The global warming, climate change camp has linked any extreme weather event as confirmation of mans' influence on climate. This is especially true in Australia where droughts or floods are being seen increasingly as unusual events. So lets get some perspective here and look at some writing before the climate hysteria. The poem "My Country" by Dorothea Mackeller, first published in 1908 is widely known in Australia (especially the line: "I love a sunburnt country"). The imagery represented shows Australia as a harsh landscape of storms and drought and terror but also of an opal heart and splendour. Could this poem have been written in present day 21st Century Australia? Dorothea Mackeller would have been branded a skeptic and denier.

My Country
by Dorothea MacKeller, 1908

The love of field and coppice
Of green and shaded lanes,
Of ordered woods and gardens Read more »

I've rediscovered the Discovering Psychology videos. These psychological experiments from the mid 20th century still hold immense relevance. You may believe that the decisions you make and ideas you formulate are your own, but are they really? Can you be made to do things morally against your better judgement or be persuaded to disbelieve your own eyes? The truth is you probably are being manipulated through the media, advertisement even work colleages, family and friends. You are most likely influencing others too. These videos show how the power of the situation can make you do things that you would not ordinarily do.

The first video introduces Kurt Lewin. He was one of the pioneers of social psychology and was interested in how dictators were able to get ordinary people to do horrible things. These leaders were able to subvert personal morals of whole populations to follow the group mentality. Read more »

The mainstream media is a very strange beast; When there is a bandwagon to hop on, they all pile on. This clouds all judgement and the same message is touted on all media channels. This obviously has an influence on peoples perceptions and opinions. In most cases, you wont even know it's happening.

In the last presidential election 2008, the media was bending over backwards to reinforce the notion that the winner of the 2008 Iowa caucuses would most likely be winner of the parties candidacy and run for President. This meme of Iowa made sense since their approved front runner, Barack Obama, was the favorite to win. Each news channel reinforced this meme, that the winner of Iowa is an important milestone that will open the door to the presidency. Read more »

If you are a journalist student or someone interested in how the media interpret stories and publish articles, this is a great insider view. This came to my attention through the wattsupwiththat.com website.

A story broke out regarding how climate science is being taught at Carleton University in Canada by professor Tom Harris. The controversy involved how the course did not fit with the IPCC view. The environmental reporter for the Guardian, Suzanne Goldenberg, interviewed Tom Harris. Tom had the foresight to record the interview.

Here is the full recorded phone conversation:
http://www.fcpp.org/media.php/1972

Here is the resultant published article on the Guardian website:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/28/heartland-associate-cl...
Read more »

A politician who is true to his word and makes moral arguments that actually make sense is a rare thing. I'm constantly surprised by Ron Paul's refreshing views. Only America can produce a Ron Paul and I hope he leads the presidential race this year.
America needs Ron Paul as President to restore the economy and support the constitution. The world needs Ron Paul because if America fails as the supporter of individual liberty, no other country exists today that will take up that cause.

Consider the following scenario: Someone breaks into your house and steals your TV and your iPad. The thief goes through your fridge and takes a sip of your milk and makes himself a sandwich. This is a tragic event. You are left shaken and fearful. Now consider if this happened every month: Someone breaks into your house and steals some of your property. The person is armed so you cannot do anything other than let it happen. The robber tells you that he's not doing it for himself but is giving it to people who don't have what you have. Of course he needs to eat too, otherwise he wont be able to continue doing this good work. If you have kids, he might put a few coins in their money boxes, fairness is of course all that matters. Does that make you feel any better? Read more »

2/5

*****

I watched this documentary on BBC2 (22/11/2011) with Ian Hislop proposing that the bankers from the Victorian era were good. He showed the philanthropic nature of Victorian era financiers Samuel Gurney, George Peabody, Angela Burdett-Coutts and Natty Rothschild. He concludes that the philanthropic nature of these people is something that bankers of today should follow.

The title of the documentary infers that bankers of today are bad. The sole reason they are bad is that they make too much money; they should be giving it away. He brings in ex St Paul’s Canon Chancellor, Giles Fraser, who invariably states that "the love of money is the root of all evil". Read more »

How the west was lost
Book written by Dambisa Moyo
3/5

*****
How the west was lost, provides a general overview of the financial crisis, the hows and whys, and also predictions of the future of the West against the rising "Rest": China, India, South America. She explains how this is changing the landscape of the global economy. With all things staying the same and the general trends continuing, China will become the largest economy, taking the title from the USA within the next decade. Read more »

You really have to hand it to Peter Schiff. It must have been extremely frustrating trying to get through to the OWS protesters. He is having to answer the same questions over and over again. It does look like he started to get through to some people in understanding that the issue is not capitalism, but government intervention. This is again from reasontv on youtube.

A summary of what the green movement is today and what lies behind the Climate Change / Global Warming industry. Brought to you by reason.tv youtube channel.