| "What's in a name? Not much, really," says columnist Kathleen Parker. It didn't make too great a difference when Philip Morris rechristened itself Altria after revelations that the company knew its cigarettes were killing people, and it won't make one that the corporation formerly known as Facebook is now Meta. Cigarettes still got sold after PM's swap, and Instagram users' self-esteem will keep on tanking (along with all the other ill effects now out in the open) after Facebook's. Of course, Mark Zuckerberg says, this isn't about dodging controversy. The name change is simply meant to reflect Meta's growing brief as it forges a virtual world. But he may just be piling more problems onto his plate. Things are bad as it is; "in a deeply immersive metaverse, might [users'] avatars lead them to even darker places?" Parker asks. She writes: "Putting lipstick on this pig isn't likely to improve the stench of the slop in which Zuckerberg finds himself." One definitively useful thing did come out of the name change, though: Humorist Alexandra Petri's imagining of a season's worth of Meta-related "Twilight Zone" spoofs is excellent fun.
P.S. Check out Alexandra Petri's list of the 50 best Halloween songs if you need some inspiration for your holiday weekend playlist.  (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg) CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the shift to 'Meta' isn't about getting past the controversies plaguing the company. That's good — because it won't work. By Kathleen Parker ● Read more » | | | Here are a few tales from this place. By Alexandra Petri ● Read more » | | | | Polls do not show overwhelming support for Biden's approach. And they could get worse if mass firings result in chaos. By Henry Olsen ● Read more » | | | | It seems as though there is no rule or custom Republicans won't run roughshod over, even when it ups the odds an infant will die as a result of a badly designed pillow. By Helaine Olen ● Read more » | | | | At this point, the GOP's governing agenda is all about spite. By Dana Milbank ● Read more » | | | | The president is overspending and is making serious errors in judgment and governance. By Gary Abernathy ● Read more » | | | Maia Kobabe's memoir "Gender Queer" is being challenged in school districts across the country, including in Northern Virginia. Podcast ● By Please, Go On ● Read more » | | | | With today's heads-in-the-sand House Republican caucus, the spirit of Nixon dead-ender Earl Landgrebe gets the last laugh. By Colbert I. King ● Read more » | | | | With an extra vote, the conservatives on the court are revisiting even their partial wins from the past, starting with guns. By Paul Waldman ● Read more » | | | | A lot can still go wrong. But there is a pathway to success. By Greg Sargent ● Read more » | | | | The justices' reasoning in this Second Amendment case might have momentous implications for how the current court construes the Constitution. By George F. Will ● Read more » | | | | The judge overseeing the case provokes questions about whether he is tilting the scales of justice way too far in Rittenhouse's favor. By Paul Butler ● Read more » | | | |
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