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Speak Out
Columnist forgot to mention name behind gigantic flying boat
I always enjoy Tony Tomeo's garden column, but was surprised that his discussion in this week's issue of the background and origin of the name "Spruce Goose" made no mention of Howard Hughes, its creator.
At the time, Hughes was widely taunted about creating a behemoth that was too big to fly; hence its maiden and only voyage. True the flight was very short and at low altitude, but it enabled Hughes to prove his critics wrong.
Judy Semas
Willow Street
Story on rabbi barely scratched the surface
In your recent cover story, "Kosher food: It's no blessing," (Feb. 21) I found that your bio on Rabbi Zvi Goldberg just scratched the surface of who he is.
Having known Rabbi Goldberg for over 15 years, I can assure you that those 40 families in San Jose have a goldmine of a rabbi to serve their community.
Being a rabbi is much more than text and learning. Rabbis need to be role models whom people can depend upon. When the folks finish their kashrut course, they should enlist Rabbi Goldberg's help in areas of self-improvement.
Although I am 6,000 miles away in Jerusalem, I can assure you that any bagel store that is checked and supervised by Rabbi Goldberg is a holy institution itself. In true bagel form, rabbis must have a fine spiritual 'hole-ness' to complement their mastery of text.
Yechezkel Chezi
Jerusalem
Waligore shouldn't be criticized for his work in community
I feel compelled to speak out regarding the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association, after reading Cara Finn's vituperative letter (Business community might be better off without WGBPA, Feb. 28) about my husband, Bob Waligore.
No one worked harder to make the WGBPA events of Dancin' On The Avenue and Founder's Day the successes that they were than Bob Waligore, who served as the association's president this last year. In addition to ensuring that these events, which the community enjoys and looks forward to every year, were safe, happy and inclusive ones, Bob Waligore also kept his commitment to the community to audit the books of the association, to ensure that accurate and truthful tax returns would be filed and that the business community's money (BID fees) and the taxpayers' money (city funds) were spent appropriately.
He also worked with the other association officers to have the business directory published and distributed (last year's directories were found in a box in the WGBPA office). Auditing the books and filing a police report were chores in which Bob Waligore took no pleasure and for which he sought no publicity. Bob Waligore's comments to the press have been measured and restrained, and were made only because the press solicited them.
Usually people assume that the event they enjoy attending will happen without their effort and that such things as the business directory will be distributed. But those things happen only if the people who make the commitments do the work necessary to fulfill them.
Unlike some people who have promised to do things for the WGBPA on behalf of the community and then failed to follow through, Bob Waligore has delivered on his commitments, regardless of the personal cost to himself or his popularity with Cara Finn, owner of The Grapevine.
If Cara Finn really thinks the community would be better off without the landmark events of Dancin' On The Avenue and Founder's Day, she should read past issues of The Resident where columnists and residents expressed their support for these events and their dismay when these events were shortened or threatened. If she thinks these events, which attract 30,000-40,000 people, can be accomplished by "a grassroots, informal movement" she obviously does not appreciate the amount of organization involved and the number of volunteers it takes to coordinate them.
It is my hope that after Cara Finn has been in business on Lincoln Avenue a few more years, her appreciation for the great value the Willow Glen community places on these events and the people who volunteer to do the work of the WGBPA will mature, and that she will compost her toxic case of "sour grapes" and serve the community a mellower fruit.
Jennifer A. Isensee
Partner, Law Offices of Waligore & Isensee
Cartoonist is crude and demeaning
I sometimes really object to the cartoons created by DeCinzo. Some are very crude, without good taste and demeaning .
R.J. Matson's cartoons are at least tasteful and the art work itself has more polish. I don't know who on your staff selects cartoons executed by DeCinzo, but I would suggest you elect to drop DeCinzo cartoons in the future.
Paula Tice
Cupertino
Clarification
Because of a technical problem, the last paragraph of an article in last week's paper ("WGBPA files embezzle complaint with police") was cut off when the paper went to press. This is the complete text of that paragraph:
Although Waligore will no longer be the association's president after March 1, he said he will continue to head up its investigation.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
