Let’s talk about Bias in the Media Today at #Learntalk !

        Good Day World!

 The topic of interest today is about Bias in the Media. We all suspect a certain amount is going on. Many Americans are just not sure where facts and bias leave off after being bombarded by countless mainstream media outlets.

 At 5:00 p.m. PST, (8:00 p.m. Eastern) I’m going to be moderating a Live Online discussion about Bias in the Media at #Learntalk Join me…If you’ve got some thoughts about what the American public is watching on TV and listening to on the radio. Do you think social media like Facebook and Twitter are giving the mainstream media a run for their money? What are your thoughts on the subject?

I’ve put together a comprehensive 3-part series on Bias in the Media at Learnist that you can refer to before the chat:

Part I: History of Information & media http://learni.st/users/dave.stancliff.9/boards/9522-bias-in-the-media-part-one-history

Part II: America’s Media Monopoly http://learni.st/users/dave.stancliff.9/boards/10826-bias-in-the-media-part-ii-america-s-media-monopoly

Part III: Demagogues

 http://learni.st/users/dave.stancliff.9/boards/13022-bias-in-the-media-part-iii-demagogues

If you’ve never gone to a Live Chat online before maybe now is the time to check it out. I’ve never done it before and tonight will be my baptism under fire! If for no other reason than to see how the chat goes…stop by and say hi!

Time for me to walk on down the road… 

 

As It Stands - Note to GOP: Changing the Rules isn’t Going to Help

          
 By Dave Stancliff/For The Times-Standard

 The majority of Republicans today recognize they have to change the party’s brand if they want to get back into the White House.
  Many are still stunned that their candidate was so decisively beaten in all the demographics that mattered. There are however, a minority of Republicans who would rather change election rules than admit their message didn’t resonate with the majority of Americans. 
The 150 members of the Republican National Committee met on Jan. 23, and re-elected Reince Priebus as their National Chairman. They discussed the best ways for the party to go forward. Priebus appeared to give the okay to some proposed changes to the Electoral College system when the subject came up:
“I think it’s something that a lot of states that have been consistently blue and are fully controlled red ought to be looking at,” he was quoted as saying in the Washington Post.

 The members looking to change the system were from the battleground states the Democrats won in the last two presidential elections. According to the Washington Post, Republicans in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia proposed awarding their Electoral College votes by congressional district instead of the winner-take-all approach used by every state except for two - Maine and Nebraska.

 The reason was blatantly apparent; the proposed changes would have given them a victory against President Obama in the last election, and would be a real advantage for the next GOP presidential candidate.
The Republican Party currently has the battleground states firmly in control at the state level. The cover story for voters is a song-and-dance about smaller communities getting more of a voice in those states.
Since the RNC meeting however, Virginia decided not to join the other states when Republican Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell opposed the idea. Joining him in opposition was Republican Sen. Ralph Smith, Bedford County, and Subcommittee chairwoman Jill Vogel.

 I applaud Virginia for not going along with this naked attempt to change the rules. It goes to show there are Republicans who recognize things need to change, but not by changing the rules.
Everyone within the Republican Party agrees change is in order if they want a future as a viable party. The problem is the leaders are at odds over too many issues.
  In a recent AP interview, Michael Hudome, a national GOP media strategist said, “We don’t look organized, we look chaotic, we look like wussies, like we’re caving in to the President. We’re not fighting properly. The Republican caucus appears fractured.”
  When you look at Priebus’s response to changing the game in those battleground states, you can see even he was torn after initially giving it a nod. He turned around and also said “…those proposed changes are short-sighted for two reasons. One, the Republicans pushing for them are all but acknowledging their party problems heading into 2016 are so significant that they have to change the rules to win. In other words, they are throwing in the towel and trying to rig the system.
“Two, the proposed changes would only speed up efforts to have a popular vote - and not an Electoral College - decide presidential contests, because many would see that as a fair system.”

  The last thing the GOP Party wants is a Presidential election by popular vote. One of the many challenges facing the Republican Party’s re-branding is reaching out to minorities. Even the most stubborn conservative pundits have come to that conclusion. But how to reach out to a majority they hardly know and understand? They can’t afford to rely on angry white men to win in 2016.
 One of the most obvious ways for Republicans to gain people’s confidence would be to quit trying to cheat their way into power. Blatantly changing the rules doesn’t make the GOP look like the people’s party. It’s just another example of why the brand has faded into a group of quarreling ideologues who are more obstructionists than nation builders.
  Hudome’s hope for the GOP’s credibility lies with Congress hanging together in coming negotiations with President Obama and getting “…some serious spending cuts,” in places sacred to the party. He feels that will go a long way in restoring the brand. Maybe so. But I think the brand will need a lot more than that to change most people’s perception. It’s time GOP party members roll up their sleeves and hit the streets if they hope to get the middle class and minorities to vote for them.
As It Stands, I know one thing for sure, if the GOP offers up another slate of reactionaries like this last time they can kiss all their efforts goodbye!

Manhunt Continues Today & a U.S. History of the 10 Biggest Ones

   Good Day World!

It’s good to be back blogging.

I thought the topic of manhunts is timely as authorities continue to search for a cop killer in Southern California - Christopher Dorner.

The hunt for a former Los Angeles police officer and soldier who went on a deadly rampage has caused great concern among Southern California residents. My wife and I were driving West on the 210 Freeway when the search started, and freeways were being closed in the search for him. Luckily we went West (210) and then North on Interstate 5 – the opposite direction of the manhunt – and didn’t get stuck on any freeways. We made it back north to Humboldt County by 11 p.m. that night.

Since then, on Friday, the search narrowed to the Southern California mountain resort town of Big Bear where its been snowing. Dorner fled to the rugged area after killing three people to get back at those he blamed for ending his police career in 2008. Authorities found his burned-out truck in the area and have sent SWAT teams with dogs into the snowy mountains after him. The search has also extended to Mexico and three other states.

For a comprehensive wrap-up and history of this unfolding drama GO HERE to my special report at Learnist.

Here’s a List of the top 10 Manhunts in American History starting with Osama bin Laden was the leader of Al-Qaeda and was identified as the alleged instigator of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States which killed and injured thousands of people, as well as subsequent incidents.

 Osama bin Laden, the founder and head of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011, shortly after 1 am local time by Navy SEALs of the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Development Group (also known as DEVGRU or SEAL Team Six). The operation, code-named Operation Neptune Spear, was carried out in a Central Intelligence Agency-led operation. In addition to DEVGRU, participating units included the U.S. Army Special Operations Command's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) and CIA operatives. The raid on bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, was launched from Afghanistan. After the raid, U.S. forces took bin Laden's body to Afghanistan for identification, then buried it at sea within 24 hours of his death. Wikipedia

Time to walk on down the road…

Join me a for live chat at #Learntalk about Bias in the Media

  Good Day World!

This is my last post until February 9th, but please feel free to explore past “As It Stands” columns, and more, at the right side of this page.

Coming up on Feb. 11th, I’ll be hosting my first #Learntalk at 5:00 p.m. pst - 8:00 p.m. eastern time. The topic is going to be Bias in the Media.

Note the Learnist board on the right - click the top and you’ll go to Part III of a 3-part series about Bias in the Media. The other two parts are available on my other Learnist boards. After reading all three boards you’re going to be somewhat of an expert on the subject! No kidding. Check them out.

Here’s the website where the chat will take place, so mark it on your calendar and we’ll talk then. I’m looking forward to hearing from you. If you have a Facebook account, or a Twitter account, you’ll be able to participate in the conversation.

Coming Sunday – Feb. 3rd, As It Stands takes a look at “Women in Combat” in the Times-Standard.

Coming Sunday – Feb. 10th, As It Stands has a “Note to GOP: Changing the rules isn’t going to help” in the Times-Standard. 

Time for me to walk on down the road…

     

 

 

Second takes: it’s incredible what some people do…

     Good Day World!

Sometimes when I go through the news I see stories that make me stop and shake my head at how incredibly stupid people can be.

Most people would not light up at a oil storage facility – those flammable signs would be enough warn them to keep their cigarettes in their pocket. Despite that two people (reportedly not employees but trespassers) were critically injured in an explosion and fire Tuesday morning after smoking on a catwalk over oil storage tanks, officials say.

This story about a female Texas trooper who performed a roadside cavity search on two Irving women really made me take a second-look. Excuse me? What was with that anyway? The trooper will be terminated according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. The trooper cited them for littering - throwing cigarette butts out of the car – but ended up putting on latex gloves and doing a cavity search in front of the whole world! CLICK HERE TO VIEW DASHCAM VIDEO (WARNING VIDEO MAY BE DISTURBING)

Police in New Mexico found an 8-year-old girl locked in a cage in a darkened mobile home, authorities said on Tuesday, adding that they charged the girl's adoptive mother, who had gone to the movies, with child abuse. He said police, acting on a tip from the woman's estranged husband, found the girl in the corner of a bedroom locked inside the cage, about four feet high, slightly more than two feet wide and about five feet long.

This story about incompetent carjackers made me smile while wondering why they didn’t know how to drive a stick shift? Two men in an attempted stickup were confounded by a car’s stick shift.Neither of the would-be carjackers knew the basic mechanics behind a manual transmission! I guess people don’t get driver’s education anymore – unlike prior generations – and that’s why those two bozos were foiled in their attempt.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

See? I told you they’d bring back Twinkies one way or the other!

The indestructible Twinkie is ready for it’s comeback according to this source which hints that Hostess Brands has narrowed down the bidders for their brand to just two. 

I remember a lot of people rushing into stores to buy up Twinkies because they were sure their demise was imminent and forever. Tsk ! Tsk! I told you then they’d be back. That favorite American Icon for junk food (who can forget the famous “Twinkie Defense?) will be returning to market shelves sometime soon. Strap your feedbags on and be ready for a rush on the sweet treats! (image source)

Show Me the Monkey! Iran claims space flight successful

   Good Day World!

Iran better stop monkeying around with the world. Their leaders claim to have sent a monkey into space and brought it back safely. So where’s the monkey? No one is saying.

Folks in Washington couldn’t – or wouldn’t – confirm if Iran even launched a rocket. But the message was clear, If Iran did launch a rocket then they’re in more hot water with world powers.

It would be a violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1929, whose text bars Iran from "any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using ballistic missile technology."

In other words, the Iranians would probably be smart to NOT have a parade in the space-traveling simian’s honor. The U.S. won’t play that game and may send some drones over to ruin some fanatics day! So here’s the story:

“Iran said on Monday it had launched a live monkey into space, seeking to show off missile systems that have alarmed the West because the technology could potentially be used to deliver a nuclear warhead.

The Defense Ministry announced the launch as world powers sought to agree a date and venue with Iran for resuming talks to resolve a standoff with the West over Tehran's contested nuclear program before it degenerates into a new Middle East war.

Efforts to nail down a new meeting have failed repeatedly and the powers fear Iran is exploiting the diplomatic vacuum to hone the means to produce nuclear weapons.

The Islamic Republic denies seeking weapons capability and says it seeks only electricity from its uranium enrichment so it can export more of its considerable oil wealth.

The powers have proposed new talks in February, a spokesman for the European Union's foreign policy chief said on Monday, hours after Russia urged all concerned to "stop behaving like children" and commit to a meeting.

Iran earlier in the day denied media reports of a major explosion at one of its most sensitive, underground enrichment plants, describing them as Western propaganda designed to influence the nuclear talks.

The Defense Ministry said the space launch of the monkey coincided "with the days of" the Prophet Mohammad's birthday, which was last week, but gave no date, according to a statement carried by the official news agency IRNA.” Read the rest here

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Monday Maddness: a dancing baby and flying cars!

There’s a lot of versions of gangnam stylevideos, but this has to be the cutest!

 

Good Day World!

Thanks for stopping by. I’ve got a couple of inspiring videos to share today, starting with the baby on the left.

  This little tyke got me powered up and laughing at the same time. The second item, flying cars, is a real 21st Century-like thing to report on.

  I’ve got a lot of doubts about how many will be made and where they can fly safely, but only time will tell. Still, the video is worth listening to because it’s inspiring in a different way. A person’s dream come true is always a positive story.  

“Even if you’re over Psy and wish this craze would go the way of the Macarena, you’ll have a hard time not smiling at (or dancing along with) this adorable baby.

Uploaded on Jan. 18, “7 m.o baby dancing to gangnam style” already has more than one million views, and it’s not hard to figure out why. For a little tyke, this babe’s got some moves. Every so often you hear about someone who could dance before they could walk, and it wouldn’t be surprising if that were the case here. This baby's not just rockin’ out, he's doing it to the beat, with the whole routine down pat. The pure joy and delight on this kid’s face is priceless and the moves are… awesome. Admit it, if Psy brought this baby onstage, you’d totally go to his concert.

One commenter summed it up: “That awkward moment, when a 7 month old baby can dance better than you :(“    (source)-

________________

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Keep an eye out for these babies in skies near you!

Your looking at the Skycar 200 (right) the culmination of one man’s lifetime dream.

Dr. Paul Moller has finally gotten all the financing – he’s been trying for years - he needs and told NBC News that his first one will roll off the assembly- line in one year.

The Skycar has been classified as a “Light Sports Aviation” vehicle. I can’t wait until these Jetson-like cars are on the market. Just think of all the problems their going to encounter with small aircraft, etc.? What fun!

It’s time for me to walk on down the road… 

As It Stands: Sounds of Fury: misophonia sufferers try to cope

By Dave Stancliff/For The Times Standard
Imagine that certain sounds sent you into a violent rage and you don’t know why. That you can’t stand the sound of your own mother’s voice or even hearing her breath. That you can’t eat in public because the sound of people eating could trigger an uncontrollable physical frenzy.
It really happens to people. The condition is called misophonia - literally "hatred of sound" - and occurs when a common noise, whether it's something like a person chewing loudly, water dripping or someone sighing, causes you to become anxious or angry.
People with the disorder are not bothered by loud sound - rather, it’s the softer, repetitive, common sounds that drive them up the wall, according to an article in the The New York Times (9/5/11).
Misophonia is often used interchangeably with the term Selective Sound Sensitivity. Sadly, there’s no known cure for it, Dr. Aage R. Moller, a neuroscientist at the University of Texas at Dallas, said in an interview with the New York Times.

Little is known about the anatomical location of the abnormality that causes these symptoms. People with misophonia may be diagnosed with mood or anxiety disorders as well as obsessive-compulsive disorder.
According to researchers, misophonia sufferers are most commonly annoyed, or even enraged, by such ordinary sounds as other people eating, breathing, or coughing; certain consonants; or repetitive sounds.
For unknown reasons, most people develop misophonia in late childhood, around the age of 10. Often there is a single initial trigger (such as a parent's or sibling's noises), after which the triggers expand over time to include both auditory or visual elements.
As they get older, the condition usually gets worse. They may also be annoyed by other people’s repetitive movements, such as leg-tapping, nail-biting, the rising and falling of the belly, and typing.
Some researchers have speculated there is a genetic base for this disorder, but no studies have been done to prove it. The prevalence of misophonia is currently unknown.  However, groups of people identifying with the condition suggest it is more common than previously recognized.
Among patients with tinnitus, which is prevalent in 4-5% of the general population, some surveys report prevalence as high as 60% while prevalence in a 2010 study was measured at 10%.

 With no cure in sight, what do people afflicted with this disorder do? They have to develop coping methods. There are no definitive books out detailing these. I expect that will change in time, as researchers continue to try to unlock the secrets of the brain.
Everyone with the condition is unique and has to personally develop coping methods to address their own challenges. Most simply avoid the offending sound by leaving the area, while some try to block it with earplugs or music.
I’m not sure why, but from everything I’ve read on the subject it appears that sensitivity to offending sounds is often far more severe when the sound comes from a person emotionally connected to the sufferer.
Misophonia is not a well-known diagnosis and few treatment options are available. As a matter of fact, there’s a good chance your doctor never heard of it. There are reports that suggest the use of cognitive behavioral therapy can be helpful in managing the anger (in response to a trigger sound) associated with misophonia.

Some doctors use a mindfulness based therapy, training, and treatment. It basically offers individuals ways to deal with and work out their issues with a treatment plan that is life long and provides them tools to handle and alleviate their issues.
I wish I could wrap this column up and say a cure is on the way. The first step is always to recognize a problem. That’s happened. There’s a huge learning-curve ahead for doctors and we can only hope they discover a cure for it soon.
  Perhaps with celebrities like Kelly Ripa of the Today Show sharing their own experiences with misophonia (she has a mild case), it will spark more research on the condition.
  As It Stands, I wonder if I’m a borderline case? It drives me to distraction to hear people chewing and clacking their gum!

Special military German unit populated with men who have big boobs from precision drills

   Hello World!

I’ve read where men who smoke pot a lot get big boobs, but was amazed to find out that there’s another way for men to get big boobs -without surgery of course.

All they have to do is smack a rifle against one side of their chest in countless precision military drills and the other side will sprout a boobie.

It’s important to note that the soldiers mentioned only end up with one big boob.

No really! I wouldn’t kid you…well maybe some times – but not this time. Fact: Over 70 percent of the German Wachbataillon Battalion's soldiers have been diagnosed with significant gynecomastia (big boobs).

I’m not really sure anyone – including the men affected – is too worried about this odd development. I suppose they still feel macho enough, but they do have to be careful beating their chest in a typical guy-like reaction when excited.

Meanwhile, German military officials have promised to keep an eye on the men's breasts. (That just doesn’t sound right you know?) Here’s the story ripped from today’s headlines:

“Like armies everywhere, the German military is filled with macho, chest-thumping rituals. But one battalion has found there's a downside to all that chest-thumping: The male soldiers are growing breasts — and only on their left sides.

The Wachbataillon unit performs precision military drills at official ceremonial functions, the German Herald reports. Many of their drills involve smacking their rifles against the left side of the soldiers' chests. And all that pounding on the same spot has stimulated the production of hormones that cause man boobs to grow.

"There is a very significant link between the activity in the … battalion and the development of the breast on the left side," Dr. Bjorn Krapohl, director of plastic surgery at the military's main hospital in Berlin, told the Herald. "They need to change the way they drill."

The growth of male breasts isn't altogether uncommon: The condition is known as gynecomastia, and it's caused by an imbalance in testosterone and estrogen levels. There have been cases where chest injury has caused gynecomastia, though it's rare. Plastic surgeons report that teenage boys — who are particularly prone to the condition — often have breast tissue removed when gynecomastia becomes a big psychosocial problem.

In a study of the German soldiers, published in January 2012, Krapohl and colleagues found significant differences between the guards with gynecomastia and a control group of healthy males without signs of gynecomastia. Those in the Guard Battalion in Berlin had lower testosterone levelsand higher body mass indexes (BMI), or a measure of body fatness. [ The 9 Most Bizarre Medical Conditions ]

While the researchers hypothesize the mechanical stress from daily drills may be the underlying cause, they are not sure exactly how the "chest thumping" causes the breast growth. "There are no experimental studies identifying possible mechanisms at the cellular level that might induce gynecomastia mechanically," they write in the journal article, adding that these findings may provide new impetus for such studies. The research is detailed in the journal GMS Interdisciplinary Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery DGPW. (Read the rest here)

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Optical illusions for a freaky Friday…

    Good Day World!

Today let’s look at changes of perspective and optical illusions just for fun.

The link here will take you to 40 interesting examples that speak for themselves. Over the years I’ve found that viewers really enjoy mind tricks.

This current crop of crazy but cool photos takes you to where your mind softly wraps around them and emerges fresh with new ideas and perspectives.