January 13, 2021
Parler the rightwing social media platform that sought to carve out a niche for itself by refusing to moderate conspiracy theories, hate speech, and incitements to violence is searching for a new home.
The platform got kicked offline after extremists used Parler to coordinate the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol. But it wasn’t American courts, elected officials, or law enforcement agents who gave it the boot: That responsibility fell to a trio of Big Tech companies whose infrastructure helps form the backbone of the internet.
On Jan. 9, Apple and Google removed Parler from the App Store and the Android Marketplace, respectively, actions that prevented new users from downloading the app. The next day, Amazon Web Services (AWS) dropped Parler as a client, which severed the social media platform’s
January 13, 2021
Prince Charles, heir apparent to the British crown, has asked the world’s CEOs to guarantee the rights of nature in capitalism.
His 17-page Terra Carta, meaning Earth Charter in Latin, is a “recovery plan for Nature, People & Planet.” Released on Jan. 11, the document (designed by Sir Jony Ive, the designer behind Apple’s aesthetic) asserts that the “fundamental rights and values of nature” must be placed at the core of the global economy.
The charter aims to raise and invest $10 billion dollars (£7.3 billion) in this effort over the next decade. The voluntary framework commits companies and investors to ensuring their businesses are aligned with preserving the world’s biodiversity (protecting 50% of the biosphere by mid-century) and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 as part of the development of a more equitable, prosperous society.
January 10, 2021
“He clearly has the makings of a very good dog,” the vet told me, as he wrangled our growling, shivering, Jack Russell-Chihuahua mix on his lap to cut his nails. “I’m going to give you the number of a pet psychologist.”
My husband and I rescued Bowie Philbert from a California kill shelter almost three years ago. We adopted him six months after Stewie, my husband’s beloved Chihuahua and a faithful companion, died at 13 years old.
Jackie Bischof
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