It’s *all* Google-able…. (Juxtaposing random headlines so you don’t have to.)
Quick editorial note: I’m writing this May-1st and post dating for next week when I’ll be traveling.
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I haven’t seen mention of these elsewhere, so thought I’d present a couple of headlines that I just saw today for your consideration.
Story #1
From the Globe and Mail’s story "A few trips decades ago put an end to this one" we learn about prominent Vancouver psychotherapist Andrew Feldmar…
VANCOUVER — Nearly 40 years ago, a young psychotherapist embraced two-thirds of LSD guru Timothy Leary’s advice to the Sixties generation to "turn on, tune in and drop out."
Curious how LSD and other hallucinogens might be used in treating patients, Andrew Feldmar turned on and tuned in himself.
But he never dropped out. And, no fan of the late Dr. Leary, Mr. Feldmar took his last hit of acid in 1974.
Thirty-two years, however, turned out to be but an instant in the long, unrelenting U.S. war on drugs. Last summer, in an incident that has just come to light, Mr. Feldmar, now 66, was banned from entering the United States because of his long-ago use of LSD.
Advice from the attorney quoted in the story? Not terribly helpful - it basically boils down to ‘be careful out there’: "It’s not like you can just burn your notebooks any more," he said. "This is forever, folks."
Mr. Feldmar was held at the border for five hours, before being allowed to return to Canada after signing an admission that he had once violated the U.S. Controlled Substance Act. He said he signed out of fear that he might be kept in custody even longer if he refused. Willie Hicks, public affairs officer for the border crossing, said yesterday that Mr. Feldmar admitted violating U.S. drug laws "in a sworn statement… Mr. Feldmar is now banned permanently from entering the United States, unless he applies for and receives a waiver.
Well at least my stuff’s not online, so I don’t have anything to worry about. Which brings us to…
Story #2
Google nudges states to make records more accessible - USATODAY.com
I’m not sure anybody else cares, but will say again anyway - - we have moved, very suddenly, into an age where we are ALL subject to a level of public scrutiny that was once the domain of celebrities (who are at least compensated for the trouble.)
This is a change which has profound societal implications that I’m not sure anyone is taking the time to properly understand as companies spend billions racing breathlessly towards our brave new future.
The founding fathers thought privacy pretty damn important. Are we really prepared to relinquish it so quietly?
H/T Sharon @ Ghosts in the Machine for the Globe & Mail story.