Lionel Shriver: ‘Few writers are willing to put themselves on the line for free speech’ | Books | The Guardian
The Internet Has Grown Toxic, Say The Guys Who Built It
"To understand what went wrong — how the Silicon Valley dream of building a networked utopia turned into a globalized strip-mall casino overrun by pop-up ads and cyberbullies and Vladimir Putin — we spoke to more than a dozen architects of our digital present. If the tech industry likes to assume the trappings of a religion, complete with a quasi-messianic story of progress, the Church of Tech is now giving rise to a new sect of apostates, feverishly confessing their own sins. And the internet’s original sin, as these programmers and investors and CEOs make clear, was its business model." … Read MoreAs lies on Syrian gas attack unravel, US and UK shift to claims of Russian “cyber war” WSWS
YOUR DAILY TREACHER: ‘They Were Never Going to Let Me Be President,’ Said the Woman Who Thought It Was Her Due.
Norm Macdonald, in addition to being the best Weekend Update anchor ever, is also a keen student of human nature. Last year he summed up the results of the 2016 presidential election with this koan-like observation: “People hated Hillary Clinton so much that they voted for someone they hated more than Hillary Clinton in order to rub it in.”
Choi Eun-Hee, South Korean Actress Kidnapped By North, Dead At 91
One of South Korea's most famous actors in the 1960s and '70s, Choi was kidnapped in Hong Kong in 1978 and transported to Pyongyang at the order of Kim Jong-Il. With her ex-husband, Shin Sang-Ok, who was abducted shortly afterward, she was held in North Korea and forced to make films for eight years. … [Read More]Australia's Phillip Adams - Carl Kasell, Longtime NPR Newscaster, Dead At 84
"In 1975, Kasell joined NPR as a part-time employee. Four years later, he announced the news for the first broadcast of a new show called Morning Edition. Over three decades, he became one of the network's most recognized voices. ... And then came a surprise second act; after decades of being super-serious, Kasell got a chance to let his hair down as the official judge and scorekeeper for Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!" … [Read More]WHAT KIND OF KNIFE WOULD Sherlock Holmes carry?