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Time and again, intellectuals and artists alike have prophesized bleak futures for a race whose technology and hubris have far exceeded its wisdom. So, if the wet-dreams of futurists within the U.S. Department of Defense come to fruition — far-reaching ambitions to apply robotics in the battlefield, bioengineer the perfect soldiers, and command complete dominance of Space — let us not forget: we have been warned.
Robotic warfare. Part one of a three part series.
When branding is successful, a product transcends its own reality as a mere consumer good becoming something more—an icon. A symbol which represents a complex array of memories and emotions when its visage is invoked. In the case of the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Company, over one-hundred years of marketing have transformed a simple carbonated concoction of caramel-colored syrup into a globally recognizable representation of the American way. Now operating in more than two-hundred countries and spending $7 million per day on advertising, Coke has become emblematic of the very essence of American life. The Coca-Cola Company’s CEO, Neville Isdell, claims the fundamental nature of the Coke brand is it “is a decent thing, honestly made.” Unfortunately, much like American culture, a glimpse beneath the glamour of glossy PR reveals an underbelly of seedy business practices that fly in the face of common conceptions. Today, allegations of human rights violations in Columbia and egregious environmental practices in India are tarnishing this nostalgic American icon. [...]
→ No CommentsTags: Essays · Nonfiction · Assasinations · Coke · Unions
It wasn’t as if domination was their manifest purpose. They claimed they were there to help. And some of them believed it. The objects of their assistance were underprivileged and backwards, nobly trying to grasp the concepts of a new era but disastrously unable to do so. What they needed was the golden touch – the magnanimous muscle of giants born into privilege.
I speak, of course, of foreign aid. Or maybe old world colonialism. The similarity between the two is a theme woven throughout a groundbreaking narrative by experienced aid worker Michael Maren entitled, The Road to Hell: The Ravaging Effects of Foreign Aid and International Charity.
→ No CommentsTags: Essays · Books · Foreign Aid
On the fifth day he realized his only hope of escape was to amputate his own arm
The human body is a marvel of perfectly synchronized chemical reactions choreographed to perform optimally in a relatively narrow range of external conditions. While it is possible for the human organism to adapt to environmental stresses, it doesn’t take much for its symphony of physiology to collapse into chaotic discord. When deprived of water, food, or oxygen these processes begin to break down. If internal body temperature varies by more than four degrees, malfunction is imminent. Despite this fragility, when put to the test the body can prove to be extraordinarily resilient. [...]
→ No CommentsTags: Essays · Nonfiction · Canibalism · Survival
A frequent criticism of the popular television series Star Trek: The Next Generation centered around the unremarkable physical appearance of its various alien species. In nearly every episode, the crew of the starship Enterprise would encounter a “new” civilization– a society of life-forms that had supposedly developed in complete isolation from other worlds. Amazingly, the overwhelming majority of these aliens barely differed in appearance from humans, typically distinguished by a small wrinkle on their forehead or nose. This absurdity prompted a critic on Trek’s own website to dub them “Forehead Aliens of the Week.” Even more preposterous than their physical similarity to humans, however, was the utter lack of divergent philosophies and sociopolitical ideals exhibited by these “aliens.”
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