Fringe

In perusing the latest television fads for the coming months ahead, you would be well advised to check out J. J. Abrams’ Fringe. J. J. Abrams is the top name among popular television media with his work on successful shows like Alias, Lost, etc. His latest up-and-coming production, Fringe, is definitely on my to-do list. Following in the groove of X-Files, it supposedly has enough Sci-Fi nerditry to combat even the geekiest critics. An added bonus: it has the overarching mythology Lost fans have come to expect (different show, different mythology). To further convince potential viewers of this shows inherent awesomeness, its pilot cost (reported, yet unconfirmed-what I presume to be) a record 10 million. Airs August 26, 2008 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Everything You Know About Environmentalism Is Wrong

According to the June issue of Wired magazine, being “green” doesn’t mean living in a rural town, eating organic, or using the A/C less. These facts, and more, come to us at a time when mainstream media has gotten everything wrong (not everything perhaps, but definitely a lot). So let me spell out some of the misconceptions about environmentalism when it comes to CO2 emissions. The Truth Is:

• Living in cities = good.

Exhaust from Automobiles contributes 1.9 billion tons of CO2 a year. (That’s more than the emissions of India, Japan, or Russia). You could reduce your carbon footprint by 30% if just “one member takes public transit to work instead of driving.”

• Go ahead, crank the A/C.

Heating takes more energy than cooling. For instance, if it’s 30 degrees outside, you’d have to raise the temperature forty degrees just to get to seventy. If it’s ninety degrees outside, you only have to decrease the temperature by twenty. Hence, live somewhere mild.

• Organics don’t help.

Cows produce Methane = bad. No hormones for organic cows = less production of milk = a need for more cows = more Methane. Case and point.

• Cutting down trees = good.

“Trees absorb 1,500 pounds of CO2 in its first 55 years… left untouched, it ultimately rots or burns and all that CO2 gets released.” If you cut down these trees, however, say, at the age of 55, you have less carbon in the atmosphere.

• China is the solution.

Yes, China has a bad (okay, horrible) CO2 record. But hey, they make 35% of the world’s solar cells.

• Embrace Genetic Engineering.

Genetically engineered rice could save 50 millions of tons of CO2 annually.

• Carbon Trading is useless.

The Kyoto Protocol will slow the rise of carbon emissions by 6.5 days (according to Roger Pielke, University of Colorado).

• Use Nuclear Power (for energy).

37% of US CO2 emissions come from coal.

• Don’t by Hybrid, buy Used.

A new Prius would have to travel 100K miles to achieve the carbon savings that come from driving a 1998 Tercel.

• Prepare for Global Warming - It’s going to happen.

Even if drastic steps are taken, it will be 62 years before atmospheric carbon will reach critical levels.

Crimes Against Humanity by The U.S. Government

In sifting through recent news stories to find one suitable to rant upon, I found an article in The Washington Post that suited my needs perfectly. In case you haven’t been paying attention to the way the Bush Administration has been handling things lately, you might have missed the occasional oops! from the government-you know, things like those Abu Ghraib incidents, the Blackwater controversy, or the alleged rape of Jessica Lynch, those kinds of things. One thing you shouldn’t miss however, is the unauthorized, often unwarranted drugging of deportees. According to the Washington Post, this sort of thing happens all the time. One man, whose name is Afolabi Ade, was injected with “Haldol, used to treat psychosis, and one milligram of an anti-anxiety drug, Ativan. He was injected with two more rounds, as well as a third drug, in progressively larger doses, during the trip.” Haldol is a drug with hefty warnings tacked on to it from the FDA, as they say this drug could lead to sudden death or a change in heart rhythm. Such drugs are reportably used only in cases in which the subject is overtly combative and resistant. This, The Post says, is not the case. In fact, drugs such as these are widely used, a clear rights violation in my opinion. Afolabi Ade, when he landed at his deportation site, Lagos, Nigeria, was unable to speak. He was put up in a hotel for four days by relatives, as family members recall him being disoriented and woozy.

Hundreds of documented cases are said to exist, following a similar pattern as Abe’s. With scores of attention pointed toward this practice, the government was forced to implement a new policy which requires officials to gain a court order to involuntarily sedate a deportee. But who knows how well the government follows it’s own advice? Are these regulations there to appease the public, or to be implemented by the administration? The answer to those questions are still up in the air.

You’ll rot your brain!

Television has become the most widely used invention in the history of this planet. It’s effects are far-reaching, extending beyond the reach of known science. Everyday, hundreds of advertisements sent via television meet the eyes of common citizens. Benign in most respects, these ads seek to make us laugh, make us think, but mainly, to make us buy their product. This is done in a myriad of ways, appealing to different markets and sub-sections of the population. Appealing to our senses, our desires, these ads bring unwanted interruption into our lives. Although an unwanted practice, these ads provide needed funds to produce, or buy the rights to specific programs. In summery, ads make t.v. possible. Without them, all Science Fiction shows would probably look horrid, and all dramas would be as equally dull. Reality television sadly, would not be affected. Sure the prize money would lesson, but people would play anyway. Why? Fame.

So, why should any of this matter? Ads do more than just add convenient restroom breaks, they influence you in a plethora of ways. From your latest meal to your latest purchase, advertisements change your perspective by subconsciously modifying your opinions, especially at a young age. If daring enough, you could even propose that such ads are a form of brainwashing, of control. Many such “conspiracy theorists” propose just that. Although I don’t subscribe to such radical beliefs of world domination, or forthcoming alien disclosure, I do believe that such ads represent a loss of free will.

There exists a population of America that thinks brainwashing is just a myth, that free will cannot possibly be taken from average American Citizens. I respectfully disagree. My great grandmother once said, “[Television]‘ll be the ruination of America.” This may well be true. Although we often don’t think of the many little things that make up our day, some insignificant instances do matter. Advertising is not an exception. Shows like Mind Control with Derren Brown have suggested that such techniques could be used, if they have not already. Government institutions specializing in propaganda, such as the Committee on Public Information during World War I, have sought to change or influence public opinion before, so why is it so radical a claim that public institutions could do likewise? Corporate America is influencing the opinions of middle-class, this I am sure of. “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.” The same is true with marketing.

You’ll be popular, you’ll look like a movie star, you’ll be healthier, you’ll be smarter: all are classic cons of the marketing elite. Products sell because of one of two things: buyers of habit, and impulse buyers. Without the first, oil companies wouldn’t be able to price gouge the American people. Without the second, print magazines and newspapers would plunge in profits (even more so than they already have). Combine both, and you create elitist America, the CEOs of huge companies making multi-million dollar profits every year. While approximately three-fourths of a million people are homeless in America, there also exists a select few who hold obscene amounts of cash. Is this fair? No, but who said life would be fair? In conclusion: Watch out America, your opinion may not be your own.

Clinton vs. Obama

In the June 2008 Esquire magazine, Barack Obama stands proudly on the cover. It’s a black-and-white photo, something I find ironic due to the current state of the Democratic Party: it’s fractured, split in two by Barack Hussein Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Black vs. White is how some see this primary, but to me it’s something different. To me it’s about the issues; it’s not about creed, color, or religion. The last thing we need in this country is to be divided over something like race. What we do need in this country is hope, what we need is change. It is this very concept, this very idea that Barack Obama has cashed in on. With his photogenic smile, as well as his proposed policy, he has garnered a wide base of support. And with this support he plans on being the next President of the United States, a position many feel has become tainted, stained, and corrupt.

Yet, some feel he simply cannot gain the support of blue-collar voters or women, since statistics show these types of people voting for Clinton. I have news for all political pundits: America is not a number. America is not a percentage. America is a group of free-thinking, self-guided people. So, CNN, FOX News, CBS, and other corporate networks: You can shove your polls. They cannot possibly reflect the true state of American politics, as it is a complex system of backroom deals, public scandal, and corporate influence. Not to mention the will of the American People. Something as grandiose as politics cannot be dissected into neat, one-minute sound bites as the media proclaims. Time will only tell what the future holds, but if I know anything, I know this: The American people are an element so diverse and conflicting, that this election could be anyone’s for the taking.

We will have either the Oldest President, the first Woman President, or the first Black President. From any angle this could be seen as an advancement. In appearances, any choice could be revolutionary. Yet, these superficial masks seek only to divide us, to sway us. I couldn’t care less whether our next President was white or black. I wouldn’t care if the next President was a different species. I care about the country, as do millions of other Americans. The problem with politics in this day and age, is that the media has a controlling influence on the population. With television and radio (podcasts, too) becoming the medium of choice, such personalities as Rush Limbaugh (dare I say it) and Glenn Beck have a tremendous amount of power. This power is often used divisively, creating a Divided States instead of a United States.

The American people aren’t shallow, don’t get me wrong. We have become the most informed, most politically active society anywhere. If there’s a cause for it, there’s a rally or march. If there’s a rally (or march), there are protesters. And where there are protesters, there are police, lots of police. There are hundreds of issues people fight for everyday, and the Presidency is treated the same way. Thousands of people, if not more, volunteer for positions in their precinct every election year. So, by no means can America be described as easily influenced, yet people only know what you tell them. The ultimate analogy for such influence is a cult. Members are often told outright lies, yet they believe them. Why? In such cults they are cared for, loved even by the other members. This type of feeling can be addictive, making the members desperate for more. Therefore, they delude themselves into a false reality. In much the same way (yet not quite as radical) people can be deluded by pundits and opinionated newscasters. Exchange love and care for fear, and you have the WMD of primetime news. I dare you to watch the news tonight, and keep a running tally of all the news stories that feed fear. If at least two out of every five stories don’t portray some sort of fear-whether it be terrorists, the weak economy, rising gas prices, etc-you can send me hate mail.

So with all the various influences out there affecting the votes of the American People, how can we remain unchanged and unbiased in our decision? The answer is simple: Take a few hours to sift through the issues. Go to the websites of ALL the candidates, and choose for yourself based on their proposals. If you do this, your vote won’t be a vote of ignorance, but an informed vote. And in my opinion, the latter should count twice as much.