“One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. Which road do I take? She asked. Where do you want to go? was his response. I don’t know, Alice answered. Then, said the cat, it doesn’t matter.”

George Orwell, in his “1984” book, used the word “groupthink” to mean the making of sheep-like decisions as a group while discouraging individual thought. Well, here’s an antonym I call “Reverse-Think,” meaning to NOT think like the group.

Students and faculty at Arizona State University are hoping to invent not only the technology of the future, but also the narrative that accompanies those advances.

Although Stephen Chbosky’s “The Perks of Being A Wallflower” was published in 1999, it remains a popular sensation amongst the high school crowd to this day. A semi-autobiographical, coming-of-age tale, “Perks” follows a teenage boy as he navigates the tumultuous waters that are high school.

Students and faculty at Arizona State University are hoping to invent not only the technology of the future, but also the narrative that accompanies those advances.

I’ve always known it: Readers quite often say it better than — well, the usual columnists. In an unusual move, I’ve dedicated this space to a letter written by Diana Smith, the mother of nine children, grandmother of seven children. Smith, a long time East Valley resident is doing what she can to awaken women to frightening games being played in the political arena. She warns women their emotions are manipulated, while their freedoms to choose for themselves are at high risk. Read on:

“President Obama just signed a law that allows for indefinite detention, without charges or trial, of American citizens suspected of terroristic activities. I thought George Orwell’s ‘1984’ was a stern warning of what our future would hold if Americans let their liberties slip away. Instead, ‘1984’ has become a how-to manual for the left.”

Dear Editor:

Dear Editor:

Dan K. Thomasson, guest commentary

Anyone can experience a Disney ride. But this summer, a college student from the Ahwatukee Foothills is getting the opportunity to work with the Imagineers who design them.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Amazon.com Inc. is offering free books or $30 to Kindle customers whose copies of the George Orwell novels "1984" and "Animal Farm" were deleted from their electronic reading devices in July.

SEATTLE -- A high school student is suing Amazon.com Inc. for deleting an e-book he purchased for the Kindle reader, saying his electronic notes were bollixed, too.

Robert L. Hale: Thirty-eight state budgets are in the red. The Government Accountability Office estimates that federal debt, on a per-household basis, is between $299,880 and $754,095. The difference is based on whether all households are counted or just those that pay income taxes. The GAO points out that the debt is the result of entitlements and unrestrained government spending.

We encourage readers to submit letters to the editor on issues of interest to East Valley residents. Submissions should be no longer than 300 words, factually accurate and original thoughts of the writer. Please be brief and include name, address, city and phone number for verification. Letters and call-in comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Not in the George Orwell sense, but “big brother” will be watching intently the right-winged ideological Legislature and our newly appointed, not elected, governor as they grapple with our state’s budget deficit. If the funding for kindergarten through college public education is emasculated, many independent voters like myself will hold the current political party in power accountable come both November 2009 and 2010.

Calling it illegal, immoral and Big Brother, some state lawmakers are moving to kill the 4-month-old statewide system of fixed and mobile speed cameras.

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Sweden's Parliament narrowly approved a law Wednesday that gives authorities sweeping powers to eavesdrop on all e-mail and telephone traffic that crosses the Nordic nation's borders.

While in college I read a George Orwell novel called “Animal Farm.” In it a revolution was inspired by the animals to kick the intolerant farmer Jones off his farm, and thus the animals assumed the leadership. However, shortly thereafter the pigs assumed a subtle takeover of the leadership and quickly changed the political organization from one of a democracy to that of a despotic elite run by the pigs.

Leave South Mountain alone

Leave South Mountain alone

WASHINGTON - The Republican chairman of the Federal Communications Commission is disputing Democratic assertions that a new rule loosening restrictions on media ownership is full of loopholes and will lead to a wave of mergers and fewer choices for consumers.

It’s not just paranoia. You are being watched. The period following Sept. 11, 2001, has been a technological Renaissance Era for agencies and companies that monitor, track and record the activities of everyday people.

The Fourth Amendment is the source of Americans’ right to privacy but while the home is sacrosanct the courts have said that a citizen in a public place has no reasonable expectation of privacy.