The Hammonton Gazette 11/27/13 | Page 6

Page 6 • Wednesday, November 27, 2013 • The Hammonton Gazette The Hammonton Gazette “The Paper of Record” Gabriel J. donio, Publisher Gina rullo, Editor-in-Chief dan russoman, Sports Editor Benny Mendez, Staff Artist Marysusan?hoffman, Paul J. Macrie Iv Michael hozik, donna Brown, Joseph?Bruno, lauren Bucci, lauren crescenzo, Brian?Morris, anthony Marella, Staff The Hammonton Gazette is located at 233 Bellevue ave. to reach a staff member, call 704-1940 or fax at 704-1938. the mailing address is P.o.?Box 1228, hammonton, nJ 08037. edItorIals The Hammonton Gazette is published Tuesdays, by The Hammonton Gazette, Inc. Copyright © 2013. All rights reserved. ISSN?1093-6181 Giving thanks Each year this week brings a pause when people come together with family and friends to enjoy each other’s company, and give thanks for life’s blessings. Thanksgiving is one of the quintessentially American holidays. It connects us all because it is centered on gratitude and celebrating those who are most dear to us. It transcends all the usual boundaries and unites us as a people, house by house, dinner by dinner. In Hammonton, the families will gather. Often, there is no long commute involved, as both sides of the family live in Hammonton. Instead of fighting traffic, they just drive from one end of the town to the other. There are so many aspects of the holiday weekend that have become traditions, in addition to the dinner: the raucous social gatherings on Thanksgiving Eve and the annual Hammonton-St. Joe game on Saturday are the two biggest ones. Many other traditions, like reunion gatherings for alumni of the two high schools and smaller, informal reunions of friends and family have also become an important part of Thanksgiving in Hammonton. We have also seen many instances of people reaching out to those in need at this time of year. Food drives are helping the hungry, jackets are finding their way into the hands of people who need them and visits are being made to people who don’t have family or friends to celebrate with this year. Those who are fortunate enough are taking time to help those who are not, and the holiday’s true meaning can be seen in the smile of a person who thought there wouldn’t be a meal this year, but was surprised by the generosity of caring men and women. They understand that giving thanks often means giving of yourself. falciani remembered Mildred “Millie” Falciani passed away on November 22 at the age of 96. The longtime teacher was remembered fondly by students in Hammonton (where she taught the majority of her more than 25-year career, with the remainder at Oakcrest High School.) Family and friends are invited to attend her visitation Wednesday, November 27 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at St. Mary of Mt. Carmel Parish – St. Joseph Church on Third Street. Entombment will be at the convenience of the family, according to the obituary from Marinella Funeral Home. As a teacher, Falciani also served as class advisor, play director and advisor to the National Honor Society during many school years. Her avocation was volunteer work. Falciani and her lifelong friend Louise “Toppy” Ricci met as children and dedicated much of their lives in Hammonton to helping others. In 2000, both women received one of Hammonton’s highest honors – the Hammonton Lions Club Citizen of the Year Award – together. “I consider volunteering a privilege. Volunteering helps make me a happy person. I shall never forget this honor for Toppy and me. We are like sisters. Thank you so much,” Falciani said at the dinner honoring her and Ricci in 2000. Both women were life members of the Woman’s Civic Club, held the title of president of the organization and aided in the fundraising for the Woman’s Civic Club building on Broadway, according to the club. Falciani was a volunteer and member of the Ladies Auxiliary at William B. Kessler Memorial Hospital. She was past president of the N.J. Society of Professional Engineers Auxiliary. Her passion for golf inspired her and her late husband Romeo Falciani to serve as president of Buena Vista Country Club Twilight Golfers. As a volunteer of the Boca Raton, Florida Police Dept., she was honored by the chief of police and mayor as the longest-serving volunteer in Boca Raton. In her 80s, the former English teacher spent several late nights helping The Gazette when it needed a substitute copy editor. It helped that the publisher was her great-nephew, even though it meant missing a few games of her beloved Phillies. “The Gazette appreciated the help, and it showed once again that Aunt Millie has always been willing to lend her talents to any worthy cause,” Gazette Publisher Gabriel Donio wrote in his August 8, 2007 column to celebrate the week of Falciani’s 90th birthday. The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Falciani’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association South Jersey Regional Office 3 Eves Drive Suite 310 Marlton, NJ 08053. PersPectIve/eBooks As our technological possibilities grow, there seems to be the pervading idea that businesses must “go digital, or die.” Like the music industry, which is slowly but surely surrendering CDs to MP3s, the publishing industry is also moving from the physical to the digital world. This change carries potential consequences that are obscured behind the surface of eBooks; they seem like an amazing, convenient innovation, and in many ways, they are. But you can’t judge an eBook by its cover. As a kid who has grown up in the “Information Age,” which allows us to access knowledge more freely than has ever been possible before, I have come to expect the accumulated knowledge of the world to be at my fingertips. In order to keep our information safe, we need printed books. Digitized text gives eBook publishers the ability to manipulate that text without notifying their users, or archiving the earlier versions. In July 2009, there was a widely-known case in which people lost their eBooks overnight, Amazon deleted all its digital copies of Animal Farm and 1984. Apparently, Amazon had not owned the rights to publish those books digitally. They clearly mishandled the problem, and have since apologized and rectified the injury. But, look at the irony. They deleted 1984, a book that warns against a dystopian future where information, history, and knowledge could be withheld from the public. We are now facing that dystopian future. Just like Big Brother, Amazon, and all the other eBook publishers have the power to erase information. Of course, this sounds hyperbolic, but if eBooks were to become our only books, we would have cause to be very worried. But how can we prevent real books from being cast off, if eBook sellers are concealing this information from their users? It is, of course, in the companies’ interests to be vague about it, as they can make more money when they license eBooks and control their distribution. I spent 20 minutes reading through Barnes and Noble’s Nook terms of service before I could find the offending clause, Quote of the Week: which is summed up in a couple sentences and is ambiguously worded: “We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable license to access and make personal, non-commercial use” of digital content. They go on to use the word “purchase” over and over, as though these terms are still allowing the user to completely own the eBooks they pay for. In other words, people are being intentionally misled about their eBook purchases. I am often accused of being biased against eBooks, and yes, I will always buy paper copies because I am a little old fashioned. But we need to put the argument against eBooks into perspective. The problem with eBooks sweeps so much farther than musty vanilla smells and childhood memories. Sentimental defenses of books are not a rational reason to spurn their electronic counterparts, but physical books need to be preserved so as to protect information of indelible worth, and to maintain its accessibility to future generations. Paper books have filled this function exceptionally well; it is much too dangerous to put our trust into a new technology so soon. EReaders and eBooks are a fresh, convenient technology, but they also present the possibility of losing an unthinkable volume of humanity’s precious intellectual output. EBooks certainly have a role in our culture and society; but that role isn’t one of victor over books. In order to keep physical books in circulation, it’s important for people to understand the consequences of this innovation. Technology can be a positive influence on our lives as long as we treat it with caution. We are all invested in preserving information, knowledge, and history and we can do that by being aware. And, hey, it wouldn’t hurt to support your local library and buy paper copies of your favorite books. ella Melker Junior, towson university 2011 hammonton high school Graduate “If you are really thankful, what do you — W. Clement Stone do? you share.” The Hammonton Gazette welcomes letters to the editor that are no more than 800 words long. All letters must include the name of the author and an address and telephone number for verification. Letters should be mailed to The Hammonton Gazette, Editorial Page, P.O. Box 1228, Hammonton, NJ 08037. Letters also will be accepted via fax. The fax number is 704-1938. ?Or by e-mail to [email protected]. Deadline for all submissions is 2 p.m. Monday. The Hammonton Gazette reserves the right to edit any submissions. The opinions expressed in letters, perspectives or in guest columns do not necessarily reflect those of The Hammonton Gazette. ?The Gazette is not responsible for factual errors in letters, perspectives or in guest columns. The Gazette retains the right to refuse any submission or advertisement.