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Bare Bones

Analyzing the Information Maze

..and exposing the new newsspeak

Proto Fascism in NYT Ukraine Reporting

opinion Posted on Sat, May 10, 2014 11:52:47

Proto-fascism in the West is spreading at an alarming rate.

Whether it is politics leading the press, or vice versa, is
difficult to ascertain for “outsiders”. It is obvious however that, almost independent of the
“political color” of any newspaper, one cannot deny that Western “burghers” are
force fed only one truth in world affairs, and that is the truth held by the
leaders of the mediatic ecosystem in Western capitals.

The escalating Ukrainian situation has been the latest
example, and an exquisite one at that. Today’s reporting was the cherry on the
cake: while Ukrainian tanks were threatening to crush civilians in the streets,
actually including one person shot dead at point blank (footage seen on tv),
the Int’l NYT thought it wise, and presumably journalistically correct , to
only report, in four lines, that “Ukrainian security forces attacked a police
station killing seven people in Mariupol”. At the same time, the editor elected
to inundate us with Putin’s visit to the Crimea, ad nauseum enhanced by
regurgitated opinion about the situation in the Crimea and gratuitous introspection
of Putin’s grander objectives.

No mention of Tiananmen!? Did the unarmed protesters that
wanted to stop the tanks in the streets of Mariupol have the wrong intentions perhaps
– “wrong” as seen from a railroaded Western opinion? Maybe, most likely even,
these people had truly peaceful purposes, as in “Stop this Massacre Now!” Why indeed
does anyone stand in front of a moving tank, unarmed? Is that not worth finding out? Are we afraid that the answers
interfere with our preprogrammed headlines?

And what about applying disproportional force!? Months ago
in Kiev, anti-government protesters occupied various buildings (some reportedly
still do!) and they were shot at by the then-Ukrainian security forces. The
press in the West raised hell and condemnation about undue force and, even,
criminal killing. What then does the same press have to say about the killings
in Mariupol on Friday May 9th 2014? No disproportional force?

Those of us that keep an open and critical mind for what
happens in the world around us, are not surprised that Western journalists
cover those killings … under a deafening blanket. I don’t know how you can call
yourself a journalist and perpetrate this “lying by smothering” unless you have
been infected by a fascistic virus, making you believe that your truth is the
only one around, and that it is your duty to spread “The Word” – your word.

Democracy has, meanwhile, many (hooded) enemies.

Grimburger,
Saturday May 10th 2014
(Letter to the Editor of the Int NYT)



Liverpoool & Kahneman

opinion Posted on Tue, May 06, 2014 10:46:48

Kahneman and Tversky are the scientists behind the theories of thinking fast versus slow, intuitive versus rational. Even football commentators proved them right, once more!

In their fast thinking mode all the commentators and other “experts” came to the conclusion that Liverpool, after their draw with Crystal Palace last night, have really squandered their chances for this year’s Premier League championship. Those of us, no experts nor commentators, who think more slowly, wonder about the commotion “right now”. Indeed, not much has changed because of this tie.

There is no doubt that Liverpool’s chances to win the title race have diminished after forgetting to secure a (“normal”) win at Crystal Palace. By how much? Because there is no useful statistic on this kind of problem, it is hard to exactly quantify it. Indeed, if one discards the possibility that Liverpool could have overcome its goal difference deficit (requiring it to win its last to games with a surplus of at least 10 goals!), then the difference between before and after “the Palace debacle” is that they now (=after) require Manchester City to lose (at least) one game, as opposed to need them, before, not to win the last two games.

More succinctly put: the decrease in probability that they become champions, all other things being equal, is reduced to the difference in probability that City loses one of its upcoming games versus that they tie one of those games. Of course, it is more likely that Manchester City wins its two remaining games than that it loses one of them. And it is presumably more likely that they draw one of those games than that they lose one.

If beating Wigan (second division club) in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup was a virtual certainty a couple of months ago, they proved then and there that loosing is a distinct possibility, for they lost. at home indeed. Assuming that their chances of winning that game were nine out of ten, then the chance that they would have drawn the game instead of losing it, is negligible, as both outcomes were “ex ante” very improbable.

Therfore, the debacle at Crystal Palace has diminished Liverpool’s chances of winning the title by a similar and small amount, and – thinking fast here!! – the next two opponents of City are, intuitively and statistically speaking, stronger than Wigan a few months ago!

Therefor the new situation has changed little for Liverpool but they better win their next game which, of course, is a virtual certitude, as was the Crystal Palace fixture!!

Grimbergen, May 6th 2014



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