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Rosie's avatar

Interesting to know your methods! I listen to almost all content like that (because there really is SO much cleaning to do when you have a family and goodness I need entertaining to keep cleaning!). I read your stuff because I find it easier to absorb than your audios (although I sometimes listen to them). But, generally, I get my information through reading books and listening to podcasts.

Do you remember this? http://www.richardwiseman.com/resources/Megalab.pdf I think you might have been too young, Miri, to have been watching (it was done in 1995). The study investigated whether the public were best able to detect lying through the newspapers, radio or television. A celebrity was asked what his favourite film was; one time he told the truth, the other he lied. The responses were shown on Tomorrow's World on television, broadcast on Radio One and printed in The Telegraph. Radio listeners detected the lies 73.4% of the time, newspaper readers 64.2% and television viewers 51.8%. So, TV watchers were a tiny bit better than chance. Newspaper readers clearly ahead and the radio listeners were hardest to fool. It's a great case for me to continue to mainly listen to podcasts (which is really my favourite way of getting updates of the day!). For more complex issues, like understanding how to create an independent trading club, I'd prefer to read, though, because some things are just too complicated for an uninterrupted podcast!

Also, I was thinking more about your "Big Picture" conversation and how to bring people together. As I see it, the primary reason that we need to create these communities is so we can trade. Once we can trade directly with each other and reduce (or ideally eliminate) our dependence on structures such as central banks, the courts and police, the whole house of cards will fall. I think those things will have to be based around a small farm so people's food requirements are met and, while we have bought into a small farm and get a lot of our food from there, it's not local. If you are at all interested in doing a tour where you help people come together, please say and I am VERY happy to help you organise this as, IMO, once there are a couple of farms like the one we've bought into in every county, the future will be visible and we'll reach a tipping point. I hope it appeals to you!

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Kevin Molloy's avatar

you make some really interesting points here Miri. I found myself watching Dallas last year from 40 years ago, and I could remember how scenes ended before the end of the scene. Meaningless little rows, all stored away in my brain. And the background music, so emotional and manipulative. And of course, they hook you first, before they hit you with any messaging. coronation street of 25 years ago was n't particularly manipulative the way it has been in the last ten . It's so interesting to revisit the recent past though, now that we know what we know. I came across a YouTube video of Douglas Murray from 15 years ago, and his 'concerns' about immigration. It's so obvious now that he was just shilling for Israel, but at the time I remember thinking 'yes, that's right'.

Youtube is the monster. Really powerfully addictive, I've given it up twice this year already, and it keeps pulling me back.

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