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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
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
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
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
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! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
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
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
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
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
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
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
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
A really big show of generation gaps
By
Jim Mullen
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
A TV commentator said the other day t President Obama had to "keep a lot of plates spinning." Those of us who stayed home every Sunday night to watch Ed Sullivan knew exactly what he meant. But would anyone under 40 get it? What would plate spinning mean to today's college freshman?
Ed Sullivan was the great divide between generations. If you watched Ed Sullivan to see the acrobats, the Borscht Belt comedians and the tiny little dogs jump through their trainer's hoops, you're from one generation. If you suffered through all that to see the rock band he had on that week, you're from another. If you're googling Ed Sullivan right now on your iPhone, well, never mind.
There was a time when, if you could imitate Ed's pinched voice and self-hugging arms at parties, you could say almost anything and get a laugh as long as you said the words "Right here, on our stage tonight" first.
It was with those same words that Ed would introduce a band of Romanian acrobats who would come out in their circus tights logrolling atop multicolored, 2-foot-high hollow cylinders. They'd jump and tumble for 60 seconds to calliope music and then they'd jump off a spring board to make a human tower six people high while the bottom guy balanced the whole group as he stood, legs quivering, on two of the roly-poly cylinders. It must have taken years of practice to make something like that happen and a superhuman amount of effort. This was live television. Sometimes they couldn't do it the first time, so they'd back up and do it again. You sat there thinking, "I couldn't do that in a million years."
But you also thought, "There's got to be an easier way to make a living."
After a few commercials for Chevy Corvairs, Esso gas and Marlboro cigarettes, Ed would introduce a Russian dance troupe that would fold their arms in an Ed Sullivan-ish way and then suddenly squat and kick out one leg and then the other over and over. It was all anyone did at recess at school the next day because, as everyone knew during the Cold War that if the Russians could out-dance us, they would win. Or if they got more medals at the Olympics than we did, they would win. Or if they got to the moon first, they would win.
And if the Commies won, they'd systematically remove Elvis Presley and rock 'n' roll music, and they wouldn't let us wear blue jeans to school. They'd also find a way to ruin our hair.
Turns out, these are all the things our leaders wanted to do. They kidnapped Elvis for two years and put Chuck Berry in jail for three, and Buddy Holly died in an "accident," leaving plenty of time on Ed's show for plate spinners. They seemed to be on every single week. He'd say, "Right here, on our stage tonight …" and out would come a guy in a tuxedo with a bunch of three or four foot-long skinny pool cues. He'd balance what looked like a dinner plate on top of the stick and give it a few quick spins to get it going like a top. He'd wave it back and forth a few times, flick it to spinning faster and faster and then set it, still spinning in a little holder on a table in front of him. Then he'd start another. And another. And another. The first plate was starting to wobble, but just at the last moment he'd run over and get it going again. And another. What was the record for plate spinning? Ten? Twelve? Twenty? We did not practice this the next day at school. We just sat in front of the TV set and wondered where you would acquire a skill like that and whether it would get you any dates.
hat with all that was going on in the world today,
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment by clicking here.
Jim Mullen is the author of "It Takes a Village Idiot: Complicating the Simple Life" and "Baby's First Tattoo."
Previously:
When pigs flu
The reports of our decline have been greatly exaggerated
Mergers and admonitions
Invest in gold: little, yellow, different
Stuck in Folsom Penthouse
Collecting karma
Setting loose the creative juice
It's all in the numbers
You're damaging your brain with practical skills
The real rat pack
The unspeakable luxury of the Park-O-Matic
Gross-ery shopping
© 2009, NEA
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