#figured out how to get my nyt digital access

[adraughtofamortentia]

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[morningsound15]

i seem to remember you giving some podcast recs that i wanted to check out, but for some reason i can't find them on your blog anymore. am i mistaken? if not, do you think you could repeat them?

omg hi! sorry tumblr was NOT showing me any asks i’m really sorry idk when you sent this but yes! i love this question i love podcasts, and i think i’ve rec’d a few individual episodes? but i’ve definitely not made a whole post so i’m so down for this

idk what sorts of podcasts you listen to but i basically divide my podcasts into shit i listen to for education (leftist podcasts, news podcasts, etc,) and shit i listen to to keep myself sane (pop culture/movie/music podcasts, gay podcasts, tv recap podcasts of shows i used to watch) so i’m gonna give you a lot! basically my whole podcast queue list lol

i’ll link you to their online pages (if they have some! either youtube or a digital library) but most of them are on spotify i believe, a lot of these podcasts also have patreons and i personally listen to all of them through apple podcasts\

(under the cut because it’s LONG hope this helps!)

shit for education:

in a clump right off the top:

-- Revolutionary Left Radio - #1 essential listening for people interested in socialism, leftism, communism, marxism-leninism, etc. current events analyzed with leftist theory, great interviews, honest perspectives from organizers.

-- Red Menace - featuring the host of Rev Left, a podcast that mainly deep dives into leftist theory and texts (specifically marxist-leninist theory, but also mao, fanon, stalin, etc.) if you are new to theory and have trouble tackling difficult texts, this is the podcast for you

-- Guerrilla History - from the host of Rev Left, a podcast that looks at revolutionary uprisings from the perspective of those on the ground, using the past to help make sense of the present

and then some others:

-- 5-4 - "A podcast where we dissect and analyze the Supreme Court decisions that have made this country –by a wide margin– the worst country in the world" all about the us supreme court and the decisions that keep us strangled. great legal analysis highly recommend for people who care about the courts

-- Bad Faith - featuring former bernie sanders press secretary briahna joy gray and chapo trap house host (i know guys i know) virgil texas, this is a more accessible introduction to thinking outside of the american political binary. for people who liked bernie and need to figure out where to go next, this podcast might be helpful, or it just might feed your petty soul

-- Citations Needed - if you only listen to one american news podcast, let it be this one. with a focus on american news and how our news industry manipulates us into supporting imperialism and mass death

-- Death Panel - on pop culture and politics, particularly focusing on the healthcare industry in america and why it’s designed to kill all of us.

-- Decolonized Buffalo (youtube) - with a focus on decolonial theory and current events

-- IT’S GOING DOWN - with a focus on revolutionary anarchist, anti-fascist, anti-capitalist grassroots revolts and social movements across north america.

-- Millennials Are Killing Capitalism - i really recommend everyone follow the host of this podcast josh briond (@ jos.hau on insta and @ queersocialism on twitter) because they have been fundamental to my personal journey into leftist literature, their podcast is incredible and their pop culture takes are always fire. interviews, theory, essential takes on the news.

-- Moderate Rebels (podcast / youtube) - if you want to learn about international news/foreign policy from an anti-imperialist source, Moderate Rebels is the best recommendation i can give you. greyzone reporters Max Bluementhal and Ben Norton host a weekly news podcast that is essential listening if you want to understand what it is to live in the core of the world’s imperialist center

-- Radical Reflections - for an international perspective on revolutionary history, from a comrade based in scotland

-- The Black Sublime Podcast - for a black, queer perspective on pop culture, politics, oppression, and liberation

-- The East is a Podcast - for a perspective on leftist theory, history, and revolutionary movements centering people from the (quote unquote) ‘east’. recent episodes cover such topics as (including but not limited to) china, india, paul robeson, war, decolonization, palestine, iran, tunisia, and strongly centering muslim writers, thinkers and scientists

-- The Minyan - jewish comrades! (specifically marxist-leninist)

-- The Red Nation Podcast -- indigenous comrades (mostly in north america - USA/Canada). essential listening for anyone living in emperial/colonial powerhouses in north america. The Red Nation also has great educational resources

-- Useful Idiots - standard news podcast from people much smarter than me who hate the political establishment almost as much as i do. they have some really good interview episodes

-- Working Class History - some really cool episodes on important events in working class history! great episode on The Exotic Dancer’s Union aka the first stripper co-op in america

shit for sanity/fun:

-- Bad Romance Podcast - comedians jourdain searles and bronwyn isaac watch terrible romantic comedies and then tell you all about them

-- Buffering the Vampire Slayer - THE buffy rewatch podcast! they’re deep into season 6 at this point, but features great (gay!) content, buffy analysis, excellent guests, interviews with the original cast, and an original song every episode based on that episode. this podcast brings me only joy

-- Girls on Porn - a porn review podcast featuring only ethically-made porn, tackling kink, fetishization, racism in the porn industry, and so much more

-- GLEEwind - don’t judge me lol i like recap podcasts and this one has the right amount of fun with the right amount of will schuester hate

-- How Did This Get Made? - funny people (and great actors) Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael and Jason Mantzoukas watch truly awful movies and then talk all about it

-- Keep It! - for everything in music, tv and celebrity culture featuring Ira Madison III, Louis Virtel, and Aida Osman. great interviews, always makes me laugh

-- Las Culturistas - bowen yang and matt rogers’ weekly culture podcast, also featuring great interviews and a lot of survivor talk

-- Popcast - i don’t like the NYT but i do sometimes like their music podcast, they review new shit, big shit, and all the shit you might be hearing about from the music world

-- Still Processing - again, do not like the NYT but DO like what jenna wortham and wesley morris have to say about what’s happening in the world

-- The Big Picture - another movie podcast! this one features great interviews with actors and directors, as well as takes on popular movies that i generally agree with (although way too much love for marvel movies for me)

-- Why Won’t You Date Me? - nicole beyer’s hilarious podcast where she talks to other comedians about their dating woes. surprisingly heart-felt, always hilarious

[knowfromme-blog]

5 Paid Life & Money Apps That Are Actually Worth The Money

Not too long ago, I wrote an article for TFD all about the fabulous free apps that attend me manage my health. And while I try to be as frugal as possible when using mobile apps, there are a select few that I’ve found really enact warrant the price tag. 

Here’s my breakdown of which ones made the slice:

1. Buddhify ($4.99; one-time purchase) Buddhify is a really glowing meditation app. It was recommended to me by a facilitator of a DBT skills group I took last year, and I’m so gay that I found it. It’s pretty unique in its layout — the way you pick a meditation is via its Wheel. There are 12 different options on the multi-colored wheel, with topics like Meditation 101, Stress & Difficult Emotion, Traveling, Going to Sleep, etc.  To be honest, I had a bit of a learning curve with this layout — I wasn’t used to categorizing the type of meditation I wanted before playing it. But once I got the hang of it, the process totally changed the way I meditate. Now, before meditating via Buddhify, I pause to consider what exactly I’m trying to accept out of my practice: enact I need something short to pass the time while on the train? Am I feeling stressed and need to find a way to unexcited down?  Taking the time to ask such questions allows me to maximize the benefits of my practice — I can choose the perfect recording for any moment. After a while, you’ll find your preferred tracks, which you can “Favorite” and save for easy reference. I particularly be pleased the Traveling and Walking tracks, which offer meditations specifically designed to be used on the disappear. I’ve yet to find another meditation app with such multi-purpose tracks.  I also really appreciate the fact that Buddhify is a quality app, but only asks for a one-time payment. Other, more expensive apps (i.e. Headspace) charge on a subscription-based model, which adds up over time. I like that I only had to invest $6.99 (CAD) up-front and can continue using the app for years to advance.  2. DailyPocket, formerly DailyPay ($5.99 premium version; one-time purchase) DailyPocket is a budgeting app that I’ve mentioned in TFD articles before. Although I employ many tools — such as my bank’s mobile app, or even Mint — to accept overviews of my spending habits, this itsy-bitsy app has served me well. Its premium version is 100% worth its weight in gold.  The concept is fabulous: you set a weekly budget, personalize a list of spending categories, and manually enter your purchases as you disappear. Then, the app calculates handy numbers — like how many days are left in the week, how much money you should spend each day to stay within your weekly budget, and what percentage of your weekly budget you’ve spent so far. You can also see visual breakdowns of your spending in the form of pie charts.  I’m not very wonderful at math (or spreadsheets), so this app does a lot of the work for me. I treasure being able to see exactly how much money I can spend for the rest of the week — it takes the guesswork out of budgeting. It kind of blends the process of manually entering expenses into a spreadsheet or journal, but combines that with the convenience of digital tools. I like to employ this app mainly for my weekly disposable income, and I employ other means to calculate larger figures (like my monthly savings, debt repayment, etc.). Again, this app only requires a one-time purchase, which makes its cost-per-employ very, very low. 3. The modern York Times Digital Access ($4 per month currently; promotional rate) When I first tried quitting social media for wonderful, I realized that there was a gap in my daily routine — I had been using Facebook to sustain up with a lot of daily news, from pages I’d followed and friends’ written posts. Without that constant stream of information, I needed a solid way to sustain up with current events.  Personally, I be pleased reading The modern York Times for the bulk of my news. I like the fact that it includes plenty of progressive ideas, but also has a healthy dose of conservative viewpoints. Even though I’m very left-wing in my beliefs, I find it useful to hear opposing perspectives in order to challenge my own ideas and understand their counter-points. I got a promotional offer that allows me to pay $4 per month for digital access, which has been totally worth it. Reading the NYT truly enriches my life, allowing me to sustain up with the news while also enjoying some leisure reading. If you’re trying to limit your social media usage, I’d definitely recommend trying this strategy out — find a reputable news source that you genuinely be pleased reading, and purchase a subscription (bonus points if you can find a promotional rate, which most publications will offer to modern readers!).  In the age of information overload, it can be refreshing to sit down and read wonderful journalism, instead of just scrolling through social media and taking in a haphazard selection of posts (most of which are probably not fact-checked). 4. QuickBooks Self-Employed ($7 per month currently; promotional rate) If you’re a freelancer or otherwise self-employed, I’m sure that you can sympathize with the hassle that is organizing your books and tax documents. There are many upsides to working for yourself, but having to prepare all of your famous financial documents is not one of them. When I first started freelancing, I found that I was getting indolent with record-keeping, which often meant that I was missing out on claiming real business expenses at the halt of the year. So, I ended up purchasing a subscription to QuickBooks Self-Employed (the Canadian edition), and it has been a valid lifesaver. It’s allowed me to sustain track of my accounting, book-keeping, and tax preparation pretty much on autopilot. I simply link my bank accounts/credit cards, etc., and the program automatically imports all of my transactions, which I can then brand as Business or Personal (I am a sole proprietorship, so this helps sustain things separate). I can also import images of receipts for cash transactions — the app then automatically reads the info and imports the data.  This software lets me enjoy a clear overview of my total net income per month, year, etc., and easily organizes all of my tax documents for the halt of the year. There are other options out there — like hiring an accountant or tax professional, or doing everything manually — but for me, this is what works best, and it is cost-effective. The app allows me to stay organized, and to avoid the hassle of doing lots of math (this seems to be a theme in my life), so the monthly price-tag is worth it. 5. Spotify Premium — Family ($4.99 per month; $14.99 price split three ways with family members) Lastly, I enact pay for Spotify Premium. My family members and I split this between the three of us, so we each contribute $4.99 per month. While Spotify isn’t the most novel service, it does enrich my life. I’ve tried free music apps, and I’ve also used the media apps offered through my public library, but they simply aren’t comprehensive or user-friendly enough for my needs. Shelling out the $4.99 is worth it to me, as a former musician who does really appreciate the act of listening to wonderful music. It adds a lot of joy to my days, allowing me to rock out in the shower, in my room, or even with headphones on the bus. And I like the offline mode, which saves me data charges on my phone bill. You could certainly trim this app from your budget if you were really trying to save, but at this point in my life, the subscription fee is manageable and seems reasonable for the enjoyment I accept out of it on a daily basis. Sometimes the itsy-bitsy pleasures in life really are worthwhile. What are your favorite paid apps? enjoy you slice certain ones from your budget, or added others? Let us know in the comments. Mercedes Killeen is a Toronto-based professional author and editor. You can purchase her book of poetry, tulips, at greyborders.com and order her freelance services at fiverr.com/killeenm. Image via Unsplash Like this narrative? Follow The Financial Diet on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for daily tips and inspiration, and sign up for our email newsletter here.

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[krissysbookshelf]

Free Ebooks (6/22/17)

    PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THE FREE PRICING IS ONLY A SPECIAL FOR THE DIGITAL FORMAT OF THE BOOK THAT IS LISTED AND IS ONLY AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED TIME, SO BE SURE TO PURCHASE THE E-BOOKS BEFORE THE PRICE RETURNS TO ITS NORMAL LISTING. (Unless you want to buy them at full price:)

  Don't forget to check my Free Ebook page on Pinterest for more Free Ebook titles and genres not listed below!

      A Coffee Lover’s Guide to Coffee by Shlomo Stern: A friendly guide to coffee with the valuable information any coffee lover must know. A Coffee Lover’s Guide is an accessible, comprehensive, easy-to-read and enjoyable guide, written with love and made especially for anyone drinking, making, selling or buying coffee.

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

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  Into The Darkness Laughing by Patrice Chaplin: The Story of Jeanne Hebuterne and Amedeo Modigliani, doomed lovers and artists of Montparnasse in early twentieth century Paris.

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

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  7 Day Cleaning And Organizing by Samantha Olwen: Learn to stay clutter free and organize in just 7 days! In this eBook, you will learn what to do every day to make your home absolutely spotless, get rid of those allergies and dust, and stay healthy as well as feel fresh inside your own home using these cleaning and organizing tactics!

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

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  Xanadu Code by Zsolt Bicskey: Xanadu Code is a collection of ancient wisdom and the author’s personal experience from all around the world, spiced up with his team by his side, who have worked for the greatest names in the US (Tony Robbins, Jay Abraham, Chet Holmes and more) to help the leader who is struggling to bring their inner happiness up to the level of external success.

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

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    Rose Under Glass by Elizabeth Berridge: Complex and fragile characters meet and intermingle against the backdrop of 1950s London, rubbing shoulders with writers and artists, where the noise and energy of the markets mirror the noise and energy of conversations.

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

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    City of Gods: Horsemen (Book 2) by Jonathan Maas: This is the sequel to the award-winning epic fantasy ‘City of Gods: Hellenica,’ which will also be free during this time!

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

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  Island of Shadows by Peter Tremayne: A babe found in a casket in the open sea was fostered by the druidess Buimech and the great warrior Eola and given the name Scáthach. Years later, her adopted father is murdered and this sets Scáthach on a journey to discover her mysterious past…

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

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  Survive by Phil Maxey: Being locked in a hole in New Mexico was Zach’s world, until the world ended. A group of ex-military try to survive and make sense of a post-apocalyptic world destroyed by unimaginable creatures while dealing with their own dark pasts.

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

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  Mail Order Brides of Texas by Kathleen Ball: An amazing 5 book set! Meet strong women and the men who love them in this very special set. Enjoy the happiness, love, and sorrows of the brides to be and, of course, mystery and mayhem sprinkled in! Book 1, Callie’s Heart – Winner of the 2015 Diamond Lear Award for Best Historical Romance and Rone Award Finalist.

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

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  An Outcast’s Wish by Aileen Adams: Maccay Douglas finds a trespasser on Duncan lands. Except the trespasser isn’t some lad up to mischief. It’s a woman in boy’s clothing. A woman with a bruise on her head and no name, and hunting skills. She claims she doesn’t know who she is. That doesn’t stop him from falling in love.

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

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  Demon by Ava Benton: Damien’s always followed rules. He’s nothing like his twin, Tucker, the rule-breaker. Until he breaks one rule. And damned if it isn’t a big one. Fox shifter Sierra had this great social life—drinking, partying, shopping. Until she had a rude awakening, one that shoved her out the door and into the swamps. The Paris Hilton of shifters went from manis and pedis to scavenging and practically dumpster diving.

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

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  The Blood Series Boxed Set (Books 1-3) by Tamara Rose Blodgett: From a NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author comes a mesmerizing and highly original paranormal series! As Julia fights to survive among vampires and werewolves who wish to possess her, she plunges into a dangerous world of intrigue and romance…

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

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  Taming the Beast by Alyse Zaftig + 10 others: Once upon a time, love broke a curse… Eleven authors have written retellings of Beauty and the Beast featuring shifters! These tales are full of scenes that will light your sheets on fire and warm your heart. From grumpy werebears to werewolves who need to be tamed through love, the set has tons of stories for shifter lovers.

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

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  A Masterpiece Of Our Love by Nikki Lynn Barrett: One summer reunion between two plane crash survivors turns mysterious when an unknown visitor from the past surfaces. Can these two friends with an unbreakable bond survive the hell that is about to unleash on their lives?

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

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  North Star by M.E. Montgomery: After Kayla Matthews literally falls for Alex North, they find they can help heal each other’s emotional hurts, but their priority is to create a new family for Alex’s orphaned nephew, Aiden. But not everyone is thrilled with the newly formed family, and it seems there’s no telling what lengths they’ll go to in order to break them up.

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

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  Banger by Dick Hertz: Well-endowed Greyson James meets pleasure-seeking Katherine Clayton. She thinks he’s a temporary summer fling. He wants something more permanent. Will what they’ve found in each other be enough for happily ever after? Or will one summer fling be all they share?

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

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  The Rock Star Wants A Wife by Demelza Carlton: Twelve girls. Four weeks. One reality TV show. The prize? A rock star’s heart. After losing her job, Penelope will do anything to regain her reputation – even a reality TV dating show. Can she resist the rock star bachelor’s charms…or will marriage be on the menu?

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

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  On A Night Like This by Barbara Freethy: Fall in love with the Callaways in the first book in this NYT bestselling series about a family born to serve and protect. Sara had always been untouchable, his sister’s best friend, and the girl next door. But one reckless night in their youth took their relationship to a new level.

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

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  Wild Kisses: 3:AM Kisses by Addison Moore: Piper James isn’t at all interested in obnoxious Owen Vincent or his overinflated ego. Once their internship comes to an end, she wants nothing to do with him. But when her sorority gives her a bucket list of less than savory requirements to check off if she ever wants to get a bed in the house, she considers Owen as the solution to her dilemma.

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

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    Sea Change: A Nina Bannister Mystery by T’Gracie & Joe Reese: Bay St. Lucy is a sleepy little town on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and that’s how its residents like it — especially retired high school principal Nina Bannister. Things change rapidly, however, when beautiful, newly rich, and unscrupulous Eve Ivory announces plans to turn the village into Las Vegas South. Murder ensues, and it will require all of Nina’s wits to solve the mystery.

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

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  The Haunting of Rachel Harroway by J.S Donovan: The discovery of a serial killer’s burial ground rocks the peaceful town of Highlands, North Carolina. Rachel Harroway, a tragic detective with the ability to see the dead, and her brilliant atheistic partner, Jenson Peak, are put on the case. Only through the use of their unique talents can the orphaned dead find rest and the reinvigorated killer be brought to justice.

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

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  The Shattered Bull by Patrick Kanouse: The first book in the Drexel Pierce series. Mixing police-procedural and hard-boiled genres, Chicago homicide Detective Pierce, struggling to overcome the death of his wife, investigates the murder of an up-and-coming politician and felon known as the Bull. As his commander demands an arrest, Pierce risks his career to prevent a rush to judgment.

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

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  Everett by Jenifer Ruff: Dark psychological suspense at a New England college when a coed disappears. A must-read for fans of Gone Girl. “A beautifully written thriller with mesmerizing characters, Everett takes the reader on a nail-biting journey that builds with suspense until its shocking conclusion.” – Author David Robert

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

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  Redemption Cove by David Calder: A terrific, hi-tech crime-adventure novel set in the wild Canadian North-West, filled with action, hair-raising backwoods flying, and a deep and profound love, but above all, the telling of a man’s second chance and ultimate triumph and redemption despite the odds.

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

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  Twisted Trees by Tony Berry: Former spy Bromo Perkins has long been ‘retired’ to Australia where he runs a one-man travel agency. His clients are a select group – including other ‘sleepers’, acting on orders from London, people like businessman Dave McCoy. But Bromo soon discovers somebody has it in for the Melbourne McCoys. Can Perkins figure out who’s behind the deadly attacks before he himself is targeted?

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

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  Arctic Warriors by Ken Bangs: Arctic Warriors… a story about the struggle between the defenders of freedom and the forces of tyranny in America’s northernmost outpost. They were alone. Trespassers, come to kill or retrieve a traitor.

This book is Free on June 22, 2017

Kindle

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    Rise of The Iron Eagle: The Iron Eagle Series (Book 1) by Roy A. Teel Jr.: Justice has evolved! A new anti-hero for the 21st century, who sends his murder victims to their deaths with these final words, “May God NOT have mercy on your soul.”

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[textualdeviance]

Re: that last reblog about false neutrality: YES. Balance is bias. Facts always lean toward one side or another, and any news org pretending otherwise is gaslighting you. 

My J school taught exactly that principle, thank goodness. Unfortunately, a lot of reporters--particularly in TV news--don’t have journo backgrounds that include this kind of training, nor have they had proper training in copy editing and fact checking. Way too many of them are just talking heads with a generic communications degree, if that. Used to be everyone in news had either a J degree or rigorous training, but once the big corps with their profit-driven agendas started swallowing up local radio and newspapers and running big cable news nets, journalistic integrity got thrown out the window in favor of the 1980s version of clickbait.

Because these supposed reporters are not fully educated, it’s assumed that they don’t have the skill and wisdom to make a judgment call about what facts are and who is most able to provide them. Thus the practice of getting quotes from all sides of a story, and then laying them out with (supposedly) equal weight, and letting the audience decide who’s right. Problem is: The audience mostly isn’t qualified to make those judgments, either, plus they look up to reporters as people who know more than they do, and thus they expect that the news will reliably tell them the truth. So if some jackass on Fox includes quotes from a Flat Earther in every story about NASA, they assume that reporter is telling them that the Flat Earth Society is every bit as qualified to tell the truth about Mars as an astrophysicist from the JPL. Adding confusion: The editorial and “debate” segments/shows that don’t frame themselves as different from straight news reporting. Used to be people knew that commentary and opinion pages weren’t the same thing as reported news. Now no-one has any damned idea what’s actual news and what’s just someone bloviating or a couple of people yelling at each other for the WWE version of reporting. After about 30 years of this, millions of people are no longer able to determine who’s a properly qualified expert and who’s completely full of shit, and an entire generation of news consumers has no fucking idea what’s real and what’s not.

Fast forward to the intarweebs age, and now news has been fully democratized. In many ways, this is a good thing. If everyone has access to a wide-distribution platform, it’s harder for gatekeepers with bad agendas to suppress a story that makes someone in power look bad. (This is part of why people who love propaganda want to kill net neutrality--if you can make it impossible for the plebes to load the pages with real news, it’s easier to control that flow.) Unfortunately, this also means that every dipshit with an axe to grind can call themselves a reporter and insist that their stories be taken just as seriously as ones from actual journalists. See Alex Jones. See Breitbart. See Young Turks. See U.S. Uncut. See the myriad sites run by homeopaths and other “natural” scammers passing off anti-science woo barf as legitimate information. Bald-faced lies are now being framed as fact, and far too many people have absolutely no clue they’re being lied to.

So how do we fix this? Well, it’s actually pretty easy:

1. Support your local newspapers and public radio.

As long as your local paper isn’t run by a massive conglomerate like NewsCorp or Gannett, chances are good it’s doing some decent reporting. If your local big metro paper is shit, look for ones from smaller cities nearby. Many of the weeklies are doing pretty good, too--even the ones that are part of the Village Voice parent company. Figure out who owns it, who the EiC is and what their background is, and then pay especially close attention to stories written by staff reporters (rather than wire services, freelancers, or stringers.)

Subscribe, if you can, or at least pay for a paper copy. If you prefer to get your news in digital form, turn off ad blockers when you go visit the paper’s site, so they can keep making enough money to pay their reporters and editors.

Any local radio that’s affiliated with NPR is probably a good bet, too, especially ones run by colleges. Donate to them if you can. Ignore virtually all talk radio. It’s an absolute cesspool these days.

2. Support the best of the national/international news orgs.

While they do have a slight liberal lean these days, the WaPo is one of the best national-news sources out there. I’d trust them over almost anyone else, including the NYT. For now, NPR is a close second, but whether that lasts depends on how much Trump fucks with it. For wire stories, take anything by the AP with a grain of salt, and pay closer attention to anything from Reuters, the BBC and Al-Jazeera. Many international papers also have good reporting. If you can read another language, look for stories from Der Spiegel, Le Monde, etc. If you’re looking at the U.K., be aware that they have some absolute shit there--ignore anything from the Sun, the Daily Mail or the Telegraph--but they have some good ones, too. The Guardian is particularly reliable. In Canada, the Toronto Star and Vancouver Sun are pretty good.

Some magazines are also good, and because of their longer lead times, you can often get far more in-depth reporting than the constant flow of glorified headlines you see elsewhere. Many of these have a strong East Coast flavor/bias, so keep that in mind, but for the most part, stuff from the Atlantic or the New Yorker is reliable. Ignore the big weeklies, though: Time, Newsweek, etc. They’re every bit as useless as anything else you’d find in a dentist’s waiting room.

3. Ditch ANYTHING that doesn’t do its own reporting, or doesn’t pay reporters.

News aggregators are the scourge of journalism. If the site you’re on is simply repackaging or doing commentary on stories that someone else reported, stop going there. This doesn’t include blogs or other places that are specifically designed for doing news commentary--and are upfront about that--more just the places that link to someone else’s story in the first graf, then have three more grafs paraphrasing or spinning what was in that story, and calling it reporting. That is not reporting. At all. If the person on the byline didn’t actually talk to any of the sources in the story, it’s not real news. It’s clickbait.

Likewise, some places may have a bit of original reporting, but because they don’t pay their freelancers, they should be ignored. HuffPo is particularly bad about this. They’ve even gone so far as to try to justify this by saying that paying their writers would introduce bias. HOLY CRAP NO.

4. Do your own leg work.

The ramp-up for this can be painful, but it pays off down the road. When trying to decide whether a given news org is worth your time, do some research on it. Find out who owns it, how long it’s been around, etc. Get some background on the EiC. Read some of its editorials to get a feel for where they lean. Look at some of its staff-written stories and see who they use for sources and how they frame quotes. See if they follow up any dodgy quotes with other sources refuting those. If a source seems questionable to you, go look them up, too. Could be that the head of Scientists for a Better World is actually some anti-vax crank who lost his medical license and is now operating a cult out of a strip mall. Some of the worst groups out there have names that sound legit--they do that on purpose to sow confusion. Make note of the icky ones, and avoid any news orgs that use them as sources. Also, see how often they run stories that read like slightly edited press releases. If they’re way too excited about some company or product or person, they may have literally just copypasted from docs they got sent by some PR hack. While press releases are useful for getting quotes or initial information, they have to be followed with real reporting.

Also: Don’t rely on your friends or family to give you reliable news (unless they happen to be journalists!) I’m sure Aunt Sadie is a wonderful person and means well, but if she insists that the article she read about how vaccines are dangerous is the gospel truth, chances are good you shouldn’t trust most of what she says about other news. There are a fuckton of well-meaning-but-misinformed people out there, and while they may be good sources for news about your cousin’s graduation, they shouldn’t be relied on to tell you a damned thing about what’s going on in Syria or whether the county water board has been taken over by corporate stooges.

(This caveat includes me, BTW. If all this seems like horseshit to you, feel free to look me up, too. I don’t expect my words to be taken on face value, and I’m happy to be transparent about my background and perspective.)

After a few weeks of doing this kind of investigative digging, you should be able to determine which of your potential news sources is going to be the most reliable, and you can then follow them on Twitter or FB or--gasp!--even buy their dead-tree editions if they have them, and rest assured that what gets in your face is going to be good information. Try to have at least two or three that you regularly follow. Getting a variety of angles is always a good thing, and some places are especially good for one subject or region, but not necessarily useful for other things.

The only way we get better, more reliable news is to pay for what’s already good, and stop giving money and clicks to the bad stuff. All news has to rely on revenue these days, so money alone doesn’t make a news source bad, but if you dry up the cash flow for the shitty stuff and start dumping it on the good stuff, we can eventually get news media back on track. To get good news, you have to be a good news consumer. Working for responsible journalism is a job for all of us.

[newstfionline]

Headlines

Nature is a balm (CSM) Some people look for laughter in times of stress. Others seek distraction. But in this time of self-isolation, many are finding respite in nature. Beyond the promise of fresh air and a change of scenery, spending time with nature invites a sense of calm. The rhythms of the natural world serve as reminders that life goes on, even as we humans are consumed by uncertainty, says Patricia Hasbach, a clinical psychotherapist. It is a reminder that the world is greater than us and our stress. Even quick trips outside can bring wide-ranging benefits, says Lisa Nisbet, assistant professor of psychology at Trent University in Ontario. In fact, she says, a few brief moments in nature can help restore focus and concentration. So for folks working from home, a quick walk around the block at lunchtime might make for a more productive afternoon.

As life moves online, the offline fall behind (CSM) As endless social media feeds and YouTube videos emphasize that “We’re all in this together,” a huge swath of the population is finding itself digitally erased from the conversation. Some 42 million Americans, and a quarter of all rural residents, lack access to broadband, according to a February 2020 report from BroadbandNow. Even among those who live in places where broadband is offered, for many, it remains out of reach: Just 41% of households with incomes below $20,000 have broadband at home. As the coronavirus pandemic forces Americans out of their workplaces, classrooms, and social spaces, and into their homes, the internet has become, for many, the only link to society. Amid a steady stream of news stories about teleconferencing, remote learning, and Netflix binging, those without reliable online access are finding themselves shut out.

U.S. Food Supply Chain Shows Strain as Virus Spreads (NYT) The nation’s food supply chain is showing signs of strain, as increasing numbers of workers are falling ill with the coronavirus in meat processing plants, warehouses and grocery stores. The spread of the virus through the food and grocery industry is expected to cause disruptions in production and distribution of certain products like pork, industry executives, labor unions and analysts have warned in recent days. The issues follow nearly a month of stockpiling of food and other essentials by panicked shoppers that have tested supply networks as never before. Industry leaders and observers acknowledge the shortages could increase, but they insist it is more of an inconvenience than a major problem. The food supply remains robust, they say, with hundreds of millions of pounds of meat in cold storage. There is no evidence that the coronavirus can be transmitted through food or its packaging, according to the Department of Agriculture. Still, the illnesses have the potential to cause shortages lasting weeks for a few products, creating further anxiety for Americans already shaken by how difficult it can be to find high-demand staples like flour and eggs.

Cities, counties fear losing out on US virus rescue funding (AP) The $2.2 trillion federal rescue package could fail to deliver badly needed financial aid to thousands of smaller cities and counties where a majority of Americans live, according to documents and interviews with local officials. The coronavirus outbreak has blown holes in the budgets of communities as the costs of battling the outbreak skyrocket and critical sources of revenue like sales and income taxes plummet. The Coronavirus Relief Fund uses a formula based on population to parcel out tens of billions of dollars to the states while allowing local governments with more than 500,000 residents to apply directly to the Treasury Department for cash infusions. But localities below the half-million population threshold are in limbo. Of the nearly 3,100 counties in the United States, 130 have populations of more than 500,000, according to the National Association of Counties. There are 36 cities over the half-million mark, the National League of Cities told President Donald Trump in a letter last week. More than half the country’s population lives in cities, towns and villages of fewer than 50,000 people, the letter noted.

Virus exposes US inequality. Will it spur lasting remedies? (AP) The sick who still go to work because they have no paid leave. Families who face ruin from even a temporary layoff. Front-line workers risking infection as they drive buses, bag takeout meals and mop hospital floors. For years, financial inequality has widened in the United States and elsewhere as wealth and income have become increasingly concentrated among the most affluent while millions struggle to get by. Congress, the Trump administration and the Federal Reserve have mounted the largest financial intervention in history--a full-scale drive that includes mandating sick leave for some, distributing $1,200 checks to individuals, allocating rescue aid to employers and expanding unemployment benefits to try to help America survive the crisis. Yet those measures are only temporary. And the disaster that is igniting what’s likely to be a deep recession also raises the question of what happens once life begins to edge back to normal. Will the U.S. remain an outlier among wealthy countries in providing limited protections for the financially vulnerable? Or will it expand the social safety net, as it did after the Great Depression of the 1930s but largely did not after the Great Recession that ended in 2009?

COVID and prisons (Worldcrunch) “What if I never get to see my family again?,” asks Kenneth Hogan, an inmate at Eastern New York correctional facility in a letter to The Guardian. With precautionary measures such as the suspension of outside visits, a grimmer than usual mood is setting in on the U.S. inmate population. Experts say that prison and jails are particularly ripe for propagation, like “petri dishes for coronavirus,” for inmates and staff alike. In California for instance, CNN reports that the number of infections in the state’s prison facilities grew by more than 700% in just over a week.

Bears are having a ‘party’ in shuttered Yosemite National Park (Washington Post) The global pandemic has been good news for bears in Yosemite National Park, where they are thriving in the absence of tourists, according to park workers. “The bear population has quadrupled,” Dane Peterson, who works at the popular Ahwahnee Hotel inside the park, told the Los Angeles Times on Monday. He and the few other essential workers left in the park have also noticed bobcats and coyotes that usually lurk in the shadows are now boldly prowling around employee housing. The animals have always been there, rangers say. It’s just that they’re finally coming out of hiding. With humans gone, the animals are having “a party,” one ranger explained. And instead of going out of their way to avoid large crowds, they are ambling down roads where it’s usually more common to encounter bumper-to-bumper traffic than wildlife.

Venezuela’s Maduro, Used to Crises, Faces His Toughest One Yet (NYT) Only a month ago, President Nicolás Maduro seemed to be consolidating his autocratic rule. The opposition was fading into irrelevance, international pressure was waning and the country’s devastating economic woes were finally easing, if only a bit. Then, suddenly, a global pandemic shut down what’s left of the economy, the collapse of global oil prices wiped out Venezuela’s main remaining economic lifeline and the United States mounted a determined, new effort to oust Mr. Maduro. The Venezuelan leader now confronts one of the most complex crises of a seven-year rule that has been filled with them. At stake are the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in South America’s poorest nation, who face a seventh consecutive year of economic calamity, a new bout of hyperinflation and the deadly threat of the coronavirus.

European countries slowly begin opening up (Foreign Policy) Spain made its first step in easing lockdown restrictions as it allowed roughly 300,000 non-essential workers to return to work, mostly in the construction and manufacturing sectors. The number of new daily coronavirus cases in Spain has dropped in recent days, and on Monday the country recorded its smallest increase in cases since March 22. It is the beginning of a gradual relaxation of strict lockdown procedures in Europe as well as a test of whether countries have succeeded in flattening their coronavirus curves: In Austria, small shops will reopen today, and in Denmark, schools and childcare centers will reopen on Wednesday. France is not following the trend, as French President Emmanuel Macron announced that schools and shops would remain closed until May 11.

Putin warns Russians to brace for ‘extraordinary measures’ in coronavirus fight (South China Morning Post) President Vladimir Putin on Monday warned officials to brace for “extraordinary” scenarios in the coronavirus pandemic as Moscow tightened its lockdown measures and Russia reported its highest daily infection figures yet. Putin’s warning came as mainland China battled to contain imported cases, especially from neighboring Russia. In a video conference with officials on Monday, Putin said the next weeks would be “decisive” for Russia’s fight against the virus as the situation “is changing practically every day, and unfortunately not for the better.” He told officials that they need to “consider all scenarios for how the situation will develop, even the most complex and extraordinary.”

Ukraine says Chernobyl fire extinguished (Reuters) A huge blaze that tore through forests around the defunct Chernobyl nuclear plant has been put out, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday, saying hundreds of emergency workers had used planes and helicopters to douse the flames. Environmental activists warned that the fire, near the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986, posed a radiation risk.

India extends world’s biggest lockdown (Reuters) India extended a lockdown on its 1.3 billion people until at least May 3 on Tuesday and Prime Minister Narendra Modi said economic sacrifices were needed to save lives as the number of coronavirus cases exceeded 10,000.

Coronavirus Fears Terrify and Impoverish Migrants in the Persian Gulf (NYT) Qatar has locked down tens of thousands of migrant workers in a crowded neighborhood, raising fears it will become a coronavirus hotbed. Companies in Saudi Arabia have told foreign laborers to stay home--then stopped paying them. In Kuwait, an actress said on TV that migrants should be thrown out “into the desert.” The oil-rich monarchies of the Persian Gulf have long relied on armies of low-paid migrant workers from Asia, Africa and elsewhere to do the heavy lifting in their economies, and have faced longstanding criticism from rights groups for treating those laborers poorly. Now, the coronavirus pandemic has made matters worse, as migrants in Gulf States have found themselves locked down in cramped, unsanitary dorms, deprived of income and unable to return home because of travel restrictions. Some are running out of food and money and fear they have no place to turn in societies that often treat them like an expendable underclass.

Libya’s war escalates despite international calls for ‘humanitarian pause’ amid pandemic (NYT) One year after an offensive was launched against the Libyan capital Tripoli, Libya’s war is intensifying, and hundreds of thousands of civilians are besieged amid increased shelling and massive water and electricity cuts. Hospitals are being targeted just as the coronavirus is threatening an already shattered health system. The United Nations, the United States and other countries have pleaded with the warring sides for a “humanitarian pause” to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Instead, both sides appear to be determined to take advantage of the international focus on the pandemic and try to gain more territory. After initially agreeing to the “pause,” the warring sides returned to combat within days. The increasing violence is raising alarms within the United Nations and humanitarian agencies. There are now 24 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and one death. And Libya’s health system has been decimated by the war.

[digital-strategy]

https://ift.tt/2PVgtaN

The path forward for premium media is seemingly clear: Put up a paywall.

Digital advertising is a duopoly-dominated mess; any print or broadcast cross-subsidy you might have is declining at one speed or another. Your loyal core digital readers may be only a tiny fraction of that big “monthly uniques” number you put into press releases — but some of them are willing to pay for what you do. Reader revenue is relatively reliable, month to month or year to year, and it’s at the center of media company plans for 2019 and beyond.

But how many paywalls will people really pay to click past? It’s worked for The New York Times; it’s worked for The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. But does it work for local newspapers? Metro dailies? Weekly or monthly magazines? Digital native sites?

The data thus far isn’t super encouraging, and that’s the world that New York magazine and Quartz walk into with their just-announced paywalls. New York’s was announced yesterday:

New York Media is now joining other publishing companies or individual publications that have recently added paywalls, including Bloomberg Media, The Atlantic and the Condé Nast magazines Vanity Fair, The New Yorker and Wired.

Subscriptions for the New York Media sites will cost $5 a month or $50 annually. For $70 a year, the company will include a subscription to New York magazine, the onetime weekly that started publishing every other week in 2014.

The pay model, which will allow readers a number of stories free before shutting off access, will go into effect the last week of November, according to the company, which would not specify a date for the change.

Quartz, the business news outlet recently purchased by Japan’s Uzabase, made its move this morning:

The Quartz membership is an education in the global economy that’s written to equip you to make more informed decisions at work, in your investments, and in life. Each week, we take you outside of the news cycle to provide analysis, context, and insider insight about one of the players or phenomena that’s upending global markets and rewriting the rules of business. You can read the first installment on our race toward a cashless future (and who wins and loses in it) today. The exclusive new content published every day is designed to deepen the expertise of leaders, and help those aspiring to leadership get ahead in their careers without stepping out of them. Membership — which costs $14.99 per month, or $99.99 for the first year as a special limited-time founding offer — also brings you the ability to engage directly with Quartz’s journalists via conference calls, and join events with other members.

Even news omnivores won’t pay for everything

Both New York and Quartz have been real standouts in terms of digital strategy. New York has made content verticals work far better than most legacy media companies and built an agile editorial voice that really works for the web; Quartz has been a leader in mobile-first thinking, platform-specific strategy, and new interfaces for content discovery and consumption. Between the two, I’ve probably read 100 of their stories in the past month. They’re really good!

But are they $50 a year good? Or $100 a year good? To go alongside $120 a year for The Atlantic, $90 a year for The New Yorker, $420 a year for Bloomberg, $60 a year for Slate, $50 a year for Medium, debitum ad infinitum?

To be fair, these paid products offer substantially different value propositions, mixing content, membership, and experience. Quartz is keeping its main output free to read and making an interesting education-and-networking play that makes sense for a business site; New York is building a paywall that can flex open or closed depending on a reader’s predicted propensity to pay; The Atlantic is mostly offering a premium experience while leaving the main site open; The New Yorker and Bloomberg offer relatively traditional meters allowing a set number of articles a month.

But only 16 percent of Americans say they are willing to pay for any online news. If someone’s first digital subscription is to the Times or the Post — how many are willing to pay for a second, or a third, or a fourth news site? Especially if that second or third site costs as much or more than their favorite national daily?

To frame it another way: There’s a segment of the population that can grudgingly be convinced to pay for a news site, out of some mix of consumer reward, civic duty, and peer pressure. But that second or third subscription requires a level of devotion that can be hard to sustain in a digital environment where the links come at you from every direction.

Are you Netflix or Seeso?

Or allow me a metaphor: Netflix and Amazon have convinced many millions of people to pay for streaming video. But how many of those people think: That’s not enough, I need more? If The New York Times is Netflix and The Washington Post is Amazon (of course) — are these premium national publishers Seeso? Filmstruck? DramaFever?

One complicating factor is that the line between magazines and daily news used to be much more clearly drawn. What you got from a print subscription to The New Yorker or The Atlantic was distinctly different from what you got from the local daily — in timeframe, in editorial approach, in format. But premium magazines’ expansion online has typically been in a newsier direction. Real-time reactions to Mueller news; breaking news from Capitol Hill; columnizing off the latest outrage — these are things can now appear at any of a dozen quality domain names. Wired does great writing about technology, of course — but is it so distinct from what other sites offer that its value remains as clear as it used to be? The Atlantic had a lot of scoops in the last election cycle — but is breaking campaign news something it’s really going to be better at than the Post?

On one hand, it’s unfair to lump this class of premium paid products together — each will succeed or fail on its own merits, both editorial and strategic. A business publication like Quartz will likely have an easier time of it than a more general-interest outlet like New York. But I think it is a fair question to wonder how far down the Paywall Solution can filter through the editorial ecosystem. Local newspapers have already hit this roadblock: While the Times, Post, and Journal build subscriber bases in the millions, most metro dailies have struggled to go far into the five figures. Only two non-national papers — the Los Angeles Times and The Boston Globe — have more than 100,000 paying digital subscribers. Aggregation theory holds that, in a frictionless marketplace, the Internet tends to aggregate power in the hands of a few large players. That’s benefited Google and Facebook — and, on another scale, the Times and the Post. What about everyone else?

I mused about this idea on Twitter yesterday, and here are some the responses I got — keeping in mind that people who follow me on Twitter are necessarily Very Unusual News Consumers:

I’m sorry to hear about this. I read New York Mag at work; I adore The Atlantic. I already pay for WaPo. I don’t want to pay for every site I frequent online

— Lebanexican (@Lebanexican) November 12, 2018

This. There’s only so much I feel comfortable paying for services that are not essential like food/clothing/shelter is.

I ♥️ news, but if I have to choose between my utility bill and the six subscriptions/recurring donations to news orgs I currently have… 🤷🏽‍♀️

— Wendi C. Thomas (@wendi_c_thomas) November 13, 2018

I think about this quite a bit from a consumer perspective. I do NYT but not WaPo, New Yorker but not Wired/Atlantic. ESPN but not The Athletic. If I let it, I could be nickel and dimed to death with subscriptions.

— Dan_Rowinski (@Dan_Rowinski) November 12, 2018

Especially if they all cover the same things/people/topics. There's a lot more value that can be unlocked when outlets selling subscriptions offer something truly unique & different. That's how the subscription model bring a host of new voices to the fore (IMO).

— Terrell Johnson (@terrellwrites) November 12, 2018

Icksnay on the aywall-pay. Will simply read other content sources — sorry NYM.

— Al Poochini (@alpoochini) November 13, 2018

I get to read ten articles a month on various news sites. Sometimes only one or two articles per month before I'm shut down. I'm not going to pay for news, but it does mean I don't get to check the primary source when I'm reading commentary about something.

— Missus Bennet (@poornerves) November 12, 2018

You can't subscribe to everything. I appreciate @NewYorker's version. There are occasional "must read" stories there that someone I follow links but not enough for me to replace one of my newspaper subscriptions when choosing what to buy.

— Jane (@Poeia) November 12, 2018

Or….it makes it harder for everyday people to discover the great words from the honkers of our time, I wouldn’t have read Ta-Nehisi Coates “Reperations” essay of a paywall had stopped me, or much Ta Nehisi at ALL. Pros and cons, happy to see some people getting some pay for wrk

— Elliott Troy (@AngloGyptian) November 12, 2018

Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, NYT, Economist, New Yorker, The Athletic, Spotify. I like Slate and NY Mag and VF but at a certain point it's enough. Rather go without than pay for more

— Daniel O (@DanOfromNYC) November 12, 2018

exactly. for me it just means i don't read the stories. they should just use ads to pay the bills. or i just reset my browser if I really feel like reading it

— The Count (@Alan87374847) November 12, 2018

Hmmm… I read a ton of content from all of these sources. But I only have subscriptions to @newyorker and @TheAtlantic. I have just been helping myself to free NYMag copy, just because I could. I fully expect to pay up now!

— Chris Daly (@profdaly) November 12, 2018

I'm happy to pay for WaPo and 7 other newspapers (not including the NYT) as well as The Atlantic and The New Yorker. I want to support the sites I rely upon. But I realize I may not be typical.

— Jeri Dansky (@JeriDansky) November 13, 2018

Illustration by

Louis Richard

used under a Creative Commons license.

via Nieman Lab

[hollywoodjuliorivas]

Advertisement The Opinion Pages | OP-ED COLUMNIST Where’s Ivanka When We Need Her? Gail Collins MAY 5, 2017 Continue reading the main storyShare This Page Share Tweet Email More Save 1004 Photo Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, walking along the South Lawn of the White House on Thursday. Credit Carlos Barria/Reuters Ivanka’s got a new female empowerment book, and Dad’s going to war against women. Great week, gang. In just the last few days, the Trump administration has taken steps to restrict health insurance coverage for contraceptives, while bullying the House into passing legislation that could send insurance rates for maternal health care soaring. Meanwhile, the president picked a new official to disseminate the administration’s thoughts about public health, and it’s a woman who believes that abortions cause breast cancer. Triple score for the extreme right. I believe in hockey they call that a hat trick. And wait, there’s more: Trump’s reported choice to run the government’s programs on family planning is someone who doesn’t believe contraception works. And of course that House-passed health care bill is going to defund Planned Parenthood. The measure now goes to the Senate, where Republicans have put together a special 13-man committee to draft their version. It was, at minimum, deeply ironic that while all this was happening, Ivanka Trump released a new book that calls on readers to fight against “barriers that disproportionately affect women” at work. Everybody who thinks unwanted pregnancies are a barrier, please raise your hands. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Continue reading the main story Under normal circumstances, we’d give Ivanka’s slim tome, “Women Who Work,” a pass. Or link you to Jennifer Senior’s review in The Times, which calls it “not really offensive so much as witlessly derivative.” It’s stuffed with obvious tips and multitudinous inspirational quotes on leadership, one of which comes from John Quincy Adams, an unsuccessful president who nobody liked. His wife was so empowered she wrote a White House memoir titled “Adventures of a Nobody.” One of his sons called him “the Iron Mask.” Do you think Ivanka’s a John Quincy Adams fan? Or has another Trump ghostwriter been over-Googling? Sign Up for the Opinion Today Newsletter Every weekday, get thought-provoking commentary from Op-Ed columnists, the Times editorial board and contributing writers from around the world. Sign Up Receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. SEE SAMPLE MANAGE EMAIL PREFERENCES PRIVACY POLICY Ivanka’s a major power in the administration, and she ought to be mobilizing support for things like easy access to contraceptives. “Women Who Work” isn’t exactly aimed at the people who have problems paying for their prescriptions — its target readers need tips on massage priorities and getting the nanny to send Mom pictures of how the kids are spending their day. But she’s not witless and she obviously knows that birth control plays an important role in working women’s lives. You think she’d put in a word. No sign. The president has directed departments like health and human services to consider whether the government should allow employers who cite religious objections to cut contraceptives out of their health care plans. What do you think said agencies will decide? Here’s a hint: The new head of H.H.S., Tom Price, is a guy who once claimed there was “not one” woman who had ever had a problem paying for birth control on her own. (Getting an intrauterine device implanted can cost $1,000 in some parts of the country.) The reproductive rights war is always promoted publicly as a battle against abortion. But many religious conservatives hate birth control in general. Some just want to stop sex outside of marriage. Some don’t believe even married couples should use artificial methods like pills or condoms. Some believe that all fertilized eggs are humans and that many forms of contraception, from IUDs to morning-after pills, cause the equivalent of murder. It’s a theological principle that most Americans don’t accept. “Personhood” amendments giving the eggs constitutional rights have been defeated even in very conservative states. Yet the president has just named, as one of the top officials in H.H.S., a woman who believes IUDs kill. Charmaine Yoest described intrauterine devices to Emily Bazelon in a Times interview as having “life-ending properties.” Yoest, who’s going to be assistant secretary for public affairs, also refuses to consider whether increased access to contraception will actually help reduce abortion rates. It would, she told PBS, “be, frankly, carrying water for the other side to allow them to redefine the issue in that way.” Teresa Manning, a former official at National Right to Life, is said to be Trump’s pick for another high post at H.H.S., deputy assistant secretary for — are you ready? — population affairs. Manning, who, like Yoest, has argued that abortions cause breast cancer, is going to be in charge of all federal family planning programs. She’s the one who once claimed in a radio interview that “contraception doesn’t work.” The idea that “contraception would always prevent the conception” was, she said, “preposterous.” 1004 COMMENTS Nobody thinks these appointees reflect Trump’s own personal convictions, and the president doesn’t need to go this far to satisfy his voter base. It’s just that he doesn’t care, and figures he can concede to the ultraright on women’s reproductive issues in return for stuff he really wants. So he’s working toward a world where low-income women won’t be able to afford contraceptives. And aren’t allowed to have an abortion if they get pregnant. Where there’s no Planned Parenthood to go to for help, or insurance to cover prenatal care or delivery. Other than that, no problem. I invite you to join me on Facebook. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook and Twitter (@NYTopinion), and sign up for the Opinion Today newsletter. A version of this op-ed appears in print on May 6, 2017, on Page A21 of the New York edition with the headline: Where’s Ivanka When We Need Her?. Today's Paper|Subscribe Continue reading the main story TRENDING Kentucky Derby 2017: The Experts Make Their Picks When That Feisty Neighbor Becomes the President Macron Campaign Says It Was Target of ‘Massive’ Hacking Attack Opinion: Ivanka Trump’s Collectible Quotations 18 Penn State Students Charged in Fraternity Death Judy Woodruff, the Woman of the Hour Op-Ed Columnist: Where’s Ivanka When We Need Her? Police Officer Who Fatally Shot 15-Year-Old Texas Boy Is Charged With Murder Eliud Kipchoge Runs World’s Fastest Marathon, in Nike’s Special Shoes U.S. Far-Right Activists Promote Hacking Attack Against Macron View More Trending Stories » Gail Collins American politics and culture. Way Too Many Trumps Out of the blue, the president suddenly showed new sides of himself. The Trump 100-Day Quiz, Part 2 Thinking caps on! See how closely you’ve kept an eye on our commander in chief so far. More in Opinion OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR What the Republican Health Plan Gets Right EDITORIAL Locked Up for Being Poor BRET STEPHENS What Has Failed in France CONTRIBUTING OP-ED WRITER Red Sox, Racism and Adam Jones Recommended for You LETTERS Ivanka Trump, White House Adviser-in-Training White House Fires Its Chief Usher Angella Reid was the second African-American and the first woman in the role, which includes broad... Go to Home Page » SITE INDEX THE NEW YORK TIMES Site Index Navigation NEWS World U.S. Politics N.Y. Business Tech Science Health Sports Education Obituaries Today's Paper Corrections OPINION Today's Opinion Op-Ed Columnists Editorials Contributing Writers Op-Ed Contributors Opinionator Letters Sunday Review Taking Note Room for Debate Public Editor Video: Opinion ARTS Today's Arts Art & Design Books Dance Movies Music N.Y.C. 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[silviajburke]

The Death of Bitcoin

This post The Death of Bitcoin appeared first on Daily Reckoning.

Warning.

What you’re about to read is wildly opinionated.

But hey, it’s Friday. And it’s time to get a MASSIVE market forecast in front of you. After all, I want YOU to be ahead of the big story before it shows up on the nightly news.

My publisher, Matt Insley — who rarely writes his own articles these days — felt that this story was too important not to be heard.

This is a story the mainstream media isn’t covering.

And millennials aren’t going to get the memo either, before it’s too late.

But, mark my words…

This is the death of Bitcoin…

The Coming Deathblow…For Bitcoin

Over the weekend we saw a random “pop culture”/news story hit the wire…

The world’s foremost TV/movie streaming company, Netflix, was hacked. And the trail of breadcrumbs leading away from the crime scene leads me to a shocking conclusion.

The hack was simple and deliberate. A hacker by the name of “thedarkoverlord” gained access to the upcoming season of a popular Netflix original series “Orange Is the New Black.”

Long story short, the hacker stole TV content and threatened to give it away online before Netflix’s intended release date. Unless Netflix paid a “modest” ransom of around $50,000.

Another ho-hum hacking story, right? Not so fast. This is where the story takes a turn.

Any good movie-watcher knows that when a ransom is demanded, it’s not the money that matters… it’s the getaway.

After all, how are you supposed to ransom $1 Million (or in this case $50k) pick it up from a gas station trash can and actually GET AWAY with it?

Ah ha! That’s the hard part.

You see, the Netflix ransom was demanded in mysterious and untraceable Bitcoin.

And it’s becoming more common practice to demand ransom in Bitcoin, too. This from the NYT:

“Those threats have increased with the advent of ransomware, malicious software that encrypts victims’ data and prevents them from accessing it until they pay a ransom, often hundreds or thousands of dollars’ worth of Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency.”

If you don’t know the story about Bitcoin I’ll get you caught up.

With my opinion of course…

The “cryptocurrency” holds a lot of technology.  And to really understand it, you need to know about “blockchain.” (Keep up here. Times are changing and knowing about things like blockchain matter in today’s market, as you’ll see…)

Blockchain is a “distributed database” that continuously evolves. Think of it as a growing list of records that can’t be tampered with. Or for a real world example, pretend for a second that every single U.S. dollar bill in America was catalogued electronically in an online database by serial number. From the second it comes off the printing press the bill’s “history” is on record. Every transaction, continuously updated.

Importantly, blockchain doesn’t require anyone’s legal name or actual address, either – in that sense it’s anonymous.

Okay. So that’s what blockchain brings to the table… solid technology that can track transactions and keep tabs on digital currency.

And over the years the popularity of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin has gone through the roof…

All said, Bitcoin is impressively-encrypted, money-transferring technology. From my perch, calling it a “currency” is a little generous.

Looking through the lens of a technology, that’s where things get interesting with this Netflix/Bitcoin story.

History shows that with great technology comes great responsibility.

The revolver and semi-automatic weapons…

Automobiles…

Military weaponry…

Even the advent of the internet…

With each of these impressive technologies came a sinister downside…

Bitcoin is no different. If you look under the hood you’ll see that what really makes Bitcoin tick is less-talked-about, more sinister transaction record. Oh if that blockchain could talk!

Money laundering. Illegal transfers. Moving money outside of U.S. sanctions. Funding offshore accounts. Funding illegal online gambling… are just a few of the HUGE black-market forces that underpin bitcoin.

So, the Silicon Valley logic that bitcoin is free market technology and you can use it to protect against inflation… invest… pay friends… shop… etc… is NOT the whole picture. It’s also why I’m all puffed-up about Bitcoin.

And mark my words, coming soon the script on Bitcoin is going to flip…

Similar to the disruptive technologies I listed above, Bitcoin will undergo the standard lifecycle of development… and I believe that will include swift, sweeping government regulation. Similar to gun control, car insurance, cyber regulation and more…

However, unlike most of those other technologies, I don’t think Bitcoin will survive this deathblow of regulation.

Here’s an example of what I mean…

The Netflix example above was, for all intents and purposes, harmless. Yes, hacking and demanding a ransom is illegal. But, the large scale ramifications aren’t that big.

That’s all going to change when the bad guys up the game.

For instance, what if someone hacks a more important/vital piece of U.S. infrastructure? Instead of the latest season of “Orange Is The New Black”?

Or, worse…

What if American lives are at stake. What if ransoms for high-value kidnappings come tethered to one nasty little reoccurring detail… “pay us in Bitcoin.”

That’s when the encrypted emperor will be stripped naked. Bitcoin will bear the full brunt of a media and government onslaught. It won’t be pretty.

Mind you, this could happen overnight. Just like the Netflix news a few days ago.

All it takes is large-scale ransom disaster… and swift action by congress. And that $30B in crypto-cash market cap could be wiped out.

After all, we’ve seen this exact type of action before. Much like the sanctions against countries like Russia or Iran… or the financial regulation changes for say, online gambling.

You see, right now you can transfer money directly from U.S. bank accounts, through a third party, into Bitcoin.

But, like a sock puppet, the U.S. Government controls the banking system — as well as the credit system.

Add it all up and one single emotional, urgent, media-driven government regulation could destroy the financial transaction that funds cryptocurrency.

It’ll be the death blow to Bitcoin. And it’s not just me saying it either…

I just heard an interview from Agora Financial’s Chief Technology Officer, Ray Blanco, who shares my same concerns about Bitcoin:

“I look at bitcoin right now, I see huge risk. Blockchain advances all get figured out in the years ahead regardless. Bitcoin itself, it’s doomed. The end is near. Soon as Congress has a reason, they figure out how to shut it down. You mark my words. Too many banks have too much to lose. And if we know one thing, it’s that big banks and Congress are part of the same beast.”

Just wait until the next hack comes to light — and the victim is a bit more important than a Netflix series.

This is a story you won’t find in the mainstream. And if you or any loved ones are playing around with Bitcoin accounts, this is your fair warning. This Bitcoin disaster could happen overnight. Any day.

I bet it’s only a matter of time.

Have a good weekend,

Matt Insley

Publisher, The Daily Edge EdgeFeedback@AgoraFinancial.com

The post The Death of Bitcoin appeared first on Daily Reckoning.

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New Post has been published on http://www.lifehacker.guru/how-to-be-less-stupid-about-money/

How to Be Less Stupid About Money 

Some people love to pore over their finances to optimize their savings like a fine-tuned machine. Myself, I prefer to stick my head in the sand and hope my bank account just manages itself. Felix Salmon, senior editor at Fusion and co-host of Slate’s Money podcast, is here to help us sort dollars and cents.

Listen above or find us in all the usual places where podcasts are served, on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or Stitcher. Please subscribe, rate, and review!

This Week’s Discussion

Save more and spend less. I think most of us have that part figured out, but there’s a lot of minutiae to money management and new options that let you skip having a bank account at all. Felix espouses the utility of reloadable debit cards, for example, which let you store your money sans bank fees. Almost like cash under a mattress without the mattress. There’s Chase Liquid, Amex Bluebird, and newer upstarts like Simple.

For a lot of people, the 800 pound gorilla in the room is credit card debt (an £800 gorilla would be $1005 US dollars, by the way). You should always prioritize paying off credit cards before other debt since they have the highest interest rates. Felix even recommends you take out a loan to pay off cards through a place like Lending Club, if you can, as loans usually have much lower interest rates. And never pay to check your credit score; there are a lot of free options like Credit Karma.

And if you have enough money to actually start investing—“enough” meaning that you have over six months of your budget saved up, says Felix—you can try a company like Vanguard or Wealthfront. That’s just skimming the surface of our discussion, so pour yourself a glass of wine, invest your time, and listen to our entire discussion with Felix Salmon.

Our Upgrades of the Week

Every week we like to round out the show with the little upgrades we’ve made in our own life. This week it’s puzzles, wine, and collective bargaining.

Melissa: Melissa subscribed to the New York Times crossword puzzle so she no longer has to wait until the weekend to get her puzzle fix. With digital access to the entire NYT crossword puzzle archives, she can now do a puzzle every darn day if she wants.

Felix: Felix treated himself to a bottle of Frank Cornelissen’s Contadino, a $26 red wine from Sicily. His theory is that spending a little more on a nice bottle of wine is the closest you can get to literally buying happiness. And he shared the bottle so I agree.

Andy: I didn’t make any small changes this week but reflected on what has actually improved my life in recent years: unionizing. We organized in 2015 and eventually joined the Writer’s Guild of America East, and our union has brought much-needed stability through a few storms, as well as a direct way to voice our concerns with management. Consider organizing in your workplace.

How Do I Submit a Question?

There are two ways to send in your question:

Call (347) 687-8109 and record a question. Calls are awesome! We like them, and may play yours on the show!

Email your question to upgrade@lifehacker.com.

Please keep your questions as brief as possible. This means about 3-5 sentences for emails and 30-60 seconds for calls and videos. Your questions can be specific, but broader questions are generally better because they’ll apply to more people. Either way, we look forward to hearing from you.

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