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May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
A really big show of generation gaps
By
Jim Mullen
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
A TV commentator said the other day t President Obama had to "keep a lot of plates spinning." Those of us who stayed home every Sunday night to watch Ed Sullivan knew exactly what he meant. But would anyone under 40 get it? What would plate spinning mean to today's college freshman?
Ed Sullivan was the great divide between generations. If you watched Ed Sullivan to see the acrobats, the Borscht Belt comedians and the tiny little dogs jump through their trainer's hoops, you're from one generation. If you suffered through all that to see the rock band he had on that week, you're from another. If you're googling Ed Sullivan right now on your iPhone, well, never mind.
There was a time when, if you could imitate Ed's pinched voice and self-hugging arms at parties, you could say almost anything and get a laugh as long as you said the words "Right here, on our stage tonight" first.
It was with those same words that Ed would introduce a band of Romanian acrobats who would come out in their circus tights logrolling atop multicolored, 2-foot-high hollow cylinders. They'd jump and tumble for 60 seconds to calliope music and then they'd jump off a spring board to make a human tower six people high while the bottom guy balanced the whole group as he stood, legs quivering, on two of the roly-poly cylinders. It must have taken years of practice to make something like that happen and a superhuman amount of effort. This was live television. Sometimes they couldn't do it the first time, so they'd back up and do it again. You sat there thinking, "I couldn't do that in a million years."
But you also thought, "There's got to be an easier way to make a living."
After a few commercials for Chevy Corvairs, Esso gas and Marlboro cigarettes, Ed would introduce a Russian dance troupe that would fold their arms in an Ed Sullivan-ish way and then suddenly squat and kick out one leg and then the other over and over. It was all anyone did at recess at school the next day because, as everyone knew during the Cold War that if the Russians could out-dance us, they would win. Or if they got more medals at the Olympics than we did, they would win. Or if they got to the moon first, they would win.
And if the Commies won, they'd systematically remove Elvis Presley and rock 'n' roll music, and they wouldn't let us wear blue jeans to school. They'd also find a way to ruin our hair.
Turns out, these are all the things our leaders wanted to do. They kidnapped Elvis for two years and put Chuck Berry in jail for three, and Buddy Holly died in an "accident," leaving plenty of time on Ed's show for plate spinners. They seemed to be on every single week. He'd say, "Right here, on our stage tonight …" and out would come a guy in a tuxedo with a bunch of three or four foot-long skinny pool cues. He'd balance what looked like a dinner plate on top of the stick and give it a few quick spins to get it going like a top. He'd wave it back and forth a few times, flick it to spinning faster and faster and then set it, still spinning in a little holder on a table in front of him. Then he'd start another. And another. And another. The first plate was starting to wobble, but just at the last moment he'd run over and get it going again. And another. What was the record for plate spinning? Ten? Twelve? Twenty? We did not practice this the next day at school. We just sat in front of the TV set and wondered where you would acquire a skill like that and whether it would get you any dates.
hat with all that was going on in the world today,
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:
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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