Jasper Jottings —————————————- The achievement journal of my fellow alums

From: “Gerard M. Delaney” (MC1975)
Date: October 6, 2008 12:54:04 AM EDT
To: John Reinke
Subject: +John Brophy

John,

Thanks for the notice. John was in most of my classes as an underclassman (Honors calc, physics for math/physics majors, etc, etc.) It’s always shocking to read of the death of someone you know, especially when they are your own age.

May the angels welcome him into paradise, and may perpetual light shine upon him. Amen.

Gerard

Gerard M. Delaney ‘75
Go mbeannai Dia, a Maírha, a Padraig thu

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[JR: Yes, it certainly gets one's attention and delviers a sense of one's own mortality. I also have a problem when younger Jaspers 'cut the line' and exit before me. That's just not right. Un-Jasper-like to leave 'class' early.]

Reference: Brophy, John F. [MC1975]

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From: McFadden, Michael (MC1973)
Sent: Saturday, September 20, 2008 2:52 PM
To: reinkefj
Subject: Hi John! :)

I haven’t written for a while, but read the JJ every week it pops into my mailbox. You’re doing a great service for us and it’s *very* appreciated even by those who you rarely hear from.

A friend sent me a notice about a “Peace Studies Lecture Series” at Kennesaw State University and while researching it I ran across the following that I thought I should send you as a “Jasper Found” item. Note that Kam’s name links to a therapeutic medicine website he’s evidently founded.

Hope all’s well with thee and hope things are going well up at MC!

:)
Michael

Michael J. McFadden
Author of Dissecting Antismokers’ Brains
Mid-Atlantic Director, Citizens Freedom Alliance, Inc.
Director, Pennsylvania Smokers’ Action Network (PASAN) http://pasan.TheTruthIsALie.com

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Kam Yuen:

Kam, who appeared on Show # 176, was born in Hong Kong, where he spent his formative years. When he moved to the United States with his parents he furthered his studies in New York. Over the years he visited to refine his style with help from his teacher in Hong Kong.

After receiving his degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1965 from Manhattan College, he moved to the San Francisco area and received an advanced graduate degree in Engineering Studies from the University of Santa Clara. It was while he was employed at Lockheed Aircraft near San Jose as a structural and mechanical engineer in research and development that he opened his first dojo.

In 1969, after a brief stay in Los Angeles, Kam returned to Hong Kong to further his study in the martial arts. After training for several months, and achieving the status of Grandmaster in Shaolin Kung-Fu, Tai Mantis Kung-Fu, Tai Chi Chuan and Qi Gong he returned to the United States.

Back in Los Angeles, he held numerous classes at local YMCAs, the Chinatown Recreation Hall, Cal State, UCLA, and USC. Kam is the founder of the “Shaolin West Healing Center” and co-founder of the “Tai Mantis Kung Fu Assoc”. He has been the featured speaker at the world medical Qi Gong conference in Beijing as well as at several Whole Life and New Life Expos here in the US.

Early in 1972, Kam was called by Warner Brothers Studio to act as technical advisor to David Carradine in the Kung-Fu series. Mr. Carradine has been quoted as saying that he based the Caine character in that show on Kam. Mr. Carradine dedicated his book The Spirit of Shaolin to Kam.

Kam holds licenses in the following healthcare fields: Doctor of Chiropractic, Herbalist, Nutritionist, Chinese Energetic Medicine, Martial arts and Sports Medicine, Homeopathic Medicine and Acupuncture.

Kam currently lives in California, but travels extensively teaching and giving lectures and demonstrations of the technique he spent a life time developing, The Yuen Method of Chinese Energetics.

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[JR: Thanks, MikeMcF. Much appreciated. Glad to see you're getting the JJ issues. Thanks for the report. Where would I be without all my reporters? ]

McFadden, Michael (MC1973)

Yuen, Kam [MC1965]

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From: Toner, Mike (MC1972)

Date: September 7, 2008 1:01:11 PM EDT

To: fjohn68

Subject: Re: [Distribute_Jasper_Jottings] JASPER JOTTINGS Week 36 - 2008 Sep 07

Dear John,

Thanks for your considered response to my thoughts on the controversy over Speaker Pelosi’s remarks. I see that she and the Archbishop of SF are going to have a meeting. It will be interesting to see what comes out of that.

I’m not sure why your system(?) brings me up as class of ‘75. While now I might appreciate being three years younger, I am a member of the class of 1972.

I don’t know if you picked up this link to a story in the NY Times last week – that featured an MC connection. In response to the Republican’s bashing of “community organizers” on Wednesday there was a profile of people who were community organizers in the Bronx in the 1970’s. One of them was Lois Harr who is now the Director of Campus Ministry and Social Action at alma mater.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/south-bronx-organizers-react-to-gop-punchlines/?ei=5070&emc=eta1

As always, thanks for your efforts.

mike toner

bee 1972

buffalo, NY

[JR: Well, you've caught me. I use macros to put in frequent character strings. Your <bracket> "toner". That explodes to "Toner, Mike (MC1972) " now that I've fixed it. Never claimed to be a great clerk. Consistently wrong is good right?]
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FACEBOOK message exchange
Between Chelsea Del Toro (MC2012) and Fjohn68

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John Reinke
September 13 at 8:24am
May I assume that you’re a fellow Jasper?
fjohn68

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Chelsea Del Toro
September 13 at 6:57pm
Yes I certainly am.

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John Reinke
September 13 at 7:30pm
Jaspers look at lot different these days. Thanks, fjohn68

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Chelsea Del Toro
September 13 at 9:38pm
What does that mean?

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John Reinke
September 14 at 6:52am
Well, when I was in school, women were just starting to be admitted to Manhattan. The year I graduated the first woman was admitted to the Engineering School. There’s a picture floating around of an anti-war demonstration in Quad. I’ll try to find it for you. It was a “monoculture”. Everyone looked like they were in uniform anyway. Today, Jaspers are … “colorful”.

I go to the Campus for the Computer Governance Committee meeting. (We help Brother President decide how to spend the College’s infrastructure budget. Been doing it for a decade, and the reason the College has what you see in computing is a lot of folks laboring behind the scenes to make tough techie choices.) And, the students are like “peacocks”.

Makes me wonder how old alums looked at us there.

BTW that is some profile picture you have. Is that professionally done. Who ever shot it has talent. As a hobby, I shoot some pics; that’s a photograph. Very evocative of some emotion. Can’t put my finger on which one, but one. Sadness?

Too bad Jasper Jottings doesn’t have a photo feed … … yet. Maybe the next Collector In Chief will do it. If there is a next one. Oh well, have to get to work on this week’s issue.

l8r,
fjohn68

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Chelsea Del Toro
September 14 at 9:47am
Yes I’m quite sure that things must be different. Most don’t look like me though, I really do stick out. I’m a giraffe amoung peacocks. I was shocked by all of the shortshorts though…

I can’t imagine what students will be like when I graduate, probably nudists, so I force the ugly thought from my mind.

I did the makeup and took it about a week ago of myself in my doorm room. There’s a few more but that one seemed to be the best. I played with the colors I chose because they made my eyes green when they’re really grey/blue. I’m albino and my eyelashes are white, so it allowed me to use bright blue mascara, and I used my camera phone to take it. I have a 400 dollar cannon but it’s hard to take pictures of yourself with a moderately sized camera.

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John Reinke
September 14 at 10:38am
Well, if you’re “shocked”, us old Jaspers would probably be in cardiac arrest! lol

Nah, not nudists; they turn into stodgy old people with mortgages, car loans, and forgotten dreams. :-) This is the “peacock” phase where they all, you all, have to attract mate.

Well, re: profile pic, you have a real talent there. I’m no “arteeeast” but it’s eye catching. Maybe you can find a career glamming up old politicians. Or old news anchors like Katie Coric, who’s show a little stress. Caught my eye regardless of the hardware you used. There’s a quote about “if Rembrandt had just crayons, you’d still be able to see the talent.”

Well, time to go see who I’ve enraged this week with Jasper Jottings. No fun unless someone’s shorts are in a know.

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Chelsea Del Toro
September 14 at 4:45pm
That’d be amusingly depressing. hehe

Well I mean the next generation of Jaspers. They’ll definately be nudists, or follolw the circle of trend and go back to reserved.

Thank you. I’ve done some modeling in the psat, and am a part of a small agency now. I might do coding for their website and myspace along with being one of their models. I draw and paint so I’m good with makeup, and I seem to be pretty okay with a camera, I’m glad you think so.
That quote makes more sense than you know…

Sounds like the utmost fun. Enjoy yourself, talk to you soon.

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John Reinke
September 14 at 6:06pm
One “knotted” short in the old inbox. May I quote our conversation in the next issue? Two, if you count the “Little Sisters of the Poor” objecting to my use of their name in my online novel. lol! I just shake my head sometimes. l8r, fjohn68

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Chelsea Del Toro
September 14 at 8:05pm
I’m kinda tired, so therefore lost..what is it you want to quote?

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John Reinke
September 14 at 9:15pm
Well, I’d like to reproduce our conversation, in its entirety, in Jasper Jottings for our fellow alums to enjoy. Some folks don’t want the publicity. While one can usually “legally” quote email or web conversations one is a party to, I think it’s rude to “surprise” people by doing it. I honor all wishes. (Well, I have screwed up twice that I remember.) Think about it when your not tired.

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Chelsea Del Toro
Today at 12:45am
Oh that’s fine, I don’t care. I’m proud of everything I say. I love publicity for my thoughts. :)

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[JR: She sent me a FACEBOOK friend request. (Ask her why?) And, an email exchange ensued. Sensing a "story" for Jasper Jottings, I asked her permission to share it with my 1,500 closest friends. Well, she now has publicity. If you want to see a ... "haunting" ... profile pic, surf over to http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=530106601. Probably the most memorable Facebook profile pic I've seen! If you drop her a line, tell her you're part of my "tin foil" hat brigade. Don't want to scare the wee lass. The gal has talent! She SHOULD be an injineer. She'd make the blueprints REALLY blue. LOL, boy, I love this "job"!]

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From: Bill O’Connell
Date: September 14, 2008 10:09:42 AM EDT
To: “John J. Reinke “
Subject: Response to Stebbins Thread

As I read the e-mail from Donald Stebbins I started scratching my head.  I have been following the political scene and the conventions pretty closely and I was wondering how I missed an attack on Catholics?

The gravamen of the campaign concerning both Obama and Palin is about experience.  As soon as Sarah Palin was chosen she was lambasted for a lack of experience.  The response was what kind of experience does Barack Obama have?  The criticism was aimed at how does being a community organizer qualify one to be President of the United States.  I don’t think anyone was demeaning the work of someone who works in their community and tries to help their brethren.  That is bedrock conservative philosophy, individuals privately helping one another.  It is for not government programs run by bureaucrats who have to follow a rulebook written by more bureaucrats, rather than having the freedom to evaluate the situation in front of you.  When you have a government program with a set of rules that must be followed, then you will have truly needy people who don’t fit the mold and therefore, by the rules, get no help and you will have undeserving people who do fit the mold and will get “help” they don’t deserve.  The more government programs expand in this area, the less private charity can function because potential donors start to think, why should I contribute?  Isn’t there a government program for that?  Why should I contribute?  My taxes are sky high already and the government is using my money already for that.

I don’t think Rudy or Sarah Palin would have any problem or less than total admiration for Barack Obama if he continued his community work helping the less fortunate. However, if Father Flager is any example of the kind of organizing he was really doing and an expression of Catholic values on the South Side of Chicago, then I am not so sure.  Barack Obama doesn’t want to talk about that time and his relationship with Jeremiah Wright, Father Flager, William Ayers.

Getting back to the experience question.  Being a lifeguard is a very noble and admirable thing to do.  You save lives and you help people.  Does that qualify you to be chief of thoracic surgery at Bellevue?  There is nothing wrong with helping in your community.  There is nothing wrong with being a state senator.  There is nothing wrong with being a U.S. Senator.  However, the Office of the President is an executive position and Sarah Palin is the only one in the race with executive experience in government.  Period.  Every time her experience is questioned, the focus has to come right back around to Obama.  If she’s not qualified to be Vice President, how is he qualified to be President?

The criticism from Rudy and Sarah Palin, I believe, was aimed at the disjoint between Community Organizer and that being a qualification to be President of the United States.  As far as Rudy’s comment that, “I don’t know what a community organizer is,” well, Obama has not exactly been forthcoming on exactly what he did from high school until he became a State Senator.  If all you have to say about your experience is the job title, is it wrong to say, “I don’t know what that means?”

Bill O’Connell, ‘76

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From: McEneney, Mike (MC1953)
Date: September 11, 2008 1:31:13 AM EDT
To: Reinke, FJohn (MC1968) <jasper at reinke dot charlie charlie>
Subject: Retreat - Update

Dear John,

The Retreat Team met at the College on Wednesday night and mailed the last reminder, together with directions to the Retreat House. We also included a list of those nearly 50 men who had sent in their deposit. It looks as if there will be a good group, as some who have indicated that they will attend have not sent their check yet. We still have room for more!

Any one interested can call my brother Ed at (914) 962-2700, or just show up Friday evening and we find them a room.

Best,

Mike
[JR: That's mighty generous offer. Hopefuly, some more folks will drop by for the "fun". Wonder if there can be, will ever be, and internet version. :-) For us shy and retiring folks. In any event, regards to all and I look forward to your 'after action' report.]

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From: John Peter Rooney
Date: September 8, 2008 3:59:35 PM EDT
To: Jasper reinke
Subject: Reply on Nancy Pelosi

8 SEPTEMBER 2008

To reply to Mike Toner, Buffalo, NY, Manhattan College, 1972.
Re: Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, D., California.

Mike Toner found the bishops’ statement offensive, in that he wanted the bishops to allow Speaker Pelosi some leeway on her understanding of the church’s position on when human life begins.  I find the Speaker’s position offensive.

First, the Speaker of the House has a different, almost unique constitutional duty to succeed to the Presidency if both the president and vice president are unable to perform.  Therefore, Nancy Pelosi represents, in some fashion,  ALL the people of the United States, including the largest church body, the Roman Catholics at 67,515, 016 people according to Wikipedia.  Catholics represent some 22 to 24 per cent of the population, depending upon your overall population estimates.  Therefore, as Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, should be well aware of the stand of the largest church (just because of size alone)on matters such as conception, abortion, the life issues, LGBT issues, etc.  Otherwise, she is NOT representing her constituency, which is the entire United States.

As an individual Catholic, she should also be aware of what HER church teaches.  Her actions, her words, show that she does not know.  Is this not offensive to you as a Catholic? Does she even care about us Catholics?  Or, are we just a thorn in her side, being not so gentle a reminder of her Italian heritage?

Secondly, the Speaker does not to care to be corrected and acknowledge the Church’s stated position on conception and life.  Bill Donohue of the Catholic League, reports,

“Nineteen Catholic members of the House have publicly asked Pelosi to ‘correct the public record’ on this issue. Her steadfast refusal to do so is keeping this matter alive. One wonders what it will take to get her to retract her comments before more damage is done to the Catholic Church, to her and to the Democratic Party.”

Thirdly, I feel that if she can not even keep up with her own Church on currently important issues, is she smart enough to keep up with smaller world-wide issues?  Let me propose a scenario.   Suppose Catholic Poland invaded Kaliningrad.  Would Nancy even know where Kaliningrad was located?  Would she know who the Poles were fighting?

When she is not clear on fundamental issues from her own background, how can she be trusted on less obvious issues?

Sorry, Mike, I think you would be better off writing the Speaker of the House rather than lambasting the bishops…and, by the way, I have been in the Boston Archdiocese (BAD), since 1969 and I want to know why Bernard Cardinal Law is not in jail.  (See, for example, Peter Lawler’s book, “The Faithful Departed: The Collapse Of Boston’s Catholic Culture, 2008).

Sincerely,
John Peter Rooney
Manhattan College, B.E.E. 1965
NJIT, MS.E.E., 1969
Bridgewater State College, MA (History) 2000.

John Peter Rooney
Life Senior Member IEEE

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Rooney, John Peter (MC1965)

[JR: Nothing like politics, religion, sex, religion, and ... ... to bring the Jaspers out. I think that political and religious leadership we have been allowing to lead us is morally and vision challenged. For supposedly 'smart' people they are extremely dumb. Measuring just on results! Two quick examples: (1) Inflation gives the politicians an ever increasing supply of money to spend to buy votes. It comes at the expense of the poor and anyone on fixed income. Dumb idea. And we let them get away with it. It permits the growth of the gooferment, without them having to raise the money to pay for the welfare warfare state. (2) The Church recognized the threat of the gooferment to Catholic Schools, Catholic Hospitals, and the trend towards Secular Progressivism on the life of the Church in the Fifties. (I read it in the NYC Catholic News!) All the major religions saw the hand writing on the wall, closed their schools, and were absorbed by the blob. The Church 'fought' (i.e., tried to keep them open while the life blood was squeezed out of them by the gooferment boa of 'free education', hospital regulation, and assumption of 'welfare') but didn't fight in the courts and press (i.e., courts by freedom of religion lawsuits and in the press to the self-identified Catholic voting block on the 'religious freedom' issue). Why? In a word, pedophilia priests. The gooferment had the Church over the proverbial barrel and they liked it. Why else was all this child abuse institutionally ignored? Not one prosecution! Quid pro quo? So I'd say heap scorn on BOTH the policicians and the bishops. The Liberty activists have been fighten in effect a delaying action until the American people arise from their slumber and fight for their liberty. It may be too late for America to regain the lost freedom. Americans are enslaved by high gooferment spending. That's paid for by stealing the value from the American money and to a lesser extent by ever rising taxes and fees. And, we sit by complacently and take it. Argh!]

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From: Stebbins, Donald M.  (MC1961)
Date: September 7, 2008 5:51:18 PM EDT
To: “John Reinke (1968)”
Subject: Giuliani And Breen

Dear Jasper John,

I  was very disappointed to see that fellow  Jasper Rudy Giuliani join with Vice Presidential nominee Sarah  Palin  in making insulting attacks on the social action arm of the US Catholic bishops, the Campaign  for Human Development.

I was also sorry to see cartoonist and Manhattan graduate Jerry Breen lend his support to Palin.

Many Catholics across the country were outraged by Giuliani’s and Palin’s remarks.  (see below)

It is very discouraging to see fellow Manhattan graduates so opposed to people trying to
implement Catholic social teachings.

Sincerely,
Donald M Stebbins
BS 1961

[JR: (1) I'm disappointed that Rudy as a Jasper is on the wrong side of the abortion issue and IMHO on the wrong side of the liberty issue. All these politicians some how have the quaint notion that they can tell us what to do and rob us to fund it (i.e., taxes are merely theft). (2) I'm disappointed that the Chuch has bought into the meme of gooferment. Hook, line, and sinker. I firmly beleive that they lost their way back in the days of the French monarchy. So, "Human Development", like "Social Justice", has become a code word for more socialistic Government welfare. Slavery was more charitable. At least the Plantation Master had a vested interest in HEALTHY slaves. (3) I am disapointed that Jerry hasn't enraged more Jaspers. :-)  I think he's really sort of apolitical. Skewing the targets as they appear. You have to think his Hillary toon is a hoot and absolutely true. I remember how the MC hierarchy didn't like Jasperman critizing tuition hikes, ROTC, and prices in the cafeteria. So, I'm sure if you keep reading, he'll annoy you even more with his next creation. I can't wait. I've even tried my hand at politcial satire. http://reinkefaceslife.com/2008/09/07/political-my-impression-of-ms-palins-speech/ http://tinyurl.com/5t784c ... ROFL at my own humor. Thanks for a great thought-provoking email. It's going to be a fun 60 days. Sadly, I don't think anything will change. Except we'll pay more taxes for more gooferment! Sigh.]

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Catholics Outraged by Palin Insults

http://catholicsforobama.blogspot.com/2008/09/catholics-outraged-by-palin-insults.html

Palin Continues to Smear Catholic Action

Catholics across the country continue to be outraged by Republican politician Sarah Palin who repeated her smear against Catholic Action by mocking Barack Obama’s service as director of a community group sponsored by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (an arm of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops) and led by eight Catholic parishes on the South Side of Chicago.

First, the Dallas Morning News gives us the facts on the background:

Starting at age 23, Obama ran a faith-based charity called the Developing Communities Project.

It was made up of eight Catholic parishes when he got there and had one staff member. He was its director, meaning he was in charge. He made decisions about it, including staffing, budgets, etc. And when he left in 1988 to go to law school, he had grown its budget from $70,000 to $400,000, its staff from 1 to 13 people. More important, he created a job training program for this community and a college prep tutoring program. As mayor [of Wasilla, Palin] built a hockey rink/rec center using eminent domain (because apparently there just isn’t enough land in Alaska).

Now for the attacks on this Catholic sponsored social action initiative. At the Republican Party National Convention, Palin and ex-New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani mocked the work Barack Obama did for this group of churches that were concerned about their parishioners, many of whom had been laid off when the steel mills closed on the south side of Chicago. As for Barack Obama’s service as a community organizer, Giuliani even sneered “I don’t even know what that is.” Palin, who was baptized but not raised Catholic and sought “re-baptism” in a Protestant Church can be forgiven for knowing little of the Catholic Church’s admirable witness for the poor and socially marginalized. But even a lapsed Catholic like Giuliani should know of the Catholic Church’s concern for the poor and oppressed.

Joe Klein’s take on this: This is what Palin and Giuliani were mocking. They were making fun of a young man’s decision “to serve a cause greater than himself,” in the words of John McCain. They were, therefore, mocking one of their candidate’s favorite messages. Obama served the poor for three years, then went to law school. To describe this service–the first thing he did out of college, the sort of service every college-educated American should perform, in some form or other–as anything other than noble is cheap and tawdry and cynical in the extreme.

America magazine, the national Jesuit weekly, shared in the shock at this repeated attack on Catholic Action.

A Midwestern Catholic leader wrote: In an stunning insult to 76.9 million Americans, another politician continues the republican bias towards Catholics. Sarah Palin’s acceptance speech scoffed at work that her opponent had done in the 1980s for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. She belittled Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama’s experience as a community organizer in Catholic parishes on the South Side of Chicago, work he undertook instead of pursuing a lucrative career on Wall Street. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has operated the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, its domestic anti-poverty and social justice program, since 1969. In 1986, the Bishops issued Economic Justice for All: Pastoral Letter on Catholic Social Teaching and the US Economy, which said, “Human dignity can be realized and protected only in community.” Senator Obama worked in several Catholic parishes, supported by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, helping to address severe joblessness and housing needs in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods of Chicago.

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[CIC Technical Note: Jasper Stebbins message had to be rescued from the 1AND1 Spam Filters, and again from the MacBookAir's. So there is something about the message that looks to the filters as spam. I mention this not as a reflection ont he message, but as a 'heads up' to all email users. All the service providers, Comcast included, have aggressive anti-spam efforts. I know Comcast has a slew of people and partners workign on it. Here's a rule of thumb, if you don't see your email in the daily feed or in the weekly issue, you can 100% assume that it has "fallen off the table" somewhere. You probably want to treat email as the lossy medium it can be. I pubish EVERYTHING, unless asked not to. (It happens from time to time.) So if you don't see yours, please let me know.]

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