THE SENIOR MEN'S CLUB OF NEW CANAAN
Minutes of the Regular Meeting of September 20, 2002
President Bob Witt opened the meeting at 10:04 on a fine September morning with 131 members present. Current membership is 500, with 36 on the waiting list.
Announcements: Rod Geist updated the members on the YMCA construction progress, now expecting completion by Sept. 2003. Rod Keagy informed us that a fellow nonagenarian, Walter Richards, recently turned 95. Congratulations Walter! Dick DePatie reported that Frank Perron remains at Sloan-Kettering and was most appreciative of the card sent by the members. Sven Englund asked for two volunteers to help with equipment handling.
Activities: Tennis players take to the courts MTTh from 9 to 11. Golf at Ridgefield CC has been rescheduled to September 30th. Fee will be $37. A second golf outing is scheduled for Oct. 16th, at the NCCC. Bridge play will convene at Lapham today. Bowling is in sync with the industry with lackluster attendance. Racquetball is hanging on for dear life! The venue for the Sept. 4F luncheon will be at the Darien CC. Trailblazers will visit Constitution Island on September 26th, with a limit of 30 hikers.
Couth: The Broadway play Oklahoma is in our sights for Oct. 9th., and on Nov. 9th, the Army-Air Force football game. On Dec. 5th, we will travel to Newport to visit the stately mansions. Planning is under way for 2003, to see "Mamma Mia" on March 12th., with dinner at the Russian restaurant Firebird.
Resident Humorist: Bob Dalury recounted a story of a King whose armies managed to defeat old enemies while making new enemies of old friends.
SPEAKER
Vice President Bob Shafter presented Jim Schlumpf, New Canaan Police Commissioner, who introduced Sgt. David Ferris, a police officer with the NCPD for the past 13 years, known for his contributions to the many facets of police work. Sgt. Ferris provided an overview of an extensive course he teaches to parents and others, titled, "The Internet and Your Child". This course is offered to help people understand the dangers of the Internet for today's youth. He indicated that computers should be
placed in open areas where children can be observed, and emphasized the need to relate the physical world to the cyber world. He provided examples of Internet dangers such as chat rooms, sex crimes, invasion of privacy, Internet fraud, and innocuously named sites such as WhiteHouse.com, which is a pornographic web site. The digital manipulation of photos adds a new degree of complication to the world of pornography. He then spoke of tools available to parents to filter and block access to selected web sites. Makers of web sites often focus on teenagers, consequently vigilance is essential. Adults are also victimized through identity theft, and stolen credit card information. Although Internet safety is new and unique to law enforcement, CT State Police have an excellent Internet crime unit. Further information on Internet safety is available at "www.theinternetandyourchild.org". In response to a general question he indicated that alcohol is a bigger problem in New Canaan than drugs which is mainly marijuana.
Stan Stanziale - Asst. Secretary