Habit 1: don't believe the hype
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Evolution :: Skeptic :: November 3, 2010 :: :: Email :: Print See Inside In the battle for ideas, scientists could learn from Christopher Hitchens
The Skeptic's Skeptic
The Media, the crisis, and the crisis in media
The financial crisis and a series of aggressive wars have demonstrated beyond doubt how prevailing forms of media ownership in the west serve to buttress the power of elites and marginalise alternatives to the status quo. A system of public commissioning, which gives citizens the power to decide which issues are the subject of journalistic investigation, has the potential to reframe the terms of debate and make policy-making more democratic and accountable. The financial crisis and a series of aggressive wars have demonstrated beyond doubt how prevailing forms of media ownership in the west serve to buttress the power of elites and marginalise alternatives to the status quo. In his new book, The Return of the Public , Dan Hind argues that a system of public commissioning, which gives citizens the power to decide which issues are the subject of journalistic investigation, has the potential to reframe the terms of debate and make policy-making more democratic and accountable.
Donald Rumsfeld. Photograph: Spencer Platt/Getty Images Hours after a commercial plane struck the Pentagon on September 11 2001 the US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, was issuing rapid orders to his aides to look for evidence of Iraqi involvement, according to notes taken by one of them. "Hard to get good case. Need to move swiftly," the notes say.
Blogger bares Rumsfeld's post 9/11 orders | World news
The Iraq War [ nb 1 ] was an armed conflict in Iraq that consisted of two phases. [ 40 ] The first was an invasion of Ba'athist Iraq starting on 20 March 2003 by an invasion force led by the United States . [ 41 ] [ 42 ] [ 43 ] [ 44 ] It was followed by a longer phase of fighting, in which an insurgency emerged to oppose coallition forces and the newly formed Iraqi government. [ 40 ] The U.S. completed its withdrawal of military personnel in December 2011. [ 45 ] [ 46 ] However, the Iraqi insurgency continues and has caused thousands of fatalities in 2012.
Iraq War
Introduction The question of the public good and national interest is never so rigorously tested when issues such as national security and conflict are high on the political agenda. When a country decides to go to war it frequently divides members of national parliaments, sections of the public; and in the case of the recent military action in Iraq all of these as well as international organisations such as the United Nations and the Member States of the European Union. In cases such as the coalition's invasion of Iraq in 2003, governments have put forward a variety of arguments to justify aggression on a grand scale against the Iraqi state in the name of regime change and the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, the second of which have failed to materialise. Government action in the name of the public and national interest is crucially legitimised by public support.
14th JAMCO Online International Symposium./Public Service Broadcasting in Europe and the Coverage of the Iraq War
Bill Hicks
William Melvin "Bill" Hicks (December 16, 1961 – February 26, 1994) was an American stand-up comedian , social critic , satirist , and musician . His material largely consisted of general discussions about society, religion, politics, philosophy, and personal issues. Hicks's material was often controversial and steeped in dark comedy . In both his stand-up performances and during interviews, he often criticized consumerism , superficiality , mediocrity, and banality within the media and popular culture , describing them as oppressive tools of the ruling class, meant to "keep people stupid and apathetic". [ 1 ]
Don't Believe The Hype Lyrics by Public Enemy
Artist: Public Enemy ( Buy Public Enemy CDs ) Album: It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back Send "Don't Believe The Hype" Ringtone to your Cell Back Caught you lookin' for the same thing It's a new thing check out this I bring Uh Oh the roll below the level 'Cause I'm livin' low next to the bass C'mon Turn up the radio They claim that I'm a criminal By now I wonder how Some people never know The enemy could be their friend guardian I'm not a hooligan I rock the party and Clear all the madness, I'm not a racist Preach to teach to all 'Cause some they never had this Number one, not born to run About the gun...