SOIVIETECI

Say Cheese!

ne of the most famous
smiles belongs to the Mona
Lisa. And yet, how many
of us are aware of the
importance of this feature and are
ready to pay it forward?
Our society seems fixated on
smiles, judging by the ad pressure to
improve our "pearly whites" via
SY
MANELLO pastes, gels, creams and whitening
strips. All right, now you have a
Editorial
pleasant grin, what do you do with
Assistant
it? My observations say that not too
many of us show off our smiles.
A recent re-viewing of a scene in the movie Bells
Are Ringing caught my attention. The main charac-
ter was on a busy street corner surrounded by grim

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looking citizens. She says, with a huge smile,
"Hello,' and offers to shake hands. This starts to
spread and soon everyone is greeting everyone else.
'All they needed was someone to show interest,"
she says. Well, that may be a bit extreme; When I
tried just the smile recently, I was met with, "What
are you grinnin' at?"
Do you recall being told that a smile is just a
frown turned upside down? Well, it may seem corny
but it is true and it is worth the effort. (I do not
mean just employing that cute symbol set at the end
of an email message.) Smiles also use fewer facial
muscles, making them easier to come by.
Can we tear ourselves away from our cell phones
and video phones and video games long enough to
take a good look around? There are wonderful
things to marvel at and what better way to show
that you are aware than to break into a smile. Such
reactions can create happiness in the home, goodwill
at work and, above all, show a real sign of being

friendly.
One of the best examples of the import of the
smile is seen in an organization called Operation
Smile. Volunteers repair childhood facial deformities
while building partnerships to advocate sustainable
healthcare systems for children and families. They
create smiles, literally, and change lives and heal
humanity at the same time.
For the time savers: Remember that a smile takes
only a moment, but creates a lasting memory.
For the cost conscious: A smile costs nothing and
gives so much. If someone is too poor, in spirit, to
give a smile, give him one of yours: It's nice to share.
For the optimistic: Let a smile be your umbrella.
And for the cynical: Yes, that will give you a mouth-
ful of rain.
For the cliche lovers: Bring back the smiley-face
stickers (Ugh! But it is a start, I guess).
As a last reminder: Smile — and let others worry
about what you are up to.

❑

Pinball Wizard

Meisner's Rising Star

When the FOX television network wanted to air a pinball machine-themed
spot for its broadcast of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Detroit,
they contacted a Farmington Hills
podiatrist for advice.
In some circles, Jim Schelberg is
the god of pinball, says his wife
Marilyn. Schelberg, who owns about
60 machines and has two set up in
house, has published the Pingame
Journal for 14 years from home.
"I've had calls from foreign coun-
tries all over the place, thinking this
is a full-scale operation," said
Marilyn, who obviously takes calls
while her husband works his real
job.
Jim loves antiques, he said, and he
became a fan of the old school pin-
ball machines, made of wood, with
vivid colors.
He has done interviews with other
magazines like Popular Mechanics,
GQ, and Cigar Aficionado. FOX
Sports contacted him last November
through the magazine's Web site
with nothing more than an idea, he
said. "They didn't know where to
start. They needed people and
things."
He set them up with designers,
and other pinball industry people to develop the 60-second spot that takes
place inside a pinball machine.
One scene where the pinball is going through the streets of Detroit and caus-
es a taxicab to crash into a fire hydrant took days to shoot, Jim said. They went
to Los Angeles and "blocked off the streets like a movie for about two or three
seconds of the commercial."
A FOX sports graphics team has been working on the spot for about three
months, at a cost of $1 million, including "about eight guys working from 10
a.m. to 2 a.m. for three months doing the animation," he said. "Pudge
Rodriguez is in it, but you hardly know it's him, it happens so fast."
The All-Star game airs July 12 from Comerica Park.

State Rep. Andy Meisner, D-Ferndale, earned the 21st Century Democrats'
2005 Rising Star Award for "representing progressive values, demonstrating a
commitment to grassroots organizing and passionately believing in America's
greatness to its citizens." This year's presenter was U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of
Illinois.
Kelly Young, executive director of 21st Century Democrats, said Meisner
"leads with conviction and can build
consensus and coalitions around a
long-term vision for America."
The award sponsor was the 13th
largest political action committee in
the nation in 2004, raising $7.8 mil-
lion.
"21st Century Democrats and the
hundreds of people who made my
election possible didn't help send me
to Lansing to play it safe," Meisner
said in his acceptance speech on June
20. "They're looking for leadership
and someone who will take a risk if
it's the right thing to do."

— Robert A. Sklar, editor

Sen. Obama and Rep. Meisner

Quotable

"Am I supposed to turn my back on lower Manhattan as it struggles to
recover? For what? A stadium? For the hope of bringing the Olympics to
New York City?"

— New York State Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver, vetoing and effectively
killing the $1.9 billion bid to build a new football stadium for the Jets to help
bring the 2012 Olympics to NYC. He represents the largely working-class dis-
trict of Chinatown, the Lower East Side, the Wall Street area and the World
Trade Center site. Quoted in the Forward on June 10.

PLEFBET 'cha Don't Know

— Harry Kirsbaum, staff writer

After entering the land of Canaan and defeating the Canaanite inhabitants,
the ancient Israelites had to fight six other nations. Can you name any?

— Goldfein
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4

6/30
2005

