Columns

Stamp Out Breast Cancer

During a visit to Berkeley's Main Post Office this week, I overheard the following exchange between a young USPS clerk and an older male customer.

He: "I'd like some stamps."

She: "Here's our selection."

He (pointing to the "Fund the Fight; Find a Cure" stamps in her right hand): "I'd like those, please."

She: "So you want breast cancer?"

He: "Whoa! Nobody wants breast cancer!"

She (shocked): "What? You don't support breast cancer?!"

He: "No, but I do support finding a cure for breast cancer…."

Tension defused.

Those Political Ads

Forget the John Kerry rumors, I'm starting to wonder if Barack Obama is being considered as a late-minute replacement for would-be president Joe Biden? It's no surprise that Barack Obama is invoked in Biden's ads but that's not where Barackomania ends. With increasing frequency, Obama keeps popping up in TV ads for other members of the current batch of Democratic contenders—Mike Bloomberg, Elizabeth Warren, Tom Steyer, Tulsi Gabbard (and their less-well-known rivals, Deval Patrick and Eric Jaye). 

Adding to the confusion: Mike Bloomberg's team has been broadcasting campaign spots voiced by Michael Douglas ("I've played a president in movies"). 

Adding more to the confusion: Bloomberg's PR advisors have hired a Tom Steyer sound-alike to narrate one of Bloomberg's "Mike Will Get It Done" pitches. 

When it comes to inspirational background music for political ads, I'd put Steyer and Bloomberg at the front of the pack. 

Independent Media Struggling to Survive 

An alarming note has been sounded in the cybersphere: "Fox News and Big Tech keep getting bigger and progressive outlets keep shutting down or shrinking, whether it’s CREDO Action and ThinkProgress recently, or blogs like MyDD and Open Left a few years ago." 

According to a report on Business Insider, 7,800 people lost their jobs in a 2019 "media landslide" that triggered an avalanche of "media layoffs, cuts, and buyouts." 

Is there nothing but gloom on the media horizon? Well, according to Daily Kos campaign director Chris Bowers, "unlike many other left-leaning media organizations, such as Buzzfeed, HuffPo, Vice and Vox, we have not even had to make layoffs. Further, we have actually been able to expand our operations, nearly doubling our staff in the era of Trump." 

Mainstream Media's Corporate Take-over 

Jim Hightower adds another cry of alarm in the January issue of his monthly Hightower Lowdown. Hightower's exposé, which exposes how "Wall Street is savaging local journalism," focuses on the hedge-fund-managed New Media Investment Group. 

In 2017, New Media was acquired by SoftBank Group, a super-large Japanese conglomerate. In November 2019, the multi-glomerate acquired Gannett, Inc. At the time, Gannett owned 20% of America's dailies. In one fell scoop, a foreign-owned investment firm acquired a large chunk of America's media landscape—including "144 dailies, 684 community publications, and over 569 local-market websites in 38 states." The Gannett purchase alone gave SoftBank control over more than 100 US dailies (including USA Today) and nearly 1,000 weeklies. 

Hightower laments the consequences: a rash of "layoffs" (called :synergies" in corpspeak) and "forced retirement" (aka "headcount reductions"). One single-day mass-firing of reporters, photographers and editors was described as "a small restructuring." 

Gannett's investors have been promised rich rewards from cutting the costs of news-gathering by $300 million a year. The end result: an era of "Fast-food Journalism" relying on clickbait, listicles, and regurgitated syndicated content designed to homogenize the newsphere. 

Ultimately, Gannett's masterplan foresees ending print editions and herding readers onto cheaper web-based news sites. 

Alas, as our Founding Fathers tried to warn us: you can't have a thriving democracy without a thriving and independent free press. 

As is his wont, Hightower ends his media-munching-post-mortem with an antidote of activism. His "Do Something!" coda urges readers to seek out the Institute for Nonprofit News, a nonprofit "committed to editorial independence and transparency." 

Is My Hard-drive Haunted? 

My laptop's been acting up (actually, slowing down) so I thought I'd run a virus check using MalwareBytes software. Usually, I don't pay much attention as the progress bar moves slowly from left to right but this time I leaned in close to see if I could read some of the items that were being searched. While many flitted by too quickly to read, there were a several that I was able to jot down. 

Here are a few of the scanned titles that popped up in tiny print on the screen: MacSpy, Generic Suspicions, Crossrider, Evil Egg, Iron Core, Mindspeak, Videx, and Spigot. 

Now I don't know whether to be (1) relieved because these items are benign and system-friendly tools or (2) freaked because they are creepy intruders waiting to wreak havoc on my hard-drive. 

A Squeeze Ball for a Sleazeball 

Does Donald Trump get on your nerves? Does the democracy's demise leave you mourning the rise of an authoritarian Tweet-dictated Donocracy? 

If so, relief may be at hand. Literally. 

The crew of newsies at BuzzFlash has announced it will be raising operating funds by selling a "Release the Rage" Squeezable Rubber Trump Head. It measures 3-by-3 inches—perfectly sized for repeatedly crushing in your fist. (It turns out there are scores of Trump Head Stress Balls on the market.) 

Speaking of the Orange Scourge 

Did you know that self-styled pro-life populist Don J. Trump has a "spiritual advisor"? 

Here's Trump boasting of his prolifically pro-life cred before an evangelical crowd in Florida: 

"Unborn children have never had a stronger defender in the White House. Sadly, the far left is actively working to erase out God-given rights, shut down faith-based charities, ban religious believers from the public square and silence Americans who believe in the sanctity of life." 

Prepare thyself for a jarring revelation. 

According to investigative report Bill Berkowitz, Paula White, "a master of the 'prosperity gospel' and Trump's spiritual advisor" recently proved herself worthy of this bizarre title by declaring during an January 5 sermon: 

"In the name of Jesus, we command all satanic pregnancies to miscarry right now. We declare that anything that's been conceived in satanic wombs—that it'll miscarry right now, it will not be able to carry forth any plan of destruction, any plan of harm." 

When White was castigated for appearing to endorse partisan mass-abortions, she responded with Trump-like defiance, vowing that "any strange winds that have been sent . . . against this nation, against our President, sent against myself, against others, we break it by the superior blood of Jesus right now." 

Trump Favors Anti-Semetic Media 

D. J. Trump has made a habit of excoriating members of the press as "enemies of the people" and has even banned certain reporters from his press briefings. But heads are being scratched after the disclosure that Trump has requested that press credentials be bestowed on an outlet called TruNews. 

TruNews was founded by Rick Wiles, a journalistic outlier who promotes the conspiracy theory that there is an underground plot seeking to remove Trump from office. But it's not the "Deep State" that's Wiles fears. According to Wiles, the Get-Trump plot is the work of a "Jewish cabal." According to Wiles: "That's the way Jews work. They are deceivers. They plot. They lie. They do whatever they have to do to accomplish their political agenda. This 'Impeach Trump' movement is a Jew coup, and the American people better wake up to it really fast." 

Wile has also proclaimed: "When Jews take over a country, they kill millions of Christians." 

In December, Congressmembers Ted Deutch (D-FL) and Elaine Luria (D-VA) sent a letter to Trump's acting chief-of-staff demanding to know how "an extremist website that frequently attacks Jews and other minorities" and is clearly an " anti-Semitic purveyor of hate received access to the White House." 

"A phonecall for you, Mr. President. It's Bibi Netanyahu on the line." 

Fun Times at the Public Library 

While visiting the North Branch library, I happened to pick up a handout listing scads of "Free Library Events" for Adults, Teens and Kids. I was amazed to discover more than 180 events were scheduled for the month of February. I was even more amazed by the range of free events to the public. Here's a short list: 

For Adults and Teens: Gentle Yoga, Drop-in Computer Class, Anime Club, Free Tax Filing Assistance, African American History Month, Extended Reality Thursdays, Virtual Reality for All Ages, Lawyer in the Library, Be A Census Taker, Cookie Decorating, Free Bike Repair, Disaster Prep for People with Disabilities, Nature Sketching and Journaling, Teen Anti-Valentines Day Party, Poetry Circle, Conversation Club, Adult Game Night, Coding Self Study, Eviction Defense Center, LEGO in the Library, Home Maintenance Basics, Free SAT Prep, and The Knitting Hour. 

Events for Kids: Baby Tickle Time, Family Yoga, Movement Story Time for Walkers, Family Story Time, Baby Toddler Story Time, Preschool Storytime, Middle School Book Group, Love Is Everywhere Story Time and Jazz/Art: Black History Month. 

Free Films: BPL's Super Cinema offers free film screenings. February's selection includes "Mean Streets," "Last Black Man in San Francisco," "Room with a View," "Killer of Sheep," "Pariah," and "Do the Right Thing." 

Live Performances: In addition to the regularly scheduled events, BPL's Fab-Feb offerings also feature a half-dozen live performances including: Ah-Lan Chinese Dance, Village Rhythms with Onye Omyemaechi, African American comic Unique Derique, Asheba's Caribbean Music for Kids, poet Rebecca Radner, and wrapping up with a musical performance by Amber Hines' Soul Soup. 

BPL's outreach to younger visitors is clearly aimed at the most precocious. According to one BPL description of its services, the goal is to provide "books and media for children from birth through the 8^th grade." (We'll try to follow-up with a list of BPL's best post-partum media.) Times and dates for these events—and more—can be found at www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org. 

Happy Valentine's Day 

On February 14, while waiting in a long line at the Dollar Store on University Avenue, customers were surprised when one of the clerks—on a break from ringing up purchases—sauntered down the queue and stopped to place a hand on every shoulder. This was followed by a pleasant squeeze, a smile, and the greeting: "Happy Valentine's Day!" 

Smiles broke out and all eyes were on her as she continued down the line. Then, suddenly, she stopped, with a look of shock on her face. 

Pointing at a tall, lanky, long-haired shopper, she blurted out: "Hey! I know you! I saw you on that court show on TV last week!" 

"Yeah," the fellow admitted. "That was me." 

Others in line began to shout, "Did you win your case?" 

"Naw," he replied. "I got flat-lined." 

The crowd groaned in disappointment and returned to the business of shopping. 

At least he wound up getting a nice Valentine's Day hug.