Logical Fallacies: The Fallacy Files Espaces et échanges - Proposed Definition 11 Tactics Used By The Mainstream Media to Manufacture Consent For The Oligarchy The mainstream media is aging and collapsing under the weight of its own hubris and arrogance. Now entirely formulaic in presentation and predictable in substance, the ‘major’ outlets of news, which are monopolized under only a small handful of corporations, serve the purpose of misleading the public on important issues and manufacturing consent for government and the oligarchs. The public is still largely numb to this reality, and in a wicked catch-22 for modern man, many people are still addicted to the very media that serves as the primary weapon of social control against them. The tide is turning, however, and to help break the spell we bring you this comprehensive list of 11 tactics used against the public by the mainstream media to coerce consensus, divide, conquer, ridicule and stifle truthful or meaningful conversation about the state of our world. 1. Lying by Omission – What is not on the nightly news? This is the most important question to ask when consuming mainstream media. 2.
Monty Python and the Quest for the Perfect Fallacy Summary If you weigh the same as a duck, then, logically, you’re made of wood and must be a witch. Or so goes the reasoning of Monty Python’s Sir Bedevere. Obviously something has gone wrong with the knight’s reasoning – and by the end of this lesson, you’ll know exactly what that is. This lesson will focus on 10 fallacies that represent the most common types of mistakes in reasoning. Key Terms Argument: A conclusion together with the premises that support it.Premise: A reason offered as support for another claim.Conclusion: A claim that is supported by a premise.Valid: An argument whose premises genuinely support its conclusion.Unsound: An argument that has at least one false premise.Fallacy: An argument that relies upon faulty reasoning.Booby-trap: An argument that, while not a fallacy itself, might lead an inattentive reader to commit a fallacy. Examples Example 1: Whichever basketball team scores the most points will win the game. Example 2 has exactly the same structure as Example 1.
World Water Day (22nd March) Watch this video, learn about the world water crisis. What can we do to help change the situation? (Notions: spaces and exchanges/idea of progress – how our environment is affected by climate change Our bodies are as much as 60% water. All living things contain it and, like us, depend upon it for survival. Although 70% of the Earth is covered with water, a staggering number of the world’s poor lack even the most basic sanitation and access to clean water. 97% of the water on Earth is salt water. 2% is frozen in glaciers and ice caps. Only 1% is fresh water. That needs to be enough for everyone. 'Hmm, well, no bottled water, I guess. Every day, women around the world walk mile after mile to collect water for bathing, cooking, cleaning and for their families to drink. 'You can only go three days without water.' Countless hours spent searching or waiting in line. Every twenty seconds a child dies from a water-related illness like diarrhoea.
What Are Pomegranates Good For? | Pomegranate Benefits By Dr. Mercola Pomegranates have been enjoyed for thousands of years and are a symbol of hope and abundance in many cultures. They've been found in Egyptian tombs, eaten by Babylonian soldiers prior to battle and incorporated into Persian wedding ceremonies to symbolize a joyous future.It's even been suggested that it was pomegranates, and not apples, that grew in the Garden of Eden. Pomegranate literally translates to "seeded apple," but research shows pomegranates may pack even more nutritional punch. Pomegranates Are an Antioxidant-Rich Superfood The primary source of pomegranate's benefits come from its antioxidant content, particularly ellagitannin compounds like punicalagins and punicalins, which account for about half of the pomegranate's antioxidant ability. Pomegranates May Have Anti-Cancer Properties "In test tubes, pomegranate extracts made from juice, rind, and oil slow down the reproduction of cancer cells and may hasten their death. Pomegranates for Your Heart Health
Anti-Soviet warrior puts his army on the road to peace: The Saudi businessman who recruited mujahedin now uses them for large-scale building projects in Sudan. Robert Fisk met him in Almatig - World - News With his high cheekbones, narrow eyes and long brown robe, Mr Bin Laden looks every inch the mountain warrior of mujahedin legend. Chadored children danced in front of him, preachers acknowledged his wisdom. 'We have been waiting for this road through all the revolutions in Sudan,' a sheikh said. Outside Sudan, Mr Bin Laden is not regarded with quite such high esteem. And 'this job' is certainly an ambitious one: a brand-new highway stretching all the way from Khartoum to Port Sudan, a distance of 1,200km (745 miles) on the old road, now shortened to 800km by the new Bin Laden route that will turn the coastal run from the capital into a mere day's journey. He is a shy man. When the history of the Afghan resistance movement is written, Mr Bin Laden's own contribution to the mujahedin - and the indirect result of his training and assistance - may turn out to be a turning- point in the recent history of militant fundamentalism; even if, today, he tries to minimise his role. How many?
World Water Day (22nd March) Watch this video, learn about the world water crisis. What can we do to help change the situation? (Notions: spaces and exchanges/idea of progress – how our environment is affected by climate change We all need water Did you know that in the UK every person uses about 150 litres of water every day and most of the water we use is to flush the toilet? Let’s take a minute to think about the water we use. The truth about water The truth is that we are lucky enough to have clean water whenever we want, but this is not the case for many people around the world. But what does this mean? If we drink dirty water or we can’t wash our hands when we go to the toilet, we can catch diseases from the bacteria and become ill. Water for everyone In 1993 the United Nations decided that March 22nd is the World Day for Water. For World Water Day, some people in the UK walk, run or cycle 10km, others climb mountains or even jump from an aeroplane and skydive to the ground.
Stiglitz muestra que un impago de la deuda puede beneficiar a un país y a su población | Diario Público Joseph Stiglitz, premio del Banco de Suecia en economía en memoria de Alfred Nobel en 2001, presidente del consejo de economistas del presidente Bill Clinton de 1995 a 1997, economista jefe y vicepresidente del Banco Mundial de 1997 a 2000, aporta serios argumentos a aquellos que abogan por la suspensión del reembolso de las deudas públicas. En un libro colectivo publicado en 2010 por la universidad de Oxford, Stiglitz afirma que Rusia en 1998 y Argentina durante los años 2000 ofrecieron la prueba de que una suspensión unilateral del reembolso de la deuda puede ser benéfica para los países que tomaran esa decisión: «Tanto la teoría como la práctica sugieren que la amenaza del cierre del grifo del crédito probablemente haya sido exagerada» (p. 48). En efecto, una de las condiciones del FMI cuando va a ayudar a un país al borde de la cesación de pagos es aumentar los tipos de interés locales. "Argentina salió tan bien de su cesación de pagos precisamente porque no tuvo el apoyo del FMI"
10 Greatest Ideas in the History of Science by Big Think Editors While science often moves forward in awkward leaps and bounds, Peter Atkins compiled a list of 10 concepts that are considered "so rock solid, that it is difficult to imagine them ever being replaced with something better." So our friends at RealClearScience's Newton blog write about Atkins's 2003 book, Galileo's Finger: The Ten Great Ideas of Science. While Atkins's picks might be incredibly worthy ones, many are also a bit hard to comprehend, so a guide to these concepts can be found on the Newton blog here, and are summarized briefly below. The 10 Greatest Ideas in the History of Science: 1. "The power of evolution comes from its ability to explain both the unity and diversity of life; in other words, the theory describes how similarities and differences between species arise by descent from a universal common ancestor." Read more here. 2. "It wasn't until 1952 that scientists determined that DNA was the molecule responsible for transmitting heritable information."
Can an Avocado a Day Help Lower Bad Cholesterol? By Dr. Mercola Avocados are an excellent source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat that is easily burned for energy, while being low in fructose. An Avocado a Day May Help Lower Bad Cholesterol Previous research has suggested that avocados might help improve lipid profiles, both in healthy individuals and in those with mild hypercholesterolemia (elevated cholesterol levels). “At the end of the study, the researchers found that the avocado diet led to significant reductions in LDL cholesterol, compared with the other two diets. All Fats Are Not Created Equal It’s worth noting that canola and other vegetable oils (used in the moderate-fat diets in the featured study) are typically hydrogenated, which means they contain trans fats, and trans fats wreak havoc on your heart and cardiovascular health. A Note on the DASH Diet... Avocado Benefits Your Heart and Brain Besides its beneficial influence on your cholesterol, avocados have also been found to provide other heart-healthy benefits.
Why science is so hard to believe There’s a scene in Stanley Kubrick’s comic masterpiece “Dr. Strangelove” in which Jack D. Ripper, an American general who’s gone rogue and ordered a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union, unspools his paranoid worldview — and the explanation for why he drinks “only distilled water, or rainwater, and only pure grain alcohol” — to Lionel Mandrake, a dizzy-with-anxiety group captain in the Royal Air Force. Ripper: “Have you ever heard of a thing called fluoridation? Mandrake: “Ah, yes, I have heard of that, Jack. Ripper: “Well, do you know what it is?” Mandrake: “No. Ripper: “Do you realize that fluoridation is the most monstrously conceived and dangerous communist plot we have ever had to face?” The movie came out in 1964, by which time the health benefits of fluoridation had been thoroughly established and anti-fluoridation conspiracy theories could be the stuff of comedy. To which some people in Portland, echoing anti-fluoridation activists around the world, reply: We don’t believe you.
Pine Tree Branches Turned Into Effective Water Filtration Systems For people in too many developing countries, clean water is often a luxury. Chlorine treatments are too expensive for small villages, boiling requires a hefty investment in fuel, and UV radiation demands regular high-tech maintenance. But now, scientists say that a simple, inexpensive water filter might be only a tree branch away from reality. If you’ve run out of drinking water during a lakeside camping trip, there’s a simple solution: Break off a branch from the nearest pine tree, peel away the bark, and slowly pour lake water through the stick. The improvised filter should trap any bacteria, producing fresh, uncontaminated water. As reported in a paper published on February 26, 2014 on PLOS One, MIT researchers ran contaminated water through a sapwood branch and found that the plant tissue successfully filtered experimental dye and actual bacteria out of the mix. Removing all the dangerous bacteria from drinking water would have enormous health benefits for people around the world.
The Science of Why We Don't Believe Science Illustration: Jonathon Rosen "A MAN WITH A CONVICTION is a hard man to change. Tell him you disagree and he turns away. Show him facts or figures and he questions your sources. Appeal to logic and he fails to see your point." Festinger and several of his colleagues had infiltrated the Seekers, a small Chicago-area cult whose members thought they were communicating with aliens—including one, "Sananda," who they believed was the astral incarnation of Jesus Christ. Through her, the aliens had given the precise date of an Earth-rending cataclysm: December 21, 1954. Festinger and his team were with the cult when the prophecy failed. Read also: the truth about Climategate.At first, the group struggled for an explanation. From that day forward, the Seekers, previously shy of the press and indifferent toward evangelizing, began to proselytize. In the annals of denial, it doesn't get much more extreme than the Seekers. We apply fight-or-flight reflexes not only to predators, but to data itself.