Lies spread fast on Facebook. Once they do, it’s nearly impossible to change anyone's mind.
The accusation that Jade Helm, a U.S. military training exercise, was the beginning of a civil war originated on Facebook. Conspiracy theories about ebola, autism, and global warming all thrive on the world’s largest social network. Facebook feeds are filled with unsubstantiated conspiracy theories. And even though many thousands of attempts have been made to debunk them, those efforts are mostly futile, according to new European research that studied 54 million American Facebook users over a five-year period.
Social networks like Facebook and Twitter are fertile ground for misinformation, the researchers found, because the websites cultivate powerful echo chambers that not only amplify falsehoods but also aggressively resist any attempts to correct them.
Researchers looked at nearly 50,000 posts debunking false information and found that most of them were wasted efforts. In fact, the people most likely to respond to factual debunkings on Facebook were the most committed conspiracy theorists. When a debunker comes along, the conspiracy theorists often react negatively. The debunking often achieves the opposite of the intended effect.
"So you say if I drove around Harlem at night, I could be at Eddie Murphy's house?"
Frank! I'm doing a post.
"Well, excuse me money bags. But I was discussing some very important business opportunities here with miss Scleroso here.
You did that on purpose! Now I have to finish this before you ruin it any more than it is.
My name is Lou Finkle and this was my Conspiracy Theory...how did she get here, Frank?
BC indie pop unit MALK dropped their Prehistoric EP almost a year ago, but now they're looking to the future with a video for the brand new track, "Major Boy." You can check out the exclusive premiere right here at Exclaim!
The tune is slated to appear on the band's forthcoming full-length record, which was recorded with Felix Fung at Little Red Sounds in Vancouver and is currently being eyed for a 2016 release.
The clip itself was directed by Megan-Magdalena and Nathaniel Epp, and sees the band delivering a live performance despite an invasion of particularly touchy-feely fans. Hands and fingers fly across faces and instruments, but the dudes don't seem too deterred.
While we await full details of MALK's upcoming album, you can catch them live at the shows listed below. Keep scrolling to check out the clip for "Major Boy" in the player below.
Tour dates:
11/08 Abbotsford, BC - O'Neills * 12/04 Vancouver, BC - the Astoria
*Warning: PIRATE RADIO presentation*
My name is Frank Finkle and this is my Conspiracy Theory.
Are Syrian refugees being used as weapon to destroy Europe? László Bogár, an economist, university lecturer and pro-government publicist, went on public television in Hungary, in order to explain to viewers how the dastardly United States is using the refugee crisis as a weapon to destabilize Europe. According to Mr. Bogár, the EU’s real, “natural” allies are Russia and China. “Empires always liked to believe and promote that they will last forever. As such, we need not be especially surprised that the elites of the United States believe this as well. This is what their ambassador in Budapest is trying to demonstrate, in her disciplinary speech; a speech that rather proved to be the pathetic effort of a decaying empire. The only thing that’s more amusing is how their ‘local’ lackeys desperately attempted to make it appear as though anyone still cared about a decaying empire’s efforts at sounding tough…Today, they are producing such a planetary vortex, that is pumping out wrecked societies into Europe, which is now its rival, in order to use this as a weapon to wipe out our continent.”
"Hello, I'm Lou Finkle, creator of this BlogCast and I in no way endorse the theory of the show today. People can't be used to destabilize any country no more than cows or chickens."
Oh, you're going to break into my perfectly good post to say the opposite of it, Lou?
"Yep, we need the readers, Frank. And I can't let you piss off the 6 people who read this post and like refugees. Or bought a Wyclef Jean record or anything like that, ok?"
Well, that's what Conspiracy Theory should be about, Lou. The very nature of them is to take something people like and just piss on. Piss on it good!
Hey look, there's a woman with an apple pie...piss on it.
Hey kid, you got any gum?..you do?...piss on it.
Hey, do you have any Arby's coupons?...piss on it.
"I do not endorse pissing on Arby's coupons."
"They're the maker of good sandwiches and curly fries"
Oh, you like curly fries do 'ya? You know what I do to curly fries?
I PISS ON IT!
My name is Frank Finkle and this was my Conspiracy Theory.
*Warning: PIRATE RADIO presentation*
My name is Frank Finkle...and this is my Conspiracy Theory.
Britney Spears’ Meltdown was Manufactured by the Bush Administration?
In 2007 Britney Spears had a rough year. It seemed as she made headlines one right after the other with bizarre behaviors—including shaving her head—like she was having some kind of meltdown.
Conspiracy theorists claim that the whole thing was staged by the Bush administration to deflect publicity away from any major political PR disasters.
The Weapons of Mass Destruction in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan..
"Hey Frank, I thought you were just suppose to do political stuff when you took over Conspiracy Theory?"
"Isn't it bad enough that you let Donald Trump buy our house and shut us down? This is the first Conspiracy Theory we've been able to do in weeks, you know?"
Ok, but I was waiting for someone else to be a front runner so I could interview them and make up something....I could do Marco Rubio, I guess. Do you think he's a space alien?
"You can't interview a Spanish speaking person and say the word ALIEN in the same conversation, Frank."
I could do my interview in all Spanish?
"Yeah, yeah...or you could do an interview without your pants on. I don't suggest you do either of those."
But not everyone has delighted us with their spook-tacular get ups, nope some have left us horrified with their eyesores.
It seems this year many women really took to heart the immortal Mean Girls’ quote “Halloween is the one day a year when a girl can dress up like a total s*** and no other girls can say anything else about it.”
Although unfortunately for them and the men who have killed our Halloween spirit –we do have a thing or two to say about it.
Here’s our round-up of this year’s worst costumes.
Casey Batchelor - a mouse, maybe?
Eagle Lee / Barcroft Media
Hugh Grant - a scruffy lion
Alicia Arden - we're not really sure what she is dressed as
Skimpy: The models wore small bikinis and had codes on their bums
This is the moment a group of bikini-clad models caused chaos on the streets by encouraging men to scan their BUMS with a mobile phone.
The group of high heel-wearing women were seen with nothing on but skimpy bikinis as they strode through a major shopping area of Beijing, China.
Stunned onlookers watched in amazement as the models promoted a new mobile phone app with scannable QR codes on their bottoms and bodies.
Members of the public were then asked to scan the codes to get more details about the new app - but things soon got out of hand as HUGE crowds descended on the area.
As a result, police were called to stop the promotion - which was said to be getting out of hand.
CEN
Bum's rush: The models were later moved on by police
CEN
Shock: The models had scannable codes on their bottoms
Citizens that had gathered in the Jianwai SOHO Business Park also started photographing the young models, but some also sneered at the latest public relations stunt.
Authorities eventually broke up the large crowds that had started to gather after they caused too much noise and commotion.
CEN
Photographs: Many people stopped to have their photos taken with the models
The incident is reminiscent of similar incidents both in Beijing and in eastern Jiangsu Province, where large groups of male models doing promotional work caused controversy when they paraded through the streets dressed as Spartan warriors.
When they refused to move, police were forced to arrest them and the promotion company later had to issue an apology for causing a disturbance.
Naked Wines is an Oregon winery with an unfortunate series of suggestive wine names, such as Penetration Cabernet Sauvignon, Oh! Orgasmic Barbera, Cougar Semi-Sparkling White, and Bareback Sweet White. Their unfortunate marketing campaign consists of slogans like “I Get Naked Regularly” and “We Just Got Naked.” And now Naked Wines is suing Prism Brewing Company in Bucks County over Prism’s “Naked” beers.
Naked Wines filed the lawsuit in Philadelphia’s federal court on Monday, claiming that Prism’s use of the word “Naked” for its beers violates the Oregon company’s trademarks. Thankfully, Prism’s entire company is not built around selling beers with sexually suggestive names, but Prism’s roster of beers does include such products as Naked Red (a red ale), Naked Blonde, Naked Brunette and Naked Pale, and the company has used what Naked Wines calls “erotic” and “sexually-suggestive themes and imagery” to sell those beers, the same way that Naked Wines does for its products.
Way back in 2013, Naked Wines fired off a letter to Prism, asking the company about its use of "Naked." According to the lawsuit, Prism told Naked Wines that the word was meant to indicate that the beers were "brewed without additional elements," which is in keeping with Prism's slogan of "Whole, unfiltered & local." Naked Wines went to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office to challenge Prism's attempt to register its "Naked" trademarks, and Prism never bothered to respond to that challenge, so a default judgment was issued in Naked Wines' favor, thereby canceling the Prism trademark application.
Then in 2014, Prism approached Naked Wines, suggesting that they reconsider the whole thing, but Naked Wines declined and told Prism to stop with the whole "Naked" thing immediately. But Prism continued to market its "Naked" beers, and according to the suit, they stopped responding to Naked Wines.
Naked Wines' contention is that Prism's use of the term "Naked" to push an alcoholic beverage could cause confusion in the market, i.e. a person buying a "Naked" beer might reasonably assume that it was a Naked Wines product, and vice versa. Naked Wines are not currently on shelves in Pennsylvania (you have to special order it), but you can buy the products in most states, including New Jersey. Prism's beers are available in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
But it turns out that Naked Wines isn't actually the owner of the original "Naked" trademark in the alcoholic beverages industry, reports Philadelphia intellectual property attorney Alexis Arena of Center City law firm Flaster Greenberg. Arena examined documents filed with the national trademark office and explains that Naked Wines was only able to register "Naked" in association with its brand after getting consent from the original owner, Purple Wines, who has been using it since at least 2001.
"It's a very interesting case," says Arena. "Naked is a very commonly used term in connection with beer, wine and alcoholic beverages. Their agreement with the prior owner says they will not use 'Naked' alone, and now they are litigiously going after someone else using 'Naked' paired with another term."
Arena adds that Naked Wines has complained to the trademark office about other companies using "Naked" and that they've lost each time, with the exception of Prism, because Prism didn't fight it. "It may be that they think that the defendant won't fight it in court either," she says.
The lawsuit accuses Prism of trademark infringement and unfair competition and asks the court to award Naked Wines unspecified damages and to force Prism to stop using "Naked" and destroy any labels bearing the word. Prism was not immediately available for comment.
All around me, naked women are moaning, groaning, sighing and waving their hands in the air like they just don’t care. Right now, I’m seeing things that will never be unseen.
Just like green juice and goji berries, naked yoga has become a thing recently in Australia. The difference is pulverised kale doesn’t ask you to bend over in front of strangers completely nude.
As a yoga teacher, I know most postures aren’t overly flattering, no matter how expensive your Lululemon pants are. Add to that the laundry list of body hang-ups most of us carry around and I needed to know why the hell anyone would volunteer to do yoga in the buff.
I'm an A-grade prude and when it comes to the naked body I’ve developed a few hang-ups of my own. Yup, I’m that adult who lives alone and showers with the door closed. So in the name of facing my fears arse-on, I arrive at yoga sans clothes.
My overactive imagination has built this up to be some Jonestown-esque cult orgy that will end in us sacrificing a naked hipster then knocking back cider-laced Kool-Aid. Arriving at the studio, it’s comforting to see that our teacher, Rosie Rees, doesn’t look old enough to even know what Jonestown was.
Death cult aside, there’s still the terrifying "bending over naked in front of strangers" requirement, so I quickly make a beeline to the far back corner.
Feeling grateful I practiced naked in the lead-up to this class –- walking between the kitchen and bathroom at home a few times -– sitting on my mat wearing a robe, I actually start to feel relaxed about the whole thing.
Rosie has an ethereal vibe and is floating around giving everyone hugs; the room is heated and is starting to feel like a little womb. Then someone sets up shop directly behind me.
My worst nightmare has come true: someone will be staring at my sacred lady parts.
My worst nightmare has come true: someone will be staring at my sacred lady parts.
This is seriously the worst thing ever and it’s too late to escape -– our sharing circle is about to begin. As we go around the circle giving our reasons for being here, women are opening up about body image and self-esteem struggles, and wanting to feel empowered.
Allowing ourselves to feel vulnerable, Rosie says, is the key to breaking down any barriers to empowerment. "It takes real strength and courage to step out of your comfort zone and be vulnerable," she says.
"Being vulnerable on the yoga mat in a safe, honouring space helps you to grow, transform, shift old patterns of being and feel empowered to make decisions in your life that require inner power and boldness," she added.
I’ll tell you this for free: you don’t get much more vulnerable than being naked on all fours two metres in front of a complete stranger. Which is exactly how we are three minutes later.
Cassie strikes a pose at nude yoga.
IMAGE: CASSIE WHITE
After shoving all arse-in-face panic to the back of my mind by closing my eyes and concentrating on breathing, my body really starts to relax. The same postures I’ve done hundreds of times before start to feel quite different -– more freeing. Being naked in a roomful of randoms really isn’t a big deal.
And then the breathing starts to... intensify. Rosie is building the class to its climax, encouraging us to sigh, groan, grunt, yell –- whatever noises we feel like making in the moment -– that’ll help to release whatever negative feelings are pent up inside.
I am no longer relaxed. As everyone begins to get in touch with their feminine side, my feminine parts begin to contract. The prude is back.
To be honest, it’s impressive these women are able to let go and really allow themselves to shed whatever heavy layers they’ve brought with them tonight. Meanwhile, my eyes and parts are closed so tight I’m starting to get a headache. Clearly, this yogi is not ready to shed.
As the class winds down with some meditation, I relax again and feel pretty chuffed at how almost natural all this nakedness feels right now.
Feeling more relaxed.
IMAGE: CASSIE WHITE
Although my classmates were much better at allowing themselves to be free and vocal and vulnerable, I still sense a shift in myself. I know this because we’re all taking photos of each other in the buff and my prude-o-meter isn’t being triggered.
I bent over naked in front of strangers and survived. Would I do it again? Probably not. But I absolutely recommend you give it a shot.
