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2021 m. vasario 8 d., pirmadienis

How the fight against President Trump was conducted

 Conservatives and liberals, backed by Mockus' bribes, did the same with the Lithuanian Karbauskis' party.

 "Changing the rules of a game right before it's played normally inspires skepticism, if not cynicism. But a new Time magazine report celebrates a well-funded effort to change voting processes and the flow of political information before the 2020 elections.

Time's Molly Ball happily describes a "conspiracy" among the progressive left, big labor, big business and the Washington establishment to counter Donald Trump and suppress unwanted elements of U.S. political conversation before and after Election Day.

Like the various actors she describes at the heart of this vast campaign, Ms. Ball presents it as a virtuous effort to protect democracy from Mr. Trump and Covid-19. The participants in the conspiracy alleged by Ms. Ball certainly seem to have influenced the outcome. She writes:

Their work touched every aspect of the election. They got states to change voting systems and laws and helped secure hundreds of millions in public and private funding. They fended off voter-suppression lawsuits, recruited armies of poll workers and got millions of people to vote by mail for the first time. They successfully pressured social media companies to take a harder line against disinformation and used data-driven strategies to fight viral smears.

She later adds that "the participants want the secret history of the 2020 election told, even though it sounds like a paranoid fever dream–a well-funded cabal of powerful people, ranging across industries and ideologies, working together behind the scenes to influence perceptions, change rules and laws, steer media coverage and control the flow of information. They were not rigging the election; they were fortifying it."

Many voters are bound to disagree. And even those who don't may still want a dispassionate review of the various changes to U.S. voting in 2020 and a consideration of their impact.

"The first task was overhauling America's balky election infrastructure," writes Ms. Ball. She then explains how Team Anti-Trump deployed vast sums of money from federal taxpayers as well as private sources including the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a limited liability company created by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan. The result was a massive shift to mail-in voting, "practically a revolution in how people vote," says Ms. Ball.

Along with changing the typical process of voting, the campaign also involved an effort to persuade the public not to expect a decision on Election Night. Yet a hallmark of respected elections is reliably prompt reporting of definitive results. If nothing else comes of this election, let's hope that states learn to front-load their campaign calendars. Whatever time people need to vote—and states need to count—that time must be given before Election Day, not afterward. Material numbers of ballots outstanding and uncounted after Election Day is a menace to the objectives of certainty, public confidence, and reliability that everyone should want to achieve.

Perhaps the most disturbing portion of the Time report is the description of the alleged effort to counter false political claims. Much of the political left has decided that censorship by media companies is superior to free and open political discourse. Writes Ms. Ball:

Laura Quinn, a veteran progressive operative who co-founded Catalist, began studying this problem a few years ago. She piloted a nameless, secret project, which she has never before publicly discussed, that tracked disinformation online and tried to figure out how to combat it. One component was tracking dangerous lies that might otherwise spread unnoticed. Researchers then provided information to campaigners or the media to track down the sources and expose them.

The most important takeaway from Quinn's research, however, was that engaging with toxic content only made it worse. "When you get attacked, the instinct is to push back, call it out, say, 'This isn't true,'" Quinn says. "But the more engagement something gets, the more the platforms boost it. The algorithm reads that as, 'Oh, this is popular; people want more of it.'"

The solution, she concluded, was to pressure platforms to enforce their rules, both by removing content or accounts that spread disinformation and by more aggressively policing it in the first place.... Quinn's research gave ammunition to advocates pushing social media platforms to take a harder line.

Clearly those advocates were highly successful. Yet Ms. Ball makes no mention of the fact that the most consequential use of this censorship tool in 2020 was an abusive blocking of true information. Accurate New York Post reporting on Biden family influence peddling was suppressed by Twitter and other media outlets. Even people tempted to endorse censorship as a tool to ensure reasonable political debate must acknowledge that it failed miserably in helping to inform the public in 2020. The Time article suggests that this lesson, too, is being suppressed." [1]


***

Mr. Freeman is the co-author of "The Cost: Trump, China and American Revival."

1. The Vast Anti-Trump 'Conspiracy'; Time magazine reports there was 'practically a revolution' in America's voting process in 2020. Was it good for the country—or just for Biden?
Freeman, James. Wall Street Journal (Online); New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]08 Feb 2021.

Seneliai gavo „Covid-19“ vakciną. Ar pagaliau galima juos aplankyti?

"Jei nuspręsite apsilankyti, vis tiek verta imtis atsargumo priemonių, pavyzdžiui, naudoti kaukes ar susitikti lauke. Jei vizitas lauke neįmanomas, buvimas ne daugiau kaip 6 pėdų atstumu, vėdinimas ir rankų plovimas gali padėti sumažinti riziką. Ir ne tik pasirodykite. Prieš susitikimą sutarkite, kas kiekvienai kartai yra malonu, sako dr. Caplanas. Nuspręskite, kiek laiko viešite, nustatykite tikslią vietą ir įsitikinkite, kad visiems aišku, ar vis dar planuojate socialinį atstumą ir dėvite kaukes. „Tai turi būti abipusiai susitarta dėl vizito“, - sako jis."" [1]


1. The Grandparents Have Gotten Their Covid-19 Vaccine. Is it Finally OK to Visit Them? Many families who have stayed away from older relatives are hoping they can get together now. Here's how to assess the risks.
Dizik, Alina. Wall Street Journal (Online); New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]08 Feb 2021.

The Grandparents Have Gotten Their Covid-19 Vaccine. Is it Finally OK to Visit Them?

 "If you decide to visit, it's still a good idea to take precautions, such as masking or meeting outdoors. If an outside visit isn't possible, staying more than 6 feet away, adding ventilation and washing hands can help reduce risks.

And don't just show up. Come to a consensus about what each generation is comfortable with before the meeting, says Dr. Caplan. Decide how long you're staying, determine the exact location and make sure everyone is clear on whether you're still planning to social distance and wear masks. "It needs to be a mutually agreed upon visit," he says." [1]


1. The Grandparents Have Gotten Their Covid-19 Vaccine. Is it Finally OK to Visit Them? Many families who have stayed away from older relatives are hoping they can get together now. Here's how to assess the risks.
Dizik, Alina. Wall Street Journal (Online); New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]08 Feb 2021.

Kinijos komunistų partija finansuoja valstybės lėšomis techninių standartų kūrimą visam pasauliui

"Kinijos pastangas lemia noras aplenkti Vakarus, taip pat didinti pelną. Patentuotomis technologijomis paremti standartai dažnai reikalauja, kad vartotojai mokėtų licencijavimo mokesčius. Pavyzdžiui," Nokia Corp." ir "Qualcomm Inc." kasmet iš patentų uždirba milijardus dolerių. Kinija norėtų uždirbti tokius pinigus, kurdama standartus, kurie atitiktų jos pačios sukurtas technologijas. 

Standartai tampa vis aktualesni, nes priimamos taisyklės dėl naujos kartos technologijų, priklausančių nuo 5G tinklų, įskaitant transporto priemones be vairuotojo, vadinamuosius išmaniuosius miestus ir daiktų internetą - pažanga, kuri kaip niekad sujungs skaitmeninį ir fizinį pasaulį. 

JAV kongreso komiteto teigimu, naujose srityse, įskaitant veido atpažinimą, paliečiamas privatumas ir visuomenės saugumas, o tai daro didesnį poveikį nacionaliniam saugumui, nei anksčiau. Kinija skatina standartus, kurie padidintų įmonių, turinčių ryšį su Pekinu, eksportą, taip pat palaikytų jos valstybės saugumo aparatą, sakė buvęs Japonijos prekybos ministras Akira Amari, vadovaujantis Japonijos valdančiųjų partijos grupei, kuria siekiama padaryti visuomenę labiau skaitmeninę. „Jei Kinijos produktai bus sukurti duomenims rinkti, - sakė jis, - reikia dirbti darant prielaidą, kad visa tai atsidurs Kinijos vyriausybės organuose“. 

 Remiantis oficialiais dokumentais, Pekino ir regioninės vyriausybės metinėms stipendijoms skiria iki vieno milijono juanių (apie 155 000 JAV dolerių) įmonėms, vadovaujančioms ISO ir kitų įstaigų tarptautinių standartų kūrimui. Vakarų šalių finansavimas standartų kūrimui, kuris gali užtrukti, įskaitant brangiai kainuojančius tyrimus ir derybas metų metus, sumažėjo. Nepakeisdami padėties „neturėtume nustebti, jei galų gale žaisime pagal Kinijos taisykles“, - sakė Christophas Winterhalteris, Vokietijos standartizacijos instituto, žinomo kaip DIN, vykdantysis direktorius." [1]



1. From Lightbulbs to 5G, China Battles West for Control of Vital Technology Standards; Whoever has control of industrial norms for telecommunications, electricity transmission and artificial intelligence is in a position to dominate
Pop, Valentina; Sha Hua; Michaels, Daniel. Wall Street Journal (Online); New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]08 Feb 2021.

The Chinese Communist Party is using state money to fund design of technical standards for the world

 "China's efforts are driven by the desire to outdo the West, as well as amass profits. Standards based on patented technologies often require users to pay licensing fees. Nokia Corp. and Qualcomm Inc., for instance, earn billions of dollars annually from patents that underpin cellphone systems made by rivals. China would rather earn that kind of money by designing standards to match technologies developed by its own companies.

Standards are gaining urgency as rules are being decided for a new generation of technologies dependent on 5G networks, including driverless vehicles, so-called smart cities and the Internet of Things—advances that will connect the digital and physical worlds as never before.

New fields including facial recognition touch on privacy and public safety, with greater consequences for national security than in the past, according to the congressional committee.

China is promoting standards that would boost exports for companies with links to Beijing as well as support its state-security apparatus, said Japan's former trade minister Akira Amari, who heads a Japanese ruling-party group on making society more digital. "If Chinese products are set up to collect data," he said, "you have to work on the assumption that it will all end up with the Chinese government."

Beijing and regional governments provide annual stipends of up to one million yuan, about $155,000, for companies leading development of international standards at ISO and other bodies, according to official documents.

Western funding for standards development, which can take years of costly research and negotiations, has dwindled. Without a change, "we shouldn't be surprised if we end up playing by Chinese rules," said Christoph Winterhalter, chief executive of the German Institute for Standardization, known as DIN." [1]


1. From Lightbulbs to 5G, China Battles West for Control of Vital Technology Standards; Whoever has control of industrial norms for telecommunications, electricity transmission and artificial intelligence is in a position to dominate
Pop, Valentina; Sha Hua; Michaels, Daniel. Wall Street Journal (Online); New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]08 Feb 2021.

Kas yra tikras universitetas?

 "Kur dirba universitetai, jie leidžia laisvai keistis mokslinėmis idėjomis, kurios, kaip ir dalyvavimas koncerte, gali sukurti erdvės ir laiko akimirkas, kuriose sukuriama kažkas naujo, kuris kartais šiek tiek transformuoja dalyvius. Dėstymas universitete, kai jis yra sėkmingas, daro šį matmenį apčiuopiamą. Čia vyksta „švietimas“, tai yra įvykis, kuris mokinį iškelia virš savęs. Švietimas iš esmės skiriasi nuo paprastų įgūdžių suteikimo. Pastarieji papildo individualių, praktinių, įgūdžių spektrą. Švietimas praplečia akiratį ir suartina žmones. Tai liečia visą žmogų. 

 „Didelė proto masė“ kaupiasi universitetuose: jie yra ta vieta, kur, ginčijantis ir diskutuojant, reikia įvertinti visas įmanomas perspektyvas. Jūs įsipareigojote „visuotinei“ proto idėjai, kuri reikalauja iš visų mąstymo mokyklų, kad jų teiginiams ir argumentams būtų taikomi tie patys standartai, tai yra, kad juos apskritai galima būtų perduoti, kaip pagrįstus. 

Pavadinimas „universitetas“ viską pasako. Joje turėtų susiburti visos subdisciplinos - humanitariniai mokslai, gamtos mokslai ir menai, nes, tik žiūrėdami kartu, jie sukelia vienybę, kurioje žmogus iš tikrųjų gali atsidurti visoje savo egzistencinėje situacijoje. Technikos universitetas to negali padaryti." 

Dezinformaciją apie vakcinas skleidžianti, Šimonytė netinka vadovauti vakcinavimui Lietuvoje ir privalo atsistatydinti

Žmonės Lietuvoje dabar miršta nuo koronaviruso. Vakcinavimas nuo jo yra svarbus. Skleisti dezinformaciją apie vakcinas politiniais tikslais yra nusikaltimas. Šimonytę - lauk.

 "Penktadienį I. Šimonytė griežtai pasisakė apie „Sputnik V“, pareiškusi, kad vakciną Rusijos prezidentas Vladimiras Putinas siūlo kaip dar vieną hibridinį ginklą, padedantį Maskvai skaldyti ir valdyti.  

Rusijos ambasada pavadino tai dezinformacija ir tvirtino, kad rusiška vakcina yra „pripažinta tarptautiniu lygiu, duomenys apie ją patvirtinti viename iš prestižiskiausių pasaulio mokslinių žurnalų "Lancet".“ „Nepaisant dezinformacijos bangos ir panašių nepagrįstų teiginių visais vakcinos kūrimo ir naudojimo etapais, „Sputnik V“ duomenys, pripažinti tarptautiniu lygiu, kalba patys už save. Rusijoje jau vyksta masinė vakcinacija. O Lietuvoje?“ – rašoma ambasados „Twitter“ paskyroje."

ES daug ko neregistravo laiku, nes JAV vakcinomis nuo mirties apgynė daug daugiau savo gyventojų, negu ES. Vengrai nelaukė ES biurokratų ir šalies ribose registravo rusų vakciną. Kada nustosite žaisti purviną politiką ir pasirūpinsite mūsų šalimi? 

Lietuvoje idėja, kad rusai puola, yra svarbesnė už masinę vakcinaciją ir žmonių gyvybes. Gėda.