Anti Globalism - Slashdot User

Submission + - USA Announces Official Corruption Prices (corrupt.org)

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Anti Globalism

on Friday October 26, 2007 @02:18PM

Anti Globalism writes: "(Washington, DC) On the heels of media reports that required funding for presidential candidates would top $3 billion dollars this year, a sum inaccessible to anyone resembling the "common man," the United States dropped its pretense and issued official lobbying and corruption prices to the world at large.

"Your government is saving you money," said Antoine Philbear, Senate majority leader. "Where other nations require lobbyists to hint demurely at brain-mufflingly ostentatious political functions, or to whisper discretely behind pillars at charity events for people with no help of helping themselves, we've now got a direct pathway to your government for lobbyists, oligarchs and media barons."

In a city where three of four residents are starving low-IQ illiterates, and the dwindling middle class hunker down behind gated communities and hope for the best, the tony Loudoun County neighborhoods seem detached like an orbiting UFO over an earth of mundane misery. Philbear chose this setting for the formal announcement by the US government, which once prided itself in its integrity, but has recently in the interest of greater utilitarian and egalitarian concerns, cut out the middlemen and made a more accessible, equitable form of quasi-third-world corruption.

"You know the beltway," said longtime political analyst Joshua Hamilton. "It used to be you had to go make contacts at ceremonial events for ideals we no longer can believe in, and it took buckets of money and time. They're just streamlining and privatizing the process, which will save Joe Citizen a good chunk of his tax money."

City insiders said this most recent change was part of a spate of cost-cutting measures designed to prepare an oblivious population for transfer to a third-world state in which a vicious elite rules over the poor and stupid masses as a smugly self-deprecating middle class evaporates. Next in line, according to insiders, is a plan to allow direct purchasing for major news story topics."

Submission + - On refusal, rhetoric and ignorance (corrupt.org)

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Anti Globalism

on Friday October 26, 2007 @02:01PM

Anti Globalism writes: "Very common is the act of person refusing to accept what is real in favor of whatever delusions they have made themselves comfortable with. Even when they run no risk of harm, many continue clinging onto their preconceived ideas until the bitter endno harm except, of course, to their egos. And to many the ego is perhaps the most important thing of all, even if they won't admit or acknowledge that fact.

I've dealt with many people who do the intellectual equivalent of plugging their ears and repeating "BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH," much as a child would do, when confronted with a sound argument, example, or explanation. These people are difficult to deal with, but perhaps even more tough is getting through to one of them. In fact, while it is not the ideal solution, it is, at times, better to avoid them all together.

These people will claim that they have no ego; many will claim that you are the one with the ego. Their actions, and that they always turn everything into a "them vs. you" ordeal, say differently. And the ego can be a dangerous thing. The ego can turn even the most modest of men into a gloating buffoon who feels he can do no wrong, leading him to act stupidly and dangerously. The ego is a thing to be avoided.

It's necessary to not think of the ego and self-esteem/self-image as strictly the same thing, however. It is important for one to feel good about himself, but it is equally important for one to continually question his actions and motives. But the "do no wrong" attitude is not a healthy self-image. In fact, many of these hard to deal with, illogical argument constructing people have rather poor self-esteem, and cling to what they've come to accept as "right" in hopes of redeeming themselves.

These people are rather easy to spot. They will have trouble dealing with defeat or being proved wrong. When they engage in conversation, they will speak using many "Yeah, but"s, "You don't get it"s, "How do you know?"s, and, more bluntly, "You're wrong"s. They will construct illogical arguments based on fallacies, refuse to back up anything they say, and drag arguments on and onand on. Luckily, many of these people seem rather unintelligent; however, you will sometimes come across someone who seems smart, and they are slightly more frustrating.

The most egotistical and delusional will probably be people you have to deal with on a regular basis. Tearing whatever it is they have to say to shreds one or two times will not be enough to make them "wake up." With any luck they will be steadily broken down, though, and this is a positive thing: More intelligent and sane people on this earth is positive for all of us. But there are those who will never be woken up; these people are best left ignored.

This isn't a guide on how to deal with imbeciles, or a rally-cry shouting for their destruction, but a word of precaution. If you are someone who has difficulty with failure, difficulty accepting criticism (no matter how constructive), or you are constantly trying to make things into battles so you can "win" them, you might be suffering ego. There is no need to make things into binary "me vs. you" issues, to deny help or reject advice, or to cling onto a self-image you might perceive as strong when it is evident there are weaknesses. And we all have weakness that we should try to strengthenrefusing to do so would be foolish."

Submission + - Omega Three Fatty Acids - Key to Health (corrupt.org)

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Anti Globalism

on Thursday October 25, 2007 @04:04PM

Anti Globalism writes: "Most of us will have heard the advice to eat at least two portions of oily fish a week. This is advised so that we will have sufficient levels of omega 3, a type of polyunsaturated fatty acid, in our diet.

Omega 3 is so important in many respects. Primarily, it is required for the brain to function effectively. Omega three is essential for cell function. From before birth, during gestation, the embryo can be profoundly affected by the levels of Omega three in the mothers diet. [Certain fish are not so safe to eat, with contamination from mercury and PCBs, such as farmed salmon, tuna, and fish higher up in the food chain like mackerel. Also cod liver oil is not recommended in pregnancy]. Eating large amounts of oily fish in late pregnancy is proven to dramatically improve the growth of the fetus, in a way that will give the child a far greater advantage in future life.

If the baby doesnt get enough omega 3 from the mothers diet, then the baby will leach it out of her body. This results in as much as a 3% loss in the mothers brain cells. And that is per child — so this means that a woman can lose a lot of mental effectiveness if she is deficient. Scary thought!

While omega 6 fatty acids are also important to our health, they are harmful when the balance with the omega 3 consumed is wrong. Today, people consume the wrong balance, with excessive omega six and too little omega three. While omega three is anti-inflammatory, omega six is inflammatory. Many conditions such as arthritis and hypertension are brought on and worsened by this imbalance. Anyone with any kind of -itis has an inflammatory condition and should take note. I am not talking about any kind of pseudo-scientific fad here, these fats were part of the very earliest design in our evolution, and feature directly or indirectly in most of the body processes. They are a key part of the body's structure. Eating these fats in correct proportions is probably even more important than eating fruit and vegetables.

Our moods are affected by the different omega fats. Omega 3 helps to prevent and cure depression, and create inner harmony. Omega 6, on the other hand, makes all such problems far worse, with its mind-altering effects. Polyunsaturated spreads such as those with sunflower oil contain high levels of omega 6. Dont believe it when you are told this is healthy. It isnt, unless you are consuming large amounts of omega 3. Omega 6 in itself could be responsible, to a large extent, for malaise of modern man. Present in processed foods, vegetable oils, meat from grain fed animals, it makes you stupider — while omega 3 is proven to enhance brain power noticeably. Just eat a can of sardines and youll notice the effect within a day — temporarily. Omega 6 makes you more prone to being aggressive, impulsive, selfish and acquisitive. And it stores in your excess fat — so you have to lose weight to rid yourself of it. Overweight junk food addicts have the mental characteristics listed as would the slimmer people who dont get enough omega 3. It is well known, also, that Omega 3 protects the heart.

Cancer research suggests that omega 3 is important for discouraging the growth of some cancers, while it has long been acknowledged that linoleic acid, a kind of omega 6, aggravates cancers. This is found in corn, sunflower, safflower and to some extent in soya bean oils.

Fish is becoming a rarer commodity in the world, due to the over-fishing of the oceans. Omega 3 is also in egg yolk. There are vegetarian sources of omega 3, and although these are not as potent as oily fish, they can take the place of food that would otherwise be consumed that may have omega 6. Research has shown that vegetarian sources of omega 3 are important for bone health. They are: flax (my favorite — put it on your cereal for eg) walnuts, algae, various beans (navy beans, kidney beans), winter quash and extra virgin olive oil (which has an amount of omega 6 also but is still very healthy).

Scientific trials have used omega 3 to successfully improve the concentration and behavior of school children. It significantly improves hyperactivity. The effects can take a few months to become noticeable, with regular intakes. It just goes to show how such a small change in habits seriously impacts on society. We must all take responsibility for our diets and those of our children and make a special effort to include omega 3."

Submission + - CORRUPT.org Launches Campaign Against Democracy (corrupt.org)

Submitted by

Anti Globalism

on Thursday October 25, 2007 @01:56PM

Anti Globalism writes: "

As of Friday the 19th of October, the civilization watchdog CORRUPT Inc. launched its world wide campaign against liberal democracy. Thanks to the newly opened merchandise shop, run by a loyal supporter of the organization, both members and public visitors have been able to order home a set of bumper stickers denouncing the political system that has torn the West apart and turned it into a consumerist circus arena. Leader and Editor of the CORRUPT movement, Alex Birch, comments on the campaign:

- Democracy is based upon the belief that all people have equal abilities and therefore can work in any position in society. This is wrong; most people are unable to cope with anything outside of their immediate existence and when combining that with the pacifying effect of television, you turn your so called "active voters" into brain dead zombies. Democracies are run by powerful lobby groups that manipulate citizens via "entertaining" propaganda and corrupt politicians. This marks a bleak era of the entire Western civilization and its future.

Mr. Birch has previously written columns on the topic of democracy and totalitarianism, comparing society to a classical orchestra:

One can see an orchestra as a metaphor for a society or a collective of individuals: each and one of us carry a different set of abilities and specializations. Some people will never become musicians; others will evolve into geniuses before they reach puberty. Only the absolute best get the chance of playing in a high-ranking symphony orchestra. Each musician has a set of notes to follow, but the job is not to follow the individual notes, but to become one with the orchestra as a whole and reach a unity to express the symphony in its entirety. (The Symphony Of Life)
The campaign has so far been successful with countless distributed propaganda across the US but the interest is increasingly spreading to Europe, where the situation is equally damaging. Mr. Birch, himself a Swede, explains: — We're right now in the process of designing custom propaganda for the upcoming Swedish election in 2010. We start early because people here need to know the reality behind the smokescreen that liberal democracy has created. There is a reason to why products are so expensive these days, why the public service is terrible, why chaos and disorder replace once healthy communities, why political corruption and scandals dominate mass media, and why people in general don't feel happy anymore. We've locked ourselves in the prison system of democracy, where we dumb things down to fit convenient but not realistic means. This has got to change and that is why we exclaim today: End Democracy! You can join the campaign by ordering home the official stickers and putting them up in public places where people notice them. Help us get the message out; work with friends, take photos of your actions and report in to our organizer."

Submission + - On the battle between Mac and PC (corrupt.org)

Submitted by

Anti Globalism

on Thursday October 25, 2007 @01:44PM

Anti Globalism writes: "My dad is what you'd call a Mac freak. His first computer back in 1994-95 was a Macintosh Performa 460. I remember as a boy, when he came home with this flat machine, our very first computer that was going to revolutionize our home. It wasn't only a computer but a sacred relic. When we started up the test software to "learn" how to use the mouse with one button, we were all very amazed. Animated graphics, blinking menus, office programs and other fancy features made it near to holy. No one was allowed to hit the "safe backup" button or enter the mysterious hard drive root. Only PCs would let you do that sort of careless stuff, my dad said with a religious sanctity.

As I grew older and got to test out early versions of Microsoft Windows 95 on my friend's PC, I started to become critical of the holy machine at home. The 33 MHz Mac didn't just seem to be significantly slower, it lacked the fun of modifying hardware and software to meet personal needs. I became acquainted with the PC and learned that it was much like life; if you wanted a blast, you first had to learn to configure it and create the desired output of choice. With Mac, you couldn't do much more than getting used to the default features. If you wanted to make it faster or replace a faulty part, you had to take it to the Apple Store, which was so expensive and time consuming on fixing things, that it in many cases was even preferable to simply buy a new computer. If you wanted better software, you had to begin saving again, because Mac software wasn't cheap. Despite that the Mac never really intrigued the rest of the family, my dad always insisted on it mysteriously being superior in every way.

"Mac-people," as they're often referred to, seem to consist of individuals who are not really technical when it comes to computers. They hear the PC-commercials on TV where they repeat a lot of advanced terms — DDR, MHz, PCI, USB, VGA — and freak out. Suddenly an Apple pops up on the screen and Justin Long from the TV-series Ed, dressed in an indie-look-a-like laid-back style, starts to talk about how cool Macs are, while the office-dressed John Hodgman from This American Life displays how neurotic and corporate-dry PCs are. We're supposed to laugh at the virus attacks, bloated features and failing software of the PC and turn our eyes toward the hip, cool and easygoing Mac. Why? "It just works."

The argument is what Apple has been marketing with for years: choosing Mac is choosing a lifestyle. You "think differently." This appeals by default to people who're not really aware of hardware or software basics. When you need a computer and don't know which one to choose, you feel good about picking something that seems simple, easy and trendy. If you're told that you automatically made the smart choice and chose something "unique," that is a double-gratification to your ego. Thus Macs have a tendency to appeal by external reasons, since the computer is no longer a working machine but a catchy accessoar for those who are "different."

Despite that Macs today use traditional hardware such as Intel processors and ATI Radeon graphics cards, you still need to cash out more for a specially designed Mac, than to simply order home a PC-equivalent for the fraction of that cost. Smart people build their own computer for an even cheaper price and optimal customization. The talk about superior stability in Apple products is no longer a fashion discussion 1 2 3; even the Mac users themselves are now starting to boycott the company. The distinction between the corporate PC and the "artistic" Mac is beginning to fade out.

Despite this fact, people love to create religious camps. The Mac users insist on pulling superficial arguments in order to disguise the obvious truth — that they're buying overpriced hardware in a slick lifestyle-defined case — while PC users have a hard time admitting that Windows is slowly turning into a seriously bloated operative system, that security-wise resembles something you'd expect would pop up along the lines of Orwell's 1984. At this point any sane person with a medium knowledge of computers, would rather read up on a 10 min instruction manual, order home the hardware they need, and then put the things together on their own. Most likely you'd install something like an old copy of Windows XP Professional or DesktopBSD, avoiding the corporate disasters of Mac OS X and Windows Vista.

More than 10 years later since Macintosh Performa 460 and both me and my dad are sitting on a custom built PC. The holy Mac has been reduced to nostalgia. Although it's safe to say that it takes some time before you discover what's quality hardware and what's not, a customized PC combined with Windows XP or a BSD installation is in all aspects superior to spending money on pre-assembled Dells or over marketed iMacs. Most companies today even let you choose your own hardware, if you feel you're safer off with a guarantee. When it comes down to it, only neurotic people view technology as an extension of their personality. Apple is effectively a corporate company fulfilling that vision and those who are foolish (read: iMad) enough to buy into their campaign, demonstrate the modern dysfunction of our time."

Submission + - Symbols Of Terror Put America On Alert (corrupt.org)

Submitted by

anti-globalism

on Wednesday October 24, 2007 @11:34PM

anti-globalism writes: "After a second grader in New Jersey went to jail for drawing a water pistol shooting his teacher, a wave of symbolic terrorism has gripped America as more incidents come to light. In these incidents, which are part hate crime and part terrorist attack, people draw ugly and primitive reminders of death and destruction.

"I was terrified when I saw it," said Susan Lawson, 34, of Merritt's Trace, Pennsylvania. Her daughter, Lisa, now spends her days at the maximum security prison nearby. When Lisa was five, her father died choking on a McDonald's hamburger. When Lisa turned nine, she handed in a drawing of Big Macs attacking Pearl Harbor and was immediately swept into the criminal courts system.

http://www.corrupt.org/articles/satire/alex_birch/symbols_of_terror_put_america_on_alert"

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