President Donald Trump looks to be preparing for a potentially protracted economic war with China by clearing the decks of disputes with America’s other trading competitors. In just the last few weeks, he’s struck a last-minute deal with Canada and Mexico, signed a trade agreement with South Korea and convinced Japan to begin bilateral economic […]
Perspective
Posted inOp-Eds, Perspective, sj-web
I've met people of all stripes, and I have my motorcycle to thank
Late fall lowers my spirits for a lot of reasons, but one of the saddest comes on that dreaded day when it’s time to winterize the motorcycle and put it away until spring. It’s almost a half century since I bought my first bike, and now the season’s end comes with a little extra wistfulness, […]
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Why the gig economy may not be such a great gig
WASHINGTON — The “gig” economy might not be the new frontier for America’s workforce after all. From Uber to TaskRabbit to YourMechanic, so-called gig work — task-oriented work offered by online apps — has been promoted as providing the flexibility and independence that traditional jobs don’t offer. Yet the evidence is growing that over time, […]
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Can you benefit if your insurer gains access to your Fitbit data?
Life insurance company John Hancock made a splash last week with the news that soon all of its policies would come bundled with the option to let the company track your fitness – via either a website and app, or through the use of a fitness tracker like an Apple Watch or Fitbit. The move […]
Posted inPerspective, sj-web
Gig-economy workers are the modern proletariat
Karl Marx defined the proletariat as laborers “unencumbered by any means of production,” increasingly impoverished by the rise of machines. In that classic form, Marx’s favorite class doesn’t really exist in the rich world of today – except in the so-called gig economy. Reports from the International Labor Organization and the JPMorgan Chase Institute describe […]
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The science, skill – and luck – behind evacuation order calls
A sign posts a mandatory evacuation on a sunny day prior to Hurricane Florence in Emerald Isle N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Tom Copeland) More than 1 million people in the Carolinas were ordered to evacuate days before Hurricane Florence hit landfall. Government officials order coastal evacuation even when it’s sunny at the beach […]
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Google News does have a bias — toward mainstream media
Google News does not deliver different news to users based on their position on the political spectrum, despite accusations from conservative commentators and even President Donald Trump. Rather than contributing to the sort of “echo chamber” problem that critics fear have plagued Facebook and other social media networks, our research has found that Google News […]
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What is shadow banning?
NEW YORK — The sinister-sounding term “shadow banning” has been in play recently, mostly thanks to conservatives — including President Donald Trump — accusing Twitter and other technology companies of political bias. “Twitter ‘SHADOW BANNING’ prominent Republicans. Not good. We will look into this discriminatory and illegal practice at once! Many complaints,” the president tweeted […]
Posted inPerspective, sj-web
The math behind @RealDonaldTrump's tweets
United States President Donald Trump has a preoccupation with Twitter. Since his account @realDonaldTrump became active in March 2009, it has amassed 53.2 million followers, making it the 18th most popular account on the social media site. While Trump has tweeted more than 38,000 times, his tweets during and after the 2016 presidential election made […]
Posted inPerspective, sj-web
Remembering the genesis of Labor Day
The origin and significance of Labor Day, as with other holidays, appears inevitably lost with time or drawn into the vortex of consumerism, disconnecting it from its roots. Surely, those who first experienced the birth of Labor Day in Maine in 1891 were closer to the “spirit” of the holiday which represents the dignity and […]