FAIR not fair?

FAIR stands for Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting, a media watchdog group that tries to live up to its name. According to its press, FAIR believes that "independent, aggressive and critical media are essential to an informed democracy." What that translates into is a group that looks at what's going on in news and TV and uncovers the contradictions in what's being said, as well as what's not being said.

When you apply FAIR's methods to FAIR itself, one finds a distinct left-leaning bias: if FAIR really lived up to its name, it would be pointing out the half-truths in left-wing media as well. The group also concentrates mainly on American media, though not always on American events.

However, that doesn't diminish the service they are providing: a means of looking behind the veils of omission and duplicity. FAIR's message is simple: look past the surface. Visit FAIR at www.igc.apc.org/fair, or jump right into their article archives at www.igc.apc.org/fair/index. --Emru Townsend



May 8, 1997
Virtual flood of support

Time and again, cyberspace has come through for the victims of disasters--both real and man-made--around the world. When earthquakes (and riots) hit Los Angeles years ago, informal virtual help-lines on the Internet were set up within minutes. When Kobe was rocked by earthquakes in 1995, "I'm okay" e-mail messages from friends were supplemented by a Web site devoted to regular updates, a bulletin board for messages, and the names of the dead.

Now it's Manitoba's turn. If you're concerned about loved ones or want to find some way to help, CBC-Radio Manitoba has a home page with twice-daily flood updates, emergency forecasts and a map of the flood area. Point your browser to http://www.radio.cbc.ca/radio/regional/Manitoba/news/flood97/index.html --Emru Townsend



April 24, 1997
Aficionado indeed

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Or is it? The tobacco lords are trying to block the new Tobacco Act in the courts. Meanwhile, as cigarette companies trumpet freedom of expression and Montrealers anticipate the loss of their festivals, cigar bars are all the rage.

The Tobacco Internet Resources Page (http://www.tobacco.org/Resources/tobsites.html) cuts through the smoky haze and provides an interesting mix of facts, statistics and occasional humour about the most popular legal drug. Find out about pesticide use in tobacco crops; look at the trends in cigarette use by gender, race, age and education; read about the history of tobacco use in France, dating back to 1560; then round off the whole experience with Kipling's The Betrothed, in which he makes the choice between Maggie and his beloved cigar.----Emru Townsend



April 17, 1997

No aliens here

Between enumeration ads and the enumerators themselves, we are constantly reminded that a federal election looms ahead. Pretty soon politicians will be bombarding us with their versions of the facts, swaying us to vote this way or that. The best part (for some of us, anyway) is when they start accusing each other of shady dealings, covert operations and other shenanigans.

But what if there are other agendas--hidden agendas--beyond the obvious ones? What if they're all in the same bed together? Jeff Koftinoff has compiled postings from Usenet groups, print media and the Web to create the Canadian Conspiracy Pages (www.turnercom.com/jdk/canal.html). Among the more believable conspiracies: Lucien Bouchard, the "transnational bankers' man," was parachuted in to lead the PQ as part of a larger plan to annex Canada to the U.S. Koftinoff's perspective on the big picture, while farfetched at times, will make you ask, "What's really going on?"--Emru Townsend



April 10, 1997

Technology's freedom fighters

Everyone jokes about Microsoft as the evil empire, with Bill Gates as Darth Vader. But some people don't think it's funny. Consider: Microsoft is all over the computing world, in software, hardware, the Internet, games and even special effects and animation (through our very own Softimage). This, according to some, is just the warm-up for Gates's ultimate goal of world domination.

Mitch Stone is one of many who thinks that we must fight Gatesian hegemony while we can, and presents his arguments on the Boycott Microsoft site (www.vcnet.com/bms/), complete with articles, references and quotes. If you think that he's just a touch paranoid, you might want to check out Microsoft's own site (www.microsoft.com) and read their news briefs - they might scare you more. Emru Townsend



April 3, 1997

Cult catalogue now online

If the last week has proven anything, it's that cults can seriously cramp your style. The Observer, a UK paper, has obviously realized this for some time; although their definition of "cult" may be a bit broader than most, their Web site examines why people join cults and provides handy links to many other cult-related sites.

The site contains a fairly extensive list of the major cults--from Aum Shinrikyo to Zoroastrians--along with their tenets, histories and the reasons why you should or shouldn't join. The site is fairly objective, neither for or against cults in and of themselves; they give you the information and let you make up your own mind. Emru Townsend [http://www.guardian.co.uk/cults/]

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