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Thermal Thursday: Project Liberty [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-07-20

Welcome to Street Prophets Coffee Hour! Thermal for the warmth of a good cup of coffee or your preferred beverage, as well as the warmth of a more progressive religion and community.

Please follow #ThermalThursday! And feel free to share what you’re drinking (or eating) in the Comments, if you’re so inclined. This is an Open Thread for you to connect.

I love designs in my coffee! An elenaphant? (h/t BMScott)

Please Note Disclaimer : I write about Christianity because I was raised in the Church, so it’s what I know. Furthermore, I know of several instances where people commenting about another religion have gotten it wrong, so I feel that I am not qualified to branch out. Nothing here should be taken as implying that Christianity is better than any other religion or no religion. You can see the array of topics Street Prophets cover here; and if you would also like to write for the series, please see the Street Prophets profile: “All who seek to promote a new conversation about the role of religion in America's public life are welcome here.” Just drop Street Prophets a Kosmail.

Today’s Topic: I saw a commercial for the Project Liberty Action Network on TV last night. It sounds intriguing. But as with all things that sound too good to be true, I DO look a gift horse in the mouth.

From the Philanthropy News Digest:

Civic entrepreneur and philanthropist Frank H. McCourt, Jr., has announced a $100 million investment to create Project Liberty, an initiative designed to build a more equitable technology infrastructure for the Internet. -snip- "Like so many others, I've watched with deepening distress as the technology meant to provide universal access to opportunity and bring us together has become a primary reason for extreme polarization, division, and inequity," said McCourt. "Today's social media platforms increasingly control our data, fuel division, erode our privacy, and threaten our democracies. These problems can't be regulated away. It's time to reinvent a new way forward. I'm committed to leveraging my expertise, networks, and resources to create a better public infrastructure for the Internet — one that results in healthier societies and economies." "The centralization of economic activity, political dialogue, and social life onto a handful of global tech platforms has created a large and interlocking set of vulnerabilities and threats," said DSNP advisor Andrew McLaughlin, who previously served as head of global public policy at Google and deputy chief technology officer in the Obama administration. "We need to build better stuff — new technology infrastructures that support open, decentralized innovation. DSNP is a bold, promising, and concrete shared social infrastructure that applies known technologies, uses proven models of open-source development, and embodies clear and vital values. It has all the right ingredients to be a profound game-changer."

He certainly has identified some salient problems. Now from the PLAN website, what they propose as some solutions: They would like to see legislation, amongst others, that will:

Require social media and technology platforms to design their platforms to make children’s safety and privacy a priority.

Require social media companies to remove recommended posts that users did not opt into from their feeds and prevent posts that promote suicide, eating disorders, and substance abuse.

Give people agency and ownership of their data.

There is a lot more about protecting children. And not a lot about how any of this will stop polarisation and division. But they might be able to bring us several steps forward.

But what about this Frank McCourt guy, who founded Project Liberty? (Note: This is not the author of Angela’s Ashes!) Per Wiki:

Frank H. McCourt Jr. (born August 14, 1953) is an American business executive and philanthropist.[1][2] As of 2023, he is the executive chairman and former CEO of McCourt Global,[3] owner of the football club Olympique de Marseille, and founder and executive chairman of international non-profit Project Liberty.[3] He was the owner and chairman of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Dodger Stadium from 2004 to 2012.

Of some concern to me, he did business with Rupert Murdoch, but maybe he was rescuing the Dodgers more than enriching Murdoch? And OTOH, where I saw his ad was on Fox Entertainment. Hmm.…

I also was a bit concerned about this bit:

It might also be a bad idea to enrich Russian billionaires. However, her Wiki page says she is actually now a Swiss citizen. Apparently she has been so since 1992. So she’s apparently not one of Putin’s oligarchs.

So what do y’all think? Can a rich guy be a good-guy philanthropist? Is he a wolf in sheep’s clothing (note that the origin of this phrase is either Biblical or from Aesop)? Is it all just hype for his own business of DSNP on which he hopes to get richer? OR are there real (if partial) solutions here? Does this project show promise?

I've done the research for you, now you get to help me figure out what it means! Certainly this country would be better if we were not so divided. Assuming that less division would mean more widespread agreement on liberal/progressive values, of course! Illegitimi non curreren patrium.

Please discuss in Comments! Thanks!

What can we know? (h/t MomentaryGrace)

Finally, let’s elevate our Community Cred and repost The Needs List! From Aashirs nani (with permission) on Helping Humpday! We still have people who could use a little help from their friends!

PLEASE NOTE:

When sending via PayPal, be sure to select “Send to family/friend” to avoid fees on either end. Be aware, both donor and recipient, that GFM not only charges fees, but also money received through that platform is treated as taxable income. If you are requesting help through GFM, also be aware that there can be delays in accessing the money.

COMMUNITY NEEDS LIST AS OF 7/19/23:

So glad to see progress, thanks to you all!

Please note also that Chef Bobby Neary, “@nuevopioneer,” passed away January 14, 2023. We will continue to post his favourite charity to honour him — please consider a donation to the Satos, the street pets of Puerto Rico! Bobby adopted his own Sato, Missilu, as well as raised funds for PR’s Satos.

Reminder: This is Missilu! (h/t DOV)

I’m in for a mickle each week toward a variety of DKos members on the Needs List. I hope you’ll join me. Always glad to see the needed amounts gradually decreasing!

If helping financially isn’t the right choice for you at this time, you can still help. Tip and rec the diary so it stays visible. Share on social media: Twitter, Facebook, whatever platform you use, to bring the attention of others outside our daily readers. And offer words of encouragement to people who are struggling. It can be scary to be struggling, and it can feel lonely. Let them know we understand and are here to help.

If you can, whenever you see fundraiser diaries from someone you know here, please visit the diaries and leave comments for their authors. Those words of encouragement are vital!

If you don’t like fundraisers, please just move along. They are a longstanding tradition at DKos — Until we vote in enough progressives to create a much stronger social safety net (maybe in 2024)!

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/7/20/2182396/-Thermal-Thursday-Project-Liberty

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