"At the End of the Day..."

I really hate hearing newscasters complacently summarize their stories with "at the end of the day." I'm not the only one.

It signalizes the boiling down of a complicated issue into a sound bite which we, the apathetic rabble, can comprehend. It also provides a last, best opportunity to spin the story.

In combination with another awful phrase, the take-home message, it provides a low-IQ doggie-bag for the uninterested or impatient.

From Rabbi Berel Wein, via Talmud study at our temple...

An astrophysicist in conversation with a rabbi opined: "It seems that all of religion essentially boils down to: Love your neighbor as yourself."

The rabbi answered: "One might look at it that way. If so, then one might also believe that all of astrophysics boils down to: Twinkle, twinkle little star."

Technorati Tags: Religion, Judaism, Astronomy, Cliche, Physics, Astrophysics, Humor, Jewish, Theology