Many people hardly realize how much they are exposed to the media or how it impacts their everyday lives until it is actually identified.

Today’s society is a world in which citizens have become dependent on being fed information to keep them moving in the right direction.  Everything from work, education, relationships, traveling, entertainment and health concerns are influenced by what the media dictates through the use of advertisements, magazines, newspapers and the television.

“After seeing thousands of persuasive advertising messages, we make buying decisions based on what we saw in newspaper and magazine ads, saw and heard in television and radio ads, and saw and heard in ads on websites. Those ads tell us we can trust a product or service and that many people we know are buying the product or service and liking it,” says Dr. Anthony R Curtis, professor of the Mass Media Department at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, in a recent study.

One of the first things many people do when they wake up in the morning is turn on the computer and go online to check the weather. Doing this determines what clothes will be appropriate for the work day and the style of dress chosen is usually influenced, by others or from latest fashion trends seen on the TV or in magazines.

When getting ready to start the day, take notice of the items you use: toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, make-up etc. They are most likely popular brands that were either advertised in a commercial or from a magazine.

According to The Media Comparisons Study, from TVB with Knowledge Networks, consumers credit TV ads as most influential in making a purchase decision. It is also a key source of information that consumers are most likely to learn about products and brands they would like to try or buy. The internet was next followed by newspapers and magazines.

According to Bill Harvey, a long-time media thought leader and vice-chairman of TRA, a New York sales data provider, “Ad quality is, itself, a behaviorist measure, since it’s based on data from set-top boxes and frequent-shopper cards that tells them that higher-quality ads are relatively more likely to be watched than skipped over.” Moreover, he has found that quality ads cause positive changes in brand purchase and greater return of investment. Since these quality ads are watched and bring a greater ROI that further proves that the media does influence people’s decisions.

From a marketing perspective, an individual’s decisions are based on what is inherent from their own cultures, from outside social references or their personal experiences. In work and school people know what has to be done based on their learned experiences and studies, but in daily life they rely on media to get the current news, facts and trends concerning what is important and what they should be aware of.

If people did not watch TV or glance through magazines how would they know what to buy to support needs and wants? Society needs the media to make so many decisions in life thus making it hard to determine how they can live without it now that it so widespread.

The current generation of young people has grown up in this environment with technology present in almost every aspect and their lives are consumed by it.

“Today’s huge merged companies have the power to shape our opinions and beliefs and influence our decisions. This is why it’s important to be aware of what we are exposed to every day, so we can look at things from different perspectives and not just from the perspective of a medium,” Curtis said.

Although people appreciate the media for all the positive things that come from it, the influential implications result in a society of individuals unable to make independent decisions.

The article The Media Impact on Consumer’s Decisions appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Following the Venezuelan independence day last Wednesday, US presidential nominee Mitt Romney issued a statement saying that Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez “failed to honor the spirit of freedom with which Venezuela was established. Hugo Chávez is promoting ideas in Venezuela and other Latin American countries that run counter to freedom, prevent prosperity and expand tyranny.”

The statement is typical US discourse opposing Chavez, who has long been a hate figure in US media. The populist ideas Chavez is promoting have long been a concern for the US. This was illustrated by a similar statement by former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, then reacting to Salvardo Allende’s election in Chile in 1970.

Chile was then on the verge of becoming an independent socialist state rather than a Soviet satellite, a development which, according to Kissinger, “would be far more dangerous… because its ‘model’ effect can be insidious… our main concern is the prospect that [Allende] can consolidate himself and the picture projected to the world will be his success.”

Washington’s greatest fear, far greater than communism or the rise of totalitarianism, is, and always has been, successful independent nationalism. That has currently become a reality across Latin America following the last ten year’s remarkable development known as the “pink tide.” This movement is characterized by the election of leftist governments (with notable examples such as Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, Rafael Correa in Ecuador and Evo Morales in Bolivia, among others), increased government control over natural resources with new social reforms favoring the poor and former marginalized indigenous populations, and a region-wide opposition to Washington influence stretching from Venezuela to Argentina.

Venezuela has been on the forefront of this socialist movement, initiated by the 1999 election of Hugo Chavez.

Hugo Chavez was elected President following two decades of economic turmoil in Venezuela. Chavez, coming from poor conditions himself, immediately set out to introduce reforms specifically targeting the poor majority – a former invisible group in a Venezuela dominated by a small and wealthy elite with close ties to the US.

Today, Venezuela has free health care and free education, as well as some of the highest literacy rates in the region. In 2002, the disgruntled upper class, rendered powerless under the Chavez government, staged a coup with the help of Washington. The US had been channeling millions of dollars to the coup makers through US Aid and the National Endowment for democracy. Chavez was replaced by Pedro Carmona, a businessman who suspended all members of the Supreme Court, the National Assembly and the National Electoral board and assumed dictatorial powers.

The IMF was not late to jump aboard; during a press briefing the day after the coup, Thomas C. Dawson, Director of the External Relations Department in the IMF, immediately pledged allegiance to the Carmona government, saying that “we stand ready to assist the new administration in whatever manner they find.”

All the while, official US spokesmen backed a phony story about Chavez supporters shooting innocent civilians. However, the poor masses were not going to accept being marginalized once again, and thus emerged with great numbers from the Barrios demanding Chavez reinstatement. As they approached the presidential palace, the army turned against the coup makers and reinstated Chavez, a mere 48 hours after his ousting.

Philip Agee, a former CIA agent operating in Latin America, explains why the US would back a coup overthrowing an elected government and replace it with a dictator: “In the CIA, we didn’t give a hoot about democracy. It was fine if a government was elected and would co-operate with us, but if it didn’t, then democracy didn’t mean a thing to us, and I don’t think it means a thing today.”

Venezuela is home to the largest oil reserves in the world outside of the Middle East, and is thus a country of vital strategic importance to the US. Detrimental to US designs, Chavez is forming close ties with China instead of Washington. Chavez is also cooperating closely with Cuba, Argentina and other South American nations under the premise of achieving a Latin American “grand unity,” in which Washington is not included.

The US often condemns Venezuela and its current form of democracy, while paradoxically praising and supporting the neighboring government of Colombia, a country with one of the worst human rights record in history. According to virtually unreported Latinobarometro polls, Venezuela is annually the highest ranking in all of South America when it comes to trust in democracy, assessment of the current and future economic situations, equality, justice, and education standards.

Venezuela has got its far share of problems, such as mounting inflation and continuous corruption, but compared to the pre-Chavez Venezuela, where the majority of the population were completely marginalized, the democratic development is nothing far from remarkable.

As Latin America is steadily slipping out of US control, Washington is waking up to a new multipolar world in which its powers are no longer taken for granted. The continent has seen a remarkable reversal of detrimental financial and social policies during the last ten years. The region, which contemptuously has been known as Americas “back yard,” is moving towards a future in which a bewildered Washington no longer has a place.

No wonder Mitt Romney is disgruntled.

Image COurtesy of   ¡Que comunismo!

The article A Dangerous Model: Venezuela and the Pink Tide appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

According to A.C. Nielsen Co. which studies consumer behavior, the average U.S. Citizen watches TV more than four hours a day. This means that we spend one sixth of the day listening, and in a passive way, to the opinions of some characters that are the spokesmen of those who decide what has to, and what has not, to be said in their channel. In other words,during a 65 year life, we would spent 9 years in front of the tube.

What’s more is that during the time we watch television, we acquire the vulgar manners that some characters use on those comfortable sofas in the TV sets. We pick up on the fictional use of counterproductive verbiage in a jungle where law is established by the one that shouts most.

But my intention is not to criticize  this sensationalist programs, nor the unbiased loose of this media, since they are in their right of expressing their points of views even when boorish. Plus, no one forces us to consume these programs.

However, until that point, aren’t we forced to watch those things that just a few people from the elites want us to consume?

Ten mega corporations, including the  OL/Times Warner, Gannett Company, and the Rupert Murdoch conglomerate, News Corporation, share and control the biggest information medias from the United States. This means that what seems like a plural market is no more than a group of ten huge companies, where there is not a place for any type of individual voice.

Logically, these companies move around benefiting their own interests. In this profitability race, there is a place for every type of trick from hiding what does not benefit them to informing to exhaustion about what it does. For instance, let’s take the Spanish actual media case.

One month ago, the miners in northern Spain have cut several of roads to protest against the subsidies that were promised at one point by the government, and are now denied. Despite its importance, there is a clear news blackout about this topic.

On the other hand, we have soccer. Spain has reached the Euro Cup final. This is something historic, but it still does not deserve the treatment it receives. For hours and hours, many different channels chew any information related to the Spanish national team, while, in the meantime, the risk premium and the unemployment rate go higher and higher. A perfect example of bread and circus. McCombs already said in his 1968 Agenda Setting theory that news media have the power to influence the salience of topics on the public agenda. In other words, media influences society and determines which stories are newsworthy for them. 

There is an abuse because these carriers of information, which are an authority in the information field, use their medias to promote and to seat the ideas that benefit them. As an example, we just have to take a look at the role that most televisions took disseminating Iraq war propaganda. The different TV companies from different countries presented the war quite diversely according to where they came from. For example, when things went very bad at for U.S. forces, a story originated from a reporter that supposedly found a huge chemical weapons production facility. This story was quickly spread through the U.S. media, and after was discovered it was not true.

Also consider the Jessica Lynch case, a clear example of manipulating a story.

Whether forced by higher spheres such as the government, or maybe due to the profitable war, these companies constantly repeat their ideas and thoughts every time we read a newspaper or watch TV.

Think about it. A passive and frivolous society, that does not know the intentions of those who manage the world. Scary, is it not?

The article Handled Like Puppets by TV appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The Global Alliance for Zimbabwe applauded British Prime Minister David Cameron’s call for fostering the growth of democratic culture in Zimbabwe, and echoed fully his appeal to the international community to ensure non-violent, free and fair elections later this year.

“Advocating for a peaceful, prosperous, and free Zimbabwe is our daily mission, and we agree with Prime Minister Cameron that non-violent, free and fair elections are the essential first step,” said Chairman Roy Bennett.

“For this reason, members of the international community will be gathering in Washington, DC on April 19, 2012 to learn more about the rampant human rights violations in Zimbabwe, and how they can help to eradicate them,” Bennett continued.

For nearly thirty years, Robert Mugabe and his ZANU-PF have ruled Zimbabwe with ruthless, destructive focus. Employing torture and terror to maintain control of the citizenry, they’ve confiscated private property, dismantled once thriving businesses, and shuttered all but state-controlled media. Thousands have been killed, tens of thousands have been raped or maimed, and hundreds of thousands have been forcibly removed from their homes.

“During the Zimbabwe elections of 2008, our citizens voted overwhelmingly for a new democratic government. In the face of organized beatings, mob attacks, rapes, murders and torture, the people of Zimbabwe stood strong and united in their opposition to Mugabe and ZANU-PF.

Sadly, it was not enough,” said Bennett. “Robert Mugabe and ZANU-PF refused to recognize the results of the election and punished those who opposed him. Since the 2008 election, atrocities in Zimbabwe have continued, with military henchmen using violence and intimidation to maintain control of the country.

“During the aftermath of the 2008 election, International opinion was offended, but not inclined to intervene. This time around, we won’t be so timid about asking for the world to please pay closer attention. In our effort to bring awareness to the humanitarian crisis and focus international attention on upcoming elections – to proactively advocate for non-violent, free and fair elections in 2012 – we strive also to seek, summon, and coalesce International outrage with which to pressure Robert Mugabe and ZANU-PF to end abuses and free Zimbabwe.

“With your help, we envision a peaceful, prosperous and free Zimbabwe that is an example to the region, the continent and the world of how a country, and its people, can thrive when good governance, the rule of law and a democratically-elected government are allowed to exist,”

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/number10gov/

The article David Cameron Articulates Vision for Zimbabwean Elections appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Innumerous accounts of discomfort with security of mobile social networks for gay guys, like Grindr, have prompted the makers of Hornet, a brand new, second generation network, to make security and safety front and center of their app design.

This starts but is not limited to the next most important item after use of condoms to control the spread of STD, the knowledge of one’s HIV status and a reminder to frequently re-test, especially if the person is sexually active on gay social mobile networks.

Based on the positive experience of websites in Asia, Hornet is the first to introduce the “Know your Status” KYS campaign to mobile social networks for gay people.  In their profile, positive or recently tested guys will get a special marker, so that users are prompted to enroll in this purely voluntary campaign for a safer environment.  Once a test comes up for renewal, Hornet reminds people to get tested again, or their KYS status lapses to unknown.

Unlike most other gay SNS and Grindr, Hornet uses an HTTPS secure connection and SSL certificates as known from your Online Banking.

In addition, Hornet has integrated innumerous safety and security features into its app.  Unlike most other gay SNS and Grindr, Hornet uses an HTTPS secure connection and SSL certificates as known from your Online Banking.  It also gives users full control over a private portion of their picture uploads, so that broadcasting one’s profile in their neighborhood can be more controlled than an entirely open experience or map-based displays, making them vulnerable to hate crimes.

Within any app system that stores data, there are vulnerabilities, but apps like Grindr can make some easy improvements to move forward with security.  Hornet encourages the entire app community to make improvements and migrate in this direction, so that users can browse in a more secure environment, making our message today about bringing the ease of online dating to more users and sharing the market in a secure way.

The article Hornet: New Gay Mobile Social Networks appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

As the national news media continues to focus on the Sandusky and Syracuse child abuse allegations, a coalition of national experts applauded a bill introduced this week by U.S. Senators.

John Kerry (D-MA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) and U.S. Representatives Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) and Joseph Crowley (D-NY), who were joined by ten members of the House Ways and Means Committee, proposed a bill that could make a significant impact towards reducing fatalities resulting from child abuse and neglect, and make improvements throughout the child welfare system.

More than seven children die from abuse and neglect every day in America – some 2,500 a year – reflecting the estimated 50 percent undercounting in the officially estimated figure of 1,560. A child is abused or neglected every 36 seconds in the United States, yet only 40 percent of abused children with substantiated cases receive services, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Representatives of the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths (NCECAD) expressed concern that the current national media attention being paid to the Sandusky and Syracuse child abuse allegations would not create the needed additional pressure on Congress to deal with wider child death and abuse problems.

Such focused attention on specific abuse cases often obscures the need for wider attention to the problem, according to the NCECAD experts. Pointing to the need for multi-faced solutions, NCECAD members applauded the recently introduced Protect Our Kids Act, which would establish a commission to study and evaluate federal, state, and local public and private child welfare systems.

Protect Our Kids would also develop a national strategy and recommendations for preventing child abuse and reducing fatalities resulting from child abuse and neglect.  The full text of the legislation is available online at www.endchildabusedeaths.org.

Kimberly Day, spokesperson for the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths, said:  ”It is important that the media is covering the most recent high profile and horrific child sexual abuse cases, but it is also important that the public understand that what they are hearing is only part of a larger problem of child abuse and neglect in the United States.

The proposed bill will provide a national strategy for improving our child protection system by recommending practices that protect children and prevent abuse and neglect”. ”This legislation in an important step that Congress and our nation need to take in order to better protect our children from abuse and neglect,” said Senator Collins.

“This is not a Democratic or Republican issue – this is an American issue – one that we can’t wish away, but that we must face head on and work to eradicate. Our legislation would establish a commission to develop a comprehensive national strategy for reducing child abuse fatalities.  An increased understanding and awareness of child abuse and neglect can lead to improvement in agency systems and practices and help prevent future child abuse fatalities.”

Rep. Doggett, ranking member of the Human Resources Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over this issue stated, ”Addressing this ongoing tragedy requires a better understanding of the causes of abuse and neglect and a determination of the most effective steps to prevent maltreatment. This bipartisan commission offers a way to develop a more coordinated, national response.”

“As a father to three young kids, it breaks my heart to hear the thousands of stories of children suffering from abuse or neglect every day. What’s worse is the alarming number of children who die each year from mistreatment. The simple fact is, even one child’s death from abuse, neglect or maltreatment is one too many,” said Rep. Crowley.

“This is an issue of grave concern and one that deserves a national focus. That’s why I’m proud to fight alongside tireless advocates like the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths, and I am glad to have worked with them and my colleagues in creating legislation that will help determine how we as a nation can better protect our children.”

The article After Sandusky Case New Bill to Reduce Child Abuse Deaths appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The ten worst media disasters of 2011 include a politician who lost his place, a country singer who lost his job, and a celebrity who lost his show. The list was published December 14 on the Mr. Media Training Blog, the world’s most visited media training website.

The media spokespersons were selected based on the impact of their gaffes. All ten people reinforced an existing narrative about their lack of preparedness for office, their lack of discipline, or their lack of compassion. Videos of all ten media disasters are available at http://www.mrmediatraining.com/index.php/2011/12/14/the-ten-worst-media-disasters-of-2011/.

10. Hank Williams, Jr. Compares President Obama to Adolf Hitler

In October, country singer Hank Williams, Jr. was fired up during an appearance on Fox and Friends. While reflecting on a golf match between President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner, Mr. Williams quipped, “It would be like Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu.” ESPN promptly dropped his theme song as its Monday Night Football opener.

9. Sarah Palin’s “Blood Libel”

Months before Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) was shot in Tucson, Former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) released a “crosshairs map,” which placed a target over Ms. Giffords’ congressional district. In the days after the shooting, Ms. Palin was blamed by some journalists for the shooting.

Palin was upset by media stories connecting her to the crime; she was right that no evidence linked the shooter to her map. But she over-reacted, gracelessly blaming the media for committing “blood libel.” That term is most commonly used as an anti-Semitic slur referring to Jews murdering Christians. Her poll numbers immediately plummeted among Independents and Republicans.

8. NPR Fundraiser Ron Schiller Blasts The Tea Party

National Public Radio’s chief fundraiser, Ron Schiller, went to lunch with a couple of men claiming to be Muslim donors in March. It turned out they were Republican activists with a hidden camera. During the meal, Schiller called members of the Tea Party, “seriously racist, racist people.”

That he made those comments was bad enough; that he made them while NPR was already in the midst of a heated debate about its public funding was flabbergasting. His comments led to his immediate resignation and the resignation of NPR’s CEO. The House of Representatives voted to strip NPR of its federal funding; the Senate prevented that from happening – for now.

7. Rupert Murdoch Channels Tony Hayward

While testifying before the British Parliament in July, News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch was asked whether he accepted the ultimate responsibility for his company’s phone hacking scandal. Not only did he say “no,” but he delivered his answer without even a hint of humility. By delivering such an indifferent answer, he gave former BP Executive Tony “I’d like my life back” Hayward competition as the world’s most clueless corporate executive.

6. Rick Perry’s “Oops” Moment

During a Republican presidential debate in November, Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) confidently declared he would eliminate three government agencies – and promptly forgot what they were. For 47 painful seconds, Mr. Perry tried to recall the third agency he would eliminate. He finally gave up, shrugged his shoulders, and lamely said, “Oops.” That one moment likely sank any remaining chances Mr. Perry had of winning the nomination.

5. President Obama Jokes About Joblessness

With the nation’s unemployment rate above nine percent and millions of Americans desperate to find work, President Obama cracked a joke in June that few people found funny. When a questioner asked a serious question about the nation’s inefficient permitting process, Mr. Obama cracked wise about his two-year-old pledge to create shovel-ready jobs, joking, “Shovel-ready was not as shovel-ready as we expected.” Many people blasted the President for displaying an insensitive political tin ear.

4. Charlie Sheen’s Downward Spiral

There’s little funny about addiction, and Charlie Sheen’s dangerous spiral was sad to watch. Sheen stayed in the news for months, but it was his out-of-touch interview with sycophantic radio host Alex Jones in February that led to his dismissal from his top-rated sitcom, Two and a Half Men.

In that interview, Sheen made vaguely anti-Semitic comments about “Men” creator Chuck Lorre, called Alcoholics Anonymous a “bootleg cult,” and labeled Thomas Jefferson a “pussy.”

3. The Herman Cain Affair

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain was caught flat-footed in October when numerous women accused him of sexual harassment (another woman later asserted she had had a long-term affair with him).

Mr. Cain changed his story on an almost-hourly basis, even arguing that a “settlement” meant something different than an “agreement.” Mr. Cain dropped out of the race in December, maintaining his innocence to a public that no longer believed him.

2. (Alleged) Penn State Child Rapist Jerry Sandusky Speaks

When former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky spoke to NBC’s Bob Costas in November about horrific allegations that he raped numerous boys, no one was prepared for his jaw-dropping answer to this direct question: “Are you sexually attracted to young boys?” It took Sandusky 16 seconds to say “no.”

Instead, he began by saying how much he “enjoyed” young people and loves to be around them. Sandusky’s alleged actions, combined with Penn State’s ineffectual response, led to the firings of the University president and legendary football coach Joe Paterno.

1. Anthony Weiner’s Twitter Scandal

Self-immolations rarely come in more spectacular fashion than when Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) was caught tweeting naughty photos to strangers in June.

His approach to crisis management was to deny the charges and claim his Twitter account had been hacked; call a reporter a “jackass;” say that although he hadn’t sent the photos, he couldn’t rule out “with certitude” that the erect undies shot was of him; hold a tearful press conference to admit he had actually tweeted the photos himself; watch helplessly as a nude photo of his penis was released; and resign in shame.

After Mr. Weiner resigned, a Republican won his seat, costing Democrats a critical seat in the House of Representatives.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/americanprogressaction/

The article US Worst Media Disasters of 2011 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Since the beginning of the year, most of the Islamic world has been in uproar over the demand for recognition of people’s rights and an end to the autocratic regimes set up in the vast majority of these countries. While some revolutions have been successful — for instance, the example of Egypt and most recently the fall of Libya’s Gadaffi — others have not been able to enjoy the liberties brought by the Arab Spring revolutions.

Bahrain has often been regarded as a modern and reasonable country, even though recent reports claim riot police targeted Shiite Muslim protesters and caused the death of a 14-year-old boy.

The demands of the Bahrainis for a more democratic and equalitarian state were never met and protesters were soon detained. Shiites account for more than 70% of the population but are ruled by a Sunni minority, being treated as second-class citizens and often ostracized. Most of the activists in this battle have turned to social media websites to fight for their freedom.

Youtube and other video-sharing websites are also being used as a means to raise awareness concerning the anti-government movement and their human rights rallies. Facebook has proved to be one of the strongest weapons against the establishment. It is being used by protesters as an information outlet to the rest of the world, as well as a means to gather activists.

The page TrueRoyalDemocracy devotes itself to help organize pro-democracy demonstrations and expose police brutality. However, police and government officials have also resorted to social media in order to track down and identify protesters, having arrested and tortured them in the past.

According to Nancy Messieh, Middle East editor at The Next Web, demonstrators are aware of the danger and risks of posting anti-government messages online, but continue to do so in the hopes of eventually reaching their goal: “Even if you look at the extent that people will go to, away from social media, like what we are seeing in Syria at the moment, they know the consequences, they know what they’re getting themselves into and they’re still willing to do it, and I think even with social media it is exactly the same thing.

If this is a tool that they can use, they’re going to use it, despite the risks.” Social media platforms were a monumental tool for the change in Egypt, and the same could happen in Bahrain. In light of recent events, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has vowed to investigate recent killings in Bahrain and develop reform, in an attempt to meet the demands Bahrainis have called for.

Could this be a sign of change to come or is it merely a tactic to silence the ever-growing voice of the opposition? We might know soon enough.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/mahmood/

The article Bahrain and the Impact of Social Media appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The death of two 18-year-old boys, while partying at the end of August, was reported by the National Police in Getafe, Madrid. Another boy was hospitalized. After the investigation, police concluded that the boys died due to an overdose of a new drug composed of alcohol, speed, and a plant called Datura Stramonium.

The consumption took place in a remote and derelict old monastery where an underground rave party was taking place. Some thought that a 23 year-old male, nicknamed Cabe, must have been involved in the partiers’ deaths. According to party-goers, Cabe had offered free samples of his homemade drug to people.

As Cabe reported to the police “We [Cabe and his girlfriend] handled it for free to lure people to try it and open new markets.” Both Cabe and his girlfriend were arrested and charged of offense against public health and negligent homicide. Three days after Cabe’s public statement and arrest, an unrelated group of adolescent, intrigued by the media coverage of the incident, decided to experiment with the same toxic plant just for fun.

But the euphoria caused bizarre behavior of the boys.  Witnesses reported that one of the guys, at night in the middle of a crowded street, started to suffer hallucinations, was incapable to focus his vision, and was moving his arms as if he was trying to catch something in the air. He was unable to answer questions and only murmured indecipherable words.

A girl observing the scene decided to call the emergency service with her cell phone. Unfortunately the operator on duty did not believe her claims. It took the girl several calls to get an ambulance to come to the scene. Upon arriving, the ambulance was unequipped to care for the drugged up boy and drove him straight to the hospital – the boy was in a deep coma.

Datura Stramonium is an ancient plant with very toxic seeds and leaves that contains atropine, a drug with a wide variety of effects. Among others it can be listed as: delirium, hyperthermia, tachycardia or photophobia. There is not a maximum dose per person because it depends on the physical characteristics of the consumer so any quantity can be lethal.

The plant is also known as devil´s weed, devil´s trumpet, moonflower or Jamestown weed. Many are questioning whether the media should raise alarm concerning this drug. Last time there was a similar reported case in Spain, was during 2004 in Valencia; a Danish man was offering a beverage made from Stramonium to whoever wanted it and five people consumed the dangerous substance.

A week later, four more were intoxicated during a Gay Pride Parade due to the same media luring effect.

The article Devil´s Weed Kills Again in Spain appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

After Michele Bachmann’s crucial win in the straw poll in Iowa on Saturday, she made the rounds on the Sunday morning shows answering some difficult questions with her well rehearsed sound bites.

Bachmann, the Minnesota congresswoman, defended her hypocrisy on federal stimulus money on Fox News. She also stated that even though she was adamantly against raising the debt ceiling, she never advocated default. Really?

On “Fox News Sunday,” host Chris Wallace noted the recent rating downgrade by credit rating agency Standard & Poor. Bachmann continued to defend her position, stating that she put forth her own plan that would have denied an increase in the debt ceiling and instead required the Treasury Department to prioritize payments to U.S. creditors, Social Security recipients, Medicare beneficiaries and the U.S. military.

Wallace pointed out that doing that would have required defunding a majority of government programs, but Bachmann was undeterred. “Doesn’t that tell you how bad off the U.S. is — the fact that we’re overspending to that amount?” Bachmann said.

Wallace asked Bachmann how she would work with Democrats to increase the credit rating. Bachmann provided an interesting answer, saying she would “work tirelessly” to ensure that the Republican Party picked up 13 seats in the Senate, giving Republicans a filibuster-proof majority to enact her agenda.

“That would send a very strong signal to the market,” Bachmann said.

Bachmann later appeared on “This Week” on ABC News. Jake Tapper, guest anchor this week, asked Bachmann what specific programs she would cut to reduce the federal budget deficit. Bachmann suggested that Medicare and Social Security would be on the chopping block.

“Right now, we’re gonna reform entitlements,” Bachmann said. “Medicare, Medicaid, they have to be changed. Why should we continue to run these program the way we did 45 years ago? Systems have changed.

We can — we can make these far more efficient than what they are. Social Security is another program, 80 years old. Why would we continue to run it in the same way we did 80 years ago? Let’s modernize it so it’s there for people who depend on it.”

Bachmann wrapped up the talk show circuit with an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Host David Gregory pressed Bachmann for follow up on a question she received during the debate on Thursday night about the roles wives play.

In a 2006 speech, Bachmann had said that wives had to be submissive to their husbands. “My husband said, now you need to go and get a post-doctorate degree in tax law. Tax law, I hate taxes. Why should I go and do something like that? The Lord says, ‘Be submissive.’ Wives, you are to be submissive to your husbands.”

Gregory played the sound bite and asked, “Is that your view for women in America? Is that your vision for them?”

“Submission — that word means respect,” Bachmann replied.

Gregory said that in his discussions with his own wife, the two words are not equivalent.

“In our house, it is,” Bachmann said.

Gregory asked: “His word goes?”

“Well, both of our words go,” Bachmann said. “We respect each other. We’re a good team together.”

And this is who the GOP wants for president. A woman that believes submissive means the same as respect and a woman who will follow her husband’s orders. Who exactly is running? Bachmann or her husband?

Image Courtesy of   http://www.facebook.com/RepMicheleBachmann

The article Michele Bachmann’s Sunday: Aftermath of Crucial Win appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The face of the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi became the image for the new campaign of the German public television networks ARD and ZDF, promoting the freedom and the independence of the media.

Next to the image of the smiling Italian Premier appears the slogan “Democracy is only as strong as its media”. Simple and clear the recall to the Italian “special situation” regarding media freedom and the concentration of powers in the Prime Minister’s hands.

Mr Berlusconi is the owner of Mediaset, the largest broadcast media group in Italy, but that’s not all. He is also the main Italian publisher because he owns the publishing house Mondadori, which controls the 50 per cent of the books market and a very large share of that of magazine too. Moreover his family is the owner of the newspaper Il Giornale, that constantly expresses support to him and to his political party.

Being the Prime Minister, the head of the government, he also exerts a strong influence over the public television RAI, that has always been characterized by a historical politicization and conditioning from the government and the political parties.

During his various legislatures since 1994 – the current is the forth – were passed numerous laws which favoured Mr Berlusconi and his family’s enterprises also in the regulations of the media sector.

The particular situation of Italy in matter of media freedom is an actual anomaly. The conflict of interest of the Prime Minister, the concentration of the media, the strong political control of the governments alternatively in charge over the broadcasting service are the peculiarities of this anomaly.

Since 2004 Freedom House in reporting its results of an analysis about freedom of press and information in the world’s countries, defined Italy as “partly free” according to its position in the rank scale. 2010 results see Italy at 75 position, just before Bulgaria and Namibia, still defining it as partly free.

Many international institutions and organization – as “Special Rapporteur” of UN, OSCE Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, International Press Institute, Council of Europe, EFJ International Federation of Journalists, OSI Open Society Institute, IHF International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights – expressed their concern on the Italian situation of independence and freedom of media.

The OSCE reported about the conflict of interest: “In a democracy, it is incompatible to be both in command of news media and to hold a public post”.

On the same issue the International Press Institute “Italy has a special place in Europe with regard to freedom of the media because in no European country does the prime minister, the head of the government, who is the politician that can exert the most power over the state media, own most of the other broadcasting media, and many of the print media”.

The European Commission gave notice also of “the imbalance between press and television, that absorbs the 60 per cent of the overall mass media advertising spending; the substantial monopoly of privately-owned television, with Mediaset that continues to show a significant increase in income and revenues every year, thanks to the “dragging effect” of the “Berlusconi-Prime Minister” factor.

The problems of the Italian style democracy in the media sector – and in other fields as well – are well-known, but been an insider the consciousness of a real lack of independence in the media is stronger than out of the country.

Just who is used to watch the various TV channels can feel the difference between them and their way to supply information. The same news can sound very different from channel to channel according to their political tendency or their ownership. Even the images can be totally conflicting. Television and press are clearly politicized. The “inconvenient news” for the ruling class and its head is opportunely avoided or disguised by the main channels and newspapers.

Only the opposition gives a wider view of the facts, but also in those channels and newspapers – which are not as influential as the others – is the political tendency or the membership to a political party that influence the news. Journalism is always political in Italy, in a way or another.

Meanwhile the Prime Minister’s image is being used in another country as a negative figure to promote the freedom of media, Italians have to face this sad reality – mostly unawares – which sounds very far from the Western democratic world.

The article Freedom and Independence of Media, the Italian Anomaly appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Sarah Palin and Donald Trump are starting to share more similarities than differences.  They are both reality show stars, for one.  But, now they are both mounting ‘pretend’ presidential campaigns, even though, in all likelihood, neither of them will actually run.

The former Alaska governor told Fox News last week she is “still thinking about” running for president in 2012, and she feels “tempted” to do so because she questions the other potential Republican candidates’ motives.  “I’m still wondering who the heck is going to be out there with a servant’s heart willing to serve the American people for the right reason, not for ego, not for special interests, not with obsessive partisanship,” Palin, a paid Fox contributor, told the network’s Greta Van Susteren in a lengthy interview.

However, evidence is mounting that Palin will not enter the fray in the next election.  She has not begun to build any campaign organization or visit the crucial early primary states.  Palin has not hired additional staff; instead her staff is shrinking.  She recently parted ways with two of her most experienced political operatives, Jason Recher and Doug McMarlin, both veterans of the Bush administration.  Sources suggest that the parting was not sudden and that Palin is simply downsizing.

The polls also indicate that Palin should not mount any political bid.  Her popularity has been decreasing in the past few months.  Even pundits on the conservative end of the spectrum have begun to criticize Palin.  Her reality television series and her daughter’s stint on Dancing with the Stars have made it difficult for some to take her seriously.

Palin, who often complains about the ‘lamestream media,’ told Van Susteren that she didn’t care about the media any longer.  “I’m through whining about a liberal press that holds particularly conservative women to a different standard, because it doesn’t do any good to whine about it,” she said. “Nobody ever promised life was going to be fair. And politics really isn’t fair, the scrutiny, the double standards, and all that.”

In all likelihood, Palin will continue to dangle the “will I or won’t I run” carrot for a little longer.  She seems to really like being in the media spotlight but I think her mind has been made up for a while.

The article Sarah Palin is “Still Thinking About” Running in 2012 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Sarah Palin is back on the attack against her nemesis, the “lamestream media.”  Only a day after she announced that she was done complaining about the unfair media, she talked about the media again.  And this time she used her slogan that got her into so much trouble following the Tucson shooting-she said she was ready to “reload.”  In a Facebook post entitled, “Lamestream Media:  Reload or White Flag?” Palin, or really her aide that writes her Facebook notes for her, begins the war with the media again.

“Friends, too often conservatives or Republicans in general come across as having the fighting instinct of sheep. I don’t,” Palin wrote last Thursday. “I was raised to believe that you don’t retreat when you’re on solid ground; so even though it often seems like I’m armed with just a few stones and a sling against a media giant, I’ll use those small resources to do what I can to set the record straight. The truth is always worth fighting for. Doing so isn’t whining or ‘playing the victim card’; it’s defending the truth in fairness to those who seek accurate information. I’ll keep attempting to correct misinformation and falsehoods about myself and my record, and I will certainly never shy from defending others who are unfairly attacked. This is in the name of justice.”

She went on to try to clarify her position and reframe her battle with the “liberal’ media.

“We must always remember the big picture. The media has always been biased. Conservatives – and especially conservative women – have always been held to a different standard and attacked,” Palin said. “Let’s just acknowledge that commonsense conservatives must be stronger and work that much harder because of the obvious bias. And let’s be encouraged with a sense of poetic justice by knowing that the ‘mainstream’ media isn’t mainstream anymore. That’s why I call it ‘lamestream,’ and the LSM is becoming quite irrelevant, as it is no longer the sole gatekeeper of information.”

Palin also addressed, somewhat indirectly, an insult directed at her by Bill Maher over the weekend, in which the comedian called her a “dumb twat.”  When asked on Fox News about the incident, Palin declined to comment and instead said she was done whining about the media.  However, on her Facebook page, she could not resist.  “I won’t bother responding to it though, because it was made by he who reminds me of an annoying little mosquito found zipped up in your tent; he can’t do any harm, but buzzes around annoyingly until it’s time to give him the proverbial slap.”

Again, I ask—does Palin realize she is employed by the media??

The article Palin is “Reloading” against Media appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.