Front Lines
NOTEBOOK
Mirror, Mirror
A
ccording to poet Emerson, "Beauty is its own
excuse for being?' ("The Rhodora"). It is not,
then, very difficult to call to mind some of the
many descriptive words used to remark on someone's fea-
tures, either due to coloration or size. Let us consider a few.
Many a romance novelist has introduced us to a raven-
haired beauty. That she had black hair just doesn't cut it.
(Of course, that then reminds me of : Do you know Poe's
Raven? No; what's he mad about?) Ah, but I digress ...
There are also heroines who have corn silk hair: It is fine
like silk. The attention is not meant to be drawn to the fact
that it is mousy brown like corn silks; goodness, where is
your artistic eye?
Some females in the books have copper tresses. Isn't it interesting
that to describe the hair as rusty is not good; to use that as a nick-
name for a redhead is not so bad. Hmmm.
The eyes have their own set of distinctive colorations. Black-eyed
Susan as a flower is lovely; as a person, she needs social services. If
one is doe-eyed, we picture eyes of a soft brown, just like Bambi's
mom ... let's not go there or I'll choke up. If a character is red-eyed,
he may be devilish, drunk or just arrived from a late-night flight.
Apple-cheeked children just beg to be pinched by well meaning
aunts. Ruby lipped models abound in advertising. And who has not
Moving Up
Veteran staff writer Shell Liebman Dorfman has
been promoted to senior writer on the basis of her
strong reporting and community watchdog skills,
announced Editor Robert Sklar of the Detroit
Jewish News.
"Over the past 10 years, Shelli has grown from
proofreading to working as a staff writer," Sklar
SheIli Dorfman
said. "For the past nine years, she has handled the
spirituality beat as well as developing some of our
toughest and most important stories in a variety of subject areas?'
The Cleveland native was raised in Detroit. She holds an undergradu-
ate degree in communication disorders and graduate degrees in speech
and language pathology from Fontbonne College in St. Louis. She
previously was director of speech and language pathology at Medical
Rehabilitation Services in West Bloomfield and a voice and diction
instructor at the Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts in Southfield.
Dorfman and her husband, Michael, have three children and two
grandchildren. They are members of Ohel Moed Shomrey Emunah
and Congregation Shaarey Zedek, both in Oakland County.
SouperBowl Helps Homeless
Congregation Shaarey Zedek will host its second annual SouperBowl
to host the homeless beginning at 7:30 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 4, at the
Southfield synagogue, 27375 Bell Road.
More than 400 people are expected to participate in a day filled
with meals served restaurant-style by volunteers, activities for chil-
dren, bingo with prizes, job counseling from JITS professionals and
consultations with volunteer doctors. Volunteers are needed to help
prepare food from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2. Jobs on Sunday include
welcoming guests, serving food, cleaning up and accompanying
guests to and from the synagogue on buses. Volunteer hours run from
6:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. To volunteer, call (248) 357-5544.
Other opportunities include donations of cash, new blankets,
toiletries, prizes and bus cards. These may be dropped off at the
synagogue. Checks should be made payable to Congregation Shaarey
Zedek/SouperBowl 2007 and mailed to 27375 Bell Road, Southfield,
MI 48034. Include SouperBowl 2007 on the envelope.
- Keri Guten Cohen, story development editor
8
February 1 • 2007
been lured by a set of pearly-white teeth? The latter are to
be preferred to "eyes like stars" — they come out at night.
Bearded men do not always fair well in prose. Redbeard
and Blackbeard were famous pirates. Bluebeard was a
killer. Greybeard — well, that could be any old man and it
is usually not used as a complimentary term.
The chiseled profile, at one time, was a must-have for
Hollywood actors. However, one with a Roman nose was
to be preferred over the pinched-nose look (think Wicked
Witch of the West). The rubicund (red) nose was made
famous by W.C. Fields and has been carried on by drunks
for many a year.
If you suffer from Dumbo ears, you can either go with it (Clark
Gable and Buckwheat) or have them pinned back. However, if some-
one offers to "pin your ears back',' I'd suggest leaving hastily to avoid
fisticuffs.
Whatever our features, they are ours and we should be content.
Consider this little rhyme:
As a beauty, I'm not a star.
There are others more handsome by far.
But my face, I don't mind it
'Cause I am behind it.
It's people out front get the jar. El
Key State Post
State Rep. Andy Meisner, D-Ferndale, was appointed chair of the State
House Commerce Committee, allowing him to showcase Oakland
County's economic development tools as models for reversing
Michigan's economic downturn.
"Oakland County has set the standard for government involve-
ment in economic development, regional cooperation and market-
ing," Meisner said. "I plan to showcase some of our successes — like
Automation Alley — as models for the entire state to follow."
Committee priorities include moving the Michigan Spirit of
Entrepreneurship Initiative, a multipoint plan to ignite entrepreneur-
ship as a way to diversify Michigan's economy through small business
creation. MSEI will focus on workers hit by the automotive industry
buyouts and the Pfizer downsizing.
The committee also will look at the Google model of business
attraction by promoting investment in higher education, mass transit
and community safety.
"When Ann Arbor landed Google and the 1,000 jobs it created;'
Meisner said, "it was not just tax incentives that attracted the high-
tech firm; it was a well-educated workforce and an attractive com-
munity with safe streets and good public schools. Michigan needs to
invest in job attraction strategies that actually work?'
- Robert A. Sklar, editor
World Premiere
West Bloomfield High School is staging its fourth annual WB Film
Festival this weekend, highlighting student-
made short films and a student written, direct-
ed, acted and produced feature-length film.
The short films will be shown 8 p.m. Friday,
Feb 2. The feature film, Curtain Call, will pre-
miere 8 p.m. Saturday. Curtain Call is a film
noir comedy and more than 100 students par-
ticipated in its production, under the direction
of teacher Micah J. Greene.
Junior Steven
Tickets are $5 each or $7 for both nights.
Kanter is second
assistant director.
- Alan Hitsky, associate editor
JNenlIne
This Week
J Blog
Arnie Goldman, 50 years
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with his nostalgic musings
about Detroit Jewish life
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China Punim, 4-year-old
Amanda?
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Results from last week's poll
question:
Do you agree with President
Bush's assessment of the state
of the union?
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