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May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
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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
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Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
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Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
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May 18, 2012
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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
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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
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Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
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May 14, 2012
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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 17, 2007
/ 29 Nissan, 5767
The New Big Brother
By
Pat Sajak
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
George Orwell's 1984, the frightening tale of a totalitarian society led by Big Brother, was inaccurate in at least three major respects: first, the time frame was too early by about twenty years; second, Big Brother is not a product of totalitarianism, but of freedom; and third, he is not an agent of government. We are Big Brother. And, make no mistake: we are watching!
Thanks to cell phone cameras, email and Internet sights such as YouTube, we have become self-appointed spies keeping close watch on everything our neighbors do. It isn't the government surreptitiously taking pictures in our public bathrooms and posting them; it's our fellow citizens. It isn't the government using unauthorized recordings of private events and streaming the videos around the world; it's our fellow citizens. It isn't our government making people reluctant to exercise their right of free speech; it's our fellow citizens.
This Brave New World has come about without any deliberation or debate, and there is absolutely no recourse. If this were a government-generated issue, we could respond with our votes or even with a revolution. But against whom do we rise up? We have moved into a world where anyone can hide behind an anonymous screen name and spread the most vile untruth in a matter of seconds; where the wall of privacy is no match for the penetrating camera built into a stranger's cell phone; and where lives, fortunes, careers and reputations can be destroyed with the click of a mouse.
It's especially ironic that governments, once presumed to be the most likely progenitors of Big Brother, must now, like the rest of us, cower under the threat of his power.
We're all performers in a giant Reality TV show--whether we asked to be in the cast or not. We have, almost without noticing it, lost our right to private conversations and private actions. Defenders of this new Big Brother speak of exposing hypocrisy and making people accountable for their words and actions. They talk of shining the light of truth into the darkest corners of the world. Their self-righteousness is breathtaking.
We should have been asking questions all along, and examining consequences, especially the unintended kind. Instead, we were enthralled by the ease of email and the cool, new technologies. We forgot that the temptation of governments to overreach and intrude is caused, in great measure, by their very ability to do so. We all have that ability now, and that means there is absolutely no place for Winston Smith to hide.
We are watching.
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.
Comment on Pat Sajak's column by clicking here.
JWR contributor Pat Sajak is the recipient of three Emmys, a Peoples’ Choice Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He's currently the host of Wheel of Fortune.
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