I haven’t posted news chum in a while, so I thought I would clean out the proverbial “list o’chum” while I eat my lunch:
- From the “Better Call Niecy” Department: Two articles related to clutter should serve as a warning to packrats everywhere. The first relates to a missing woman in Las Vegas, who was found only after her husband removed 5 tons of clutter from the house. The second is a story out of Chicago about a Skokie woman who died in a similarly cluttered house—in this case, the roof had to be removed to extract her. Both stories emphasize how little civic officials can do to prevent this. It is really up to us, as family members, to stop the hoarding before it reaches that level (or, if we’re the packrat, to learn to clean out our stuff).
- From the “Formerly Famous Buildings” Department: One of the iconic buildings near where I work is the Fabulous Forum. Or should I say, the formerly Fabulous Forum. When I was younger, this was the home of rock concerts and the Lakers and all sorts of sporting events. Today? It is a financial drain on the church that owns it. They’ve tried to rent it out for concerts, but no one wants yesterday’s venue. … and given we’re speaking of iconic buildings, mention should be made of the new RFK Learning Complex, built on the grounds of the former Ambassador Hotel, which opened today. For all the hoopla about the cost of construction and litigation, all seem to agree that a modern school serving lower income familiar and bringing the benefits of education to this community is something Robert Kennedy would have wanted as a legacy.
- From the “The Defense Way” Department: Two stories related to the Department of Defense. The first, from the Washington Post, explores the $500 million the DoD spends annually to support military bands. This is not an expense people normally think about when they think DoD. It is an interesting read, especially when one sees how this supports forms of arts education. Another article, this time from the NY Times, explores military rations and how they reflect the culture of their country. American MREs are particularly valued, and reflect the culture of home. American rations include hamburgers, chili, peanut butter, candy. Australians get Vegemite. Germans get liverwurst. Brits get lamb curry. Interesting read.
- From the “Beanie Boy” Department: Those that have ever attended synagogue—be it Reform, Conservative, or Orthodox—know about “the basket”. This is the collection of donated kippot that are provided for those that want but do not have. Over the years, they accumulate from all the b’nei mitzvot and funeralim (:-)). Well, the NY Times has a nice piece where they analyze the contents of the kippot basket at one Orthodox synagogue in the city.
- From the “Let’s Make a Deal” Department: Lastly, we’ve all likely been to swap meets and flea markets. Some of us bargain and haggle. Some don’t. The SF Chronicle has a nice piece about haggling at flea markets, and why people do—or do not—do it. An interesting read. As for me, I’ve always been uncomfortable haggling if there is a posted price. What about you? When and where will you haggle on prices?
