The Power of Propaganda

The recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia attempting to rebuild an Empire or making Russia great again just highlights the dangers of any country electing or putting faith in would be autocrats. As they all come to power citing some beef with minorities as the fix it for all problems. Along with inciting hate rather than promoting well thought out political solutions. Putin’s war on Ukraine or as he likes to call it “Special Operations” is supposed to be getting rid of the Nazi’s yet he is killing women and children. This is how propaganda works, Hitler also used the same method only with today’s technology they can control the messaging for an entire country. So the general population of Russia will be totally oblivious to the reality of what their leader is doing and herein lies the power of the media in the hands of an autocrat. You only have to look at the many people talking to their relatives in Russia who try to explain they are being bombed out of existence and they just don’t believe them. Even a father doesn’t believe his own daughter. Trump people are no different, they choose to remain in this BS bubble that puts everyone else at risk by wanting to take the USA down the same political path as Russia.  All countries have a certain percentage of their population gullible to these types of political figures including Australia. However America seems to have a higher percentage than most due to it’s past history aligned in faith and those same sections of the population intolerant of minorities & opposing views. Trump came to power singing this song, wrapping himself in the flag with one hand on an upside down Bible. Not with a unifying message, but one that incites division.  This was exactly how Putin tried to boost Trump with his powerful propaganda effort only it worked beyond his wildest dreams. As Trump become full on doing Putin’s bidding trying his best to divide a global western alliance for the sake of me first. This is the perfect recipe for a country to fail and their real enemies to prosper. Unfortunately the cult like followers of this individual never take stock when faced with the realities of their choice. A criminal grifter, corrupt to the core yet when exposed they keep giving him a pass. Even characterising Trump as a Rambo like figure despite him dodging the draft. Compare that to the leader of Ukraine at the moment despite his perilous position, no bone spurs for him. Another trend with this cult was to promote more and more crazies rather than sensible rational thinking people as their elected representative. Not only is this delusional it puts their own country and the entire free world at risk.  It was just fortunate that enough Americans woke up the second time round instead believing the untrue or being wilfully blind. Because this is what reality looks like outside that comfort bubble of only listening to what you want to hear and see. Right now there is no choice of remaining in that bubble, unless of course you tune into Russian TV. The Truth may be confronting and ugly but it shows the danger of blind faith that discards facts and common sense that is dismissed as fake news. This war being raged in Ukraine is not only a battle for democracy, it’s a war on truth. The same battle that has been going on in America for the past decade. A war on truth designed to kill a democracy just like in Ukraine that large elements of the American  conservative movement are playing a part in.

Posted in Politics | Comments Off on The Power of Propaganda

Summer Rain that won’t stop.

While the world is currently focused on a dictator causing havoc in Europe. Australia’s east coast and elsewhere are treading water with endless rainfall that just keeps coming. It’s ironic that in 2020 I posted the exact opposite where much of the east coast was burning with bushfires. Which in turn prompted me to begin posting about our government’s inaction over climate change. So here we are two years on and it’s the same story. Weather events on steroids keep happening year after year but for some people they keep talking it up as natural weather. The once in a 100 or 1000 year event, yet it’s funny how insurance companies don’t see it the same way.

Posted in Current News | Comments Off on Summer Rain that won’t stop.

Modern Monetary Theory, Explained

Being an admirer of Jon Stewart’s humour and sharp wit I came across a podcast he put out the other day. It was very interesting and thought provoking, besides normally as a rule of thumb good comedians will have a higher IQ than the rest of us. Their gift is to get you to see the world through their eyes and highlight the absurdity of things we just view as the status quo. They do this through humour and it doesn’t matter what the subject matter is, be it political or just everyday life.

Posted in Politics | Comments Off on Modern Monetary Theory, Explained

Site Hacked

I apologise for any inconvenience caused but this site was hacked in the past week with a redirection to a malicious malware site. It was only harmful if permission was given in guise of a robot check after that redirection. Unfortunately this is price one has to pay these days if you dare put factual political content on your site. The Truth Trolls go after you once it is flagged. In the meantime all the Flat Earthers, QAnon, Anti Science and Hate sites remain untouched. This is the downside of technology these days, falsehoods are given equal weight as the truth to the point where is sometimes it actually drowns out truth. Clearly this is detrimental to society to function as a unified community. So as my way of countering this I thought I’d put a video up from a group therapy event from Above & Beyond held all around the world at various locations before covid. No one goes to these music events filled with hate nor with an indifference to their fellow man regardless of what they believe in. They also represent by far the global population opinion, yet there is still a trend in some places for a desire to be governed by misinformed fringe group radicals.  But given that they are mostly a young demographic hopefully it’s a sign to be optimistic about the future with a changing of the guard.

Posted in Current News | Comments Off on Site Hacked

James Webb Space Telescope

It was a very patient wait until this was fully deployed because so many things could have gone wrong. But as it stands this is an engineering masterpiece with over 1200 scientists, engineers and technicians from 14 countries all collaborating in putting this project together. It shows Science at it’s leading edge, especially when it is viewed as an achievement in co-operation and the sharing of knowledge. As opposed to this other small misguided faction of the global population that put us all in peril with an anti science , anti truth agenda and  a belief  based on myths.

Posted in Current News | Comments Off on James Webb Space Telescope

Reality Check

A new movie came out on Netflix called Don’t Look Up over the holiday season which is meant as a parody but sadly could be seen as real reflection of society as it has evolved in today’s world. A society where Reality TV, Celebrity and Social media shape people’s thought process. Gone are the days where a scientist is revered for producing a vaccine to cure polio. These days a tick tock video of woman teaching her cat to dance might carry more weight. So this movie is about that, a society that has lost it’s way in what is real and what they just choose to believe. Hopefully it might influence some people to rethink their priorities. Especially when we get weekly reminders of what Climate Change actually means along with over 50yrs of “sit tight and access”.

Posted in Politics | Comments Off on Reality Check

Aussie Legend

It’s probably been about three decades since I have seen Tommy Emmanuel live but I received a sharp reminder the other day coming across a recent interview with Rick Beato. This is Australia’s premier acoustic guitarist bar none. His skill level is way beyond the normal run of the mill guitar player he can make a guitar do incredible things.  So he fully deserves the Aussie Legend status as he just seems to get better with age. This is a person whom you come across when you think you have already heard the best and you know you haven’t.

Posted in Current News | Comments Off on Aussie Legend

The Blue Mountains

A trip to the Blue Mountains that was planned mid 2020 however it took until the end of 2021 to eventuate due to the pandemic. Nevertheless it was worthwhile, a scenic break from the city landscape with lots to offer if nature is your thing. I enjoyed the bush tracks and could have made better use of the cable cars than what I did. While the visitor numbers were sparse having only just recently opened up after weeks of lockdown this just happened to be a bonus. Even the hotel looked deserted in some parts but made it more enjoyable not having to compete with crowds.

Posted in Current News | Comments Off on The Blue Mountains

Artificial Intelligence Dilemma

While I come across different documentaries all the time online this one stuck a chord with me. Not because I am particularly interested in the GO game, I had never played it up until this point but this was about something else. A Google DeepMind project AlphaZero at work or how AI can either help or hinder us in our quest for survival as a Human race. There are lots of warnings about the coming threat AI poses to humanity however there are lots of pluses as well. Like in politics for instance, where currently decisions are mostly made based on an emotive response to a problem rather than a more purposeful long term goal. This hardly ever results in the outcome expected, like invading a country for instance to settle a score. Imagine how different the world would be if AI played a part in Political decision making especially during conflict or crisis on what the best choices are for the most desired outcome. Like in a global crisis such as a pandemic, managing resources, climate change or even economic management. Personally I would much rather have AI make a choice for a 50% chance of my survival than 1000 to 1 chance that a political leader might make just because that’s more convenient to them ideologically. The major differences with AI when assuming that eventually it acquires all of human knowledge to use as a reference.  The quality of decision making and problem solving increases where no human could match it and there in lies the threat because that artificial genius can also evolve. But it also raises fundamental ethical questions like the AI in a self driving car facing an impending fatal collision with a school bus. Is it’s first priority to save the school children or the occupants of the car.

Posted in Current News | Comments Off on Artificial Intelligence Dilemma

COP26 or The Last Red Flag on Climate.

Now that the Glasgow Global Climate conference is almost at an end, Australia was represented once again by a cheesy grinning dinosaur leading us down the same path to extinction. Yet poll after poll, year after year shows more than 70+% of the Australian population want firm action on climate change. But here is a conservative government claiming they have a mandate to only window dress climate policy. To give Scott Morrison his dues, he finally did get behind the mass vaccination programs for COVID which resulted in us being one of the most vaccinated places on earth. But you don’t get to cherry pick science, however this small band of conservatives in government seem to think that it can. Using the insane logic of believing in the science that can protect you against a pandemic while at the same time dismiss the science that says the planet is under threat. Fear based politics is what conservatism excels at but only when it’s about protecting the status quo. If that same fear based threat involves a massive rethink on economic modelling then it runs from that as far as it can. Scott Morrison’s speech at COP26 was an embarrassment. The classic used car salesman trying to promote a lemon as a ripe peach. No one bought it, what’s worse his other lies caught up with him as well. Just ask the French on the submarine deal. Don’t expect him to be holidaying on the French Riviera anytime soon. The most common sense approach to climate action in my view has always been a global price on carbon and that way countries who don’t comply with the global standards then their exports would be punished by import taxes. It has gone way past allowing developing countries to keep going open slather treating the atmosphere like an open sewer. There are solutions with technology to allow those countries to develop with clean energy like everyone else. Globally the West should be playing a role in this as well, if nothing else as an equaliser for past sins. However there is a mentality in some countries to treat global solutions like it is an infringement on their sovereignty, placing emphasis on faith & culture rather than science and here in lies the hurdle. Earth & it’s Environment couldn’t care less about countries, nor does Physics. Faith will never solve any problem, nor will any faith based cultural opinion change a fact. Lies are much easier to sell as it’s geared around a message people want to hear, especially when aligned with their world view. There is nothing more confronting than finding out your world view is not what you perceived it to be. The likes of Trump exploited this cultural trait like no else has done before repeating lie after lie until it eventually sounds like truth. Meanwhile Science can only deal with reality, nothing else

Posted in Current News | Comments Off on COP26 or The Last Red Flag on Climate.