Eleven Nations of the USA

Ever wonder where the differences between regions separate based on culture, philosophy, and principals in the United States/North America?

Plastic Pollution: How Humans are Turning the World into Plastic

That's the story of Black people of America

The God Anansi explains what it is to be Black in America on the show American Gods.

National Geographic MARS

National Geographic Mars miniseries is really really good. If you haven't seen it look for it on your local listing or find it where ever you can. Try http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/mars/ for information or episode. This is how channels like National Geographic should present scientific ideas to the public. There should be more a scripted story intermingled with presenters giving scientific facts. I hope National Geographic does more of this.

10 Facts Common Slavery Myths

Death by China

This documentary is about how America has conceded it's manufacturing, trade, and corporate power to China. In doing so has hurt itself, it's jobs, it's local, state and national economies.

Jane Elliott Exercise

This is the Blue Eye/Brown Eye test done in the United States of America but I'm not sure when. I think it was in the early 2000s.

For those of you that don't know what the Blue Eye/Brown Eye test is. Jane Elliot takes a group of people. She separates them by blue eyes and brown eyes. She tell the brown eyes to treat the blue eyes as the lesser. The point of this test is to teach the white members of the group how a living in a Racist/discriminating systems feels but also to show the brown eyes why people in such a group don't either know or want to give up the privilege of being in the more powerful group.




You can watch another video here.


This is the same experiment done in the UK. However it doesn't go as well. Most of the white participants refuse to take part in the experiment. However it does show their deep denial of racism. I believe this took place in 2009.

This is the same experiment done in Australia. It's not the full video but it gives you enough to understand the test.

The Democratic Party Failure

I am like many progressives out there. I wanted a Bernie Sanders Democratic candidacy. To me Bernie Sanders represented a candidate with a strong integrity of voting for what he actually said and believed in. Understand I am not saying the current president, President Obama has not done the things he has said he will do because for the most part I believe he has.

I know there are progressives who will be angry reading that last sentence. They will say "President Obama didn't deliver on change". I would counter by saying you weren't listening when he gave those speeches on his policies. You weren't listening when he said, "We have to finish the Afghan war, cause it was our responsibility". Or when he said, "Change can only happen if the people back him and help him". Most of those people went home thinking he would do it all. They forget he said, "We are the people we been waiting for, not I, he didn't say I.

Bernie has the same problem too. So many followers of Bernie Sanders seem too focus on the Presidency but it's good to see some aren't. You can tell the one's who truly understand how the system and politics works. They will use the terms "Revolution", "Progressive Revolution", or "Movement". They understand that this is a movement it isn't hinged one man winning the Presidency.

Something that Bernie Sanders understands too this is why he endorses representatives around the country. These people have progressive ideas. I wouldn't call most of them Democrats. Why? When I think of Democrats I think of Centrist. Which by the way President Obama is. He always was. All one had to do was listen to his speeches to know this. Hillary Clinton on the other hand is not a centrist. She is a Neo-Conservative, which places her to the right of President Obama. What is a Neo-con?

Neo-conservative:
Relating to or denoting a return to a modified form of a traditional viewpoint, in particular a political ideology characterized by an emphasis on free-market capitalism and an interventionist foreign policy.

(That definition fits her perfectly. As if it was written for her. As if her picture could be found by it.)

You may be saying that isn't true. This doesn't fit Hillary Clinton at all. This video explains it pretty well.


Empire Files: Abby Martin Exposes What Hillary Clinton Really Represents


The Democratic Party Establishment nominating Hillary Clinton has done in one move what the Republican Party could only have dreamed to do. It has pushed at least twenty-five percent of the Democratic party away. While the Republicans have been floundering. Doing stupid anti-choice (I refuse to call the stance pro-life) votes, racist vote blocking strategies, pushed for more theocratic government, done another parade of silly candidates for president, and so on. As they did this, making their party seem like a joke, or at least so far right most wouldn't want to vote for them. The Democratic party decides instead on capitalizing on the sentiment of wanting Big Change. They will go against this, and even tamper with the primaries, so that Hillary Clinton will be the nominee.

In one move the Democratic Party helped to create the chance for a true Third Party Presidency. I doubt this will happen this time around. However that won't stop me from voting third party (I will be voting for The Green Party candidate Jill Stein.). This act has made it possible for a third party to become stronger and grow over the next few years. So I would have to thank them for this. It's the only thing I can think to thank them for in a long time that I believe will actually bring about long lasting big changes.

(They have made asses of themselves. It is a fitting mascot.)

Jimmy Dore said it best "I ain't voting for this shit", when talking about the Democratic Party Nominee Hillary Clinton's corruption, policies, and Neo-conservatism.

Edison VS Tesla

National Geographic documentary American Genius. The battle of AC current versus DC current.

VICE - An Inside Look at the Exotic Animal Trade

This video gives a glimpse into the exotic animal trade in the United States.

Fifteen dollars an hour is good for the Economy

The Big Picture: 10 Ideas To Save The Economy by former Labor Secretary Robert Reich and MoveOn.org

This short video explains why fifteen dollars an hour for minimum wage is good for the American Econonmy. Watch this it's less than three minutes long and it makes sense.



What I find funny is no one I have seen on television has ever been able to show when raising the minimum wage has ever hurt local or national economies. You would think they would take any example and try to push it to make their point, no matter how flimsy it would be.

FRONTLINE The Trouble with Chicken

If you ever hear a free market person say... "We don't need regulations cause the free market will handle it". You say to them then, "Why didn't it with Foster Farms and it's year long salmonella outbreak".
This PBS Frontline special is one of the best examples that shows free markets don't correct the bad and dangerous behaviors of companies. This case shows the sad lack of regulators either not having the power to do anything to help and protect people from companies dangerous behaviors or not having the authority to do anything or worse not having the will to do. How weak the congress is... (Why are the same people in power that have been since the sixties, seventies, and eighties I have no clue cause the majority of them seem so inept at doing what is right for the people.) At one point in this documentary I thought the Secretary of Agriculture was speaking as a representative of Foster Farms not as a government official there to help and serve the people of America. The corruption through all of this is extreme.

Sidenote: I said this before but when you watch anything about the government and people start talking about how lobbyist are to strong. What they are really saying is politicians have been bought off. They are saying politicians are corrupted by money. That politicians have been bribed.

Black Wall Street

This video is about an area of Tulsa Oklahoma called Greenwood and it's main street also known as the Black Wall Street. Greenwood was the exact thing white people always say black people should do. "Do for yourself", "pull yourself up by your bootstraps". The problem is once they did the white men coming from WW1, jobless and in dire straits became jealous. The Ku Klux Klan would use this to rile them up and get them to riot, murder and destroy this prosperous community.
It happened in June 1921. The whites robbed, beat, and killed people. They robbed and burned down black people homes and businesses as well. They placed machine guns on trucks and on top of a hill, firing at people. I don't know how many people were killed but it could have been a couple thousand or so (later things I've seen says it was over three thousand). It was the Klan that were the ringleaders but many others would join in on the looting and killing. Many were jealous because so many of the black living in the area were wealthy or doing financially well.
The black community, known as Greenwood, aka black wall street aka little Africa would have the dollar circulated in it's community 8, 12, 30, to a hundred times before it left the community. The community believed in educating every child. They believed in "nepotism" as a way of life. Nepotism is defined as, the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs.
For more information Click this to read the wiki page.

WHAT POLICE CAN DO DURING A TRAFFIC STOP

FRONTLINE - THE UNITED STATES OF SECRETS PART 2

This is the second part of the PBS's Frontline investigative series on mass surveillance in America.

FRONTLINE UNITED STATES OF SECRETS PART 2
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5

Part two of this documentary tells the story of corporations and surveillance. The first thing of interest to me is how many internet providers, phone companies, and internet search engine companies are willing help the government giving much of the information they acquire. Second is none of them are willing to say no, that it is unconstitutional to give information about people. If corporations are people then aren't they also giving up their right to privacy as well. Third was even when these companies cooperated with the government it isn't enough and they would "hack" their system to get more information. These were the key things too me. To say the NSA has overreached is an understatement. But of course they still use fear. Fear that another attack will happen so of course they have to acquire everyone's information. It's ridiculous.

FRONTLINE - UNITED STATE OF SECRETS

If you want real investigative reporting on events happening in America I suggest you go to PBS Frontline. They take the time to get facts. They also will give in-depth accounts about a story you will not hear or at least not get a full description on from twenty four hour news.

FRONTLINE UNITED STATES OF SECRETS (PART 1)
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2 >
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8

Part one of this documentary tells the story after 911 in America. How fear lead those in the Bush administration to create "The Program" a National Security Agency operation to spy on American citizens. For decades the NSA by law and protocol would only spy on foreign services. The Bush administration would use half truth, faulty legal standing, and war powers to create and keep this unconstitutional and illegal system.

It also talks about the NSA and intelligence committee individuals that struggle with what they knew was wrong and how they wanted or did bring the program to the press and public view.

President Obama ran against these same programs but when Bush put before congress legislation to make the program law he voted for it as Senator. Then as President months later did nothing to pull back the program from spying on Americans. Everyone has the same fear. What if you take this system away and there is another 911? If I stop this and it happens my Presidency is over or hurt severely. People will die and it will be my fault.

It a simple situation in my eyes. The right to privacy is constitutional. People died to make this a law. To make it a right of the people. If people have to die to keep it law then so be it. One has to make a choice either privacy law matters even if others can use it to hurt you or it doesn't. If it doesn't then let the NSA spy on whomever but don't lie to yourself that you live in the same America anymore. You don't live in a constitutional America at that point. You live in an authoritarian America. Where those in power decide what is law and what isn't.

However my thinking changes on this if the people in question are not citizens of America. It doesn't matter if they are on American soil or not. They don't get the same constitutional protections at least I don't believe they should.

NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON ON GENETICS EFFECTING WHY WOMEN AREN'T IN SCIENCE

A panel is asked if genetics inadequacies are the reason why so few women are in science. Neil DeGrasse Tyson's answer is amazing. Watch this at 1:01:30. The site I found this on was able to edit this. I don't know how to yet. So just fast forward.

ELEPHANT IN THE LIVING ROOM

Elephant in the Living Room is a documentary about how in America in most states it is legal (I repeat LEGAL) to buy exotic animals. Not only is it legal to buy these animals but one doesn't need to have a license. There is little to no state or federal regulations on those who own these animals.

I watched this documentary on Netflix. One of the moments that blew my mind was the emergency 911 call of a full grown lion on a interstate chasing cars. What makes this even more crazy is they captured the lion. They brought the lion back to it's "owner". Then Tim Harrison of public safety animal rescue says they can't take the lions from the owner until he decide he wants to let them go. I found this to be insane. The moment the lion escaped it becomes a public safety issue. How can it be they don't have the legal recourse to take the lions from him?

Over the years I have seen reports about how exotic animals can be bought in America. I have seen reports of how more tigers exist in America in private hands than they do in the wild in India. It is a lack of proper state and/or federal law making to have so if one owns a dog you need to have a license but if you buy a lion or a venomous viper you don't need one. You don't have to register the animal. I wonder when natural disasters happen will these animals get free? Has this happened?

I suggest you watch this documentary if you want to watch an interesting, sad and dramatic story about two captive lions. Or watch an interesting story of Tim Harrison fight to protect these animals and the general public from them. Or if you want to learn more about the dangers of people owning animals they can't control or can overwhelm them.


The trailer for Elephant in the Living Room.

THE MARS UNDERGROUND

This documentary makes the case for why mankind/NASA should travel and eventually colonize Mars. The title is about a "underground" movement of scientist (who became the Mars Society) that want to go to Mars. They talk about the stagnation of NASA for the last thirty/forty years. How not having a clear goal and leadership has stop them from going back to the moon and been detrimental to Mars missions. If you have an interest in space travel, in the idea of Mars missions and colonization this is a video for you.

Green China Rising

Pure Science Specials Green China Rising goes to China. They show how China, it's entrepreneurs, environmentalist, companies and people are taking on the challenge of making the country Green and sustainable.

The thing that strikes me when watching this show is how much more money China is putting to going green than America is. Now yes because China is so much larger they should be. Yet when it comes to infrastructure, when put into percentages we don't come close to what China is putting to going green. I believe the percentage is ten times the amount.
If you watch American news they say things like, "America doesn't have to go green because it will mean the lose of jobs and it won't matter if China doesn't as well." But the thing is not only has China decided to go green it is putting in the steps. While America is still debating or staggering with a step here then two steps back.