Deleting Facebook

Deleting Facebook

            It takes two weeks for Facebook to delete your account, that is, if you can figure out how to ask them to do so.  One can ask them to “deactivate” an account, but that is not the same as deleting an account.  As the word deactivate indicates, when your account is deactivated, it still exists.  It can be re-activated.  Deletion is elimination.  It probably exists somewhere, so that Facebook can still monetize your data, but after two weeks, and that is two weeks where you do not attempt to access your old account, either accidentally, or change your mind, that account will be deleted.

            Farewell, for the moment, to those “friends” on Facebook who have accepted my “friend request”.   Some are actual friends, some acquaintances, some people who I knew from various jobs, some close and distant family members.  Like anybody else, some family members are more like friends or acquaintances, and some friends are more like family.  I will not be able to view your likes and dislikes, your dog photos, you cutest-baby-in-the-world photos.  Nor will I be able to see those clever posts that you have shared done by people quicker and more creative than me.

Facebook shared those fun quizzes that are actually personality tests.  Tests whose results were stolen, along with our “friends” accounts, psychologically weaponized and sold to the highest bidder.  As various media outlets have reported, losing political campaigns attempted and failed to use that data to their advantage.  The worst of those campaigns won, though.  It began using that data before the current President knew he was running for office.  Using that data was technically legal.  It remains to be seen whether cooperatively using Russian psychological experts to manipulate Trump’s base and uncommitted, fence sitting, potential Clinton voters was legal.

            Facebook did not sell that data to the Trump campaign.  But they did cover up the loss of that and much more data extraction.  They still are, and it is still legal.  Google and other tech giants have done it and will continue to do it.  But deleting my account is my butterfly wing flutter.  It is my cry of BS to Mark Zuckerberg and his saying he is sorry and will try to do better.  Mark, if you are truly sorry, give the DNC ten billion dollars for the mid-terms.

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            Google and Twitter could be next. For now, I delete Facebook and urge all other users to do the same.  Legislation or legal action against Facebook as a monopoly will not be effective.  Deleting and shunning it will, eventually.  My action is personal activism.

Never Too Late for Sentimentality

This blog started more than ten years ago.  Today's post harkens back to the first one:  https://jfing.blogspot.com/2007/08/no-one-knows.html.  Thanks for reading. Please support the sponsors.

    Greetings visitors to About.me.  If you clicked on "Read My Blog" send me a short email to let me know.  This is my first advertisement of any kind.  I am testing About.me for its ability to promote. They send me emails, but I really can't tell if anyone sees the page.  If only a couple of people send emails, I'll keep it.  Most people will visit the page and not say anything.  If a couple of people send email responses, then I'll know a dozen visited.
   
It is fairly evident that I have little confidence in my writing, and even less in my promotional pursuits.  Blogging is self publishing.  Blogging is often under-edited and unsolicited.  Mine is the latter and somewhat edited.  I edit as I write.  There is one or two read throughs and then I hit the "Publish".  There is no discussion.  Maybe that is what I am lacking.  If there was discussion or pre-publishing reading, then may I would have something.  But I have found no one interested in what I have to say.

Today's post is a test and half hearted one at that.  Send me an email, or a comment to the blog.  I'll keep writing either way.

Donald Trump is President Elect

December 19, 2016

This is only the second post of "Wading Into the Stream" for 2016.  The first was just a video filmed by my niece.  It was a video review of my father's ninetieth birthday party in May. She did a great job and I am proud of her and my Dad.

Today I write about the Presidential election of 2016.  To review, after a grueling Primary season, Hillary Clinton, Democrat, ran against Republican, Donald Trump.  All of the pundits and experts were shocked and amused by Trump's outrageous campaign, but on Election Day, they predicted Clinton would be the victor.  To more than half the voters amazement, Trump won the electoral vote. Clinton received well over two and a half million more popular votes than Trump did, but he became the President elect.

The College of Electors met and voted today, officially electing Trump.  This man will be President of the United States.  A great many extremely smart, accomplished, successful people are afraid of the various probable outcomes of his administration.  They have spelled them out in endless articles, blogs, interviews, speeches, and by now, even books.  The people Trump has nominated and has spoken of appointing to his administration represent many kinds of backward, destructive, divisive, earth-destroying, profit driven, bizzarely religious, and wantonly immoral ideas that American public figures have expressed in the last thirty years.

Several of these people have failed at the highest offices and jobs they achieved. A couple were fired. One or two were nearly prosecuted.  And among these individuals, it is my opinion, based on what I have read, seen, or heard, most of which, I assume, is factual, Donald Trump is the most likely one to have committed serious felonies.  I think it is only a matter of time before his crimes are exposed. Even with a Republican House and Senate, I think he has the best chance of being impeached and removed from office.  That is, assuming those who supported and voted for him don't rise up in civil war, which is a remote and horrible possibility.

Alan Fothergill's 90 Birthday Celebration

No Dramatic Results, Please

    Politics in the United States of America has slowed the legislative process to a near stop. I would speculate, without a poll, that most Americans would say, if asked, that there are laws that need fixing and social problems that could be solved only by legislation. American government needs to get to work to fix the things only government can fix, and right away.
     Yet what is the problem? Better yet, what are the problems that prevent government from functioning? First of all, there is far too much money involved. Whatever is successfully legislated, creates or costs enormous amounts of money. Corporate America or worldwide corporations are far too large and far too powerful to allow any significant legislation to affect the bottom line.
     The second problem is that significant legislation usually affects a large number of people. People are afraid to do this anymore. Even well paid members of Congress refuse to risk this.
     Finally, backlash from significant legislation is so huge, mail volume, email volume, media hype and anti-hype, that no one wants to be responsible for it. Congress would much rather leave things as they are. If the government is minimally functional, that is good enough for them. As long as the rocket of government is inching along towards its gantry, it will be a long time before it takes off.

The Best People are the Best Americans

   It is so easy to post a social or political opinion these days. So many people do it. I am doing it now. But many people exclude or demean groups or individuals they are against. Political foes, other races, and other religions are very common targets of hate, or just being labelled, "other". Is this necessary? If love and happiness are any part of reality, should we all not wish our fellow human beings these states of being, first and foremost? Yes.
   If you are, in any way, intelligent, then pointing out the differences between yourself and those who differ from you is unnecessary. If you are smart, you will know that you will be more appealing if you are humble and let your actions speak for you.