https://newslit.org/ Before you go on, an article in the May 8 & May 22 issue of Science News ran with a cover "Awash in Deception: How science can help us avoid being duped by misinformation." In the lead article titled: "The Battle Against Fake News," Alexandra Witze presents five suggestions on how to debunk bad information. They come from the News Literacy Project (see the above link). How to Debunk: 1. Arm yourself with media literacy skills, at sites such as the News Literacy Project (newslit.org), to better understand how to spot hoax videos and stories. 2. Don't stigmatize people for holding inaccurate beliefs. Show empathy and respect, or you're more likely to alienate your audience than successfully share accurate information. 3. Translate complicated but true ideas into simple messages that are easy to grasp. Videos, graphics and other visual aids can help. 4. When possible, once you provide a factual alternative to the misinformation, explain the underlying fallacies (such as cherry- picking information, a common tactic of climate change deniers. 5. Mobilize when you see misinformation being shared on social media as soon as possible. If you see something, say something.
"Misinformation is any information that is incorrect, whether due to error or fake news. "Disinformation is deliberately intended to deceive." "Propaganda is disinformation with a political agenda." Sander van der Linden Social Psychologist University of Cambridge Source: Science News/May 8, 2021 & May 22, 2021
Yesterday was a big day in the world of baseball. It was Trade Deadline day (the last opportunity for moving players between teams), I went to a Dodger-Giant game in San Francisco and then there was the death of Vin Scully,
People are born and people die. Prophetic as that may seem, the death of Mr. Scully ranks up there for me along with the losses of JFK, MLK, RFK, my Mom and my Dad within my sphere of existence. Vin Scully was and will continue to be a person whose influence far transcends that of us mortals.
Ah shucks, that kind of talk was met by a quiet, unassuming humility that matched his one-of-a-kind talent. There will never, ever be another Vin Scully. Not in the temporal sense or the talent sense. Just ask any of his peers.
Vincent Edward Scully’s death yesterday at the age of 94 was marked in baseball circles with all due diligence and respect. That respect was greatly deserved. Scully was inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982, received the Commissioner’s Historic Achievement Award in 2014 and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
Scully started working for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1950. He remained employed by the team for 67 years. That’s a year longer than I’ve been alive. He was married to his second wife Sandi for 48 years.
I was there when Vin Scully worked his last game on October 2 at whatever the Giants called their ballpark in 2016. It was an honor to be there to celebrate this icon of the game.
“He was the voice of the Dodgers and so much more. He was their conscience, their poet laureate, capturing their beauty and chronicling their glory from Jackie Robinson to Sandy Koufax, Kirk Gibson to Clayton Kershaw. Vin Scully was the heartbeat of the Dodgers–and in so many ways, the heartbeat of all of Los Angeles.”
Dodgers Team Statement
By now, if you didn’t already know, Vin Scully was a broadcaster of baseball games. But for generations of baseball fans, particularly Dodger fans, Scully did far more than tell his listeners what was happening in the game. Vin Scully was a storyteller. His medium was the microphone. His message was to connect the game of baseball into where it fit into America’s social fabric. He was the master weaver of baseball and how it fit into life.
I wasn’t around to hear his take on Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier. I did hear his call of Henry Aaron’s 715th home run on April 8, 1974 as a high school Senior. At the time, I was totally clueless about race. Now that I have a clue about race, I understand Scully’s message in his call. There is a part of the broadcast in the aftermath of Mr. Aaron’s accomplishment where Scully is silent. You can hear his call down the page,
Vin Scully made baseball more than a pastime for me. At one point, I thought I’d like to be a sports broadcaster like he was. I called a few games with Tom Laub at Fresno State, but that was the extent of my sports broadcasting career. Vin taught me that everything was connected. Baseball was a part of life and life was a part of baseball.
I am indebted to Vin Scully for instilling in me my lifelong love of Baseball. Baseball IS our National Pastime and it will continue to be my National Pastime. It represents the best of America. Well, the big money that now dominates professional sports has not spared baseball. That particular thing doesn’t represent the best of America.
Vin Scully represents the best of America, the best of baseball and the best of humanity.
As Vin said before every game: “It’s time for Dodger baseball.”
________________________________________________________
There are many compilations of Vin Scully’s “Best Calls.” Here are a few that I think capture the essence of his body of work in baseball. Click on the link to watch and listen.
Lovely tribute, Bruce!!