Collectively Unconscious

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Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:12:56 -0600

How did we get tricked into accepting Black Friday as the...

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 08:12:41 -0600

How did we get tricked into accepting Black Friday as the holiday that comes between Thanksgiving and Christmas? Just as we have been convinced that Thanksgiving has to be a glutton-fest of rich food and Christmas is a time to max out our credit cards for toys our children will quickly forget, Black Friday is really just savvy marketing that plays on our sense of getting the best deal, no matter what it takes.

It’s all hype. What we have forgotten is that Black Friday is so named because it puts retailers in the black. Those “deals” that we have been standing in the cold for 4 hours in the middle of the night to get are carefully plotted, and in the end consumers end up overspending anyway on items they didn’t need. Among the things that retailers won’t tell you, the quality is simply lower for products slated as Black Friday deals.

Meanwhile, online deals have gotten significantly more competitive, even from the same retailers that feed the Black Friday craze. Save yourself the trouble and spend Friday morning shopping with a cup of coffee and your laptop.

Where will Occupy go from here?

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 15:43:00 -0600

I’ve been an enthusiastic observer of the Occupy movement since its formation, and in general I agree with the (loosely) stated goals: send a message that we’re tired of the influence financial institutions have on Washington D.C. and politics in general. I can get behind the message of the “99%”. And there have been some tangible outcomes to the movement, as BusinessWeek points out:

Bank fees: ”Every time you use your Bank of America debit card and don’t pay $5, thank Occupy Wall Street.”

Changing the national conversation: ”..the economic debate in Washington was dominated by talk of cutting the deficit — not jobs, not the wealth disparity in America, and certainly not the role of money in politics. Today that has shifted.”

Getting Wall Street’s attention: ”[Occupy Wall Street] has seeped into Wall Street’s own conversation. This is partly due to the early attention paid by a few influential financial bloggers…”

Despite this, the movement is starting to fold. The message being sent by the occupiers that remain lacks cohesiveness, and is sometimes just strange to me. The tactics are getting more severe; “one man was taken into custody for throwing liquid, possibly vinegar, into the faces of several police officers.”

The general public is beginning to feel that the movement doesn’t represent their values, or is simply losing interest. Without that massive initial support and momentum, local governments are beginning the process of eviction, and without something clear to rally behind, the public is going to let it happen.

It’s about to happen here in Duluth. The Duluth Police Department is holding a press conference today (Thursday) at 4:30 p.m. to discuss the eviction of Occupy Duluth from all but one tent in the civic center grounds. Then, the occupiers are meeting at 7 p.m. to discuss their rights.

SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) goes too far....

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:34:00 -0600

SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) goes too far. AmericanCensorship.org points out the following.

The government can order services providers to block websites for infringing links posted by any users.

This far overreaching standard could mean that YouTube would be inaccessible to American citizens if it was found to contain any copyright infringing material, despite their best efforts to remove offending content.

It becomes a felony with a potential 5 year sentence to stream a copyrighted work that would cost more than $2,500 to license, even if you are a totally noncommercial user.

Want to record a video of yourself covering your favorite A Flock of Seagulls song? (I would recommend Space Age Love Song.) Keep it to yourself, because if you post it you could face jail time.

The anti-piracy measures our representatives will consider today are misguided, driven by Hollywood. Please visit http://americancensorship.org/ to find out what you can do to stop this.

Collectively Unconscious is about the way we are coaxed into...

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 22:19:00 -0600

Collectively Unconscious is about the way we are coaxed into thinking and acting in certain ways. Orwell and Huxley knew that this directly correlated to the fate of humanity, and this infographic shows how we are living their prophecies.

What is really frightening is this is how Michele Bachmann...

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 20:39:00 -0600

What is really frightening is this is how Michele Bachmann sounds to me even when she’s not being parodied. Also see Herman Cain (“Nachos and Hogwash.”), Mitt Romney (“Yo momma’s pudgy… face it.”), and Rick Perry (“You can try my Kwanza CDs.”) Barack Obama gets his turn too (“Trick the Bridesmaid”… the musical)

The Annenberg Foundation is putting together a fantastic sister...

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 22:38:00 -0600

The Annenberg Foundation is putting together a fantastic sister site to FactCheck.org called Flackcheck.org. The idea is to examine the misinformation and misleading techniques of political ads. Check out this video casting Honest Abe in a different light, and watch for more videos soon!

Thinking Ahead to 2012

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 16:00:00 -0600

2011 can be counted a political success. Ohio returned collective bargaining rights to union workers, while Mississippi said no to the definition of fertilized egg as a person. Duluth has elected three amazing, intelligent women to City Council and passed a levy to help fund parks and libraries. St. Paul’s ranked voting worked, hopefully spurring other districts to use this system.

With that momentum, it’s not too early to look to the issues facing us in 2012. Here are some of my top priorities in the coming year:

1.) Reelect President Barack Obama

2.) Elect Daniel Fanning as Minnesota’s 8th District Congressional Representative

3.) Defeat the amendment banning same-sex marriage in Minnesota

4.) Defeat the amendment requiring picture ID to vote in Minnesota

5.) Oppose constraints on the Legislature’s ability to raise revenue in Minnesota

What are your top issues when we go to the polls a year from now?

Occupy Your Mailbox

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:29:00 -0500

Occupy Your Mailbox:

Here’s an idea from GOOD and, while I’ve heard it before, it has never seemed as appealing as this article presents it to be. The advantages of sending back your junk mail? If enough people do it, someone has to notice. It gives a little more money to our struggling Postal Service. And it’s less waste in your own trash bin.

So many reasons to love Duluth. So many reasons to love a...

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:56:18 -0500

So many reasons to love Duluth. So many reasons to love a candidate who takes the time to make a 6 minute video extolling the virtues not of herself, but of the city she wants to support as a city councilor. Of course, politics is politics, so check of Emily Larson’s campaign ad as well!

Duluth Public Schools Referendum

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 22:38:00 -0500

Duluth Public Schools Referendum:

I just received this ballot language for a new school district referendum in the mail this last week. Here’s my dilemma: I honestly, truly do not believe that the Duluth Public School District has been a good steward of my tax dollars. I was opposed to the Red Plan before it had a name; I was opposed to it before they decided to close the newest high school in the city; I was opposed to it before the clear cut a block of trees near my house and cemented the creek to make a bus turn around, but that’s beside the point.

I care about education. Class sizes are getting out of control, we don’t have enough teachers (let alone specialists), and students need every bit of support we can provide. But this referendum comes after years of poor decision making by district leadership, who are now asking for even more tax money to misuse.

And so, the issue we all face. Is voting no on this referendum a way to send a message that we want accountable leadership and better use of tax dollars, or is it denying opportunities to students and throwing the district into further debt?