Podcast 240

Media Fatigue. A voice mail from a friend sets a podcast about media in motion. ‘The Media’ occupies a big space in our society these days. Especially television. Especially the cable news networks. With people of a certain political persuasion, especially Fox News. At a recent political meeting, people were asked to raise their hands to answer three questions; How many attended a recent Basic Political Unit meeting (about ten), how many are precinct captains (about three), how many watch Fox News (everyone). Yes people are tired, frustrated, burned out, angry and confused, but they keep watching, and watching, and watching! Media is taking time away from citizen action to actually change things. What IS ‘The Media’? What effect does it have on society and individuals? Modern media has taken the space occupied by the fireside, by ceremony, by the shaman and priest. We think we are modern, but human nature hasn’t changed much. For all the things media does (entertain and inform), its primary purpose is to persuade. Print, radio, television and digital have different origins and textures, and are used for different reasons. Americans think they’re being informed but they’re being bombarded with emotional appeals, especially during elections. Reason and intellect are not in the media’s lexicon. We are ill served by poor reporting, story lines to keep people viewing and listening, and of course bias. There is nowhere to escape this constant stream of emotional persuasion, as long as you keep watching, hoping it will change. Are there times when television reaches high points? Absolutely. Does it happen very often. No. People have to learn to develop a strategy for what they watch, how they watch, and what they use the media for. (Editor’s Note: I counted 16 different things we can do and I list them in this podcast). People are constantly saying, ‘The mainstream media is biased, it has to change’. Why wait for the leopard to change its spots? Learn to use tools to watch, listen and read what you want, when you want it, how you want it. As things stand right now, media is making us more ignorant everyday. Expecting to BE informed from the mainstream cable news, talk radio and broadcast television, is a lost cause. Sponsored by Baklund R&D. 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:08 — ) | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

Podcast 238

Economic Doom. Inflation, Deflation, Disinflation. Is the economy booming, or crashing? In the fantasy world created by the media, there are only winners or losers. The reality is somewhere in between. What is inflation, deflation and disinflation? Do we have inflation in the United States, or not? Despite the Federal Reserve pumping trillions into the banking system in America, we’ve seen only slow growth at best; Not enough growth to bring out self-mothballed workers from the ranks of those who have given up looking for work. Yet, we are told the US is reaching ‘full employment’, and that the economy is ‘roaring’ back. With only 76 percent of our industrial capacity utilized, a significant amount of that capacity in the oil, and mining sectors, the concern is disinflation, and perhaps deflation. In the Euro Zone, the ECB is worried about Deflation. In China they’re worried about a slow down. In Japan, huge inflows of cash from the central bank and government has produced mixed results. Yet, with a new set of economic numbers this month, economists, reporters and political cheerleaders are saying the US economy is ‘set to grow’ and we’re back to the Rosy Scenario. When things don’t pan out as they predict, it will be ‘unexpected’ or ‘surprising’. Reporting like this is devoid of context, and grossly misinforms the public, leaving them confused and angry when they can’t get a higher paying, better job. For instance, the much vaunted consumer is constantly told he accounts for 70 percent of the US Economy. Not true. We are being told new housing construction is up. In fact its apartment houses. We’re told the housing market is back, but a closer look reveals many cash buyers who are buying homes to rent out. A recent drop in housing sales is attributed to cash buyers pulling out of the market because homes are ‘too expensive for cash buyers’. Inflation and Deflation have both been associated with stagnant growth in various countries, sometimes disaster. We’re told ‘cheaper gas’ gives consumers the where-with-all to spend, and yet gasoline has only been somewhat less expensive for about a month. (Editors Note: Yeah gas is cheaper, but I’m not taking the money I’ve ‘saved’ on a shopping spree.) With Europe and China and other parts of the world in a seeming synchronized slow down, oil and commodities dropping, the markets moving and up and down wildly, suddenly some are alarmed and concerned. Is it possible that years of government borrowing and spending, and central bank intervention in markets have added so much malinvestment, the chickens are finally coming home to roost? Why do governments and big debtors love in inflation, and fear deflation? The takeaway is, it’s time to start thinking about what we expect these sclerotic and expensive governments to actually do, and start demanding they operate with as little debt as possible, and that our money be based on something stable like, uh…Gold or Silver. The reason? When governments can print their way out of debt, citizens actually pay the cost in higher taxes and inflation. Sponsored by Depotstar.  

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:44 — ) | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

Podcast 236

At Peace With The News Cycle. When frustration with the news cycle sets in, the Doctor recommends a News Cleanse, and then sparing reintegration of the daily rush of the Video Game we know as the News Cycle. Or Cartoon. Whatever you wish. Once you have gone through this cycle rinse and repeat as necessary. Suddenly we’re either in a news rich environment, or the news has become more interesting, in reality. In any case, in the rush to create fantasy story lines about two big stories these days; Ebola and Election 2014, there are other things going on people are missing. First, we have all been subjected to the proselytizing Vegetarian, or worse; the evangelistic Vegan. A new study reveals that the pale, thin wrested Vegan down at the coop, may have less sperm and sperm that swim slower than meat eaters. So take heart those of you who enjoy tearing the seared flesh from the bones of dead animals, you will have more kids than the Vegans. Still worried about Ebola? Columbia University Scientists have discovered the rats in the public transit tunnels of New York City are teeming with viruses and other infections science didn’t even know existed, and worse, that these may have already been passed on to humans. For those following the 2014 election, a new Politico Poll shows 65 percent of Americans believe the country is ‘out of control’. That’s the good news. If you want to hear the bad news, read the open ended responses as to why Americans say these things. We have met the enemy … and he is us. U2 recently was so excited about their new album they decided to give it away, by forcing it onto millions of iTunes subscribers’ libraries. Frontman Bono says they ‘got a little carried away’ … this may qualify as one of the great understatements of the year. (Editor’s Note: I do not want ten crappy U2 songs showing up with my music, which has been carefully curated over the years, and contains no U2!) HBO has announced it will create its own streaming service ‘like Netflix’ later this year. Hopefully this means we can actually get Showtime and HBO shows as they come out rather than having to wait for them, or spend half on the night with support in order to watch Showtime Anytime. Everyone should read the New Yorker’s interview with Marc Andreessen, the creator of Netscape … years ago. Andreeson’s take on technology and politics is important for people who are trying to get a handle on what’s going on these days. We’re at the very beginning of a revolution that, despite what the naysayers believe, will have equal significance in human history to the industrial revolution. And, it won’t follow a schedule or Republican or Democrat political ‘rules’. In fact this revolution, like all revolutions comes in fits and starts and is from time to time chaotic. Whether it is additive manufacturing, empowering individuals to start their own businesses and transform their lives, or comes in the form of portable hydrogen power generators, or portable fusion reactors, driverless cars, on demand entertainment and information, or dissemination of high quality education and training, autonomous machines and software, robotics or just basic IT, batten down the hatches, but read this interview with Andreessen. And, finally, a recipe. Yes. It involves meat. Sponsored by Baklund R&D. 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:37 — 74.4MB) | Embed

Subscribe: RSS