February 10, 2012 Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: The biblical case against small-mindedness involved diminishing His precious prophet Caroline B. Glick: The Peace Process is over. Finally Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage Rachel Koning Beals: Gen X Women Continue to Shrink Gender Investing Gap The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Durand: Who Says You Can't Make Restaurant Favorites at Home?: MANGO AND STICKY RICE February 9, 2012 Jeff Strickler: An argument a day keeps the divorce away, they say Clifford D. May: CAIR's Crusade against The Third Jihad Melissa Healy: Study finds jolt to the brain boosts memory Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation Emily Brandon: 10 Necessities for a Great Retirement Spot The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Winter Squash and Red Swiss Chard Risotto is Colorful Cozy Cold Weather Fare (includes detailed dos and don'ts) February 8, 2012 Rivy Poupko Kletenik: Tree hostility: The auspicious history of the evolution of Tu B'Shevat Steven Emerson: Planting Trees is Racist?! Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups Anne Applebaum: Russia's Potemkin democracy Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs Emily Brandon: 10 Necessities for a Great Retirement Spot The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets) February 7, 2012 Kathleen Hennessey and Christi Parsons: Obama not worried that birth-control move will hurt his re-election chances with Catholics, other faithful Caroline B. Glick: Obama's rhetorical storm Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! 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May: How terrorists lose their stigma Suzanne Bohan: Vanquishing social anxieties without drugs Lisa Fernandez and Sean Webby: In alternative lifestyle, domestic violence means men as victims and women being abusers Danielle Kurtzleben: The 10 Best Cities for Finding a Job The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Three bean soup with gremolata January 18, 2012 Edward I. Koch: Why the Crocodile Tears, Hillary? David G. Savage: Supreme Court to Principals: You have been warned George Friedman of Stratfor: Iran, the U.S. and the Strait of Hormuz Crisis Jason Koebler: 'Holy Grail' of Flu Vaccines by Next Year Alex M. Parker: The Off-the-Radar Congressional Targets of 2012 The Kosher Gourmet by Susan Russo: Got soft apples? Make Apple-Maple Walnut Breakfast Quinoa January 17, 2012 Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court Sharon Palmer, R.D.: Believe it or not, your cuppa joe offers potential health perks David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors Confronting the Car Nerds on their home turf --- the Detroit Auto Show (VIDEO; 3 minutes) The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen: Eleventh-Hour Freezer Pasta, Made Interesting: Ravioli with romesco sauce; Tortellini salad with apples and walnuts January 13, 2012 Chief Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein: Expansion Of Spirit (PROFOUND yet UPLIFTING) Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time Rachel Koning Beals:Top Complaints About Daily Deal Sites --- how to avoid missteps Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Braised Oxtail Stew with Olives January 12, 2012 Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony Ken Dilanian and David S. Cloud: In secret study, CIA and 15 other U.S. intelligence agencies warn Obama against leaving Afghanistan too soon John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree Menachem Wecker : 4 Technology Must Haves for Online Students The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream January 11, 2012 Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules Rachel Koning Beals: Should You Invest in Bond Funds or Individual Issues? The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Durand : Colorful Lentil Salad with Walnuts and Herbs January 10, 2012 Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations Paul Bedard: Study: Is Fox Too Balanced? Rachel Koning Beals: Is it Time to Move into Homebuilder Stocks? The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: Brothy Chinese Noodles Half the Sodium (and More Than Twice the Fiber!) January 9, 2012 Caroline B. 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Jewish World Review April 12, 2006 / 14 Nissan, 5766 The price of defame By Joel Stein http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | I know absolutely nothing about L.A. billionaire Ron Burkle, but I think he's a slimebucket. Why do I say that? Because if New York Post gossip writer Jared Paul Stern was able to ask Burkle for $100,000 plus $10,000 a month just to keep the guy from being defamed in the tabloid, I figure it's worth trying to get the guy upset at me too. Burkle taped his meetings with Stern and contacted the FBI, and as a result, the fedora-capped, bow-tied, 35-year-old Stern might be going to jail, where fedora-capped, bow-tied people don't traditionally thrive. While others believe Stern's mistake was extortion, I see it as a matter of mispricing. As a fellow newspaper columnist, I figured it was important to understand my potential value as an extortionist in case things ever got drastic and I needed to pay for a life-saving operation for my mother, or the finance payments on a really nice Porsche. I contacted Steven Levitt, an economics professor at the University of Chicago and co-author of "Freakonomics." He told me that, as I suspected, Stern's price was way off. "You can supposedly hire a hit man for $10,000," Levitt said. "Most reported cases of bribery and corruption are much less. Dan Rostenkowski was taken down for stamps and office furniture." There was no way I was risking my newspaper's reputation for stamps and office furniture, unless of course the L.A. Times, which won't give me an office, doesn't quickly pony up some stamps and office furniture. "He probably could have gotten away with it if he'd been reasonable," agreed "Freakonomics" co-author Stephen Dubner. "But by asking for $200,000 from one payola victim, he's basically saying his services are worth a few million a year because he could easily try to shake down a dozen or two [dozen] people at the same time." This extortion thing was starting to sound like far more work than journalism. Dubner thought Stern's big mistake was assuming that $200,000 meant nothing to a billionaire. Though being left alone might be worth the pocket change to Burkle, an economics law called the "disgust effect" shows that people will act against their own self-interest if they think they're getting ripped off. I'm sure the disgust effect comes into play with extra strength when you're dealing with 35-year-olds who wear fedoras and bow ties. Still, I wanted to know how much I could pull in, so I contacted some Burkle-level powerful people and asked them how much they'd pay to stay out of my column. My best offer came from Matt Tupper, president of the pomegranate juice company Pom Wonderful. I have lots of dirt on him from college, during which Mr. Tupper drank things besides fruit juice. Things which made him drunk. Tupper was willing to fork over $137.80, the cost of his yearly L.A. Times subscription, which he only buys to monitor my column for his name. That sounded like a pretty good deal — until I realized that amount was, like, two bottles of his pomegranate juice. CNN anchorman Anderson Cooper told me he wouldn't pay a cent: "No one knows you have a column, and besides no one reads in L.A. anyway." City Council member Eric Garcetti offered me $5 not to write about him, and $10 to stop writing altogether. Not even my mother, a therapist who sits me down for hours to discuss my "repressed anger" and "passive-aggressiveness" every time I mention her in print, was willing to pay. "I don't know people in California," she said. "I don't know anybody who reads your column other than our family, and I don't care about them." I don't know how Stern had the ego to withstand all of this. I had better luck with singer Robert Goulet, who is also actor Robert Goulet, who offered me Stern-rates for mentioning Robert Goulet's name as often as possible. "I'll give you that much for mentioning my name," Robert Goulet said. "Even negatively. For as long as you dare." That's the Robert Goulet-sized ego of Robert Goulet. Actress Marilu Henner offered me hundreds of dollars a week to write about her every day, "as long as you mention that I don't eat dairy." Robert Goulet, however, can't get enough dairy. It was becoming clear that the main thing I was going get out of a life of crime was getting made fun of. That's because Stern's mistake was the same one most people in the media make: thinking he's far more important than he is. Luckily, I have a mother who helps me with that. Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here. Joel Stein is a Los Angeles Times columnist. Comment by clicking here. Archives © 2006 Los Angeles Times Distributed by Los Angeles Times Syndicate

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