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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 Nov 25, 2011 / 28 Mar-Cheshvan 5772

How Come?

By Greg Crosby



http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | How come United States presidents never wear double-breasted suits anymore? I realize in the scheme of important questions of life this comes in at about number 11,897,000, but I'd still like to know what happened to the double-breasted presidential suits. Who decided that it was no longer "presidential" to be seen in a nice navy pinstripe double-breasted? I happen to like the look of a man in a double-breasted suit and my wife does too, which is why most of my suits are that style. To me there is just something a bit more finished, more dignified than the single-breasted models.

From as near as I can tell, the style disappeared with Kennedy in 1961 (Another thing we can thank the 60's for). Before then, Eisenhower wore both double-breasted and single-breasted. Truman preferred the double-breasted more often. But no president since then has worn one. That's fifty years' worth of double-breastedless presidents. This has nothing to do with fashion styles, all through the 1980's and 1990's, when the double-breasted suit made a huge comeback, the presidents of those years still never wore them.

Come to think about it, I'm not sure any of our modern day senators or congressmen wears the double-breasted suits anymore, either. What is it with today's wussy politicians? What is it about that particular style that scares them off? It can't be that the look is considered too far out or cutting edge, because it really is a staple that has been around forever. The double-breasted suit gives a man a professional, formal appearance. A touch of class.

And yet all or most of our national elected representatives all look like they buy the same dark single-breasted boring suit. It's like they all shop at the Men's Dull Clothing Outlet. This may just say something about our politicians today. No imagination, no sense of individualism, no courage to be different from the rest of the pack.

The double-breasted suit has a long and illustrious history as a style of men's clothing. The on-line encyclopedia, Wikipedia describes the original double-breasted jacket has having six buttons, with three to close. This originated from the naval reefer jacket. Some versions have four buttons in which only the bottom one fastens. The four-button double-breasted jacket that buttons at the lower button is often called the "Kent", after the man who made it popular - the Duke of Kent.

Double-breasted suit jackets were especially popular from the mid-1930s until the late 1950s, and again from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. It was the 1987 film, "Wall Street" that brought the look back as the ultimate executive "power suit." Overcoats such as the pea coat and trench coat are traditionally double-breasted and also originated from military fashion. The double-breasted suit always has peaked lapels, as opposed to the notched lapels of the single-breasted suits.

According to a fashion web site the double-breasted suit had its widest acceptance in the 1930s, most commonly seen in a six-button model worn by men ranging from Noel Coward and Adolphe Menjou to Cary Grant and Humphrey Bogart. In 1942, After the US entered World War II, the War Production Board General Regulation L-85 mandated that wool be rationed to save cloth for the boys fighting overseas, so the patriotic men wore single-breasted suits.

Then came the 1950's and early 1960's and along with it came the skinny-lapelled single-breasted suits and skinny ties. The entire suit had a tight, skimpy look, just as the styles are now, with short trousers and no cuffs. It makes men look like nerds and it is a style that doesn't work at all for heavier guys and broad-chested men.

What this country needs now is a president who is a broad-chested man, in the truest sense. A president who can revive our sagging economy, get people back to work, stop inflation, win our wars abroad, and reopen factories and manufacturing plants here at home. We need a president who can keep our borders secure and our citizens safe.

We need a president who can bring America back as the beacon of creativity and the envy of all other nations, as we once were. We need a president who does not apologize for America, but honors her. We need a president who is optimistic about America's future and who understands traditional American values of hard work and ingenuity.

In short, we need a president who isn't afraid to wear a double-breasted suit.

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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