The Postal Worker’s Christmas; The New York Times, December 18, 2018

Sarah Anderson,The New York Times; The Postal Worker’s Christmas

[Kip Currier: At this busy time for sending and receiving holiday cards and gifts, it's important to underscore the vital connection that U.S. Post Offices have in promoting democratic principles and access to information. Indeed, just last week while stopping in a rural Western Pennsylvania post office, I saw and heard first-hand from residents the important roles that U.S. postal offices play in the everyday lives of citizens, many of whom do not live near for-profit delivery companies.

An August 2018 piece, "The miracle of the United States Postal Service", written by a man who grew up in a Utah town with 171 inhabitants, explains:

Postal service has been absolutely central to the history and development of the United States, and the USPS continues to provide fast and efficient service despite being beset by enormous problems. If everything worked as well as the Post Office — and there's certainly room for improvement — this country would be a much better place...

Under the arguments of Washington and his ally Benjamin Rush, Congress conceived of a Post Office conforming to democratic values. Unlike European postal services, which were generally expensive provinces of the elite (plus state surveillance and espionage), the U.S. Post Office would ideally be available to just about anybody who needed it. Tampering of any kind, state or private, was outlawed.

Yes, much communication today does transpire through digital means, chief among them, smart phones. But many still use and depend upon analog services to send and receive a wide array of products and services (see the Op-Ed piece in today's New York Times), as well as for communication and information access. We still talk about Digital Divides--one of the most significant being lack of access to Broadband Internet service for many Americans; especially, in disproportionate numbers, Native Americans, as this disturbing February 2018 Politico exposé ("The least connected people in America") reported. Yet it's also crucial that we be cognizant of an Analog Divide that could occur if postal services are eliminated or drastically curtailed in rural communities. Amidst calls by some for privatizing the U.S. Postal Service, policymakers and legislators must fully consider this information-democratizing service as one of the innumerable interconnected building blocks upon which democracy stands and flourishes.

And if you should need more convincing, the next time you're in Washington D.C., do visit the National Postal Museum. Not as well-known as its more famous, "sexier" relatives (--I'm looking at you National Air and Space Museum!) in the famed Smithsonian Museums system (all of which are free!), I was thoroughly impressed by a visit to this gem of a cultural heritage institution a few years ago. Through a variety of exhibits and artifacts, visitors like me come to better understand the visible and less visible ways that the postal service promotes core democratic principles and supports the infrastructure of democracy. 

Despite the fact that it's not an official motto, the U.S. Postal Service is often associated with this quotation from an ancient work by Greek historian Herodotus: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." 

  

Though certainly inspiring and memorable, a different quotation more aptly encapsulates some of the fundamental roles that the U.S. Postal Service performs in a democracy like ours. As the U.S. Postal Service shares:

Another, less well known inscription can be found on the building that formerly was the Washington, D.C., Post Office and now is the home of the Smithsonian Institution's National Postal Museum. It is located on Massachusetts Avenue and North Capitol Street, N.E.

  

Messenger of Sympathy and Love 
Servant of Parted Friends 
Consoler of the Lonely
Bond of the Scattered Family
Enlarger of the Common Life 
Carrier of News and Knowledge 
Instrument of Trade and Industry 
Promoter of Mutual Acquaintance
Of Peace and of Goodwill Among Men and Nations]

"As in my grandfather’s day, today’s postal workers have a mandate to provide universal service, delivering mail and packages to every American household at uniform rates, no matter where they live. That mandate has helped bind our vast nation.

This principle of affordable universal service is under threat. This year, the White House Office of Management and Budget recommended selling the public Postal Service to a private, for-profit corporation.

On Dec. 4, a Trump task force on the postal system followed up with recommendations for partial privatization and other changes that would reduce services and raise delivery prices, particularly for rural communities."

China got rid of one of the most oppressive practices of the Mao era. Now it’s coming back.; The Washington Post, December 18, 2018

Editorial Board, The Washington Post; China got rid of one of the most oppressive practices of the Mao era. Now it’s coming back.

"This has become one of the world’s most urgent human rights crises. Congress should pass the Uighur Human Rights Policy Act, which has bipartisan sponsorship in both chambers. In the House this includes Reps. Christopher H. Smith (R-N.J.) and Thomas Suozzi (D-N.Y.), as well as the likely next speaker, Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). The bill would create a U.S. special coordinator for Xinjiang to respond to the crisis and pave the way for applying Global Magnitsky Act sanctions on specific Chinese officials. It would increase vigilance against commerce that could abet the camp system. The Associated Press has found sportswear from one Xinjiang compound headed for Western markets. President Trump has been way too silent about the Xinjiang repression, although other administration officials have spoken out.

“Never again,” the vow to avoid another genocide, has meaning only if backed by action. China must hear loud and clear that the world will not stand by as Beijing attempts to destroy a people through forced labor and brainwashing."

Trump Knows His Only Legal Hope Is to Win in the Court of Public Opinion; Slate, December 18, 2018

Dahlia Lithwick, Slate; Trump Knows His Only Legal Hope Is to Win in the Court of Public Opinion

"Watch for the pattern: The president is both too big and too small to be held to legal account. He is too busy and too important. But also, he doesn’t understand, and he cannot recall. The crimes weren’t “big.” The president—in this conception—exists on some astral plane that courts, and facts, cannot touch. It’s as if we’ve arrived at a point in the Mueller probe where all of federal law must be reduced to something a small child could color over a long car ride for Trump to be expected to understand it. This is a PR play that works only as long as we all accede to the central principle that this one man is above—or below—the law. That isn’t something the courts, or Bob Mueller, or Rudy Giuliani can adjudicate. It’s the thing we’ll at some point have to determine for ourselves."

Meme Warfare to Divide America; Wired, December 17, 2018

Nicholas Thompson and Issie Lapowsky, Wired; Meme Warfare to Divide America

"All of this demonstrates, according to the report authors, that “over the past five years, disinformation has evolved from a nuisance into high-stakes information war.” And yet, rather than fighting back effectively, Americans are battling each other over what to do about it. “We have conversations about whether or not bots have the right to free speech, we respect the privacy of fake people, and we hold congressional hearings to debate whether YouTube personalities have been unfairly downranked,” the report reads. “It is precisely our commitment to democratic principles that puts us at an asymmetric disadvantage against an adversary who enthusiastically engages in censorship, manipulation, and suppression internally.”"

Home Addresses Are Up for Sale. Time to Take Back Your Privacy.; The New York Times, December 16, 2018

The Editorial Board, The New York Times;Home Addresses Are Up for Sale. Time to Take Back Your Privacy.

"There are laws around the dissemination of personal information like home addresses, but they’re stuck in the era of phone booths and yellow pages. Home address privacy is governed mainly by 1990s legislation like the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (regarding the collection and release of information gathered by states to issue licenses for driving) and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (which partly regulates how banks handle personal information). It’s time for legislators — at both the federal and state levels — to update protections for home addresses and to allow regulators to rein in the personal data industry."

It’s high time for media to enter the No Kellyanne Zone — and stay there; The Washington Post, December 17, 2018

Margaret Sullivan, The Washington Post; It’s high time for media to enter the No Kellyanne Zone — and stay there

"The news media continues — even now when it should know better — to be addicted to “both sides” journalism. In the name of fairness, objectivity and respect for the office of the presidency, it still seems to take Trump — along with his array of deceptive surrogates — at his word, while knowing full well that his word isn’t good.

When major news organizations publish tweets and news alerts that repeat falsehoods merely because the president uttered them, it’s the same kind of journalistic malpractice as offering a prime interview spot to Kellyanne Conway."

Digital Ethics: Data is the new forklift; Internet of Business, December 17, 2018

Joanna Goodman, Internet of Business; Digital Ethics: Data is the new forklift

"Joanna Goodman reports from last week’s Digital ethics summit.

Governments, national and international institutions and businesses must join forces to make sure that AI and emerging technology are deployed successfully and responsibly. This was the central message from TechUK’s second Digital Ethics Summit in London.

Antony Walker, TechUK’s deputy CEO set out the purpose of the summit: “How to deliver on the promise of tech that can provide benefits for people and society in a way that minimises harm”.

This sentiment was echoed throughout the day. Kate Rosenshine, data architect at Microsoft reminded us that data is not unbiased and inclusivity and fairness are critical to data-driven decision-making. She quoted Cathy Bessant, CTO of Bank of America:

Technologists cannot lose sight of how algorithms affect real people."

Why 'justice' prevailed in 2018, according to Merriam-Webster; CNN, December 17, 2018

Rob Picheta, CNN; Why 'justice' prevailed in 2018, according to Merriam-Webster

[Kip Currier: 3,000th post since I launched this blog in 2010.]

"Robert Mueller's investigation of US President Donald Trump; Brett Kavanaugh's tense hearings in Congress; the fight for social, racial and gender equality: the past year has seen an absorbing and tumultuous news cycle. 

And now, "justice" -- the crux of some of the most gripping stories of the past 12 months -- has been recognized for its central place in the public consciousness.

 

US publishing company Merriam-Webster has named the noun its Word of the Year for 2018, after it saw a 74% spike in look-ups compared with 2017.

 

"The concept of justice was at the center of many of our national debates in the past year: racial justice, social justice, criminal justice, economic justice," the company said when explaining its choice..

 

The move follows Oxford Dictionaries' decision to crown "toxic" its word of the year, and Dictionary.com's selection of "misinformation" as its winner."

New report on Russian disinformation, prepared for the Senate, shows the operation’s scale and sweep; The Washington Post, December 16, 2018

Craig Timberg and Tony Romm, The Washington Post; New report on Russian disinformation, prepared for the Senate, shows the operation’s scale and sweep

"A report prepared for the Senate that provides the most sweeping analysis yet of Russia’s disinformation campaign around the 2016 election found the operation used every major social media platform to deliver words, images and videos tailored to voters’ interests to help elect President Trump — and worked even harder to support him while in office."

Indigenous Knowledge Misappropriation: The Case Of The Zia Sun Symbol Explained At WIPO; Intellectual Property Watch, December 11, 2018

Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch; Indigenous Knowledge Misappropriation: The Case Of The Zia Sun Symbol Explained At WIPO

"The three panellists mentioned the importance of the United Nations Declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples [pdf], and in particular Article 31, which asserts the right of indigenous peoples to maintain, control, protect and develop their cultural heritage, TK and TCEs,  and the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their intellectual property over their cultural heritage, TK, and TCEs.

Commenting on the Zia case, June Lorenzo, a lawyer advocating in tribal and domestic courts and legislative and international human rights bodies, said in the late 1890s, Zia was at a very vulnerable point, as many other tribes were. A number of archaeologists came and took “what they could because they thought we were going to disappear as a civilisation,” she said, noting that the stolen pot was repatriated in 2000 or 2002.

In 1925, when the Zia symbol was adopted by the state of New Mexico, the Zia were not even considered as citizens of the United States, she said, and could not vote. “So the idea that they should have objected to this [ the use of the symbol] in 1925 … is just absurd.”"

When algorithms go wrong we need more power to fight back, say AI researchers; The Verge, Deecember 8, 2018

James Vincent, The Verge; When algorithms go wrong we need more power to fight back, say AI researchers

"Governments and private companies are deploying AI systems at a rapid pace, but the public lacks the tools to hold these systems accountable when they fail. That’s one of the major conclusions in a new report issued by AI Now, a research group home to employees from tech companies like Microsoft and Google and affiliated with New York University.

The report examines the social challenges of AI and algorithmic systems, homing in on what researchers call “the accountability gap” as this technology is integrated “across core social domains.” They put forward ten recommendations, including calling for government regulation of facial recognition (something Microsoft president Brad Smith also advocated for this week) and “truth-in-advertising” laws for AI products, so that companies can’t simply trade on the reputation of the technology to sell their services."

Government Is Using Algorithms — Is It Assessing Bias?; Government Technology, December 10, 2018

Michaelle Bond, Government Technology; Government Is Using Algorithms — Is It Assessing Bias?

"“Data science is here to stay. It holds tremendous promise to improve things,” said Julia Stoyanovich, an assistant professor at New York University and former assistant professor in ethical data management at Drexel University. But policymakers need to use it responsibly.

“The first thing we need to teach people is to be skeptical about technology,” she said.

Data review boards, toolkits and software that cities, universities, and data analysts are starting to develop are steps in the right direction to spur policymakers to think critically about data, researchers said."

Meet the Bottomless Pinocchio, a new rating for a false claim repeated over and over again; The Washington Post, December 10, 2018

Glenn Kessler, The Washington Post; Meet the Bottomless Pinocchio, a new rating for a false claim repeated over and over again

"Trump’s willingness to constantly repeat false claims has posed a unique challenge to fact-checkers. Most politicians quickly drop a Four-Pinocchio claim, either out of a duty to be accurate or concern that spreading false information could be politically damaging.

Not Trump. The president keeps going long after the facts are clear, in what appears to be a deliberate effort to replace the truth with his own, far more favorable, version of it. He is not merely making gaffes or misstating things, he is purposely injecting false information into the national conversation.

To accurately reflect this phenomenon, The Washington Post Fact Checker is introducing a new category — the Bottomless Pinocchio. That dubious distinction will be awarded to politicians who repeat a false claim so many times that they are, in effect, engaging in campaigns of disinformation."

Time's 2018 'Person of the Year' is killed and imprisoned journalists; NBC News, Decemeber 11, 2018

Tim Stelloh, NBC News; Time's 2018 'Person of the Year' is killed and imprisoned journalists

""The Guardians."

That's what Time magazine is calling the journalists behind 2018's "Person of the Year," which was revealed exclusively Tuesday morning on "Today."

With a record number of reporters behind bars around the planet — the Committee to Protect Journalists documented 262 cases in 2017 — an avalanche of misinformation on social media and government officials from the United States to the Philippines dismissing critical, real reporting as "fake news," Time is spotlighting a handful of journalists who have one thing in common: They were targeted for their work.

For them, pursuing the truth has meant prison and harassment. In some cases, it has meant death."

Get into the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA);

Get into the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

"In 10 December, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights will turn 70. This is a major opportunity both to celebrate this key document and raise awareness of its messages.

In particular, the Declaration sets out clearly a number of the key principles supporting the work of libraries. From freedom of access to information, expression and opinion, to privacy, education, and the right to participate in cultural life, it is a key reference for our institutions.

As part of the global celebrations for the anniversary, IFLA has produced a briefing - Get into the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This explains the importance of the Declaration, offers ways of finding out more, and makes suggestions for how libraries can get involved." 

Boundlessly Idealistic, Universal Declaration Of Human Rights Is Still Resisted; NPR, December 10, 2018

Tom Gjelten, NPR; Boundlessly Idealistic, Universal Declaration Of Human Rights Is Still Resisted

"Given the rivalries and violence that divide the global community today, it is hard to imagine that on December 10, 1948, the nations of the world approved, almost unanimously, a detailed list of fundamental rights that every human on the planet should enjoy.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the most sweeping such statement ever endorsed on a worldwide basis, opened by asserting, "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." It proceeded with 30 articles summarizing the things to which everyone would be entitled in a world of genuine peace and justice.

In the immediate aftermath of two horrifying world wars, not a single member state of the newly created United Nations dared oppose the Declaration, though several abstained on the final vote. That so many of the rights remain unachieved on its 70th anniversary testifies to the boundless idealism of the document's drafters."

Why We Should Care About Human Rights: The Unversal Declaration Of Human Rights At 70; Forbes, December 9, 2018

Michael Posner, Forbes; Why We Should Care About Human Rights: The Unversal Declaration Of Human Rights At 70

"On December 10, the United Nations will mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In an era of spreading nationalism and gross violations in places like Yemen, Myanmar, South Sudan and Venezuela, it is fair to ask whether the Universal Declaration and the global human rights movement have improved the human condition.  And given these contemporary challenges, there’s the further question of where we go from here."

Slave Bible From The 1800s Omitted Key Passages That Could Incite Rebellion; NPR, December 9, 2018

Michel Martin, NPR; Slave Bible From The 1800s Omitted Key Passages That Could Incite Rebellion

[Kip Currier: Recently I've been recalling a phrase my wise late grandmother, Esther Hughes Currier, used and which has--thankfully--stuck with me through the years: "Consider the source". The way she used it meant considering the character of the person saying or doing something, often with an implication that the source was of, shall we say, questionable quality or less than sterling character. 

Throughout the analog era, information professionals have habitually "considered the source" in making decisions about what to collect for libraries and what to curate for archives and museums. In the digital era, those and whole new kinds of information professionals (--as well as, increasingly, tech companies and "black box" algorithms and AI bots!), are making thorny decisions about what information and data to collect, curate, and provide access to--now and for future posterity. 

This story about bowdlerized Bibles in the 1800's that were used as a tool of oppression is a powerful reminder that we must always "consider the source"--exercising critical thinking--when determining the veracity and intentions of a speaker or information object.]

"On display now at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., is a special exhibit centered on a rare Bible from the 1800s that was used by British missionaries to convert and educate slaves.

What's notable about this Bible is not just its rarity, but its content, or rather the lack of content. It excludes any portion of text that might inspire rebellion or liberation."

Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor stresses civility, discusses her upbringing at Duquesne U. event; TribLive, December 7, 2018

Natasha Lindstrom, TribLive; Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor stresses civility, discusses her upbringing at Duquesne U. event

"Sotomayor echoed Roberts’ statement shortly before Thanksgiving, in which he made clear that the judiciary’s commitment is not to any president but to the “rule of law.” The remarks were part of an unusual sparring over the independence of the judiciary following President Trump dismissing a judge who rejected his migrant asylum policy as an “Obama judge.”

“We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges,” Roberts said in response to Trump. “What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them.""

Interview: Ai Weiwei: 'The mood in Germany is like the 1930s'; The Guardian, December 9, 2018

Kate Connolly, The Guardian; Interview: Ai Weiwei: 'The mood in Germany is like the 1930s'

"Ai took his nine-year-old son with him on a recent trip to Bangladesh – about which he is making a film – just as he has to other investigations, such as to Mexico, to investigate the 43 students who disappeared in a single day in 2014.

“He’s been with me to visit most refugee camps I’ve been to, as well as the poorest ghettos in Mexico, and cartel areas, the island of Lesbos in Greece. I don’t want to teach him anything, but by being exposed to this kind of information he has developed a basic sensitivity of what’s right or wrong. And he sees me arguing a lot with people.”"

Sometimes I Wish the Obamas Wouldn’t ‘Go High’ They were gracious to the Trumps. They had to be.; The Atlantic, December 7, 2018

Jemele Hill, The Atlantic; Sometimes I Wish the Obamas Wouldn’t ‘Go High’

They were gracious to the Trumps. They had to be.

"I felt Mudbound-level anger—and for the same reason—when I watched the awkward exchange between the Trumps and the Obamas at the state funeral for former President George H. W. Bush. The couples were seated next to each other. Former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, both politely nodded at the first couple and graciously shook their hands. In that moment, I wished it wasn’t Michelle Obama who had coined the phrase When they go low, we go high.

I sometimes wonder if the people who often cite that quote have a full understanding of the emotional toll it takes on people of color to have to constantly absolve the racism directed at them...

That’s one of the many burdens of racism for people of color: It is ridiculously one-sided. Only one side is expected to show compassion. Only one side must practice restraint. Only one side is pressured into forgiveness. It’s bad enough having to stomach being wronged. It’s downright shameful being stuck with the responsibility of also making it right."

In China, Gene-Edited Babies Are the Latest in a String of Ethical Dilemmas; The New York Times, November 30, 2018

Sui-Lee Wee and Elsie Chen, The New York Times;
In China, Gene-Edited Babies Are the Latest in a String of Ethical Dilemmas

"China has set its sights on becoming a leader in science, pouring millions of dollars into research projects and luring back top Western-educated Chinese talent. The country’s scientists are accustomed to attention-grabbing headlines by their colleagues as they race to dominate their fields.

But when He Jiankui announced on Monday that he had created the world’s first genetically edited babies, Chinese scientists — like those elsewhere — denounced it as a step too far. Now many are asking whether their country’s intense focus on scientific achievement has come at the expense of ethical standards.

 

“He studied in the United States, why did he only do this in China?” said Wang Yifang, a medical ethics expert with the School of Medical Humanities at Peking University. “It may still be related to the fact that we have a gap in our ethical supervision — it is not very strict, and some people think it’s dispensable.”"

The Empress of Facebook: My Befuddling Dinner With Sheryl Sandberg; Wired, December 7, 2018

Virginia Heffernan, Wired; The Empress of Facebook: My Befuddling Dinner With Sheryl Sandberg

"When you’re making money hand over fist, and your company seems to be on the right side of history, it’s natural to think you’re a very moral and whole person, who has made some lovely decisions, and who has a lot to teach other women about work and families. But what about … when the company founders?...

“You know, when I was a girl, the idea that the British Empire could ever end was absolutely inconceivable,” Doris Lessing once said. “And it just disappeared, like all the other empires.”

Empires vanish. The memes that kept them glued together for a short time—from "Dieu et mon droit" to "Bring the world closer together"—are exposed as fictions of state. And the leaders are, surprise, mortals with Napoleon complexes."

Ethics and Guidelines at Vox.com; Vox, December 7, 2018

Vox Staff, Vox; Ethics and Guidelines at Vox.com

"As a part of Vox Media, Vox.com adheres to the Vox Media Editorial Ethics & Guidelines and to the following:

Vox has evolved and will continue to evolve as it builds a portfolio of modern editorial networks and partners across multiple mediums driving the future of journalism and entertainment. However, our commitment to the core values of integrity and passion will never change.

We believe in working with talented people, the judgment of our staff, and the transcendent importance of serving the interests of our audiences. Through the Vox Media editorial guidelines we aim to give our teams clear guidance about what to avoid and the public knowledge of what to expect. Simultaneously, we recognize the impossibility of reducing the complexity of real life to a simple checklist or rulebook and encourage conversation and dialogue with colleagues and supervisors about concrete situations as superior to trying to craft an ethics policy that would address every conceivable dilemma.

As the needs of our newsrooms and audiences change, our guidelines will adapt in kind to ensure that Vox Media’s work is always deserving of our audiences’ trust."

Reflections from "An Afternoon with Supreme Court of the U.S. Justice Sonia Sotomayor" at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh; Ethics in a Tangled Web, December 8, 2018

Kip Currier; Reflections from "An Afternoon with Supreme Court of the U.S. Justice Sonia Sotomayor" at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh

 

"Life is about differences and how we manage them." -- Justice Sonia Sotomayor

That was just one of the many practical insights from a refreshingly grounded conversation that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor--one of the storied nine from the highest court in the land--had Friday afternoon with an audience of several thousand at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. Indeed, after taking roughly three questions each from Duquesne President Ken Gormley and U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Marjorie Rendell while seated with them on the stage of the A.J. Palumbo Center, the sciatica-battling (by her candid admission!) Justice Sotomayor literally descended from the stage--flanked by hypervigilant security--to wander amongst the audience, randomly shaking hands while responding to questions from eight Duquesne students. Toward the end of the impromptu walk-about, the Justice spotted one young girl dressed in judge's robes as Justice Sotomayor herself, observing with audible delight that her mini-me "even has the curly hair!"

I'll post the video of the event that Duquesne said they will be making available, as soon as it's released.

Some of the most powerful, relatable moments came when Justice Sotomayor shared the doubts that she faced about whether to continue with the nomination process, following her nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court by former President Barack Obama, in the face of attacks by opponents. She spoke of fear as being "the greatest obstacle to success", that "most of the time we fail to take chances", and the importance of taking a chance at something new and different that comes our way, even when we are afraid. And the pride that comes with trying to do that which we fear. Even if we fail. "Failure is a teaching tool", she noted, adding that we often grow the most from the introspection we do after a failed relationship. After we've critiqued the other person, she interjected, eliciting a swell of knowing laughter from the audience.

Other advice from the Justice, along this line of discussion:

It takes courage to admit your own limitations.

Get over your fear and ask the questions you need to ask; go to someone safe and ask the questions you need to ask.

Being too comfortable "may be the worst thing in life."

Sometimes opportunities come your way and you have to be open enough that you throw out the playbook and try something. Create a new playbook on the spot; what really stellar attorneys do, for example, she opined.

On the importance of college, Justice Sotomayor shared that "college gave me the foundation of a liberal arts education." "I wanted to be a citizen of the world." And she spoke of "the foundation" that courses in art, philosophy, and religion gave her for life, encouraging students to "take courses that will teach you something new". And how she wished that she had taken anthropology, and would someday, when she retired. The Justice stated that "the beauty of college is becoming a well-rounded human being" and that "the Founding Fathers were well-educated world citizens".

The line that started this post--"life is about differences and how we handle them"--was a response to President Gormley's question "How do we take the lead in restoring civil discourse?", invoking the recent trauma that Pittsburgh had experienced from the Tree of Life synagogue massacre. The Justice spoke of encouraging open conversation, understanding why the other side feels the way they do. And, turning to President Gormley, she said that if you (meaning higher education institutions like Duquesne) can teach that to students like those at the event, "you can teach it to the world." 

One of the very last observations that Justice Sotomayor shared will particularly warm the heart of any teacher, librarian, bibliophile and writer:  

"Reading was the key to my success."

Trump called journalists ‘THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE!’ A Capital Gazette photographer had a powerful rebuttal.; The Washington Post, December 7, 2018

Tim Elfrink, The Washington Post; Trump called journalists ‘THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE!’ A Capital Gazette photographer had a powerful rebuttal.

"McKerrow suggested that continuing to work as a journalist in the face of hostility is the best memorial for his fallen colleagues.

“I don’t have a wrap-up to this story. I cried on and off all day. I miss her very much. I’m comforted that in a way she’s still with me, when I do the work that she loved to do. Journalism. Patriotic, truth telling, American. We’ll keep on doing the work,” he wrote.

“And if we die for it, someone else will pick up the threads, and report on the holiday decorations at the Governor’s house. Its what we do.”"

Mueller Is Telling Us: He's Got Trump on Collusion; The Daily Beast, December 7, 2018

Max Bergmann, Sam Berger, The Daily Beast; Mueller Is Telling Us: He's Got Trump on Collusion

"Mueller is coming. And he is clearly coming for Trump. Not simply for obstructing justice but for conspiring with a hostile foreign power to win an election. This is a scandal unlike any America has ever seen."

Native Americans On Tribal Land Are 'The Least Connected' To High-Speed Internet; NPR, December 6, 2018

Hansi Lo Wang, NPR; Native Americans On Tribal Land Are 'The Least Connected' To High-Speed Internet

""The least connected"

The findings are no surprise to Traci Morris. She leads the American Indian Policy Institute at Arizona State University, which is preparing to release a report on a new study of broadband internet service on tribal lands.

"We're the least connected. We're under-connected. We're under-served," says Morris, a member of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Mobile phones often are the main tools to help residents on American Indian land to get online, but many communities do not have reliable cell coverage nearby. On some reservations, Morris adds, residents rely on internet service at the local library, tribal office or school.

"Folks find a way to access it. Folks are resilient," she says. "But it shouldn't be this way in the U.S. We should have the same access as other folks, and if we don't, it's going to put us down a path of further have's and have not's."

A major obstacle to high-speed internet access on tribal land is the lack of infrastructure."

Is ethical tech a farce?; TechCrunch, December 5, 2018

Shannon Farley, TechCrunch; Is ethical tech a farce?

"If profits beat ethics, is ethical tech possible? Simply put, yes. There is a different genre of tech startup that values impact over profits. They are tech nonprofits. Rather than building products that satisfy animalistic behavior, from screen addiction to fear mongering, tech nonprofits are building technology to fill gaps in basic human needs — education, human rights, healthcare. Or as an early tech nonprofit Mozilla stated in its manifesto, technology that, “must enrich the lives of human beings.” Tech nonprofits are building tech products that serve customers where markets have failed."

EU Members Push For Private Censorship Of Terrorist Content On The Internet; Intellectual Property Watch, December 6, 2018

Monika Ermert, Intellectual Property Watch; EU Members Push For Private Censorship Of Terrorist Content On The Internet

"According to the planned regulation on preventing-terrorist-content-online hosters, cloud providers and all sorts of internet platform providers must delete terrorist content upon receiving orders from Europol or relevant member state law enforcement agencies in just one hour.

But they would also have to make their own assessments about the terrorist nature of content upon referrals by the authorities and even take proactive steps for “detecting, identifying, and expeditiously removing or disabling access to terrorist content” (see paragraph 6 of the draft text)."

Kanye West Isn’t the Only Person Behaving Badly at the Theater; The Daily Beast, December 4, 2018

Tim Teeman, The Daily Beast; Kanye West Isn’t the Only Person Behaving Badly at the Theater

"Manners are not just individual, they are collective. Going to a theater where thoughtlessness is so blithely practiced is a sad reminder how we have forgotten, or are forgetting, to occupy collective spaces in a civilized fashion. Theater noise-makers cut across all boundaries of class and age; what they share is a selfishness, of which using a mobile phone is the most visible and rankling example.

Here’s the thing. You are not at home. There are people sitting next to you. There are actors, like Bryan Cranston, trying to do their job a few feet from you. Yes, they are on a set, and yes the stage looks like a fictional world. But actually, we are all there together, and the social contract here is that you keep your mouth shut, and let the actors act. They can hear you. We can hear you."

Supreme Court hands Fox News another win in copyright case against TVEyes monitoring service; The Washington Post, December 3, 2018

Erik Wemple, The Washington Post; Supreme Court hands Fox News another win in copyright case against TVEyes monitoring service

"The Supreme Court’s decision not to hear the case could leave media critics scrambling. How to fact-check the latest gaffe on “Hannity”? Did Brian Kilmeade really say that? To be sure, cable-news watchers commonly post the most extravagant cable-news moments on Twitter and other social media — a democratic activity that lies outside of the TVEyes ruling, because it’s not a money-making thing. Yet Fox News watchdogs use TVEyes and other services to soak in the full context surrounding those widely circulated clips, and that task is due to get more complicated. That said, services may still provide transcripts without infringing the Fox News copyright."

CBS Report on Moonves Shows Epic Failure of Corporate Governance; The New York Times, December 4, 2018

James B. Stewart, The New York Times; CBS Report on Moonves Shows Epic Failure of Corporate Governance

[Kip Currier: Another example of toxic organizational culture--at multiple levels--that's also a "teachable moment" case study on the need for ethical leadership.

It's also (another) call for action and responsibility by Board members in all kinds of organizations--for profit and non-profit:

If you see (or reasonably suspect) something illicit, illegal, or unethical is occurring within your organization, say something!

You have an ethical duty to act. Not to cover up, turn away your gaze, or enable.

Ask tough questions. Demand answers. Report concerns and observations to outside parties when you can't get answers or information from within.

Do your duty. Do the right thing.

Even if it's hard.]

"As a draft report prepared by CBS’s outside lawyers now makes clear, many of the company’s employees, including high-ranking executives and even members of its board, were aware of the former chief executive Leslie Moonves’s alleged sexual misconduct and subsequent efforts to conceal it.

Yet no one acted to stop him — and the repercussions for that failure are likely to reverberate at CBS for years.

“A culture where this behavior could have gone unchecked for so long with so much knowledge is really troubling,” said Charles M. Elson, an expert on corporate governance at the University of Delaware. “This is a disaster for CBS shareholders. There’s been no other #MeToo incident with this kind of negative impact” on a major American company...

Members of corporate boards, senior executives and even rank-and-file employees have a duty of loyalty — to the company, not its chief executive. They’re required by corporate law, company policy and in many cases their employment contracts to report misconduct to the board."

Michael Flynn Is Worse Than a Liar; The Atlantic, December 4, 2018

Harry Litman, The Atlantic;

Michael Flynn Is Worse Than a Liar

[Kip Currier: Insightful and important distinctions made by Harry Litman, former US Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania (--and, I just discovered, brother of University of Michigan copyright scholar Jessica Litman), between "process crimes" and "fraud".]

"The word “lie” has lost its power in the Trump era. Try replacing it with “fraud.”

"The criticism is part of the overall discounting of the value of truth in the Trump era. Lies, it’s implied, are a rampant, and ultimately trivial, feature of public life. But here’s another word for what Mueller’s chasing that has not yet lost its sting: “fraud.” That sounds a lot less benign than “lie” or “process crime,” and for good reason. The fraudster, more than just fooling the victim, aims to exploit, to implement a scheme that deprives the victim of something of personal or financial value.

Under the law, fraud is a deliberate, material deception to secure an unlawful gain. The bread and butter charge of the white-collar prosecutor is fraud of some sort—wire fraud, bank fraud, or tax fraud—which constitutes about 10 percent of the federal docket and about 75 percent of all white-collar offenses. As a prosecutor, I brought dozens of fraud cases, and in my current legal practice, I routinely sue people and companies in civil court who have defrauded the government.    

At the core of every fraud is a lie:  an important lie that the defendant tells knowingly in order to influence a victim’s action."

In defending Trump’s reaction to the murder of a U.S.-based columnist, Utah Rep. Stewart says ‘journalists disappear’ all the time; The Salt Lake City Tribune, December 4, 2018

Thomas Burr, The Salt Lake City Tribune; In defending Trump’s reaction to the murder of a U.S.-based columnist, Utah Rep. Stewart says ‘journalists disappear’ all the time

"Rep. Chris Stewart defended President Donald Trump’s dismissal of CIA findings that Saudi Arabia’s crown prince was complicit in the killing of a U.S.-based journalist, noting that America needs relationships with some countries with which it doesn’t always agree.

And, Stewart noted, “journalists disappear” all over the world.

Stewart appeared on CNN on Tuesday not long after a bipartisan group of senators received a closed-door briefing by CIA Director Gina Haspel about the killing of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, who was reportedly slain and dismembered inside a Saudi consulate in Turkey.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was a “wrecking ball” and that “he’s complicit in the murder of Mr. Khashoggi to the highest level.”

“There’s not a smoking gun — there’s a smoking saw,” Graham said, referencing a bone saw that was apparently used in the consulate to dismember Khashoggi’s body."

Threat to journalists at highest level in 10 years, report says ; The Guardian, December 4, 2018

Jim Waterson, The Guardian; Threat to journalists at highest level in 10 years, report says

"Journalism is more dangerous – and more under threat – than at any point in the last decade, according to a report, which found that 78 journalists were killed last year while doing their job.

The rise of authoritarian governments and the threat of internet censorship has redoubled pressures on reporters globally, according to the human rights organisation Article 19, which found that a further 326 journalists were imprisoned for their work during 2017, a substantial increase on the previous year.

More than half of those behind bars were held in Turkey, China, and Egypt, often on charges of opposing the state.

“The price of protecting the right to freedom of expression and information has become extremely high: death, detention, and fear loom large for communicators and activists across the globe, and the space for meaningful discussion and communication is under siege,” said Thomas Hughes, the executive director of Article 19. “More than ever we need informed citizens, strong institutions, and the rule of law.”"

'Killed for speaking the truth': nine journalists murdered in 2018; The Guardian, December 5, 2018

Aamna Mohdin and Bibi van der Zee, The Guardian; 'Killed for speaking the truth': nine journalists murdered in 2018

"Over 30 journalists – including Jamal Khashoggi – have been murdered so far this year. With the help of colleagues and relatives, or in their own words and pictures, we pay tribute to some of them here."

Graham ties Saudi crown prince to Khashoggi killing: 'There's not a smoking gun — there's a smoking saw'; NBC News, December 4, 2018

Garrett Haake and Dartunorro Clark, NBC News; Graham ties Saudi crown prince to Khashoggi killing: 'There's not a smoking gun — there's a smoking saw'

"Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said on Tuesday that the evidence connecting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the brutal killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was so strong, it amounted to "a smoking saw."

“There’s not a smoking gun — there’s a smoking saw," Graham said after leaving an intelligence briefing by CIA director Gina Haspel for a small group of senators. "You have to be willfully blind not to come to the conclusion that this was orchestrated and organized by people under the command of MBS and that he was intricately involved in the demise of Mr. Khashoggi.""

Einstein’s ‘God Letter,’ a Viral Missive From 1954; The New York Times, December 2, 2018

James Barron, The New York Times;
Einstein’s ‘God Letter,’ a Viral Missive From 1954

[Kip Currier: This article is interesting in and of itself, but as someone teaching IP, where we frequently look at issues of digitization, I was especially intrigued to learn about the ongoing Einstein Papers Project. Knowing how phenomenally useful Cambridge University's Darwin Correspondence Project's digitized letters were for my own dissertation research exploring Charles Darwin's information behaviors, I can imagine the treasure trove of insights relevant to many disciplines that will be gleaned--and now made accessible to diverse worldwide users--from Einstein's digitized writings.

These kinds of massive "knowledge access for the public good" projects (--like Harvard's recently inaugurated Caselaw Access Project) are commendable exemplars of the positive intersections that technology, academic scholarship, and research institutions like CalTech and Cambridge can promote and achieve on behalf of global audiences.]

"Diana L. Kormos-Buchwald, a professor of history at the California Institute of Technology and the director of the Einstein Papers Project, said that Einstein was “not particularly thrilled at the special place that Gutkind devotes to Einstein’s science as the — how shall we put it — the best example of Jewish deterministic thought.”"

Podcaster Sued for Copyright Infringement for Using Music without Permission - Remember ASCAP, BMI and SESAC Licenses Don’t Cover All the Rights Needed for Podcasting; Lexology, November 29, 2018

Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP - David Oxenford, Lexology; Podcaster Sued for Copyright Infringement for Using Music without Permission - Remember ASCAP, BMI and SESAC Licenses Don’t Cover All the Rights Needed for Podcasting 

"The bottom line – don’t use music in podcasts without getting permission."

"Fighting for the Better Good"..."Don't Give Up"..."Don't Surrender", December 2018

Kip Currier: Good touchstone for anyone "fighting for the better good"--in bad times and good times.

I Wanted to Stream Buffy, Angel, and Firefly for Free, But Not Like This; Gizmodo, November 30, 2018

Alex Cranz, Gizmodo; I Wanted to Stream Buffy, Angel, and Firefly for Free, But Not Like This

"This is TV that should be accessible to everyone, but Facebook Watch? Really? In order to watch Buffy take on a demon with a rocket launcher you have to be willing to sit there and stare at a video on the Facebook platform—the same place your cousin continues to post Daily Caller Trump videos and that friend from high school shares clips of a Tasty casserole made of butter, four tubes of biscuit dough, baked beans, and a hot dog? The price for complimentary access to three of the best shows produced is bargaining away your data and privacy?

No, thanks.

But Facebook is hoping we’ll all say yes, please. Facebook’s user growth in the U.S. notably hit a wall over the summer and it’s been trying to fix things. It’s also trying to make itself more “sticky,” so people stay on Facebook to get not just family and friend updates and memes, but also the streams and standard videos more commonly found on YouTube. Last year Facebook launched Watch, its YouTube competitor that was, from the start, filled with trash. But things have slowly improved, with the show Sorry for Your Loss gaining rave reviews."

Dark web dealers voluntarily ban deadly fentanyl; The Guardian, December 1, 2018

Mark Townsend, The Guardian; Dark web dealers voluntarily ban deadly fentanyl

[Kip Currier: Noteworthy development, and hopefully this will save lives. Interesting to ponder what ethical theory this "commercial decision" might fall under: 

[excerpted from the article] "...dark web marketplace operators appeared to have made a commercial decision, because selling a drug that could lead to fatalities was more likely to prompt attention from police."]

"Major dark web drug suppliers have started to voluntarily ban the synthetic opioid fentanyl because it is too dangerous, the National Crime Agency has said.

They are “delisting” the high-strength painkiller, effectively classifying it alongside mass-casualty firearms and explosives as commodities that are considered too high-risk to trade. Fentanyl can be up to 100 times stronger than heroin and can easily cause accidental overdoses, particularly when mixed with heroin.

Vince O’Brien, one of the NCA’s leads on drugs, told the Observer that dark web marketplace operators appeared to have made a commercial decision, because selling a drug that could lead to fatalities was more likely to prompt attention from police.

It is the first known instance of these types of operators moving to effectively ban a drug."

Mueller Exposes the Culture of Lying That Surrounds Trump; The New York Times, December 1, 2018

Sharon LaFraniere, The New York Times; Mueller Exposes the Culture of Lying That Surrounds Trump

"If the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, has proved anything in his 18-month-long investigation — besides how intensely Russia meddled in an American presidential election — it is that Mr. Trump surrounded himself throughout 2016 and early 2017 with people to whom lying seemed to be second nature.

They lied to federal authorities even when they had lawyers advising them, even when the risk of getting caught was high and even when the consequences for them were dire.

 

Even more Trump associates are under investigation for the same offense. They are part of a group of people surrounding Mr. Trump — including some White House and cabinet officials — who contribute to a culture of bending, if not outright breaking, the truth, and whose leading exemplar is Mr. Trump himself."

I’m a journalist in a Turkish jail. Why is Erdogan afraid of people like me?; The Washington Post, November 30, 2018

Max Zirngast, The Washington Post; I’m a journalist in a Turkish jail. Why is Erdogan afraid of people like me?

"My case, and others like it, belies the notion that Erdogan is any kind of believer in press freedom or human rights — an image he’s tried to cultivate in the wake of Saudi Arabia’s killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul. My arrest was a perverse confirmation of the authoritarianism I’ve spent the past several years chronicling and opposing...

Journalists have been caught up in the web of anti-terrorism pretexts, too. Last December, the Committee to Protect Journalists reported that “every journalist CPJ found jailed for their work in Turkey is under investigation for, or charged with, anti-state crimes, as was true of last year’s census.”"

The memoir I wish George H.W. Bush had written; The Washington Post, December 1, 2018

Carlos Lozada, The Washington Post; The memoir I wish George H.W. Bush had written

"So many of the things Bush said and wrote may seem quaint, but today they are also vital and increasingly fragile. “It is not fashionable in these days of tearing down our institutions to say ‘trust me,’ ” he said in a 1976 speech as CIA director. “Yet Americans have to have faith and trust in some degree or none of our governmental systems will work."

The godfather of fake news: Meet one of the world’s most prolific writers of disinformation; BBC News, November 2018

Anisa Subedar, BBC News; The godfather of fake news:
 
Meet one of the world’s most prolific writers of disinformation

"As the conversation winds down, I ask Blair - this godfather of fake news - and the man who tracked him down, if they have any parting words.

“Don’t ever stop doing what you’re doing,” Blair says.

And, with a hint of respect in his voice, Schenk replies:

“Likewise."

It’s Almost 2019. Do You Know Where Your Photos Are?; The New York Times, November 29, 2018

John Herrman, The New York Times; It’s Almost 2019. Do You Know Where Your Photos Are?

"Jason Scott is a founder of Archive Team, a loose network of archivists and programmers that creates tools for extracting data from services that are at risk of disappearing. Flickr has given users options to export everything from the site; the Archive Team is working on alternatives, just in case.

“The sad thing about the tech industry is they built everything on subsidized lies: ‘This is going to cost you nothing and you’re going to get amazing things,’” Mr. Scott said. It’s not as easy to imagine a future without Google as it might have been to imagine a future without Zing, or even Yahoo. But it shouldn’t be hard.

“It’s 100 percent like Flickr,” Mr. Scott said. “Tech companies are still selling a lot of very neophyte people a lot of problematic lies about things that matter a lot to them.”"