The notion of the liberal media bias...

There is this topic that the Republicans love to swing around; the liberal media this and the liberal media that. There is all this talk about trust and being fair and balanced and the list goes on. I would like to take this debate a step further with my own perception of this. If we are to take a 'western' perspective on the media's bias as a whole (because all media is biased whether you like it or not). What this means is that I am taking the various social theories and ranking them by their number on a scale.

Since this takes into account all newspapers that I am familiar with, then of course it is subjective to bias (because if you ask Mr. Heston he'll tell you that there really is no escape from the planet of the apes). Observe

Left
1.Aftonbladet
2.Der Spiegel
3.Le Monde
4.Dagens Nyheter
5.BBC
6.CNN
7.Time
8.Expressen
9.Fox News
10.Some Southern State Newspaper available in Georgia
Right

By what I see as the 'Western' scale would mean that CNN is more center right by international standards.

McCain's New Clothes

Once upon a time there was a man elected president in a big country far away over the sea. The new president did not like the man he succeeded and therefore decided that if he was going to truly impress his people he would have to be different than his predecessor. He therefore hired a group of advisors and told them what he wanted. They listened to him and told him that they would do as he asked. They also told him that as a part of this he would need a new suit. Ok thought the new president, if thats how simple my people are then I'll give them what they want. So he asked his advisors to sow him a new suit.

A month came and went and then there was a parade. The new president sat in the president's car and rode through his capital. He was full of smiles and he loved to hear the sound of his people cheer his name. Many had also heard about his new wardrobe and policies and many nodded their heads as he passed. Then a child yelled out from the crowd; but look he's just the same as Bush.

A dream plan of sorts...

Today the rain isn't going to stop pouring and I am stuck in my flat trying to come up with a thesis topic for tomorrow. The problem is not goingn to be finding a topic per say, instead it is going to be how to narrow it down. One topic would be to look into the future of Tempelhoff Airport and try to come up with a variety of options and then determine their level of sustainability. Well honestly I think I now have the most sustainable option: Turn the runways and fields into a forest and make the building into an art colony (of course we are talking about a massive structure so there is plenty of room for other things). The idea behind the art colony lies in the Creative class theories of Richard Florida while the forest idea is my way of encouraging biodiversity. Of course knowing how things go in the world we live in, they will no doubt build condos on the fields and turn the airport into a shopping mall; they just can't seem to get enough of that.

I have more experience

I ran Alaska a state with only at max 700,000 people. Somehow this qualifies me to be vice-president of a country with 300 million people. To be really honest we can look at the last president of this nation, W, and note that he was actually in charge of a state with almost 24 million. Plus he had a family that was involved in this 'running' things business for a long time. Her husband works for an oil company so that means they are going to serve special interests (everyone serves special interests). In the end though it doesn't really mean that much with experience anyway because with all that experience that Bush did have he made some really stupid decisions. Now if you want to chose another politician that is even more right wing then go ahead. Next thing you know the US will be stuck in Iran under the mantle of 'helping' people and we'll have oil rigs off all our coasts. As far as international cooperation goes we'll have one ally left after four years which will of course be Israel, the other pariah.

Rainy Saturday #25

Welcome to Lund, it raining here, no lets put it another way; it rains a lot in Lund. I did manage to get out of bed around 11 or so and then make my way to the pool where I put in half an hour swimming. It felt good as it usually does except that its always crowded on the weekends. Its extra understandable when its rainy like this, but doesn't make it any better.

I am reading Mike Davis's Planet of Slums and its some sobering reading. I've seen squatter developments when I was in Costa Rica and Venezuela, but of course its something else to read about the true numbers that are out there. In the west we live in a false reality. We look around us and assume that in our capitalist system all we have to do is work hard and we can move up in the world. Its a joke and always has been. In fact the upper class is actually pulling away from the middle and lower classes worldwide. Funny isn't it. Actually it started happening around Reagan's tenure.

Going to Hitesh's place in Malmö tomorrow to try the first batch of homebrewed cider. From everything I have heard its going to be amazing. Stay tuned for update.

Joe's and socialism

It turns out Joe the plumber is really Sam the liar.

I love that some are now calling Obama's policies as socialism or even going so far as to actually label him as a socialist. My question; do Americans really know what socialism is then.

After having done a paper about water privatization and Neo-liberal thought I am beginning to wonder why government is doing so much for the big businesses. Isn't that keeping the people with dreams from being able to compete with them. It seems this is going against itself. Plus why should government be pro-business? I thought it was for the people by the people, guess I was wrong.

football and rivalry seen postcolonially...

A friend of mine recently went to a 'friendly' between Northern Ireland and Scotland in Glasgow. I admit I was jealous, seeing as how I have never been to either a qualifier or a friendly. He noted that besides a horrible display in football (friendlies usually are, except for the France Tunisia game this week) there were some interesting chants going back and forth between the supporters. It went something like this... "Are you England? Are you England in disguise?"

I have to say that that is one of the funniest football chants that I have ever heard and so I checked youtube and you can find them singing it there. What the chanting of this line makes rather clear is that England is seen as the big 'enemy' of both teams. I guess that is understandable considering the colonial background that both areas have with England. Still it would be amazing to hear them sing it back and forth.

Oh, Racism we know you so well!

"Obama is an Arab." What does that actually mean? That he is from the middle east?Amazing, and this thing about his middle name, wow they just can't let that go. Now on the other hand I am an American citizen and I have lived in the US for a significant amount of time. Racism did not just 'go away' at the end of segregation. This is not some integrated society. All you have to do is drive around a few neighborhoods in any suburb and realize that its quite divided still (this is of course the case for the south). Now of course this conversation is going to talk about Bill Ayers. How long ago was it that he was voted Chicago's man of the year? Ah thats right and lots of republicans have worked with him as well. The real patriot was Ayers, a man who didn't like the way his country was going (for good reasons Vietnam was a horrible war that had no right to be fought) and decided to do something about it. I am not excusing his actions, but I am putting forward the case that he can still be a patriot. I know the media is showing us snapshots of the real population and that we are seeing many of the radical incidents and not so many of the normal ones. On the other hand I've met these types of people before and I would say that in many cases the 'liberal' media is doing a good job showing the party for what it is; rich white guys voted for by dumb white guys.

Corsi as the nutty cookie

Jerome Corsi was arrested today for visa irregularities in Kenya. Its been a while since I took an in depth look at the man and I wasn't particularly surprised by what I found out, but more so at the actual depth of what he goes about saying. To call him a liar is to be mild. The only problem is that I am not blaming him. We have a 'free' country in the USA which means one is entitled to hold any beliefs that one would like to (including idiocy). Corsi is a classic picture of this. We also have a free press who can publish whatever they like (well not quite but thats not the point here). I am blaming you. Thats right I am blaming everyone who buys the book of a liar and lets it influence them to the point of not voting for a man based on lies. This man obviously has quite an audience. What does that say about America?

Cigarettes and Burgers

I am wondering about this; that soon there will be pictures of black lungs on the cover of cigarette cartons around the world. Who is it that is really pushing for this? I imagine there is a lobbying group around somewhere called the 'uptight citizens association' they are one of the few groups who believes that subliminal messages really do alter your perception or that people apparently have no choice about whether to smoke or not (yes its addictive but one can still say no).

Here is my proposal then; when you buy a hamburger at any fast food chain, can we put a photo of a fat person on it? Could this then also be done with cars? When a person buys an SUV and lives in the suburbs can we put a photo of melting glaciers on it? I just don't see these things happening, but for some reason its cool to be aggressive about smoking. Seems like a long time ago, I don't remember when, people knew how to make up their own minds (and thus are responsible).

How to insult people.

There are actually very few moments in my life that I find myself taking offence to what people say. Most times I try to laugh it off or just ignore it. I can't however ignore someone who may become president of a country whose passport I hold.

"I'm not one of those who maybe came from a background of, you know, kids who perhaps graduate college and their parents give them a passport and give them a backpack and say go off and travel the world." -Sarah Palin. By making this statement, she is saying that the only point in having a passport is to go backpacking in Europe (something I have still not done). She has in a sense mocked all the people in US who have a passport and have used it for work or studying purposes. I find her to be covering for her own lack of interest in the world around her. You can take a person out of a small town but in this case you can't take the small town out of the person (and small towns are not any better than big cities).

What is even more disturbing is this continual talk about America's role in the world: "We see America as the greatest force for good in this world" and Hitler thought he was doing us all a favor. America as a religion is truly a sick ideology that is being sold today, and to hear these people talk about it you'd think they'd forgotten Mossadegh, Vietnam, Segregation, and a whole host of other things they'd like to forget about. If you are still confused and you can't understand why people might hate the US then go back and read your own history.

The fact that Sarah Palin is a vice-presidential candidate shows that a little bit of ignorance goes a long way.

The Nobel Literature prize

Today I found out that one of the heads of the Nobel Literature Prize selection comittee has accused the United States of being to 'insular' and 'isolated' as well as going on to say that the writers tend to go with the flow of mass culture. I found this interesting and disturbing at the same time. Of course according to the article, found on CNN, the Nobel people have been accused of 'snobbery' and so on. I've gone back and looked at the list. Of those I have read, I can understand why they have been selected. Granted I am not trying to say that the selection process doesn't have its errors and problems. Aside from Phillip Roth however, there aren't too many American novelists who I think are eligible right now. I do think it is a shame that Nabokov never got his due but that is life.

My candidate for this year is not American either. I put my vote in for Milan Kundera the Czech/French author.

Humpty Dumpty and George Bush...

Well this is going to be interesting. After telling us for eight long years about how great the market was and pushing all these free trade ideas around the world, it seems that humpty dumpty(the american economy) has had a fall. Don't get me wrong, I am not claiming to understand this giant mess, but I think one thing is fairly obvious at this point; the corporations aren't going to have the effect of all the kings horses and all the kings men. Even better, from my perspective mind you, is that now that the neoliberalism is sinking the government is trying to jump in and rescue it. Essentially what is happening then is that W is becoming a socialist. While I love the idea, because that is what I am at heart, I know that he is doing it under the pretense of helping a victim. Who is the money going to go to? To the people it always goes to; the ones sitting on top of the pyramid. Don't want to take my word for it? Well its ok, you won't have to.

Kids with Guns and the Last Waltz

So my thoughts on Finland...Well hmmm why do they sell guns this easily. Sorry I take that back why sell guns at all? If you want to hunt I understand you are upset with me, but then again you aren't exactly hunting for survival purposes, so why wouldn't it work if the government were to rent you the gun for the event and then you bring it back under very controlled circumstances. The same should be true for the US. There is no point in selling hand guns in stores. Don't like it? Maybe sometimes its good not to care what some people want.

On a happier note I watched the Martin Scorsese documentary about The Band titled "The Last Waltz." For anyone who was a fan of music of that time, this is a must watch. The quality of the music and the performance as well as the things the members say between the songs are incredible. Its another reason why Scorsese is one of the best out there and yes Dylan's last three songs brings down the house.

Ask for your water front back...

So I made it through Kundera's Ignorance: A novel in two days and I have to say it was right in line with the other two books of his that I have read; sharp and to the point while telling an amazing story. He has a way of turning the everyday situations in relationships into pictures of life that are unforgettable.

Someone sent me this link and I thought I would post it. Tell the government you want your waterfront back...

Shiva, Kundera, and a case of the Mondays...

It was time for the European Social Forum this weekend and I didn't actually make it which was ok, but I did manage to find out that Vandana Shiva was there and that she was asked what she thought about Sweden. It turns out she has been here a few times as Ingegerd(Lumes) told me, but anyway she said that it was sad about Sweden, because we just to be a nation that was a good example of solidarity among the people and now we are run by corporations. Couldn't agree more. Why are we falling for this idea that corporations can run things better than the government? Corporations don't care about people period.

I decided tonight that the goal for the rest of the year is to read all of Milan Kundera's books. I don't know if I will actually make it, but it is an admirable goal. So now its one in the morning and I need to go to bed. Emphasize need.

Nuts for the chop

Today I read that in Poland they are considering castration for all pedophiles. Well that is just great. Isn't this so nice, we'll fix all the problems really quickly and easily and make sure they can't do any of their dirty stuff anymore. No actually this is quite horrible. Don't get me wrong I am not in any way standing up for these sick depraved people, but I am thinking that there are always going to be innocent people getting caught and then something is taken away from them that can never be given back. Way to go Poland, you just proved you are a third world country, now go build a missile shield for your conservatism.

Thursday down time

I should be reading this book by Adorno that I have, but I'm not of course. I should be doing a lot of things but I don't have the motivation right now. I don't have any reason to watch sports now until October so that will probably help. I am what they call a master of procrastination. The only problem is that I only procrastinate when I am at home, otherwise I generally get things done.

I want to get a swimming pool membership and start going two+ times a week. Easier said than done. When I was at FSU the pool was a five minute walk away and every semester it was something like five times I used it. I also want to take yoga classes but don't have the nerve to go by myself and then be with all these people who've been doing it for years and I can't even do the simple stuff.

Anyway its time to pick up Adorno and then some of Sylvia Plath's poems. I love libraries.

Why we don't win football matches

I sat there on Jeff's couch eating a cheap pizza and drinking french cider and almost crying as the Swedish National team spent ninety minutes of disgrace against Albania and ended it with a 0-0 draw. I saw the same attitude that I saw throughout Euro 2008 and what I've seen more and more of lately with Swedish sports: fear. We are a better team than Albania, we have better players, and we have more routine. It didn't show up at all, in fact it looked more like Albania was going to score first for most of the match. I kept clenching my fist over and over as the midfielders lost the ball again and again, as Källström disappeared after five minutes, and as the players looked like amateurs chasing warriors around the field.

In Sweden the answer is very simple: we don't think we can win. Or if we do we deny it and talk down about it and tell ourselves that we shouldn't think that way. How dare a nation with our size sit and think that it can win a world cup. We've almost done it before, so why not again? I know we don't have the Pele's, the Ronaldo's, and the Maradona's of the world, but honestly that isn't what wins a world cup. The attitude wins world cups. I would prefer if the swedish players would talk to in the interviews about how they know they can win, that they believe in themselves, that small nations can do big things. Look at the Olympics, we whined the whole way through when we should have been trying harder and believing. We don't need apologies and I admit I don't like the Hubris that most are capable of, but I would like to see an attitude that says, hey we are small and we can win, and even if we don't we'll fight like hell for it!

Things to think about...

There were many better qualified women in the republican party that should have gotten the VP position.

Every "liberal" sex education that I have ever been through has told me that the only real preventive is abstinence (they don't need a whole course just to explain the ramifications of no or don't)

Getting married at 17 to help your mom seem like a real peach makes me about as sick as having bubonic plague (there is no way we will ever know what those kids really want)

American patriotism has an odd aroma similar to...early stages of Fascism

Someone said McCains "opportunity" wouldn't involve giving more money to medicaid, too bad, I always had this crazy notion that government was by the people for the people-Most times its really the elite playing as if they are for the people

McCain finally found a way to get media coverage...just wasn't quite what he really wanted though