This post-pandemic window -- or eye of the storm should the delta variant drive us all back into isolation this fall -- is a moment for our better angels to shine.
Many people I speak with feel we have an opportunity to put our lives, our companies, our communities back together in better form than before Covid struck.
It is a new chance to be kind to a stranger. Just the little things, for starters.
Larger challenges await us. But baby steps in the right direction matter.
***
Since I'm constantly presenting a forceful defense of journalists (as opposed to the "media"), I should explain why.
Reporters gain credibility for the stories they uncover . That's how they get a rep, win awards, and field calls from competitive media organizations wanting to hire them.
So that's fine for the individual journalist. It's called a career.
But society as a whole has a much broader interest in its journalists. Although we get honored (or reviled) for the stories we've done in the past, our main value is what we may do in the future.
It's what we don't know collectively as citizens that makes journalists valuable. Because reporters become good over time at finding out things that otherwise might remain hidden.
We have very specific methodologies for doing this, many of which I've discussed here in the past.
But discovering things is one step, disclosing them is another, and this how and why we sometimes get in trouble.
Certain people react badly to the types of revelations investigative reporters provide. Not only those accused of wrongdoing; also those whose worldview, political persuasion, faith or proclivity seems threatened in the process.
Among the reactions reporters get used to handling are lawsuits, denunciations by politicians, and death threats.
Those go with the territory.
But just as we remain most valuable for what we have not done yet, i.e., for what we don't know; reporters are not the best types of people to threaten.
Because to us that means the threatener knows something they don't want the rest of us to know.
And for a reporter that is called motivation.
***
THE HEADLINES:
* Remote Work Is the New Signing Bonus --Workers are trading jobs, enticed by the guarantee of flexible schedules and continued work from home. (WSJ)
* Where Did the Coronavirus Come From? What We Already Know Is Troubling. -- Even if the coronavirus did not emerge from a lab, the groundwork for a potential disaster had been laid for years, and learning its lessons is essential to preventing others. (NYT)
* U.S. Catholic bishops say there will be ‘no national policy on withholding Communion from politicians’ (WP)
* Engineer found structural damage years before Florida building collapsed (Reuters)
* Biden vows ‘sustained’ help as Afghanistan drawdown nears (AP)
* How AI Is Taking Over Our Gadgets -- AI is moving from data centers to devices, making everything from phones to tractors faster and more private. These newfound smarts also come with pitfalls. (WSJ)
* Trump Organization Could Face Criminal Charges in D.A. Inquiry -- An indictment of the Trump Organization could mark the first criminal charges to emerge from an investigation by the Manhattan district attorney into Donald J. Trump and his business dealings. (NYT)
* With Trump Holding Rallies Again, The Shadow 2024 Republican Campaign Continues-- On Saturday in Ohio, the former president holds his first rally since leaving office. Meanwhile, other top potential GOP presidential candidates are running versions of shadow campaigns. (NPR)
* Trump Aides Prepared Insurrection Act Order During Debate Over Protests -- Trump never invoked the act, but fresh details underscore the intensity of his interest last June in using active-duty military to curb unrest. (NYT)
* Derek Chauvin briefly addressed the family of George Floyd for the first time on Friday, offering them his condolences before his sentence for murder was delivered. (AP)
* Derek Chauvin is sentenced to 22 and a half years for murder of George Floyd. (NYT)
* UFO Report Says ‘Unidentified Aerial Phenomena’ Defy Worldly Explanation -- U.S. intelligence officials reviewing dozens of reports of mysterious flying objects found 18 in which the objects displayed no visible propulsion or appeared to use technology beyond known capabilities, according to a report. (WSJ)
* Watershed U.S. UFO report does not rule out extraterrestrial origin (Reuters)
* In Russia, Some of the World’s Biggest Polluters Are Going Green (WSJ)
* Historic heat wave blasts Northwest as wildfire risks soar (AP)
* CEOs Ignore Social Issues at Their Own Peril -- Leaders are more likely to be fired for riling shareholders about social, rather than financial, concerns, a new study suggests. (WSJ)
* New early human discovered at Israeli cement site (Reuters)
* Discovery of ‘Dragon Man’ Skull in China May Add Species to Human Family Tree -- A laborer discovered the fossil and hid it in a well for 85 years. Scientists say it could help sort out the human family tree and how our species emerged. (NYT)
* As many as 50 people are missing after setting out on three-hour car trips this year between Mexico's industrial hub of Monterrey and the border city of Nuevo Laredo on a well-traveled stretch of road local media have dubbed “the highway of death.” (AP)
* The surprisingly durable second act of Liam Neeson (WP)
* The Pandemic Made Our Relationships Stronger -- Despite early fears of a divorce surge, new data shows that after a difficult year couples are more appreciative and committed. (WSJ)
* NOAA designates part of Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan as sanctuary for shipwrecks (WP)
* Pacific Ocean Quarantined After Contact With Carnival Cruise Ship (The Onion)
***
"Every Breath You Take"
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I'll be watching you
Every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay
I'll be watching you
You belong to me
How my poor heart aches
With every step you take
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I'll be watching you
I dream at night I can only see your face
I look around but it's you I can't replace
I feel so cold and I long for your embrace
I keep crying baby, baby please
You belong to me
How my poor heart aches
With every step you take
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I'll be watching you
Every step you take
I'll be watching you
(Every game you play)
(Every night you stay) I'll be watching you
(Every single day)
(Every word you say)
(Every game you play)
(Every night you stay) I'll be watching you
(Every move you make)
(Every vow you break)
(Every smile you fake)
(Every claim you stake) I'll be watching you
(Every single day)
(Every word you say)
(Every game you play)
(Every night you stay) I'll be watching you
No comments:
Post a Comment