Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in The Swamp.
Propaganda: Better With or Without It?
“Propaganda is indifferent to truth and truthfulness, knowledge and understanding; it is a form of strategic communication that uses any means to accomplish its ends.” (Walter Cunningham). Humanity, always going forward to the future, living in the world of present and looking in the old window of history, can track the evolution of propaganda and its transformation into various types of mass media for many different purposes. This form of information has emotional impact that attempts to shape perceptions, influencing the attitude of a population and manipulating cognitions always toward some political, ideological, or commercial causes.
By Gregory Swetly8 years ago in The Swamp
Government Economic Forecasting, Mythology, or Science?
As a retired estimating and costing engineer, I see so much reliance based on estimates that cannot possibly have a shred of accuracy; by accuracy I mean the engineering estimators allowance of + or – 2%. One quote I saw today is, unfortunately, true: the economic forecasting from British bureaucrats makes astrology look a science.
By Peter Rose8 years ago in The Swamp
The Possible Secret Behind the Book 'Fire and Fury'
Michael Wolff is the author of an explosive new book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House. In this book, he describes the inner workings of the White House with main quotes from Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon. This book has brought about peoples' questioning of Trump's mental state and the capacity for his presidency.
By Otis Colon8 years ago in The Swamp
The Big Takeaways From Trump's State of the Union
President Donald Trump's first State of the Union address was being touted early on as a message of unity and bipartisanship. There were a few moments that President Trump received bipartisan ovations for Americans who had given their all and for his message about the strength of this great country.
By Lawrence Lease8 years ago in The Swamp
Goodbye Scotland: Westminster Coup Against Holyrood Exposed?
The Ferret checked Nicola Sturgeon’s claim of a Brexit power grab in July 2017 and said they were half true. While respecting the impartiality and quality of their fact check and the information they had at the time, it seems to have been over trusting of the Westminster government.
By Axel P Kulit8 years ago in The Swamp
From Democracy to Plutocracy
“The abuse of buying and selling votes crept in and money began to play an important part in determining elections. Later on, this process of corruption spread to the law courts, and then to the army, and finally, the Republic was subjected to the rule of emperors.” - Plutarch
By Alexander Hilton8 years ago in The Swamp
The Cold War: Has It Started Again or Did It Ever Actually End?
The Cold War started in 1947 between the two greatest superpowers at the time, America and the Soviet Union (USSR). Although many believe it is over, there was never a clear winner in this social, political, and economic war. However, the Cold War is still going, therefore no one won. This can be proven in; the Korean War being a stalemate and the Vietnam War and the Space Race cancelling the other’s win out. The Cuban Missile Crisis was another stalemate, plus treaties were created to not allow further conflict. Even the USSR dissolving did not mark the end of the Cold War, and political events from 1999-2017 being further proof that the Cold War has not finished.
By Lilli Behom8 years ago in The Swamp
Voter Angst and Political Ideology
President Franklin Roosevelt created "The National Welfare System" as a short-term program to provide work relief for millions of unemployed Americans following the Great Depression. Over the years it was expanded to include public assistance programs, which were embraced by "both political parties although conservatives began denying the fact during Ronald Reagan's tenure as president when the Republican ideology moved more to the right.
By Jerrie DeRose8 years ago in The Swamp
Mind The Gap: Education & Employment Outcomes
Earlier this month, Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner was quoted as having said that “white working-class boys are being left behind because of the 'negative impact' of a focus on ethnic minorities and women.” That’s not what she actually meant, but her clumsy wording did make it seem as though she was blaming affirmative action for the poor educational outcomes of indigenous British boys. What she says she actually meant is that immigrant families send stronger messages about the importance of education to their children, and white working-class families tend not to. Therefore a cultural change is necessary because white British boys have not been specifically targeted for additional support in the same way that ethnic minorities and female students have (which has generated improvements, demonstrating that the measures work and should be continued). She wasn’t saying that if we help people with one characteristic, we’re taking assistance away from another group; more that we need to focus on changing perceptions and attitudes so that British boys don’t sabotage their futures through lack of aspirations. But that doesn’t make as punchy a headline, so the Telegraph went for something that pushed the right-wing buttons instead.
By Katy Preen8 years ago in The Swamp
