Contrarian's Corner -> Comedy (or not) with ideology

[Contrarian]

A scene from the FRONTLINE documentary "Supreme Revenge":

A look at the failed nomination of Robert Bork — which sparked a desire for revenge from conservatives including Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) that is helping to shape the Supreme Court to this day.

Full Documentary (you will need to be in the US or have a US proxy to access the full documentary:

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/supreme-revenge/

Edited October 6, 2022 by Contrarian

[Contrarian]

Today is Vladimir Putin's birthday. 

Here are some of the congratulations that are trending online: 😂

a) from Patriarch Kirill, former KGB agent, now in charge of the Russian Orthodox Church to brainwash the masses: 

"God has put you in power". 

b) from Kim Jong Un, Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea since 2012:

"Such a reality is unthinkable without your distinguished leadership and strong will."

c) from Rossiya 1 TV channel, via the Kremlin's most loyal propagandist, Vladimir Soloviev, believes that:

"the ongoing Ukrainian offensive was largely planned to spoil the Russian leader's day".

Edited October 7, 2022 by Contrarian

[Contrarian]

This is for @athos

= )

Edited October 7, 2022 by Contrarian

[Contrarian]

The documentary is for individuals like @WestCanMan who supports any right wing system = )

Edited October 8, 2022 by Contrarian

[WestCanMan]

6 hours ago, Contrarian said:

The documentary is for individuals like @WestCanMan who supports any right wing system = )

Not true at all.

I wasn't left- or right-leaning regarding US politics until 2015.

I liked Reagan, Bush Sr, Clinton... I was happy with all of them.

I would have said that Dubya was easily the worst president until 2015.

[Contrarian]

2021 Bloomberg Special Report:

Inside Venezuela

Edited October 9, 2022 by Contrarian

[Contrarian]

Canadian Thanksgiving, Monday, October 10, year 2022:



“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive-to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”
- Marcus Aurelius was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD.

Edited October 10, 2022 by Contrarian

[Contrarian]

<--- Left Wing gets a "Hypocrisy Award":

The president of the Los Angeles City Council and a member of a Democratic party resigned from her leadership post after recently leaked audio revealed her hurling racist comments about a council colleague and his Black child. In another recording, Nury Martinez and Cedillo are heard talking about Oaxacan and Indigenous Mexicans in Los Angeles being “little short dark people,” a racist stereotype about people from southern Mexico.

Her full disgusting comments with the recordings are found here: 

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/los-angeles-city-council-nury-martinez-resigning-racist-comments_n_63445224e4b0b7f89f4e8e2a

---> Right Wing gets a "Comedy Award":

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban: 

 "Hope for peace is named Donald Trump."   🤣 🤣 🤣

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/10/11/viktor-orban-ukraine-hungary-trump/

Edited October 11, 2022 by Contrarian

[Contrarian]

A few European sources to have.

No such thing as objective news, in my opinion, you have to read everywhere and make your own conclusions.

The links below may be too mainstream for our far left & far right members = )

Austria: https://www.diepresse.com/
Bulgaria: https://www.novinite.com/
Belgium: https://www.hln.be/
Spain: https://www.rtve.es/
Denmark: https://tv2.dk/
Greece: https://www.ekathimerini.com/
England: https://www.bbc.com/ https://news.sky.com/ https://www.theguardian.com/international
France: https://www.france24.com/en/ https://www.lefigaro.fr/
Netherlands: https://nos.nl/
Germany: https://www.ard.de/ https://www.dw.com/en/top-stories/s-9097
Italy: https://www.rainews.it/
Ireland: https://www.irishtimes.com/
Romania: https://www.g4media.ro/
Sweden: https://www.svt.se/
Switzerland: https://www.blick.ch/
Turkey: https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/
Portugal: https://www.cmjornal.pt/
Poland: https://wyborcza.pl/

The majority of them are not in English however if you install google chrome with translate you can view them in English with one single click.

Edited October 12, 2022 by Contrarian

[Contrarian]

Documentary:

Quest for the Lost Civilisation - Graham Hancock. 

A controversial theory that an ancient civilisation, highly intelligent people who sailed the planet as early as 10,500 B.C., spread advanced astronomical knowledge and built ancient observatories.

[Contrarian]

 Documentary:

How chemical companies destroy ecosystems.

Today’s industrial agriculture relies on insecticides. These chemicals cause massive damage to the environment. Worldwide, the most common insecticides are neonicotinoids. Deployed to destroy pests, they also harm human health.

*Deutsche Welle, abbreviated to DW, is a German public, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the German federal tax budget. 

Edited October 16, 2022 by Contrarian

[Contrarian]

 Documentary:

The Tank Man

In 1989, Chinese troops expelled thousands of demonstrators from Tiananmen Square, killing an unknown number.

One day later, a lone protester stood his ground before a column of tanks.

The iconic image of the Tank Man, captured by Western photographers, was one China never wanted the world to see.

In 2006, FRONTLINE investigated the mystery of the Tank Man — his identity, his fate, and his significance. 

*"Frontline" offers an unflinching and compelling look at complex, vital and often-controversial subjects.

Edited October 16, 2022 by Contrarian

[Contrarian]

"Future ages will wonder at us, as the present age wonders at us now".

- Pericles was a Greek politician and general during the Golden Age of Athens.

[Contrarian]

Today, this thread will cover Jean Lassalle = )

Jean Lassalle is a French politician who represented the 4th constituency of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the National Assembly from 2002 to 2022.

He is known for his outlandish antics in the Assemblée nationale, the lower house of the French parliament.

5 things you didn’t know: 

1. He had €1,500 docked from his salary in 2018 for refusing to remove a Yellow Vest during a parliamentary session.
2. Jean Lassalle grew up in an Occitan speaking area of France deep in the Pyrénées. He comes from a family of shepherds who practice a prehistoric form of nomadic agriculture known as transhumance. 
3. Lasalle walked across France for eight months in 2018, to gain a better understanding of the population.
4. In 2006, when a Japanese firm sought to relocated a paint factory that employed hundreds of his constituents, he went on hunger strike. The company eventually agreed not to close the factory and continue investment in the area. Lassalle lost more than 20kg over the course of his hunger strike.
5. Lassalle received more votes than Socialist Party candidate Anne Hidalgo in the presidential election. He made no endorsement in the second round and cast a blank ballot, saying he trusts the French people to do what is right. He did not stand to defend his seat in the 2022 French legislative election.

https://www.thelocal.fr/20220315/french-elections-5-things-you-didnt-know-about-jean-lassalle/
 

 

Edited October 18, 2022 by Contrarian

[Contrarian]

Learning Tools:

Coursera Inc. is a U.S.-based massive open online course provider founded in 2012 by Stanford University computer science professors Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller.

Coursera works with universities and other organizations to offer online courses, certifications, and degrees in a variety of subjects.

Generally speaking, Coursera courses are free to audit, but if you want to access graded assignments or earn a Course Certificate, you will need to pay.

https://www.coursera.org

[Contrarian]

The War That Changed The Course of History

The First World War | WW1

via Top5s 

Edited October 20, 2022 by Contrarian

[Contrarian]

On 8/14/2022 at 5:35 PM, Contrarian said:

An exchange with @Zeitgeist reminded me of a documentary I also have saved. Steve Bannon is considered a "hero" to many on the right. 

The team behind "The Choice 2016" and "Divided States of America" tells the inside story of Trump adviser Stephen Bannon and his war with Washington, with White House rivals and with Islam. FRONTLINE explores Bannon's personal crusade to dramatically transform America, and his role in the power struggles and policy clashes within the Trump administration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPkUrVj0VPc

 

On August 14th I posted a documentary about an agitator from the right, Steve Bannon. 

How about the left? A well known caretaker of crowds is Al Sharpton.

Here is something interesting from his past: 

In 1991, in my opinion -> Al Sharpton used the tragedy of 7-year-old Gavin Cato who was killed when he was hit by a car, sparking the race riots in Crown Heights. 

Sharpton allegedly led a three-day riot in Crown Heights. He blamed the accident on “diamond merchants,” and his followers chanted, “**** the Jew.” They did. The individual that was killed was Yankel Rosenbaum, 29, a doctoral candidate from Australia (he had nothing to do with the horrible sad incident that happened prior which sparked the riot). Nearly 200 more were injured in the melee.

That sounds to me like Trump in his way saying "March to the Capitol". 

Al Sharpton runs a TV show now called PoliticsNation which is a 60-minutes program including the commercial times. 

I can't remember his name, in one random interview that I have seen months ago -> a sports star said it well: "I don't understand, where does the money come from? How is Al Sharpton able to stay in the same hotels as I do?"

Although an arrogant statement, man has a point.

I think one answer is: agitation.

Agitation, in some circles, pays well. 

Next episode related to this -> International agitators. 

Edited October 20, 2022 by Contrarian

[Contrarian]

"Life is a gift. Wake up every day and realize that."

[Contrarian]

Documentary: 

Shadow Company

In the late 20th Century the distinction between soldier and mercenary became blurred. 

The use of private military companies (PMCs) in Iraq had been more extensive than at any time in modern history.

The brutal killing of four PMC employees in Fallujah in April 2004 made it clear that these “contractors” are not merely workers in a foreign land. But are the lives of such men the only thing at risk when we privatise warfare?

Shadow Company explores the moral and ethical issues private military solutions create for PMC employees, for the Western governments who foot the bill for their salaries, and for everyday citizens like you.

The filmmakers traveled the globe to expose all sides of the issue, interviewing PMC staff, owners and lobbyists, former mercenaries, academics, journalists and top authors.

So what is really at risk? See the movie and decide for yourself.

Edited October 22, 2022 by Contrarian

[Contrarian]

Brain Games

Social Conformity 

The Social Conformity Waiting Room is an experiment conducted by Brain Games on National Geographic.

Are humans pack animals, or do we think for ourselves?

Brain Games filled a waiting room for an eye doctor’s office with actors who knew about the experiment.

Then a lady in the purple enters, and she’s not in on the experiment.

She thinks she’s just going for an eye exam. Imagine her surprise when all of the other folks in the waiting room start behaving oddly.

Every time a beep sounds, everyone stands for no apparent reason. On the third beep, the lady in purple makes a decision.

Social conformity is defined as a specific type of influence that results in a change of behaviour or belief in order to fit in with a group.

Edited October 23, 2022 by Contrarian

[Contrarian]

No thing great is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig.

If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer you that there must be time.

Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen.

- Epictetus (55 – 135 AD)

Greek Stoic philosopher 

Edited October 24, 2022 by Contrarian

[Contrarian]

From the UK:

MPs are elected to represent their constituencies but sometimes their behaviour can get the better of them.

These are a collection of politicians' funniest/worst moments from the House of Commons.

Edited October 25, 2022 by Contrarian

[Contrarian]

On 10/19/2022 at 8:16 PM, Contrarian said:

The War That Changed The Course of History

The First World War | WW1

via Top5s 

The Complete History of the Second World War | WW2

via Top5s (Part 1 & 2)

 

Edited October 25, 2022 by Contrarian

[Contrarian]

On 9/28/2022 at 9:11 AM, Contrarian said:

Tip of the day:

Password Do’s and Don’ts

• Create unique passwords that that use a combination of words, numbers, symbols, and both upper- and lower-case letters.
• Do not use your network username as your password.
• Don’t use easily guessed passwords, such as “password” or “user.”
• Do not choose passwords based upon details that may not be as confidential as you’d expect, such as your birth date, your Social Security or phone number, or names of family members.
• Do not use words that can be found in the dictionary. Password-cracking tools freely available online often come with dictionary lists that will try thousands of common names and passwords. If you must use dictionary words, try adding a numeral to them, as well as punctuation at the beginning or end of the word (or both!).
• Avoid using simple adjacent keyboard combinations: For example, “qwerty” and “asdzxc” and “123456” are horrible passwords and that are trivial to crack.
• Avoid using the same password at multiple Web sites. It’s generally safe to re-use the same password at sites that do not store sensitive information about you (like a news Web site) provided you don’t use this same password at sites that are sensitive.

Full Article via Krebsonsecurity: 
https://krebsonsecurity.com/password-dos-and-donts/

Tip of the day:

Windows Keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are keys or combinations of keys that provide an alternate way to do something you'd typically do with a mouse. 

Full Article with the shortcuts:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-keyboard-shortcuts-3d444b08-3a00-abd6-67da-ecfc07e86b98

via Microsoft.

[Contrarian]

If the doors of perception were cleansed, every thing would appear to man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things through narrow chinks of his cavern.

- William Blake (1757 – 1827)

*Poet, painter, and printmaker. 

Edited October 26, 2022 by Contrarian