Who's That Calling?

 

The other night at dinner, my phone pinged twice in a row -- they were new messages on WhatsApp. Normally, you're happy to get such messages, because the way it's supposed to work relies on two people exchanging their phone numbers and the app also boasts of its end-to-end encryption.

But to my surprise these particular messages were from Mark Zuckerberg! I didn't recall exchanging numbers with him, although his avatar did bear a striking resemblance to his real-life photos. His messages were "Hello," and "How are you doing today?"

After dinner I checked out the Sacramento-based line Mark was calling from and it is one known for fraudulent calls, for scams. I know that Facebook bought WhatsApp back in 2014 for a cool $19 billion or so and that recently it's been criticized for not actually protecting user privacy.

So maybe that what's Mark was calling about. I'll never know because I didn't get around to calling him back.

Speaking of Facebook, I hear from friends from time to time who say they have gotten locked out of the social network for a month due to an algorithmic lack of appreciation for irony.

Maybe our buddy Mark could work on that one.

***

Netflix has yielded a new feature film gem (with subtitles) from Filipino director Veronica Velasco. The story follows a reporter as he visits overseas Filipino workers in the remote Danish territory of the Faroe Islands for a documentary on their life there. He meets a woman who has a daughter with a local fisherman and the subtleties of their attraction drive the rest of the drama.

For me, it was an example of how journalists play roles in so many feature films, even romances. "The Last Letter From Your Lover" is another current release based on a woman falling for a visiting journalist.

So in the movies, unlike in real life, reporters not only get the stories they go after, but apparently also the girl. (sigh)

***

I want to acknowledge the mention in the Los Angeles Review of Books for its recent reprint of my essay, "The Ghosts of Balkh," in the Journal of the Plague Year. Thanks again to Susan Zakin, editor of the Journal.

***

THE HEADLINES:

* From Cradle to Grave, Democrats Move to Expand Social Safety Net -- The $3.5 trillion social policy bill that lawmakers begin drafting this week would touch virtually every American, at every point in life, from conception to old age. (NYT)

* Red and blue states are increasingly divided on voting regulations -- The drift is exacerbating a growing opposition as Republicans in states across the country — most recently Texas — impose new voting restrictions while Democrats in others expand access. (WP)

* Americans warier of U.S. government surveillance (AP)

* Inside the Wuhan lab: French engineering, deadly viruses and a big mystery -- After decades researching agricultural pests, the Wuhan Institute of Virology was seeking to make its mark with a new high-security lab. Then the pandemic erupted. (WP)

* At least 167 people in LA County have been infected with the mu variant. (Los Angeles Times)

* New Studies Find Evidence Of 'Superhuman' Immunity To COVID-19 In Some Individuals (NPR)

* Taliban Claim Control Over Panjshir Valley, but Resistance Vows to Fight On -- Militants posted images apparently taken in Bazarak, the capital of Panjshir Province in Afghanistan, where opposition forces have fought against their rule. (NYT)

* David Weir communes with the ghosts of Balkh, a legendary city in Afghanistan. (Los Angeles Review of Books/Journal of the Plague Year)

* Taliban consolidates control of Afghanistan, but women’s rights protesters aren’t done yet (WP)

* Attorney General Merrick Garland said that the Justice Department will work to protect the safety of people seeking abortions in Texas as the agency continues to explore how it can challenge the state’s new anti-abortion law. The department will also provide federal law enforcement support when an abortion clinic or reproductive health center is “under attack." [HuffPost]

* The Minnesota State Patrol purged emails and text messages immediately after protests over the death of George Floyd last year, according to testimony in a lawsuit that alleges the agency targeted journalists during the unrest. “The purge was neither accidental, automated, nor routine,” ACLU attorneys wrote. State Patrol spokesperson Bruce Gordon told the Star Tribune that officers follow all requirements for retaining data and that he couldn’t comment further. [AP]

* As Western states contend with increasingly catastrophic wildfires, some are looking to the Southeast, where prescribed fire is widespread thanks to policies put in place decades ago. Western states, by contrast, have struggled to expand the use of controlled burns. (NPR)

* Lake Tahoe evacuation orders lifted, but fire threat remains (AP)

* As thousands of South Lake Tahoe residents who fled California’s Caldor Fire were cleared to return to their homes this weekend, officials warned there may be an unexpected threat waiting for them: bears. With humans away for more than a week, the local bears became bolder, making more appearances in centrally located, urban neighborhoods than they usually do. [HuffPost]

* Climate Change Is The Greatest Threat To Public Health, Top Medical Journals Warn (NPR)

* The Ways 9/11 Changed Pop Culture in America (WSJ)

* World’s Cartographers Continue Living Secret Life Of Luxury On Idyllic, Never Disclosed 8th Continent (The Onion)

***

"Tell Me Your Story"

Sung by Skamp

Tell me your story, I’ll tell you mine,
Sit down beside me, Let’s pass the time,
Talkin’of the nothing and everything we have,
We got lots in common, everybody has,
Tales from our past, all that drives us mad,
Dreams for the future, hopes we once had,
Sorrow, joy and regrets, What you plan on doing next?
What you haven’t done quite yet,
N’ memories we’ll never forget
We ain’t always as we seem
You don’t know the places I’ve been
You ain’t seen the things I’ve seen
They’d keep you from your sleep
Tell me your story n’ I’ll tell you mine,
Pass me the bottle, I’ll pour the wine,
Talkin’ of the old times,
Dreamin’ of a new life,
We all know what that’s like
‘Coz we all feel the same inside