Technology and Democracy

Ever since the introduction of the printing press, the success of the revolutions both protestant and others was made possible by this new technology that meant the clergy or priests (if you like) could no longer monopolise the world of ideas.  Now almost any literate person could publish pamphlets and books on political ideas and commentaries linking them directly with current events at the time of course.

This has been reflected with the recent out break of Democracy around the world starting in Tunisia, Egypt, then Libya and then on to other Middle East nations.  This was a surprise to the press and the ruling oligarchs, as well as the Wests intelligence services. The reason for this ignorance was simply the means used was the Twitter, Facebook and mobile Phones with similar apps. This has ment a serious organisational skill amongst the young generally ignored by my own age cohort who are in power.  Thus the concerns raised became a serious issue apparently out of the blue. The corruption amongts the Genarlas and Dictators could no longer be tolerated, even the hated Colonel Qaddafi himself.  Even the Governments supported by the US and Europe are caught unawares and found it difficult to adjust to the new paradigm.

Then the West itself sufferred demonstrations by the dispossessed and those bearing the tax burden when teh wealthy were not.  Wisconsin first and then the Occupy Wall Street and its corrolaries around the world in various Cities like London UK and Oakland CA.

This has brought joy to my heart as the Republican super minority in teh Senate has created havoc in the markets since GWB himself was President making the current President's attempt a BiPartisan solutions look like a failure as the simply refuse to admit solutions they both agree with through teh Senate.  Meanwhile the Banks are making record Profits with their major clients, teh Corporations following suite.  Those same Corporations moving work overseas so they don't have to pay the wages that have been hard fought for in teh US and other nations in teh West.  These Corporations if they really are persons should be charged with some crime related to disloyalty to the Nation, in my opinion.

So how is this going to wash out?  Will the Banks in Wall Street be rained in with there irrational excesses with other peoples money, will the Republicans suffer an absolut drubbing at the next Federal Election as there perfiddy becaomes obvious even to Fox Television.  The presidential candidates have demonstrated stupidity on a grand scale heretofor unkown at that level.  John Huntsman is the only sensible one amongst them and he is marginalised to be ignored.

Michael Shermer in Melbourne

Sitting in the Theater waiting for the talk to start. Michael has the add for his Skeptic Magazine up and organizing his presentation meeting unknown who's. The theater is filling up, so it nice to see that there is a market here in Melbourne, Australia for what the author of "The Believing Brain" has to say. Robert Sain, Dean of Faculty of Science at Melbourne University and gave a run down on Dr Shermers C.V. Then straight to the Skeptic himself, and the presentation overall was based on his book, which yours truly had just listened to, read by Michael Shermer. The good thing was that he presented some of the videos of his experiences he told us in the book. This meant the trans US bike ride he participated in with the intention to minimize the sleep time. This resulted in the fifty-eighth hour, experiencing an abduction by aliens straight from the 70's TV show "The Invaders" with Roy Thinnes, complete with the defective pinkies unable to bend. These aliens also looked like his support team. This broadcast on TV no less. Personally I would not be so sure of sharing such an experience. But then I am not promoting Sketicism on a National and International scale and writing books. What this prompted was an investigation into how our brain/mind causes such hallucinations and is it related to similar religious and alien abduction experiences that are reported seemingly frequently these days. I personally enjoy listening to the alien abduction stories and how similar they are to religious experiences recorded from the past. Incubi and suckubi come to mind as Nuns in the Cloisters try to explain a pregnancy and justify an abortion, the gestating child being of the devil. The funniest clip was a number of young women having a discussion in a fashion shop about the origins of wool and cashmere, being from cows. Ignorance is encouraged in certain worldviews, like Christian Fundamentalists who cling to a strict biblical view of the origins issue despite the hundreds of years of scientific evidence for an old earth and evolutionary origins of all the animals on this pale blue dot. I recommend Michael Shermers book The Believing Brain and suggest it to those early in the skeptic mind set. Clifford M Dubery - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Melbourne University ,Arts West Copland Thearter

Saturday 23, April, 2011

Here are some scenes from the walk/bicycle path between High Street Road and near the bridge over the Eastlink Toll Road. Evidence of a still active Dairy Farm. You drive up Carthies Lane, turn left into Pumps Road, then park the car. Walk up the walk/bicycle path and follow it over the Eastlink six lane motorway. Turn right and walk up to the piece of art shown below.














Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Cathies Ln,Wantirna South,Australia

Doctor Tiller, Whichita and Tax Refusers

After Listening to Rachel Maddow today, at least an earlier episode Monday 11/04/2011 (wich is all confusing sometimes as I live in Australia and our timezone (GMT -11) is always ahead of the US and MSNBC release their episodes some hours after the Monday Night so it is Wednesday or Thursday before I see ot here anything fron iTunes on my iPhone) she interviewed Stephen Singular about his new book about the assassination of Dr. George Tiller inside a Church in Wichita Kansas. The Wichita Divide, is his latest book.

I also recommend the special Rachel Maddow ran on her show (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39826191/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/)
The links with the various anti-abortion groups are so pervassive the FBI is now conducting a full on enquiry as they attended the Criminal trial of Scott Roeder, where they made notes on who was attending in support of Roeder.

This indicates a problem with nomenclature in the USA, where it is plain to all who observe from outside that this is a case of Domestic Terrorism, by Christian Fundamentalist who are on the far Right of this group. The link with the Tax Refusers of the Mid-West which is interesting, because a number of other Terrorist and Abortion Clinic Bombers are in that group.  So the FBI has its work cut out for it.  Good police work always triumphs and the Conservatives need to understand that it applies to all forms of Terrorism.  Making assertions about such things as Weapons of Mass destruction against the evidence and other such claims has done nothing to stop terrorism, it seems to have provided publicity to recruit more people to the cause that results in these Terror Attacks.  Why is Osama bin Laden still a threat after so many lives lost and treasure spent?