6 North Shore Towers Courier n February 2014 Current events with Rhoda Plotkin MEN’S CLUB KEEPS GROWING The North Shore Towers Men’s Club is growing both in membership and activities. We now have 80 members and the list keeps growing. The Men’s Club is filling a need for organized men socializing at North Shore Towers. In December, our board got together with our wives at Picolo Busola in Mineola for a fine dinner and excellent conversation. We plan to have speakers at every meeting after the business portion and that will be open to guests. North Shore Towers Board Chairman Bob Ricken spoke at our January meeting. He discussed what it is like to serve on the Board and gave some insightful comments on leadership. Our February speaker will be Kevin Grant. Kevin is an inspiring motivational speaker who, despite suffering a debilitating accident, plays for the NY Knicks Rollin’ Knicks, a professional wheelchair basketball team. Future speakers include Fred Chernow, who will speak on how to improve one’s memory, a physician specializing in nuclear medicine and a former financial editor of the New York Times. On February 17, many of us will be attending the Michael Bolton concert at Queensboro College, and on February 26 we will be having dinner at a local restaurant, Brasa Rodizio. So far we have about 35 reservations so it should be a fun evening. For information contact Leo Tujak at [email protected]. Our “snow bird” members in Florida will also be having a dinner on January 29. Many other events and activities are being planned, from fishing trips to poker games. If you have any suggestions regarding events or activities, please contact Jerry Gilbert at [email protected]. BY KATELYN DI SALVO Rhoda Plotkin, former President of the Center for the Women of New York, returned to NST on Monday, January 6 for her ongoing series of lectures and discussions on current events. The first topic was the issue of climate change. Plotkin focused on the need for the government to get involved in science, to find a solution for global warming. She argued that climate change was just as important as any problem the government was tackling. She then turned to the decline of the middle class, saying the idea that the younger generation will do better is disintegrating due to a number of causes. Plotkin focused on wage stagnation, saying that because wages are not going up, people are not able to achieve upward mobility. Another major factor she examined was the new Bankruptcy Law passed in 2005, which makes it harder for consumers to get out from under their debts. The new law put people in the middle class in trouble, she observed. “With the demise of the middle class comes the demise of democracy,” Plotkin declared. The interactive portion of the event began with Plotkin asking residents who they felt was a rising star in politics over the past year. Names brought up were: former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton; New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, all considered serious candidates for the Presidency in 2016. While talking about Senator Warren, she asked the residents whether they believed companies should look at credit score when hiring. She then played a video of Warren, a noted consumer advocate, arguing against the idea. Plotkin agreed saying, “This is one more way in which the game is rigged; there is no correlation between credit score and the ability to do a job.” Plotkin concluded the talk by asking residents how they felt about Secretary of State John Kerry’s performance in the Middle East. Many were dissatisfied, saying more needed to be done. Some appreciative audience members remained to continue the lively discussion, until the next examination of current events. HADASSAH HAPPENINGS COMPILED BY LILLY COHEN “Judaism, the Four Thousand Year Story: From Abraham to the 1967 Six-Day War” will be the topic of Arnold Levine’s presentation at the Migdal/ HADASSAH open meeting on Thursday, February 20 at 7:30 p.m. in the Coleridge Lounge. Mr. Levine has pursued his lifelong passion for the study of Jewish history, philosophy and Zionism. He is a Modern Orthodox Jew. He and his wife are frequent travelers to Israel, where they also visit their children, grandchildren and a great-grandchild who lives there. A retired corporate executive in finance and administration, Mr. Levine is an experienced teacher. He has taught at the 92nd Street Y and Lander Touro College, as well as trained corporate staff. He lectures periodically at the Personal Enrichment in Retirement (PEIR) Program at Hofstra University. The HADASSAH Book Club will meet, Wednesday, February 26 at 2 p.m. in the Coleridge Lounge. Arlen Augenbraun will lead a discussion of The Innocents by Francesca Segal. Hadassah’s Yiddish Vinkle continues to meet every Tuesday morning in the Coleridge Lounge at 10 a.m. For information about joining the group, contact Roz Chumsky at 718-279- 1270.
NST022014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above