An update on the intersection between non-profits and journalism. I first heard this parable about non-profit work years ago from the great Malaysian activist Anwar Fazal:
The story, as I recall it, goes like this. You are standing next to a river, when you notice a drowning baby being swept by the current, so you step in, grab her, dry her off, and place her safely on the ground next to you.
Just then, out of the corner of your eye, you spot another drowning baby. You save him, and then, you spot yet another...
The point of this story is that you can spend a lifetime saving drowning babies without ever getting the chance to move up-river and find out who the hell is throwing these kids into the river in the first place.
The duty of a journalist is to make it up-river and expose the culprit. This work is hard, and even when you do it well, you are more likely to make new enemies than friends.
***
From time to time during this pandemic my wandering mind has turned to love and I'm not sure why. It's not like I'm in the market for something like that, as far as I know. And even if I were, it would be like marketing one of those antique cars on Craigslist.
"Original parts in good working order. Lifetime guarantee or two years, whichever comes first."
That seems like a well-written entry for those dating sites, right? I've been reliably informed that 40 percent of all new relationships start online nowadays, and why not? We do just about everything else that way.
***
But first a review of the news:
* Sinclair Media Group has canceled its ridiculous conspiracy theory report claiming that Dr. Fauci created the coronavirus. It had been scheduled to appear this weekend.
* Lucky Brand, Brooks Brothers, Muji and Sur La Table are among 21 major brands that have filed for bankruptcy this year. In 2019, 20 such bankruptcies occurred for the entire year.
* Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. have topped 1,000 four days in a row.
* As the pandemic assails Brazil, the virus is taking an exceptionally high toll on the Amazon region. (The Times)
* As the pandemic assails Brazil, the virus is taking an exceptionally high toll on the Amazon region. (The Times)
* Seattle protesters threw large rocks, bottles, fireworks and other explosives at officers Saturday, and others set fire to a portable trailer and a construction site, police said.
* Empty Towers, No Power Lunches: Ghostly Midtown Is Omen for N.Y.C. (The Times)
***
The lyrics playing in my head overnight are from a sweet love song about loving someone as they try to get over a lost love. That is one of those delicate shades of love fraught with peril for the parties involved. We all know that breaking up is hard to do; loving somebody trying to heal a broken heart is hard too.
To all the broken hearted people and those who love them:
I'm not Lisa, my name is Julie
Lisa left you years ago
My eyes are not blue
But mine won't leave you
'Til the sunlight has touched your face
Lisa left you years ago
My eyes are not blue
But mine won't leave you
'Til the sunlight has touched your face
She was your morning light
Her smile told of no night
Your love for her grew
With each rising sun
Her smile told of no night
Your love for her grew
With each rising sun
And then one winter day
His hand led hers away
She left you here drowning in your tears, here
Where you've stayed for years
Crying Lisa
Lisa...
His hand led hers away
She left you here drowning in your tears, here
Where you've stayed for years
Crying Lisa
Lisa...
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