24 North Shore Towers Courier n September 2016 BY PAUL NETTLER On August 11th, once again we had the pleasure of hearing from Stuart Chizzik, the Director of Development for the New York Tri-State Region of the Weizmann Institute. Stuart spoke to an audience of more than 75 members and guests as he described some of the latest projects and achievements in which the Institute is involved. Stuart is most proud, as well he should be, that the Weizmann Institute ranked tenth out of the 750 most prestigious research institutions in the world, according to a review by The Center for Science and Technology in The Netherlands. It was the only research institution in the top 10 outside of the United States. Working at the Institute, there are 200 principal scientists who are granted 2 patents per week on average. The Institute is funded by both donations and royalties on licensing agreements. The agreements have a recall feature, so if the Institute is not satisfied with the way the agreement is working out, it can withdraw the license, a hoarding preventative. Stuart distributed brochures, which described in great detail some of the activities of the Institute. Among the articles was the development of a prostate cancer treatment drug, called TOOKAD, which has been approved by the Mexican government; progress in stem cell research; and a serendipitous discovery, which made conception possible for women who had difficulty conceiving In Vitro. There also was an article on how the old theory that there was no communication between the brain and the immune system was debunked. This means that the brain and the body’s immune systems do interact and could lead to Alzheimer treatment drugs. Did you know that the body has an ecosystem? It’s called the Microbiome and consists of millions of bacteria, fungi and viruses all cohabitating in our gut. They determine one’s blood sugar level, and the responses to the same food can differ from person to person or even time of day. Ice cream may be good for me, but bad for you. And another thing that may be bad for you, which the studies show, are those sugar substitutes that you think help you lose weight. They can actually lead to obesity and diabetes. To the stars and beyond! Well, not quite, only the moon. It appears Weitzman’s avuncular inquisitive DNA goes beyond our bodies and into space. In the recent past, Weitzman has recruited a cadre of bright young astrophysicists, which no doubt has played a part in Israel’s race to put an unmanned spacecraft on the moon. The contest is called the “Google Lunar XPRIZE” and has attracted 16 contestants from around the world. Israel has been the only one so far to have its plan approved and hopes to launch by the end of the year. Bottom line: The world is a better place because of the Weitzman Institute. The speaker at our next meeting on September 8th will be Anne Markowitz Recht, whose topic will be “Aging Well at Home,” which should be of immense interest to all of us. Recht is a licensed Social Worker and a certified care manager. She is the founder and CEO of the AMR Care Group and is formerly the Director of The Guardianship Program for The Family and Children’s Association. Recht received a Bachelor’s Degree from Albany State University and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Adelphi University, and has spoken about various topics, relating to Geriatric Care Management and elder care issues, to The New York State Bar Association, The National Business Institute, The Association of the New York City Bar’s Health Law Committee, as well as other professional groups. She is the recipient of The Long Island Alzheimer’s Foundation’s Outstanding Service Award (2004) and is a member of the Bioethics Committee of the Cobble Hill Nursing Home. Recht also serves on the Board of Directors for the New York State Chapter of the Aging Life Care Association and is on the Advisory Board for Sid Jacobson JCC’s VTech Program, which finds jobs for people with disabilities. Several of August’s events will take place after this month’s issue goes to press, so they will be reported on next month. However, our Bingo Night was a huge success with about 75 players. The highlight of the evening—other than someone winning $200—was a game called Knockout Bingo. Don’t know what that is? Come down to the large card room at 7 p.m. on August 28th to find out. During the month, we viewed a documentary film on Ronald Reagan’s presidency, which emphasized his popularity and failed economic policies. On the 15th, many of us delighted in satisfying our gustatory demands at Jonathan’s in Garden City Park (see photo above). A good time was had by all. On Thursday, September 15th at 7:30 p.m., our club will be presenting an Entertainment and Talent Show in the lower level card room. We will have the well-known Lucky Tones Trio, Marty Silver on the keyboard, a male and female singer and male and female comedian. All are welcome. Refreshments will be served. There will be a $5 charge for all nonmembers. For more information, call our in-house impresario, Bud Bank at 347-502-7365. The highlight of our yearlong calendar of events will be our annual dinner at the Swan Club in Glenwood Landing on Tuesday, September 13th at 6:30 p.m. There will be several choices on the menu, cold and hot passed hors d’oeuvres, an open bar and a DJ for our dancing pleasure. The cost is $34 for members and $60 for wives and significant others. Please send your checks to Toby Horowitz in Building #3. Seating will be assigned, so note with whom you would like to sit. If you have any questions, you can reach Toby at 718-279-0082. As usual, our Current Events Group meeting covered a wide range of topics. The growth of the economy was discussed and of course the presidential race. One member wanted to know what might happen if Trump dropped out of the race. Interesting question. A discussion about voting rights was triggered by an article, which noted that in some states where there is voting discrimination and which require a photo ID, the motor Vehicle Bureaus will be shut down until after the election. The situation in Turkey was touched upon as it has potential impact on us as well as on ISIS, NATO and Israel. Also, we discussed if the payment to Iran was really due them or was it ransom money. The next meeting will be on September 12th at 10:30 a.m. in the Coleridge lounge. For information call, Lee Hiller at 347-502-7112. The last book discussed by the Book Group was “1941: Fighting the Shadow of War” by Marc Wortman. The next meeting will be held on September 26th at 10:30 a.m. in the Coleridge lounge. The leader will be Ron Gold and the book will be announced shortly. For information, call Ralph Edwards at 457-235-0472. And don’t forget breakfast at Buffy’s every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:15 a.m. Those breakfast specials are a real bargain. As you all probably know, the term of office for our officers and Board will be over in November. A form was recently emailed to the membership requesting members to nominate themselves, if they wish to be an officer or have a seat on the Board. The recommendations of the Nominating Committee, along with any additional nominees, will be presented to the membership at the October meeting and voted upon at that time. The newly elected officers and Board members will assume their offices at the November meeting. The deadline for submitting nominations is August 31st. If you want additional information, contact Toby Horowitz at 718-279-0082. Men’s Club
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