4 | SEPTEMBER 2 • 2021
PURELY COMMENTARY
continued on page 6
for openers
Name That Man
W
hat shall we name
the baby? This is
a question that is
often posed by new parents.
How many realize that the
names for boys
that are chosen
are actually part
of our everyday
parlance?
By GEORGE,
it sometimes
seems that every
TOM, DICK
and HARRY has a commonly
used moniker. But let me be
FRANK; finding a suitable
name is not like playing
Where’s WALDO?
Alcohol and drinks made
therefrom are laden with
men’s names though why
these are masculine is a won-
der. (What latent suggestion is
there?) Consider: ROB ROY
cocktail, JOHNNIE Walker
and gin RICKEY.
Well, it would be just JIM
dandy to be able to get a cup
of JOE without having to
JAYwalk and be a mindless
pedestrian. Out of funds? (No
BENJAMINs?) Do not get in
the habit or robbing PETER
to pay PAUL; that is rarely
a good solution. Be wary of
MAXing out your credit; get-
ting BILLs in the mail is no
fun.
I do not JOSH when I say
that seeing a skater perform
a double AXEL is a real treat.
Some even perform twirls
while holding on to a partner’s
HANK of hair! That’s a perfor-
mance after which you could
“drop the MIKE.” CAR(R)Y
that picture with you!
Ever feel like hang-gliding
over a CLIFF? Well, GRANT
me the assurance that you will
DON protective clothing and
then that will be JAKE with
me.
At this point, I VAN(t) you,
dear readers, to find some of
the MAN(N)Y other exam-
ples that are out there. When
you do, well, then BOB’s your
uncle!
As I was getting ready to
end this article, I had a vision
of female protesters who
ROSE to call me to task for
not getting a PEARL of an
idea and to formulate a col-
umn of women’s names. Please
have the GRACE to be patient
and I promise to develop that
soon.
Sy Manello
Editorial
Assistant
essay
Living in a Pandemic
A reflection on the past year.
O
riginally, I started my
journey as an under-
graduate student at
Wayne State as a biology major.
However, after taking a few bio
classes, I found quickly that this
would not be the
route for me and
got on track to
become a public
health major
instead.
At the begin-
ning of my
second semester, now public
health major, my life went on as
normal. Besides beginning to
hear of the coronavirus in the
news and discussing it with my
professors and peers, it had no
major presence in my day-to-
day life.
I was a happy, normal college
student. I ate in the dining hall,
went to all my classes in person,
and slept in the on-campus
dorms. It was a conventional
college experience. I went
out with friends, studied in
the library, suffered through
my midterms and was even
planning a trip to New York at
the end of the semester.
I had made wonderful
connections with Hillel of
Metro Detroit’s Jewish Student
Organization on campus
and met some amazing new
friends. I attended Hillel’s
events and even organized
some of my own. At Wayne, I
felt safe expressing my Jewish
faith and religion openly,
knowing that Hillel was like a
family on campus that would
always welcome me for a
Shabbat dinner or a coffee
and understand me spiritually.
Everything was going according
to plan!
The email students received
extending spring break for
another two weeks was at first a
welcome surprise. I, along with
my friends, took it as a bonus,
a chance to relax a bit more
before the insanity of finals
fell upon us. However, about
three weeks in, we noticed this
seemingly small change in plan
was nothing short of a single
falling domino in a cascade of
changes that would alter our
daily lives.
A DRASTIC CHANGE
As the pandemic came upon
us in full force, my normal
Loren Safta
jewish@edu
writer