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June 19, 2013

Peter Grier and Harry Bruinius: In the end, NSA might not need to snoop so secretly after all

Howard LaFranchi: Taliban peace talks hold glimmer of hope, but also unanswerable questions

Warren Richey: Supreme Court: For right to remain silent, a suspect must speak
Meredith Cohn: Leeches are making a comeback as medical helpers

Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D.: How to pick the healthiest breakfast cereal

The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: Spicy Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

June 17, 2013

Rabbi Simcha Weinstein: Black to the Future: American Apparel Gets Biblical

Patrik Jonsson: Minnesota Nazi: How did Nazi hunters miss Michael Karkoc?

Kate Irby, Ali Watkins, Trevor Graff and Kevin Thibodeaux: All the ways you're being watched
Don Lee: G-8 meeting will test NSA leaks' effect on U.S. influence

Patrik Jonsson: Fort Hood shooting: Judge nixes Nidal Hasan defense strategy. What now?

Stacey Burling: Why the stigma for migraine sufferers?

The Kosher Gourmet by Lisa Abraham: Does it work? 5 new kitchen gadgets put to the test

June 14, 2013

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: A spiritual budget: Religious economics and being a ruler

John P. Martin: Hitler insider's missing diary found

Matt Pearce: NSA surveillance disclosure could affect court cases
Peter Tinti: US bounties changes strategy on (Wild, Wild) West African jihadis

Daniel Pendrick, M.D.: Memory loss? Old age may be the least of it

Lauren F. Friedman: But it's all natural! Should we have an instinctive preference for herbal remedies?

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Streisand and Alicia Keys in Israel; "Girls" Stuff; Mel Brooks, Another TV special; Superman (who is Jewish) returns --- Israeli plays his mom

The Kosher Gourmet by Sharon K. Ghag : Bored with salad? Bling it up a bit (4 effortless recipes that will result in a 'WOW!')

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

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: What's so special about Omega-3 supplements?
Morgan Housel: What newspapers were saying when you should have been buying

Pete Spotts: How cockroaches evolved so as to bypass 'roach motels'

The Kosher Gourmet by Anjali Prasertong: Deep-dish cookie: Warm, gooey and a little over the top

June 10, 2013

Joseph A. Slobodzian: Faith healing and third degree murder: Thorny legal case
Lindsay Wise: Few options for online users to avoid spying, experts say

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: There are plenty of nutritional food bargains out there
Harvard Health Letters: Can bariatric surgery control diabetes?

Zach Murdock: Superglue helps doctors save infant's life

The Kosher Gourmet by Celebrated chef Mario Batali : As good as grilling gets: Rib eye with dry mushroom spice rub

June 7, 2013

Rabbi David Aaron: Beating jealousy

Caroline B. Glick: Wounded . . . and dangerous

Clifford D. May: Al Qaeda vs. Hezbollah
Harvard Health Letters: Fighting back against allergy season

Kimberly Lankford: Grandparents who use FSA to cover grandkid's braces and other must-know info

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom:J ewish Tony Nominees/Tony Awards; Jewish Teen Actor In Sci-Fi Flick; Jewish singer in "Voice" finals

The Kosher Gourmet by Anjali Prasertong: A tart filling so good it might not make it to the crust

June 5, 2013

John Rosemond: Mom, Dad: Talk More and listen less

Kristen Chick: Egypt court sentences 43 pro-democracy workers to prison

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: Mushrooms Have Medicinal As Well As Culinary Value
Morgan Housel: Why you never learn from your investment mistakes

Don Lee: In China, kindergarten rivalry takes deadly turn

The Kosher Gourmet by Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan: 30-Minute Coq au Vin isn't a dream

June 3, 2013

Molly Hennessy-Fiske: Military judge to consider letting Fort Hood shooting defendant represent himself

Richard A. Serrano: Pvt. Bradley Manning's WikiLeaks trial also a test for government

Mark Trumbull: Have degree, driving cab: Nearly half of college grads are overqualified
Kim Lankford: What to do when long-term care insurance premiums rise

Deborah Netburn: Study: Adults' mouth bacteria may help babies

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Jewish Contestant on 'The Voice'; Will Smith's 'Jewish movie family'; Bravo Gives Long Island Jews the Jersey Shore Treatment; Magicians and More

The Kosher Gourmet by Bill Ward: How to be as refined as the wines at a wine tasting

May 29, 2013

Andrew Connelly and Helene Bienvenu: The Little Synagogue that Refused to Die

Dennis Prager: The 'Muslims-Killed-by-the-West' Lie

David Clark Scott: Open war on teachers?
Morgan Housel: If you know only five things about investing, make it these

Sara Reardon: AGenome detectives change the donation game

Deborah Netburn: A one-way ticket to Mars? 78,000-plus and counting apply by video

The Kosher Gourmet by Bev Bennett: CHEDDAR AND CHERRY MUFFINS --- your mouth is already watering

May 24, 2013

Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb: When I didn't so 'humbly disagree'

Caroline B. Glick: Thank you, Hafez al-Assad

Diana West: From the Brooklyn Bridge to London
Morgan Housel: Why spotting bubbles is so much harder than you think

Environmental Nutrition editors: NuVal labeling to the rescue?

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Memorial Day: Jews Serving and KIA in War on Terror; Liberace Bio-Pic; Jew Wins "Survivor"; Shalom, Dr. Brothers; More

The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen: HIDE THESE FROZEN TREATS FROM THE KIDDIES!: Sangria pops; Irish cream pudding pops; mango Lassi pops

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


Jewish World Review June 13 / 10 Sivan, 5768

Boys Town

By Greg Crosby


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | I received a gift in the mail today - an honorary certificate along with a citizenship card for Boys Town. I am now an official Honorary Citizen of the famous Nebraska village which was started by Father Flanagan over 90 years ago. Boys Town is one of the charitable organizations that my wife and I have donated to through the years. I first became aware of it, probably like most people, through the 1938 MGM movie starring Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney.


My citation reads as follows: "In appreciation of Assistance Rendered Father Flanagan's Boys' Home Presents Mr. Greg Crosby the Title of 2008 Honorary Citizen. This Certificate of Appointment has therefore been issued by the Officers and Governing Board of Boys Town under the authority vested in them by the Citizens." Signed Father Steven E. Boes, National Executive Director.


If you think this citation makes me proud, you're right. I feel great about it. Honorary Citizenship is a time honored tradition dating back to 1937. If you think I received it because I gave a ton of money to Boys Town, you're wrong. I only send in maybe 10 or 20 bucks a year - I wish I could afford to send more, but we give what we can afford to give and we do give to other charities as well. So you see, even though I'm not one of Boys Town's heavy-duty, rich patrons, they nevertheless saw fit to make me an Honorary Citizen. I like it. Makes me feel like Mickey Rooney or something.


I guess I'm just an old softy. I cry whenever I watch the Boys Town movie and see the part where Pee Wee gets hit by a car. Gets me every time. I really like the whole idea of Boys Town - a place where troubled and homeless boys can go to ultimately become good men. A place where they're taught right from wrong, good manners, self discipline, and how to work with others. Father Flanagan's motto "There's no such thing as a bad boy" is such a wonderful thought. I don't know if it's true or not, but the optimism and faith behind those words is a pretty terrific thing.


The story of Boys Town really does read like a movie story. Father Edward J. Flanagan came to Omaha, Nebraska in 1913, during a drought that year which filled the streets with unemployed farm workers. When he saw the many homeless young boys outside his Workingmen's Hotel for impoverished men, Father came up with his philosophy that assisting a boy when he was young might prevent him from turning into a homeless man.


On December 12, 1917, Father Flanagan borrowed $90 dollars from an anonymous friend believed to be Henry Monsky and opened the first Father Flanagan's Boys' Home, a nonsectarian, non-proselytizing home for boys. It was an old run-down Victorian mansion near downtown Omaha. Five boys were the first to benefit from Father's vision, and those first residents barely had time to get settled before a steady stream of additional boys began to arrive.


The boys were sent by the court, referred by sympathetic citizens, and many times simply wandered in on their own. The front door was never locked, and any boy who came was allowed to enter, regardless of race, color or creed. There was hardly enough money to feed them, but these boys received stronger nourishment than food - love, care, patience and understanding in rich quantities. And that's how Father Flanagan began his effort to rehabilitate children instead of imprisoning them.


As the population of boys increased, bigger and bigger quarters were needed. Finally, in 1936, the village of Boys Town was incorporated and became an official village of the state of Nebraska. The elected their own government, mayor, council, and commissioners and even had their own post office. To this day, Boys Town has the youngest voting population in America, with an elected government run by the students.


Father Flanagan always said there would be no fences and no locks on the doors of Boys Town. He said, "I am not building a prison. This is a home. You do not wall in members of your own family." You got to love a guy like that.


The front of my Boys Town Citizenship card looks pretty impressive and official. The back of the card is printed with a simple prayer.


A Prayer for a Good Day


Dear Lord,

Just for today I will be happy.
I am going to need your help.
I will not dwell on thoughts that depress me.
I will replace them with happy thoughts.


Just for today I will make a big effort
to be agreeable.
I will be cheerful, Lord. I will not be crabby.
I will lift my face in a smile instead of a frown.


I will remember fondly the warmth of
hugging another.
I will hug someone today.
I will even hug my dog or my cat.


Today, Lord, I will do something good for
someone else.
I will not count the cost.
I will not ask the price.


Dear Lord, thanks for listening
to my grand plans.
Above all, just give me a smile,
And a helping hand to get me through my day.


Amen

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 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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