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June 19, 2013
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
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The Kosher Gourmet by Anjali Prasertong: A tart filling so good it might not make it to the crust
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John Rosemond: Mom, Dad: Talk More and listen less
Kristen Chick: Egypt court sentences 43 pro-democracy workers to prison
June 3, 2013
Molly Hennessy-Fiske: Military judge to consider letting Fort Hood shooting defendant represent himself
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Andrew Connelly and Helene Bienvenu: The Little Synagogue that Refused to Die
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Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb: When I didn't so 'humbly disagree'
May 22, 2013
John Thorne:
They launched the 'Arab Spring' but now yearn for the good old days of a strongman
May 20, 2013
Richard A. Serrano: Is Meir Kahane's assassin now a changed man?
Melissa Healy: Genetic copies of living people from embryos no longer science fiction
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
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Jewish World Review
The Museum of Modern Body Art
By
Jim Mullen
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
I was at a doctor's office in a small town recently and overheard one patient in the waiting room talking to another.
"There are four tattoo parlors on Main Street and not one dress shop. Is it me, or has the world run off the track?"
"No, there's still a dress shop on Main Street," his friend said. "It's in the back of one of the tattoo parlors."
There was a time when people would buy clothes to cover up their tattoos. Now they buy clothes to show them off. The thong peeking above the low-rise jeans worn by a woman on a barstool doesn't begin to cover her butterfly tattoo. The guy in the sleeveless T-shirt sitting next to her has a green snake coiled around his arm.
There was a time when you could live your whole life, except for an outing to the circus, and never meet a woman with a tattoo. Now all it takes is a trip to the grocery store. Like so many things, tattoos have moved overnight from the realm of renegades, delinquents and outlaws to the world of PTAs, debutantes and church picnics. I know husbands and wives who have given each other tats as birthday presents: "Honey, I love you so much I'm paying to have a guy stick needles into you all afternoon. I hope it doesn't get infected."
I'm not against tattoos. I'm just wondering why they have suddenly taken over the world. Has "You can't trust anyone without tats" become the new "You can't trust anyone over 30"? Maybe, but I've seen plenty of older people show up with brand-new body art. Now it's something you do to feel younger.
When your child comes home during his first break as a college freshman, you can almost bet the farm that he or she will be sporting new body art. If you're lucky, the new tattoo won't be the first thing you see when your kid walks through the door.
A tattoo used to mean you were in a motorcycle gang. Now it means you can afford to go to college. Heck, kids might be majoring in it. Surely today's tattoo artists make more money than the history, philosophy, fine arts and English majors.
The good news is that high-paying jobs in the tattoo industry can't be outsourced to China. Tattooing has to be done right here at home by highly trained and board-certified artists. No, wait, I'm sorry; I was misinformed. Tattoos can be done by almost anyone. Not that there's any danger in it. What's the worst that can happen? You might have to walk around with a tattoo of "Mom" misspelled on your bicep for a few months until you can get it expensively lasered off.
It's hard to watch a basketball or football game without asking yourself, when did all this happen? Instead of watching the ball, I am looking at the arms of the players, inked from wrist to shoulder, and trying to figure out what the pictures are. Some tattoos seem to have inspirational words mixed in among the symbols and figures, but things move so fast you can't read them. Obviously, this is high art with deep meaning, something the tattooed have thought long and hard about, unlike say, whether or not to have children with their current crush. Some things are permanent; some are not.
Here's the thing that really bothers me about tattoos. Now that the elders have them, what will teens have to do to freak out their parents? Coming home with your name tattooed in Gothic typeface around your neck isn't likely to raise the hackles of someone who has done the same thing. Maybe they'll rebel by getting crew cuts and wearing Perry Como sweaters and taking dates to the hop. Their parents will wring their hands, wondering what they did wrong.
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.
Comment by clicking here.
Jim Mullen is the author of "It Takes a Village Idiot: Complicating the Simple Life" and "Baby's First Tattoo."
Previously:
Not at home on the range
WE'RE HAVING A BABY!
My Little Pony cookbook
Musings on the mutability of time
The envelope, please!
The car of the future
Where's Gutenberg when you need him?
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His and her movies
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The Starbucks Gap
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All I don't want is another gadget
We went to the fiscal cliff and all i got was this stupid t-shirt
Some years, you just want to stay home
The first Thanksgiving family feud
Spamming the globe
Suburban mall is an endangered species
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The debate debate
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The pros and cons of a chicken tattoo
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Crying 'foul' over ballpark proposals
College loans and job-search groans
That buzzing you hear is the sound of time flying
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Five billionth in line for the throne
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The mail and email of the species
Jotting down the un-bucket list
Bees deliver stinging fashion critique
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Rolling Stoned
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Could shopping be any more inconvenient?
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Should bad behavior be rewarded?
The perplexing problems of the rich and famous
Do these glasses make my gut look big?
More expensive by the dozen
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Planning for the long term ---- tomorrow
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The Seven Secrets of Success
It's tough living off the gridIt's tough living off the grid
How not to clean the houseIt's tough living off the grid
The yellow badge of cowardice
Any way you slice it
Home sweet homeschooling
Don't Head for the Borders
Money ball
Golf and death go hand in hand
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The radar curtain
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Johnny Intern, Ph.D.
Twenty-foot fences make good neighbors
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My sad cushy life
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Flight of the snowbirds
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Dear Future: Where's the dome?
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A vacation revolution
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Life: There's no app for that
Bam! Practical kitchen magic
Poisoning myself
Ban Huck Finn in schools --- even the sanitized version!
$38,000 for traffic and weather updates
2011 Predictions: Nostradamus was a hack
2010: A year of annoying junk
Why do bad things happen to stupid people? Moving on from movie theaters
Money never sleeps, but it does pass out
President Trump kept it classy
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Putting my life in Jeopardy
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Dressed for excess
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The mysteries of Jersey
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Don't we all cheat at the game of life?
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Don't let the doorman hit you on the way out
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Purple (hair) Daze
Let me hear your body talk
Working from work
Babies deserve clean restrooms, too
3-year-old bear-killers are a thing of the past
Money-making ideas on the fly
Collecting and hoarding
Chain of fools
Please come pick up your acting awards, ESPN commentators, you've earned them
You've been superpoked by the U.S. gov't
e-Readin', e-Writin' and e-Rithmatic
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Warning: Column contains 2010 spoilers
He loves only gold, only gold
Think about direction, wonder why …
Flushing your money down a diamond-studded toilet
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The good, the ad and the ugly
The desert of the real
Let books be large and in charge
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GPS drill sergeant: Left, right, left!
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A parable for the ages
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Green dumb
A developing story
Thinking outside the lunch box
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Newspapers will survive, but network TV?
A really big show of generation gaps
When pigs flu
The reports of our decline have been greatly exaggerated
Mergers and admonitions
Invest in gold: little, yellow, different
Stuck in Folsom Penthouse
Collecting karma
Setting loose the creative juice
It's all in the numbers
You're damaging your brain with practical skills
The real rat pack
The unspeakable luxury of the Park-O-Matic
Gross-ery shopping
© 2009, NEA
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