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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 27, 2009 / 2 Nisan 5769

What are your defining moments? Here are mine

By Dave Weinbaum


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Obama Bad…Democracy good…Socialism bad…Capitalism good…citizens screwed.


Okay enough about politics this week. As Groucho once allegedly told a mother of 13 on You Bet Your Life , "Lady, I love cigars, but I take them out of my mouth once in a while."


I just finished "Outliers,", a book by Malcolm Gladwell. It was a fascinating read, even if he misused the information to promote Socialism.


Gladwell researched why some people succeeded and others failed. His premise was that it wasn't intelligence or effort as much as good timing, being born in the right era, and 10,000 hours of practice in a field that was in its infancy as the subject reached the prime age of 19-23. Even the right ethnicity could make or break one, depending on the culture. Two of his prime examples are Bill Gates and the Beatles.


The choices we make dictate the life that we lead


One individual can fight through most anything given the chance. What Gladwell got me thinking about are the defining moments of my life, including some warts:


  • Born in post WW2, growth economy to two parents who stayed together for life.

  • Played sports every day…baseball in summer, football in winter, sometimes seven days a week, dawn to dusk, 10,000+ hours worth.

  • Age ten, went on stage to make announcement. I froze in front of whole school. Refused to speak before any group for next 25 years.

  • Went out for football in school of 6,000 under best coach in Illinois high school history, Murney Lazier. I was smallest, slowest and one of the youngest as a freshman, but I had 10,000 hours of practice. Coach didn't cut and I didn't quit. Senior year I went from last to first string halfway through the season.

  • Let a high school baseball coach convince me to quit.

  • Poor grades in high school led to fear of continued failure in college. I achieved a "B" average.

  • Jobs I held during school: Caddy, baseball ump, pizza delivery, mailman, liquor truck helper, clerk at liquor/grocery store, loading trucks outside in Chicago winters at night, hot dog restaurant worker, medical insurance accountant, Chicago Mercantile exchange runner in morning and CME bookkeeper in afternoon.

  • After job as burglar alarm salesman and during job as an insurance agent, father-in-law offered me major opportunity in restaurant management with promise of ownership in his four eateries in St. Louis.

  • After two years, the company offered me a franchise in small town in Missouri at age 25. I'm 60 and still going strong.

  • Elected president of a restaurant advertising co-op during restroom break. Had to decide to defeat my speaking nightmares.

  • Two weeks before my father Mel died, he told me he could have done so much more with his life.

  • One year after father passed on, I began writing original quotes and jokes. After thousands of rejections, publications started to pick them up. I have written 40,000 original quotes and jokes.

  • Authored several hundred op-eds that are in local papers, www.jewishworldreview.com and www.daveweinbaum.com

  • Became a radio talk show host four months ago and now have seven independent sponsors.

  • Nearly went broke in 2001. I survived by getting help. Had tremendous recovery.

  • Became a stand-up comic at age 55.

  • Built a hotel…sold it at a loss ten years later.

  • Published a magazine…shut it down.

  • Back a professional golfer…a work in progress.

  • Bought a quarry and asphalt plant.


As Gladwell points out, if you acquire 10,000 hours of practice you become better than most, and opportunity coincidentally seems to break your way.


What he fails to analyze is the human spirit, the grit that prevents a soul from quitting under adversity.


I learned early that victories often occur when you see no way to succeed, but refuse to give up anyway.


I loved The Outliers, but I think Gladwell's conclusions sell the human spirit short.


As Martin Luther King said, "We SHALL overcome."

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 Dave Weinbaum, originally from Chicago, is a businessman, writer and part-time stand-up comic. He resides in a Midwest red state. Comment by clicking here.



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