Fact checking, Uber and magic mushrooms, and the vocabulary of 2020

 

In this issue:

—Fact checking matters and shouldn’t go away
—Uber wins big and Oregon decriminalizes drugs
—Vocabulary and Terminology of 2020
—Why you should check out Quora
—Biopics I’d love to see
— Hey there old-time music fans, got any favorites amongst these youngsters?

Why fact checking matters to me — and to the future of justice and making decisions 

Election Day passed on Nov. 3, and we all stood on the sidelines wondering when it was actually going to be counted and be over. A friend of mine told a group of us that she’s burned out on the US elections —

she’d like to see the electoral college removed and the election booth and mail-in process standardized

across the country. As an example of how broken it can be, she mentioned how Wisconsin had more votes cast than people registered. 

What the hell? That would be some serious ballot box stuffing! I had to look that one up. 

Inaccurate. It came from a popular Facebook post that ended up all over social media. 

“Wisconsin has more votes than people who are registered to vote,” read the post citing that there are 3,129,000 registered voters in the state, and 3,239,920 votes were cast. “This is direct evidence of voter fraud,” the post alleges.

I did some news research and found a consistent conclusion. The election wasn’t fixed. According to the Wisconsin Election Commission, the State of Wisconsin had 3,684,726 active registered voters on November 1, 2020. The New York Times reported that a total of 3,296,836 votes were cast in Wisconsin. If the Facebook post was correct, the number of registered voters is still much larger than the votes that were actually casted. 

The Facebook user was accurate about the number of registered voters, only he got his year wrong. 

According to data from the United States Census Bureau concerning “Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2018,” Wisconsin had 3,129,000 registered voters in 2018. 

I certainly know we’re incapable of universally and clearly deciding what is true and what is not, what is factual and what is falsified, and what is authentic and what is attempting to cover up a hidden agenda. There are about 7.8 billion of us individuals on this planet, and certainly a lot of differing opinions and perceptions of what really happened in a given situation. We all see things a bit differently, even when we have a lot in common with our peers. 

But there’s a great deal at stake in getting as close as possible to the facts. So much is tied into it — including governments carrying out fair and accurate acts of justice. 

Inaccurate, and downright fake, news has been out there in the US for many decades — whether it came from check-out stand titles like The National Enquirer, Star, and Globe; or the viral popularity of social media celebrity gossip in the days of Paris Hilton; or hoax news stories that never happened, a la Adam Sandler’s fatal snowboarding accident; or the declining use of traditional media outlets and buyouts and mergers galore; or huge growth in political commentary radio shows that sometimes went to TV; cyberattacks such as North Korea invading Sony Pictures’ network over its controversial The Interview motion picture; Russia having a major presence in US social media for Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential election; and Trump and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani stirring up tension with charges that voter fraud was going far beyond Wisconsin — and without any real tangible evidence that it was taking place. 

Of course it all went back much farther — with America’s history filled with quite a few variations of what really happened. 

Is finding accurate news and information a lost cause? Not really, but it’s not an easy task to undertake. I think starting with fact-checking sites is a good way to put it in motion. Two of them have been very impressive to me —  Snopes.com and FactCheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center. I admire their commitment to digging into popular stories floating across the internet that may have come from “deep state” intelligence and conspiracy theory experts; or were just made up by those with agendas, such as the Wisconsin ballot stuffing myth that was put out there recently. 

Finding accurate information for making sound decisions has been there from the beginning of America’s creation. I want to see the country return to that commitment. 

Beyond Donald vs. Joe: Election victories for Uber and magic mushrooms:  Uber and other big names in mobile apps spent over $200 million to get Prop. 22 passed in California — with the hope that it will wipe out AB 5, which mandated companies like Uber turn their drivers into employees with wages and benefits. It will be interesting to see how a California judge rules on a case by the state’s attorney general enforcing AB 5 now that the Prop. 22 passed…….. As for Oregon, the state shattered more glass by decriminalizing all drugs through a ballot proposition passed by voters. The measure reduces the offense to a noncriminal offense and a maximum fine of $100 plus funding an addiction treatment program partially by taxes in marijuana sales. The state also saw another ballot initiative pass providing access to psilocybin, the main active ingredient in “magic mushrooms.” This one will only go for mental health treatment in supervised settings. Oregon seems to be the hotbed of libertarianism, having led the way on legalizing marijuana and euthanasia before adding to decriminalized drug use. 

The Vocabulary and Terminology of 2020

I can’t help but make a list of what I consider to be the latest buzzwords of the day, usually overused to the extreme and which started well before 2020. There certainly were a few new terms that took over in 2020 -- Covid-19, testing negative, George Floyd, and voter fraud, among others. But here’s my own compilation. 

Deep state:  collusion and cronyism exist within the US political system and constitute a hidden government within the legitimately elected government. A big one for fans of conspiracy theories. 

Sleepy Joe:  Donald Trump’s derogatory nickname for Joe Biden. 

The Orange Man:  a derogatory nickname for Trump; source unknown. 

Narrative:  The real story being played out by someone such as a politician being analyzed for how their scenario is playing out. 

That’s a great question:  Media interviewers ask a lot of great questions, though it does look like the politician is kissing up to them.  

Energy vampire:  An annoying character from What We Do in the Shadows who wouldn’t suck blood out of others, just energy. 

Selfie:  Taking your own picture with your smartphone and posting it on Facebook, Instagram, etc.

Emoji:  Smiley face images that keep getting better. 

Narcissist:  Symptoms include an excessive need for admiration, disregard for others' feelings, an inability to handle any criticism, and a sense of entitlement according to Mayo Clinic. 

Gaslighting:   a person or a group covertly sows seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or group, making them question their own memory, and perception of what was happening.

Hater:  a person who greatly dislikes a specified person or thing.

They:  a gender neutral identity replacing “he” and “she.” 

Deep learning:  part of a broader family of machine learning methods based on artificial neural networks with representation learning. 

Cold open:  How Saturday Night Live starts by going staring into a skit before running titles and intro voice over. 

K-pop:  South Korean pop superstars who’ve made their way to America and elsewhere. 

Redacted report, and no collusion:  Buzzwords heard many times during the House impeachment hearings.   

Have you ever read Quora? Well, you should check it out

Here’s an intriguing question that I just had to attempt to answer……..

Why were Hollywood movies of the 1970s much more realistic and gritty than movies of other decades?

Here’s part of my answer…….

“The movies of the 1970s were many times about extending the major theme of the 1960s — breaking the social rules of order, but in a somber, depressing emotional tone. Just picture some of the memorable scenes from a few of the most popular and influential movies of that decade……..”……….as I wrote in Quora. 

I made that case with the following points, that you can go see on their website:

--Shocking, unexpected scenes

--Killing off the lead character 

--The dark side wins 

--Just because you’re paranoid 

--The mystery is solved but the hero loses

I became one of thousands who posts and/or writes an answer for Quora. I got hooked on their Q&As on movies, rock music, and other topics, about a year ago. 

What’s Quora, you ask? “Quora is an American question-and-answer website where questions are asked, answered, followed, and edited by Internet users, either factually or in the form of opinions. Its owner, Quora Inc., is based in Mountain View, Calif.”

Here’s a few more questions I’ve found there recently………

—What are the best brain twisting psychological thriller movies ever made?

—What is a band that had a brilliant first album and a shockingly bad second album?

—What are the best low budget movies of all time?

—Why was Star Trek Enterprise so maligned?

—What is an unpopular movie that you highly recommend?

Questions I’d like to ask:

—What’s been a favorite album of yours that you were very disappointed to hear years later?

—What are some of your best memories of seeing future stars in one of their very first on-camera roles?

—What are some of the best low-rated and unappreciated rock songs you’ve heard?

—Do you think Oliver Stone will make a biopic about Donald Trump?

And, separate from Quora…….

Biopics I’d love to see

—Jonathan Goldsmith, the actor in the Dos Equis commercials — “the most interesting man in the world.”

—Toshiro Mifune — the brilliant Japanese actor who started in Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai and a few others.

—Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowker, and Zev Siegel — the founders of the first Starbucks store in Seattle in 1971. 

—Tony Hawk — Skateboarding’s first celebrity hero. 

—Ella Wheeler Wilcox — an amazing American poet and author who lived from 1850 to 1919. 

—ee cummings — an amazing American poet, painter, essayist, author, and playwright who refused capital letters and lived from 1894 to1962. 

—Billy Wilder — German filmmaker who came to America and made some of the best films ever such as Stalag 17, Sunset Boulevard, and Some Like It Hot. 

—Meryl Streep — She’s been great ever since The Deer Hunter in 1978. She hasn’t been slowing down.

—Ruben Blades — A Panamanian musician, singer, composer, actor, activist, and a great artist in salsa music and Latin jazz. 

Hey there old-time music fans, got any favorites amongst these youngsters?

Old-timers like me tend to not follow the latest in popular music these days. I would say that was the case years ago for our parents and older siblings. They had to occasionally listen to, and find out all kinds of details that irked them, about the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, disco, rap music, punk, and of course the one who started all of it: Elvis. 

But if you’re a true music fan/nerd like me, you can’t stop yourself from eventually listening to some of the new stuff. And it will seep in: from movie soundtracks and TV shows (extremely common these days); streaming into the background at your grocery store; a video you catch at a bar or restaurant; and many other ways. Pandora will add another artist to your list, and you get hooked. You can always search for them on Youtube and hear a couple of their hit recordings. 

So here’s a look at some of the artists who’ve really clicked for me as they’ve made a name for themselves in the past decade or so………..

John Legend

Song: “Ordinary People”

I usually don’t go for love/relationship ballads, but his work has stuck with me over the years — starting with “Ordinary People” that was released in 2004.

Taylor Swift

Song:  “You Need to Calm Down”

She didn’t impress me much until I saw a movie about her on Netflix, and then heard this song. Very impressive, and she has a lot to say about being a songwriter and performer. 

Death Cab for Cutie 

Song:  “I Will Possess Your Heart”

Ben Gibbard is known for leading this band and his Postal Service duo. This song grabbed my attention right away. He could be arrested for being a stalker in this one, but it’s quite good. 

Post Malone

Song:  “Sunflower” (by Post Malone and Swae Lee, and featured in the film, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)

One of my friends can’t stand to see how many tattoos he’s been getting on his face, but other than that, he’s one of the best out there. He headed the New Year’s Eve show and you can catch a lot of his songs streaming all over the place. 

Imagine Dragons

Song:  “It’s Time”

Check out 2018 documentary Believer to see how front man Dan Reynolds explores how the Mormon church treats its LGBTQ members; and he leads the band in some great performances. 

Alabama Shakes

Song:  “Hold On"

A blues rock band with charismatic lead singer Brittany Howard in this break-through hit from 2012; they’re on hiatus now but I expect they’ll return. 

Lady Gaga

Song:  “Born This Way”

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper 

Song:  “Shallow”

I don’t need to say much about Lady Gaga beyond inheriting Madonna’s mantle, and doing a wonderful acting job in A Star is Born. 

Gorillaz

Song:  “DARE”

The band primarily consists of four animated members who live in a fictional universe you can check out in music videos, interviews, and short cartoons. They made it big starting around 2005. 

Ingrid Michaelson

Song: “Girls Chase Boys”

I’ve heard more of Michaelson’s early songs that fell more into a simple rhythm and harmony folkie style (listen to “Be OK”). This one crosses over to popular styles of the past few years — hip hop, dance, and electronica, come to mind.

Wilco

Songs:  “Heavy Metal Drummer,” and “Wilco (The Song)”

Jeff Tweedy is well known beyond the alternative rock band — one that was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo.

The Lumineers

Songs: “Life in the City,” “Ho Hey,” and “Ophelia”

An American folk rock band based in Denver — who I thought was one of the wave of folk Celtic groups who came out of the British Isles to America about 10-to-15 years ago. 

Katy Perry

Song: “Firework”

An eccentric character with plenty of hits and colorful videos, but this one gets me the most. Watch the video to see children surviving abusive households beginning to rise and shine. 

Daft Punk

Song:  “Get Lucky”

A French electronic music duo formed by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter — who we never get to see, but we’ve all danced to (or wanted to dance to) one of their hits over the past 20 years. 

Florence + the Machine

Song:  “Shake It Out”

An English indie rock band that formed in London in 2007, with alt-radio hits like “Dog Days Are Over,” and a few other fine ones like “Shake It Out.”

Rihanna

Song:  “Umbrella”

This one goes back a few years for the superstar with plenty of hits in the urban dance hip-hop space, but this one sticks with me the most.