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The debacle that is going on down in Wisconsin is enough to make a person ill. The Daily Show comes through to show how tainted the corporate media actually is and how egregiously the population is affected by corporate propaganda.
In Canada watch the clip here.
In the US and possible elsewhere go here.
How do you fix the budget? Attack the poor and middle class. It is a message that never loses traction.
Gender is a feature of society that is becoming the focus of more and more research and experimentation. One idea that fascinates me is the idea of psychological priming for gender and gender related activities and careers. I’m working my way through Delusions of Gender by Cordelia Fine, but this article caught my eye from Jonah Lehrer and dovetails nicely with what I am currently reading.
“One last point: I think the power of seeing a female calculus professor is magnified by the absence of similar figures in mass culture. In a 2002 study led by the psychologist Paul Davies, two groups of male and female undergrads were shown three minutes of television commercials. Students in the first group were shown a variety of “gender stereotyping” ads, such as a woman gleefully touting the benefits of a skin product, or a “slender female” talking about the deliciousness of diet soda. (All of the ads were real.) Students in the second group, in contrast, were shown a mix of gender-neutral ads, such as a pitch for an insurance company and a commercial about cell-phones. Then, the women were quizzed about their interest in pursuing a career in math or science.
Once again, the results were depressingly clear: Women exposed to the gender stereotyping ads were far less interested in anything quantitative. Instead, they were more than twice as likely to choose careers in the verbal and service industry, such as retail, sales and communication.
The pattern was reversed, however, in the women who saw neutral ads. They were actually more interested in pursuing quantitative careers. All it took was the absence of a blatant stereotype to increase their interest in math. While I don’t expect television commercials to get better anytime soon – pop culture is full of persistent tropes – it turns out that we’ve got a fix for the negative effects of these stereotypes. The cure is female math teachers.”
Seems like we have a Friday mini-theme going as last week was the second movement, so why stop now? :)
Adagio molto e cantabile – Andante Moderato – Tempo Primo – Andante Moderato – Adagio – Lo Stesso Tempo. Duration approx. 16 mins.
The lyrical slow movement, in B flat major, is in a loose variation form, with each pair of variations progressively elaborating the rhythm and melody. The first variation, like the theme, is in 4/4 time, the second in 12/8. The variations are separated by passages in 3/4, the first in D major, the second in G major. The final variation is twice interrupted by episodes in which loud fanfares for the full orchestra are answered by double-stopped octaves played by the first violins alone. A prominent horn solo is assigned to the fourth player. Trombones are tacet for the movement.
Ever wonder what is wrong with society? These guys may have the answer. I’ll let you know, I have not read the book yet, but it does look promising.
Plus a interview with one of the authors of the book.
Important Update: It is also nice to see the skeptical community is doing its job and calling the Zeitgeist Movement on its bullshit. The site Conspiracy Science has a great breakdown of the gaping holes in the ‘logic’ and ‘reasoning’ used in the the first two films. I suspect the third film, posted here is also as full as crap as the first two.
It is nice to see a director break down such complex topics in our society. Peter Joseph places capitalism and our society under a critical lens and examines the system that is methodically stripping our planet of resources and turning it into items we really do not need.
Fractional reserve banking? Covered in within the context of this film, as well as inflation, the business cycle and how the structural features of our system are grossly inefficient and are actually harming the social fabric of our society.
I’m very glad this film points out that it is the egalitarian societies ( yes, the evil spectre of socialism once again) that fare better in almost all categories that measure a societies health, productivity and innovation. It caught my particular attention because I’m constantly bombarded with the notion that “competition drives innovation and because that’s what capitalism is ergo its all good.” This particular meme is exploded as you are shown graph after graph of data pointing out that the societies that redistribute wealth acutely are the ones that do better in the world, economically, politically and socially.
I’m not entirely happy with the movie as it gets a little tinfoil hatty around the idea of Big Medicine and Big Pharma…but one must take the bad with the good. I link to the trailer and the movie for your viewing pleasure.
I’ve only seen the first two parts, but they have been generally quite good. Its LOTHR length, so make sure you have your popcorn and comfy chair ready if you intend to watch the entire film. The website to see the first Zeitgeist and the Zeitgeist Addendum can be found here.
The content of the documentaries mentioned are pretty much guaranteed to rile my conservative readers…I look forward to the comment section of this particular post. :)
Note: Please where possible reference specific points in the movie, I’m going nuts trying to find the specific parts when referenced by name alone.
Important Update: It is also nice to see the skeptical community is doing its job and calling the Zeitgeist Movement on its bullshit. The site Conspiracy Science has a great breakdown of the gaping holes in the ‘logic’ and ‘reasoning’ used in the the first two films. I suspect the third film, posted here is also as full as crap as the first two.
I’ve never gone hungry in my life. With that statement it puts me in class that most of the world will never see. I have been lucky and had a parent that worked to make my childhood pleasant, enriching and carefree. With that base established I went to University and earned my degree in education and now make enough money to survive reasonably and keep my life nourishing and fulfilling.
I am certainly not upper class, heck probably lower middle class at best, but I have not had to endure decisions such as whether to eat or pay for rent, or fix the car or hope it does not explode on the way to work. I’ve always had the means so I’ve never had to make those decisions.
“Spent” is a game, if you can call living in poverty a game, about the decisions people like you and me have to face if things really get stuffed up and it goes south. What would you do? Go to the Spent website and find out.
I am hoping that the Fox News Canada channel really does not go through. Faux News repeatedly spreads lies, rumours and generally serves as the propaganda wing for the Republican Party in the US. Let us hope their contamination stays south of the 49th parallel.
bleatmop
Mystro
The Arbourist
Dead Wild Roses 
Your opinions…