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May 13, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Why the giving of the document that would permanently change the world could only be done in desolation

David G. Savage: Church-state, literally? Supreme Court weighing public school graduation in a church

Emily Alpert: Recession dragged down birth rates for less-educated women
Morgan Housel: The deep downside of home ownership

Peter Teffer: Will Dutch police soon be stalking cybercriminals on your computer?

Heidi McIndoo, M.S., R.D.: Meatless 'meat' can have its own set of problems

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Celebrate! This must-try appetizer is delicate yet has depth of flavor: Corn-Leek Cakes with Caviar, Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche

May 10, 2013

Rabbi Berel Wein: Be all that you should be

Caroline B. Glick: The dirty little secret about Israel's Arabs

Mona Charen: Hawking's Moral Calculus: The man and the movement he embraces
Morgan Housel: The biggest retirement myth ever told

Sandi Doughton: Eyes may provide new insight into brain problems

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : The Great Gatsby's Jewish Ties; Jews in the "Time 100 list" List; People's Most Beautiful Women

The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: A sweet-hot meal: Pear salsa spices up salmon

May 8, 2013

Peter Ford: Why China is welcoming both Israel's Netanyahu and Palestinians' Abbas

Warren Richey: Obama administration quietly backs out of appeal over new contraceptive mandate

Fred Weir: At Kerry-Putin meeting, US-Russia relations thaw --- a tad
Amanda Paulson: Study reveals sad truths about community colleges

Harvard Health Letters: Evidence weak that zinc, echinacea are beneficial

The Kosher Gourmet by Leela Cyd Ross : Almost too pretty to eat, this colorful salad with Sicilian inspiration will tickle the taste buds and delight your visual sensibility

May 6, 2013

Edmund Sanders and Patrick J. McDonnell: Think Israel's objective in Syria is to weaken Assad or embolden the rebels? Think again

Brian Bennett: Israeli airstrikes may show weakness in Syrian defense

Michael Ollove: Millions of ex-felons, parolees and those on probation are about to be entitled to tax-payer paid health coverage
Karen Kaplan: Most men can skip PSA test for prostate cancer, urologists say

Kimberly Lankford: How to track down a lost life insurance policy

Dream of Mars exploration achievable, experts say

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan M. Selasky: EGGPLANT WRAPS are an easy, sumptuous and scrumptious meal

May 3, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Human Courage and the Unavoidable, Disturbing Text

Steven Emerson: Attorney General Fights CAIR in Court, Lauds it in Public

Mediterranean diet helps beat dementia: study
Harvard Health Letters: When to be screened for a hearing problem

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Iron Man's Jewish Connections; Marc Maron's New TV Show; Martin Landau Grows Up with Israel; Shalom, Allan Arbus

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: A sweet surprise for Mother's Day dessert

May 1, 2013

Jonathan Rosenblum: An Improbable Journey to Orthodoxy

Jonathan Tobin: Blame Obama, Not Israel for Syria Push

Kids, kittens the Same? With employee perks at struggling Internet pioneer Yahoo! it's hard to tell
Halena M. Gazelka, M.D.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: What you need to know about implanted pain relief devices

Sandy Kleffman: Artificial kidney offers hope to patients tethered to a dialysis machine

Jessica Shugart: When it comes to math, MRIs may be better than IQs

The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: The celebrated chef on how high-maintenance ASPARAGUS RISOTTO need not be

April 29, 2013

Roy Gutman: Poland's new Jewish museum celebrates life, doesn't revisit Holocaust

Mark Clayton: Terrorism in America: Is US missing a chance to learn from failed plots?

Kim Murphy: Boston Bomber's 'Svengali' Revealed
Morgan Housel: He's rich, smart and old: Listen to him

Thomas Salinas, D.D.S.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: The safety of amalgam fillings

Harvard Health Letters: Tomatoes and stroke protection

Pete Spotts: Tiny satellites + cellphones = cheaper 'eyes in the sky' for NASA

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Swing into spring with lemon cream pie

April 26, 2013

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: The world is a mirror

Caroline B. Glick: Time to confront Obama

Clifford D. May: Defense in the Age of Jihadist Terrorism
Kimberly Lankford: New strategies ease pain of paying for long-term care insurance

Howard LeWine, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Too much ibuprofen?

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: How to feel your best -- with plenty of energy, a healthy weight and optimal mental and physical function -- without driving yourself batty

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Jewish Major Leaguers, 2013; New Movies and Comedy Show; Shalom, 'Lumpy' (Leave it to Beaver)

The Kosher Gourmet by Emily Ho : A bright and cheerful salad to herald the warmer months ahead

April 24, 2013

Steven Emerson: Boston Bomber Exposes Islamist Secret

Morgan Housel Admit it: No one has any idea what's going on
Harvard Health Letters: Can you get headaches from headache medication?

Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D.: How to easily get more Omega-3s in your diet

Melissa Healy: Pot in a pill: All the pain relief without the smoke

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan Russo: Chipotle Chili Butternut Squash Soup is bold, zesty, hot

April 22, 2013

Ken Dilanian: Counterterrorism's future is unclear

US man departing country arrested on terror charges
Barbara Williams: An unorthodox but growing treatment in a 9-year-old's battle against cancer

P.J. Skerrett, M.D.: How to recognize a good whole grain product

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Teen actor Jonah Bobo in New Flick: Hunky James Wolk on Mad Men; Erich Segal's Daughter Writes Prize-Winning Jewish Novel

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: 'Noodles,' Asian style is a carb sub, sure. But they are also amazingly delicious and colorful

April 19, 2013

Rabbi Yonason Goldson: When violence seems the only answer

Caroline B. Glick: Why Obama's visit to Israel had no impact on public opinion or government policy

Morgan Housel: Gold collapse: The start of something big?
Harvard Health Letters: Can you die of a broken heart?

Pete Spotts: Livable super-Earths? Two candidates among Kepler's latest finds

Nora Schultz: Oxytocin helps beat booze cravings

The Kosher Gourmet by Carole Kotkin: Middle Eastern cuisine meets Italian delicious with this lentil and eggplant pastitsio

April 17, 2013

Shira Rubin: Too much of a good thing? 'Palestinians' realize downside of foreign aid boom

Geoffrey Mohan: Can computers decode dreams? Researchers take a first step

Morgan Housel: BAD NEWS: EVERYONE IS RIGHT!
Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D.: 6 heart-healthy eating tips help cut saturated fat but not taste

Michael Craig Miller, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Told your child has sensory processing disorder? Seek a second opinion

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Corn and Curry Add Zing to Chilled Soup

April 15, 2013

Rabbi Yonason Goldson: The Death of Education?

Kristen Chick: Egyptian Christians respond with harsh words to attack -- rocks, Molotov cocktails, and gunfire -- against main cathedral

Marcy Darnovsky and Karuna Jaggar: High Court to decide if you should own your DNA
Howard LaFranchi: US bracing for more Russian blowback after taking action against 18 more human rights violators

Kristin Ohlson : The loneliest fight

The Kosher Gourmet by Dana Velden: A tasty, rich dish that hints at spring's arrival while still anchored in a favorite winter staple


Jewish World Review June 18, 2007 / 2 Tamuz, 5767

The soundtrack of dad

By Mitch Albom


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Dad needs a song.


I mean, on Father's Day, he oughta have a soundtrack. Everything else has a soundtrack. When Tony Soprano takes the screen, he gets "Woke Up This Morning." When the Pistons take the floor, we hear "The Final Countdown." Even the president has "Hail to the Chief."


But I have spent some time looking into this and, as often happens with dads in America, they are getting gypped.


Lovers? There are endless songs for lovers. Children? My goodness. They'll make you weep. And mothers? Even rap artists put down their profanity long enough to pay homage to Mom.


But Dad? Well, let's see. There's the Temptations classic, "Papa Was A Rolling Stone":


Wherever he laid his hat
was his home
and when he died
all he left us was alone


Great. The guy was a bum. Not exactly Father's Day material. There's Shep and the Limelightes' doo-wop favorite, "Daddy's Home."


I'd like to thank you
for waiting patiently
Daddy's home, your Daddy's home, to stay


Unfortunately, I think it's about a guy getting out from prison.


Many people point to Cat Stevens' "Father and Son." But that's pretty much an argument set to folk music. There is Barbra Streisand's "Papa, Can You Hear Me?"


Papa, can you hear me?
Papa, can you see me?
Papa can you find me in the night?


But first of all, that sounds like a kid locked in the basement. Besides, the song is from the movie "Yentl" in which Streisand pretends to be a boy. Can't we get something that isn't gender-confused?


Some will suggest "Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin, because the whole song is about a father and a son. Yes. That's right. The father is too busy for the son all his life, and finally, the son is too busy for the father.


And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me!My boy was just like me


Uch. How depressing. You would think a guy as special as Dad would have some quintessential song, some anthem, the way New York City has "New York, New York;" the way New Year's Eve has "Auld Lang Syne;" the way whatever star athlete of the moment has "Simply The Best."


I mean, even Heinz Ketchup had "Anticipation" by Carly Simon. And that's a condiment!


But many father songs are about some tough old meanie ("A Boy Named Sue" in which Dad names Johnny Cash after a girl) or an out-of-touch patriarch ("Papa Don't Preach" by Madonna, in which she tells him she's keeping her baby, or a disciplinarian ("Summertime Blues", in which Dad tells his teenager, "No dice, bud, you gotta work late.")


Or the Dad is dead.


I don't know why fathers have passed away in so many songs. Maybe kids just don't appreciate Dad until he's gone. But the nicest tunes — "Daddy's Hands" by Holly Dunn, "Dance With My Father" by Luther Vandross — are written after D


ad has said farewell.


What about Papa of the Present? Now, I may not be Cole Porter, but I can offer a few lyrics if the right tunesmith is out there. For example, I think a Father's Day song should salute his sacrifice:


I work all day, don't get to play
You spend my pay
Damn right it's my day.


Or we could do the spelling technique


F-A-T, H-E-R
No you can't, have the car.


Or we could have one of those story-song country ballads:


When I first saw Dad, he was kinda large
Then Mommy said, "He's in charge"
He put me to work, when I was nine
That silver-haired Daddy of mine.


OK. I stole that last line from Gene Autry. And his song is one of the best — except if your dad is blond, brunette or bald.


But hey. I'm sure by now, you've thought up some song I've forgotten and are dashing me an e-mail to remind me what a dummy I am. Here's a better idea. Take that song and, if you can, sing it to your Daddy today.


After all, he could have named you Sue.

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.

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