Articles written by Jonathan Young - Page 4

Where Knowledge Rules

What is Helium

About me - Jonathan Young

+ more bio information

RSS Feed

Entertainment > TV Genres & Trends The cruel nature of reality TV and how it affects viewers: 7 of 15
I suppose it would be redundant to point to specific examples of cruelty in reality TV: most Americans have witnessed their share. But it might be useful to examine the common structure of all reality TV programs. Most of these shows reflect the popular misconception of "survival of the fittest," in which the most sexy, ruth... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Police & Prisons Are the police violating the law when tasering an unarmed citizen?: 16 of 33
It doesn't matter that the practice of electrocuting unarmed citizens is technically legal. This is another instance of Barney Fife policework defeating its own interests. When Barney Fife goes to work, he endangers not only the citizens he is supposed to protect and serve, but also his own safety. According to the National ... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Political & Economic Theory Which political group is happier: Liberals (left) or conservatives (right)?: 8 of 16
Surveys report that conservatives are generally happier than liberals, and in a 2008 study, two psychologists concluded that a belief in meritocracy partly explained the difference (Napier and Jost, 2008). Because conservatives believe that society rewards merit, they are more inclined to look at inequality as a natural part... More..
Politics, News & Issues > War & Peace Does the US need more spies to help inform and protect our country?: 3 of 6
First it might be wise to understand that 9-11 did not result from an espionage deficiency. It isn't the aim of this article to prove this point, but there will never be sufficient espionage to eliminate the threat of terrorism. From organized radicals to loners bearing grudges, terrorists have dramatically changed the cours... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Party Politics & Ideology Liberals and their preferred form of government: 2 of 4
When Republicans talk about politics, what they're usually talking about is money. So let's look at government from an economic perspective. We've recently witnessed stock market instability, a precipitously declining dollar, and indications of weakening consumer confidence (retail sales are at their worst in 12 years). We k... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Presidential Elections 2008 Reflections: Ron Paul from a Democrat's perspective: 1 of 2
When I first learned that Ron Paul was running for president, I knew he'd be popular. A Libertarian running against an increasingly totalitarian neocon regime? Of course he'd be popular. But I expected him to become the Ralph Nader of the right wing. "Good," I thought. "Ron Paul is going to divide up the Republican vote, ens... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Government & Policies Reflections: Patriotic conservatives are the new counterculture in the US: 1 of 2
There is an important difference between patriotism and nationalism. Patriotism is dedication to ideas that work - the American idea, for example, is more or less the idea of self-government. Instead of answering to the wealthy elite and serving their interests above our own, we decide what we want and work on behalf of ours... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Government & Policies Should Congress grant telecom companies legal immunity?: 1 of 2
Senator Chris Dodd (D-Connecticut) has placed a "hold" on the new FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) bill, blocking it from coming to a vote, because it offers immunity to AT&T, Verizon, and other telecommunications companies that allowed the NSA to spy on Americans. After 9-11, Bush authorized the NSA to spy on do... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Government & Policies Commentary: The unfortunate legacy of Vice President Chaney's lawyer, David Addington: 1 of 1
In 2005, Lewis Libby resigned in the wake of his indictment in the Valerie Plame scandal. With an enormous media spotlight focused on Libby's trial and conviction, few Americans noticed that Libby's replacement as Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff was none other than David Addington, legal author of every single one of the Bush a... More..
Computers & Technology > Website Reviews Website reviews: Hypem.com: 1 of 1
Website: http://hypem.com/ The Hype Machine monitors hundreds of blogs for new music, collecting the MP3 links in a massive library of songs that you can favorite, adding to your dashboard, and then play like a radio. The songs cannot be downloaded from the Hype Machine because, you know, the site doesn't want to be shut dow... More..