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Since You Asked

T

here are writings along the lines of Everything You Wanted to
Know About But Were Afraid To Ask. The blank could be
sleep, deafness, sex or sea ice. It makes one wonder whatever
happened to seeking out our elders for pertinent advice.
Well, no, you can't just ask your folks. After all, they are so out of
touch, what help could they possibly be? And so
we turn elsewhere.
Our immigrant forbears sought help adjust-
ing to a new land and so was born the "Bintl
Brief" in the Yiddish Forward. These folk did
not have anyone to turn to about managing in
the Goldinah Medina (Golden Land). Advice
was offered on jobs, personal relationships and
coping skills.
Once we mastered the language and the
nuances
of coping, we started to look at some very
Sy Manello
strange
sources
for "advic' Many of them were
Editorial
what
I
would
consider
based on superstition.
Assistant
Take for example the Ouija Board. This exam-
ple of "paranormal and supernatural forces at
work" was quite popular in early 20th century America and has always
maintained a following. There are stalwarts who fervently believe
that spirits are guiding the marker. These folk are also devotees of the
Magic 8 Ball. Who would not want to have any daily problem solved
with a mere shake of the object and turn of the hand? And, as long as
the liquid inside holds out, your supply of advice is everlasting.

AEPi's Smaller Move
The Michigan State University chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity
has temporarily moved into a smaller home at 120 Spartan St. in East
Lansing while they wait for further action from the city and their
hoped-for landlord. MSU classes began Monday, Aug. 25.
AEPi was hoping to move into a 14,000-square-foot former frater-
nity house on Grand River, but the landlord has not completed major
repairs and is facing a zoning issue.
On Aug. 21, the East Lansing Housing Commission tabled AEPi's
request for a temporary occupancy permit. The commission said no
action was necessary until the city's Zoning Board of Appeals ruled on
the zoning issue.
The zoning issue may be decided Sept. 4.
AEPi parent Ron Siegel of West Bloomfield, an attorney, spoke to the
East Lansing mayor and fire chief at the Aug. 21 meeting. They said
the Grand River house still had numerous code violations that needed
to be addressed. But the mayor was hopeful the zoning board would
allow the structure to be used as a fraternity house.

- Alan Hitsky, associate editor

Helping Homeless Students
Homeless Oakland County kids will receive school-supply filled
backpacks thanks to the generosity of the National Council of Jewish
Women/Greater Detroit Section.
NCJW is donating 500 filled backpacks to the Oakland Schools
Homeless Student Education Program, reports Susan Benson, an
Oakland Schools director.
The program serves homeless students in all 29 Oakland County
school districts. Oakland County has between 2,000 and 6,000 home-
less students.
"Sadly, there is a growing need for this program and supplies such
as those being generously donated by the NCJW:' said Dr. Vickie

A10 August 28 • 2008

Latest From Israel

The superstitious — though they are not wont to take on that label
— have also been known to use fortune-producing scales, fortune
telling machines and even fortune cookies. Yes, to some, that Chinese
taste treat is more than a dessert. Some actually feel that their prob-
lems are solved. Just think, you also get some great numbers to bet on
in the lottery with many of the slips of paper.
There are also those who still prefer to talk to someone and so our
advice seekers turn to the likes of Ann Landers and her ilk. I am not
sure that I would want to air my problems that way — so publicly.
Also, how meaningful can the answers be from someone who is not
familiar with you personally? Oh, yes, generic answers are fine, but
only for generic problems.
Well, we seem to have come to the epitome of sources of advice. A
recent newspaper article called attention to the fact that for a fee of
$15 a question (or a rather high monthly subscription fee), you can
log on to a site and get your questions answered. Again, how someone
who does not know you or all the contingencies of a situation can give
a meaningful reply, I'm not sure. Apparently, there are others more
sure than I; the site is going great guns.
If you do not want personal advice, you can always long on to Ask
Jeeves (which is now Ask.com ). And there are sites to give you (gener-
ic) career advice. I guess that if you want to know, there are places
to seek out answers; but I'm not convinced that I need to pay for it.
There are so many I know who would give advice for free — much of
it actually worth hearing.

❑

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What Have I Got To
Lose?

Check in on Story
Development
Editor Keri
Cohen's quest for
fitness and weight
loss. There's a lot
to learn along the ir
way, as she says
in this new blog post.
Only at JNonline.us . Go to
the right side of the homep-
age and click on the box
that says What Have I Got
To Lose?

Celebrations!

NCJW backpack project volunteers Fran Stern, Sally Mayer,
Sharon Schmidt and Carol Pales

Find weekly listings of births,
b'nai mitzvah, engagements,
weddings and anniversaries
as well as past simchahs all
online. They are all bundled
under each week's publica-
tion date.
Just visit JNonline.us and
click on Lifecycles on the
left.

Online Poll

Markavitch, Oakland Schools superintendent. "We will deliver these
backpacks and school supplies to youngsters who are in great need of
a helping hand. Thank you, NCJW, for your caring and kindness."
A grant written by Susan Gertner, Metro Detroit's NCJW director,
funded NCJW's donation. NCJW leveraged the grant dollars by buying
the backpacks and supplies at Meijer, which awarded an additional
discount.
Ellie Slovitz co-chairs the NCJW Community Outreach Committee
with Sherri Lumberg.
"We've been supporting back-to-school projects such as this one for
sometime Slovitz said.
"We learned about the Oakland Schools Homeless Student
Education Program after Hurricane Katrina, when homeless
Louisiana families temporarily relocated in the Detroit area and we've
been fans ever since
Sharon Schmidt chaired the NCJW backpack project.

Notebook on page Al2

- Robert A. Sklar, editor

This week's poll question:
Was U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden
of Delaware the best choice
for the Democratic nomina-
tion for vice president?
Visit the JNonline.us
homepage, below the left
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Last week's question:
Did watching the Olympics
make you start exercising
more to get in shape?
Last week's poll results:
Yes: 50%
No: 50%

