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May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
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
April 3, 2009
9 Nisan 5769
Cultivating her own garden
By
Suzanne Fields
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Wonder Woman she's not. She has Wonder Woman's good biceps, as we've
seen in the photographs, but she's hard to picture in red, white and
blue tights and starred spangles.
Nor is she Jackie Kennedy, with Jackie's perfect taste. Jackie would
never have sent those tacky plastic toy helicopters to the children of
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Michelle has planted vegetables on the south lawn of the White House,
just like Eleanor Roosevelt's World War II victory garden and unlike
Eleanor, she hasn't been accused of meddling in policy, not yet. She has
overcome some of the suspicion and hostility she stirred during the
campaign, particularly after she said that "for the first time in my
adult life I am proud of my country."
If Michelle Obama is a work in progress, so are the Americans always
eager to take the measure of a new first lady. Her poll numbers have
risen and her negatives have declined since they were first measured
last summer. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows her favorable
ratings jumping to 76 percent, up 28 points since summer. Negatives have
fallen, mostly because some Republicans have changed their opinion of
her.
Some conservatives say they like the way she's serious about being "Mom
in chief," expanding a role that includes concern for the travails of
military families. She doesn't just talk about the importance of
volunteer work, either, but handles the ladle at soup kitchens.
She values private spending. The Obamas are redecorating the domestic
quarters at the White House with their own money, though the first
family is entitled to spend $100,000 to freshen up the living quarters
every four years. (When they leave they'll be entitled to the furniture,
unlike the Clintons, who mixed up some of their own belongings with
things that didn't belong to them when they left the White House.) She
knows it's not the right time to tap taxpayers to decorate a perfectly
good house while so many Americans are losing their homes. Smart
thinking.
While Michelle's poll numbers climb, her husband's are just beginning to
falter. Nearly half of those who don't like what he's doing in his job
like what she's doing in hers. Curiously, it's our metrosexual men who
prudishly titter about Michelle's clothes. Maureen Dowd plumbs the
newsroom at The New York Times to learn what America is thinking and
quotes her colleague David Brooks that it's time for the first lady to
put away her sleeveless tops and "cover up." Says Brooks: "She's made
her point. Now she should put away Thunder and Lightning."
Does a muscular woman threaten male pundits? Grandma Grundy, who in
Victorian times demanded skirts for the legs of the piano, has given way
to Grandpa Grumpy, who doesn't like bare arms. But fitness is about
health, too: With 38 percent of black American women and 23 percent of
white American women overweight and vulnerable to type 2 diabetes, high
blood pressure and heart disease, Michelle is an example of healthy
living.
"First lady" is the most vaguely defined job description in Washington.
Jackie Kennedy scoffed that "first lady" sounded like the name of a
saddle horse. Her husband agreed: "A man marries a woman, not a first
lady." There's the rub. He runs for office, and she's compelled to go
along for the ride, like it or not. From Martha to Michelle, first
ladies have been adored and abhorred and every permutation between,
judged first for their fashion sense.
Martha Washington dressed simply and plainly only in dresses made in
America of American fabrics, boosting local markets. No outsourcing at
Mount Vernon. Martha knew what Michelle knows, that what she wears
influences what other women buy.
Michelle Obama follows one of the most popular first ladies. Laura Bush
fused the feminine and the feminist, the mother and the librarian,
stressing the importance of books for young children. She didn't have
the political baggage of her predecessor, whose stormy marriage was soap
opera writ large and whose personality was "in your face," whether
dealing with Whitewater, "wifewater" or Hillarycare.
Michelle as first lady sends a different message, whether to poor and
oft-neglected children here, or to the masses in London and Europe,
where she is this week with her husband, inspiring by building on the
black experience of overcoming obstacles. Maybe she arm-wrestles him
about the takeovers and bailouts, but he's still the president and
she's not. Nevertheless, she gets to cultivate her own garden.
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.
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Suzanne Fields Archives
© 2006, Creators Syndicate, Suzanne Fields
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