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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

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: 'Noodles,' Asian style is a carb sub, sure. But they are also amazingly delicious and colorful

April 19, 2013

Rabbi Yonason Goldson: When violence seems the only answer

Caroline B. Glick: Why Obama's visit to Israel had no impact on public opinion or government policy

Morgan Housel: Gold collapse: The start of something big?
Harvard Health Letters: Can you die of a broken heart?

Pete Spotts: Livable super-Earths? Two candidates among Kepler's latest finds

Nora Schultz: Oxytocin helps beat booze cravings

The Kosher Gourmet by Carole Kotkin: Middle Eastern cuisine meets Italian delicious with this lentil and eggplant pastitsio

April 17, 2013

Shira Rubin: Too much of a good thing? 'Palestinians' realize downside of foreign aid boom

Geoffrey Mohan: Can computers decode dreams? Researchers take a first step

Morgan Housel: BAD NEWS: EVERYONE IS RIGHT!
Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D.: 6 heart-healthy eating tips help cut saturated fat but not taste

Michael Craig Miller, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Told your child has sensory processing disorder? Seek a second opinion

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Corn and Curry Add Zing to Chilled Soup

April 15, 2013

Rabbi Yonason Goldson: The Death of Education?

Kristen Chick: Egyptian Christians respond with harsh words to attack -- rocks, Molotov cocktails, and gunfire -- against main cathedral

Marcy Darnovsky and Karuna Jaggar: High Court to decide if you should own your DNA
Howard LaFranchi: US bracing for more Russian blowback after taking action against 18 more human rights violators

Kristin Ohlson : The loneliest fight

The Kosher Gourmet by Dana Velden: A tasty, rich dish that hints at spring's arrival while still anchored in a favorite winter staple


Jewish World Review Oct. 3, 2005 / 29 Elul, 5765

Sometimes it is black and white

By Kathryn Lopez


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | When recently asked about his state's parental-notification ballot initiative that would prohibit minor-age girls from getting abortions without a parent's knowledge, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger replied: "I have a daughter. I wouldn't want to have someone take my daughter to a hospital for an abortion or something and not tell me. I would kill him if they do that."


Now that's refreshing!


Hold on, hold on. Before you run off, I'm not slamming "choicers" this week, and I'm not lauding "lifers." This isn't the debate about whether you or I began at Day 1 or at 24 weeks. And, mind you, I'm not endorsing murder here -- and the governor later clarified he wouldn't actually kill the hypothetical person. But that was a totally normal Dad reaction he had (a fact that, as a good politician, was surely not lost on Schwarzenegger). You can be on any side of the abortion debate (the Terminator wants it legal) and have that healthy gut instinct.


The Schwarzenegger reaction came in somewhat stark contrast to some other recent parenting news. September was a bad month for motherhood, at least on the news wires.


A New York mother decided it was time for her 13-year-old daughter, and her 14-year-old female friend, to each "have sex and get it over with."


Mom got a hotel room, hit the mall with the kids, and found an 18- and 19-year-old who'd do the dirty deed with the girls. Mom was in the hotel room with them during the loss of innocence (though it's a safe bet this woman's daughter lost that long ago).


In Colorado, wanting to be a "cool mom" of a teen boy (making up, she told police, for her own outsider days in high school) 41-year-old Silvia Johnson is accused of boozing and drugging it up at parties at her house with teenagers -- and having sex with some of the boys in attendance at these regular bashes.


On the West Coast, there's the tragic case of young Eliza Jane. Her mother, Christine Maggiore, is HIV positive and insists that the virus doesn't cause AIDS. So she has taken no medication, has had children, breastfed, and kept the kids away from reputable doctors. And now 3-year-old Eliza Jane is dead. Though this Mother of the Year is disputing it, the coroner's report says the toddler died of AIDS-related pneumonia.


I bet Arnold Schwarzenegger would have some healthy thoughts on that California mother.


These Motherhood Hall of Shame stories are obviously not the norm. We know that because they still make headlines. And for that, at least, we can be grateful -- though it doesn't help Eliza Jane or the most likely messed-up kids of their sexed-up mamas. It's the day we stop finding these stories extraordinary or are not outraged when we'll be diagnosed with a fatal cultural malady.


When you put these recent cases beside some other against-all-that-is-good-and-right-and-natural stories like the case of Andrea Yates, who infamously drowned her five children in a bathtub, and New Jersey teens Amy Grossberg and Brian Peterson who almost 10 years ago tossed their apparently beaten-to-death newborn (he had suffered multiple skull fractures) in the dumpster, you get the feeling that we do have something to worry about -- beyond individual cases.


The dumpster story has repeated itself enough that there are now drop-off slots at hospitals and other locations for mothers to abandon their living babies. I'm all for doing whatever it takes to give a kid a chance at life, but it's a disturbing perceived necessity.


It's disturbing to realize that the instinct for some supposedly thoughtful, sophisticated types is often to defend and accommodate bad behavior. There are mental-health issues in a lot of these cases, obviously, but regardless, a society can and must say loud and clear: "That's wrong. That's evil. That can never happen again."


Instead, when Yates murdered her children, folks at the National Organization for Women and others rushed to her defense.


Instead of making excuses and defending crimes, we should make sure we all have our heads on straight about the preciousness of human life. Because there is no greater gift.


Again: Obviously, in all these shameful, criminal stories, there is a necessary discussion to be had about prevention. In most, if not all of these cases, there were sick people involved who clearly needed some kind of help. But when a terrible deed has been done, they also need punishment. And despite the virtues of forgiveness, there is a place for unwavering societal condemnation. You can still love the sinner and condemn the sin. But we've got to do the latter in each and every one of these despicable cases. It will say something shameful about us the day we don't see that -- the day your instinct isn't to have an "Arhnuld-like" Dad kind of reaction.

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