Summary: Another holiday, another rumor of a terrorist attack. Here we examine today’s alarm, show why it’s probably baseless, and discuss the purpose these fear attacks serve. It’s a fit subject for the 4th of July weekend, a time for us to compare the Founders’ hopes vs. what we’ve become. {2nd of 2 posts today.} …
Summary:  This is a forensic analysis of an of propaganda.  The story was obviously false, yet blasted around the Internet — aided by endorsements by some major conservative website — and others repeating the story. It provides another warning of how the Internet can make us stupid. We’ll need to do much better if America is to …
Critics (like me) have railed about the flaws of the old media. Media experts, such as Clay Shirky, have warned that the new news media might be worse. Today we look at evidence supporting their fears. Here we see the essence of making us stupid Internet websites, 21st century propaganda machines. It’s not that their analysis was …
Media madness #1 – their lies and ignorance make us stupid Read More »
Summary: The Internet is buzzing with rumors about a change in al-Sistani’s policy towards the Americans in Iraq. Strong opinions are expressed on both sides — understandable, since this would be a game-changing event. Unfortunately, many in this debate ignore reasonable standards of care in dealing with information from a foreign land, and a war …
Update: Is al-Sistani about to call for US forces to leave Iraq? Read More »
