Arquivo para December, 2016
Fake news detector
05
Dec
The recent US elections, but also many others, have revealed a terrible way to c
ampaign politically, “planting” false news on fragile points of a certain politician.
Unfortunately social media, not to confuse with the networks of people, but only media, there are a large number of false news, there are already specialized websites denouncing them not only by the evil that do the particular person, but mainly to badly unmask a bad intentional..
They have come to the point of worrying companies like Google, Facebook and Twitter that try to create measures that combat these intentional lies, that is, they are only meant to confuse.
Now technologist Daniel Sieradski has developed a plug-in known as a BS Detector that indicates “questionable” sites that are used on Facebook and Twitter.
In Brazil, the site boos.org reveals, for example, rumors such as “video inside the airplane of the Chapecoense”, “clandestine cocaine factory in Bangu”, “NASA confirms land will have 6 days of darkness in December 2016” , etc. etc.
But we can take 3 simple steps to prevent us from propagating this false news: 1) even if it favors our position to investigate whether what we are reading is true and NEVER disclose it on impulse; 2) bombastic news will usually be confirmed in the press and wait for public agencies to confirm them, CONSULT PUBLIC SITES, and, 3) even if the news is true never divulge it in a way to cause PANIC.
The device created by Sieradski, as reported by the BBC News, puts a red stripe that reads: “This site is considered a questionable source,” and denies Mark Zuckerberg Facebook that it “would be unable to substantively address the proliferation of false news On its platform, “the plug-in already has more than 25,000 installations since launch.
BS Detector Sieradski says it will evolve: “I and other open source developers spend many more hours improving their functionality,” he told the BBC.
The prophet John the Baptist and cultural change
02
Dec
John the Baptist went to the desert, where he lived and preached an ascetic life, 
and talked about the radical change of life as a form of conversion, this implies a cultural change, a new route to life, this is a good proposal for Brazil today: Cultural change.
The first is to take place by force, we need a more austere life because the money has shortened except for some Maharajas, and then a cultural change of less facilities, ie easy loans and low interest, generalized spending and indefinite debts.
Of course the conversion that the prophet John the Baptist preached a “religious” life change, but it is not separated from a cultural change, that is, habits, customs and also values.
What the Sadducees and Pharisees of the time wanted, liberation from the heavy taxes of the Roman empire, and assurance of going to the kingdom of God by the observance of rules and “rites,” the Jews of this time espoused a certain ritual purity in matters such as Washing their hands, not doing work on Saturdays and other rites that are more social than religious.
The Pharisees were more popular and advocated an “oral Torah”, that is, that transmitted by the oral tradition, while the Sadducees were more aristocratic, members of the high society, defended a more sober interpretation of the Torah, without falling into ritualisms and rigor, but Both came closer to John the Baptist out of fear than out of real change of heart.
What happens today in relation to public openness, the fear of the law that promises to harden with the corrupt, causes many to change the discourse, but without changing the attitude, defend the punishment but of the “others”, as if it were possible to make a Casual law, for some only.
It is necessary to change, whether or not like “popular” Pharisees or “aristocratic” Sadducees, this could mean a cultural change in the country, increasingly necessary for a country in crisis.
Is there still Christmas spirit?
01
Dec
We have explained in previous years (see the our post) that Noel appeared in the
1920s in a Coca-Cola® marketing relating Santa Claus (American Santa Claus) with Christmas, and with impressions in magazines such as Saturday Evening Post, but it is clear that the birth of Jesus is much older, indeed dates in the years, since we are in 2016 AD, even though the measure of the years is imprecise due to the Gregorian calendar.
But this year, Trump’s election, crisis in the country with various nuances: impeachment, jet launder, crisis in Rio and with other states showing exhaustion of finances, now the tragedy with the team of the city of Chapecó (Brazil), there would still be climate for the true Christmas spirit, peace and justice, solidarity with the peripheries (now also existential), or are we in “depression”?
Remember that the year that Jesus is born is the year of the census made by the Roman Empire, and at that time people should go to the Christmas city, so Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem, where they end up being born in a stable, due to lack of accommodation: the God-boy named Jesus was born.
Yes indeed there may be a historical confusion, Luke (Lk 2: 2) narrated that the census was taken when Quirinus was governor of Syria, where from the emperor Cesar Augustus, but the order of Cesar Augustus is 5 BC, while Quirinus (or Cyrene) became governor in 6 AD.
What is important is that the historical fact occurred, and Jesus entered into history “was a contact between men” not only by a whim of history, but by a divine coincidence, and there were others said the Prophecy of Isaiah: “The Lord will give you A sign, the virgin shall become pregnant … “(Isaiah, 7:14).
Then it is necessary to remember the humble birth of Jesus, the difficult years that will follow that will force his parents to flee to Egypt, avoiding the persecution of Herod who promoted the slaughter of all newborns want to kill the “future king” of the Jews, But this ruled until 4 BC, new confusion.
Yes it is necessary to remember that persecution, humility and crises always accompany this birth, but that it brings hope, confidence in the future and inner peace, yes the spirit of Christmas remains, even among those who do not believe, it is necessary to stop and breathe, otherwise it does not going forward.
