January 29, 2012

R. S. V. P. #119

RESPECTING Latest News From the Young Israel Of Chomedey

MEMBERS OF THE WEEK:

On Monday, January 30 th , JOE and SONIA BUDNER will be celebrating their 52 nd wedding anniversary. It was only a couple of years ago that JOE got very ill and his family and many good friends at the YOUNG ISRAEL OF CHOMEDEY were very worried about the outlook for his return to good health. But with the constant love and support of his energetic SONIA , and many prayers from concerned people, JOE did succeed in making his full recovery, never giving up, and today is, once again, a welcome visitor to the shul which he has solidly supported for many years.

SONIA has never met a dance she didn't like and is a regular at the TUESDAY MORNING LINE DANCING GROUP, led by JACKIE TANSKY as well as MAX and MIRIAM STOLLAR. SONIA had her own medical problems and spent several months recovering from a nasty fall which left her in terrible pain and discomfort. But if you see her moving effortlessly around the line dancing floor or at a shul simcha, you'd never guess it. JOE and SONIA remind us constantly of how important it is to appreciate all that we are blessed with. Their constant devotion to one another, in sickness and in health, and their determination to enjoy life to the fullest remains inspirational to everyone.

Davening Schedule:

Sunday, January 29th, Shachris 8:00 AM, Mincha, 4:40 PM.

Monday, January 30th - Friday, February 3rd, Shachris, 6:30 AM.

Monday, January 30th –Thursday, February 2nd, Ma'ariv, 7:30 PM.

Friday, February 3rd, Mincha, Kabbalas Shabbos begins at 4:50 PM.

Shabbat, February 4th, Bible Class, 8:30 AM, Shachris, 9:00 AM, Mincha, 4:50 PM, Shabbat ends, 5:51 PM.

SHOLASH SEUDOT:

Sponsored by Riva Weigensberg, commemorating recent yahrzeits for her husband, Edward Weigensberg, z”l, and son, Allan Weigensberg, z”l

CONDOLENCES:

To Victor and Barbara Benedek and Family on the loss of Victor's Father, Miklos Benedek, z”l.
Larry and Betty Puritt and Family on the recent loss of Larry's uncle, Henry Zeltzer, z”l, and his aunt, Anne Irving, z”l .
May the families be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

COMING EVENTS:

MONDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY GROUP: 7:45 -8:15 PM – Parsha Review; 8:15-8:45 PM, Weekly topic: “The Magic Mikvah.” All welcome.

Rabbi's Hebrew Class, Tuesdays at 7:00 PM, postponed until our snowbirds return in the spring.

RELIGIOUS COMMITTEE MEETING, Tuesday, January 31 st , 7:45 PM.

· Chomedey Cummings‏:

Janie Respitz' The World of Sholom Alechem begins Tues. Feb. 14th for three sessions. 7 - 9 p.m. If you are interested contact Claire Nudel.

For the Spring Session we will be offering Zumba classes. This will begin after Passover. Wednesday. mornings 10 - 11 for 10 sessions.

MINYAN HELP:

Here's our annual appeal for assistance in providing both morning and evening services in our shul. We desperately need volunteers to come forward and to donate at least one weekday morning or evening to help create a Minyan. Our snowbirds are gone and we urgently need members to step up and help. It's a great mitzvah. Please see what you can do and let Rabbi Benaroch know which day(s) are good for you.

LIQUOR DONATIONS:

Bob Bergson, commemorating a yahrzeit for his beloved wife, Cyvia, z”l.

Seymour and Beryl Grabina, honouring their grandson's second Birthday and commemorating a yahrzeit for Seymour's Brother, z”l.

Ellie Pomerantz, commemorating yahrzeits for Louis Grief, z”l, and Sydney Pomerantz, z”l.

Larissa Gruszka and Children, in loving memory of Larissa's recently deceased husband, Boris Gruszka, z”l.

YASHER KOACH:

All 12 members and friends who attended our MONDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY CLASS on Monday, January 16th. Class resumes on Monday, January 30th at 7:45 PM.

LOBLAW'S/MAXI'S/PROVIGO/IGA CARDS:

Please contact Esther Rosen or Danny Tansky.

MAZEL TOV:

Jackie Tansky, who celebrated her Birthday on Shabbat, January 28 th .

Joe and Sonia Budner, celebrating their 52nd Anniversary on Monday, January 30 th .

Jason Karpman, celebrating his 41 st Birthday on Wednesday, February 1 st .

Arnie and Molly Dalfen, celebrating their 55 th Anniversary on Friday, February 3 rd .

Jewish population by metropolitan area

Metropolitan area values without percentages from the World Jewish Population Study (2002) [1]

Jewish population outside Israel per cities in percentages

Jewish population per metropolitan area

FACTOIDS

Interesting Origin of Well Known Phrases:

In George Washington's days, there were no cameras. One's image was either sculpted or painted. Some paintings of George Washington showed him standing behind a desk with one arm behind his back while others showed both legs and both arms. Prices charged by painters were not based on how many people were to be painted, but by how many limbs were to be painted. Arms and legs are 'limbs,' therefore painting them would cost the buyer more. Hence the expression, 'Okay, but it'll cost you an arm and a leg.' (Artists know hands and arms are more difficult to paint)

As incredible as it sounds, men and women took baths only twice a year (May and October) Women kept their hair covered, while men shaved their heads (because of lice and bugs) and wore wigs. Wealthy men could afford good wigs made from wool. They couldn't wash the wigs, so to clean them they would carve out a loaf of bread, put the wig in the shell, and bake it for 30 minutes. The heat would make the wig big and fluffy, hence the term 'big wig... ' Today we often use the term 'here comes the Big Wig' because someone appears to be or is powerful and wealthy.

In the late 1700's, many houses consisted of a large room with only one chair. Commonly, a long wide board folded down from the wall, and was used for dining. The 'head of the household' always sat in the chair while everyone else ate sitting on the floor. Occasionally a guest, who was usually a man, would be invited to sit in this chair during a meal.. To sit in the chair meant you were important and in charge. They called the one sitting in the chair the 'chair man.' Today in business, we use the expression or title 'Chairman' or 'Chairman of the Board.'

Personal hygiene left much room for improvement.. As a result, many women and men had developed acne scars by adulthood. The women would spread bee's wax over their facial skin to smooth out their complexions. When they were speaking to each other, if a woman began to stare at another woman's face she was told, 'mind your own bee's wax.' Should the woman smile, the wax would crack, hence the term 'crack a smile'. In addition, when they sat too close to the fire, the wax would melt. Therefore, the expression 'losing face.'

Ladies wore corsets, which would lace up in the front. A proper and dignified woman, as in 'straight laced' wore a tightly tied lace.

Common entertainment included playing cards. However, there was a tax levied when purchasing playing cards but only applicable to the 'Ace of Spades...' To avoid paying the tax, people would purchase 51 cards instead. Yet, since most games require 52 cards, these people were thought to be stupid or dumb because they weren't 'playing with a full deck.'

Early politicians required feedback from the public to determine what the people considered important. Since there were no telephones, TV's or radios, the politicians sent their assistants to local taverns, pubs, and bars. They were told to 'go sip some Ale and listen to people's conversations and political concerns. Many assistants were dispatched at different times. 'You go sip here' and 'You go sip there.' The two words 'go sip' were eventually combined when referring to the local opinion and, thus we have the term 'gossip.'

At local taverns, pubs, and bars, people drank from pint and quart-sized containers. A bar maid's job was to keep an eye on the customers and keep the drinks coming. She had to pay close attention and remember who was drinking in 'pints' and who was drinking in 'quarts,' hence the phrase 'minding your 'P's and Q's'.

On This Date, January 29 th :

Events:

2002 Axis of Evil: Pres. George W. Bush first uses the term during a State of the Union address to describe North Korea, Iran, and Iraq.

1987 The Communist Party Central Committee endorses Gorbachev's proposals of economic and social reform, including allowing more than one candidate to run for a party office.

1979 Patty Hearst is given clemency by Pres. Carter after serving 22 months of a seven-year prison sentence for bank robbery. She was released three days later.

1979 I Don't Like Mondays 16-year-old Brenda Spencer opens fire on children in an elementary school playground. She killed two adults and injured eight children and a police officer. She claimed she did it because she didn't like Mondays. The Boomtown Rats hit I Don't Like Mondays (1980) was based on this event.

1936 Baseball Hall of Fame Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson become the first inductees. Source: Famous First Facts

1929 First guide dog school in the U.S. Morris Frank, himself blind, founds The Seeing Eye in Nashville, Tennessee.

1900 Baseball The American League is formed: It consisted of eight baseball teams.

1845 The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe is first published, in the New York Evening Mirror, instantly making him famous.

Births :

1956 La Toya Jackson American singer.

1954 Oprah Winfrey American talk show hostess. She won the title of Miss Black Tennessee.

1951 Ann Jillian American singer, dancer, actress. TV: It's A Living (Cassie) and The Ann Jillian Story (1988, which chronicled her real-life battle with breast cancer).

1945 Tom Selleck American actor. TV: Magnum P.I. (Thomas Magnum). He appeared twice on The Dating Game, but was never chosen.

1943 Katherine Ross American actress. Film: The Graduate (1967) and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). TV: The Colbys (Francesca).

1923 Paddy Chayefsky d. 1981 (Sidney Chayefsky), American Oscar-winning screenwriter. Film: Paint Your Wagon (1969), Network (1976, Oscar), and Altered States (1979).

1918 John Forsythe (John Freund), American actor. TV: Charlie's Angels (voice of Charlie) and Dynasty (Blake Carrington).

1913 Victor Mature d. 1999 American actor, starring in many Biblical epics. He was billed as "A beautiful hunk of man." Film: One Million B.C. (1940, Tumak the caveman), Samson and Delilah (1949, Samson) and After the Fox . Quote: "Actually, I am a golfer. That is my real occupation. I never was an actor; ask anybody, particularly the critics." (1966).

1901 Allen Balcom Du Mont d. 1965 American inventor. He developed the first commercially practical cathode ray tube, marketed the first home TV receiver (1939), and established the Du Mont TV network (1946).

1880 W.C. Fields d. 1946 (William Claude Dukenfield), American actor. Film: You Can't Cheat an Honest Man (1939) and My Little Chickadee (1940). Quote: "A thing worth having is a thing worth cheating for" and " 'Twas a woman who drove me to drink. I never had the courtesy to thank her."

1843 William McKinley d. 1901 25th U.S. President (1897-1901). He was assassinated by Leon Czolgosz. His portrait graces the U.S. $500 bill.

1737 Thomas Paine d. 1809 American patriot, wrote Common Sense (1776) and The Age of Reason (1795).

Deaths :

2002 Harold Russell b. 1914 Canadian-born American actor. He was the first visibly handicapped person to appear in a major motion picture; he lost both hands in World War II. He won an Oscar for The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) which he sold in 1992, making him the first person to openly sell their own Oscar. He needed the money for his wife's medical expenses.

1980 Jimmy Durante b. 1893 American comedian. His trademark lines include "Ink-a-Dink-a-Doo" and "Goodnight Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are."

1977 Freddie Prinze b. 1954 American actor. TV: Chico and the Man (Chico).

1963 Robert Frost b. 1874 American Pulitzer-winning poet. Writings: A Boy's Will and North of Boston.

1820 George III b. 1738 King of Great Britain and Ireland (1760-1820) during the American Revolution. He became insane in 1811 leaving the Prince of Wales (George IV) to run the government.

CHOMEDEY COMEDY BREAK:

The 2011 DARWIN Awards:

The Darwin Awards are out! These Annual Honors are given to the persons who did the human gene pool the biggest service by killing themselves in the most extraordinarily stupid way.

You may recall that last year's winner was the fellow who was killed by a Coke machine which toppled over on top of him as he was attempting to tip a free soda out.

This year's winner was a genuine Rocket Scientist...no jive! Read on...and remember that each and every one of these is a true story. The nominees were:

Semifinalist #1

A young Canadian man, searching for a way of getting drunk cheaply because he had no money with which to buy alcohol, mixed gasoline with milk. Not surprisingly, this concoction made him ill, and he vomited into the fireplace in his house. The resulting explosion and fire burned his house down, killing both he and his sister.

Semifinalist #2

Three Brazilian men were flying in a light aircraft at low altitude when another plane approached. It appears that they decided to moon the occupants of the other plane, but lost control of their own aircraft and crashed. They were all found dead in the wreckage with their pants around their ankles.

Semifinalist #3

A 22-year-old Reston, VA man was found dead after he tried to use octopus straps to bungee jump off a 70-foot rail road trestle. Fairfax County police said Eric Barcia, a fast-food worker, taped a bunch of these straps together, wrapped an end around one foot, anchored the other end to the trestle at Lake Accotink Park, jumped and hit the pavement. Warren Carmichael, a police spokesman, said investigators think Barcia was alone because his car was found nearby. "The length of the cord that he had assembled was greater than the distance between the trestle and the concrete," Carmichael said. Police say the apparent cause of death was "Major trauma."

Semifinalist #4

A man in Alabama died from numerous rattlesnake bites. It seems that he and a friend were playing a game of catch, using the rattlesnake as a ball. The friend - no doubt a future Darwin Awards candidate - was hospitalized, but lived.

Semifinalist #5

Employees in a medium-sized warehouse in west Texas noticed the smell of a gas leak. Sensibly, management evacuated the building, extinguishing all potential sources of ignition; lights, power, etc. After the building had been evacuated, two technicians from the gas company were dispatched. Upon entering the building, they found they had difficulty navigating in the dark. To their frustration, none of the lights worked. Witnesses later described the sight of one of the technicians reaching into his pocket and retrieving an object that resembled a cigarette lighter. Upon operation of the lighter-like object, the gas in the warehouse exploded, sending pieces of it up to three miles away. Nothing was found of the technicians, but the lighter
was virtually untouched by the explosion. The technician suspected of causing the blast had never been thought of as ''especially bright'' by his peers.

And now the winner of this year's Darwin Award; as always, awarded posthumously;

THE 2011 WINNER!

Arizona Highway Patrol came upon a pile of smoldering metal embedded in the side of a cliff rising above the road at the apex of a curve. The wreckage resembled the site of an airplane crash, but it was a car. The type of car was unidentifiable at the scene.

Police investigators finally pieced together the mystery. An amateur rocket scientist had somehow gotten hold of a JATO unit (Jet Assisted Take Off...actually a solid-fuel rocket) that is used to give heavy military transport planes an extra 'push' for taking off from short airfields. He had driven his Chevy Impala out into the desert and found a long, straight stretch of road. He attached the JATO unit to the car, jumped in, got up some speed and fired off the JATO!

The facts as best could be determined are that the operator of the 1967 Impala hit the JATO ignition at a distance of approximately 3.0 miles from the crash site. This was established by the scorched and melted asphalt at that location.

The JATO, if operating properly, would have reached maximum thrust within 5 seconds, causing the Chevy to reach speeds well in excess of 350 mph and continuing at full power for an additional 20-25 seconds.

The driver, and soon-to-be pilot, would have experienced G-forces usually reserved for dog fighting F-14 jocks under full afterburners, causing him to become irrelevant for the remainder of the event.

However, the automobile remained on the straight highway for about 2.5 miles (15-20 seconds) before the driver applied and completely melted the brakes, blowing the tires and leaving thick rubber marks on the road surface, then becoming airborne for an additional 1.4 miles and impacting the cliff face at a height of 125 feet, leaving a blackened crater 3 feet deep in the rock. Most of the driver's remains were not recoverable.

Epilogue: It has been calculated that this moron attained a ground speed of approximately 420-mph, though much of his voyage was not actually on the ground.

Really.....we couldn't make this stuff up.
People like these are all around us. They have kids and they vote!

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK.

R. S. V. P. #118