Something Extra

K

3, 0 T E

The Magic Box

However, when they went to view a tape, they got a
nce upon a time, a couple lived deep in the
picture but no sound and no way to call up the menu
suburbs with their cable TV.
to program their favorite shows for taping.
One day, a sweet voice called on
When contacted, the voice of the BBCC
the phone to offer the couple on-demand
said it would dispatch a technician. Two
service at no additional cost. The voice
days later he arrived and explained that the
was really the Big Bad Cable Company
other techs had not connected everything
(BBCC) and the no-additional cost bore
the right way. He did what they hadn't and
an astrisk as large as all outdoors, limiting
left.
the offer to one year (if they were lucky.)
The BBCC then dispatched a bill for the
The couple agreed and a technician
new magic box, charging the couple for a
arrived, plugged in the magic box, handed
week of new service from before the magic
Sy Ma nello
them a new remote, rattled off a few
box arrived, plus special channels that they
Edito rial
words about the buttons and left.
did not have, plus lots of taxes that put the
Assis tant
The couple wanted to see their favorite
cost way above what was promised —
shows but were unable to get the remote
remember the astrisk?
to work properly; then the TV went to
"Oh, of course, we can adjust all that," said the
snow and so they called back the BBCC asking for
sweet voice of the BBCC. And she did.
help. "Of course," cooed the sweet voice (she also
Well, one night, the power went out deep in the
offered an apple from the Tree of Knowledge),"let me
suburbs and the couple was forced to do without the
•
send out a technician?'
magic box and had to read books from the library by
One week later and two hours beyond the prom-
flashlight. And do you know what? They found that
ised time, a technician came in, checked the magic
they did not miss the magic box at all so they
box and tried to explain the workings of the remote.
arranged to cancel the service.
"You must," he advised, "continue to use the other
The moral is that sometimes progress is struc-
remotes that you have for your TV and the
tured to make you think you need something but
DVD/VCR." And he left.
the true magic is still in your own ability to use
The couple went to watch TV, which seemed to
your imagination.
work, thanks to the magic box and the pressing of
the right combination of buttons on the remote.

0

❑

Julia Carson with her board game

You Be The President

Former Detroiter Julie Winsen isn't mad at the Bush
administration. She's just found a way to let you play a lit-
tle politics.
Her board game, "Wreck the Nation," has become such a
big hit in its first year that the Chicago Tribune last month
named it "one of 20 cool board games" for 2005.
Players race to spend billions of dollars in play money
while following real Bush policies. And, if you don't
believe that the card you draw is based on the real thing,
you can go to the game's Web site to check the sources.
The San Diego-based Winsen, who now goes by the
name of Julia Carson, and business partner Jennifer
McGlynn of Los Angeles (a Republican, who had a broth-
er serving in Iraq when the game was created) have sold
several thousand of the $30 games. One of their best cus-
tomers is the Democratic National Committee, which
gives the game to major donors.
This is the first game created by the duo.
Winsen/Carson is a 1975 graduate of Berkley (Mich.)
High School and earned a degree in marketing and the-
ater at Cal State-Northridge. Her husband is an economics
professor at the University of California San Diego and
she teaches a class there in oral presentation skills and
accent reduction.
Carson knows her market. "Hard-core Republicans
aren't going to like 'Wreck the Nation:" she says, "but
moderate Republicans might."

- Alan Hitsky, associate editor

Nathan Segal, 14 of Huntington Woods carries a box of canned goods.

to the sorting room at Gleaners.

nurnEr 'cha Don't Know

Can you name the leaders in Israel's history
who spoke English as their first language?

Mammoth Mitzvah!

Larry Imerman of Bloornfield Hills was pleasantly surprised by the efficiency of his work crew as part of
the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's Mitzvah Day at Gleaners Community Food Bank in Pontiac
on Christmas Day.
"We processed donations from Toledo and I was shocked that we were able to unbox and sort 15,000
pounds of groceries in two and a half hours," he said.
Imerman was the site coordinator at Gleaners. He had 25 Jewish volunteers on hand to allow Christians
who normally would work to be home celebrating Christmas with their families on Sunday, Dec. 25.
In the spirit of tikkun olam (repair of the world) and interfaith relations building, Mitzvah Day brought
together 30 volunteer site coordinators and 800 Jewish volunteers who worked two- to four-hour shifts to
brighten Christmas for the Christian community.

- Goldfein

.

4eueibv uouiNS

luamsaid ;mop atuaidns 'boziaH AnaleH peesl
meuzpA lqqe8 lamp 'ueq3 eqqv JalsmgAi ubpickd

'suaiv ausoini Jalsmuni asuajaa 'boziaH Lu!9 1.10
}uamsaid 1 .1 ysi eptoo Jalsmpsi atupd :Jamsulf

- Robert A. Sklar, editor

Copyright 2006, Jewish Renaissance Media

January 5 - 2006 11