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June 17, 2013

Rabbi Simcha Weinstein: Black to the Future: American Apparel Gets Biblical

Patrik Jonsson: Minnesota Nazi: How did Nazi hunters miss Michael Karkoc?

Kate Irby, Ali Watkins, Trevor Graff and Kevin Thibodeaux: All the ways you're being watched
Don Lee: G-8 meeting will test NSA leaks' effect on U.S. influence

Patrik Jonsson: Fort Hood shooting: Judge nixes Nidal Hasan defense strategy. What now?

Stacey Burling: Why the stigma for migraine sufferers?

The Kosher Gourmet by Lisa Abraham: Does it work? 5 new kitchen gadgets put to the test

June 14, 2013

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: A spiritual budget: Religious economics and being a ruler

John P. Martin: Hitler insider's missing diary found

Matt Pearce: NSA surveillance disclosure could affect court cases
Peter Tinti: US bounties changes strategy on (Wild, Wild) West African jihadis

Daniel Pendrick, M.D.: Memory loss? Old age may be the least of it

Lauren F. Friedman: But it's all natural! Should we have an instinctive preference for herbal remedies?

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Streisand and Alicia Keys in Israel; "Girls" Stuff; Mel Brooks, Another TV special; Superman (who is Jewish) returns --- Israeli plays his mom

The Kosher Gourmet by Sharon K. Ghag : Bored with salad? Bling it up a bit (4 effortless recipes that will result in a 'WOW!')

June 12, 2013

Stephanie Hanes: Little girls or little women? The Disney princess effect

Fred Weir: In tweak to US, Russia would 'consider' asylum for Snowden

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: What's so special about Omega-3 supplements?
Morgan Housel: What newspapers were saying when you should have been buying

Pete Spotts: How cockroaches evolved so as to bypass 'roach motels'

The Kosher Gourmet by Anjali Prasertong: Deep-dish cookie: Warm, gooey and a little over the top

June 10, 2013

Joseph A. Slobodzian: Faith healing and third degree murder: Thorny legal case
Lindsay Wise: Few options for online users to avoid spying, experts say

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: There are plenty of nutritional food bargains out there
Harvard Health Letters: Can bariatric surgery control diabetes?

Zach Murdock: Superglue helps doctors save infant's life

The Kosher Gourmet by Celebrated chef Mario Batali : As good as grilling gets: Rib eye with dry mushroom spice rub

June 7, 2013

Rabbi David Aaron: Beating jealousy

Caroline B. Glick: Wounded . . . and dangerous

Clifford D. May: Al Qaeda vs. Hezbollah
Harvard Health Letters: Fighting back against allergy season

Kimberly Lankford: Grandparents who use FSA to cover grandkid's braces and other must-know info

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom:J ewish Tony Nominees/Tony Awards; Jewish Teen Actor In Sci-Fi Flick; Jewish singer in "Voice" finals

The Kosher Gourmet by Anjali Prasertong: A tart filling so good it might not make it to the crust

June 5, 2013

John Rosemond: Mom, Dad: Talk More and listen less

Kristen Chick: Egypt court sentences 43 pro-democracy workers to prison

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: Mushrooms Have Medicinal As Well As Culinary Value
Morgan Housel: Why you never learn from your investment mistakes

Don Lee: In China, kindergarten rivalry takes deadly turn

The Kosher Gourmet by Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan: 30-Minute Coq au Vin isn't a dream

June 3, 2013

Molly Hennessy-Fiske: Military judge to consider letting Fort Hood shooting defendant represent himself

Richard A. Serrano: Pvt. Bradley Manning's WikiLeaks trial also a test for government

Mark Trumbull: Have degree, driving cab: Nearly half of college grads are overqualified
Kim Lankford: What to do when long-term care insurance premiums rise

Deborah Netburn: Study: Adults' mouth bacteria may help babies

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Jewish Contestant on 'The Voice'; Will Smith's 'Jewish movie family'; Bravo Gives Long Island Jews the Jersey Shore Treatment; Magicians and More

The Kosher Gourmet by Bill Ward: How to be as refined as the wines at a wine tasting

May 29, 2013

Andrew Connelly and Helene Bienvenu: The Little Synagogue that Refused to Die

Dennis Prager: The 'Muslims-Killed-by-the-West' Lie

David Clark Scott: Open war on teachers?
Morgan Housel: If you know only five things about investing, make it these

Sara Reardon: AGenome detectives change the donation game

Deborah Netburn: A one-way ticket to Mars? 78,000-plus and counting apply by video

The Kosher Gourmet by Bev Bennett: CHEDDAR AND CHERRY MUFFINS --- your mouth is already watering

May 24, 2013

Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb: When I didn't so 'humbly disagree'

Caroline B. Glick: Thank you, Hafez al-Assad

Diana West: From the Brooklyn Bridge to London
Morgan Housel: Why spotting bubbles is so much harder than you think

Environmental Nutrition editors: NuVal labeling to the rescue?

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Memorial Day: Jews Serving and KIA in War on Terror; Liberace Bio-Pic; Jew Wins "Survivor"; Shalom, Dr. Brothers; More

The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen: HIDE THESE FROZEN TREATS FROM THE KIDDIES!: Sangria pops; Irish cream pudding pops; mango Lassi pops

May 22, 2013

John Thorne: They launched the 'Arab Spring' but now yearn for the good old days of a strongman

John Rosemond: 'Disciplinary math' adds up to parental successl

Warren Richey: Are prayers before public meetings OK? Supreme Court to decide
Rick Montgomery: Use of ADHD drugs as study aid raises concern on campuses

Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D.: 6 convincing reasons you should keep carbs in your diet

Eoin O'Carroll: Scientists examine nothing, find something

The Kosher Gourmet by Carole Kotkin: This soup is made from one of the great pleasures of spring: A wonderful pairing of rosy color and earthy tang

May 20, 2013

Richard A. Serrano: Is Meir Kahane's assassin now a changed man?

Hannan Adely: Town raises Palestinian flag at City Hall

Melissa Healy: Genetic copies of living people from embryos no longer science fiction
Morgan Housel: When smart investors do stupid things

Sharon Saloman, M.S., R.D.: Hunger games: Eat more, weigh less, without starving

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Jews Inducted into Rock Hall of Fame; Anton Yelchin co-stars in New "Trek" film; Kutcher (but not Kunis) visits Israel; Jewish TV Star Praises Jewish Rap Star

The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: WARNING: This WALNUT CAKE WITH PRALINE FROSTING, perfect for afternoon coffee, is addicting


Jewish World Review August 9, 2004 / 22 Menachem-Av, 5764

Shmoozin' with shamayim (Heaven)

By Bob Alper


http://www.jewishworldreview.com | It was unintentional. Scout's honor. I never, ever watch The Maury Povich Show, but on this particular morning my VCR malfunctioned, and I had to stare at something while taking a long walk on a short NordicTrack.



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The guest was James Van Praagh, author of the mega-selling, "Talking to Heaven." Van Praagh is a psychic, a medium, a man with powers far greater than the rest of us mortals. He sees angels and ghosties and other spirits that, apparently, flap around but are visible only to certain psychically anointed. Like James.


The producers lined the stage with ten ready-to-weep panelists wallowing in their moments of national fame. A rather unspectacular and corpulent "regular guy," the guru of the beyond began by addressing a woman: "Someone you loved died of cancer."


YES!


My heart began to beat faster. Because I was astounded by his gifts of illumination? No. I was picking up the pace on my NordicTrack. As for Van Praagh, well, I figured, this guy did his math. Ten middle age people…gee, what are the odds any of these folks will have lost someone to cancer?


Later, he spoke to a woman whose teenage son had died. "I see statues," he said. Ha! I knew just where he was going. A teenage boy. Statues. Trophies! He wants the mother to say her son had trophies in his room. Alas, Van Praagh received only a blank stare.


Ooops.


But Van Praagh made a partial recovery. "Did someone give you a plaque?" "Yes. My sister did!" "I see it near pictures," Van Praagh proclaimed, and the woman, appropriately amazed, confirmed that "near pictures" was the precise location of the plaque. The audience read the flashing APPLAUSE sign and dutifully complied.


Um. Excuse me, but don't most people hang plaques near other pictures? Again, what are the odds?


Van Praagh concluded each personal encounter by discerning a hovering presence, a deceased spirit who inevitably acted as a loving guardian angel, protecting and nurturing the gullible survivor.


Whereupon the audience sniffled. On cue.


All of which started me thinking. What would happen if this guy were to address a Jewish crowd?


"I see a truck, an eighteen wheeler. It's…it's a Mack Truck. The name Mack…Mack…why do I keep seeing the name Mack?"


A slightly sardonic voice from the rear suggests, "Maybe you mean Max?"


"Precisely!" Van Praagh declares, and nearly every person in the room leaps up in an eager frenzy. "My great-grandfather was named Max!" "I had an Uncle Max!" "Max was my grandpop!" Later, it is determined that fully 35% of the audience also have a dog, cat, or gerbil named Max.

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And what of those looming spooks, those apparitions that inhabit Van Praagh's shows? With a Jewish audience he'll reveal that hovering behind many a participant is a deceased former business colleague, dedicated to providing his living ex-partner with an eternal supply of acid indigestion.


Years ago, on a Saturday night, a college sophomore called me at home. He and some friends were preparing to visit a psychic that evening, and he wanted to know the Jewish attitude towards such practitioners. I shared some history with him about false prophets and stoning, but added, "Look, you never know for sure. I propose a test: ask the psychic to reveal your rabbi's maternal grandmother's maiden name. If she's right, she may even make me into a believer."


Late that night, my phone rang, and an excited male voice nearly shouted, "Rabbi! Was it Cohen?"


Nice try. Yup, it's all in the math. It's all in how you play the odds. Only this time, it didn't work. That psychic didn't convince Robert A. Alper.


Grandson of Etta Lewensohn Katzenstein.

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and in the media consider "must reading." Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and in the media consider "must reading." Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.



JWR contributor Rabbi Bob Alper, the world's only practicing clergyman doing stand-up comedy . . . intentionally, is the author of Life Doesn't Get Any Better Than This: The Holiness of Little Daily Dramas and A rabbi confesses. To go to his web site, click here. Comment by clicking here.

© 2004, Rabbi Bob Alper