a NY Times video:
http://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000004769329/pickle.html?actio
/ Same Story
Nature works its plan.
Across from us at The Odd Fellows Hall
aka: The Putney
the downtown tableau plays out.
In the tree at the Five Points in front of the Clarke,
framed by the arm of a street-light
with a car whizzing past
a goshawk stalks its prey -
a pigeon in our birdseed tray
outside our window
minding its own business
finds itself flying
not under its own power
in the claws and beak
of a Greater Strength than itself
Some would say, "What do you expect
living downtown?"
^,^
opinion
Forwarded by Rev./Dr. Tom Bentz
ON
NOVEMBER 7, 2016, the day before
the US election, I compared the number of social media followers, website
performance, and Google search statistics of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
I was shocked when the data revealed the extent of Trump’s popularity. He had
more followers across all social platforms and his posts had much higher
engagement rates. I noticed that the second most popular article shared on
social media in the last six months with words “Donald Trump” in the
headline, “Why
I’m Voting For Donald Trump”, had been shared 1.5 million times. Yet that
story never made it into my Facebook newsfeed. I asked many of my liberal New
York friends, and they all said they never seen it.
The
global village that was once the internet was has been replaced by digital
islands of isolation that are drifting further apart each day. From your
Facebook feed to your Google Search, as your experience online grows
increasingly personalized, the internet’s islands keep getting more segregated
and sound proofed. The internet that helped elect Barack Obama in 2008 and was
used during Arab spring in 2011 is different from the internet that led to
Brexit and the election of Donald Trump.
According
to Pew
Research, 61 percent of millennials use Facebook as their primary source for
news about politics and government, but Facebook refuses
to acknowledge its identity as a
news source. Rather, it maintains its focus on boosting ad serving volume and
engagement rates.
Our
Facebook feeds are personalized based on past clicks and likes behavior, so
we mostly consume political content that are similar to our views. Without
realizing it, we develop tunnel vision. Rarely will our Facebook comfort zones
expose us to opposing views, and as a result we eventually become victims to our
own biases.
As
a liberal New Yorker, a few months ago my Facebook feed was filled with
#ImWithHer or #FeelTheBern content in addition to some ‘Obama is the greatest’
headlines, which I was happy to see. I engaged with the content, and I was
siloed as a result. When we moved to the debates my feed turned into discussions
of Trump scandals and why we should all be with her. I only saw articles from
liberal media such as the New
York Times and Washington
Post. While I know it’s important to be skeptical of the media, even a
critical eye grows less keen the more it is ambushed with one-sided
propaganda.
I’m
convinced that Clinton was the better option, but I haven’t seen enough content
on my Facebook feed that seriously challenged my beliefs. I often find myself
going out of my way to read sites like Fox News, which never appeared on my
newsfeed even though it gets more than 65 million monthly visits and millions of
social shares.
Our
digital social existence has turned into a huge echo chamber, where we mostly
discuss similar views with like-minded peers and miserably fail to penetrate
other social bubbles that are often misled by fear and xenophobia. This is
especially damaging because peer views and referrals are the strongest, most
convincing form of marketing.
As
a Muslim, an African Arab, and an immigrant, I will probably be among those most
impacted by Trump’s presidency, but I refuse to believe that half of America is
racist. I think that many Trump voters would have re-thought their vote if they
had heard the views of close friends who would be directly impacted by Trump
policies. When Fox News tells me how awful a president Obama has been, it is
different from my friend in Michigan who tells me how life under Obama has been
getting worse and why he seeks change.
Facebook
is not alone in this. Google also filters the search results based on your
location and previous searches and clicks. The social bubbles that Facebook and
Google have designed for us are shaping the reality of your America. We only see
and hear what we like. Until the election results, a little more than half of us
didn’t realize that the other half of the country was frustrated enough to elect
Trump. We all thought that Clinton would easily crush Trump this election, given
how much crazy shit the guy has said. This includes polls by mathematicians who
must have developed their biases somewhere.
Many
real-life communities are already segregated by color, class, political, and
cultural views. Facebook, Google and other networks are our online communities,
and they are similarly segregated. We need to remind ourselves that there are
humans on the other side of the screen who want to be heard and can think and
feel like us while at the same time reaching different conclusions. The internet
did a better job of fostering cross community conversation eight years ago when
Obama was first elected. America was better off because of it.
^,^
A favorite person
who has 'paid off' for us....
book person
cat lover, with Rory.
U. Archivist
Lawrence University
Appleton WI
^,^
My heart wasn't in it
http://raccoonnews.blogspot.com/2016/08/at-fort-benning-ga-ritual-waters-route.html
Scroll down to 'soldier'
^,^
Shrimp boats is a-comin'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbalyiEewVw
El Presidente needs a tie clip
for that long tie he wears;
it does not fool us.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH3szOIV9jQ
"Now you might feel just a little prick."
^,^
Iditarod
~ CORREXION ~
Above is an image off the net advertising the 2017 Iditarod grueling dog sled race to be held in March.
Our Seattle FILSON outerwear gear catalog came the other day.
In it was shown a full page picture of dog-sledding across the barren straits of Alaska,
one presumes.
So taken with the image that I scanned it and sent it to my Alaskan daughter, Laurie
She used to be an advocate of the Iditarod and all the exciting heroics thereof.
Now she has a different view as portrayed in this E mail she sent:
And more from Laurie on the subject last night:
More on driving sled dogs too hard. This is
regarding one dog death last year in Lance Mackey's team. His hands have been so
badly frost bitten that he can't care for his dogs on the trail. Still he
runs.
Lucy Shelton
Azusa, California
"No dog should die. It is horribly sad. This brings the total known deaths to 145, since records have been kept. Dog deaths average about three per year. Six dogs died in 2009.
According to Yukon Quest reports, Mackey raced this young team in that race last month,--too much, too soon? For those who think Mackey treats his dogs like family, check out his kennel, showing the dogs short-chained to their enclosures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0IAX2nwMFc This is considered inhumane and illegal in some communitiesAbout half the dogs do not finish the race every year. They are dropped due to injury, illness, exhaustion, or not wanting to continue. No musher finishes with all 16 of their dogs and some finish with only 7 dogs. This is a once-a-year, totally unnecessary race for only about 78 mushers. It is cruel to have such a long, 1,000-mile, treacherous, race when half the dogs cannot finish, at the proven risk of injury, exhaustion, or death.
There are laws in at least 38 states against over-driving and over-working animals, which is exactly what the Iditarod does. The Alaska cruelty statue that would apply to the sled dogs was changed in 2008 to exempt them."
I don't know if you want this information , Dad, but I share it with any lower 48 folks because Alaskans have blinders on about this issue.
Share away!!
Love, Laurie
Lucy Shelton
Azusa, California
"No dog should die. It is horribly sad. This brings the total known deaths to 145, since records have been kept. Dog deaths average about three per year. Six dogs died in 2009.
According to Yukon Quest reports, Mackey raced this young team in that race last month,--too much, too soon? For those who think Mackey treats his dogs like family, check out his kennel, showing the dogs short-chained to their enclosures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0IAX2nwMFc This is considered inhumane and illegal in some communitiesAbout half the dogs do not finish the race every year. They are dropped due to injury, illness, exhaustion, or not wanting to continue. No musher finishes with all 16 of their dogs and some finish with only 7 dogs. This is a once-a-year, totally unnecessary race for only about 78 mushers. It is cruel to have such a long, 1,000-mile, treacherous, race when half the dogs cannot finish, at the proven risk of injury, exhaustion, or death.
There are laws in at least 38 states against over-driving and over-working animals, which is exactly what the Iditarod does. The Alaska cruelty statue that would apply to the sled dogs was changed in 2008 to exempt them."
I don't know if you want this information , Dad, but I share it with any lower 48 folks because Alaskans have blinders on about this issue.
Share away!!
Love, Laurie
^,^
Bell-ringing, Salvation Army style, and etc.
Last Saturday she rang Salvation Army bells;
a mother dug in her purse to give some quarters to her
little boy. She dug up two and whispered in her son's ear.
The tadpole headed for a gumball machine instead of the
red kettle. Corrected by his Mom he toddled over to Dee's Red Kettle
and returned Dee's smile and thank you.
He smiled a great smile.
Bruce Boeck relieves us last year
at what we call the rich man's Pick n Save.
^,^
Stu Tolbert sends us caladium leaves from
Lake Placid, Fla
Yesterday we got a bubble wrap envelope from unmet friend Stu. In it were several caladium red
and green fresh and moist floral leaves from his and wife Donna's yard in their retirement.
They sent Christmas greetings.
SEE:
http://raccoonnews.blogspot.com/2010/03/groaning-like-grandpa.html
^,^
Jane Vollmer's pickled fish recipe
