Why is Amazon censoring black opinion, lives, and opinions?

Why did Amazon, owned by the richest man in the world, find this film offensive? Another agency who decides who is black enough or liberal enough to be heard and seen? What are they afraid of?
"Early last month [Black history month, just in case you've forgotten] Amazon deleted a documentary film about Justice Clarence Thomas from its popular streaming service. Titled “Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words,” and culled from more than 30 hours of interviews with its subject, the film recounts Justice Thomas’s rise from poverty in segregated Georgia to Yale Law School and, eventually, to the Supreme Court." . . .

 
Last fall, Eli Steele’s “What Killed Michael Brown?”—a critique of liberal social policies that was written and narrated by his father, the race scholar Shelby Steele—was slated to stream on Amazon in October, then held up for reasons the company never fully explained. Amazon eventually relented and made the film available, but only after these pages weighed in and made a fuss." Wall Street Journal, March 2, Jason Riley

Purveyors of evil--Big Tech

 "If we’re going to be objective about it, we’ve got to give the Mark Zuckerbergs, Jeff Bezoses and Jack Dorseys of the world their due — the apps they’ve created are some of the greatest technological marvels in history. 

It’s too bad that the purveyors of the technologies Apple, Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Amazon have on offer are such profoundly myopic, evil bastards. And the events of the past week make it pretty clear that these companies are literally out to get conservative America. By extension, they’re really out to get America itself, because anyone tyrannical and dastardly enough to wish to ruin people financially and to destroy their power to speak over simple political or philosophical disagreements isn’t just a political partisan. Anybody who would do what these people did to Parler for the sin of providing a platform for conservatives to talk among each other after being persecuted by other social platforms clearly doesn’t have respect for the ideals that founded the country and bind it together still."

There may be a firewall, but it's worth a read. Big Tech v. America: How to Fight Back and Win | The American Spectator | USA News and Politics

Library books and Covid

Browsing the new rules and guidelines for OSU Libraries for the autumn semester 2020 I see there’s not a lot of agreement on how long the virus lives on books.  The guidelines say a book will be quarantined for 5 days when returned to service.  I’ve checked various websites, and at least in the recent (yet ever changing) rules and research nothing is that draconian. It will push faculty and students even more to on-line use. I know when I was employed there (retired in 2000) the library was absolutely dependent on our student staff; I assume it is still that way and they will have the most face time with the public.  They will be handling the materials. If the lending partners throughout the state have the same quarantine, it will really back up interlibrary and intra-library loans. And no course reserves—those were heavily used in the veterinary library because so many did not own the books for their classes.

https://library.osu.edu/news/university-libraries-service-updates-for-autumn-semester (posted August 7)

“University Libraries is looking forward to providing the services our students, faculty and staff need to meet their education and research goals in a safe and healthy environment. To that end:

• masks are required in all University Libraries facilities.
• the book stacks will remain closed to the public. Materials must be requested through paging. Only University Libraries staff may remove books from shelves. Any books brought to the circulation desk by visitors will have to be quarantined and unavailable for up to five days.
• requests for materials will be made online at library.osu.edu and picked up at the circulation or information desk within the library.
• visitors are asked to maintain a safe physical distance of six feet apart. We have spaced out seating in our common areas and closed our group study rooms to help make this possible.
• eating and drinking are not permitted in the libraries.
• returned materials will be quarantined for five days and will remain on your account until quarantine is complete and they have been checked in.
• due to quarantine, OhioLINK and Interlibrary Loan requests will be delayed.
• physical course reserves will not be available.
• requests for new materials will take longer than normal to process.
• Thompson and 18^th Avenue Libraries will maintain normal hours, departmental libraries and special collection reading rooms will be operating on a modified schedule. Hours are subject to change. Please visit library.osu.edu for current information

This article from WebMD sounds more like the advice from 4-5 months ago when they were trying to sanitize cruise ships, however it’s update stamp is Aug. 21. https://www.webmd.com/lung/how-long-covid-19-lives-on-surfaces

Although I haven’t been in a library for 6 months, I’ve used the free little libraries around town liberally, and I’ve been in a book store and touched and opened the books. https://www.webmd.com/lung/how-long-covid-19-lives-on-surfaces (posted April 3)

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/06/26/heres-how-long-coronavirus-can-live-surfaces-and-air/3256678001/

In all research, it’s what you do AFTER you hold or touch material others have been using that is critical.  Your HANDS and FACE.  Do not touch.  And since masks are so uncomfortable, that’s the hardest advice to follow.

Big Tech is still the winner in this pandemic.  There is no problem getting a new or used book through Amazon, and although the machines may be wrapping and handling, you still have to get the box open and dispose of the trash.

This article is not research, it’s anecdotal, but something to think about because we’ve become so dependent on how some large businesses are staying open when everything we need is closed. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-08-27/covid-pandemic-u-s-businesses-issue-gag-rules-to-stop-workers-from-talking (posted August 27)

What does Amazon know about you?

BBC News article includes extensive history, narrative, graphics, photos and insight into how and why Amazon collects massive amounts of data Amazon on users through multiple channels of e-commerce and devices – by Leo Kelion –

“You might call me an Amazon super-user. I’ve been a customer since 1999, and rely on it for everything from grass seed to birthday gifts. There are Echo speakers dotted throughout my home, Ring cameras inside and out, a Fire TV set-top box in the living room and an ageing Kindle e-reader by my bedside. I submitted a data subject access request, asking Amazon to disclose everything it knows about me Scanning through the hundreds of files I received in response, the level of detail is, in some cases, mind-bending. One database contains transcriptions of all 31,082 interactions my family has had with the virtual assistant Alexa. Audio clips of the recordings are also provided. The 48 requests to play Let It Go, flag my daughter’s infatuation with Disney’s Frozen. Other late-night music requests to the bedroom Echo, might provide a clue to a more adult activity…” . . .

That’s the introduction to a difficult to read, white on charcoal scrolling screen.  It’s a very scary universe.

“We find ourselves being shot backward into a kind of feudal pattern where it was an elite, a priesthood, that had all the knowledge and all the rest of the people just kind of groped around in the dark,” says Shoshana Zuboff, a Harvard professor and author of The Age of Surveillance Capitalism.”

Seattle punishes success

Seattle is driving out its lucrative, job creating businesses by creating a "head" tax on each employee so they can create more homeless camps and hopelessness. Hope they come to the mid-west. I'm thinking whoever our governor or mayor will be, Democrat or Republican, they will be smarter than that!

The Left always eats it own.

Even for leftists, this is insane, but Jeff Bezos owns Washington Post which runs 8-10 anti-Trump articles everyday, so I guess he deserves it.



https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/seattle-head-tax-passes_us_5afa53d5e4b0200bcab82fea

Hello Fresh vs. Blue Apron vs. Home Chef

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SW_545NjPQ

I don’t like her sing-songy voice (a problem with young people) and I don’t think you should stand in front of something that makes you look like you have antlers while filming, but the information is good.

She didn’t like Blue Apron, and thought Home Chef had more choices.  Just a report—doesn’t show any cooking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=20&v=9r7b2RThXbg

And this one was a TV show evaluation showing the end result for Home Chef.  Shows the  preparation with the taste test with costs. It was cheaper than going out and buying the ingredients. Six day delivery, 44 minutes to prepare.

And now add in Amazon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2kFHh9CWYk

Amazon got in on this fad a little late, but this clip features Amazon (only in Seattle at that time) comparing Hello Fresh and Blue Apron.  Amazon’s package was for 2—others for 4.  Amazon was better for speed and not so much chopping, but I thought they said Blue Apron had best flavor—probably more fresh since it required more prep. But all were rated good by the family panel. Prices were comparable, but with Amazon you had to be a member and if less than $40, you paid a delivery charge.

I know someone who has tried the Martha Stewart plan, and has been very happy with it. We eat a lot of left overs—I assume most plans would have a little something for lunch the next day since our portions are usually smaller.

From liberal rag to fish wrapper

Since Amazon's Bezo bought Washington Post almost 4 years ago, it's been a less than worthless fish wrapper. Anti-Christian, anti-U.S., anti-Trump. Someone please buy it and "make the Post great again." Is it worth giving up on Amazon to protest? http://www.dailywire.com/news/20102/wapo-editorial-satan-good-christians-are-john-nolte