Blogfinger

We understood what we were about at our college in NJ. Paul Goldfinger photo.   Alpha Pi Omega.  FDU: Teaneck, Rutherford, and  Florham Park

I attended undergraduate school at Fairleigh  Dickinson University in New Jersey—first at the Rutherford campus and then at Teaneck.

It was largely a commuter  school. I was in the jazz band and I had a combo which played at parties.  My family couldn’t afford to send me where I wanted, but they were happy with my full scholarship. (FDU and NJ).  And going locally had some real advantages which I soon discovered.

A  group of  men on both  campuses decided to form a secret  fraternity. It was a small group  and they had some good times under the radar.

As you can see from our beer mugs, we had a strong belief in sharing religious values.

But this was so different than what we see today. (2025)  on campuses with the anti-semitism that has become unearthed by unprincipled forces at schools all over the US.

Today it has been announced that quite a few Jewish students are  transferring to safer schools.  This seems so shocking and unbelievable, but it is true.

FDU  was a commuter school, but living at home for college did have some virtues that seem perhaps more desirable now  than going away to schools to learn radicalism  and intolerance. And it is a lot cheaper to do.

There is something  settling, maturing,  and happy about staying home to go to school, including colleges  with religious foundations such as Fordham, St. Peters, Seton Hall,  Yeshiva, or Drew.  And further away consider Brandeis , Georgetown, Notre Dame, Boston College, Villanova, or Brigham Young.

In our society today parents might want to take a look at such options.

A bonus  came true  as my Dad used those 3 years* to save  funds for me to attend medical school.     He had two jobs, but my brother and I came away with advanced degrees and no student loans. Thanks Mom and Dad.

*FDU had a special program where a student could go to dental or medical school after 3 years and then obtain a bachelor’s  degree (as I did) after competing the first year of professional school.  That saved money and gave made the opportunity to attend  medical  school one year earlier.  When I was looking at medical schools, there were a few that would accept 3 year undergrads.

Paul Goldfinger, MD

Editor. Blogfinger.net

PAUL SIMON.  “QUALITY” —-SONGS FROM THE CAPEMAN.

Allenhurst, NJ. Autumn, 2018. Paul Goldfinger photo.

SARA BAREILLES    “She Used to be Mine” from the Broadway show Waitress.  Composer Sara Bareilles.

a.     New flu strain driving surge across U.S.

The Washington Post (1/1, Ovalle) reports flu cases in the U.S. are “rising, driven by a new strain that public health officials worry current vaccines may not protect against as effectively.” According to the CDC, “the number of hospitalizations, emergency room and outpatient visits, and deaths associated with the flu have shot up,” although the U.S. is not likely “to reach peak until early in the year, possibly February.”

b.  U.S. logs highest measles case total in decades

USA Today (12/31, Moniuszko) reported the U.S. “recorded 2,012 measles cases as of Dec. 23 [last] year, the highest total in more than 30 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

PG:      Most of these cases occurred in patients who were not vaccinated.

c.  Drugmakers set to raise U.S. prices on at least 350 medications

Reuters (12/31, Erman) reported drugmakers are expected to raise U.S. prices “on at least 350 branded medications including vaccines against COVID, RSV and shingles and blockbuster cancer treatment Ibrance, even as the…administration pressures them for cuts, according to data provided exclusively by health care research firm 3 Axis Advisors. The number of price increases for 2026 is up from the same point last year, when drugmakers unveiled plans for raises on more than 250 drugs.” According to the report, “the median of this year’s price hikes is around 4% – in line with 2025.” The companies are also expected to “cut the list prices on around nine drugs.”

PG.  Don’t forget Canadian pharmacies on line to check on prices;    eg Pharm Store.

d. FDA approves first motion sickness drug in over four decades

MedPage Today (12/31, George) reported the FDA on Tuesday approved Vanda Pharmaceuticals’ “tradipitant (Nereus), an oral neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptor antagonist, to prevent vomiting induced by motion in adults.” This marks the “the first new drug treatment for motion sickness in over four decades and signifies an advancement in understanding motion sickness mechanisms, the company said.” The agency “based its approval of tradipitant on the phase III Motion Syros and Motion Serifos trials of people with documented histories of motion sickness.” Tradipitant (85 mg or 170 mg) is now “recommended as a single dose about 60 minutes before exposure to a potential motion sickness event.”

PG: I have a life-long problem with this  and I have missed many boat, car, or bus rides.  So this is a wonderful advance. I have limited information.   ? if it is readily available, and evidently  it is not for children.

e. Reports of infections from eating raw oysters including 6 cases in New Jersey as of last week

Eileen’s bouquet .   Ocean Grove.  Paul Goldfinger photo.

Eileen purchased this small colorful  bouquet at Wegmans in December.  The flowers are now beginning to dry out (1/3/26) but they are still pretty.  The bouquet cost $13.00 including the vase. Eileen is a “Wegwoman”  and she says that these bouquets are still available.

Last year a  Wegman management team visited the Ocean store from Rochester.

I was there, and everything was perfect throughout the store.  I approached one of the Wegman daughters who now run the business.  I suggested that they produce “Wegwoman shirts.”   She loved the idea, but those shirts never appeared.

PETER, PAUL ,AND MARY:  (When Shelly Belusar ran the Great Auditorium Saturday night shows, she was able to have PP and M booked in the Grove..  She was good friends with Mary.)

Eileen Goldfinger took my picture at this Florida beach. 2022. Our grandson Noah likes to take my hats and wear them.  I should put this hat in my will for him.   My shirt says “Rutgers.”

One of my FDU classmates. The Knights are our mascot, but it didn’t do me much good when I was there trying to get a date.  Those commuter girls mostly came to school and then went home. Well, maybe there were a few exceptions. This player has great teeth.  FDU used to have a dental school.  The hygienists  cleaned my teeth for practice.  I eagerly volunteered.            Getty Photo

Paul Goldfinger Sports Editor at Blogfinger off-shore university school newspaper “The Grovarian Blogster.”

“We got screwed” said the Rutgers coach after his team was not invited to the”big dance”—the NCAA college championship basketball tournament which was just won by Connecticut–a usual powerhouse team.

Actually I didn’t even go to Rutgers, but I liked the shirt.

We don’t talk much about sports at Blogfinger.net, but I do get interested in this tournament this time of year. (2023), and amazingly  my school’s team (FDU–they called it that on TV because none of the announcers cared enough to learn what the initials stand for—it’s Fairleigh Dickinson which  achieved fame because they actually beat a team, Purdue,  that was rated number one in March 2023.  If you had bet on the underdog here you could have made a fortune.

This was only the second time that a #16 seed beat a #1.

FDU beats Purdue

Do I care?  Not much, but I enjoy the hoopla that goes along with sporting events like this or the Super Bowl,  I  started to care about New Jersey teams in 1976 when Rutgers astonishingly made the final 4.  Recently other Jersey teams have excelled including Seton Hall, St. Peters and Princeton.

The main sports story about Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights, is that it has been trying to become famous playing football since they played in the first collegiate game against Princeton.  Back then the team with the highest SAT’s were declared the winner.  The year was 1869, when Ocean Grove was founded, but the CMA did not have a football team.

So next year some Jersey teams might make the tournament again.  Or maybe the FDU girls will show up for basketball or hopefully in the pep band.  When I was there in the band there were no coeds participating.  They were busy cleaning teeth. And there were no girls teams.

My girlfriend then was an English major and she coerced me to wear a short dress (a mini-toga) in the play “Antigone.” in the part of the Messenger.    I did it because, well, how could I say no? And what was my pronoun?  If you know this Greek tragedy ( a great name because my performance was one) and  I came on stage with makeup (a “mask”) on.   On stage was a dead woman lying supine on a pedestal.  This was almost as bad as my frat humiliation–wearing raw liver in my pants.  Why?  Who knows?  I have a photo to prove it.  (the Greek part.).  But the mini-toga didn’t bother me because, after all, our basketball  players  were a “Cinderella team.”

My history at FDU continued.

JESSICA MOLASKEY.

Paul Goldfinger still image from “Delhi Crime.” Netflix movie. 2026

Emilie-Claire Barlow:

“One Day.”   Noah and friend.   Photo by Michael Goldfinger, , Blogfinger staff. 2024.    Click once to enlarge.

“A world to be born under your footsteps…”      

St. John Perse.  (French poet and Nobel winner.)

MATISYAHU:

“One Day”

Mt. Tabor Way, North End. May 29, 2021 .  Paul Goldfinger photo. © Click to enlarge.

This album from 1961 (“mono”) has become a classic. I scanned this cover from my collection.

Betty Carter and Ray Charles:   a famous record….The duet below is from this duet album.

Lights on. Paul Goldfinger photo. Click once to enlarge.

Yo Yo Ma and Chris Botti.   “Dona Nobis Pacem” and Auld Lang Syne.”

Near Hawk Mountain, Pennsylvania. Paul Goldfinger photo.

“I LOVE  YOU:”    Imagine that—a song with that title.   By Cole Porter.

It  is from the movie about his life–De-Lovely,  and here is Mick Hucknall with his version from that film:

Paul Goldfinger “Blue Angel.” May, 2021.

ROY ORBISON: