related_results_labels_thumbs({"version":"1.0","encoding":"UTF-8","feed":{"xmlns":"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom","xmlns$openSearch":"http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/","xmlns$georss":"http://www.georss.org/georss","xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4977309212311534399"},"updated":{"$t":"2010-09-06T13:16:32.901-04:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Mad Skeptic"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":"Straddling the line between ivory tower and blue collar.  \nThe notes, comments, and general ramblings of a Gen-X Scientist and Skeptic."},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/feeds/posts/default"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/-/internet?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026max-results\u003d6"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/search/label/internet"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"},{"rel":"next","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/-/internet/-/internet?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026start-index\u003d7\u0026max-results\u003d6"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Baron Army"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/07476349695309049940"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"http://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"8"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"6"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4977309212311534399.post-2521783559383577169"},"published":{"$t":"2010-07-28T23:04:00.001-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2010-07-28T23:08:42.773-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"website"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"internet"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"media"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Matt Drudge and the Right's Utilization of Terror Management Theory"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cp\u003eThe right is up to it again. \u0026nbsp;Tonight, after hearing the good news about the ruling against the Arizona immigration law (which is good for two primary reason:1) it's maintaining the sanctity of the Constitution and 2) limitations on the police-state mentality towards \"others\" is being restrained) I decided to see how Matt Drudge was going to portray this historic ruling.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWouldn't you know it, he threw up a picture of someone holding an American flag with the stars replaced by a\u0026nbsp;swastika. \u0026nbsp;Good to see you're as unbiased as ever Drudge....\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHowever, in reading the links on the rest of the page, I realize the majority were anxiety provoking or just plain-old fear mongering and this got me thinking about \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terror_management_theory\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eTerror Management Theory\u003c/a\u003e. \u0026nbsp;Basically, it states that we behave in certain ways when we are reminded of our mortality. \u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"http://doubtreligion.blogspot.com/2009/09/episode-51-dont-fear-reaper.html\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eReasonable Doubts did an excellent podcast on this topic\u003c/a\u003e. \u0026nbsp;If one is presented with scary stories which contradict your world view you are, in a way, reminded of your own mortality -- or at least your lack of control and that might mean you'll up on the dead end of the stick. \u0026nbsp;This then elicits an emotional response. \u0026nbsp;The United States government -- especially under George W Bush -- has utilized this theory in a way that got us all kinds of great stuff. \u0026nbsp;Just think of the Patriot Act and how that was steam-rolled through Congress. \u0026nbsp;We are still living with that diabolical legislation because of fear. \u0026nbsp;Our fear and the fear of the members of Congress. \u0026nbsp;Bush, Cheney, and their lackies absolutely knew what they were doing with that legislation.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGeorge Orwell certainly understood the premise behind Terror Management Theory even if the theory wouldn't be developed until well after his death. \u0026nbsp;One only needs to read \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0452284236?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026amp;tag\u003dthemadskeptic-20\u0026amp;linkCode\u003das2\u0026amp;camp\u003d1789\u0026amp;creative\u003d390957\u0026amp;creativeASIN\u003d0452284236\"\u003eNineteen Eighty-Four\u003c/a\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src\u003d\"http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t\u003dthemadskeptic-20\u0026amp;l\u003das2\u0026amp;o\u003d1\u0026amp;a\u003d0452284236\" border\u003d\"0\" alt\u003d\"\" width\u003d\"1\" height\u003d\"1\" /\u003e\u0026nbsp;and the constant fear placed in people's faces each day as Oceania battles both Eurasia and Eastasia and society's constant worry over spies and those who committed \"thought crime\". \u0026nbsp;Micheal Moore (who may know of Terror Management Theory) illustrated Bush and Cheney's usage of fear after 9/11 in his movie \"\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005JNEI?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026amp;tag\u003dthemadskeptic-20\u0026amp;linkCode\u003das2\u0026amp;camp\u003d1789\u0026amp;creative\u003d390957\u0026amp;creativeASIN\u003dB00005JNEI\"\u003eFahrenheit 9/11\u003c/a\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src\u003d\"http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t\u003dthemadskeptic-20\u0026amp;l\u003das2\u0026amp;o\u003d1\u0026amp;a\u003dB00005JNEI\" border\u003d\"0\" alt\u003d\"\" width\u003d\"1\" height\u003d\"1\" /\u003e\".\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith this knowledge in hand, I decided to analyze Drudge's page this evening. \u0026nbsp;The following graphic illustrates my examination:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://lh3.ggpht.com/_PqiPgKVm1uI/TFDnrtwwTLI/AAAAAAAACvE/AjHanJdkuag/drudgefear.png\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d\"http://lh3.ggpht.com/_PqiPgKVm1uI/TFDnrtwwTLI/AAAAAAAACvE/AjHanJdkuag/drudgefear.png\" alt\u003d\"\" width\u003d\"800\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003eAs the legend indicates, red represents a scary story or what I consider would be scary to Drudge's base readership (ie Conservatives, etc.), blue represents media stories -- which is what Drudge, ostensibly, intended to originally cover, and green represents general interest stories. \u0026nbsp;There are a couple of stories which are not colored. \u0026nbsp;This lack of coloration is because I didn't know which way to label them or because they could be interpreted on more than one level. \u0026nbsp;Additionally, one story is purple because it is a scary media story. \u0026nbsp;Although a couple pictures were labeled, I did not consider them when I counted things up.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003eHere's the analysis:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003eOn Drudge's page this evening, he had links to 59 stories (excluding the video link because I viewed it as part and parcel of the Kagan story). \u0026nbsp;Of those 59 stories, 35 or approximately 59% are scary stories. \u0026nbsp;Eleven or about 20% are media stories. \u0026nbsp;There are 7 or approximately 12% general interest stories. \u0026nbsp;The remaining 6 stories represent about 10% of the total. \u0026nbsp;I should point out that I counted my purple story twice -- once for the scary category and once for the media category.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003eWhat does this say about Drudge? What can you say beyond that he is a fear monger when more than half of his page is about fear. \u0026nbsp;Could be one of two things as far as I see. \u0026nbsp;My first inclination is that he is attempting to utilize Terror Management Theory on the behalf of his Conservative political agenda. \u0026nbsp;Breitbart has been using it. \u0026nbsp;Bush or Cheney (who ever was really running the show) adeptly used it. \u0026nbsp;Could he be trying to cement the Conservative base and make sure no ideological weaknesses develop? \u0026nbsp;Possibly. \u0026nbsp;My second thought is that Matt Drudge is a scared man. \u0026nbsp;He looks for these stories to feed some kind of a confirmation bias turned profitable web portal. \u0026nbsp;Is he frightened, proverbially cowering in some corner somewhere? \u0026nbsp;He certainly isn't a terribly public person and while that does nothing to suggest he's afraid of everyone else, it does nothing to disprove it either. \u0026nbsp;My belief is that the truth is both\u0026nbsp;possibilities. \u0026nbsp;While Drudge may not fully understand Terror Management, he is good at manipulating emotions by way of the stories he chooses to link to. \u0026nbsp;In doing so, he helps feed the fear out there about those who are different, about change, about political views contrary to his own. \u0026nbsp;Yes he's scared but he wants us all to be scared as well.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4977309212311534399-2521783559383577169?l\u003dwww.themadskeptic.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/feeds/2521783559383577169/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d4977309212311534399\u0026postID\u003d2521783559383577169\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/2521783559383577169"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/2521783559383577169"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/2010/07/matt-drudge-and-right-utilization-of.html","title":"Matt Drudge and the Right\u0026#39;s Utilization of Terror Management Theory"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Baron Army"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/07476349695309049940"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17303909186244852468"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4977309212311534399.post-1589539828220147366"},"published":{"$t":"2010-07-23T11:05:00.001-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2010-07-23T22:00:56.307-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"misinformation"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"internet"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"government"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"media"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"politics"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"What the Media and the Obama Administration Could Learn from Skeptics"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"float: right;\" title\u003d\"Burning-cross2.jpg\" src\u003d\"http://lh6.ggpht.com/_PqiPgKVm1uI/TEmt8yChmRI/AAAAAAAACuI/iOStJ8K8Agc/Burning-cross2.jpg\" alt\u003d\"Burning-cross2.jpg\" width\u003d\"420\" height\u003d\"340\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUnless you have been living under a rock, camping, coming out of coma, or read the Drudge Report or watch Fox News, you are almost certainly aware of the \u003ca class\u003d\"vt-p\" href\u003d\"http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2010/07/21/shirley-sherrod-and-the-right-a-day-that-will-live-in-infamy/\"\u003esmear job done on Shirley Sherrod by Andrew Breitbart\u003c/a\u003e. \u0026nbsp;A more flagrant example of deliberate racist\u0026nbsp;propaganda\u0026nbsp;has not been perpetrated on the National psyche (at least to my knowledge which, honestly, is somewhat limited) in a very long time. \u0026nbsp;Essentially, Breitbart wanted to get back at the NAACP for their observation that the Tea Party harbors blatant racists. \u0026nbsp;Now, this is a fact which is irrefutable. \u0026nbsp;Evidence has been collected by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and they write about it on their blog, \u003ca class\u003d\"vt-p\" href\u003d\"http://www.splcenter.org/blog/\"\u003eHatewatch\u003c/a\u003e. \u0026nbsp;Now, don't expect this blog to be only about the Tea Party -- they only play a partial role. \u0026nbsp;SPLC equally covers all hate groups and their associations and I strongly recommend anyone reading my blog to take some time out of their day to read an article or two. \u0026nbsp;You will be disgusted at the level of ignorance still present in the United States of America.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI really don't want to write about Breitbart. \u0026nbsp;He has been called the \"Goebbels of the Right\" for is usage of misinformation, editing, rumors, and lies. \u0026nbsp;All of which are intended to benefit his\u0026nbsp;Conservative\u0026nbsp;political agenda. \u0026nbsp;Unfortunately, Fox News eagerly laps up whatever he is serving and then vomits it back out to a larger audience. \u0026nbsp;Fox News, like Breitbart is garbage in my opinion. \u0026nbsp;I don't care how glossy they are and certainly don't care how loud they yell on television they cater to the basest and disgusting of human fears. \u0026nbsp;They and Breitbart are part of the same agenda-driven machine. \u0026nbsp;\u003ca class\u003d\"vt-p\" href\u003d\"http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#38372844\"\u003eAs Rachael Maddow recently put it -- it's no surprise the Fox News does what Fox News does\u003c/a\u003e. \u0026nbsp;It is nothing new. \u0026nbsp;And, like Rachael Maddow, I find what is most unsettling is that the Obama administration took this misinformation seriously.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs Skeptics, we are well aware of one's ability to self-deceive and it implications upon behavior. \u0026nbsp;We are also well aware of the many, many ways data can be misrepresented, falsified, or fabricated. \u0026nbsp;Had the Obama administration been even remotely skeptical of information coming from a profoundly questionable source, I doubt Shirley Sherrod would have been fired. \u0026nbsp;This is something Skeptics can teach the world -- follow your sources, question everything, and never accept anything on face value. \u0026nbsp;Oh yeah -- think for yourself.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBreitbart edited a real video to make is appear as if Sherrod is a racist when, in fact, she was explaining how she wasn't and the thought process she went through. \u0026nbsp;While the rest of the world is examining this obfuscation what are Breitbart, Drudge, and Fox News trying to do? \u0026nbsp;They're trying to frame Obama as a racist because someone in his administration acted too quickly in firing an employee. \u0026nbsp;Yes that is wrong but I seriously doubt Obama is a racist. \u0026nbsp;The Breitbart, Drudge, Fox information chain has already proven itself unreliable and it continues to do so in their attempt at maintaining some race-based power structure. \u0026nbsp;Fox and Friends still has not run a correction about the Sherrod story. \u0026nbsp;Drudge is only running with the \"Obama race troubles\" line and Breitbart is continuing to be a cock sucker. \u0026nbsp;As of the writing of this article, he hasn't apologized or run a correction. \u0026nbsp;Instead, he's tried to pass the buck, posted the full video, and then re-doubled his efforts to smear Obama. \u0026nbsp;Sounds like a true-believer to me and we all know that true believers are immune to reality.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo here's my message to the Obama administration and the mainstream media -- start reading some Skeptic blogs and websites. \u0026nbsp;Learn about the Scientific Method and the concept of testing a hypothesis. \u0026nbsp;Hopefully, you will learn something and won't be snookered by these agenda-driven con-artists the next time.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWell, I can hope can't I?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4977309212311534399-1589539828220147366?l\u003dwww.themadskeptic.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/feeds/1589539828220147366/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d4977309212311534399\u0026postID\u003d1589539828220147366\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"3 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/1589539828220147366"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/1589539828220147366"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/2010/07/what-media-and-obama-administration.html","title":"What the Media and the Obama Administration Could Learn from Skeptics"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Baron Army"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/07476349695309049940"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17303909186244852468"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"3"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4977309212311534399.post-6417004402898758147"},"published":{"$t":"2010-05-05T23:08:00.001-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2010-05-05T23:08:45.329-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"website"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"internet"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"media"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Buh Bye Facebook"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d'margin-bottom: 0in'\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d'float: right; width: 300px; height: 307px; ' src\u003d'http://lh4.ggpht.com/_PqiPgKVm1uI/S-IxtuzbFdI/AAAAAAAABSk/anOCDnBEkQc/3254281052_9fb07e6fb9.jpg' alt\u003d''/\u003eI got rid of my Facebook account. Yes, I'll live but this also resulted in the Mad Skeptic page disappearing as well. I know. I know. Hundreds of vestal virgins are marching to slaughter to qualm a nation's despair. Honestly, I doubt it will upset anyone but to those of you pining for the good 'ole days – um, well, I've got nothing for you.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d'margin-bottom: 0in'\u003eSo, why did I get rid of the account? After all, I'd been on the site for a ridiculous amount of time. Back then, you had to have a .edu email account and apply for acceptance. Basically, I had decided that Facebook's ever changing privacy policy was unacceptable. While I did not use my real name on Facebook, my personal data would almost certainly have been accessible through their Open\u003cstrike\u003eGrift\u003c/strike\u003eGraph nonsense. I decided to cut the chord and stop feeding the beast.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d'margin-bottom: 0in'\u003eWhile I had been playing with the idea recently, \u003ca target\u003d'_blank' href\u003d'http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/05/05/facebook-chat-privacy-security-delete-account/'\u003etoday's data vulnerability in Facebook's chat system\u003c/a\u003e was the straw that broke the camel's back. I do take certain aspects of my personal life seriously and only choose to share certain information with certain people. I have no interest in having some behemoth social network data farming my information to the highest bidder – especially when my daughter (who is a toddler) could come into the mix.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d'margin-bottom: 0in'\u003e\u003ca target\u003d'_blank' href\u003d'http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/04/facebook-timeline'\u003eFacebook has obviously changed its business model over the years\u003c/a\u003e. When I first joined the site, it was mostly out of curiosity but, at that time, no one had access to my information unless I wanted them to have it (or, at least that's what they claimed). Since then, CEO and co-founder, \u003ca target\u003d'_blank' href\u003d'http://www.businessinsider.com/how-mark-zuckerberg-hacked-into-the-harvard-crimson-2010-3'\u003eMark “questionable ethics” Zuckerberg\u003c/a\u003e has seen big dollar signs on every person on Facebook's information. Frankly, the more I learn about the guy, the more and more he looks like a scumbag to me. Now, \u003ca target\u003d'_blank' href\u003d'http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/05/things-you-need-know-about-facebook'\u003eFacebook owns your information and you have a limited ability to opt out of privacy-eroding practices\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d'margin-bottom: 0in'\u003eIf you are concerned with Facebook's privacy issues, Gizmodo has an excellent post called “\u003ca target\u003d'_blank' href\u003d'http://gizmodo.com/5530178/top-ten-reasons-you-should-quit-facebook'\u003eTop Ten Reasons You Should Quit Facebook\u003c/a\u003e” that is well worth the read. If you are comfortable with giving your personal information away for free, you probably should read the article as well. Facebook is not as benevolent as it wants you to believe. The \u003ca target\u003d'_blank' href\u003d'http://www.eff.org/'\u003eEFF\u003c/a\u003e has done a great job chronicling Facebook's attacks on privacy.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d'margin-bottom: 0in'\u003eSo I say this to Facebook: “Don't let the door hit ya where the dog should have bit ya.”\u003c/p\u003e\u003chr/\u003e\u003cp style\u003d'margin-bottom: 0in'\u003ephoto by \u003ca target\u003d'_blank' href\u003d'http://www.flickr.com/photos/theleetgeeks/'\u003etheleetgeeks\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4977309212311534399-6417004402898758147?l\u003dwww.themadskeptic.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/feeds/6417004402898758147/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d4977309212311534399\u0026postID\u003d6417004402898758147\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/6417004402898758147"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/6417004402898758147"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/2010/05/buh-bye-facebook.html","title":"Buh Bye Facebook"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Baron Army"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/07476349695309049940"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17303909186244852468"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4977309212311534399.post-2649010273471250301"},"published":{"$t":"2010-04-21T21:24:00.001-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2010-04-22T22:39:27.566-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"internet"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"media"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"free speech"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"politics"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Drudge Report's Passive-Aggressive Editing Practices"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d'margin-bottom: 0in'\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d'float: right; width: 400px; height: 300px; ' src\u003d'http://lh3.ggpht.com/_PqiPgKVm1uI/S8-kpCo300I/AAAAAAAABRo/qF_Es1xXfCs/s640/4bcf07cd45b40.jpg' alt\u003d''/\u003eI would call the Drudge Report the conservative National Enquirer but I don't want to insult the National Enquirer. I'll be honest though, I do read the Drudge Report almost daily. I've found it to be a good source of articles that may be humorous from time to time. Sort of like the “tales of the weird” in the local paper. I also have found a lot of woo-woo related articles over the years. Thankfully, he doesn't pander to that demographic.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d'margin-bottom: 0in'\u003eHaving said that, I feel I am qualified – at least on a qualitative level – to comment on \u003ca target\u003d'_blank' href\u003d'http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Drudge'\u003eMatt Drudge\u003c/a\u003e's editorial style. He's a goddamned \u003ca target\u003d'_blank' href\u003d'http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_journalism'\u003eyellow journalist\u003c/a\u003e through and through. If you expect to find any sort of unbiased reporting on Drudge's site, it will probably only be those “tales of the weird” stories or something to do with animals or the environment (excluding Global Climate Change of course, Drudge is almost certainly a denier).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d'margin-bottom: 0in'\u003eDrudge is a lazy editor. Instead of writing articles himself or hiring a staff or writers, the Drudge Report lets the internet do his writing for him. Now, this is probably where Drudge is sneakiest. He can claim that he is only finding articles he feels his readers would like and that statement is probably true. However, he will 'creatively' place not-so-flattering photos of his foes (Obama, anyone in the Democratic Party, or anyone remotely non-Republican or who dares to be Pro-Choice) next to a title he has lifted from the original article.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d'margin-bottom: 0in'\u003eThis creative editing should reveal Drudge's bias to even the most naïve readers. Unfortunately, major news channels refer to the site to find stories to cover. In this way, the lazy perpetuates itself. Is it any wonder that traditional, mainstream media seems to be sucking vapors? It should probably be stated that Drudge's bias may not be represented by the articles themselves. It is his usage of the articles titles and his use of their juxtaposition relative to other elements on the page.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d'margin-bottom: 0in'\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d'float: left; width: 351px; height: 220px; ' src\u003d'http://lh3.ggpht.com/_PqiPgKVm1uI/S8-ko20oZvI/AAAAAAAABRk/EXn__pojPWc/4bcf0dfe9c85e.png' alt\u003d''/\u003eAs an example, I was reading the links on Drudge's page this morning. His productivity has waned over the last week or so as the turn over of articles hasn't been all that great. As I looked over what I had already seen, I stumbled upon this gem: a photo of Nancy Pelosi over a headline link which read “SHOCK: Botox may diminish emotions...”\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d'margin-bottom: 0in'\u003eNot only is Drudge lazy, he's an asshole as well.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4977309212311534399-2649010273471250301?l\u003dwww.themadskeptic.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/feeds/2649010273471250301/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d4977309212311534399\u0026postID\u003d2649010273471250301\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/2649010273471250301"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/2649010273471250301"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/2010/04/drudge-report-passive-aggressive.html","title":"The Drudge Report\u0026#39;s Passive-Aggressive Editing Practices"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Baron Army"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/07476349695309049940"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17303909186244852468"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://lh3.ggpht.com/_PqiPgKVm1uI/S8-kpCo300I/AAAAAAAABRo/qF_Es1xXfCs/s72-c/4bcf07cd45b40.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4977309212311534399.post-3028412664463455886"},"published":{"$t":"2010-02-14T15:04:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2010-02-14T15:04:44.341-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"software"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"website"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"internet"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"media"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"outreach"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Skeptical Software:  Aardvark"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cdiv xmlns\u003d'http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d'http://lh6.ggpht.com/_PqiPgKVm1uI/S3hXSDzZLcI/AAAAAAAABLM/C7sBU0cHwKw/%5BUNSET%5D.jpg?imgmax\u003d800' style\u003d'max-width: 800px; float: right; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px;'/\u003eRecently, I read about \u003ca href\u003d'http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/02/13/google-acquires-aardvark-question-and-answer-service-for-50mil/' target\u003d'_blank'\u003eGoogle's acquisition of a service called Aardvark on Download Squad\u003c/a\u003e.  At first, I didn't think anything about the service and thought it might just be a time waster but I was curious so I headed over to the site.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThe \u003ca href\u003d'http://vark.com' target\u003d'_blank'\u003eAardvark\u003c/a\u003e site is pretty minimalistic and you can use the site without signing up.  Basically, what it does is crowd source information based upon networks of people.  If you have a question, Aardvark will send that question to your friends via IM, email, or an iPhone app and they can answer it.  If no one in your friends network has an answer, the question can go out to a larger network.  My first question took about a minute to get a reply so the service is pretty quick.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eAt any rate, I decided to give it a try and signed up and I've already answered a couple of questions.  When I was working on my profile, I realized there were a number of categories in which you can mark yourself as being familiar and some of these categories included alternative science (pseudoscience to the real word) and alternative medicine (or quackery).  Naturally, I signed up.  There are also categories for cryptozoology and things like Atheism.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eSo I would like to encourage any fellow Skeptics out there who are so inclined to sign up and start sending some reason out to an audience eager for an answer.  If you want, you can become a part of my network at \u003cspan class\u003d'italic'\u003e\u003ca href\u003d'http://vark.com/s/q2hG'\u003ehttp://vark.com/s/q2hG\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.  Aardvark also integrates with Facebook and most of the major email provider (Yahoo, etc.)\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003csmall\u003ephoto by \u003ca href\u003d'http://www.flickr.com/photos/montage_man/' target\u003d'_blank'\u003e@joefoodie\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/small\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4977309212311534399-3028412664463455886?l\u003dwww.themadskeptic.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/feeds/3028412664463455886/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d4977309212311534399\u0026postID\u003d3028412664463455886\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/3028412664463455886"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/3028412664463455886"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/2010/02/skeptical-software-aardvark.html","title":"Skeptical Software:  Aardvark"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Baron Army"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/07476349695309049940"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17303909186244852468"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4977309212311534399.post-433441640055778762"},"published":{"$t":"2009-12-01T01:00:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-12-09T13:14:06.596-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"misinformation"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"internet"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"religion"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"evolution"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"science"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Ignorance is Evil"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cdiv xmlns\u003d'http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'\u003e\u003cstyle type\u003d'text/css'\u003e \t \t\u003c/style\u003e  \u003cp style\u003d'margin-bottom: 0in;'\u003e\t\u003cimg style\u003d'max-width: 800px; float: right; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px;' src\u003d'http://lh5.ggpht.com/_PqiPgKVm1uI/SxSrY2IlifI/AAAAAAAABHc/VXhYM-xeMDc/%5BUNSET%5D.jpg?imgmax\u003d800'/\u003eIgnorance is killing us.  I don't mean in the extermination of our species kind of a way.  I'm referring to the proverbial lead pipes and plates killing Rome kind of a way.  The darkness of ignorance will forever doom us to a world inhabited by all knowing soothsayers and priests who hand down their rulings and condemn us to a reality of war, divisiveness, and subjugation.  Like some dethroned ruler, they seek to have their absolute power restored.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp style\u003d'margin-bottom: 0in;'\u003e\tAs I grow older (and I'm only 38) I've seen a lot of ridiculous nonsense coming from the forces which, through the control of the transmittal of knowledge on its most basic levels, kept humanity in a slave-like or outright enslaved state.  They desire, with a lust previously only reserved for their most hated anti-deities, the ability to control what others think.  They disregard evidence and in its place substitute blind faith with the expectation that everyone should be as they are and do as they say.  Is this because of some sort of supposed moral good?  Certainly not although they justify it as such.  One can argue and make a solid case that to deny anyone of education and true knowledge (not of the philosophical variety mind you) is the greatest crime any entity can impose upon any person or people regardless of their creed, race, or characteristic which makes them “different”.  It is an abomination upon the human spirit.  It is a disgrace to continually observe this happening in this day and age of the internet, nanotechnology, and advanced computer systems.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp style\u003d'margin-bottom: 0in;'\u003e\tI occasionally question whether the true age of reason has passed us by.  While we have made amazing leaps in science and our knowledge of Nature, the World, and of the Universe, the forces of darkness, no, evil (yes, evil because evil is a human creation), have remained and tried to force their mind muddling anti-science view upon the populace.  What has been happening?  Sure, there are a lot of people who have a better understanding of science but, how many people out there really understand science and its basic tenets of the scientific method, evidence, and education?  We live in a world where a very high percentage of the population of the United States does not accept the Theory of Evolution.  I've heard some reports of as many as 50% do not accept, or outright reject Darwin's fundamental discovery and theory.  I would argue that 1% would be too great a number yet we, as a culture seem willing to sit in our own intellectual filth while these poor people continue to be fed outright lies and misinformation by those who have a clear agenda to subjugate the minds of others.  What's worse is that this evil predates upon the most vulnerable who have the most to gain through education.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp style\u003d'margin-bottom: 0in;'\u003e\tI won't mince words, I am talking mainly about religion but, having said that, there are sects out there which have no problem in accepting aspects of scientific education but they still believe in something which can not be proved and which requires blind acceptance of doctrine.  I somehow managed to make it through that maze but I think that has more to do with me, my parents, and the good fortune of a good education than with much else.  There are others out there who might have the spark to be the next Einstein or Darwin yet they are shackled to fanatical thinking given to them by horrible and demonstrably false teachings.  Carl Sagan wrote in \u003ca href\u003d'http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026amp;tag\u003dthemadskeptic-20\u0026amp;linkCode\u003das2\u0026amp;camp\u003d1789\u0026amp;creative\u003d9325\u0026amp;creativeASIN\u003d0345409469'\u003eThe Demon-Haunted World\u003c/a\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' border\u003d'0' class\u003d' momiyihsdvxbyltqiqta momiyihsdvxbyltqiqta momiyihsdvxbyltqiqta momiyihsdvxbyltqiqta momiyihsdvxbyltqiqta' src\u003d'http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t\u003dthemadskeptic-20\u0026amp;l\u003das2\u0026amp;o\u003d1\u0026amp;a\u003d0345409469' alt\u003d'' style\u003d'border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important;'/\u003e that if one was to take the Bible literally, the Earth is flat.  The fundamentalist believe the Bible is infallible and is the word of god.  We know the Earth is anything but flat and we have the pictures to prove it.  Not only that, the ancient Greeks proved it with basic mathematics and geometry.  If you know the Earth isn't flat, are you not going against the will of god?  And, if that is the case, does the evidential proof of this spheroid planet which we call home cast serious doubt upon what many call the “god hypothesis”.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp style\u003d'margin-bottom: 0in;'\u003e\tThe 150\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e anniversary of the publication Darwin's \u003ca href\u003d'http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451529065?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026amp;tag\u003dthemadskeptic-20\u0026amp;linkCode\u003das2\u0026amp;camp\u003d1789\u0026amp;creative\u003d9325\u0026amp;creativeASIN\u003d0451529065'\u003eThe Origin Of Species\u003c/a\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' border\u003d'0' class\u003d' momiyihsdvxbyltqiqta momiyihsdvxbyltqiqta momiyihsdvxbyltqiqta momiyihsdvxbyltqiqta' src\u003d'http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t\u003dthemadskeptic-20\u0026amp;l\u003das2\u0026amp;o\u003d1\u0026amp;a\u003d0451529065' alt\u003d'' style\u003d'border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important;'/\u003e has just past us by and the forces of darkness, again, were out trying to enslave us all. Idiots like Kirk Cameron were handing out modified versions of Origin of the Species which included a highly anti-scientific preface which, amongst other things, claimed Hitler was one of Darwin's greatest students.  Garbage.  Pure and simply put, this preface is undiluted propaganda with only one intention – to confuse the innocent who may not know any better.  To top it off, they also removed chapters from the book.  Not only are they intellectually devoid of any reason, they lie through their censorship for, you see, they removed the salient portions of the book which explained how Darwin came to his conclusions.  This practice  is commonplace to these people and it has been seen in the past.  When anyone tells you that they have divine knowledge or you need to follow them for any reason – question their motives.  Examine their evidence – not their conviction.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp style\u003d'margin-bottom: 0in;'\u003e\tScience allows us to challenge those in authority and their beliefs – the very things which they fear the most and yet the science education in the United States is becoming an enormous joke.  Children and college students alike are taught to memorize facts and not to think critically.  The very fundamental underpinning of science – the scientific method – is only another fact to memorize.  Which comes first theory or hypothesis?  For this, I fear, we are doomed to more superstition and more mindless strawman arguments like that for the “\u003ca target\u003d'_blank' href\u003d'http://cdn3.knowyourmeme.com/i/18351/original/crocoduck.jpg?1252808820'\u003ecrocoduck\u003c/a\u003e” or the \u003ca target\u003d'_blank' href\u003d'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v\u003d2z-OLG0KyR4'\u003ebanana as the “perfect” food for humans \u003c/a\u003e(because it fits so conveniently in one's hand).  Have Mr. Cameron and Ray Comfort (the other idiot involved in the Origin of the Species scheme) ever entertained that the banana is the perfect vegetative sex toy?  Something in me thinks not.  I doubt they'd want the idea that the angle of the penis to the body is strangely similar to that of a banana held a certain way if a woman wanted to masturbate with it.  Regardless, both arguments are equally specious.  The difference is that the yellow dildo theory is only made in jest.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp style\u003d'margin-bottom: 0in;'\u003e\tI have a very young daughter and she will be taught to think for herself and to question those around her. If not enough parents teach their children likewise, we certainly will slip backwards to a time where the church or some other authoritarian regime rules our lives.  There is hope but I think it will come from outside the United States.  There are pockets of us here and there and some of us are louder than others but we also have the Pentecostal and Fundamentalist religions to deal with.  They will continue to try to snake their way into our Boards of Education to dilute science and, therefore, critical thought.  No, I think the forces of good will come from the countries with robust science education programs.   For a country that saw the likes of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Edison, and Carl Sagan and opened its arms to Albert Einstein and Nicoli Tesla I fear we are regressing away from reason.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp style\u003d'margin-bottom: 0in;'\u003e\tThere is hope and I believe it lays within the internet and its associated mediums.  Critical thinkers, Atheists, and Skeptics are coming together like never before.  Information wants to be free and the truth, regardless of how hard the forces of evil want it stamped out, will never disappear.  We will continue to work and I believe it should be every Skeptic's goal to educate those around them.  We may take knocks and the insults of the ignorant but not speaking up implies acquiescence and those who would wish to enslave us yet again need our silence.  We must dedicate ourselves to let it be known that there is dissent and that there are facts – not beliefs – which back it up.  We must fight for science education at every opportunity we get.  We must never tire because to do so means we have given up.  Future generations depend upon us and we upon them. \u003c/p\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003csmall\u003e\u003cbr/\u003ePhoto by \u003ca target\u003d'_blank' href\u003d'http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallyg/'\u003ewallyg\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/small\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4977309212311534399-433441640055778762?l\u003dwww.themadskeptic.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/feeds/433441640055778762/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d4977309212311534399\u0026postID\u003d433441640055778762\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/433441640055778762"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/433441640055778762"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/2009/12/ignorance-is-evil.html","title":"Ignorance is Evil"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Baron Army"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/07476349695309049940"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17303909186244852468"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}}]}});