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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
Dec. 26, 2006
/ 5 Teves, 5767
Looking for the who of you
By
Suzanne Fields
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Donald Trump gave Miss U.S.A. a generous Christmas present. He told Tara she could keep her tiara.
"I've always been a believer in second chances," said the man who made his name firing luckless losers who flubbed a first and only chance. Tara's first chances apparently included underage drinking and public smooching with strangers in bars. Her second chance requires rehab and establishing herself as a "great example for troubled people [who] have problems with alcohol, that have problems for life."
That's a tall order for a girl who just turned 21. Second chances are starting at younger and younger ages. You don't have to be a beauty queen to be beset by temptations before you're an adult, or sponsored by a fatuous billionaire who expects you to be a "role model," to see such superficiality as only skin deep.
In our highly hyped media culture we focus on the fall of others because it makes us feel better about ourselves. We're not about to learn anything from that. There's a lot of free advice in the media and available on the Internet, but the 21st century is characterized more by admiring self than learning by example. What we take from the media and off the Web is more about self-enhancement than self-perception.
Time magazine was on to something by naming "You" as its "Person of the Year," complete with a mirror on the cover. "See thyself" has replaced "Know thyself" as the adage to live by. But Time's emphasis is all wrong. Spreading the news with raw, unedited data and making image projections on YouTube.com and MySpace.com create only a public persona. It may or may not have anything to do with the who of you.
We've moved from the Age of Narcissism to the Age of Self-Importance. When Narcissus saw his face reflected in a pool of water he leaned over to kiss the reflection, and drowned. When we look at the mirror on the cover of Time we celebrate the idea behind the reflected image. Time warns against romanticizing the "You" of "You," but it romanticizes by suggesting that the collective person of the year provides "an opportunity to build a new kind of international understanding, not politician to politician, great man to great man, but citizen to citizen, person to person."
Say what? Many of the people Time features have the self-insight of a snail. They may have done something with a political impact, such as the deed of the young man who brought down Mark Foley, the Florida congressman, by posting on a Web site the geeky amorous e-mails received from the congressman 11 years earlier. Now the older but not much wiser man is bitter that he got fired for taking advantage of his company computer to blog about it. He's miffed that no good job offers came of his "15 minutes of fame." Imagine.
One college senior who boasts of acquiring 700 "friends" with her profile posted on Facebook.com can't imagine how anything got done in college before Facebook. "Older people had handwritten letters or called each other or whatever," she says. "I mean, really, we have a much more convenient way of doing things." (Especially since we got rid of "whatever.")
There's no Luddite here. I'm writing this on my Dell desktop computer with an Athlon dual core 2X processor (whatever that is) after checking out my favorite Web sites. The Internet has its special uses and we can't any longer expect letters written with a fine and careful hand. But appreciating technology for its virtues does not require being oblivious to its vices. "You," so celebrated by Time, elevates more than a few mediocre minds and untalented men and women. "You" often fails to separate the chaff on the chip from the substantive wheat of facts that demand the scrutiny of a discriminating editor.
The popular media sets trends, but it's not a thoughtful tastemaker or a careful fact checker. Brian Williams, anchorman of the NBC Nightly News, asks an important question: "The whole notion of 'media' is now much more democratic, but what will be the effect on democracy?"
Walt Whitman was the great poet of our democracy. When he celebrated himself he celebrated everyone. He was hopeful about the ways the culture of democracy shaped the lives of children. "There was a child went forth every day,/ And the first object he look'd upon, that object he became,/And that object became part of him for the day or a certain part of the day,/ Or for many years or stretching cycles of years."
That should give anyone pause, with or without tiara or even a mirror.
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.
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Suzanne Fields Archives
© 2006, Creators Syndicate, Suzanne Fields
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