24 North Shore Towers Courier n May 2016 Men’s Club On April 14th, Lou Uchitelle was the guest speaker of the North Shore Towers Men’s Club. Lou is an author and writer on economic issues. Fighting a hoarse throat soothed by the rapt attention of his audience of more than 50 members and guests, Lou tried to make sense of the campaigns of Trump and Sanders, who have both captured the hearts and souls of much of America’s middle class. One of Lou’s first comments was that trying to make true sense of the campaigns is like the blind leading the blind. Trump and Sanders are really both sides of the same coin. It seems that the surprising support for these populists apparently reflects how discouraged many people have become, because they have either lost their jobs and can’t find new ones, or have had to accept lower paying ones. Many factory jobs have disappeared and the satisfying union jobs are diminishing. Lou provided us with many statistics to prove his point. He commented on the fact that many jobs have gone to other countries—he is not a fan of the Free Trade Agreements. Lou also believes Trump is a racist, a belief which many others share, and thinks that if Obama were white, Trump wouldn’t be running. He wouldn’t have to prove anything. Lou has been writing and speaking (one might even say preaching) about the loss of manufacturing jobs for many years. In addition to articles in various publications, about ten years ago he wrote a book, entitled “The Disposable American: Layoffs and Their Consequences” and will shortly have another book published, entitled “Making It: Why Manufacturing Still Matters.” It should be noted that Lou’s presentation was a little unusual, because in the Q & A afterwards, several in the audience, not only asked questions, but also made comments and statements, reflecting experiences of their own. Lou relished this part of the program. Our speaker at our next monthly meeting, on Thursday May 12th, will once again be Jack Belello, who will speak to us about the Civil War. If you recall, the last time he addressed us he spoke movingly about certain events that occurred in WWII. Jack is a novelist and historian. He received a Fulbright Scholarship and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Kappa Delta honorary fraternities. One of his novels, entitled “Bonds of War,” is a WWII Vietnam historic fiction. Another, entitled “American Patrol,” is a suspense action thriller and was nominated for the National Book Award. On April 11th, the Book Group met for what proved to be a lively discussion about “Ally: My Journey Across the American-Israeli Divide,” a memoir by former Israeli Ambassador Michael B. Oren, respected historian and author. Born and raised in the U.S., Oren had to give up his U.S. citizenship to take on the Israeli ambassadorship, which he held from 2009 to 2013. It was a period of huge upheavels in the Middle East. The complex relationship between Obama and Netanyahu was discussed at length, with Ted Baron leading the session. The next meeting of the Book Group will be held on May 16th at 10:30 in the Coleridge Lounge. The book to be discussed is “Dead Wake” by Eric Larson. It’s about the sinking of the Lusitania. The book is available at the Glen Oaks Library. For further information, contact Ralph Edwards at 347-235-0472. BY PAUL NETTLER As usual, many topics were touched upon at the monthly meeting of our Current Events Group led by Ralph Edwards. And given this moment in time, the primaries and caucuses were the main topic of discussion. Also discussed was BDS (boycott, divestiture, sanctions) as directed towards Israel. Is it Anti-Semitism? The Zika Virus was brought up as well as the outlandish cost of certain pharmaceuticals. On March 23rd, sixteen of us visited the Cradle of Aviation Museum, preceded by an excellent cafeteria lunch at the Omni. Guided by two docents, who really knew their topic, we were treated to a description of aviation’s history from hot air balloons to jets. To many of us of a certain age, the planes on display brought back memories of pretending to be fighter pilots shooting down Zeros and Messerschmitts. We are still trying to drum up interest for cooking lessons. A kind ex-Home Economics teacher has volunteered her services at a minimal cost to teach the basics, i.e. terminology, measuring, how to read a recipe, etc. Now there’s a skill to impress the ladies. If interested, call Paul Nettler at 347-408-4318. Come on down… for breakfast that is. Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:15 or so we gather at Buffy’s for breakfast and conversation. And considering the primaries, do we have lots to talk about. If you would like to join our Men’s Club or get some additional information, check out our website at northshoretowersmensclub.org or contact our co-president, Toby Horowitz at tmhmgt@yahoo. com or 718-279-0082. Packed room Speaker Lou Uchitelle Photos by Toby Horowitz
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