Lifestyle

On August 31st, 2010 Ms. Ansje Balgobind celebrated her tenth anniversary at the Post Aruba NV. This one decade anniversary was celebrated together within the company Director Mr. Kees van Nederkassel and all the staff members of Post Aruba NV. Ansje first started out in service of “Land Aruba” as a substitute in the housekeeping department and has always continued working in the housekeeping at the Post Aruba NV.

Since February 1st, 2007 Ansje made the decision to move up and is currently working as an official at the Post Aruba NV. Ms. Balgobind is very serious when it comes to her job. In the name of Post Aruba NV we congratulate Ms. Ansje Balgobind with her tenth anniversary; we also would like to congratulate her family for her outstanding work.

Story courtesy of Aruba Today

Olga Petrovna Doronino from Moldovka, Russia & Jose Moreira from Catanduvas, Brazil were married on Thursday, August 26, 2010 at Aruba’s Historic Civil House in Downtown Oranjestad.

After the civil ceremony officiated by Government Civil Officer Beto Christiaans, the couple together with their family continued the ceremonies with an exchange of rings and Christian vows in the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Weststraat in Oranjestad.

Olga, dressed in a long white wedding dress said “I do” together with Jose, witnessed by their family that traveled to Aruba with them and the entire congregation of the quaint little Church.

Story courtesy of Aruba Today
Photos by Julia Renfro

Broadway, TV, and film actress Anna Berger has vacationed annually on Aruba with her husband, Bob Maletsky for 25 years, sharing two weeks of their life every August with their extended family at the Aruba Beach Club. Anna has shared her memoirs of friendships and working with some the greatest names in show business history by performing her one-woman show, “Absolutely Anna” which she also authored, on past occasions.

This year, Anna treated ABC members to a special screening of a new documentary by Aviva Kempner, in which she appears, dedicated to one of the most influential figures in radio and early television, Gertrude Berg. “Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg,” takes its title from the opening line of the historic radio and television show “The Goldbergs,” which Gertrude had also written and produced, as well as playing one of the most beloved figures in media for over 25 years, Molly Goldberg.

The story of Gertrude Berg, born Tilly Edelstein in Harlem, New York City, and her remarkable success in creating the “family sitcom” genre of entertainment is also a march through world history. The radio show “The Rise of the Goldbergs” debuted just after the stock market crash in 1929, and quickly became the second most listened to radio program after “Amos & Andy” through the Depression Years and WWII. It is remarkable to contemplate that a survey conducted during the 1940’s revealed Gertrude Berg to be the second most popular female figure in the U.S, second to Eleanor Roosevelt. However, Gertrude held the position of the highest paid woman in the nation, garnering a salary of $2,000 per week for her radio program alone, not to mention the enormous number of product endorsements and earnings from taking “The Goldbergs” on a highly successful live tour.

Gertrude persisted in seeing “The Goldbergs” established on television in January of 1949, after initially facing skepticism from CBS network executives. She was awarded the first Emmy award for Best Actress in 1950. A highly successful 5-year run of the show was marred by her TV husband, Phillip Loeb, long a union activist for actors, being branded a communist by the Un-American Activities Committee, which prompted Gertrude to defy sponsors when they wanted him fired after he was named in the notorious “Red Channels.” Anna had made her TV debut on “The Goldbergs” and was a close friend of Phillip Loeb, who she describes as her mentor; she was featured in the documentary for her memories of that time.

Finally, after Gertrude exhausted every option, “The Goldbergs” continued without Phillip Loeb, who went on to commit suicide; this story was reenacted in the famous 1976 film starring Woody Allen “The Front.”

The fascinating story of one of America’s most talented and influential media personalities from the 1930’s to the early 60’s is an admiring chronicle of her genius and accomplishments, which have been mostly lost on present generations. Aviva Kempner expresses her delight in seeing episodes of “The Goldbergs” have been packaged by the UCLA Film and Television Archive and issued on DVD, so viewers can enjoy Gertrude’s talent as well as witnessing some of the greatest performers in film and television often making their debut on the show.

A roomful of ABC members were most grateful to Anna for sharing this trip through history with them on Wednesday afternoon, punctuating the documentary with some anecdotes of her encounters with the personalities depicted on the screen.

Story courtesy of The Morning News

The Sharks of Buena Vista, a group of seniors, swim every morning from 6 pm – 7 pm at Havana Club. For example, 84-year-old Laito Nadall (pictured second from left) swims a few days every week, works everyday in his garden and goes fishing once a week. He prefers to grow his food on his land (cunucu) and catch his own fish to eat. He advises that we eat small portions, avoid sugar, limit carbohydrates, and be active everyday.

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Recently at the La Cabana Racquet Club vacationers were presented with honorary titles created by the Ministry of Tourism as a token of appreciation to guest visiting Aruba for 10 and 20 consecutive years. Special friends of Aruba, enjoying ten or more annual vacations here, are given the Distinguished Guest certificate and those with twenty consecutive years are awarded the Ambassador of goodwill title. The recent honorings were effected by the Aruba Tourism Authority associate Ricardo Croes at La Cabana Racquet Club they call their home away from home.

Victoria & Katerina Adams were honored as an distinguished visitor after visiting Aruba for 10 consecutive years and also Michael & Audrey Mizenko, Michael Adams, Iris Schwartz & Arnold Schwarter were honored as an Ambassador of goodwill for the Island of Aruba.

Pictured: ATA Rep. Ricardo Croes together with honorees at the members lounge at La Cabana Racquet Club.

Recently at the Aruba Beach Club, vacationers were presented with honorary titles created by the Ministry of Tourism as a token of appreciation to guests visiting Aruba for 10 and 20 consecutive years. Special friends of Aruba, enjoying ten or more annual vacations here, are given the Distinguished Guest certificate and those with twenty consecutive years are awarded the Ambassador of Goodwill title. The recent honoring was effected by the Aruba Tourism Authority associate Ricardo Croes at the Aruba Beach Club, where they call their home away from home. Mary Kajewski was honored as an Distinguished Visitor after returning to Aruba for 18 years. Mary commented that she has been married to Jack Stephens for 10 months. Pictured: Mary Stephens together with Ricardo Croes from ATA and also staff from the Aruba Beach Club.

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Recently at the Marriott Ocean Club Resort, vacationers were presented with honorary titles created by the Ministry of Tourism as a token of appreciation to guest visiting Aruba for ten and 20 consecutive years. Special friends of Aruba, enjoying ten or more annual vacations here, are given the Distinguished Guest certificate and those with twenty consecutive years are awarded the Ambassador of Goodwill title.The recent honoring was effected by the Aruba Tourism Authority associate Ricardo Croes at the Marriott Ocean Club Resort that the Hardcastles call their home away from home. Here Don & Kathy Hardcastle from Dallas, Texas, USA, were honored as Distinguished Visitors after visiting Aruba for ten years. Story courtesy of Aruba Today

Pictured: ATA Rep. Ricardo Croes together with Don & Kathy and also staff from the Marriott Ocean Club Resort

They used to say that, whenever the trade wind changed its direction in the early month of May, and blew from the South instead of the Northeast, you could hear the voices of the guardsmen who had served and died in World War II.

It was said that you could hear those voices with crystalline clarity in the first few years after the war at a certain point along the St. Nicolas Bay, but that after those initial years had passed the voices started to fade. Today, even if you stand in that very same spot, all you can hear are barely audible fragments, murmurs, and wisps of conversations. And you may be tempted to tell yourself that you’re only imagining things.

During the Second World War, Aruban servicemen had sailed on oil tankers and warships and had stood guard along the island’s southern shores. Day and night, they would peer into the dark-deep waters to try to discern the presence of German submarine U-boats, which had swarmed into the Caribbean basin to cut off the Allied supply lines that ran all the way up to the European theater of war.

After the war, in Sunday morning parades, the surviving guardsmen would march with their heads held high, shouldering their rifles and carrying their flag with dignity and pride.

There used to be quite a few of them, but today most have passed on. Every year the group grows smaller and soon the day will come that none will be left alive. Many of us are too young to remember them. And even if we would hear their names, we wouldn’t know who they were. And, yet, they had once taken up arms to defend their community and die for their country.

Today we lay wreaths to pay homage to their bravery, dedication, discipline, and willingness to defend our freedom and way of life. To commemorate not only the suffering and pain but also the glory. And, yet, we do not remember who they were. It is only in the pale moonlight, and then only if the early May winds blow from the South instead of the Northeast (which isn’t very often), that we can still catch glimpses of their heroism and sacrifice. On those rare occasions, remnants of history drift toward us—of ships that were torpedoed, of a buddy who was captured and executed, of a guardsman whose silhouette was scorched into the walls of a concrete bunker by a final, deadly blast.

And so we may wonder, what happens to a man’s soul when even the memory of his existence fades from the Book of Life?

Maybe, it is time for us to stand guard, to repay our debt of honor, to peer back into the dark-deep ocean of time … and keep alive the memory of their souls.

Story by Roland W. Peterson, courtesy of Awe Mainta