frontlines
for
Famous Lost Words
"The Earth is degenerating today.
Bribery and corruption abound.
Children no longer obey their
parents ... and it is evident
that the end of the world is fast
approaching."
Shortsightedness can also be
attributed to the Spanish Royal
Commission when they rejected
Christopher Columbus' proposal to
sail west with the words, "So many
centuries after the Creation, it is
unlikely that anyone could find hith-
hough it seems that this
erto unknown lands of any value." I
quote may have appeared in
am sure that the space agency is not
some recent news-
using the same thought
paper because of its timely
process on exploration. Of
description, it actually is
course, in 1936, the New
attributed to a writer of an
York Times carried the
Assyrian tablet, c. 2,800
statement, "A rocket will
B.C.E. When it comes to the
never be able to leave the
state of things in the world
Earth's atmosphere."
or especially inventiveness,
When it comes to inven-
we sometimes seem to be
tions, it is vital that one see
rather shortsighted.
the broader scope. When
These troubling times
they do not ... well, con-
have, unfortunately, reared
sider:
Sy M anello
their ugly presence before
• "Who wants to hear
Edit orial
this. In 1929, Irving Fisher
actors
talk?" (H.M. Warner,
Assi stant
was quoted as observing
founder of Warner Brothers
that, "Stocks have reached what looks film studios, 1927)
like a permanently high plateau." And
• "This telephone has too many
then came that October!
shortcomings to be seriously con-
Can you imagine the dismay of the
sidered as a means of communica-
owners of Decca Records to recall
tion. The device is inherently of no
their words in 1962: "We don't like
value to us." (Western Union internal
their sound. Groups of guitars are on
memo, 1876)
the way out." These words were used
•"Everything that can be invented has
in rejecting the Beatles.
been invented." (Charles H. Duell, corn-
T
JNCONTENTS
missioner, U.S. office of Patents, 1899)
• "Radio is just a fashion contriv-
ance that will soon die out. It is obvi-
ous that there will never be invented
a proper receiver!" (Thomas Edison)
• "You're planning to make a ship
sail against the wind and tide by
lighting a fire below deck? I don't
have time to listen to that kind of
nonsense!" (Napolean, about Robert
Fulton's plans to make a steamboat).
Now for the piece de resistance.
Consider the various forms of
pocket-size communicators, the many
in-home, active participant video
games, etc., and recall the words
of Ken Olson, president, chairman
and founder of Digital Equipment
Corp., when he said in 1977, "There
is no reason anyone would want a
computer in their home."
These historic blunders should
remind us that nothing is impossible;
nothing should be rejected out of
hand. I I
theJEWISFINEW&com
Aug. 18-24, 2011 18-24 Av 5771 I Vol. CXL, No. 2
Ann Arbor
Around Town
Arts/Entertainment
Business
Calendar
Family Focus
Food
Life Cycles
Marketplace
Metro
Obituaries
18
14
47
28
20
34
51
54
57
8
66
Points Of View
Sports
Staff Box/Phone List
Synagogue List
Teen2Teen extra
Torah Portion
World/Israel
31
46
6
44
42
43
30
Shabbat: Friday, Aug. 19, 8:10 p.m.
Shabbat Ends: Saturday, Aug. 20, 9:12 p.m.
Shabbat: Friday, Aug. 26, 7:59 p.m.
Shabbat Ends: Saturday, Aug. 27, 9 p.m.
Times according to Yeshiva Beth Yehudah
calendar.
Columnist
Danny Raskin
Robert Sklar
Shabbat Lights
53
31
The Power of Recycling
Hebrew Free Loan gives interest-
free loans to members of our
community for a variety of
personal and small business
needs. HFL loans are funded
entirely through community
donations which continually
recycle to others, generating
many times the original value
to help rnairaaig - lilies of
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for help with their wedding expenses.
"There were a lot of things to pay for
at once, and HFL helped us out," Ken
said. "Things were better then. We
repaid HFL and established our family"
Then, the economy changed, and
Ken was "surplused" from his secure,
well-paying job with AT&T. He found
other work, but was asked to move on
when he took extended leave to help
care for his autistic son, and then for
Lisa during an illness. Ken took other
work when it became available, but
found nothing that adequately sup-
ported his family. The family came
back to HR.. for help with expenses.
"The help Hebrew Free Loan gave
us couldn't have come at a better
time," Ken said. He continues to seek
work while marketing Ken Shaw Media
Streams, an Internet radio creation
business which also represents
progressive-style recording artists.
`Things are looking up," Ken said.
"I'm getting some replies to my job
search, and my company is beginning
to take off. Now it's just a question of
timing, and being positive."
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Ken Shaw and Lisa Billershaw came
to Hebrew Free Loan many years ago
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WERE PART OF THE TEAM
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1Sil i smg4
Mar
August 18 2011
3