JI6W NIkl- M i - s k , w dE Front Lines DETROIT JEWISH NEWS DIGEST JNonline.us Advertising Sales Publisher/President Arthur M. Horwitz ahorwitz@renmedia.us Sales Director: Keith Farber kfarber@renmedia.us Account Executives: Ann G. Abrams, Jan Haskell, Melissa Litvin, Heidi Martin, Rick Nessel, Dharlene Norris Senior Sales Assistant: Kim Metzger Same But Different I once heard someone explain a misun- derstanding by saying, "Well, it's the same difference!" Now, if you follow this type of reasoning, let me be quick to assure you that words that may seem synony- mous aren't always so. As one case in point, let us consider the words sack and bag. Yes, they are both useful for describing a type of non-rigid container. However, there are a multitude of uses that carry them separate ways. The bag can also be a rigid container as in a suitcase or a lady's handbag. (The "male" equivalent is referred to as a man purse — you do not want to get me started on that fashion accessory.) If you are left A Matter Of Wealth Two Bloomfield Hills Jews — William Davidson, who died March 13, and A. Alfred Taubman — again made Forbes magazine's annual list of billionaires despite a 30 percent reduction in the num- ber of billionaires listed in the wake of the worldwide recession. Davidson, who died at age 86, ranked 318th with a net worth of $2.1 bil- lion. He was the owner of Guardian Industries. He also owned Palace Sports & Entertrainment, the Detroit Pistons and Business Offices holding the bag, it is far more serious than someone not helping to put away groceries; you've been left to suffer the consequences of whatever has taken place. On the other hand, if something is in the bag, it denotes a success or a certainty. Even if the item in the bag is dead, there is success denoted since killing game is referred to as "bagging." If something should have a bag-like shape, then we may employ the term in describing. Take for example, bags under the eyes and baggy knees in trousers. We could also consider calling the fashion police again at the sight of baggy trousers, those seeming full at the seat and not being worn by a toddler. That style, fortunately, is not my bag (not my area of interest). If you are tired of all this bag talk, you may consider hitting the sack (going to bed); to sack out is a great form of escape. If you do this when on the job, however, you may get the sack (be discharged). Should your job be that of a quarterback in football, you run the risk of getting sacked, meaning that you are tackled behind the line of scrimmage. If you also go in for baseball, you will want to make sure you touch the sack (base) when mak- ing the rounds or you could be called out. In the days of pirates, many villages were sacked (plundered). In France, they may have been looking for sack, a dry white wine. If you are a student of music, then perhaps you have heard of a sackbut, a medieval wind instrument, though I can see where you could use the term as an insult to someone unfamiliar with its meaning. Should the insulted person retaliate, you may be reduced to wearing sackcloth, a coarse cloth donned as a sign of mourning. You could easily raise your spirits by participating in a sack race, at which you climb into a cloth sack and move forward by jumping. Just remember that everyday words can seem the same but can be employed very differently. Have fun. Ell the Detroit Shock. Taubman, 85, ranks 701st with a net worth of $1 billion. The shopping mall magnate founded Taubman Centers. The number of billionaires worldwide dropped from 1,125 in 2008 to 793, the first decrease in six years. Only 18 of the 373 who fell off the list died. Their collective net worth is $2.4 trillion, a drop of $2 trillion from 2008. "It was hard to avoid the carnage, whether you were in stocks, commodities, real estate or technology:' Forbes reported. "Even people running profitable busi- nesses were hammered by frozen credit markets, weak consumer spending or declining currencies?" The top five wealthiest people in the world are: 1) Bill Gates, Microsoft Corp., $40 billion; 2) Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway Inc., $37 billion; 3) Carlos Slim Helu, Mexican businessman, $35 billion; 4) Lawrence Ellison, Oracle Corp., $22.5 billion; 5) Ingvar Kamprad, Swedish retailer Ikea, $22 billion. — Robert Sklar, editor Cap & Gown Section "At its best, organizing raises up the moment of interaction to the most sacred thing that we can do as human beings. It teaches us that relationship is tikkun — it repairs brokenness because it addresses isolation. It encourages us to recognize the person, and the moment, as sacred?" — Rabbi Stephanie Kolin, Temple Israel, Boston, in the "Partners In Power" article, Reform Judaism spring issue about Reform congreqants through- out America engaging In rethinking social action — community organizing The annual Jewish News recognition of top Jewish high school seniors will be published May 21. The deadline for editorial list- ings of a student's achieve- ments is May 1. The deadline for congratulatory advertisements is May 13. For complete information for both listings and ads, go to JNonline.us and click on the Cap & Gown but- ton on the home page. A8 March 26 @ 2009 Creative Services creative@thejewishnews.com Creative Director: Deborah Schultz Contributing Graphic Designer: Lindsay Schwartz Production By VERTIS INC. Site Manager: Scott Drzewiecki Designers: Iris Dembeck, Beth Farley, Kathleen Kargula, Jeffrey Meyer, Pam Sherevan, Michelle Sheridan Photography Staff Photographers: Angie Baan, Armando Rios Editorial Editor: Robert A. 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Sklar IT & Circulation Director: Deanna Spivey Marketing Consultant: Kelli Baird Fulfillment Quotables J Customer Service Assts.: Maya Brodsky, Jan Shain Billing Coordinator: Pamela Turner Collections Analyst: Hazel Bender — using the same community organizing model that propelled President Barack Obama to victory. Our JN Mission The Jewish News aspires to communicate news and opinion that's useful, engaging, enjoyable and unique. It strives to reflect the full range of diverse viewpoints while also advocating positions that strengthen Jewish unity and continuity. We desire to create and maintain a challenging, caring, enjoyable work environment that encourages creativity and innovation. We acknowledge our role as a responsible, responsive member of the community. Being competitive, we must always strive to be the most respected, outstanding Jewish community publication in the nation. 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