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Moving backwards in every way. Stop and think!

Face book activity has been off the chart lately with the regressive policies being signed off by the 45th president of the USA, the seg...

Showing posts with label Media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Media. Show all posts

Thursday, 26 January 2017

Moving backwards in every way. Stop and think!

Face book activity has been off the chart lately with the regressive policies being signed off by the 45th president of the USA, the segregation of various cultures by the same 'man', the huge backwards step in science, the dictatorship of what women will be allowed to do with their bodies, and the list will surely go on for weeks or even months to come.  


The same segregation of race, colour and creed is going on under the Tory government in Britain and is not exempt from including disabled people either. This is wrong, it is wrong from any perspective. This is a dangerous road to walk down it will collapse, just as it did during World War Two.


I have many people from many walks of life on my Facebook page alone, and I am proud of this, I have Muslim and Christian believers as well as Pagan, Eclectic, Atheist and probably many others I don't know about.  I have friends from Scotland, England, Ireland, Canada, America, Iraq, India, Dubai, and Greece, there are probably more that I am unaware of.  I have black friends and white friends, gay friends and straight friends and I am actually very sad that I have to label them all here to make my point because, really it doesn't matter as, to me, we are all caring, good hearted, human beings. 

We are all living beings, with red blood, good hearts, and caring natures.  This is what truly matters to me.  The reason for my writing this is a very sad one indeed, I have noted that some people have fallen for the propaganda, I see the odd post saying the 'illegal immigrants' are taking our jobs...RUBBISH.  There is no such thing as an illegal immigrant, the definition of immigrant clearly states that an immigrant is a person who comes to a country to settle there. Every Immigrant must show they can support themselves in order to gain entry into a country, much like we do if we want to immigrate to America or Australia.   In days gone past, an immigrant was known as an emigrant, in other words, they were pioneers who farmed the lands, build the cities, and created the jobs!  So please can people stop with this incorrect use of our language!

I have also seen the occasional picture posted and its usually to do with a 'Muslim' doing something unacceptable.  It’s just a picture with words overlaid onto it with NO EVIDENCE, AND NO FACT. How on earth do we know this person is even Muslim.  Do we go about waving pictures showing what a Pagan did wrong, Do we label Christians, for example, "this Christian was banned for blah blah blah" or this "Pagan was caught for blah blah blah".  NO, WE DON'T SO JUST STOP!  This is horrendous, its causing misery to people all over the western world right now and do you know what else, it is downright arrogant.  

People are treating everyone with the same colour skin as a ‘Muslim'. Guess what, that is not their nationality!  It’s their faith, their belief, their religion.  It is also seriously annoying to see the comments relating to these people as if it was were they came from.  There is no country called Muslim, Muslimshire or the United Muslim of the Pacific Ocean for that matter.  These people come from all over the world, much like Christians, Pagans and any other religion.  You see the world is global, yes, global, and it is only if you fall for the 'alternative facts' that you will find yourself spiralling down the rabbit hole of naivety and negligence.  

Those who do fall to naivety and negligence will eventually turn around to find themselves the culprits of all that hatred they have poured onto other people.  Trust me, they will.  They will become the minority. In this world, it gladdens me to see so many human beings fighting back, standing up for moral justice, fighting for factual knowledge.  It saddens me that those negligent human beings will fall behind, and loose precious knowledge. They will continue to post these stupid, hurtful, false facts... oh sorry Mr 45th President, they are alternative facts now aren't they... alternative facts...that is an insult to our English language, there is no such thing.  I cannot believe a man with such power can be so moronic.

It disgusts me to my very core that someone so high in status can be so greedy as to manipulate thousands to his way of thinking, disparaging and segregating a whole western world over deliberately misleading, well-practised lies.  This has been done once before people, does no-one remember Hitler doing exactly the same with the Jewish people?  Today's UK and USA leaders have only replaced the word Jew with Muslim, and yet so many people are falling for this rubbish.

I ask simply that you stop and think before posting these pictures with words anyone could type, thus segregating out Muslims.  I ask that you stop and check the facts of everything you read and I ask that you stop and think about this following statement each, and every time you go to post such hateful and false information...


If you have a child, do you want that child to grow up tainted with hate, racism, or bigotry.  Would you prefer a kind hearted, caring individual that brings you so much pride and happiness, that you could burst from watching them flourish,  Can you honestly, hand on heart say you would be proud to see your son or daughter post the same hateful and false information that you do, I hope not, if you can, please remove yourself from my social media.  I care for a little girl and can honestly say I love the way she sees no difference in people, religions, or nationalities, I am so proud of her for being so open towards all people.  My only wish is that she could grow up in a world were these types of labels were gone and everyone could then truly be who they wanted to be without worry.  

Wednesday, 11 June 2014

I thought it was an exaggeration but this is the Conservatives’ handbook!

It’s not the sort of book I normally would read but after reading 1984, I am keen to read his other works now too.  I had heard so much about George Orwell’s’ book 1984 and so many people telling me how the government of today were using it as an instruction manual, I just had to read it and judge for myself.  

I can say there is not much that I cannot relate to in some way or other, the two way TV screens that watch your every move and hear your every word, well our internet resembles that factor of the government spy network of its citizens.  The fake war that never ends and the reasons behind it (of this I will not say too much, as it is a piece of realization that should only be given by Orwell himself) but there have been several wars as of late that have been wrought with allegations of being illegal but the reasoning behind these wars is very convenient, to add to this there is further food for thought in Orwell’s revelation of this.  

The proles in Orwell’s book are left to their own devices, classed as natural inferiors, they are very poor and not educated enough to let them see what was going on, so as they would never revolt. They resemble the 99%, the proletariat of today. The way I describe stratification of our very own education system in a previous article is very frightening to consider, when you look at Orwell’s fictional world and how it resembles our world so very closely.  There were also no medical facilities for the proles that were mentioned either, much like our own NHS being dismantled right now. 

There is also the daily two minute hate sessions that are held.  The population of the outer party are brainwashed to hate one man, ‘Big Brothers’ opposition.  Under our government, the population is being turned on the poor, the conservatives opposition, very much like the German population of 1933 when Hitler took over as chancellor.  The government in Orwell’s tale control the media and news to a degree not thought possible, they change the news on a daily basis to match what they want the population to know.  Our own government also controls the media and can control what we do and do not see.  Any of these resemblances can be found in governments acts passed by our very own government on the government website and yet day by day people are drawn into Orwell’s vision unconsciously.

One final haunting thought that this book leaves you with are the great purges at the start of the reign of ‘Big Brother’, you cannot help but remember the purge of World War Two but this was based on the purge caused by Stalin when he had 11 million people slaughtered in cold blood.  Although our government is not as obvious as this, we are now sitting at an estimated death rate of around 20, 000 elderly and disabled since 2010.  After reading this book I can, with a clear mind state that I believe our own UK government and possibly even the US are using this as their handbook.  George Orwell is a great visionary, but I pray this vision comes to a halt before it becomes as blatant as his fictional vision.


I will say that I will have to read the book again as I soaked up every chapter so fast, I am sure I missed more resemblances and for those that have not read it yet I would recommend this as a really good read.  I understand that this, however, is a book of fiction based on some very real background history that the author experienced, the Spanish Civil War under the oppression of Franco and Russian Communism during the years of Lenin/Stalin. He decided to write some fictional novels about his experience, which are good reads on their own, however when added to today’s predicaments add a haunting note to his tale. 

For anyone wanting to delve further into todays policies I have put the link below:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/

Friday, 10 January 2014

Overview of Mars One analysis

Mosaic image taken on Jan. 4, 2004, by the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit
 Mars One, the project that aims to send 4 people to Mars and colonise it.  The project that cannot bring them back again.  Reality TV on Mars,  access to TV and email.  Four people to live out two full years on Mars before another four arrive.  Four people that will need to learn how to survive, not only on another planet, but in a completely different atmosphere with completely different terrain.

These four people will be responsible for building the next colonised part of Mars for the next group of successful  colony members and throughout all of this, they will be alone, dealing with such things as Engineering, Medical, physics, architecture, various science fields and many other factors to support them and their colony throughout the first two years.  When the next group are sent, they will be sent with further supplies to do the same for a further four to be sent 6 years after the first four.   This repeats, until I presume, funding runs out. 

Can it be done?  Can this rightfully be called a colony?  Why hasn't procreation been looked at further as yet?  What are the implications of this project and is it right to let 24 people do this knowing they can’t come back. 

A few days ago I wrote a blog about researching this topic.  As the days have gone on I have to say I have more questions than answers but over the next few weeks I plan on finding more answers to these questions.   

This topic is very complex in terms of financing and technology available so I will be working on several blogs regarding different key areas.    The Mars One Timeline Key areas to be critically analysed are as follows :

Crew selection and Training

Mars-bound Demonstration Mission

Communication Satellite

Rover mission

Operational outpost

Crew departure and Landing

Each of these is part of Mars one own road map to the success of the project, there are other steps however these areas are ‘standard’ for any exploration project and do not raise moral or ethical, philosophical or psychological questions.  The areas above however need in-depth understanding and further detail in order to conclude whether this project will be any of the following:

Successful

Ethical

Moral

Educational

Insightful

Beneficial

I have listed several of the websites I have taken much of my information from and will be adding to this list as I analyse each factor.

I hope you will join me on my journey to assess the Mars One Project.



Bibliograghy with links


MarsOneProject
In-text: (YouTube, 2014)
Bibliography: YouTube. 2014. MarsOneProject. [online] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/user/MarsOneProject [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].


NASA.

Mars Overview

In-text: (NASA, 2014)
Bibliography: NASA. 2014. Mars Overview. [online] Available at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/overview/index.html#.UtBJFNJdU40 [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].



Irish Times.

Life on Mars: Irish man signs up for colony mission

In-text: (Irish Times, 2014)
Bibliography: Irish Times. 2014. Life on Mars: Irish man signs up for colony mission. [online] Available at: http://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/life-on-mars-irish-man-signs-up-for-colony-mission-1.1648449?page=2 [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].

The Verge.

Mars One narrows applicant pool to 1,058 in first cut for 2025 colonization mission

In-text: (The Verge, 2014)
Bibliography: The Verge. 2014. Mars One narrows applicant pool to 1,058 in first cut for 2025 colonization mission. [online] Available at: http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/30/5249354/mars-one-narrows-applicant-pool-to-1058-in-first-cut-for-2025 [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].



Alan Boyle, S. E.

More than 2,700 pay up for a chance to take a one-way trip to Mars - NBC News.com

In-text: (Alan Boyle, 2014)
Bibliography: Alan Boyle, S. E. 2014. More than 2,700 pay up for a chance to take a one-way trip to Mars - NBC News.com. [online] Available at: http://www.nbcnews.com/science/more-2-700-pay-chance-take-one-way-trip-mars-8C11115364 [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].



NBC News.

Mars is no place for children -- yet - NBC News.com

In-text: (NBC News, 2014)
Bibliography: NBC News. 2014. Mars is no place for children -- yet - NBC News.com. [online] Available at: http://www.nbcnews.com/science/mars-no-place-children-yet-6C10046900 [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].


DVICE.

Europe, Russia announce joint mission to put boots on Mars first

In-text: (DVICE, 2014)
Bibliography: DVICE. 2014. Europe, Russia announce joint mission to put boots on Mars first. [online] Available at: http://www.dvice.com/archives/2011/08/europe_russia_a.php [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].



DVICE.

New reality shows bring private spaceflight to your TV

In-text: (DVICE, 2014)
Bibliography: DVICE. 2014. New reality shows bring private spaceflight to your TV. [online] Available at: http://www.dvice.com/2013-10-8/new-reality-shows-bring-private-spaceflight-your-tv [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].



Templeton, G.

Lockheed Martin receives $250,000 from ambitious Mars One project | Science! | Geek.com

In-text: (Templeton, 2014)
Bibliography: Templeton, G. 2014. Lockheed Martin receives $250,000 from ambitious Mars One project | Science! | Geek.com. [online] Available at: http://www.geek.com/science/lockheed-martin-receives-250000-in-ambitious-mars-one-project-1579513/ [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].



ITV News.

Meet the British men and women shortlisted for a one-way mission to Mars

In-text: (ITV News, 2014)
Bibliography: ITV News. 2014. Meet the British men and women shortlisted for a one-way mission to Mars. [online] Available at: http://www.itv.com/news/2014-01-05/meet-the-britons-shortlisted-for-a-one-way-trip-to-mars/ [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].



Voiceofrussia.com.

Mars One mission: one way ticket to new life

In-text: (Voiceofrussia.com, 2013)
Bibliography: Voiceofrussia.com. 2013. Mars One mission: one way ticket to new life. [online] Available at: http://voiceofrussia.com/2013_12_19/Mars-One-mission-one-way-ticket-to-new-life-8765/ [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].



www.calgaryherald.com.

Mars rover photos featured in new exhibit at Smithsonian museum, marking 10th year of mission

In-text: (www.calgaryherald.com, 2014)
Bibliography: www.calgaryherald.com. 2014. Mars rover photos featured in new exhibit at Smithsonian museum, marking 10th year of mission. [online] Available at: http://www.calgaryherald.com/travel/Mars+rover+photos+featured+exhibit+Smithsonian+museum+marking/9359648/story.html [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].



Eliseev, A.

Mars One explorers to undergo tests

In-text: (Eliseev, 2014)
Bibliography: Eliseev, A. 2014. Mars One explorers to undergo tests. [online] Available at: http://ewn.co.za/2014/01/06/Mars-One-explorers-to-undergo-tests [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].



UK, H.

'Death' Mission To Mars Delayed By Two Years

In-text: (UK, 2014)
Bibliography: UK, H. 2014. 'Death' Mission To Mars Delayed By Two Years. [online] Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/12/11/mars-one-death-mission-delayed_n_4424300.html [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].



Picture is Courtesy of Nasa.com  and is the mosaic image taken on Jan. 4, 2004, by the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit.  It shows a 360 degree panoramic view of the rover on the surface of Mars.

Friday, 3 January 2014

Mars One - Will it Work?

Over the next few days I will be looking into the infamous project named 'Mars One'.  This project aims to send 4 people to Mars and on a regular basis send another four along with further supplies and equipment. There were thousands of applicants willing to be sent to Mars but the real shock, to me, at least, is that the applicants know that they cannot return to earth.

The technology required to a return journey is not available so it would be impossible to bring them back.   There are several other crucial factors in this project which I will be looking into, such as surface radiation, Psychological impact to the applicants and skills needed to run such a small colony.

I find the concept fascinating but dangerous, very interesting but I doubt it.  I am hoping to gain a lot more insight into this and give a full analysis of this topic based on information gained.

Stay with me as I journey through this project to find out just what it entails and whether it is feasible.

Thursday, 19 September 2013

What is the Medias Role today?

In order to understand the following very different theories on Media we need to understand that the media, 70 years ago, was incredibly different from today’s mass of media outlets. Radio and Newspapers were the key media in the 1940’s and 50’s. From the early 1980’s however, satellite helped to globalize news via television. The birth of the internet also opened up even more media avenues than ever previously possible. In this essay we will look briefly at the audience response to media today and I will be comparing the Marxist Theory against the Pluralist Theory whilst discussing what the role of the media is in today’s world according to both perspectives.

Marxists state that Ownership is causing bias in the media due to the beliefs and attitudes of the owner. They state that many companies are involved in synergy which helps to mass advertise their products. Marxists also argue that every epoch is ruled by ruling class ideas, from your tribal chief to today’s Corporation owner. In Marxism this argument along with the following statement from Ben Bagdikan, stands as a testament in the issue of how the media impacts society. Ben Bagdikan (1997) stated that if each of the USA’s newspapers, magazine, broadcast stations, book and film studios were owned individually, there would be 25,000 registered owners. There are in fact only ten major corporations that dominate the American media.

The Glasgow Media Group, carried out research “War and Peace” (1985) and “Getting the Message” (1993) shows the media from the traditional Marxist viewpoint, unlike their earlier research which focused on the Neo Marxism Hegemony theory. The Glasgow Media Group has been conducting research studies on television news since the early 1970’s. The aim of these two particular studies was to evaluate media content and show how this was communicated to the audience. The method included the group analyzing hundreds of television news programs, evaluating the content and how it was delivered. They concluded consistently that the language used within the programs was ‘ideologically loaded’ and would influence an audience. They also concluded consistently that Visuals are similarly loaded with ‘connotative codes’ and that the programs agenda set was to report on the impacts to the audience rather than report on the cause of the event, such as a strike. It was also concluded that the powerful do have more access to the media and that there was a pressure on journalists to broadcast from the establishments viewpoints even if this did not reflect the journalists own view. There is however some criticism from the pluralist perspective, for example, they argue that many journalists attempt to expose the unacceptable capitalist; they use The Watergate scandal (40 years ago) and the Tory sleaze campaign (23 years ago) which helped to remove several MP’s from the benches (these two examples are relatively outdated examples in comparison to today’s media sources and ownership issues). There is a key strength, however, in all of the research that the Glasgow Media Group has conducted overall. This strength is that they have taken much of their studies from a Media deliverance point of view but have also looked at the audience receiving the message in later studies. These show clear UN-bias of the research of these studies.

The Pluralist as you can see from previous criticisms of Marxist views, has another perspective which states that the media is diverse and all society have equal access. They put the impact of the media solely in the hands of the audience.

Katz & Lazarsfeld (1955), carried out the “personal influence” study based on data collected (in 1945) and concluded that the media, in general, have a rather limited influence. They argue that this is because the mass communication process can be impacted by five variables. The Variables are described as the following; one, the type of medium used to convey a message can impact on how the audience perceives it. They go on to state that based on technological advancements some may only have access via certain mediums, i.e. radio. Two, variable exposure is how much you are exposed to that information, such as hearing it on radio and from friends or in newspapers. Three, the nature of the content can also impact how the audience responds to the information. Four, the audience’s beliefs and attitudes can also modify or distort the message being given. Five, lastly, they argue that Leaders or opinion makers can also mediate the message, such as a wife voting the same way as her husband does. From a Marxist perspective this research could be criticised from a view that it was funded by one of the most influential corporations of its time. It was in fact, funded by the Rockerfella Foundation (who supported Lazarsfeld to emigrate to the USA and secured his role as the director of the Princeton Office of Radio Research). The Marxist would also argue that the beliefs and values of the audience are in fact influenced by the media message, based on ownership bias and message delivery. They would also argue that the data used for the research was outdated as it was taken from data ten year previously.

There are assumptions in both theories that we also must look at before looking at any further weaknesses in each theory. The Pluralist Theory of putting the audience in charge of their acceptance of the information given is logical; however, when you consider that the assumption here is that the audience has a perfect knowledge of everything this is not something that is possible. From a Marxist perspective this assumption can only be applied to fringe groups, however in today’s media these fringe groups are often ridiculed to re- adjust focus back to the ruling class idea. This then suggests that information given by the media is not equal or diverse. From the Marxist perspective it is assumed that the audience suffers from a false consciousness and therefore believe everything the media tells us. Fringe groups, however, thanks to the internet, are growing and more “truth seekers” are appearing daily. Choice of information on the internet can be checked and accepted willingly by the audience. This does, to some effect, weaken the false conscious theory, however when you consider that Marx himself states that it is inevitable that the working class will revolt, these appearing Fringe groups actually support that more working class or audiences are “awakening” ready to fight back against today’s media system.

Each theory criticizes the other in what we see as an objective, sociological way however we still need to understand that the media, 70 years ago, was incredibly different from today’s mass of media outlets. Television was a very new concept and access to this media type was limited to the upper class or Cinema houses at that time. Radio and Newspapers were the key media avenue to their audiences in the 1940’s and 50’s. From the early 1980’s however, satellite has helped to globalize the news and world issues. You can turn on your Television to choose from 100 channels or more at any time and have instant access to any type of programming you want. Now from a Pluralist perspective this does give the diversity that they discuss. It soon becomes apparent however that many of these channels are in fact owned by the same people, In other words, the rich have the monopoly on what we see. In the early 90’s however the birth of the internet was a global household phenomenon which has opened up even more media avenues for the audience. Now with the “truth seekers” having access to this type of medium it has caused much displeasure to, as Marx would label, the ruling class. Marxists argue that the logic of Capitalism dictate the contents and effects of the mass media within society however Pluralists state that it is the beliefs and attitudes of the audience that impact on how the media message is received and dealt with that impacts society.

In conclusion, looking at the pluralist theory we see the role of the media is to inform and educate all audiences equally but as I sit writing this essay, listening to a song written about the media very recently, the words repeated in the chorus are “therapy, advertising causes therapy……advertising’s got you on the run” (System of a Down, Steal this album, Chic n Stu, Serj Tankian, 2010), I have to question this theory for two main reasons. Its information comes from a time where media was miniscule in comparison to today’s media outlets and as proven by Ben Bagdikan, also concluded by the Glasgow Media Group, Ownership is indeed centralised and biased. It is therefore logical to conclude that Marxists have a much better understanding of the media and its role today, in this instance, this tells us that the role of the media today is to supply the audience with ruling class ideas (influencing and pressuring the audience - the consumer),to keep capitalism as the key priority for the ruling class.