U.N. Ads Reveal What Google Thinks the World Thinks of Women

A series of agency advertisements using Google’s auto-complete function to search phrases such as “women should” highlights widespread misogyny; ads on Twitter may soon target specific personalities; meanwhile, police freed 17 victims from a “gay addiction” torture clinic in Ecuador. These discoveries and more below.

On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that have found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies.

‘Women Should Be Submissive’, and Other Google Autocomplete Suggestions
A series of ads by UN Women, revealed in late October, used the Google Autocomplete feature to uncover widespread negative attitudes toward women.

How the Story of the Crack Video Came to Light
Rob Ford crack video story started with an anonymous early morning phone call to a reporter.

Looted Treasures in Pandora’s Box
The art world was stunned by the revelation this week that some 1,400 works of art, including some that were apparently acquired from looted Jewish collections, had not only been found hidden behind juice and cereal boxes in a small Munich apartment but that the German tax authorities who raided the apartment had kept the whole event secret for more than a year.

The Perils of Puffery
This past September, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced that 19 companies in his state had agreed to pay fines totaling $350,000 for commissioning and posting deceptive online reviews for their products and services.

Five Fascinating Things Revealed by Twitter Data
When technology companies get floated on the stock market, it prompts all kinds of analytical soul searching.

When Socrates Met Phaedrus: Eros in Philosophy
It’s hot. It’s really hot. It’s the middle of the Greek summer. Socrates is in Athens where he bumps into an acquaintance called Phaedrus.

The Internet Killed Distance. Mobile Computing Brought It Back
For retailing, the key change produced by the Internet is that shopping online spared consumers the economic costs (in time, grief, and gas money) of visiting a store and locating a product.

A Tale of Two Drugs
In January 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Kalydeco, the first drug to treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis, after just three months of review.

Ads Could Soon Know If You’re an Introvert (on Twitter)
Technology that derives personality traits from Twitter updates is being tested to help target promotions and personalize customer service.

Is Israel Doomed?
Why even dangerous demographics and the receding horizon of peace won’t dim the lights in Jerusalem.

Police Raid Grotesque “Gay Addiction” Torture Clinic In Ecuador
Seventeen captives were freed from what is being reported as a “gay addiction” torture clinic in Ecuador.

Related Entries

• November 7, 2013 Sweden’s New Film Rating System Zeroes In on Gender Bias
• November 7, 2013 How Wall Street Plans to Profit From Renting Out Homes It Foreclosed