Deception

The choice of Sarah Palin as the VP for John McCain makes sense because it is a total Karl Rove trick aimed at deceiving women into voting for McCain solely based on gender bias. If I was a women I would be totally offended by this choice, as it tries to belittle the intelligence of women. Those who think this will sway Hilary voters to vote for McCain are diluted for two reasons, one because Palin and Hilary have very little in common on policy and two Palin is pro-life. Hilary stands for things that are quite the opposite from Palin, and any women who would swing their vote to McCain solely based on the fact that a woman is on the platform is no better than the lying politicians that run the Republican party like Rove. The Republicans are trying, for their own purposes, to create a rift in gender that does nothing to help the standing of women in our society. and if they were being sincer about picking a woman why not pick a more qualified woman, which two exisited on the supposed "short list".


One cannot blame Palin for this decision; who could turn down an opportunity like this? Yet the fact remains that she is no different from politicians in DC, evident by the corruption scandal regarding her sister. Furthermore, there is a huge gap in experience between being a Senator and Governor that the Republicans would have the nation ignore. And how soon we forget that there has been a woman nominee for VP before, Ferraro. I hope for all women that McCain does not win because Hilary had elevated the standing of women in our country so much and to have the Republicans mock her accomplishments with this would be terrible.

Smith and Hobbes

Smith and Hobbes

In the last paragraph of the chapter called India: The Modernization of Poverty (Find it here) in "Late Victorian Holocausts" the author mentions that the English rule in India, however Smithian in intention, was Hobbesian in practice. This one line sums up the entire article, and draws on modern comparisons in today’s global economy. Adam Smith’s ideals were based on self-interest can benefit common well being, a very socialistic capitalism ideal, while Hobbes believed that humans were self-interested cooperators. Hobbes was referring to when we as humans only help someone out if it benefits us in the end, no matter what advantages or hardships were placed on other people. Essentially humans live by the ends justifies the means. Smith on the other hand would argue that in self-interest there is room for a common well being. Example, in America there have been many laws and programs passed that help the whole such as social security, the New Deal laws passed by Roosevelt, and assistance for higher education. So there is a common good that can come from turning a profit, but it is the practices by the government in redistributing tax money back to the public that the common good relies upon. As for India during British rule, the British were only interested in their own self-interested cooperation, and left out the common well being part. They practiced usury wherever they were able, and caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Indians through starvation and disease.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Discussion: anthropology of globalization

An article published on the University of Washington in St. Louis’s website announced that they and Pfizer will be working more closely to develop new drugs to put on the market. The article promises that the union of the two institutions, one a public university and the other a pharmaceutical power house, will be equal. Both Pfizer and the University will have an equal say on projects and research. The details of the collaboration were not revealed, so that lends me to speculate on whether this will bring about positive “social” change, as they both claim, or another situation in where a company takes advantage of a public institution to promote their sales and company name.

Reaction

There are a few big issues in both the Frontline(Persuaders, PBS.com) video and No Logo(Naomi Klein) that are very disturbing. The ease of success that private companies have infiltrated not only Universities, but high schools is offensive to our education traditions. People from all parts of the world come to America for education purposes. We have built a name for the quality of our higher education institution that the rest of the world envies, and the only effect that placing ads in the life of our students will have is to dumb down or education system. The only way companies should be allowed to advertise at Universities is through scholarship donations. Companies should have no control over research performed at Universities to protect the integrity of the particular research and the integrity of the University itself. Our country is becoming increasingly fascist, with corporations having more and more influence and control on public policy, and protecting our educational institutions from this corporatization should be a high priority

Friday, January 11, 2008

Exert from an interview with the Mars Volta on DIS.com.....

You must sympathise, to an extent, with writers presented with your albums when they’ve a very limited frame of reference to work a review from?

C: Well, if I was a journalist I’d be excited that I wasn’t going to be using the same adjectives, and that I’d be able to showcase some creative writing in trying to describe this to people. Many writers nowadays use obvious colours, or band references, to help people understand another band.

Depends on their audience, to an extent – some magazines only allow contributors a small amount of words per piece, too. Do you guys ever check the feedback to your albums? Do you think the albums bring out the best in writers who can flex their creative prose muscles?

C: Everything can be positive, even negative feedback. Part of our job is to elicit that sort of reaction.
O: It’s cool that our work does seem to inspire people, as even when reviews are negative they’re not just like, ‘This is bullshit’. We get four or five paragraphs outlining how we’re bullshit! They’re inspired to hate on our music, and get really witty and creative, and that’s kinda cool.
C: We opened for the Red Hot Chili Peppers one time, quite a while ago, and the whole front page of this magazine’s review section was all about how much this guy fucking HATED us.

Given the fairly freeform nature of your headline sets – which can stretch for two-and-a-half hours and take myriad tangents – how do you find playing second-fiddle to another, bigger act? It must be tough condensing your set, and tougher still when the crowd isn’t yours and simply doesn’t get it...

C: There was always that… and there were times when the audience was really into it, too. But then there were times… Let’s say Quebec – I’ve never seen more Canadians acting American in my life, sitting down, eating hot dogs.

Like they were at a basketball match? Thing is, some big gigs feel like that, like sporting events, such is the level of detachment…

C: I do see that, for sure. But I think there’s an element of us throwing the pit-bull into an unsuspecting crowd, which can be fun… although sometimes it isn’t fun, too. There were times where I’d just turn my back for an entire set, as I don’t feel I need to give anything if the people watching aren’t giving us anything. We’ve been asked to play these places for a reason, and sometimes playing to such crowds pose good challenges for us.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Quote of the Year

"If America's richest 1% are now so rich that even a 5 star hotel isn't good enough, it's time to bring back the guillotine. Yes what's being dubbed America's first 6 star hotel has just opened in Miami beach. How ritzy is it? Lets put it this way, J Lo can stay there but her husband can't. At this hotel when they ask if you want help with your bag they are talking about your scrotum.

But this is America and we can afford it, along with a 2 trillion dollar war and tax cuts, but there is one thing we can't afford, and that is health care for sick children.

So the question I'm asking is how did it all get so uneven. Warren Buffet asks the same question, he's the third richest man in the world, and a decent man. He points out that how ridiculous it is that he, the third richest man in the world, is taxed at 17.5%, while his secretary who makes 60,000 a year is taxed at 30%.

...now I know socialized medicine sounds like Stalin himself is going to come over your house and perform a forced sterilization, but really all it is is universal health care, which means everyone not just the rich will get to see a physician when their erection last more than 72 hours."

-Bill Maher

Monday, December 17, 2007

Tool Live

For those of you who know about my obsession with Tool and their live shows, and for those of you who have never been to one of their concerts before here are some exclusive pictures from their fan website.

Welcome to a new dimension......

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Social Norms Marketing

We have all seen the anti-smoking and drug ads on TV. This is part of a new idea called Social Norms Marketing that looks at social norm perceptions and how it impacts the actual behaviors that the marketing is geared towards by using posters, advertisements, and other media based tools.

Research has shown that the actual actions and the perception of the actions are directly related in a cyclical fashion meaning that you cannot simple change the perception to change the action. And most people who are going to agree with the perception are those who don't have the problems, so the target audience is geared incorrectly most of the times.

Another facet of Social Norms Marketing that is intriguing is the decision to use the inclusion or exclusion theory. Should the marketing be geared towards being an individual or being part of a group.

In conclusion, Social Norms Marketing is an interesting new way of creating social change, but it still needs some work.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Meteor Shower

There is going to be a meteor shower this week that peeks on Thursday and Friday. Here is part of a Space.com article on it:

"Here is what astronomers David Levy and Stephen Edberg have written of the annual Geminid Meteor Shower: "If you have not seen a mighty Geminid fireball arcing gracefully across an expanse of sky, then you have not seen a meteor."

The Geminids get their name from the constellation of Gemini, the Twins, because the meteors appear to emanate from a spot in the sky near the bright star Castor in Gemini.

Also in Gemini this month is the planet Mars, nearing a close approach to the Earth later this month, and shining brilliantly with yellow-orange hue. To be sure, Mars is certain to attract the attention of prospective Geminid watchers this upcoming week."

It makes me wonder what people thousands of years ago would think when something like this would take place. It is pretty logical to think these type of unexplainable events where the cause for religion and mythology to take shape. Now that we can explain why these type of things happen, I think it is also logical to see that just because we do not know the reason behind something doesn't mean there is some crazy mythological or religious force behind it. But I guess hindsight is always 20-20....

With all that said I am looking forward to seeing these meteors burn in our atmosphere.