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May 25, 2012
Mark Clayton: Is Hillary's State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite
Erika Bolstad: Temple cancels Wasserman Schultz speech
The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman: The former president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, whose members included the likes of Julia Child, is back with contemporary Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cheese, Key Lime Curd, Calsone Casserole Frittata with Wild Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes and Olives, Baked Tilapia with Pepper Cheese Cream and Brown Sugar Shortbread
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
Sept. 3, 2009
/ 14 Elul 5769
What a summer of eulogizing flawed public figures reveals about society
By
Michael Smerconish
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Forty years after the Summer of Love, the summer of mourning is coming to a close.
Ed McMahon. Farrah Fawcett. Walter Cronkite. Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Dominick Dunne. It's hard to believe they've all passed in a matter of weeks. None, however, have proven more complex in death than Michael Jackson and Ted Kennedy.
Many people had a difficult time reconciling Michael Jackson's disjointed legacy in the aftermath of his passing. On one hand, he had been the most famous musician in the world, an icon who had entertained tens of millions since he was in grade school.
On the other, he died broke financially and physically a grown man who locked himself in a place called Neverland and invited young boys to join him.
In the hours after Jackson's death, I remember wondering where the most troubling part of his life the allegations of child molestation would ultimately fit into the coverage of his death. Specifically, how long would it take the obituary writers to mention those allegations?
I soon had the answer. The Los Angeles Times got there in the fourth paragraph. The New York Times four paragraphs after that. The Washington Post didn't introduce that aspect of Jackson's life until paragraph 19.
Ted Kennedy's legacy is similarly complex. He has been feted from both sides of the aisle since his death. And rightfully so. He came from an exceedingly patriotic family and dedicated almost five decades of his life to public service. While Michael Vick forced us to contemplate second chances, Ted Kennedy certainly showed what can be done when they are afforded.
But he was indeed a man of well-documented "personal and political failings," as the Boston Globe noted in the lead of its obit. None were more infamous or damaging than the death of Mary Jo Kopechne at Chappaquiddick. Their treatment? The Globe made mention of what transpired in the fifth paragraph of its obituary. The Associated Press and the New York Times waited for paragraphs 12 and 15, respectively.
I shouldn't be surprised that callers to my radio program have lined up on two opposing sides this summer. After Jackson's death, people were divided among those who dismissed him as a freak or a pervert, and those whose devotion to his music could overcome any question of morality or character. They left no room for any middle road. The question last week was similar: How to define Sen. Kennedy by his legislative accomplishments or Chappaquiddick?
All of which spurred me to check the obituaries of other noted Americans whose lives and legacies were flawed.
This week, the Los Angeles Times took 12 paragraphs before mentioning former U.S. Rep. Gary Condit in Dominick Dunne's obituary. (Condit sued Dunne for $11 million after the writer had implicated the congressman in the disappearance of his intern Chandra Levy. They settled in 2005.)
The Washington Post first mentioned Watergate by name in the fifth paragraph of Richard Nixon's obit.
When Anna Nicole Smith passed in 2007, the New York Times discussed her drug addiction in paragraph eight.
I can't help but wonder when President Clinton's obituary will introduce Monica Lewinsky. How will Pete Rose's gambling admissions, Michael Vick's dog fighting, and O.J. Simpson's slow-speed chase stack up against the rest of their lives and accomplishments?
In broader terms, the question is this: How should we treat the conflicted legacies of our deceased icons?
I posed that question to Ann Wroe, the obituaries and briefings editor at The Economist and co-author of "The Economist Book of Obituaries" last year. It's a subjective standard, she told me, but one that depends on how significant an individual's crime or flaw really is. Wroe deemed Chappaquiddick a major one. The Lewinsky affair? "Really nothing much," she said.
"When I write an obituary I try to see it as much as I can through the eyes of the subject. And therefore, I tend to present these incidents as much as I can through the eyes of the person who's to blame for them," she told me.
"With public figures you have more license to dig up the past if you like. I think you should do so. It's made a difference to American history that, for example, Teddy Kennedy didn't become president. And why didn't he? Because he drove off a bridge."
Her words reminded me of something Walter Cronkite, who delivered countless obituaries himself before he was eulogized last month, once said. "Beyond being timely, an obituary has a more subjective duty, to assess its subject's impact. Franklin Roosevelt and John Kennedy were presidents who died in office. They were works in progress, but when a person lives long enough, history gains a sort of cooling off that brings perspective. It merely awaits the proper hour."
Unlike his brothers, Ted Kennedy lived long enough to allow us to gain that perspective on his life. And unlike Ted Kennedy, Michael Jackson did not.
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Comment by clicking here.
Previously:
08/12/09 It's time for cyclists and motorists to reconcile
08/05/09 Faces have changed, but vitriol remains
06/25/09 Fair comment or foul? Warm up the Muzzle Meter
06/08/09 Believability is key in crime-hoax villains
05/14/09 Did Hollywood inspire the meltdown men?
04/20/09 Let's give killers their due: Anonymity
03/12/09 Uninsured who can't afford medical care lose a lot more
02/06/09 My debate with Musharraf on hunt for bin Laden
01/29/09 Torture must remain an option
01/15/09 Making a case for suing Madoff
12/22/08 A difficult but rational chat about plans
12/17/08 Facebook epidemic: More than 120 million have joined, many too old for this nonsense
12/01/08 The high price of downsizing the news biz
11/14/08 Prescience on greed, arrogance of a system
09/29/08 Closer look at party lines
08/26/08 Obama's pick creates GOP opportunity
08/21/08 Fishing with the Angry Everyman
07/31/08 The perils of e-mail: Ponder, then click
05/22/08 Two very different sides of the Internet
02/12/08 Sublimely ridiculous suits
11/28/08 Cell phones cut out secondary circle of kinship
09/26/07 What do we owe those who have died in Iraq?
08/30/07 A Navy SEAL's gut-wrenching tale of survival
07/30/07 First it was a faux pas, now it's a new word
© 2008, The Philadelphia Inquirer Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
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