The Science of Fox News: Why Its Viewers Are the Most Misinformed | Alternet
In June of 2011, Jon Stewart went on air with Fox News’ Chris Wallace and started a major media controversy over the channel’s misinforming of its viewers. “Who are the most consistently misinformed media viewers?” Stewart asked Wallace. “The most consistently misinformed? Fox, Fox viewers, consistently, every poll.”
Stewart’s statement was factually accurate, as we’ll see. The next day, however, the fact-checking site PolitiFact weighed in and rated it “false.”In claiming to check Stewart’s “facts,” PolitiFact ironically committed a serious error—and later, doubly ironically, failed to correct it. How’s that for the power of fact checking?
There probably is a small group of media consumers out there somewhere in the world who are more misinformed, overall, than Fox News viewers. But if you only consider mainstream U.S. television news outlets with major audiences (e.g., numbering in the millions), it really is true that Fox viewers are the most misled based on all the available evidence—especially in areas of political controversy. This will come as little surprise to liberals, perhaps, but the evidence for it—evidence in Stewart’s favor—is pretty overwhelming.
Hydroponics: 90% Less Water Than Conventional Farming
As more people continue to see the
prices they pay for daily necessities rise faster than their paychecks,
a growing number have become interested in the act of homesteading.
It’s never a bad idea to think of different ways to cut back on the cost
of living, and become more self-sufficient at the same time.
Hydroponics is a system of plant growth requiring little space, and
ironically little water.
Every little change that you make to try and save money adds up over
time; bringing a water bottle from home instead of purchasing one,
reusing gift wrapping paper, choosing cloth children’s diapers instead
of costly disposable ones. Growing your own food not only makes
you more self-sufficient, it saves you money, and the food is arguably
healthier-granted it’s not smothered in pesticides, fungicides, and a
myriad of other poisons.
For those who don’t have much space, time, or energy to start growing on their own. A variety of new systems have been popularized which are targeted toward the urban homesteader. Vegetables
don’t necessarily require soil to be grown, they can be grown using
just water, provided it contains the proper nutrients and fertilizers.
An increasingly popular method of growing vegetables is by using a
hydroponic system.
Hydroponic
gardening is a technique used for growing fruit, vegetables, and other
foods in a soil-less environment. It’s an ideal technique for those with
a limited space. The various systems are cost efficient as they recycle
water and nutrients, and plants are freed from diseases and pesticides
that are commonly associated with soil, among other benefits.
There are a number of hydroponic systems available to choose from,
for those who would like to utilize this method to start growing some of
their own fresh fruit and vegetables right at home. TO choose from:
Wick Hydroponics, Water Culture, Deep Water Culture, Ebb and Flow, Drip
Hydroponics, and Nutrient Film Technique.