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Thanet's getting political. It must be Winter.

It seems it is all getting political here in Thanet.

Michael is worried that we are facing a sham consultation puppeted by TDC:

thanetonline: Thanet District Council Leader, consultation or chaos?

Over the next fortnight the council are asking you about how you want to select a leader of the council. Do you want to vote for a leader when you vote for the councillors, or do you want the councillors to chose their own leader instead?



Tony is worried that the extreme left are getting their game on:

BIGNEWS MARGATE: Socialist Workers Party–Recruitment Drive?

Crikey had email forwarded today from where I'm not quite sure, anyhow, it was to announce a meeting promoted by the Socialist Workers Party, now maybe I don't get out too often but I thought that the old SWP had withered and died with Mrs T's departure.

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Snow way!

Please excuse the bad pun but I thought I would just inform the terminally shy that it is snowing here in Thanet. Yeah the white stuff is falling for the second time this year. It looks thick and likely to stay for a while.

Be careful out there you guys and gals.
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Traffic Lights at the clock tower - again?

Plans to transform Margate seafront include removing the roundabout at the clock tower and replacing it with Traffic lights.

Now correct me if I am wrong at all but did we not try this already? It did not work last time so why might it work this time?

PLANS to transform Margate seafront into a pedestrian's paradise will be unveiled on Thursday.

PLANS to transform Margate seafront into a pedestrian's paradise will be unveiled on Thursday. Multi-million pound proposals, being put forward by...

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Seth's reasons to work

Seth's Blog: Reasons to work

For the money To be challenged For the pleasure/calling of doing the work For the impact it makes on the world For the reputation you build in the community To solve interesting problems To be part of a group and...

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100 Points for Every Reader

If you have been paying close attention to Thanet Star (and we wouldn't blame you for doing so) you may have noticed that you can earn Mojo Points here. Mojo Points are just for fun, they don't pay the rent and they don't make you sexy (sorry). However they do enable you to one-up the other guy.

To help out the readers that do read I am giving away 100 points.

...

» Continue Reading: 100 Points for Every Reader

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Media Manipulation - Our Reality Every Day

Today's article is a guest post one of the first of many quality articles written by people other than myself. This article on the subject of media manipulation (a topic I am sure we are all familiar with is by Manny Hawkins

Media manipulation is part of our daily life. Each event is presented by the media in a way that is convenient for each of them. The misconception of the reality created by the media in the audience, can lead to wrong assessment and behavior in humans.

Media not only have a social role, but they actually are tools for controlling public temperature. Media manipulation consists of the way news is presented and depends on how people will understand a process and how they will react to it.

The media have a social role to varying degrees. They can talk about certain issues and keep silent about others. This is exactly what turns them into a new type of power.

In closed and authoritarian countries, media aim at persuading the audience that we should accept unconditionally all political and social actions of the government. So they become part of the state power bodies. While in the open and democratic societies, the media are an intermediary between the authorities and people. They should provide a two-way flow of information from the institutions to society and vice versa. Media competition leads to differentiation of news and information, also called media manipulation

The relationship between media and politics is an important issue. Some authors argue that mass media have a negative role in the political sphere. According to some experts, manipulation occurs when people are forced to accept beliefs and actions. Thus, they become dependent objectively and become objects of manipulation.

There are two types of manipulation. In the first case, certain classes and elites occupy the media and provide information suitable for them. A second option - in the society is formed apolitical mass culture through the mechanisms of market economy. So politicians are free to act without worrying that the society might be dissatisfied with their work. There are five types of media manipulation:

  • Publication and broadcasting of materials criticising existing political and social conditions
  • Isolation of the personal lives of a public framework, leading to underestimation of the problem
  • Giving priority to volume of the entertainment at the expense of political information
  • Unclear boundaries between information and entertainment
  • Depoliticize issues by omitting important details of the information

Many analysts believe that the media are harmful to democracy because they encourage political passivity by offering only sensational and entertainment information.

For more readings about media manipulation, just visit this blog http://youarebeingmanipulated.com

About the Author

Article by Manny Hawkins, he is working as  a part time business analyst.

(ArticlesBase SC #3681330)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ - Media Manipulation - Our Reality Every Day

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Turner gallery is news again

Well it looks like the Turner gallery has a good publicity team because somehow finally being able to announce an open date is news.

BBC News - 'Celebration' for Turner gallery opening in Margate

A little-known painting by JMW Turner will form the centrepiece of the opening show at a £17.4m art gallery in Margate which will bear his name.



So the TC is about to open - are you planning to visit?
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How to buy Thanet (part four)

Over the last few weeks I have been looking at "How to Buy Thanet" or more specifically how to buy her domain name space.

Today I want to look at why this matters.

In part two of the series I took a look at the political domain names that were still available.

Why would this be a problem?

Let us imagine that I was standing against Simon Moores in the local elections. I would want to have as much impact as possible. One rather underhand way to do this would be to register SimonMoores.com and put up a site that makes him look foolish or bad at his job.

...

» Continue Reading: How to buy Thanet (part four)

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How to buy Thanet (part three)

Thanet Star readers Kieth and Dave raised some interesting questions in How to buy Thanet (part two).

Keith pointed out how important it was to test the whois privacy that you get with a domain purchase. (All link examples given in these articles have whois privacy for free).

Dave mentioned buying finely targetted domains (specifically dreamland related domains). I've updated the and listings with available names but I'd like to look at some of the more competitive and specific examples:

Dreamland was, keyword wise a bit barren. Aside from dreamland.org.uk (which is expensive) there were just three crisp dot com domain names:

  • dreamland-margate.com is available get it
  • dreamland-amusement.com is available get it
  • dreamland-amusement-park.com is available get it

Keep reading to see what else I learned.

...

» Continue Reading: How to buy Thanet (part three)

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Niche domain name anyone?

Continuing on the subject of domain names I'd like to start today by mentioning that (as mentioned here, , here and here) there is a new player in town when it comes to Niche Domain Names.

For those who have yet to encounter the word a niche is a market sector which by virtue of specialization can be serviced by any smaller business or trader far better than any large industry catering to the mass market. In other words it is an offering that is not for everyone but does appeal to a specific group.

Domain name purchasing has, in recent years, focused largely on creating a domain name that is specific to a niche and thus does well only for searches relating to said niche. Thanet blogging as opposed to British blogging for example.

Such niches allow something that would otherwise be irrelevant or too weak to compete to find a smaller enclave in which to prosper. If it does well it might break out and address a wider audience.

I'd be quite pleased if someone from Thanet blogging manages to do that.
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