We are deep into an era where every news site is local and global at the same time. There's no mystery about that, it's simply the nature of the web. Thus information can, unless blocked by authorities, travel across borders as freely as a virus does.
Plenty of governments are threatened by this, so they set up the equivalent of quarantines to block information from reaching their citizens.
China is a leading practitioner of this model of online censorship.
But as tech companies like Facebook have grown bigger and more powerful than most governments, they too have taken on the role of censors, determining which information should or should not reach their users.
The ultimate test of this development is the social network's confrontation with Trump -- whether to suspend his account permanently or let him back in to continue spreading lies and propaganda.
For the rest of us, it can be difficult to hold to a definite position in this debate. The stakes are so high; the implications hard to process. None of us want a dictator to arise from our polarized political landscape; but many of us dread allowing a private company like Facebook control what we say or think.
***
Another consequence of the web is that media companies that considered themselves local or regional suddenly find themselves attracting an audience composed of people from all over the world. This did not appeal to the CEO of one company I worked for, as he complained he couldn't "monetize" consumers located overseas.
He wanted our company to focus on domestic consumers only so he could attract advertising dollars to support the news content.
Unfortunately, the metrics department reported to me. Actually, the metrics department was one guy, a brilliant fellow with a wonderful smile and an honest streak sure to get him (and me) in trouble.
He ran and reran the numbers only to confirm that despite what our boss wanted our audience was irreparably globalized.
Needless to say, the report I filed based on his research was not met kindly by our CEO and before long, under other pretenses, my metrics guy and I were sent packing.
Not to worry. We both soon found other gigs. And the company folded not long after we left.
***
I do love baseball, but the game is changing, not always for the better. The so-called "shift" defense has taken much of the joy out of the game. In its most radical form, all four infielders can be located on one side of the field.
As a fan, to me this sucks. The rule should be that players play their position -- the game intends for hitters to be rewarded for beating the defense, but that's hard to do when the odds are stacked against you.
Hey, it's baseball, not Vegas.
The headlines:
* E.P.A. to Sharply Limit Powerful Greenhouse Gases -- The Biden administration is moving quickly to limit hydrofluorocarbons, the Earth-warming chemicals used in air-conditioning and refrigeration. (NYT)
* America’s new normal: A degree hotter than two decades ago (AP)
* U.S. trustee opposes NRA bankruptcy petition, dealing blow to group (WP)
* Fake Covid-19 Certificates Hit Airlines, Which Now Have to Police Them -- Test results, often required to fly across borders, can be easily manipulated (WSJ)
* The GOP is Set to Dump Liz Cheney from Leadership for Refusing to Lie About the 2020 Election and the Capitol Riot -- This comes in the wake of Trump's campaign against her. (CNN)
* Widespread Commodity Shortages Raise Inflation Fears -- For products as diverse as lumber and microchips, price increases are filtering through the economy. (NYT)
* During a visit to a community college in Norfolk, Va., President Biden outlined his tax plan, which emphasizes child care benefits as well as an increase in taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations in order to benefit community colleges. (AP)
* An investigation by Reveal and The Los Angeles Times found stark racial disparities in the Paycheck Protection Program. In Los Angeles, businesses in white neighborhoods received loans at a much higher rate than in Latino, Black or Asian neighborhoods. (Reveal/LAT)
* Firefighters in New Mexico, Arizona and California are battling springtime blazes that have been fueled by a severe drought and boosted by climate change. (California Today)
* Facebook and Trump are at a turning point in their long, tortured relationship (WP)
* Far-right crime hits record high in Germany (Reuters)
* German Authorities Break Up International Child Sex Abuse Site (NYT)
* Four families that were separated at the Mexico border during Trump's presidency will be reunited in the U.S. this week as "just the beginning" of a broader effort, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said. More than 5,500 children were separated from their parents during the Trump administration going back to July 1, 2017. [AP]
* National Guard soldier is fourth service member charged in Capitol riot (WP)
* From the Freedom Angels to “Mamalitia,” The Sacramento Bee explored the links between the anti-vaccine movement and extremism in California. (SacBee)
* FDA appears poised to authorize Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children as young as 12 by next week (WP)
* Australia Tells Its Citizens in India Amid Covid Crisis: Don’t Come Home (NYT)
* Women journalists face escalating violence online. (WP)
* He saved her from drowning and they fell in love (CNN Travel)
* Private Equity Firm Heartbroken After Realizing There No AOL Employees Left To Fire (The Onion)I guess I will, someday
I don't like it, but I guess things happen that way
You asked me if I'll get along
I guess I will, some way
I don't like it, but I guess things happen that way
Then He put me on my own
Heaven, help me be a man and
Have the strength to stand alone
I don't like it, but I guess things happen that way
I guess I will, everyday
I don't like it, but I guess things happen that way
You asked me if I'll find another
I don't know, I can't say
I don't like it, but I guess things happen that way
Then He put me on my own
Heaven, help me be a man and
Have the strength to stand alone
I don't like it, but I guess things happen that way
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