Wall Street knows only money. That’s it. How can anyone resist USD 44bn for a company that registered a USD 221m loss in 2021?

However, the problem with having Musk at the helm of a powerful media tool like Twitter is that it will give rise to the likes of Duterte and Marcos, who both built their alternative universes by keeping troll farms. It undermines fragile democracies like the Philippines.

That’s why Musk’s bid feels like much more than just an economic takeover of Twitter. It’s also a political takeover, akin to Rupert Murdoch’s 1976 deal for the New York Post and 2007 purchase of the Wall Street Journal. The world’s richest person, who has said he “doesn’t care about the economics” of buying of Twitter, is aiming to acquire a different kind of power: control one of the world’s largest megaphones and the ability to impose his libertarian ideology on questions of moderation and misinformation…

…The pressure will be even more significant outside the U.S. In 2020, Twitter said it would start labeling as “state-affiliated media” accounts belonging to some Chinese government officials and state-linked media outlets, in addition to ensuring that tweets from those profiles aren’t amplified. The Chinese government surely hates these restrictions. Suppressing government statements arguably contaminates the free-speech stew, but Tesla also has important business goals in China and needs the support of President Xi Jinping.

Bloomberg

Ayn Rand with a megaphone. Oh que horror!

Twitter will be a weapon of mass destruction now that Xi Jinping, Duterte, and Marcos will be given a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge platform for their propaganda.

Good luck to us all.

I was looking at cars that could replace my current one and the closest thing that I could say I liked is Mitsubishi Xpander because of its cargo cabin size.

I love my Isuzu Crosswind because I have a lot of room for bikes, camping gear, and even furniture. And I just discovered last year how to fold the passenger seat for more cargo room. However, it’s already old—but then I really don’t want to let it go because it can take whatever I throw at it. I’m conflicted. 🤔

So I’m holding off… I think I’ll just soup up my current ride (already inquiring about body repairs) because my sister may go abroad again (she said) and would probably sell her Toyota Corolla-Altis to me. But then, I really don’t like sedans; for me they don’t have any use except to ferry people. I can’t even drive that thing on provincial roads farther than Laguna because driving through Quezon province is like driving on the moon. For someone who often goes on road trips, that’s going to be such a drag. Sedans really limit you in terms of where you can go here in the Philippines and what you can bring.

I’m itching again to go nature tripping. I found several campsites in Tanay in Rizal and Kalayaan/Cavinti in Laguna and I want to try all of them, especially the areas that offer kayaking, paddle boarding, and wind surfing. My high school friends who bike around Laguna on weekends said Lake Yambo in Nagcarlan is also good for camping.

We will be going to Decathlon this weekend to buy new swimsuits/rash guards and kites. Yes, I saw kites!

If still available, I may buy that camping cooking gear that I’ve been lusting after for quite some time.

I’ll take a week-long leave this summer so the girls and I can go camping then dive in Anilao again—before they start their high school entrance exam review classes and before I start flying back and forth Singapore.