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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 March 31, 2005 / 20 Adar II, 5765

What to Use on This Column If You — Horrors! — Happen Not to Like It

By James Lileks


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | All hail Sam Kimery: He's a canny entrepreneur who's come up with a device that prevents propaganda and Karl Rove-hatched talking points from flooding from your TV unabated.

It's called the Fox Blocker. Hook it up to your coaxial cable, and no longer will the grim visage of Bill O'Reilly fill your screen, commanding you to chant "Freedom is slavery" while standing with a small American flag in your fist. If you sign up now, Kimery will also e-mail Fox's advertisers, telling them you've opted out. An e-mail! If you have Fox stock, sell now.

An exceptional idea. No matter how much tinfoil you pack in your beanie, it can't deflect Rupert Murdock's mind-control rays. He's probably working on a signal that reprograms pacemakers so people's hearts beat faster when the Fox anthem swells.

Oh, sure, you could take your TV apart every day and scrape the right-wing residue off the inside of the glass, but who has the time? You could demand that your cable company add a closed-caption feed to Fox, something that says "Lies! Lies! Nothing but lies!" — but they didn't listen when you demanded that they carry C-Span 12, a channel devoted entirely to static shots of hallways in the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

You could reprogram your cable box so it skips right by the Fox News channel — but you lost the manual.

You could just, well, not watch Fox News.

Just kidding! Of course that's not an option. You have to make a stand against media bias.

Good thing you won't be alone. Everyone thinks the media are biased — except most people in the media, oddly enough.

Some on the right believe that New York Times editors get out the preserved head of Karl Marx and use a Ouija board to see what the father of communism wants them to print. Some on the left believe the media lean to the right, because they are profit-making companies who profit from war. That explains all those documentaries you saw after Sept. 11, like "Faster, Rumsfeld! Kill! Kill!" and other such blood-lusty pro-war coverage.

The truth, as ever, is in the middle. Most newsrooms are stuffed to the gunwales with liberals of various intensities; sometimes it shows, sometimes it doesn't. They try to be objective. Granted, sometimes this takes the form of "Let's be objective about the fact that George W. Bush is an idiot," but it could be worse.

In any case, the folks at Fox are overtly center-right, because they say "our troops" instead of "coalition forces," and use eagles and jets in the promos. Oh, the horror. But at least they put up straw men to argue with their hectoring, square-jawed hosts. Who's the Colmes or Geraldo or Greta at CNN?

Nevertheless, the Fox Blocker is a fabulous tool for the easily annoyed. But why stop there? We need the following devices, pronto:

  • The New York Times Evaporator. Uses space-based lasers to locate the Times on your front steps, take aim and incinerate it. In the future the technology will be refined so the lasers can simply remove the columnists you do not like, or eliminate bias-laden adjectives from news stories. For the moment, however, the technology can only target areas several yards wide, so advise your paperboy to throw the Times from the street and run like heck.

  • The Talking Head Obscurer. Program in the names of your least favorite commentators, and the Obscurer replaces their faces with pixel hash, a picture of a baboon's hindquarters, or — for those fans of the William Kennedy Smith trial who want to revisit the early '90s — a fuzzy-edged blue oval. Soothing white noise replaces the words. Works on everyone except James Carville, whose personality could cut through the hull of an aircraft carrier.

  • The MSNBC Blocker. Actually, this was installed on all cable and satellite boxes a few years ago. They're still waiting for someone to notice.

Finally, there's one new technology that truly shows some promise. It's called the Internet. Visit sites whose opinions you like. Bookmark them. Ignore the rest! Remember, on the Internet no one knows you're a dog — so feel free to sniff the same fire hydrant, day after day after day.

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.

JWR contributor James Lileks is a columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Comment by clicking here.

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© 2005, James Lileks

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