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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

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


Jewish World Review Jan. 14, 2011 / 9 Shevat, 5771

Greg and Jane's Excellent Adventure

By Greg Crosby



http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | The old axiom, "travel is the best education," has new meaning for me now that we have returned from our latest trip to New York. Not only have I been educated, I have received the traveler equivalent of a P.H.D. In a week's time I've learned more than the 12 years I spent in the public school system. Keep reading while Professor Crosby enumerates for you all the things I have learned from this travel adventure, beginning with Day One.

Ticketed and confirmed for an early morning flight on December 27th, the blizzard that struck the eastern seaboard put us in traveler limbo-hell for two days. The good news was we didn't have to sleep at the airport; the bad news was it cost us $200 in carfare for nothing and we didn't know when we would be able to get another flight out. For almost two days we were prisoners in our own home.

It all started when we arrived at the airport and checked in at the appointed time. The woman at the check-in desk looked at our tickets then back at us with an expression that ran the gamut between distain and disinterest and told us matter-of-factly that our flight had been cancelled. Silly us. We had foolishly trusted the United Airlines website which informed us that our flights were absolutely on schedule … right up until we left for the airport!

Companies like United are constantly urging customers to use the internet instead of calling on the phone, so you'd think they would at least try to keep their website up to date. I should have trusted my own gut. Intuitively I just know that it's always better when you can speak with a real human being (which is becoming harder and harder to do). So the first learning lesson of this trip: NEVER, NEVER TRUST THE FLIGHT INFORMATION YOU GET OFF AN AIRLINE'S WEBSITE. Or as Ronald Reagan once said, "Trust but verify." Or in this case don't trust at all, verify at once with a real-live person on the phone, if you can.

We were able to get on a flight two days later and arrived in New York on December 29th. I don't know if it was because of the snow banks on the roads or the added tourist traffic coming in for New Year's Eve, but the car trip from Kennedy to our hotel in midtown Manhattan took somewhere in the neighborhood of three hours. That's right, about five hours for the first 2,500 miles and three hours for the last 15 miles. Lesson number two: Just because the plane lands doesn't mean you've arrived at your destination.

We dragged ourselves through the hotel lobby and up to the registration desk. When the desk clerk told us that the room we had reserved was not available on the floor we had requested it was just like that gut-wrenching scene from "The Out-Of -Towners." Happily, though, we fared much better than Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis did in the picture. We were given an upgraded suite (although on a higher floor) for the same money. They turned out to be the best rooms we'd ever had at the hotel. Lesson three: Sometimes life is actually better than the movies.

There were plans made to get together with family and friends while in New York. Most of those plans went right down the old pipe. Friends, for one reason or another, just couldn't get in to the city to see us on this trip. And then there was a bit of family friction, a bit more than usual, which brought a sour note to the whole thing. The good news was, we had a hell of a good time with the other loving family members that we did get to spend time with. And that brings us to lesson number four: Not all family members are created equal.

All in all the trip was not a bad one as trips go. New York City in the winter is magical. The restaurants are always great, the city itself is wonderful, and the shopping is the best. The family thing was unfortunate, but as I said, the good people we spent time with made it all worthwhile.

Lesson number five: Pick a time other than the Christmas/New Year week to visit New York City. Although we were in last year at the very same time and it didn't seem nearly as frantic, this year the crowds were overwhelming. I'm guessing a visit just after Thanksgiving might be a better time to be in the City during the holidays.

"Travel is the best education," they say. But sometimes I wonder if the happiest people might be the ones who maybe aren't so darned educated.

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.


JWR contributor Greg Crosby, former creative head for Walt Disney publications, has written thousands of comics, hundreds of children's books, dozens of essays, and a letter to his congressman. A freelance writer in Southern California, you may contact him by clicking here.

Greg Crosby Archives

© 2008, Greg Crosby

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