The Big Picture –
By Glynn Wilson –

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In one sure sign that traditional press and media outlets have been influenced, for good or ill, by the rise of social media, look no further than the end of the year review stories. For a couple of centuries, newspapers filled space between the ads and gave subscribers something to read during the Christmas-New Years national holiday breaks with year-in-review stories recapping the top stories of the past year as picked by editors using their news judgement.

This year, it was notable that the New Yorker magazine (owned by the Newhouse family) and even The New York Times produced recap stories based on this new concept of “popularity,” or what stories got the most hits or traffic. While we pride ourselves in being one of the first new media outlets published on the web with no print edition, we do not believe this measure of popularity is the best way to determine the most important stories of the year.

Yeah, stories about the celebrity pop singer Taylor Swift may get a lot of clicks. But by any traditional definition of “news judgement,” that does not make stories about Taylor Swift the “most important” top news stories of the year. So the move even shows editors are willing to give up their power to the damn popularity algorithm.

Whatever. They can do what they want.

We take a different approach.

If you scroll down to the bottom of any page on this site, you will see a tab for the MONTHLY ARCHIVES, where you can choose any month and scroll through all the stories published in any given month. So every year during the holidays, I take a day to look back through the archives and pick what I think were the most interesting and important stories of the year, based on news judgement, not some arbitrary measure of popularity.

So if you go back a year to January, 2023, you will notice that the year began with Americans in a state of pessimism.

According to an end of the year Gallup poll, Americans appeared to be pretty pessimistic about 2023, with surveys showing a mostly gloomy outlook for the U.S. About 80 percent of Americans were not optimistic about the economy. Some worred about higher taxes and/or the growing budget deficit. About 60 percent seemed to think inflation would continue to be a problem with prices continuing to rise, and the stock market continuing to fall.

Americans Seem Pessimistic Heading Into 2023

Now we know that prices are actually coming down, including gas prices, and inflation is easing up. Unemployment is still low and consumer spending remained high for this year’s Christmas shopping season.

Perhaps one reason Americans were pessimistic is because they watched in disbelief in January as the MAGA Republicans took control of the House. I wrote about that in January.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On the eve of the second anniversary of the violent attack at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, a seditious conspiracy and violent insurrection that was clearly an unsuccessful attempt to block the certification of the 2020 presidential election results and overturn American democracy itself, a small group of pro-Trump and pro-insurrection Republican rebels in the House are holding up the government from inside the Capitol.

On Jan. 6 Second Anniversary, Insurrectionists Hold Congress Hostage from Within

At the same time, the influence of art on culture was on display in Washington when U2’s Bono was honored at the Kennedy Center.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — How can art influence life and make the world a better place? One thing’s for sure. You can’t do it by being oblivious to what’s going on around you. And what can an Irish rock star teach America about freedom? It turns out quite a lot, if people will listen.

“Arguably the most heart-penetrating band on the planet for the last 40 years,” Sean Penn said about the band. “The influence on music, on culture, on the world is incomparable.â€

What Can an Irish Rock Star Teach America About Freedom?

The U.S. Department of Justice started the year off with a bang by filing an anti-trust lawsuit against Google.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States Department of Justice and eight states filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Google on Tuesday for monopolizing multiple digital advertising technology products in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on behalf of the U.S. and Attorneys General of California, Colorado, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Virginia, the complaint alleges that Google monopolizes key digital advertising technologies, collectively referred to as the “ad tech stack,†that website publishers depend on to sell ads and that advertisers rely on to buy ads and reach potential customers.

“Today’s complaint alleges that Google has used anticompetitive, exclusionary, and unlawful conduct to eliminate or severely diminish any threat to its dominance over digital advertising technologies,†Attorney General Merrick Garland said in the announcement. “No matter the industry and no matter the company, the Justice Department will vigorously enforce our antitrust laws to protect consumers, safeguard competition, and ensure economic fairness and opportunity for all.â€

Justice Department Sues Google for Monopolizing Digital Advertising Technologies

Even in March, the American people were still feeling down after four years of Trump and three years of the global coronavirus pandemic.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Are you still working from home and staying home most of the time, avoiding contact with members of the public as much as possible and wearing a mask when you must go out to the store? If you are still feeling the stress and anxiety of living in a pandemic world waiting for things to return to something resembling normal, you are not alone.

Three years into the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., relatively few Americans, only 33 percent, say their lives are completely back to normal, and those who say their lives have not yet completely returned to normal are largely pessimistic about it ever coming back. Nearly half of adults in the United States, 47 percent, think pre-pandemic normalcy is not attainable for them, although at least 20 percent think their lives will eventually get back to normal, according to a recent Gallup poll on the subject.

Nearly Half of Americans Do Not Expect Life to Return to Normal After Covid Pandemic

Of course Donald Trump continued to occupy the news like a popup toy joker who just won’t go away.

In more public opinion news at the time:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A clear majority of Americans believe an indictment of Donald Trump in any of the criminal investigations pending against the former president should be enough to stop him from actively campaigning for another term as president. When asked whether criminal charges should disqualify Trump from running again, 57 percent of registered voters surveyed within the last week said yes, according to the survey, first reported by Politico. Another 38 percent said charges should not be enough to prevent Trump from running a political campaign, and five percent said they were unsure, according to the Quinnipiac poll.

Only 23 percent of Republicans agreed, however, while about 55 percent of independents agreed, and almost 90 percent of Democrats said criminal charges should definitely keep Trump from campaigning for public office.

A Majority of Americans Say Criminal Charges Should Disqualify Trump from Running for President

Then seemingly right on cue, and in one of the biggest blockbuster stories of the year, Trump became the first president ever indicted to stand trial in a criminal court.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A Manhattan Grand Jury voted Thursday in New York to issue the first criminal indictment in American history against a former president. Donald Trump will be the first former president to face criminal charges in a case focused on a hush-money payment to a porn star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 campaign.

New York Grand Jury Votes to Issue the first Indictment in History of a U.S. President, Donald Trump

A majority of Americans agreed with the move.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A majority of registered voters in the United States, 51 percent, say they approve of the indictment of former President Donald Trump on fraud charges for his role in a scheme to pay hush-money to adult film star Stormy Daniels to hide the sexual affair from voters before the 2020 election. Many Republicans voters are not onboard, however, according to a Morning Consult poll conducted immediately after the legal action was announced on Thursday.

While 83 percent of Democrats and 49 percent of independents say they approve of the indictment, 38 say they disapprove, a number that corresponds closely to the 36 percent of voters who still hold favorable views of Trump in a Quinnipiac poll released Thursday.

A Majority of Registered American Voters Approve of the Indictment of Trump

Then we began to learn just how compromised and corrupt Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is with reporting from ProPublica.

In late June 2019, right after the U.S. Supreme Court released its final opinion of the term, Justice Clarence Thomas boarded a large private jet headed to Indonesia. He and his wife were going on vacation: nine days of island-hopping in a volcanic archipelago on a superyacht staffed by a coterie of attendants and a private chef. If Thomas had chartered the plane and the 162-foot yacht himself, the total cost of the trip could have exceeded $500,000. Fortunately for him, that wasn’t necessary: He was on vacation with real estate magnate and Republican megadonor Harlan Crow, who owned the jet — and the yacht, too.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and A Cozy Friendship With Billionaire Harlan Crow

Then in one of the most ignored stories of the year — a clear example of why the popularity algorithm is not a very good measure of what’s important — the Biden administration released plans for the toughest air pollution standards ever for cars and trucks.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Biden administration announced the most ambitious federal vehicle emissions standards ever on Wednesday that will accelerate the ongoing transition to a clean vehicles future by requiring that two-thirds of new passenger cars and a quarter of new heavy trucks sold in the United States are all-electric by 2032. If the two rules are enacted as proposed, they would put the world’s largest economy on track to slash its planet-warming emissions at the pace that scientists say is required of all nations in order to avert the most devastating impacts of climate change, and it would be nothing short of a revolution in the U.S. auto industry.

The announcement came from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which said the new, tougher regulations would improve air quality for communities across the nation, especially poor, minority communities that have borne the brunt of polluted air for decades. When implemented, the rules would help the U.S. avoid nearly 10 billion tons of CO2 emissions, equivalent to more than twice the total U.S. CO2 emissions in 2022, while saving thousands of dollars over the lives of the vehicles meeting these new standards and reduce America’s reliance on approximately 20 billion barrels of oil imports.

“By proposing the most ambitious pollution standards ever for cars and trucks, we are delivering on the Biden-Harris Administration’s promise to protect people and the planet, securing critical reductions in dangerous air and climate pollution and ensuring significant economic benefits like lower fuel and maintenance costs for families,†said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “These ambitious standards are readily achievable thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, which is already driving historic progress to build more American-made electric cars and secure America’s global competitiveness.â€

Biden Administration Proposes Tough New Pollution Standards for Cars and Trucks

In a related story just in time for Earth Day, while scientists continued to insist that the impacts of climate change are already upon us, the polls showed only 60 percent of Americans believe it, obviously due to misinformation put out on social media by big energy companies and their bought and paid for Republican politicians.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On the eve of Earth Day 2023, public opinion on the very real problem of global warming appears stagnant. What will it take to get past the majority of 60 percent of Americans who consistently say global warming and its effects on the climate are already here, causing disasters? Are some people just deaf and blind, or are they being misled by politicians and right-wing news channels which seem intent on protecting the petrochemical lobby to the detriment of their own lives and that of their families?

This finding has been consistent since 2016, and 62 percent of Americans also say they believe that an increase in the Earth’s temperature over the past century is caused by pollution from human activities — not natural, cyclical changes in the global environment. But less than half of Americans, 46 percent, think global warming will pose a serious threat to their way of life in their own lifetime, and only 39 say they worry a great deal about global warming, according the latest Gallup poll on the subject.

Global Warming’s Effects Have Begun: Only 60 Percent of Americans Believe It

While many Americans and commentators and pundits remain skeptical of a second term for President Joe Biden, he announced his candidacy for reelection in April.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — While public opinion data shows the American people do not seem ready or excited to begin the official campaign season for president in 2024, especially if the campaign is going to be a rematch between President Joe Biden and loser Donald Trump, Biden announced his run officially on Tuesday in a 3-minute video, kicking off the campaign whether people are ready or not.

President Joe Biden Announces Candidacy, Officially Kicking Off the 2024 Race for President

All the while we continued to cover all the arrests and convictions of Trump supporters involved in the seditious conspiracy and insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021.

Editor’s Note: This is a weekly roundup of results from cases related to the seditious conspiracy that led to the insurrection and attempted coup on Jan. 6, 2021 when Trump refused to concede his loss in the 2020 election and incited followers to violence in Washington to try to keep him in power. We are committed to creating a definitive archive of those involved in this clear case of domestic terrorism inspired by the president and commander of chief himself while still sitting in the White House.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As former fluke president Donald Trump faces criminal charges and civil lawsuits for his crimes against nature and the Constitution even as he says he’s running for president again, his right-wing, domestic terrorist followers continue to face justice in the federal courts for their actions attacking the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 and attempting to stop the peaceful transfer of power.

According to press releases from the U.S. Department of Justice, in the past week six more defendants were found guilty of their role in disrupting a joint session of Congress called to certify the electoral college votes in the 2020 presidential election, and another was arrested after illegally firing a weapon at FBI agents attempting to arrest him. In the 27 months since that violent, disturbing day, more than 1,000 individuals have been arrested on charges related to the Capitol breach, including more than 320 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement officers. The investigation remains ongoing.

Trump’s Domestic Terrorist Followers Continue to be Arrested, Convicted and Sent to Prison

Also in April, I introduced a concept I will be talking about in public opinion stories for the remainder of 2024: An “enthusiasm gap” in support for voting for Trump or Biden in next year’s election for president. The rematch is still not popular.

The Future of Politics, the Internet and a Coming ‘Enthusiasm Gap’ in Public Opinion

In May, juries began to return guilty verdicts against some of the biggest players in the Jan. 6 insurrection, the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A jury returned guilty verdicts on multiple felonies against five members of the Proud Boys, finding four of the defendants guilty of seditious conspiracy for their actions before and during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. According to the evidence at trial, in the months leading up to Jan. 6, the defendants plotted to oppose by force the lawful transfer of presidential power, and to prevent the Members of Congress, and the federal law enforcement officers who protect them, from discharging their duties.

Henry “Enrique†Tarrio, 39, of Miami, the former national chairman of the Proud Boys; Ethan Nordean, 32, of Auburn, Washington; Joseph Biggs, 39, of Ormond Beach, Florida; Zachary Rehl, 37, of Philadelphia, were found guilty of seditious conspiracy and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

The four defendants and co-defendant Dominic Pezzola, 45, of Rochester, New York, were also found guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to prevent Members of Congress and federal law enforcement officers from discharging their duties, civil disorder, and destruction of government property. Pezzola was also found guilty of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and robbery involving government property.

“The Justice Department secured the conviction of four leaders of the Proud Boys for seditious conspiracy related to the January 6th attack on the Capitol,†Attorney General Merrick Garland said in making the official announcement.

Jury Convicts Four Leaders of the Proud Boys of Seditious Conspiracy for Planning Revolution and Leading the Attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6

Oath Keepers Leader Stewart Rhodes Sentenced to 18 Years for Seditious Conspiracy

DC Top Cop Indicted for Obstruction in Colluding With Proud Boys Leader

Also in May, the federal government declared the Covid-19 national emergency over.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — It feels like a scary movie of a lifetime has passed in the past three years since March, 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic national emergency was declared in the United States. While the Covid-19 crisis is not entirely over, since according to health officials 1,000 people are still dying every week in the U.S. from the novel virus and its genetic variants, the Biden administration allowed the national emergency declaration to expire on Thursday, May 11.

A number of media reports remind us that 1.1 million people in this country died over the past three years and two months, and the disease remains among the leading causes of death in the United States. Maybe it’s too soon or no one else has thought to report on it yet — although there are all kinds of how-to-style stories out there about what the end of the emergency means — there is no doubt that this pandemic changed all of our lives in many ways, whether we are confronting that reality head on or not.

I can only authoritative speak to how it changed life from my point of view and allow readers to comment on how they feel at this time. When the emergency was declared, I was in Pensacola, Florida, searching for a new winter hideaway in my ongoing semi-retirement life of traveling around the country in a media camper van.

Government Declares Covid National Emergency Over

In another story involving the Biden administration trying to do the right thing by regulating pollution, a story that was barely covered at all on cable TeeVee or shared on social media so not high in the “popularity” rankings, check this story out. I think it’s a pretty important story.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Defying critics and in an effort to bring the United States back to its leadership role on the world stage in fighting climate change due to global warming from the burning of fossil fuels for energy, the Biden administration announced major new regulations to limit greenhouse pollution from power plants this week designed to eliminate carbon dioxide emissions from the nation’s electricity sector by 2040. By setting caps on pollution rates that power plant operators would have to meet, the new standards for coal and new natural gas fired power plants would prevent more than 600 million metric tons of CO2 pollution from being pumped into the atmosphere over the next 20 years.

Environmental Protection Agency administrator Michael Regan, who oversaw the drafting of the new regulations, announced the new rules in a speech on the campus of the University of Maryland on Thursday and talked about the effort to reduce harmful pollutants, protect public health and deliver up to $85 billion in climate and public health benefits over the next two decades.

“By proposing new standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants, EPA is delivering on its mission to reduce harmful pollution that threatens people’s health and wellbeing,†Regan said.

Biden Administration Shoots for the Moon on Regulating Pollution from Power Plants

But of course a story that got far more attention happened in May, when Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville announced his boycott of Biden’s military promotions.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As if it were not embarrassing enough to hang around in the nation’s capital and admit to people that you are originally from Alabama, this bad football coach joke of a United States Senator Tommy Tuberville is running a one man filibuster against the Pentagon by blocking all promotions in every branch of the military — because they are not all MAGA Trump supporting white nationalist neo-Nazis who reject “woke†culture and Critical Race Theory and, oh by the way, vow never to have an abortion.

Alabama’s Tommy Tuberville Mounts a One-Man Blockade of Anti-MAGA Military Promotions

Also in Alabama, The Machine made the news in 2023.

A Blast From the Past: The Machine’s Political Power at the University of Alabama Makes News Once Again

Then Trump was indicated in another case, this time in Florida for mishandling classified documents.

Trump Indicted for Mishandling Classified Documents and Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice

In one of my favorite stories of the year as a writer, I got my hands on a copy of Bernd Heinrich’s book on Ravens, and wrote a definitive review.

Exploring the Mind of the Raven and the Bird’s Role in Human Culture and Evolution

In June, a radical, right-wing militia member and avid Trump supporter from California who tased Metro Police officer Michael Fanone during the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced to 12 years and seven months in federal prison … for assault and other charges and ordered to pay $96,927 to the victim and $2,000 in restitution to the Architect of the Capitol.

Trump Supporter Who Tased DC Cop Michael Fanone in Capitol Attack Sentenced to 12 Years

The Senate released its own report on Jan. 6.

Senate Report Details Law Enforcement and Intelligence Failures Leading Up to Jan. 6 Capitol Attack

By the time of the Fourth of July national holiday, many Americans were still having mixed feelings about celebrating Independence Day. So many things seem conflicted in our divergent feelings about what freedom, liberty and independence mean in these trying times when the vox populi seems so divided. Many people will take the opportunity post-Covid to get out on the water, cook out and celebrate anyway. Some will skip the holiday, due to the noise and pollution of fireworks, the extreme heat in places, and what seems like an institutional attack on the progress of freedom by the rightwardly skewed Supreme Court.

American Ambivalence About the State of Freedom on the Fourth of July

Scientists said it was the hottest day ever.

Was This Fourth of July Earth’s Hottest Day on Record?

The news prompted me to take a deep dive into the prospects of a future for humans on planet Earth.

The Future of Humanity on Planet Earth

The Top Story of the Year

Then Trump was indicted again, this time for his role in the seditious conspiracy and inciting an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. This is arguably the biggest story of the year from a news judgement point of view.

Trump Indicted for Trying to Overturn the 2020 Election

All the bad news out of the Supreme Court was not lost on the public.

U.S. Supreme Court Public Approval Stands at Record Low

Then federal judges started issuing sentences against the leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.

Two Proud Boys Leaders Sentenced to Long Prison Terms for Seditious Conspiracy in Capitol Attack

Proud Boys Leader Enrique Tarrio Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison for Seditious Conspiracy

In August, I published my biggest story of the year about book burnings, book bans and library closings and the implications for democracy.

The Price of Liberty is Eternal Vigilance: How Authoritarian Leaders Mutilate Reality, History and Culture

Then in Septermber, scientists said 2023 was the hottest year on record.

Summer 2023 Ranks as the Hottest on Record ‘By a Large Margin’

I did another deep dive about it, and also wrote about the problems of social media.

Big Problems Require Big Solutions: How to Save Democracy and the Planet

Democracy Needs Moderated Forums, Not Hate-Filled Free-For-Alls

As the year began to wind down, the story of whether the Republicans would shut down the federal government made headlines again, which ultimately led to the ouster of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Congress Narrowly Averts a Government Shutdown as House Democrats Help Pass Stopgap Funding Bill, Approved by the Senate

House Votes To Remove McCarthy as Speaker as Dixie Caucus Creates Chaos in U.S. Government

In October, fascism was on my mind, as well as the American people, although public attention to political news was still dropping as people began to travel again and take a break from the news.

We Can Overcome Ignorance and Fascism — By Reading

Public Attention to Political News Drops: Implications for the Future of News and Democracy

The negative impacts of social media on mental health made the news, as social scientists studied the issue and lawyers begin to get interested in taking it to court.

Meta’s Facebook and Instagram Harm Mental Health, Federal Lawsuits Allege

Of course the House was still in disarray, as a little known back-bencher and Louisiana arch-conservative named Mike Johnson managed to do what others could not: Get 220 votes and get elected Speaker of the House, bringing an end to three weeks of chaos that left the chamber without a leader and put Republican divisions on display for the country to see.

Johnson, 51, a far right Christian conservative who opposes abortion rights and same-sex marriage also denies climate change, saying global warming is not being caused by the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas for energy and transportation. He’s opposed clean energy and received more campaign contributions from oil and gas companies than from any other industry last year. He also played a leading role in congressional efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Louisiana Conservative Elected Speaker of the House

Public opinion polls begin to show that a conviction of Trump would move at least some of his supporters to look for other Republicans to support.

The Times Buried the Lede: A Criminal Conviction Would End Trump’s Chances of Being Elected President Again

At the same time a study by professors at Columbia University and the University of Houston, with Boston-based consulting firm The Brattle Group, showed that Google owes news publishers about $10 billion to $12 billion annually for the past decade or more, and Facebook owes $1.9 billion.

Study: Google and Meta Owe News Publishers at Least $12 Billion

In December, Wyoming Republican Liz Cheney’s new book came out, and she made the rounds of talk shows and made her points about how Trump is bad for democracy.

Liz Cheney: The U.S. is ‘Sleepwalking into Dictatorship’ by Supporting Trump

Is a Trump Dictatorship Inevitable?

In the final weeks of the hottest year in recorded history, the United Nations climate conference in Dubai known as COP28 ended with an agreement for the first time to call on countries to transition away from fossil fuels, the chief cause of climate change due to global warming from the burning of fossil fuels for energy and transportation.

“It’s embarrassing that it took 28 years but now we’re finally there,†said Dan Jørgensen, Denmark’s climate minister. “Now it finally seems like the world has acknowledged that we need to move away from fossil [fuels].â€

The agreement comes after more than two weeks of contentious negotiations among nearly every country in the world.

Climate Talks End With Call for Moving Away from Fossil Fuel Use

Lost in the stories about Christmas, Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin and other Democrats called on top social media sites to combat potentially harmful misinformation related to abortion access and procedures. Raskin and 12 other Democratic members of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability sent letters Dec. 7 addressed to Elon Musk, the chairman and chief technology officer of the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, and Mark Zuckerberg, chairman and chief executive officer of Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, calling on them to combat the spread of misinformation on abortion.

“We are troubled by the rapid spread of abortion misinformation and disinformation on your company’s social media platform… and the threat this development poses to safe abortion access in the United States,†Raskin, ranking member of the committee, and the other lawmakers wrote.

Democrats Question Social Media Giants on Spread of Abortion Misinformation

Continuing to run the government and do the important work of the country, the Biden administration announced a proposal to conserve old-growth forests by banning logging for the first time in national forests. This comes on the heels of a historic agreement in Dubai calling for the first time for countries to transition away from fossil fuel use for powering energy and transportation, the chief cause of climate change due to global warming.

Biden Administration Proposes Historic Ban on Cutting Old Growth Trees in National Forests

Tubberville finally gave up his boycott of military appointments. It’s unclear why or what he might have gotten in return.

Tuberville Filibuster Ends as Senate Confirms Biden’s Military Appointments

I ended my coverage of the year with a column for Christmas.

A Christmas Column in a World Torn Asunder: Baby Jesus Under the Rubble in Gaza

See you next year.

___

If you support truth in reporting with no paywall, and fearless writing with no popup ads or sponsored content, consider making a contribution today with GoFundMe or Patreon or PayPal. We just tell it like it is, no sensational clickbait or pretentious BS.