(TV/streaming video) New & Leftover Items, a Touch of 2024, and some Nostalgic Forensics

Perceptions & Speculations
(Where Reality Fits In Isn't Entirely Clear)

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has filed a series of Freedom of Information Act requests to 22 government agenices, including cabinet secretaries. This is in response to recent reports that conservative journalist and pundit Armstrong Williams received $240,000 from the Department of Education (DOE) through a contract with Ketchum Public Relations, which essentially hired Williams to - in the guise of an objective journalist - be a propagandist for the "No Child Left Behind " program. This is one of at least four such cases where public relations firms, and through them various broadcasters, were hired to shill GOP/Bush Administration programs. Such agreements are in violation of the Publicity and Propaganda clause thats been in annual appropriations bills for decades, raising this activity from unethical to illegal. So, not only is it likely that via No Child Left Behind and the new Medicare prorgams that the citizens of the US have been given shoddy goods sold on fabricated news stories, but those same taxpayers paid to be lied to.

While waiting to see what comes to light from that, courtesy of CalTech you can explore -- or create for yourself -- speculative realities via Global Scenarios for the 21st Century. (I haven't tried this one out yet, only giving it a cursory look, but it seems interesting enough to give a shot. I'll be particularly interested in seeing how flexible the interactive applet is.)

[Thanks to Tammy for sending me these two this morning.]