…Exploring the role of the prankster as artist, activist and social observer and the significance of the prank in society.
It’s unclear what Maria Estela Lima thought she would gain by claiming her husband had been swallowed by a boa constrictor, but in the wash of media attention that followed, it was discovered that the Paraguayan housewife was spinning a yarn. Her husband had simply left her, as husbands sometimes do. Perhaps she wanted to find a nice reporter or cameraman to keep her company. Read on at Reuters…
An excellent reference for anyone who professes to believe in anything.
The full article is on the skepdic.com Web site and is full of models, charts and graphs. It is well worth the read. -JS
Introduction
There have been many definitions of critical thinking. From a practical perspective, it may be defined as:
A process by which we use our knowledge and intelligence to effectively arrive at the most reasonable and justifiable positions on issues, and which endeavors to identify and overcome the numerous hindrances to rational thinking.
Not everyone values the need for critical thinking. Often, being methodically objective is viewed as cold, sterile, and worst of all, boring. To those who say “Have faith and let your feelings guide you to the truth,” or “Don”t let facts get in the way of an inspiring or interesting story,” these words will probably not resonate. But for those who truly understand and appreciate the importance of critical thinking, this paper, including the attached tables, can become a useful reference for daily life. Continue reading “A Practical Guide To Critical Thinking by Greg R. Haskins”
Did someone tell you recently that Winona Ryder had killed herself with prescription drugs, or that someone with your name had started a porn site? Don’t panic! These “news stories” come to you courtesy of FakeAWish.com, a site that takes the name of your choice and turns it into a juicy piece of tabloid gossip. It’s amazing how easy it is to make such things believable with a BREAKING NEWS graphic and a sober grey header.
Samuel Bester’s 4:40 video clip, 140 Pop Method, produced in 2004, uses found footage to explore the intrusion of the unknown in our media. Here, is his description of this piece in French:
Cette vidéo est un exemple de contre-culture: elle représente le goà»t pour l’insolite et la spontanéité. Elle veut échapper au poids de l’histoire et du conditionnement socio-économique. Elle existe grâce à notre société industrielle qui engendre une forme irrésistible de pollution médiatique qui a donné naissance à une génération d’image-junkies qui mixent, copient et détournent les médias tout en en créant des nouveaux. Il s’agit dans cette vidéo de montrer avec insistance ce que l’habitude nous fait oublier: la banalité, la nullité, la stupidité en la forme d’un jouet en plastique. C’est l’irruption inopinée de l’étrange dans un flot d’image identifiées. Car comme le disait si bien Aragon: “il y a plus de prodiges dans un moulin à café que dans tous les séraphins du ciel” Cette incursion dans les médias n’évoque rien, ne parle de rien ne symbolise rien car comment se faire comprendre d’une biche quand on n’est pas sà»r d’àªtre un cheval!
Graffiti, in case anyone missed the point, is a marking on a surface. Graffiti eradication is typically the application of paint over the marking of the surface. In terms of “damage,” there is no evidence that one layer of paint is less destructive than the one beneath it. In the course of painting over graffiti, the eradicators create a unique marking of their own that writers call “buffmarks.” Roll along the highways of LA and see thousands of buffmarks, each as visually compelling as the next and the last, each with a story to tell. Continue reading “Community Service (2002)”