1. Ray
by: David Virrill <DVirrill@levyboonshoft.com>
2. I mentioned the Digests, but did I mention...?
by: <afine@art-cetera.com>
3. Re: Let Mr. Aschmann rest in peace
by: <tjtorre@optonline.net>
4. hmmm, success...
by: Alison Rempel <cmfuzz-alison@yahoo.com>
5. To Jan
by: Susan Craft <craft@kyowa-kpi.com>
6. Re: NorCal reunion time and a few other bits
by: <dave.walters@comcast.net>
7. Speaking of cousins
by: <dave.walters@comcast.net>
8. RE: more on AP
by: <dave.walters@comcast.net>
9. Re: Heather Schmeltz
by: <dave.walters@comcast.net>
10. Re: (no subject)
by: <NYCFD1@aol.com>
11. Re: Heather Schmeltz
by: Rick Wester <rick_wester@mac.com>
12. Re: I mentioned the Digests, but did I mention...?
by: <JEBWILK@aol.com>
13. A heartwarming story
by: <JEBWILK@aol.com>
14. My Turn
by: Jeff Feinstein <Jeff.Feinstein@cox.net>
15. back to an earlier topic
by: Amy Farber <farberamy@hotmail.com>
16. Re: back to an earlier topic
by: Jeff Feinstein <Jeff.Feinstein@cox.net>
17. Re: dance with AP
by: <dmcquickly@comcast.net>
18. Re: Another Ray memory
by: <dmcquickly@comcast.net>
19. Re: Heather Schmeltz
by: <dmcquickly@comcast.net>
20. Re: More Maslow and my AP perspective
by: <Lotsoffish@aol.com>
21. Mr. Ashchmann & Ray Obriskie
by: ronbo32818@yahoo.com <ronbo32818@yahoo.com>
22. RAY
by: <Lotsoffish@aol.com>
23. AP and RO
by: Lucy Riggs <orymay@optonline.net>
24. Re: calm down big guy !!!!!!!!!!
by: <NYCFD1@aol.com>
25. The Pyramid and 2006 elections
by: lfrancis <louise.francis@comcast.net>
26. The Censored Repeat of the Tom Cruise Episode of "Southpark"
by: <afine@art-cetera.com>
27. Loose Change
by: <afine@art-cetera.com>
28. [Fwd: Tom Cruise episode]
by: <afine@art-cetera.com>
29. Re: The Pyramid and 2006 elections
by: <Captmando@aol.com>
30. Re: AP and RO
by: <Captmando@aol.com>
31. RE: RAY
by: Amy Farber <farberamy@hotmail.com>
32. Re: calm down big guy !!!!!!!!!!
by: <Lotsoffish@aol.com>
33. Re: Let Mr. Aschmann rest in peace
by: <smb9220@comcast.net>
34. Re: Heather Schmeltz
by: <smb9220@comcast.net>
35. Re: AP and RO
by: Glenn Martin <gmartin@adelphia.net>
36. Re: calm down big guy !!!!!!!!!!
by: Keith Kelley <keith_a_kelley@hotmail.com>
37. Cappy
by: <dmcquickly@comcast.net>
38. Re: Let Mr. Aschmann rest in peace
by: <dave.walters@comcast.net>
39. Re: calm down big guy !!!!!!!!!!
by: Keith Kelley <keith_a_kelley@hotmail.com>
40. Teacher Recollections of AP Classes
by: <afine@art-cetera.com>
41. Re: Let Mr. Aschmann rest in peace
by: Nancy Waterous Whitehead <nwwhitehead@astound.net>
42. Re: Let Mr. Aschmann rest in peace
by: <ECRAM123@aol.com>
43. Re: Let Mr. Aschmann rest in peace
by: <NYCFD1@aol.com>
44. Re: Let Mr. Aschmann rest in peace
by: <JEBWILK@aol.com>
45. Re: Let Mr. Aschmann rest in peace
by: Pat Sinatra <psinatra@comcast.net>
46. Re: Let Mr. Aschmann rest in peace
by: Pat Sinatra <psinatra@comcast.net>
47. Re: calm down big guy !!!!!!!!!!
by: Glenn Martin <gmartin@adelphia.net>
48. Re: RAY
by: <Lotsoffish@aol.com>
49. Re: Let Mr. Aschmann rest in peace
by: <Lotsoffish@aol.com>
50. get
by: <afine@art-cetera.com>
-------------------- 1 --------------------
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 14:03:39 -0500
From: "David Virrill" <DVirrill@levyboonshoft.com>
Subject: Ray
I first became aware of Ray in fall, 1969, seventh grade. We played
family tag on the playground during lunch. The diverse crew included
Ray, me, Domenik, Zach, Jamie etc. Ray was fast and followed the rules.
He was also an unmitigated bully during that year. He bragged of teasing
Steve Bass's hair with "Speakeasy", a breath spray of the time. He
picked up Steve Bordy to cram him in a locker. He tackled Jeff Feinstein
when he walked by Jeff, me, Phil Kahn, maybe Art Kozminsky playing touch
football on the lower field of Reynolds after school. Tony Grascia
cheered him on. I don't care if these were cries for help or of pain,
or a wish to be included. Terrorizing with size was an ass-backward way
to be included, and we reveled when Dick Bub turned to him during a gym
class and exploded "Hey O'Briskie, what are you, the class bully! Try
that with me! Go ahead! I said do it son!" Ray was not dressed in the
white t-green shorts combo we were forced to buy from Ben-Sun and was
disrupting Bub's usual inspection ("alright gentlemen, TEN-HUT!!").
Ray
tried to liquefy into the floor as Bub got real close; I thought he was
going to erase Ray's face with his crew cut. Dick Bub was easy to mock
for his military nonsense (even Coach Cos gently mocked it by limply
waving one of his flipper hands and muttering "alright attention"
as a
throwaway before throwing two balls out to 50 kids, commanding "pick
teams" and disappearing into his office) but he was my hero that day.
That said, I last saw Ray in 1990 or '91, I think. He was hitching along
Rosedale to a softball game at Zinsser. I picked him up, and he was
unfailingly courteous (instantly looking for the power window button so
he could dangle his lit weed out of the car) and friendly-we gassed a
bit about family tag which he recalled with a laugh. We had a good time
talking, briefly, about problems of adult life and Hastings crap, like
the youth center and the river. I dropped him at the game, he thanked
me repeatedly for picking him up, and that was that. I left with a good
feeling about him and was saddened to hear that he died in some clown's
botched robbery of a gas station, where Ray was filling up. Have no idea
if that story was true, and can't recall who said it, but if it is true,
getting caught in the switches is a shame for a guy who changed, at
least in simple, social behavior. I thought that if Bingham, Edelman and
I met Ray at a bar in 1990 he'd have been another guy to drink and
bullshit with.
-------------------- 2 --------------------
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 18:15:02 -0500
From: <afine@art-cetera.com> Alan Fine
Subject: I mentioned the Digests, but did I mention...?
Dear Gang,
I mentioned that we have postings dating back to 5/9/99 on the site. I started to look, and found myself lost there, awash with many of the same emotions I had when I first read them.
Of course, it was hard to find anything specific, then I realized I forgot to mention in my email about the digests that I installed a search engine way back then. That means you can search for any key name or word within the site and be presented with links to all the times that word was mentioned. Consider it "Google" within our site.
Try it. Type in your own name and see how many "hits" you might receive. (Not too many hits? You might consider sending more photographs or posting more emails.)
Alan
PS. By the way, our site has been on the internet so long, we are listed in Google upon occasion.
-------------------- 3 --------------------
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 18:19:24 -0500
From: tjtorre@optonline.net (Tom Torre)
Subject: Re: Let Mr. Aschmann rest in peace
Touche! Jan..Charlie Ashmann was a good man and a pretty dam good teacher and dealt with alot of us on very differnt levels...He once told me and a few of my friends (during the moving of us from Reynolds Field ultimately to Hillside Pool Parking Lot) that if we went to Mount Hope we have noone bother us but to make sure we cleaned up the empties when we were through...My point was that he could be different for different people and maybe just maybe he saw in some more than they saw in themselves and tried to push in his own way...lest we forget teachers are humans too!
-------------------- 4 --------------------
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 15:28:07 -0800 (PST)
From: Alison Kraft Rempel <cmfuzz-alison@yahoo.com>
Subject: hmmm, success...
Jan, thanks for a great new thread. I'll bite....
How about - If you're happy, you're successful.
Seems that leaves it totally self-defined, as it should be, IMHO.
Cheers (and cheerfully)
Happy Alison
-------------------- 5 --------------------
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 18:36:53 -0500
From: "Susan Craft" <craft@kyowa-kpi.com>
Subject: To Jan
I don't even know who this Heather person is, but I always thought YOU were way cool (and blond). Sue
-------------------- 6 --------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 00:32:40 +0000
From: dave.walters@comcast.net
Subject: Re: NorCal reunion time and a few other bits
Set the date. Alison, where do you live, Santa Cruz? I'll try to track down Zack again.
David
-------------------- 7 --------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 00:34:03 +0000
From: dave.walters@comcast.net
Subject: Speaking of cousins
Few know this but Cory Shaff was a cuz of mine, as it turned out, we're like 3rd cousins or something like that.
David Walters
-------------------- 8 --------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 00:39:19 +0000
From: dave.walters@comcast.net
Subject: RE: more on AP
Louise, yours is the first public, serious, articulation i've heard of by someone who didn't like Aschmann. Both by brother Jon and my sister Rebecca SWORE by Aschmann and his teaching techniques. So much so it got me NOT to attempt to take his AP class (since I was reguarlly getting D's anyway in English, I wasn't recruitment material for that particular AP class). To be honest, he scared the shit out of me. Both his demeanor and his physical presense turned me off completely.
David Walters
-------------------- 9 --------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 00:43:59 +0000
From: dave.walters@comcast.net
Subject: Re: Heather Schmeltz
Jan, of course, is highly observant, and, 100% correct. As it happens... Heather has come up in just about every little-mini-reunion I've attended in Hastings over the last 30 years and the offical ones as well, usually at night, usually at Maudes.
However, if we can coax Jim Katz. to relate the story he told me at the reunion (the 25th? or the last one, I don't remember) about what happened to him and Cory Shaff while walking past her house, it will totally end any of the 'fanticizing' males of our class may of had or still have about Heather.
And yes, bunches of Class of 75ers have tried to track her down over these many years to get her to the reunion.
David
-------------------- 10 --------------------
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 20:48:09 EST
From: NYCFD1@aol.com (Ray Paletta)
Subject: Re: (no subject)
wow jim
i forgot about the spins !!!!!!!! i started the spins over at the washing
side of the building in the playground-- as far as hank trauma years ago he
hung out with a group of us happily married to Louanne fry ,living in Dobbs
Ferry working with at his father in laws plumbing business-- Louise, you
couldn't resist you weren't gone for more than 24 hours!!
i woke up at 430 this morning just to read more posts !!!!!!!! i think we've
spoken more to each other now , than the 12 years we grew up together, I'm
loving this ! ill be back at 3am to check in again
Ray
-------------------- 11 --------------------
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 20:48:42 -0500
From: Rick Wester <rick_wester@mac.com>
Subject: Re: Heather Schmeltz
Simply put, Heather Schmeltz was heaven, meaning a place I might visit in the briefest moments but will never get to and a feeling I might catch like the quickest fever but will never recover from.
I've learned all I possibly can about myself from Heather Schmeltz but still gaining knowledge about the world from her.
She was a ship that set sail long before I knew how big the sea was.
-------------------- 12 --------------------
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 21:32:12 EST
From: JEBWILK@aol.com (Julie Blasberg Spencer)
Subject: Re: I mentioned the Digests, but did I mention...?
By the way Alan-
It was our (your) site that allowed Bev Fox (Keller Kaufman) to locate me
after almost 20 years of being MIA. She googled my name and ended up at our
site!
Just testimony to your observation.
-Julie
-------------------- 13 --------------------
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 22:48:05 EST
From: JEBWILK@aol.com (Julie Blasberg Spencer)
Subject: A heartwarming story
In case any of you missed it, here is a story that fits some of the
discussions previously posted:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/23/earlyshow/main1339324.shtml
-------------------- 14 --------------------
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 23:35:47 -0500
From: "Jeff Feinstein" <Jeff.Feinstein@cox.net>
Subject: My Turn
I guess it’s my turn. I’d much rather do this in a smaller group, at Maud’s or at a picnic at Draper Park. But I decided to step into the public square to say that there’s something about this I just don’t understand.
I understand some of the interest in talking about our common past (I’ve got my own stories). But my most vivid, powerful and meaningful memories of the Class of '75 are distinctly joyous and much more recent.
As it pertains to you all (I live south of the Mason-Dixon line now) I’ve enjoyed talking to a classmate about his trip to Paris to see a new exhibition. Learning about a venture that merges technical, artistic, and educational talent and value. How one classmate became a graphic artist. One classmate’s mediation practice. A librarian’s projects. A new path for a super lawyer. A new magazine for a talented editor. A new management position for a broadcasting executive. An actor’s new roles. A labor organizer’s work. An artist's creations. And teachers, boy do we have a lot of teachers! What an amazing group of classmates!
I like how we hang around on street corners many hours after Maud’s has closed. I like how when we get together, a former president may stop by to say hi.
I’ve enjoyed talking to your spouses. And your brothers and sisters. And I’ve especially enjoyed learning about your children. I’ve grown to love how we’ve been able to grow past and beyond a life that was at times, unfortunately -- solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short (excuse the snotty former-AP-student obscure allusion).
And counterbalancing my own awkward, embarrassing, and unpleasant memories (hey, I’ve got my own list) of the years ending in 1975 is the overwhelming, awesome, and tremendous joy my own family brings me now. I also love my school and I love teaching. Teaching is the toughest job I’ve ever loved so dearly. I teach students of all ability and motivation levels. Many days are fantastic; some are brutal. Planning and grading still takes endless hours of work. [My autobiography will be titled "Essays Don’t Grade Themselves."] But even after the roughest days I never thought once about leaving.
Okay, the secret’s out: I’m a Pollyanna (maybe).
Anyway, time to plan lessons for my two electives: "Think what I think or else you fail!" and "Bush, Hitler: Aren’t the parallels obvious?" [Isn’t that CO teacher’s suspension what got this all started?]
There’s so much more to learn from you and for me to say. Let’s save it for some evening sometime soon. I’ll be the one with the ginger ale.
Jeff
-------------------- 15 --------------------
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 23:55:01 -0500
From: "Amy Farber" <farberamy@hotmail.com>
Subject: back to an earlier topic
Can we get back to the topic of kids falling through the cracks for just a second? I remember something that happened in my Rittner 9th grade history class. Some kids sitting behind me (sorry, I have no memory of who they were) were yackity yacking and giggling while Mr. Rittner was trying to explain something. He gave us a very short assignment to work on in class and as soon as we started it he went over to those kids and spoke softly to them saying he noticed they were behind and he was going to put before them some choices. He laid out two or three choices, one of them being that they could make an appointment with him and he would help them get back on track. He spoke as an adult to adults. The tone was not accusatory. There was no implication that they should feel guilt or shame. He was merely laying out choices from which they could choose rationally.
I was kind of freaking out. I had never heard a teacher deal with a situation like that without the underlying judgment/accusation and the implication that the kid should feel guilt or shame. I thought: this Rittner is either a saint, or he's the smartest guy in the world. As a kind of test, I tried to put myself in the place of a kid who is really behind, has stopped trying and who is puffed up with pride and defensiveness. If a teacher gave me this out in exactly this way, would it be enough to get me to change direction and take him up on his offer? My answer was yes.
-------------------- 16 --------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 06:05:33 -0500
From: "Jeff Feinstein" <Jeff.Feinstein@cox.net>
Subject: Re: back to an earlier topic
Hey Amy,
Okay, you got me going on the teacher thing. These comments pertain only to
my general ed freshmen.
You answered your own question when you ask "If a teacher gave me...."
My freshmen are not like us. Many face development issues and have needs that,
given my own upbringing and despite my training, I had never observed and couldn't
have imagined.
The whole AP/non-AP/falling through the cracks discussion doesn't even approach
the gap I see between my AP juniors and my general ed freshmen. Instead, the
very cruel reality is that some of the students I teach have patently obvious,
self-destructive behaviors and assumptions. The tragedy is that these students
see no connection between their choices and the obvious consequences that will
follow. Many defiantly dismiss them when I point them out.
But they're all children, my students, and I push, prod, point, poke, and try
to lead them to better choices. I like the challenge. One of the most rewarding
things for me is that every day I get another chance to find a way to address
their needs.
Jeff
-------------------- 17 --------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 12:25:25 +0000
From: dmcquickly@comcast.net (Greg Vaughn)
Subject: Re: dance with AP
Cap, yes, I'm serious, it'd be fun to get together when I'm back there! Getting to know all of you this past fall, especially during the hike through the "meadow" that has disappeared, showed me that whatever imaginary lines divided us in high school are quite clearly gone now. Seriously, I had a great time with everyone.
Greg
-------------------- 18 --------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 12:28:15 +0000
From: dmcquickly@comcast.net (Greg Vaughn)
Subject: Re: Another Ray memory
Ah, Heather. Did anyone else think of her when that Seinfeld episode aired..."They're real...and they're spectacular."
Greg
-------------------- 19 --------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 13:11:24 +0000
From: dmcquickly@comcast.net (Greg Vaughn)
Subject: Re: Heather Schmeltz
Ricky, beautifully put--a ship that set sail. Poet laureate stuff there!
For the women of our class who resent or in some other way get put off by discussion of Heather, there's nothing wrong with idealizing someone no longer present in our lives. What did I learn about from Heather? Not much if you mean, my relationship with women. What I did learn, at that very vulnerable pubescent and insecure age (remember, that was my first year in Hastings) was...
It's okay to fantasize--my new friends did, and our shared, whispered fantasies seemed remarkably similar.
I had a lot in common with these new people who otherwise made up part of a terrifying, threatening, and darkly confusing time of my life ("You mean, my father doesn't love me?" went through my mind a thousand times a day).
These guys were funny. Funny I can do. Funny gets me accepted by these strangers.
Girls in Hastings could be as pretty as girls in Great Neck, where I'd gone through elementary school. And it wasn't just Heather. Most of you were very pretty (although I'm sure few of you felt that way then.)
I didn't need to be particularly ashamed of my body. Unless something grew out of the side of my nose, or my forehead.
Heather would no sooner go for me than she would any of these other drooling dorks in art class. And that made my growing sense of ineptness easier to take.
It's really not very nice to "accidentally" bump into a girl's breasts to find out if she's padding. (I didn't do that. I swear on my grandmother's grave I don't remember who did. And as part of the code of boys, I wouldn't tell if I did remember.)
Boys had a code of conduct. It wasn't hard to follow.
A dozen boys can think the same girl is gorgeous. It's okay if we do. It doesn't mean we'll be getting into a Three Stooges fight about it.
The other girls in class were much easier to talk to, because they didn't have Heather's high opinion of themselves.
There isn't an absolute definition of beauty--I distinctly recall one of the boys in art class saying he didn't think Heather was as pretty as...and I'm sorry, but I forget who he compared her to. Chalk that blank spot up to the panic I was feeling.
People--humans, Americans even--sometimes move to farflung places like Manilla. I thought I had it rough, moving from Great Neck. Since my own period of adjustment was still in process, I clearly remember thinking, when she told us she was moving to Manilla, "Wow. She's going to have it worse there than I ever had in my moves." And I felt kind of sorry for her, in that way.
Manilla is not only the name of a city, it's the color of folders, and it makes a great pun.
What did I learn from Ray O? It's really good to hear he had more sides than the one I saw. As an adult (and a teacher) I'm well aware that everyone is more complex that we first encounter.
I learned to stay out of the River Area at night. And never to walk downtown at night alone. And that there were police downtown whom I could run to when Ray and his friends terrorized Barry and me.
When you move to a new school, you usually have to face a bully or two early on. I've known that since 3rd grade. With Ray, I learned that while I was perfectly willing to duke it out with one bully upon my arrival to a new school, I was smart not to try to establish myself with ALL of them. What was that guy's name I went back into the stairway behind the cafeteria with? I don't know. All I know is we fought to a draw before the principal came out of his office downstairs--he didn't look up, thankfully (I'd have been on his list right there) but it broke up our fight before anyone got really damaged. After that I felt more secure at HHS...but I still didn't want to establish myself as the latest kinder to cross paths with Ray.
I'm sure, looking back, that those of you who grew up with Ray through elementary school were sometimes able to connect with him on a different level. As a newcomer in 8th grade, it was pretty clear to me that there was no way I was going to ever see a side of him other than his knuckles. That was okay. I found other friends, who made their impact on me in a much less physical way.
Greg
-------------------- 20 --------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 10:43:37 EST
From: Lotsoffish@aol.com (John Capuano)
Subject: Re: More Maslow and my AP perspective
alan...everyone goes down if you hit them hard enough....maybe THAT is what
was wrong...we were all taking our best shot to overcome rays physical
presence....not blaming anyone here but..maybe even the
teachers....authorities.....who could possibly effectivly mentor the obrisk...dick
butkis?.....
yes louise..i was poking a bit...
laurel...different ways to achieve the same level..i like that
-------------------- 21 --------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 08:50:35 -0800 (PST)
From: "ronbo32818@yahoo.com" (Ronald Kultzow)
Subject: Mr. Ashchmann & Ray Obriskie
I should read my e-mails more often instead of deleting them. To see
Mr. Ashchmann and Ray Obriskie’s name of the same e-mail is a little bizarre
to say the least. In my opinion, anyone who "attacks" Mr. Ashchmann
has no shame. It sounds like some people need to spend more time with their
therapist or they need to find one.Mr. Ashchmann motivated me when I had some
serious issues. He was a good man who did the best that he could.
I also have fond memories of Ray Obriskie and his brother. I will never forget
the time in sixth grade when Ray asked me if I had any money and I told him
no.
He said if he found any money on me, it was his and I replied "OK."
Ray literally picked me from under my arms and proceeded to shake me. He heard
the coins rattling around in my pocket. He was going to take my money but I
told him was from the same neighborhood he was. Ray said "OK" and
he walked away without taking my money. Talk about scared to death. I thought
I would be gagging on my teeth but I was not going to part with the little money
I had without a fight.
-------------------- 22 --------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 15:31:01 EST
From: Lotsoffish@aol.com (John Capuano)
Subject: RAY
ah Seinfeld!...the masterbation episode...a classic....favorite
line...Newman..."vile weed!"..quick someone get me a sweet and sour"!.....
..those who cant get heather out of their minds should see this
one......smeltz....a ficticious name?...how can i get in on this?...
jeff......you sound like a wonderful teacher....i dont think i could have
ever been strong enough to do what you do ...God bless your strengths..
.... but maybe ray obrisk..[the metaphore]..has been misunderstood.... let me
put this out there.......the hierarchy of economics.. a pyramid.....the
wealthy ..at the top........are the fewest in number.....the poverty
stricken.....the widest band of the pyramid...at the bottom......the "base"...must
be there
for everything else above to exist...without it the pyramid falls...simple
right?..some of you are saying"yes..blaahhhblahh blahhh john...get on with
it!"......okay.......this is what the whole war is about!.....the prolaterate
of the
middle east is rising ...and we must stop them..our "lifestyles" are
at
stake...
.......now..having said that...would you give up all you have to save the ray
obriskies? to save all the others that refuse to hold the pyramid up for the
wealthy?...to save the middle east?..the people of the middle east?......would
you wait in line for a roll of toilet paper?....long for a piece of fresh
fruit you have not seen in years...little league cancelled?....long for an
episode of seinfeld?...
......its hard..to think about..[how pompass]..but i am not sure i would be
willing to give up all i have to make the playing field flat....is it all a
luxury?..did ray pay to support our luxuries? must we be willing to give up
everything to save the starving in the world?...[physically and academically
starved...statistics prove they walk hand in hand..]..i am afraid it might be
so..truely affraid......our presence in iraq is a vague attempt to stem the
tide....
for right now we are holding off global econmic collapse..but the pyramid is
falling folks....{europe is just going for the ride at our expense}...what
should we do?..what should we do.......
sound like we should let the bottom of the pyramid exist to extend our
pleasures?..and what of our children?.......amy farber?....louise francis?....jan
sidebotham?....ray palletta?....... james shillinglaw?..... greg vaughn?..pat
sinatra?...glenn martin?.....corey shaff [i know you are
there}...........everyone?.....what should we do?.......cappy....
am i thinking too much?..is it just me?.....are my fears justified?..is this
just too complicated to think about while you are trying to get dinner ready
or decide where you will be heading for dinner?....am i having a
breakdown?.....please forgive me...i need a few answers from the inner circle.......
-------------------- 23 --------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 16:22:20 -0600
From: Dave Riggs <orymay@optonline.net>
Subject: AP and RO
To all:
With the urging of a good friend, I decided to throw out a few thoughts/anecdotes
on the subjects of AP classes and ray Obriskie.
AP
10 th grade american history was my AP class. I may have had one or two others
but that's the one that I recall. That class, taught by Louie Bader , aka Dr.
Bader, known to some as M----Bader was one of the most boring and unorganized
classes that I have been in. Years later, I became quite friendly with Dan Quinn.
(spanish teacher) Though I had never had a class with him, our common appreciation
for the spanish language formed the basis of a good relationship which lasted
on thru Dan's declining years as a patient at Cabrini nursing home (he had MS).
It was there one afternoon that Dan related to me that "Dr. " Bader
was in fact, not a PHD. According to Dan, Dr. Bader's credentials were manufactured,
and he was a fraud. Anyway, Dan passed on after a difficult struggle, God rest
his soul, and I know not of Louie Bader.
Obriskie
I guess that we knew Ray from 8 th grade on. After little league baseball, there
was an eighth grade baseball team that some of us played on as did Ray. Ray
was a good hitter, and may have played catcher. The guy had strength, and the
general consensus was back then that Ray was the toughest and baddest in the
middle school eighth grade. However, there was a small faction in the town that
believed that ray, although capable and menacing , was not the toughest and
baddest in the eighth grade in Hastings. Chuck Fleming, the leader of that faction,
believed that this title belonged to Thomas Minozzi, at the time, a well put
together student in the St. mathews eighth grade. A fight date was established
and the location was set for some Friday evening dance in front of the St. Matts
school. The fight never did take place although the two contenders actually
made it to the pre fight weigh-in. I think that detective tom O'sullivan and
sgt. Bloomer came in and scattered the crowd before any rumbling took place.
The next year , I again played sports with Ray, this time on the JV football
team. Ray used to like to warm up before games by shadow boxing with me in the
locker room (with full pads). When he got tired of that, he used to pick me
up by the sides of my head, as part of his pre game ritual. (I used to weigh
about 105 lbs. in 9 th grade) Ironically, Ray became one of Chuck Flemings main
protectors (ray was a lineman- Chuck was a QB) and as I recall, they were friends.
Ray added a french twist to Chuck's last name, at which point he became known
as' Flem-ont' (silent 'T') a nickname which stayed for a good while. I got on
with Ray OK. I found the guy humorous, but years later discovered that the source
of much of his humor came from the "3 stooges". For example, Ray's
famous "spread out" (followed by a double armed boxout of anyone within
6 feet) was taken right out of Curly's repetoire. One other recollection of
Ray O. was that Ray was one of the better ping pong players that I had ever
come accross. (we played at the youth center from time to time. (that center
is no more - it has been torn down and the site will be redeveloped)
PS. John C. - Henry Trama is a very good plummer with Otto Fry (sp.?) in Dobbs
Ferry .
Sincerely
Dave
-------------------- 24 --------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 18:13:00 EST
From: NYCFD1@aol.com (Ray Paletta)
Subject: Re: calm down big guy !!!!!!!!!!
John
your like the kid that lights the match and runs away !!!!!!!! i laugh, cry
and acratch my head when i read your thoughts !!!!!!!!
every day when i woke up before 9/11 i took this whole life thing for
granted. grow up, have kids, good job, house, and whatever happens along the
way,
well,, we could deal with it, this was easy and a way of life for me until
the night i was called in to volunteer at ground zero, that night it all
changed, i went to bed thinking the end is near.. now what,, those next few
days
i spent down town, talking to thousands of people, scared the crap out of
me, made me angry as hell, specially picking up pieces of people,cloths
jewelry,pictures of someone's dad, wife son or daughter, then watching as a
fireman desperately was digging out his captain somewhere under a fire truck
yelling his name all day long, Standing in the middle of a 16 block mess with
5
thousand men and woman working by hand to find any one 24 hours a day .when
a body was found every one stopped,you could hear a pin drop it was so
silent, we all worked a family there, 9/11 has since gone, every day i wake,
i
think about our military being over in Iraque helping to form some kinda of
govt, What the hell about our govt !! it'll never happen to us seems to be the
term used , well it has !!! not once, not twice, but, god who knows how
many times that we don't even know about that the us has been under attack.
Im
afraid people ,, every damn day i wake up ,drive over the bear mtn bridge
looking down to Indian point , thinking when is that going, when is the bridge
going to fall that im driving on, So ,there is nothing i could do, except
for my self to feel better, my kids have more attention to what they're saying
to me , when im in the city i drop a five to a homeless person,i give my
parents more attention now than ever i guess this occupies my mind more, trying
to not think about how susceptible we are to another attack on our soils,
and how f..up our govt is.
sorry, i guess i got a little side tracked
R
-------------------- 25 --------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 16:43:22 -0800
From: "lfrancis" <louise.francis@comcast.net>
Subject: The Pyramid and 2006 elections
"Never doubt that a small group of people can change the world; indeed
it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead
"Never give up, no matter what is going on around you ..." His
Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama
John -- How do we impact the bottom of the pyramid? Richter does it by
building houses. You are doing it by coaching basketball -- teaching
skills that a kid will someday use to run a government or a business or
raise kids, in a compassionate, responsible way. Jan, Greg, Jeff and
others are teaching kids how to challenge assumptions -- that's a big
part of the solution. I struggle with the question, daily. As I lawyer
I worked to get hired by a firm that was dedicated to it's pro bono
commitment and for over 10 years I had a steady stream of unglamorous
pro bono cases for poor individuals who had been cheated by someone at
the top of the pyramid or had their chances for success obstructed by
the government. For three years I was immobilized; not knowing how I
could impact the world. Now I volunteer and donate to get the Democrats
to take back Congress in 2006, because I believe the choices are the
status quo (unacceptable), revolution (not very attractive) or giving
another shot to the only party that thinks your question is worth
asking. Here in No. Cal, where democrats are assured of office, our
volunteer work includes traveling to other parts of the country on our
own dime and walking precincts for the democrats there. We also phone
bank to other parts of the country for democratic candidates, using our
free weekend cell phone minutes. The Democrats didn't set this up --
creative-thinking neighbors did it on their own. And we made an impact
for Kerry in 2004 and hopefully will make a more meaningful one in 2006.
It would be a perfect thing for a group of NYers to copy.
I'd love to know what others are doing.
Louise
-------------------- 26 --------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 20:53:05 -0500
From: <afine@art-cetera.com>
Subject: The Censored Repeat of the Tom Cruise Episode of "South Park"
Copy this entire link into your browser. (You will need Flash to see this.)
http://hollywoodinterrupted.com/cblog/index.php?/archives/40-HI-EXCLUSIVE!-SCIENTOLOGIST-TOM-CRUISE-BLACKMAILS-VIACOM....html
As DreamWorks is now a part of Paramount, which is owned by Viacom,
I am embarrassed that I now work for a company that bent to pressure from
Tom Cruise over an episode of Southpark that mocked his religion and sexuality.
He said if they showed it, he would not promote the upcoming Mission Impossible
3.
Enjoy, knowing you were not supposed to see this!
Alan
-------------------- 27 --------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 21:01:01 -0500
From: <afine@art-cetera.com>
Subject: "Loose Change"
This is an hour and 21 minute documentary called "Loose Change."
It depicts an alternate version of might have happened on 9/11/01 and would
be a major discussion starter.
I found I could stop the filmt, start it, and come back as often as needed.
It took me several days, five minutes here, ten there, but I just had to see
all of it.
(If you have trouble, write me offline at afine@art-cetera.com and I'll try
to help you.)
I can't decide what I think... What do YOU think?
(Copy the entire link into your browser address box. This one should work, but let me know if not.)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5137581991288263801&q=loose+change
Alan
-------------------- 28 --------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 21:52:49 -0500
From: <afine@art-cetera.com> Alan Fine
Subject: [Fwd: Tom Cruise episode]
Louise told me that link was bad. The site might have been shut down since I saw the episode there. Try this one now. Be patient. A lot of people are trying to see this.
http://www.scientomogy.com/southpark_scientology.php
>
> From: "lfrancis" <louise.francis@comcast.net>
> Date: 2006/03/18 Sat PM 09:34:53 EST
> To: <afine@art-cetera.com>
> Subject: Tom Cruise episode
>
> A
>
> FYI
>
> When I copied the URL into my browser I got a page that said "This
> Account Has Been Suspended."
>
> Louise
>
>
>
> Louise Francis
>
> <mailto:louise.francis@comcast.net> louise.francis@comcast.net
> <mailto:s@comcast.net>
>
> 510-334-9211
>
> 1640 Berkeley Way
>
> Berkeley, CA 94703
>
>
>
>
>
-------------------- 29 --------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 22:20:15 EST
From: Captmando@aol.com (John Capuano)
Subject: Re: The Pyramid and 2006 elections
thank you louise....for responding to a madmans ranting ..i find your written
words intelligent, educated, informative and most important ...calming...i
too don,t want the revolution..but it is coming....thanks again...john cap..
hey kultzow..what is so bizarre about it?...which one doesnt rate?.obriske
or
ashmann?...you sound as if you were as afraid of obriske as i was of
ashmann...maybe we are leveling the playing field after all....john
-------------------- 30 --------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 22:25:42 EST
From: Captmando@aol.com (John Capuano)
Subject: Re: AP and RO
david riggs checks in ladies and gentlemen!....the memory of the french twang
obiske put on the fleming name rings true for me.....a great piece of memory
work dave...a classic....john cap
-------------------- 31 --------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 22:43:59 -0500
From: "Amy Farber" <farberamy@hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: RAY
John and everyone:
Personally I don’t trouble myself about the pyramid. I see the pyramid as neither good nor evil -- it just is. If you try to get rid of it, another will form in its place. Take any hundred people and leave them together for a month and some kind of pyramid (or diamond shape or almond shape) will form. It’s not always the same guys who are at the top of the pyramid – that evolves. The bad stuff isn’t the pyramid and it’s not caused by the pyramid, it just exists within the pyramid -- crime, corruption, hypocrisy, etc. The best we can do is to understand the pyramid, work with it, and make sure folks don’t have their rights taken away.
You are definitely not wasting your time thinking about this stuff. And as Ray was just saying, the danger is real. Lately, although I am not obsessed with pyramids and wealth distribution, I am obsessed with hypocrisy (and a host of other things too banal to mention). Everywhere I turn in my daily life there it is, and although I have found it to be the source of a lot of humor, it’s starting to make me sick. Of course, I am a total hypocrite. I catch myself every day.
-------------------- 32 --------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 22:51:49 EST
From: Lotsoffish@aol.com (John Capuano)
Subject: Re: calm down big guy !!!!!!!!!!
hey ray..sorry about the freak out.im okay......im okay..
...ray p knows what war looks like..smells like... i know alot of you dont
agree with the decision to be in iraq..war is hell....really hell......and alot
of our children are dying over there....but....if we didnt take the war
there....don't you believe we would have had more twin tower events here..on
our
soil?
......now...today... the terrorists are attacking our soldiers....our soldiers
are giving their lives to protect us here..by being easily accessible
targets over there.....
....the terrorists have not attacked the citizens of our country.......on
our soil.....since the towers..... it is because we brought it to them....war
sucks...
.....i must say..i am a hypocrite, however...if my children were ever drafted
during such times....id be livin' in quebec yesterday.........john
-------------------- 33 --------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 04:22:07 +0000
From: smb9220@comcast.net (Steven Bass)
Subject: Re: Let Mr. Aschmann rest in peace
A few personal observations about Mr. Aschmann. I never had him as a teacher, but he was my neighbor for at least 15 years and I knew him from the time I was three. He lived two floors below me at the Hastings Terrace apartments (565 B'Way) and he used to practice his singing each afternoon, which one could easily hear from several floors away. He was always a kind and friendly man, and I only have fond memories of him, his wife who was truly lovely, and (if I recall correctly) his two sons who were a good deal older.
Two other teachers lived in the complex, including Wanda Sponder who actually lived right below us for a time along with her mother. And then Mr. Sadler lived in the next building along with his domestic partner (amazingly, this never seemed to be a scandal or an item for gossip).
On that topic, does anyone recall Mr. Pratt, who suddenly disappeared in fifth grade in the middle of the year? I recall him being a very good teacher, and recall something about him being "outed" in some manner and being forced to leave. Anyone recall the details?
-------------------- 34 --------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 04:23:34 +0000
From: smb9220@comcast.net (Steven Bass)
Subject: Re: Heather Schmeltz
Jan -- I always liked you better than Heather Schmeltz. You weren't stuck up ....
-------------------- 35 --------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 23:34:58 -0500
From: "Glenn Martin" <gmartin@adelphia.net>
Subject: Re: AP and RO
Dave! I was wondering when we were going to hear from the wise and witty
Riggs. I was hoping you were going to share the story of you and Wolfgang
getting accosted by the village bullies. Great story!
Nancy and I feel so fortunate. We read these blogs and know all the players.
I'm sure many spouses out there have little interest. We have great
conversations...and we're not always in agreement.
Take Heather Schmeltz for example ( big topic in this house). Nancy points
out, "the boys drooled over her and the girls thought she was a b----".
My
response, "okay...point?" Was she really? Or was it the way the boys
responded to her that angered the girls? Regardless, it's amazing that
people like Ray O. and Heather S. affected so many, in so many different
ways
I only had one encounter with Heather. In 7th grade, I was at my locker,
that narrow closet of a hall. Heather was between me and the exit. She
tilted her head, gave me one of those Marcia Brady smiles and said, "Hi
Glenneeee". Picture that Jessica Simpson/Pizza Hut commercial today with
that boy getting pizza popped...that was me! I'm sure my knees buckled and
I'm guessing that's why I have bad knees today.
My point is... (I tried to explain this to Nancy...she didn't want to hear
it and went to bed. So now I'm writing it). It's like the James Dean
syndrome. Or Patsy Cline. Immortalized after their passing(so to speak).
Heather was here in the 7th grade, gone by the 8th. Had she graduated with
us, there probably wouldn't be so much mystery today. A memory locked in our
adolescent 7th grade minds forever. So girls, lighten up. We were silly
little boys with a silly little crush. It was a big deal back then.
I get some comfort knowing that Nancy will read this in the morning. Ha!
Glenn
-------------------- 36 --------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 23:39:36 -0500
From: "Laura Tellekamp Kelley" <keith_a_kelley@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: calm down big guy !!!!!!!!!!
Brovo!!!! Ray
-------------------- 37 --------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 04:54:41 +0000
From: dmcquickly@comcast.net (Greg Vaughn)
Subject: Cappy
Anyone besides me think that a poet rests inside Cappy?
Greg
-------------------- 38 --------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 05:12:33 +0000
From: dave.walters@comcast.net
Subject: Re: Let Mr. Aschmann rest in peace
> On that topic, does anyone recall Mr. Pratt, who suddenly disappeared in
fifth
> grade in the middle of the year? I recall him being a very good teacher,
and
> recall something about him being "outed" in some manner and being
forced to
> leave. Anyone recall the details?
My mother said that he was caught or seen picking up some young guy in Yonkers. When the school admin found out, they dismissed him. I had him for math.
David
-------------------- 39 --------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 00:18:53 -0500
From: "Laura Tellekamp Kelley" <keith_a_kelley@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: calm down big guy !!!!!!!!!!
And, Whatever John's on.... stay away from it. And, to get back to Ray's
email - We should all think about 9/11...... Days and days of Ray O.,
Heather, Mr. Aschmann. Get the fuck over it. 9/11 was the worst thing that
could ever happen to all of us. I still can't forget. Thank god for the Ray
Paletta's.
-------------------- 40 --------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 0:26:18 -0500
From: <afine@art-cetera.com> Alan Fine
Subject: Teacher Recollections of AP Classes
As some of you know, I play stickball with a few of our teachers. Mr. Rittner is one of them. I spoke to him in detail about our latest emails. I will try to relate what he had to say...
He thought the comments on the AP courses were a bit misleading. In English and Social Studies, opting for those classes was entirely elective. Mr. Rittner knows less about the English AP classes, but in History, there were no criteria for enrolling, no necessary teacher recommendations or anything like that, and he can recall quite a few students who enrolled who had mediocre or even poor history records but elected to take AP anyway.
In fact, he said the history department set aside a day or two every year just before students had to select their next year's program. On that day, the teachers appeared in all the 10th and 11th grade classes to pitch the courses. When describing AP, Rittner said he always made the point that anyone who wanted to try, who thought s/he was thrilled by history, should enroll, while at the same time, no matter how bright or how heavy the pressure from guidance counselors or parents, he hoped those who considered it purely for college admissions or prestige would reconsider as they would likely be miserable in it.
In a way, Rittner said that AP was to the rest of the senior electives as varsity football was to phys. ed. classes. It required special commitment to succeed, but anyone could try, and probably more than sports, everyone was encouraged to consider it. What could not be done was to lower standards so that everyone could succeed, any more than the coach could allow a slow and overweight student to start at cornerback.
As for students falling through the cracks, Rittner stressed that people should know how many hours all the teachers spent trying to find ways to help. In the endless meetings, departmental, schoolwide, faculty room conversations, even at union meetings, the primary topic was usually how to help the ones that needed it. Discussion of these students far outweighed the discussion of achievers. Guest speakers at teacher functions were always experts on the subject of reaching the student often overlooked or ignored, or the student in trouble or difficult to reach. According to Rittner, Hastings teachers attended conferences, developed strategies, hired counselors, used a disproportionate percent of their resources just on that issue.
Rittner didn’t really remember Ray O, but once told, he asked me to imagine the teacher spending hours on a lesson, excited about the outcomes, hoping for response from the class, and how that hope would be dashed because some wise guy was bored or angry or whatever. Would parents want a Ray O in their child's class? Would a parent want their children to be a Ray O, no matter how sensitive he really was or how interesting his character?
It was a fascinating discussion, and one I thought should be submitted here.
Alan
-------------------- 41 --------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 21:21:50 -0800
From: "Nancy Waterous Whitehead" <nwwhitehead@astound.net>
Subject: Re: Let Mr. Aschmann rest in peace
I, too, recall that he just "disappeared". I don't remember what the official word was from the school, but I sure remember the rumors. My most vivid memory of him was his teaching of "Charge of the Light Brigade". I believe he galloped around the classroom. Anyone else remember that?
Nancy
-------------------- 42 --------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 02:14:12 EST
From: ECRAM123@aol.com (Marce Maicovski Bailes)
Subject: Re: Let Mr. Aschmann rest in peace
I for one did not have him, but my older sister Anna loved him.
Marce
-------------------- 43 --------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 02:04:43 EST
From: NYCFD1@aol.com (Ray Paletta)
Subject: Re: Let Mr. Aschmann rest in peace
not too long ago i had the pleasure of meeting Mr, Ashmanns daughter,
she sat in my chair next to me while i was doing a shade match on her teeth
,
dont remember what it was on my desk, but it had something to do with HHS,
and she mentioned that he was her dad, so for all of us that had the pleasure
of knowing him, his daughter said he had the best time in the world teaching
at HHS
R
-------------------- 44 --------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 07:36:11 EST
From: JEBWILK@aol.com (Julie Blasberg Spencer)
Subject: Re: Let Mr. Aschmann rest in peace
Steve-
Do you remember Ellen Bidlack (sp?) or know whatever happened to her? I
think Aschmann was her grandfather? All of these discussions have made me miss
everyone and wonder where they may be now.
-Julie
-------------------- 45 --------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 16:34:10 +0000 GMT
From: "Pat Sinatra" <psinatra@comcast.net>
Subject: Re: Let Mr. Aschmann rest in peace
Mr. Pratt was indeed excused. Apparently he also eventually committed suicide.
-------------------- 46 --------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 16:47:21 +0000 GMT
From: "Pat Sinatra" <psinatra@comcast.net>
Subject: Re: Let Mr. Aschmann rest in peace
Mr. Pratt produced plays every year and the acting ensemble his homeroom class...correct?. I was in one of them but I cannot remember the name of it. I remember tammy maher and I think cynthia barr being in it as well. I also recall being nervous as hell on stage and dreaded it terribly.
The situation surrounding his "disappearance" and subsequent suicide was very tragic and "hush hush". Considering the circumstances and times, this was understandable.
-------------------- 47 --------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 09:03:35 -0500
From: "Glenn Martin" <gmartin@adelphia.net>
Subject: Re: calm down big guy !!!!!!!!!!
Laura.....funny....that's exactly what Nancy said before she went to bed,
"Get over it and grow up".
Okay...point? Only kidding honey.
Glenn
-------------------- 48 --------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 09:52:00 EST
From: Lotsoffish@aol.com (John Capuano)
Subject: Re: RAY
thanks amy...i find myself doing alot of rationalizing ..day to day....have
been thinking alot about my carbon footprint....making little steps to change
that......we are wasteful creatures.. tragically...the end will be of our own
doing...xcessive use and abuse of antibiotics......destructive
technology......population growth......
..i have been searching all my life..so far....for the perfect paradise....the
solitude.. the purity..the smell.... untouched......but every time i get
there there are always hundreds..if not thousands of others there already..with
the same ideas...you know?..
......out on the water..when i am navigating seaward..i get ..the rush..the
goosepimples..the feeling ..that i am alost there....i take my time looking
back
over my shoulder........thanks again amy....
-------------------- 49 --------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 09:56:51 EST
From: Lotsoffish@aol.com (John Capuano)
Subject: Re: Let Mr. Aschmann rest in peace
mr pratt?...mr leslie pratt?....