Fact vs. Fiction                                                                                       #166

By Hank Silverberg

You may not know this, but I have published two novels. Both of them are fiction. I made up the characters and the scenarios, and although I tried to be factual about the places I described and the journalistic tools my characters use,  the books are just good stories of fiction that I hope will entertain my readers.         

Unfortunately, the technique used to create a good novel, like good storytelling with made up scenarios, seems to be finding its way more into the news business. Don't get me wrong. A reporter has to write or broadcast their information in a creative way to keep your attention. But they cannot just add on anything they made up just to make it more interesting. They have to stick to truth. 

This is why I have lost my patience with much of what you see and read through on-line websites, and much of what you see and hear on right-wing radio or TV networks. 

If the facts don't fit the writer or presenters  preconceived scenario, they simply make up things to fit their agenda. 

Here's a good example:

Last week I wrote about the law passed in Georgia that restricts voting and echoes back to the Jim Crow era. (see last week's blog)

blog https://hanksilverberg.bm/2021/03/are-republicans-scared-of-voters-165-by.htmllogspot.co

As a result of that new law, several companies based in Georgia are withdrawing their financial support for the state legislators who approved the bill, and others are cutting back their business in the state. Major League Baseball, for example, is moving this year's All-Star Game out of Atlanta. Baseball Commissioner Robert Manfred says this is being done as a "way to demonstrate our values as a sport."    Press release: MLB statement regarding 2021 All-Star Game  

Good for MLB. As a diehard baseball fan, I am thrilled with this firm stand against voter suppression.  

At the same time, Coca Cola and Delta Airlines,      both based in Georgia, under intense pressure from the public, declared they, too, do not support the law, even though both companies had previously given campaign contributions to promoters of the bill. 

     Delta and Coca-Cola Reverse Course on Georgia Voting Law, Stating ‘Crystal Clear’ Opposition - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

It is the response to all this where the facts get mangled. Right-wing media and many Republicans in office immediately brought up their latest catch phrase, calling the move "cancel culture." 

Gov. Kemp: ‘Unfortunate’ MLB has caved to ‘cancel culture’ over Georgia voting law (msn.com)

It was nothing of the kind. It was simply some of America's largest companies and a major sports organization responding to the issue in a responsible way. Corporations are involved in politics all the time.  They have often used their dollars to make campaign contributions or promote causes. Granted, it is often in the interest of their corporate profit or just good public relations, and I do see that motive here as well. But the idea that they were trying to "cancel" something is the type of "reporting" that any outlet which calls itself a news organization should avoid. 

The term "cancel culture" is propaganda, not a fact. Nothing has been "cancelled." You can still buy Mr. Potato Head and dozens of different Dr. Seuss books in lots of places. Remember, those items  were supposedly the last victims of this so called "cancel culture." The right wing simply took some modest corporate adjustments and went bizerk with this "cancel culture" nonsense.  

More than 40 other states have Republican sponsored bills that are trying to go the same way as Georgia in suppressing the vote. I hope those pushing the restrictions get this message: Cobb County, Georgia, which would have hosted the All-Star game, has now lost out on an estimated $100 million that the event would have put into the local economy. The right to vote is not a minor issue.   

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Some Facts of Note On This: 

The type of voting restrictions approved in Georgia are similar to proposals in more than    40 states across the country. They all will have a major voter suppression impact in minority communities. So keep this in mind when you evaluate what MLB did.   

7.8 percent of MLB players are black. 

27.4 percent of MLB players are Hispanic

(Aaron hits his #600. He ended up with 755
Photo Curtesy of Hall of Fame)

This year's All-Star game will have special honors for the late Hank Aaron, a member of the Hall of Fame.

  Aaron played much of his career in Atlanta and was harassed with racially motivated death threats as he chased and broke Babe Ruth's home run record in 1973.   

This year's All-Star Game will also highlight the centennial of the founding of the Negro Leagues, a celebration that was delayed from last year because of the pandemic.

If MLB had kept the game in Atlanta they would have been sending the wrong message. 

 ___________________________

The Friendly Skies?

The pandemic is far from over. More than 100 million Americans have been vaccinated, and the numbers are rising fast. The CDC indicated this past week that those of us fully vaccinated can now travel.  You still have to wear a mask at the airport and on the plane, but the TSA reported that 1,397,958 people went trough their checkpoints on Saturday, April 3rd. That's 800% more than the same day last year. Many airlines, including Delta, are recalling pilots and other staff as a result of the increased activity. Southwest airlines has placed a big order for new 737's.  

But traveling by air may never be the same. Southwest will start serving soft drinks on its flights again which is good, but The Points Guy is reporting the airline now wants passengers to order in silence.  

 Southwest is serving drinks again, encouraging 'non-verbal' ordering (thepointsguy.com)

"Non-verbal ordering" requires you to go to the

airline's in-flight wi-fi portal and pick your drink. If there is no wi-fi available, the flight attendant will simply hold up a numbered menu card and you can raise the right number of fingers to indicate your choice. It's a Covid-19 precaution, we are told. No speaking, no droplets coming out of your mouth. But of course, you are wearing a mask anyway, and all the airplanes are equipped with High Efficiency Particulate Air Filters which remove such droplets. So what is the issue here? They are also filling up that middle seat again, cramming you in, often with a stranger.

This non-verbal system could also be a problem for those who are vision impaired.     

There Be Whales Here!

There is some good environmental news this week. Maybe.

(A Humpback whale)

The North Atlantic right whales, an endangered species, are having a baby boom. Survey teams spotted 17 newborn calves with their mothers between Florida and North Carolina from December to March, equaling the total number born over the three previous years.   

That's very good news, since there were no calves born in 2018. The population of right whales, more commonly called "Humpbacks," is now stabilizing at 360, but they need to produce about two dozen calves a year for the population to stabilize and grow again. 

Whaling for profit is now illegal under international law, but hunters from Japan, Iceland and Norway still kill certain types of whales for profit. 

Things are still pretty dangerous for the whales even without hunting.  One of those newborn 2021 calves was killed after being hit by a boat. And fishing nets remain a big threat to the gigantic creatures. 

Births among endangered right whales highest since 2015 - The Virginian-Pilot (pilotonline.com)

And for Star Trek fans, as far as I know none of the newborn whales has been named "George" or "Gracie." 

Speaking of Death:

In the first ten months of the pandemic, 2.8 million people died from all causes in the United States. That's up by 23% for a typical ten month period.    

A study by Virginia Commonwealth University says the number of death increases usually fluctuates from year to year between 1% and 2%. Covid-19 killed 520,000 Americans in that time, which the people who study such things called "excess deaths."  As a result, the overall life expectancy in the U.S. dropped from 78.8 years in 2019 to 77.8 years by the middle of 2020--the largest drop in life expectancy since 1943, during World War Two.   

Not all the increase comes from Covid-19, though. The study indicates that there was a rise in death from Alzheimer's, heart disease and diabetes. The study's lead author, Dr. Stephen Woolf, says it's possible these people had Covid-19 and were never diagnosed, or died because their health care was disrupted by the pandemic.  The study also shows the highest number of deaths occurred  in the Black community. 

U.S. deaths normally change less than 2% each year. In 2020, they rose nearly 23%. (vcu.edu)

There's also a prediction that more people will die from cancer over the next 30 years because of the pandemic, when fewer people were screened and diagnosed at early stages.  

Dumbest Quote of The Week:

For the first time since I started with this quote, the "Dumbest Quote of the week" does not come from Congress. It comes from a private citizen. I don't know anything about him other than he was a tourist from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. But Kelly Sills tried to enter Disney Springs in Orlando by circumventing the resort's medical screening temperature check for Covid-19. It's the thermometer to the forehead kind of screening we all do in a lot of places these days. After he refused the screening, the hotel called the police. A deputy then told Sills he was under arrest for trespassing if he didn't leave or let the screeners take his temperature. Sills' response, officially documented on the officer's body camera as he complained:

 "I spent $15,000 to come here"! 

It's people like this, who somehow think their money or their position make them an exempt from the rules, which keeps this pandemic going. 

(Your suggestions and comments are welcome)

Copies of my latest book "The Campaign" can be purchased at the links below. Or you can buy a copy by emailing me at: 

HankSilverberg@gmail.com  

for instructions on how to get a copy at a reduced price and with a signature)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084Q7K6M5/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-campaign-hank-silverberg/1126429796