Day: July 7, 2015

Bizarre, Freak Religion, History, Terrorism, WarLeave a comment

Return of the king

Fernando Kaskais

The Battle of Karbala by Abbas Al-Musavi. Late 19th – early 20th C. Brooklyn Musuem. Photo by Corbis The ‘cosplay Caliphate’ of ISIS is a deadly fantasy, but a familiar one in the West. It feeds the same urges as Tolkien by Benjamin Dueholm (Benjamin Dueholm is associate pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Wauconda, Illinois. His writing has appeared in The Christian Centuryand The Washington Monthly, and he co-edits the theological journalLet’s Talk.) What accounts for the persistent appeal of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (or ISIS) to recruits from Chicago, Bradford or Melbourne? This year, the question became urgent … Continue reading Return of the king

Brain, Curiositys, Health, Living, Media&Culture, Music, PsychologyLeave a comment

Sonifying the world

Fernando Kaskais

A fountain on a timer drops a shower of water droplets every few minutes in Darling Harbour, Sydney, Australia. Photo by Trent Parke/Magnum When Chris Chafe translates data into music, listeners sway to the beat of seizing brains, economic swings and smog by Carren Jao (Carren Jao is an art, architecture and design writer, whose work has been published in The New York Times Magazine, the Los Angeles Times andDiscover magazine, among others. She lives in Los Angeles and Manila.) We might never know when the first set of thuds, thumps and taps were strung together to make music, or … Continue reading Sonifying the world

Bizarre, Conspiracy, Corruption, Curiositys, Manipulation, Money, Politics, Unbelievable2 Comments

How Greece was robbed by the bankers

Fernando Kaskais

Every single mainstream media has the following narrative for the economic crisis in Greece: the government spent too much money and went broke; the generous banks gave them money, but Greece still can’t pay the bills because it mismanaged the money that was given. It sounds quite reasonable, right? Except that it is a big fat lie … not only about Greece, but about other European countries such as Spain, Portugal, Italy and Ireland who are all experiencing various degrees of austerity. It was also the same big, fat lie that was used by banks and corporations to exploit many … Continue reading How Greece was robbed by the bankers

Bizarre, Brain, Curiositys, Freak Religion, Media&Culture, Philosophy, PsychologyLeave a comment

Why Doesn’t Everyone Believe In God?: The Skeptical Brain May Hold the Answer

Fernando Kaskais

Most Americans who grew up in religious households are still religious. But what about the ones who aren’t? By Lala Stone Christopher Obal used to be a Christian. He grew up in Queens, New York, and when he was 5 years old, his parents left Catholicism for a very different form of Christianity. While they didn’t claim a specific denomination, he said the churches they went to would probably be described as Pentecostal, evangelical and charismatic. “We attended churches where people spoke in tongues, and believed in the gifts of the spirit as well as a God who spoke to … Continue reading Why Doesn’t Everyone Believe In God?: The Skeptical Brain May Hold the Answer

Bizarre, Curiositys, Media&Culture, Middle East, Politics, Racism, WarLeave a comment

More than 2,800 people are dead in Yemen – so why aren’t we outraged?

Fernando Kaskais

by Sophia Dingli In the summer of 2014, our screens were inundated with videos of the carnage from the streets ofGaza. The European media was outraged, and the sense of moral urgency was amplified across social media. Similar outrage greeted the destruction of UNESCO heritage sites in both Iraq and Syria with the condemnation of Islamic State’s barbarism reaching a crescendo when it overtook Syria’s majestic city of Palmyra. Compare this coverage to the almost universal silence on the ongoing war in Yemen, which is largely absent from our TV screens, Facebook and Twitter trending topics sections and the front … Continue reading More than 2,800 people are dead in Yemen – so why aren’t we outraged?

Bizarre, Curiositys, Future, Matrix, Media&Culture, TechnologyLeave a comment

Apple Co-Founder: We Will All Be Pets to Robots One Day, Like Dogs

Fernando Kaskais

by Truthstream Media As the arguments rage on about the coming artificial intelligence boon and the fact that robots will stand a more than 90 percent chance of taking over eight out of the top ten jobs that hire the most people in this country, now chief executives are coming out of the woodwork to say it’s all okay because apparently… We’ll make great pets. Speaking at an event at the Freescale Technology Forum 2015 in Austin, Texas recently, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak said artificial intelligence being in charge of everything is actually a comforting thought, and it’ll be great when … Continue reading Apple Co-Founder: We Will All Be Pets to Robots One Day, Like Dogs

Conspiracy, Curiositys, Mafia, Manipulation, Money, Politics1 Comment

LONDON NOW THE GLOBAL MONEY-LAUNDERING CENTRE FOR DRUG TRADE, SAYS CRIME EXPERT

Fernando Kaskais

SOURCE: THE INDEPENDENT UK banks and financial services have ignored so-called “know your customer” rules designed to curb criminals’ abilities to launder the proceeds of crime, Roberto Saviano warned. Mr Saviano, author of the international bestseller Gomorrah, which exposed the workings of the Neapolitan crime organisation Camorra, said: “The British treat it as not their problem because there aren’t corpses on the street.” His warning follows a National Crime Agency (NCA) threat assessment which stated: “We assess that hundreds of billions of US dollars of criminal money almost certainly continue to be laundered through UK banks, including their subsidiaries, each year.” … Continue reading LONDON NOW THE GLOBAL MONEY-LAUNDERING CENTRE FOR DRUG TRADE, SAYS CRIME EXPERT

Activism, Bizarre, Politics, Racism, RightsLeave a comment

Canada scolded by human rights groups for poor treatment of indigenous women

Fernando Kaskais

A Canadian human rights group has told the UN that the troubles faced by the country’s indigenous population are one of Canada’s most pressing social issues. The organization also criticized the government approach to anti-terrorism legislation. The Canadian Human Rights Commission made the submission to the UN Human Rights Committee, which is currently conducting a review into how Canada is complying with the International Covenant on Political and Civil Rights. The decree came into force in 1976 and among other things, champions one’s “right of self-determination” and forces its signatories to respect all people’s within its territories, regardless of race, … Continue reading Canada scolded by human rights groups for poor treatment of indigenous women