, Donna (1989-1993) - New York United States
Of America (BLISSWORLD LLC)
5 Sola, Raymond (1979-1983) - Arizona United States
Of America (Volition.com - The
Internet's Oldest Free-Stuff Site)
6 Van Valin, Robert (1971) - Florida United States Of
America (Kearney Development Co., Inc.)
7 Keilly, John (1970) - (Ford Motor Company)
8 Matthews, Jim (1970) - Nh United States Of
America (Keene State College)
9 Celeste, Salvatore (1968) - Catania Afghanistan (ahp)
[JR: It is a pay for service and this is their "tease". But it does tell you who is "available" with a little detective work or a few bucks. ]
[Email06]
From: Latus, Don (1967)
Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2004 4:06 PM
Subject: Re: http://ferdinand_reinke.tripod.com/jasperjottings20040118.htm
Do you happen to have your recent "JJ's" archived? I had seen the Men's basketball stats for the NCAA tournament in a recent issue, and unfortunately have lost it.
thx and regards, Don Latus '67E
=
From:
John Reinke
Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2004 11:15 PM
To: : Latus, Don (1967)
Subject: RE: http://ferdinand_reinke.tripod.com/jasperjottings20040118.htm
Not only do I have an archive, but, some of it is available to you at http://ferdinand_reinke.tripod.com and is searchable with picosearch at http://ferdinand_reinke.tripod.com/picosearch.htm If you can't find what you want give me a little more detail and I am sure I can come up with it. ;-) John'68
[END OF NEWS]
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FINAL WORDS THIS WEEK
http://fredoneverything.net/DemocracyText.shtml
Fred Reed
=== <begin quote> ===
A Brief Textbook Of American Democracy
Monday, January 19, 2004
While the United States is freer and more democratic than many countries, it is not, I think, either as free or as democratic as we are expected to believe, and becomes rapidly less so. Indeed we seem to be specialists in maintaining the appearance without having the substance. Regarding the techniques of which, a few thoughts:
(1) Free speech does not exist in America. We all know what we can’t say and about whom we can’t say it.
(2) A democracy run by two barely distinguishable parties is not in fact a democracy.
A parliamentary democracy allows expression of a range of points of view: A ecological candidate may be elected, along with a communist, a racial-separatist, and a libertarian. These will make sure their ideas are at least heard. By contrast, the two-party system prevents expression of any ideas the two parties agree to suppress. How much open discussion do you hear during presidential elections of, for example, race, immigration, abortion, gun control, and the continuing abolition of Christianity? These are the issues most important to most people, yet are quashed.
The elections do however allow do allow the public a sense of participation while having the political importance of the Superbowl.
(3) Large jurisdictions discourage autonomy. If, say, educational policy were set in small jurisdictions, such as towns or counties, you could buttonhole the mayor and have a reasonable prospect of influencing your children’s schools. If policy is set at the level of the state, then to change it you have to quit your job, marshal a vast campaign costing a fortune, and organize committees in dozens of towns. It isn’t practical. In America, local jurisdictions set taxes on real estate and determine parking policy. Everything of importance is decided remotely.
(4) Huge unresponsive bureaucracies somewhere else serve as political flywheels, insulating elected officials from the whims of the populace. Try calling the Department of Education from Wyoming. Its employees are anonymous, salaried, unaccountable, can’t be fired, and don’t care about you. Many more of them than you might believe are affirmative-action hires and probably can’t spell Wyoming. You cannot influence them in the slightest. Yet they influence you.
(5) For our increasingly centralized and arbitrary government, the elimination of potentially competitive centers of power has been, and is, crucial. This is one reason for the aforementioned defanging of the churches: The faithful recognize a power above that of the state, which they might choose to obey instead of Washington. The Catholic Church in particular, with its inherent organization, was once powerful. It has been brought to heel.
Similarly the elimination of states’ rights, now practically complete, put paid to another potential source of opposition. Industry, in the days of J. P. Morgan politically potent, has been tamed by regulation and federal contracts. The military in the United States has never been politically active. The government becomes the only game available.
(6) Paradoxically, increasing the power of groups who cannot threaten the government strengthens the government: They serve as counterbalances to those who might challenge the central authority. For example, the white and male-dominated culture of the United States, while not embodied in an identifiable organization, for some time remained strong. The encouragement of dissension by empowerment of blacks, feminists, and homosexuals, and the importing of inassimilable minorities, weakens what was once the cultural mainstream.
(7) The apparent government isn’t the real government. The real power in America resides in what George Will once called the “permanent political class,” of which the formal government is a subset. It consists of the professoriate, journalists, politicians, revolving appointees, high-level bureaucrats and so on who slosh in and out of formal power. Most are unelected, believe the same things, and share a lack of respect for views other than their own.
It is they, to continue the example of education, who write the textbooks your children use, determine how history will be rewritten, and set academic standards—all without the least regard for you. You can do nothing about it.
(8) The US government consists of five branches which are, in rough order of importance, the Supreme Court, the media, the presidency, the bureaucracy, and Congress.
The function of the Supreme Court, which is both unanswerable and unaccountable, is to impose things that the congress fears to touch. That is, it establishes programs desired by the ruling political class which could not possibly be democratically enacted. While formally a judicial organ, the Court is in reality our Ministry of Culture and Morals. It determines policy regarding racial integration, abortion, pornography, immigration, the practice of religion, which groups receive special privilege, and what forms of speech shall be punished.
(9) The media have two governmental purposes. The first is to prevent discussion and, to the extent possible, knowledge of taboo subjects. The second is to inculcate by endless indirection the values and beliefs of the permanent political class. Thus for example racial atrocities committed by whites against blacks are widely reported, while those committed by blacks against whites are concealed. Most people know this at least dimly. Few know the degree of management of information.
(10) Control of television conveys control of the society. It is magic. This is such a truism that we do not always see how true it is. The box is ubiquitous and inescapable. It babbles at us in bars and restaurants, in living rooms and on long flights. It is the national babysitter. For hours a day most Americans watch it.
Perhaps the key to cultural control is that people can’t not watch a screen. It is probably true that stupid people would not watch intelligent television, but it is certainly true that intelligent people will watch stupid television. Any television, it seems, is preferable to no television. As people read less, the lobotomy box acquires semi-exclusive rights to their minds.
Television doesn’t tell people what to do. It shows them. People can resist admonition. But if they see something happening over and over, month after month, if they see the same values approvingly portrayed, they will adopt both behavior and values. It takes years, but it works. To be sure it works, we put our children in front of the screen from infancy.
(11) Finally, people do not want freedom. They want comfort, two hundred channels on the cable, sex, drugs, rock-and-roll, an easy job and an SUV. No country with really elaborate home-theater has ever risen in revolt. An awful lot of people secretly like being told what to do. We would probably be happier with a king.
=== <end quote> ===
Wow! What an indictment. The point about defanging churches really hit home. Catholic politicians support abortion. Black church leaders demand more welfare that destroys their communities. Catholics support pedophile protecting bishops. Taxes suck us dry of the money, that use to go to charities directly, cycles thru DC to go to what were once charitable works. Catholic hospitals are now entangled in government rules and money. Secular employees of religious organizations must have benefits that are the anathema to the organization. The Boy Scouts are now a religious organization for opposing homosexuality. The government assumes complete control over us in our "free society".
And that’s the last word.
Curmudgeon
-30-