Media

Finally some good news for the cows

March 28, 2012
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Finally some good news for the cows

A long-term study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health and published recently in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that eating red meat of any type in any amount significantly increases the risk of premature death. While a subscription to the journal is required to access it online, one can read about the study in this article from the L.A. Times. The news article also links to the chart copied below, which presents the findings of this study in graphic form. As the chart shows, the study found that adding a small serving of red meat to one’s daily…

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New PR for the coming attack on Iran

March 23, 2012
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Peter King, the Republic Chairman  of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security convened a meeting this week to explain that the United States is currently facing a grave threat from a new scary monster: Iranian-backed Hezbollah agents that are inside the country and ready to attack. The shocking new evidence upon which these claims are based appears to be reports of Iranians videotaping subway tracks. Scary stuff indeed. In light of these reports, King claimed that “We have a duty to prepare for the worst.” One can listen to his opening speech at the committee meeting. It’s truly breathtaking.…

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Nine strategies to end corporate rule

March 21, 2012
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Yes Magazine has put together an interesting collection of articles, written by various writers, around the question of the century: What can we do to bring an end to corporatocracy and help build a sustainable society that prioritizes human needs above corporate profits. The collection of articles can be found here. The nine strategies: 1. Amend the constitution to end corporate personhood. 2. Dive into grassroots campaigns.  3. Hold corporations accountable to our laws. 4. Get Past the Propaganda 5. Support independent media and keep the Internet free. 6. Protect the Commons 7. Vote. Protect our democracy. 8. Make your…

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The corporate titans take on the Internet (by Peter Frase)

March 16, 2012
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The fight over copyright is not a struggle between capital and labour, but one between different factions of capital. New York, NY – American politics is riven by an increasingly contentious debate over the status of intellectual property, especially copyright. On one side are those who argue that tougher enforcement of IP is desperately needed to protect the rights of creators, promote innovation, preserve jobs, and ensure economic growth. Opposing them are those who argue that the draconian enforcement of intellectual property rights will only curtail free speech and stifle economic activity, while entrenching the profits of a small class of…

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The Kony controversy

March 16, 2012
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In the middle of the two or three-day period in which the Kony 2012 went viral, a note was posted on this blog linking to the video and recommending support for the campaign to arrest Kony. The world is now witnessing a viral explosion of criticism of the Kony 2012 video, which also deserves some comment. Aljazeera has devoted a section of its website to what it calls the “Kony Debate,” though it is less a debate than it is a collection of complaints against the film. Nonetheless, it is probably the single best source of information for understanding the criticisms…

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The Israel Lobby Swims The Atlantic (by Grant Smith)

March 6, 2012
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Jeffrey Goldberg’s current cover story in The Atlantic, “The Point of No Return,”achieved massive distribution across a broad spectrum of old and new media in the United States. Some observers – including Glenn Greenwald in “How Propagandists Function” – noted how well the methodology and message of Goldberg’s piece serves the Israeli government’s efforts to push U.S. military action against Iran. Gareth Porter views it as part of an overarching strategy to keep the U.S. from restoring productive relations with Iran. A huge trove of newly declassified documentssubpoenaed during a Senate investigation reveals how Israel’s lobby pitched, promoted, and paid to have content placed…

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Video: Everything is a Remix

February 24, 2012
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The documentary Everything is a Remix, produced by Kirby Ferguson, explores the idea that no idea is original. Ferguson argues that essentially all forms of creativity just remix existing ideas. In his words: Remixing is a folk art but the techniques are the same ones used at any level of creation: copy, transform, and combine.  He defines “remix” as “social evolution.” It’s similar to standard evolutionary theory, but instead of genes, it’s memes that are being “copied, transformed and combined.” This cultural development occurs through ideas, behaviors and skills being constantly used and reused. Just like the evolution of beings and species,…

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Progressive movements in the US

February 16, 2012
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The Occupy Movement received a lot of attention in 2011 and it was indeed one of the most promising signs that although the economic and political system is profoundly unjust and has been hijacked and corrupted by corporations that quite literally own the country, the game is not completely over. The people are down but not thoroughly defeated, and we are now witnessing a reawakening of political consciousness.  The lesson of the movement is simple and profound: if people unite, they can resist the corporate takeover of their country and instead democratize it. Within and alongside the Occupy Movement are…

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What real journalism looks like

February 2, 2012
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Just imagine how much better things could be if journalists like Vincent Browne and Amy Goodman were the norm rather than the exception.

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Keeping the public in the dark about climate change

January 16, 2012
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Keeping the public in the dark about climate change

If enough people were well informed about the reality and likely consequences of climate change the political changes required to bring this problem under control would surely be happening a lot quicker than they are. An important question then is why this problem is still insufficiently appreciated. There are a number of well-known and documented causal factors contributing to public ignorance about climate change. In the first place, according to this recent study by the Daily Climate organization, media coverage of climate change is actually decreasing at the very time (2010, 2011) that it should be increasing. Here is a…

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The CBC emulates FOX

January 3, 2012
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The following is a CBC interview with Chris Hedges on the Occupy Wall Street movement. The obnoxious interviewer in this segment is a man named Kevin O’Leary, a Canadian venture capitalist and “television personality.” In this brief and hostile interview, Hedges provides an astute analysis and description of the Occupy Movement and also correctly points out that O’Leary’s insults and aggression make the CBC no different from FOX News. Unlike FOX, however, the CBC is a public broadcaster. Americans merely have to tolerate FOX; Canadians are actually paying for the CBC with their taxes.

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The wonderful world of advertising

December 28, 2011
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In order to appreciate the toxic nature of advertising and its corrosive effect on society, it is instructive to look to some ads from the past.  Yes it’s Coke for the wee baby, television for the toddler, beer for the nursing mother, second-hand smoke for the mistress, kitchen appliances for the sniveling wife, a pack of doctor-approved Camels for the health-conscious smoker, and a hand gun for the self-sacrificing husband (who must be looking for a quick way out of this nightmare).  

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How the media manipulates information

December 28, 2011
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Since most people have at least some awareness of how the media can manipulate and distort information, the tricks and methods showcased in this short YouTube video are not exactly shocking. They are nevertheless revealing and always worth bearing in mind.  

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Time magazine and American ignorance

November 29, 2011
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Time magazine and American ignorance

Here is a comparison of the front page covers of recent editions of the various regional editions of Time magazine (US, Europe, Asia, South Pacific). These images have been circling around on the Internet lately. The discrepancy between the US versions and the others is so dramatic that it’s hard to believe, but if you look them up at Time Magazine, you can see for yourself that the images below are correct.  Americans are notorious for their ignorance of world affairs. For instance, according to Rick Shenkman, Associate Professor of History at George Mason University, In 2003, the Strategic Task Force on…

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Climate change is not just a theory

November 12, 2011
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Climate change is not just a theory

One still hears people saying that climate change is not a fact but a theory. Indeed that is what the U.S. House of Representatives recently declared while cutting off its funding for the Nobel Prize winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). But the claim that climate change is just a theory does not stand up to scrutiny. Already in 2005 a study was conducted to examine this problem and to reveal the biased presentation of the issue (Climate of scepticism: US newspaper coverage of the science of climate change). Here are some quotes:  The results of this study indicate that…

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50% debt cut for Greece?

October 31, 2011
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Reading German newspapers theses days, one of the most prominent headline reads “50% debt cut for Greece settled.” The headline refers to the latest meeting of the EU member head of states, who supposedly settled for a 50% debt relief for Greece and most notably with “substantial participation” of the private banking sector holding Greek government bonds. Why then did stock prices of these institutions surge upwards shortly after the 50% cut publication?  Here’s why: What was settled for is by no means a real 50% debt cut and was even less settled with the “substantial participation of the private banking sector.”…

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Why do we have a legal system?

October 16, 2011
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The key question on this segment of the Kelly File on the Bill O’Reilly’s Show is whether or not it is constitutional for President Obama to take out the leaders of Iran with predatory drone missile attacks.  “Can we drop a drone right down Ahmadinejad’s nose?” The answer–no surprise–is “yes.” Obama may have political and military questions to ponder, but legally, according to Kelly, there’s no issue. And O’Reilly clearly likes that answer. The segment gives rise to many questions, including philosophical ones like “Am I dreaming?” and “How can I know that I am not living in the Matrix?”…

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