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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

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 January 11, 2008 / 4 Shevat 5768

Big boob tube

By Greg Crosby


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Bigger is better. At least that was the message delivered by Panasonic president, Toshihiro Sakamoto at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Sakamoto revealed Panasonic's plans for the future of consumer electronics which included the world's largest flat screen TV - a 150-inch plasma set measuring 11 feet by 7 feet. Yes, I said 150 inch. That would be like nine 50 inch TVs grouped together. Now THAT is big screen television!


"Can you imagine sitting at home watching the Olympics on this baby?" Mr. Sakamoto joked to the crowd. While Sakamoto didn't rule out home use of the giant, he said the new television would be primarily marketed to a commercial audience. He said Panasonic's new line (including thinner 1 inch models) would hit the market next year but didn't announce a specific release date for the 150 inch giant. No price was given either. You know what they say, if you gotta ask …


Panasonic has been working with hundreds of families to determine how they use their home entertainment systems. Mr. Sakamoto announced that new lines of Panasonic TVs will come with built in SD memory card slots, typically found in digital cameras, so that all photos a person takes with their camera can be easily shown on a TV. He also announced that the company will be releasing a new high-definition camcorder that saves information to an SD card, so that HD videos can also be watched on a new Panasonic TV.


I don't think my wife would let me buy a 150 inch television, even if I could afford it. My wife would raise the roof, or rather; she wouldn't raise the roof, which is what we'd have to do to get the thing into the house. My den isn't large enough. Our entire home isn't large enough. Maybe if I set it up in the yard…nah, I don't think so - they don't make extension cords that long.


Coincidently, we were browsing at new TVs just the other day. Our current set is about 12 or 13 years old and has been having its share of "senior moments" lately. Besides being much heavier and more cumbersome than the new thin models, the sound quality is getting progressively worse. Where once we were able to listen to it at a level of about 24 to 28, we now need to crank it up to around 35 to 40, sometimes much higher than that depending on the stations. Also, the color has become faded and murky. The contrast is off, and the sharpness just isn't what it once was.


Come to think of it, my television is kind of like me - I suffer from all the same symptoms. Fortunately my wife hasn't been out shopping for a new husband yet - at least not that I know of.


For those of you who have not ventured into an electronics store of late, let me tell you that the whole procedure of picking out a new television has gotten more complicated than the Middle East peace process. There's HDTV, there's rear projection, there's LCD, there's plasma, there's 4:3 ratio, there's 19:9 ratio, there are lines of resolution - 720 or 1080, and then there is 1080i and 1080p. There is HDMI and HDMI 1.3. There are low resolution bands, there are high resolution bands. Pixels. Florescent tubes. Contrast ratio. 60Hz and 120Hz frame rate. Do you watch in a darkened room or a highly lit room? Do you want it to be a "home theater" or a work station? What kind of components will you want to plug into it? And what about speakers? Is your DVD player compatible? And your receiver?


In the good old days my mom and dad just had to decide what size screen they wanted (or could afford) and if the cabinet was to be cherry wood or walnut stained. Period. They didn't have to be electronic wizards or computer geeks to buy a television. All they needed to know was which wall the TV would be placed at in relation to where the couch was facing.


Things are different now. Now I need to attend classes at Cal Tech before I can make an intelligent choice. The fear of buying the "wrong" TV tears at my guts and grips my throat in a choke hold. The thought of spending a lot of money on this thing only to discover in a couple of months that I bought the "wrong" TV is a bit disconcerting, to say the least.


I know I have to research the web sites and electronic reviews. I have to compare prices. I have to figure out which model and manufacturer offers us the best value for what we spend. I need to read consumer feedback and look at repair charts. I have to discern which brand is the best and of the best brands, which can we really afford. Yes, I need to do research.


But how I wish I could just go with the cherry wood cabinet.

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 Greg Crosby, former creative head for Walt Disney publications, has written thousands of comics, hundreds of children's books, dozens of essays, and a letter to his congressman. A freelance writer in Southern California, you may contact him by clicking here.

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