Stephen Hawking defined Dark Matter "as matter in the galaxies that can not be observed directly but can be detected by its gravitational effect". Dark Matter Politics is the unseen but powerful forces exerting influence and shaping the political and cultural landscape of The Americas.
Avian Flu as this years "Most media hyped story that never was". This honour was contended by some major heavyweight stories, which while recieving extensive coverage translated into little more than higher viewership and readership figures for the worlds´ global media outlets. The runner up to this years "Most media hyped story that never was" is the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad published by Danish paper Jyllands-Posten.
Avian flu was dubbed the new "killer pandemic", raising fear among millions of people and prompting governments to take usual steps. While avian flu killed just over 150 people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, the story recieved unprecendented media coveage. While the extensive media coverage lead to raising the potential risks of avian flue, it served to desensitized the general public to the Avian flu threat based on past warnings related to Mad Cow Disease, West Nile Virus, and more recently, SARS.
While increase media coverage should have lead to a greater understanding of avian flu, a poll conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) indicates this is not the case. The poll reveals over half of Americans report following the news media's coverage of avian flu closely (54%). Most Americans were aware that there had been cases of avian flu in humans in Asia (69%). Furthermore, most people were aware that there had not been cases in the United States. However, and concerningly, one in seven people believed that human cases had occurred in the United States (15%).
Prime Minister Tony Blair announced today his cabinet would be launching a new reality television show. The reality TV show entitled “Deportation Island” will mark the Prime Minister’s directorial debut and represents a direct public relations offensive to combat sliding approval ratings. A poll conducted by The Telegraph places the Prime Minister’s personal approval rating at just 36%.
Executive producers of “Deportation Island” include Home Secretary Charles Clarke and Lord Levy. Clarke was asked to become executive director following his extensive experience handling deportation issues. Only yesterday Clarke admitted that 1,023 foreign prisoners had been freed without being considered for deportation. Lord Levy (also known as “Lord Cashpoint” given his role as a key Labour party fundraiser) was brought on board not only because he has donated a lot, lot, lot of money to the Labour party but due to his “recent experience” in the world of entertainment (during the 1960’s and 1970’s Lord Levy managed singers including Alvin Stardust and Chris Rea).
“Deportation Island” will be an unscripted quest series that will feature teams of foreign and British convicted criminals who will be provided with a series tasks, aimed at getting them deported from the United Kingdom. The winning team will receive a non-transferable lifetime membership to the Guantanamo “super hostel” located in the Shetland Islands. Producers of the show confirmed earlier statements by the National Association of Probation Officers (NAPO) in regards to the fact the super hotels “ would feel like mini-jails”.
Media analysts see “Deportation Island”as a perfect product placement opportunity for the government – not only to promote their high security “super hostels” scheme for criminals on probation but other programs such as their ID card scheme. It is believed the press team of “Deportation Island” is seeking one major corporate sponsor for the show. Initial discussions were had with HP Foods, but negotiations broke down when the shows producers realised having HP Brown Sauce, plastered all over the show, although a wholesome choice, agravated the Prime Minister.
A spokesperson for “Deportation Island” confirmed the show would only air on BBC 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 133 given “the BBC had to make minor "programming concessions" to the government following the extension of the television license fee to fund the organisations activities”. In order to create a "melting pot of subversion" the producers of "Deportation Island" announced foreigners and British nationals would be mixed to create four teams. The teams have yet to be named; although names such as "Pimps & Whores from the East" and "The Probation Boys" where already labelled "as slightly derogatory" by the shows legal advisers.
Furthermore, it was revealed the first episode of “Deportation Island” will have the four teams face a daunting double challenge. Challenge #1: smuggle ten unsuspecting foreigners illegally into the United Kingdom and get thrown in jail. Challenge #2 take them to the A&E of an NHS trust hospital and get seen by the doctor. The aim is for the teams to get either prosecuted or seen by a doctor - which ever takes the least amount of time.
Unconfirmed reports indicate “Deportation Island” would feature guest celebrities that would mimic the antics of Sir Alan Sugar and Donald Trump in other reality TV shows. After a series of focus groups the idea of having Nick Griffin, leader of the notorious British National Party, yelling “You are Deported!” to the losing team each week was dropped.
The issue of deportation and immigration is a global. Case in point, immigrants account for 17% of Canada's population (only Australia surpasses Canada in terms of the immigrant percentage: 21%). A large portion of the Canadian legal and illegal immigrant population is Portuguese. The attached video is a parody of a recent decision by the Federal Immigration Minister Monte Solberg to deport a group of Portuguese workers. Most of the deportees had come to Canada a year earlier after the then-Liberal government opened the doors to skilled workers at the request of employers facing a dire shortage of workers. Enjoy!
The National Health Service (NHS) in Great Britain has been seen better days. When first created, under the Labour government of Clement Attlee’s, the NHS was a model for public healthcare. In 1990 after decades of under-funding one of the most controversial reforms was pushed forward. The National Health Service & Community Care Act 1990 introduced an "internal market" into the NHS, whereby Health Authorities ceased to run hospitals directly but instead "purchased" care from their own or other authorities' hospitals. The main controversy sorrounding the NHS relates to its' ability to deliver services hyginically, quickly and cost effectively – currently the NHS carries a deficit of GBP £948 million!
Controversy over the NHS took a new turn when several hospitals in Glasgow announced they where using iPod music players to train new staff. The iPods give new recruits to the hospitals an "audio induction" to the workplace, which is followed by a computer-based knowledge test. The audio tracks where developed by Dr Maggie Haertsch, a lecturer at a nursing school, who become inspired by the self-guided audio tours offered in art galleries and museums. Hospital managers at NHS Greater Glasgow say the iPod tours can be used to train staff about issues like workplace safety, infection control and coping with violence (?). The NHS in Glasgow claims the scheme "is a prudent use of public money". However, managers refused to say how many iPods have been bought, how much they cost and how they can be better value for money than printed information.
The average taxpayer in Scotland and England has to wait the equivalent of 80 music tracks before being attended at an A&E department and the equivalent of 2,800 music tracks before getting knee replacement surgery. We welcome innovation in the health care sector, but wonder about the safety of having medical staff walking around wards when one of their primary senses is fully engaged. In the spirit of cooperation, Dark Matter Politics has provided Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of State for Health with a list of suggested listening tracks - your suggestions are welcome as we are looking for a diverse range of music styles and artists...
Beds are burning - Midnight Oil Doctor Feelgood - Motley Crue Doctor! Doctor! - Thompson Twins Nightshift - The Commodores Physical - Olivia Newton John The Reflex - Duran Duran She Blinded Me With Science - Thomas Dolby Hospital Song - Ben Folds Five Cuts like a knife - Bryan Adams I See Red - Split Enz The Death Song - Marilyn Manson Wait - White Lion
Cartoon Network last week aired a new show featuring a band of Marvel Comic type heroes. The five crime fighters starting in Minoriteam are extreme stereotyped super heroes out to save the world from bigotry and racism. The show succeeds not at being outright funny but in its pure exaggeration. The characters are exaggerated to such a ludicrous degree that they even question the bigotry of those who believe in the clichés. The line-up of characters living in CorporateCity are lead by Dr. Wang, the wheelchair-bound Asian with the computerlike brain. The team leader is complemented with four super heroes including:
-Fasto, the jive-talking black superspeedster with a constant eye on the ladies
-El Jefe, the sombrero-topped Spanish speaker whose secret weapon is his leaf blower and a personal Kryptonite, tequila
-Jewcano, whose religious rage allows him to conjure up volcanoes
-Nonstop, the turban-wearing guy who has been shot so many times in his years as a convenience store clerk that his skin is lined with lead.
The nemesis of the heroes is White Shadow and his accomplishes including Racist Frankenstein, the Corporate Ladder and Standardised Test (whose head is shaped like a No. 2 pencil and whose body resembles a Scantron test) who meet inside a Washington monument to plot world domination.
So what differentiates Minoriteam from other cartoons such as the recent caricatures of the prophet Mohamed or cartoons published in Arab media about the Pope? First, Minoriteam has a clearly defined struggle between good and evil. Second, it is all encompassing satire - covering a large part of the “ethnic spectrum” in the United States - as opposed to focusing on an individual group or entity. However, what is shared by the both the Minoriteam and the Danish cartoons is the readjustment of a groups accepted reality through exaggeration. That absurd exaggeration is what makes them a positive influence (beyond freedom of speech); in their ability to shed light on those who hold such absurd exaggerations as reality - across all religions and cultures.
Shock waves where felt across the animated comedy series industry and its fans following the news Isaac Hayes, - who served as the voice of “Chef” in the acclaimed series South Park (launched in 1997 and still the highest rated series on Comedy Central) - announced he was leaving the series, apparently because he objected to its' inappropriate ridicule of his religion.
"Trapped in the Closet" episode number 137 of the series, aired in November 16, 2005 sparked controversy not only with Hayes but with the Church of Scientology and Tom Cruise. A preview of the episode follows…
Stan is saving his money for a new bike, so he can't join Kyle, Cartman and Kenny when they go off to play laser tag. Opting for something that is "fun and free," Stan takes a personality test that is being offered by the Scientologists. After answering a long questionnaire (the questions given to Stan during the personality test are from the actual OCA personality test that Scientology uses), Stan is informed that he is "one messed up kid" who is "completely miserable and totally depressed" (Even though he didn't't know it). This based on the episodes storyline makes him a perfect candidate for Scientology—they offer to help him out for $240. After some test with an e-meter they believe Stan must be the reincarnation of L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology’s founder and prophet. Following a question by Tom Cruise to Stan, Stan tells Cruise that his acting is not as good as Leonardo DiCaprio, Gene Hackman or "that guy from Napoleon Dynamite," but that he is "okay," Cruise yells in agony, runs, and locks himself into Stan's bedroom closet (supporting source: Wikipedia.org). A large part of the episode revolves around the punt of Tom Cruise being locked in the closet and the money driven nature of Scientology.
What is concerning of this story is that episode was scheduled to re-run on March 22nd, 2006, but airing was cancelled without prior notice – the episode was replaced with Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls (a classic of the series). In the interest of objective reporting, Comedy Central's official explanation was as follows: "In light of the events of earlier this week, we wanted to give Chef an appropriate tribute by airing two episodes he is most known for." What is clear is that the episode was cancelled although thousands of loyal South Park and Comedy Central viewers protested. Further questions should be raised to Viacom (the parent company of the Comedy Channel and other major media outlets including movie studios) regarding the influences and reasons for the cancellation of the long awaited South Park episode. Whatever those influences, they where stronger than ratings, viewership and advertising revenue - the "meat & potatoes" of Viacom....
Matt Stone one of the creators of South Park, rightly declared to the controversy raised by the departure of Isaac Hayes– “This is 100 percent having to do with his faith of Scientology... He has no problem - and he's cashed plenty of checks — with our show making fun of Christians...He wants a different standard for religions other than his own, and, to me, that is where intolerance and bigotry begin."(supporting source: BBC News)
The matter of Dark Matter Politics is the fact religious parody for the purpose of entertainment (as opposed to ideological influence) is no longer accepted as a form of social commentary and expression but immediately treated as confrontational defamation. Furthermore, the cancellation of the episode can be seen as a serious limitation on free speech. A copy of the episode of "Trapped in the Closet" can be found at contemporaryinsanity.org
The worst and best quotes - Quotes of Dark Matter is a gallery of statements by political and cultural leaders that reveal the dark matter of politics in the Americas. You will be entertained and shocked.
Avian Flu as this years "Most media hyped story that never was". This honour was contended by some major heavyweight stories, which while recieving extensive coverage translated into little more than higher viewership and readership figures for the worlds´ global media outlets. The runner up to this years "Most media hyped story that never was" is the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad published by Danish paper Jyllands-Posten.
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