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Jewish World Review August 11, 2011 / 11 Menachem-Av, 5771 Twitter, twitter little stars By Dave Weinbaum
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
My father Mel grew up with his brother Dave in the back of my grandmother's (a young widow) candy/school supply store on Austin Street on the west side of Chicago. Mel didn't complete high school and was in a tough Irish/Italian neighborhood. Still in his teens, Mel got a job working as a truck driver/beer salesman for Canadian Ace Liquors. His employers were Frank Nitti, Al Capone's front-man, and mob associate Louie Greenberg. Louie took a liking to my dad, often having lunch with him on Tuesdays.
One Tuesday, dad received a call advising him not to go to lunch with Louie that day.
He obliged. Louie was riddled with bullets in his car that afternoon. Mel survived another
40 years.
After his career as a Liquor/tavern/grocery store owner on the South Side of Chicago, I
convinced my dad to move to small-town Missouri where he became my business
partner.
He semi-retired for about the last 10 years of his life, having purchased a condo in
Pompano Beach, thus keeping with Jewish Law that says "thou shall buy ye an
abode in the southeast of the USA in old age so that I may keep you in my sight
to bring you to ye final resting place." No, that wasn't G-d. That was Bernie the
Funeral macher in Miami trying to drum up some business.
You can't smell the roses from six feet under them
Two weeks before Mel died of prostate cancer, we talked. Knowing death's imposition
loomed as sure as the ancient Jews entered the Promised Land, he lamented in his now
short-breathed voice, "I could have done so much more with my life." I reminded him
where he had come from and what he had accomplished, especially as a father and
grandfather--but I could tell he wasn't deterred from his dismayed mindset.
Besides being an ace at public relations, Mel had a sense of humor so sharp you wouldn'
t know you'd been cut for several minutes. He was also a hilarious comedic writer. I
discovered that lots of Jewish humorists had roots in Odessa , Russia , the home of my
family, before they came to Chicago . Joan Rivers, Billy Chrystal and Yakov Smirnorf
have their roots on the north of the Black Sea . That's where my ancestors came from,
settling in Chicago , just like in Fiddler on the Roof.
A year after my dad died, I started writing. At that point, I was a business veteran of 23
years with multiple restaurant locations. I started as the first tiny step of a life-long
journey, never having written anything but a few speeches in my duties as a co-op
president.
I wrote 53 original quotes and jokes in ten months before I had the bright idea of
sending them to the National Enquirer. I had 100 original quotes and jokes published
there as well as 26 more published in Reader's Digest and Forbes. I just passed the
42,000 mark a few days ago.
Over time, media evolved, becoming centered on the Net. I became a pundit by arguing
on business message boards, often against anti-Americans, liberals and actual terrorist
apologists, but I repeat myself. Sending my material to local papers and the prestigious
Jewish World Review, my writing career as a pundit is now seven years old.
In between all of that I worked up my nerve to go on stage as a stand-up comic, where
I've performed almost 100 times, mostly on open mic night. When I told my local radio
station manager I wanted to be a radio talk show host, The Dave Weinbaum Show was
hatched. We've been going strong for almost three years now. It's a profitable show
with seven sponsors besides my businesses.
My wife got me on Facebook where I argue politics with liberals and conservatives,
often testing and researching topics to write about.
My son convinced me to Twitter, explaining that my quotes are already on there in
many different languages. I link my columns and throw new quotes and jokes out there
and see what the reaction is. Many with five or six figure followers are retweeting my
quotes, jokes and political one-liners to hundreds of thousands..
Plus, the name Tweet provides superb alliteration for jokes. For example: What does a
social media blogger do when he's cornered? He retweets. Or, I was kicked out of an
online poker game. They found out I was a tweeter.
Both Twitter and Facebook allow you almost unlimited access to people throughout the
world. I've had conversations with fellow JWR Columnist, David Limbaugh, Political
Science Professor, Larry Sabato and a few others.
Not everyone is so receptive.
When I saw Pope Benedict had a Twitter account yet followed no one, I suggested to
His Holiness that I would be honored if he followed me. After all, he was already a fan
of one Jew—how could it hurt to follow another? I asked Lady Gaga if she did Bar
Mitzvahs.
Shockingly, neither has responded.
Is there laugh after death?
I don't know what's next but I won't go to my grave leaving too much on the table. My
father's regret became my mission. My hope is to continue the trend imposed by my
father with my children and grandchildren. Who knows? Maybe one of them will cure
cancer. Another might start the next Facebook or Twitter.
As my father lay unconscious in a Florida hospital room surrounded by my mother,
Millie, his children and grandchildren, I whispered in his ear, "Look at it this way. You
could have gone to lunch with Louie that day." As I like to say, the secret to a rich life
is to have more beginnings than endings.
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 Dave Weinbaum hosts DaveWeinbaum.com. He is a businessman, writer and part-time stand-up comic and resides in a Midwest red state. Comment by clicking here.
© 2011, Dave Weinbaum |
Mitch Albom | |||||||||||||
