MEN’S CLUB
BY PAUL NETTLER
Photo by Arnie Rabinowitz
Oh, my achin’ back! Considering
the demographics of
North Shore Towers, that’s
a cry heard frequently here. Why it
aches and what you can do about
it was the subject of Dr. Miranda
Smith’s presentation at our December
meeting. Dr. Smith is an expert
in the field of Physiatry, a medical
sub-section which focuses on
non-surgical rehabilitation of such
common ailments as lower back
pain. She has an outstanding C/V.
Using a most descriptive slide
show presentation, Dr. Smith
explained how complex the spine
and its component parts are. She
pointed out a thorough exam
should be made as to the cause of
one’s pain. For example, it might
be arthritis related, indicate the
possibility of a stroke or something
one might never think of, such as
the arrangement of one’s work
place, the latter of which is easily
corrected. Treatments might include
physical therapy and/or epidurals
and acupuncture. An informative Q
and A followed her most interesting
presentation.
Our speaker in January will be
Max Alvarez. He is a film historian,
author and speaker. He has been
examining film and society through
a microscope for decades. His cinema
talks are rich in historical and
cultural information and bolstered
with humor and witty anecdotes
about motion pictures and their
colorful creators. His talk should
provide an interesting complement
to our visit to the Museum
of the Moving Image which many
of us visited earlier this month. A
$5 guest fee will be collected at
the door. Coffee and cake will be
served.
Once again members attending
our Current Events Group
displayed a most knowledgeable
command of what is going on in the
world at present. Our first subject of
conversation was General Flynn’s
guilty plea. Our leader this month
was Gary Darche, who prepared a
two-page outline on the subject for
us to follow. Truly a labor of love.
The issue of sexual abuse was
touched upon. One member’s sister
who was a writer in Hollywood had
difficulty getting a job because she
would not succumb. Some believe
Al Franken got a raw deal from
the Democratic party leadership,
because they want to project a
“squeaky clean” image at the next
election while he was re-living his
Saturday Night Live former life.
Compare that to the Republican
party’s support for Roy Moore
despite disclosure of inappropriate
behavior.
Obviously, there were comments
regarding President Trump’s
announcement about moving our
embassy to Jerusalem. The consensus
was history has shown there will
never be peace in the Middle East,
no matter what, and there were
some intense opinions displayed on
the subject. We also discussed how
and from where we get our news
and how slanted those sources can
be. Interestingly enough, no one at
the meeting ever used Twitter and
only a few knew what a hashtag
is. It must be a generational thing.
There was some good news… if you
are a Yankees fan that is.
On November 16, the Men’s
Club visited the Museum of Moving
Image, this country’s only museum
dedicated to film, television and
digital. A group of members and
guests spent an hour and a half with
a docent. It could take more than a
month and a half to see it all, maybe
more. There were many interactive
exhibits to appease the inner child.
Everything which goes into making
a movie and television show from
makeup to costumes, prosthetics,
cameras, face masks, etc. There
was a special exhibit regarding
Jim Henson and his work with the
Muppets. It was truly a fascinating
experience.
Our dining adventures in
November were visits to Moonstone
and The Jolly Fisherman restaurants.
About 20 members attended
each. The nice thing about
Moonstone is we were able to
order our favorite Chinese dish
without having to share. The Jolly
Fisherman was as good as ever.
The value of these lunches and
our informal breakfasts at Buffy’s
three times a week has resulted in
our growing membership and new
friendships being formed among
our members. As of this writing,
we have 131 members.
The Men’s Club has now started
a Financial Group. The object of
the group is not to give advice or
have presentations, but to share
personal financial experiences. For
instance, Steve Weiland explained
his experience with Long Term Care
Insurance and Terry Feit reviewed
the subject of Asset Management.
Financial subjects from the newspapers
were discussed. Ralph
Edwards chaired the meeting. The
next meeting will be in May when
the snow birds return.
Because of the holidays, there
will be no BINGO in December.
If you want more information
about us, call our president, Arnie
Rabinowitz, at 516-317-6705 or
our Events Committee chairman,
Jerry Siegel, at 347-235-4513. If you
would like to join us, call our membership
chairman, Joe DiGiovanni,
at 516-965-9225.
Dr. Miranda Smith talks “back” at December meeting
Jim Henson exhibit at the Queens Museum of Moving Images 30 NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER ¢ January 2018