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May 22, 2013

John Thorne: They launched the 'Arab Spring' but now yearn for the good old days of a strongman

John Rosemond: 'Disciplinary math' adds up to parental successl

Warren Richey: Are prayers before public meetings OK? Supreme Court to decide
Rick Montgomery: Use of ADHD drugs as study aid raises concern on campuses

Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D.: 6 convincing reasons you should keep carbs in your diet

Eoin O'Carroll: Scientists examine nothing, find something

The Kosher Gourmet by Carole Kotkin: This soup is made from one of the great pleasures of spring: A wonderful pairing of rosy color and earthy tang

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 March 23, 2007 / 4 Nissan 5767

Depressing Thought for the Day

By Greg Crosby


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | I woke up this morning with a rather depressing thought — I am the oldest member of my family. With my mother's passing last year, all of that previous generation of family members is gone. My mother was the last of her siblings to die. My father and his siblings have been gone for decades. When you come to the realization that both of your parents are dead and all your aunts and uncles on both sides are dead, it is sobering and amazing. And more than a little scary.


Now to be completely honest, I must tell you that I do have a half-sister as well as several cousins who are a bit older than I, but contact with them is non-existent. The thing is, my generation within the family, the group that only yesterday were "the kids" are now the elders. Man, that was fast! Don't think that it happens in gradual increments, either, it doesn't work that way. You don't go from the youngest group to a middle group then to the oldest group, no,no. You jump from the youngest group to the oldest group in one fell swoop. No warnings, just one day there you are. Bam! Whippersnapper today, wizened geezer tomorrow.


There is any number of glib one-liners and wisecracks concerning aging. You know, like there are people older than I am, the problem is they're all dead. And nobody gets out of this thing alive — we all get dead sooner or later. Growing old is not for sissies. We should try to grow old with class — I just never figured I would get promoted to the head of the class this quickly. The one compensation about growing old is, all the things you couldn't have when you were young you no longer want. But how many old jokes can you do before they start to get … old?


The ironic thing about my particular generation of old fossils is, they never grew up to begin with. They worked at being forever young. Remember the slogan of the sixties, "don't trust anyone over 30?" My generation took that very seriously and that's why so many of us can't stand ourselves today. We just got too old for our slogan. We really should have picked one with a longer lasting message like, "don't trust anyone over 93" or something. Although personally, I must tell you those are the only people of whom I really do trust.


One annoying aspect of being the oldest in the family is that when something comes up from your past that you can't remember, there is no one around to ask. I was trying to remember the year and make of my first car the other day and wasn't sure if it was a 1949, '48, or '46 Chevy … or was it a Pontiac? My brother and sister were too young to really have taken notice of a thing like that and family members or friends who were older then, are no longer around now. So I'm on my own. And so far, I haven't been much help.


The business of walking into a room to get something and then once you get there, forgetting what it was you were looking for is common. Misplacing glasses and pens and keys and wallets are normal for everyone. The problem is, as you get older, the time you spend looking for these things takes up more and more of your day. This is a shame since you don't really have a lot of time left as it is — and given a choice you'd probably rather spend your remaining time in a more productive way. But on the other hand, what else have you really got to do? As you get older, looking for your glasses could very well become your most important project of the week.


Sometimes, when having a conversation with someone, I will lose my train of thought or point of the story when the other person interrupts to comment. It becomes more important than ever, therefore, to get to the point of what I'm saying as quickly as possible — before the other person gets a chance to chime in and throw me off. A social dilemma rears its ugly head. The choice becomes — do I just keep talking faster and louder over the other person and get it all out, or shall I be polite, stop and listen to them, but then when they finish have to say, "I don't remember what the hell I was saying"?


A friend of ours actually came up with a worse memory experience than that. She made the observation that sometimes when she is alone, she will be thinking about something, but then become distracted by yet another thought, and then totally forgets what the original thought was that she was thinking about. In other words, interrupting herself with her own thoughts. Which, on top of everything else, to me sounds a little narcissistic. Confused? Perfect. Join the club.


I suppose when you get right down to it, nothing really changes. Listen, when I was 15 years old I spent a lot of my time wondering what year and make my first car would be and here I am still wondering. One thing I do know, it was a two-tone green four-door sedan with a torn headliner — which is a lot more than I knew at 15. And if that isn't the wisdom that comes with old age, it'll have to do until the real thing comes along.

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in 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.

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© 2006, Greg Crosby

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