Book Review: Keto Instant Pot

Maria Emmerich, Keto Instant Pot: 130+ low-carb recipes for your electric pressure cooker or slow cooker.  Las Vegas, NV: Victory Belt Publishing, 2019. ISBN: 9781628603286.

Genre: keto diet

Subgenre: cookbooks

Format: trade paperback

Source: Eastside Branch, Lexington Public Library

 

This is a book of recipes for the keto diet plan. The recipes are designed to be prepared in the instant pot. We do have an instant pot at home, which we probably should use a bit more We also have a slow cooker that we use more often. I appreciated that many of the recipes in the book can be prepared in a slow cooker.

The book has two parts. Part one has information on the keto plan, advice on using an instant pot and/or a slow cooker, list of ingredients, and tips on preparation. Part two has recipes for breakfast, appetizers and sides, soups and stews, beef and lamb, pork, poultry, fish and seafood, sweet endings and drinks, and basic. Basics includes things like broths, homemade ricotta cheese, and a marinara sauce. 

I found the book to be informative and accessible. The book features various lists and tables that are helpful. The nutritional information charts are helpful for planning. I did find some good recipes that sound appetizing and are not complicated. They feature ingredients you can find.

Overall, I really liked the book. It is better than the one I read previously, and it has recipes I would want to try out. 

4 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: Logged In and Stressed Out

Paula Durlofsky, Logged in and stressed out: how social media is affecting your mental health and what you can do about it. Lanham, MA: Rowman and Littlefield, 2020. ISBN: 9781538176290.

Genre: psychology, popular culture, mental health, technology

Subgenre: social media, self help

Format: trade paperback

Source: Hutchins Library, Berea College 

 

"The truth is that obsessively checking social media, e-mails, texts, and other virtual sites robs us of valuable time that could be used for our personal development and deepening our real-life relationships or forming new ones" (1). 

I picked this book up in part because I had recently heard one of those less than bright commenters on social media saying "no one really knows if social media causes stress or not." I wanted to learn more. It turns out that there is enough evidence to show that yes, being online and engaged with social media can cause stress and other mental health issues. Not everything is known, and there is more to learn, but there is enough known contrary to what the online pundits may say. 

This book not only shows that social media can affect your mental health. It also gives you the tools and advice to do something helpful and constructive about it. 

The book features an introduction, nine chapters, notes, and a selected bibliography. The chapters feature topics such as: 

• Building relationships in the Digital Age.
• Breaking up in the Digital Age.
• Medicating with Technology.
   

If you are feeling stressed or distressed in some way about your engagement with social media, this may be a book for you. It is a relatively easy read, though there are times the author lays the psychology a bit thick with name dropping and theories. On the positive, the concepts are explained well enough. Still this book may be a bit more for the more informed secular reader. 

The chapters combine an overview of the topic and two sample patient accounts. The author uses the patients' experiences to illustrate points. Along the way, we get practical tips and advice for dealing with the issues. The chapters also include skill-building strategies and end with a list of recommendations. These practical actions are another good element in the book. 

Naturally, if things are really bad, you should see a trained professional. However, there is no explanation or even acknowledgement of what happens if you can't afford a therapist. Professional mental health care is a big issue in the United States in large part because it is largely unaffordable, assuming you can even find a therapist taking in new patients (see here for example). In the end, at least some of the practices in the book can prove helpful, maybe at least ameliorate some folks' stress due to social media. 

Overall, it is a pretty good book. It offers advice that anyone using social media at any age can use and apply. It addresses a variety of issues related to social media, and it does not just tell you to get rid of it (although for some folks that may be a valid choice). Rather, it gives you ideas for engaging with social media in positive ways. 

This could be a good book for college students in courses like wellness, health, psychology, and some general studies classes. In the end, I really liked it. 

4 out of 5 stars. 

Book qualifies for the following 2024 Reading Challenge: 

Top 8 nonfiction books I read in 2023

I read and review a good amount of nonfiction here on the blog. From my 2023 reading list, these are the top eight, out of forty-seven, nonfiction books I read. This list includes books that I rated either a 4 or 5 out of 5 stars, and they are books I think more people should be consider reading. These are not books necessarily published in 2023; they are books I read in 2023. The list is in no particular order, and if I have posted the review, I will provide a link to the review. 

 

Hotel Scarface: Where Cocaine Cowboys Partied and Plotted to Control Miami

 

From my review: "The book is a pretty good read. It's interesting, and short chapters make for a faster pace. The narrative keeps our attention in part because we get one outrageous story after another."

 

 

The Book Lover's Guide to London

"

 

From my review: "This is a great book for readers who enjoy literary trivia as well as for armchair travelers. It is also a good selection if you are traveling to London wanting to see the literary sites."

 

 

The Exorcist Legacy: 50 Years of Fear

 

From my review: "Overall, this is a pretty solid book for fans of the film. If you are a reader who enjoys learning how films are made, this is a book for you. If you wonder why The Exorcist maintains its appeal as a classic, this is a book for you."

 

Narcas: the Secret Rise of Women in Latin America's Cartels

 

From my review: "Odds are good many people have heard of drug lords like Pablo Escobar and Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman. Perhaps they have even heard of El Chapo's sons, known often as Los Chapitos. Yet not many have heard about the strong and powerful women of the drug trade, some just as fearsome as the men. Deborah Bonello does the research and brings us the stories of some of these women." I will add that before you watch the upcoming at this time Netflix series about Griselda Blanco, portrayed by Sofia Vergara, you may want to consider reading this book first. 

 

 The People's Hospital: Hope and Peril in American Medicine

From my review: The author works at Houston's Ben Taub Hospital. Ben Taub is not only the trauma hospital in Houston, the one that you want to be taken to if you get shot in Houston. It is also the city's indigent hospital. "Overall I found this powerful book hard to read. It invokes a lot of emotions, and if you have any sense of humanity it will move you. If may also, if you are healthy, make you pray you never need health care services in the United States." 

How to Write Erotica 

From my review: "I do recommend the book for any erotica writer at any level. I also recommend it for writers in other genres who may want to add a bit of erotica in their writing. In addition, I recommend it for writing book shelves in libraries. You can learn a lot about the writing craft from the book. I would definitely add it to my personal collection. " 

War Made Invisible

 

The review for this one is coming soon, but I will say now that if you wonder how come the United States can't have things like universal health care, better education funding, and decent human services, this book offers an answer.

 

Blood Money: The Story of Life, Death, and Profit Inside America's Blood Industry

 

From my review: "This book is a serious look at the blood trade industry in the United States, mainly focused on the blood plasma trade. The business is a juggernaut in the United States, one of the very few countries that allow payment for plasma donations, yet many Americans are blissfully unaware of its reach and range. That is unless you are one of the millions of Americans who donate plasma for a variety of economic reasons." 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some end of year pandemic thoughts: the fourth year

I find myself as the last year ended thinking about the pandemic. As 2023 ends, we are at the fourth year going on to the fifth. As we go into 2024, we have yet another variant, JN.1 this time. The variant is highly transmissible, but what else is new. Viruses mutate; it is what they do. Despite that, people pretty much have gone back to "normal." Seeing anyone masking is extremely rare, though I will note I have noticed a few students in my college masking up. 

I admit to masking less, and I still do so mainly in extremely crowded conditions. I can note that my exposure is relatively minimal as I do not go out much other minor errands here or there. I avoid crowds. At work, any large meeting I can do online I do online. 

One thing I've noticed in all this time is my very low tolerance for big crowds. Even before the pandemic my tolerance was low, but the pandemic has just strengthened my aversion to people and crowds. Riding the Polar Express back in December was about the only outside activity my family has done since the pandemic started, and mercifully it was not as crowded as it could have been since we chose a less popular time for the ride. 

I will add that my family and me all have our vaccine shots up to date. I do figure that at some point I need to have faith in the vaccine. Between that, keeping exposure to a minimum, and taking care of myself I hope to be OK. I am doing the best I can with what I have. 

As for the new year 2024, I am not sure. A few isolated places have brought mask mandates back, but I do not see it happening widely. I do not see it happen here in Bumfuck, USA unless people start literally dropping dead on the streets, and even then they may still refuse to mask up. Heck, our local hospital was among the first to stop wearing masks the minute they figured out they could get away with it. As for me, I will keep doing the best I can, keep the masks at hand, and pray the Cosmic Joker smiles on me and mine. 

And on to year 5. We'll see, OK, I may be likely writing a 5th year update at the end of 2024. And so we keep going. 

Links: 

The first year thoughts. 

The second year thoughts. 

The third year thoughts.

Book Review: Blood Money

Kathleen McLaughlin, Blood Money: the Story of Life, Death, and Profit Inside America's Blood Industry. New York: One Signal Publishers, 2023.  ISBN: 9781982171964.

 Genre: health, medical, blood and plasma

Subgenre: bad economy, sociology, socioeconomic conditions, United States, inequality

Format: Hardcover

Source: Hutchins Library, Berea College 

"Like a vampire, you have the people's blood on your hands.

Blind to their suffering, deaf to their sharp words, 

The gully of greed can never be filled." 

--Dr. Gao Yaoji, Chinese doctor and activist. (12).

 

This book is a serious look at the blood trade industry in the United States, mainly focused on the blood plasma trade. The business is a juggernaut in the United States, one of the very few countries that allow payment for plasma donations, yet many Americans are blissfully unaware of its reach and range. That is unless you are one of the millions of Americans who donate plasma for a variety of economic reasons. It is always for economic reasons. The author in her research found that the altruistic reason to donate plasma in the United States was nice, but the primary driver to donate plasma was the money, pure and simple. That is how the system is designed. 

The book includes a prologue, 16 chapters, and an epilogue. The author starts looking at China's plasma industry, which was basically decimated by the HIV virus as it was rising. Then we move to the United States where they learned the lessons from China in terms of serious hygiene and safety protocols. The United States then took the business above and beyond. The United States not only collects a lot of plasma; they supply it to other countries as well. As the author writes at one point, the United States is basically the OPEC of blood plasma. 

The author focuses on four key places as examples to illustrate her points: a small town in Mormon Country, Flint, Michigan, Texas and its exploitation of prison populations, and the U.S. and Mexico border at El Paso, Texas. In these places we get a good sampling of the reality of plasma in the U.S. The author travels not only as a researcher and journalist. She is also a patient who uses medication made from human plasma to treat a rare condition. 

The book is very engaging. This is not just a book about blood plasma. It is also a book about the bad economy in the United States, inequality, poverty, class, politics, health, and society. The blood plasma trade illustrates well the social ills of the United States. Many people were willing to speak to her about their experiences as donors, the companies not so much. She had to be a bit creative when researching the business side. The book offers a good reading pace. I found myself reading swiftly. It does suffer a bit from some repetitiveness. There are some points she just keeps hammering over and over. As reader, after a while I felt she needed to move on, the point is made, we get it. 

I'd still recommend the book for readers interested in health and medical topics, socioeconomics, especially in the United States, and business and corporate topics. I do recommend it for public and academic libraries. On our campus, I would recommend it for some of the general studies courses, nursing, sociology, and maybe a business class or two. On a side note, in my humble opinion, this could be an author to invite to campus for the convocations series. I will also note that, to be honest, I am a bit surprised our town does not have a plasma collection center given there are plenty of poor and not so poor who would be the ideal donor pool. Still, the topic and its broader implications could be of interest to at least some on campus. 

4 out of 5 stars. 

Additional reading notes: 

Some of the economics of blood plasma: 

"In 2021, American blood products accounted for more than $24 billion in worldwide sales and were 2.69 percent of the United States' total exports. That's a higher percentage than soybeans and several other crops that are sold overseas. A substantial portion of the blood plasma used all around the world comes from the veins of people in the United States" (27). 

 

How the system is designed and who it targets: 

"Selling plasma does not pay enough to live on; it pays just enough to fill the gas tank or the refrigerator. The practice targets the working class and people we like to call the 'working poor' -- often those who earn enough to live in permanent housing and own cars, but who are on the edge of having too little money to make everything flow just right" (29). 

 

The plasma industry exploits American inequality: 

"The plasma industry did not create the canyons of inequality; they were carved deep by existing streams of racism, classism, and regionalism. But the system does methodically exploit these ravines, geotargeting those most likely to suffer through some of the discomfort and potential fatigue in exchange for relatively easy money" (39-40). 

Signs the economy is bad: October 6, 2023 edition

Welcome to another edition of "Signs the Economy is Bad" here at The Itinerant Librarian. This is the semi-regular (as in when I have time and/or feel like doing it) feature where I scour the Internet in search of the oh so subtle hints that the economy is bad. Sure, pundits may say things are getting better, but what do they know? And to show not all is bad, once in a while we look at how good the uber rich have it.

 It has been a while since I've done one of these posts, but I managed to find enough signs the economy is bad for this week. So without further ado, let's get on with it.

 

Education News

• LinkedIn, the "Facebook of Careers," is betting AI (artificial intelligence, the buzzword every other employer wants to hitch their wagon on) can make college degrees obsolete. Story via Axios. They are betting things like soft skills and workshops to supposedly keep people current will be the new wave. A little detail they may not be considering, mentioned in the article: "As of 2021, there was a growing earnings gap between those with a four-year degree and those without and the unemployment rate for college graduates was still lower than that of Americans without degrees, per Pew Research." Maybe, for some folks at least, getting that degree is still a good idea.
   

 

Rural News

• Dollar General, the stores known to go to places that not even Walmart would go, is now trying its hand at offering urgent care clinic care with mobile clinics. Story via NPR. A visit is not necessarily affordable starting at $69 dollars for folks without insurance; they do take insurance if you have it, but why would you if you have insurance? That is but one of the questions. Naturally investment analysts and some rural care advocates are salivating at the idea, the former for the money they can likely make, the latter to fill the notorious gaps the United States has when it comes to rural health care. However, locals may be reluctant or skeptical about a clinic on wheels in a discount store's parking lot. At any rate, another example of the significant gaps in health care in the United States and letting the private sector patch it up because heaven forbid the U.S. does something like a national health care program.
  

Health and Medical News

• Nurses already have a hard time in the Bad Economy, and now they are exposed to further exploitation when they get hired as if they were Uber drivers or rather "Uber nurses" for hospitals and other facilities. Story via The 19th. Turns out a lot can go wrong when you hire nurses as gig workers.
  

The Bad Economy  Around the World

• There are still plenty of adults who live with their parents to save money and/or because they can't afford their own place. The CBC has a look at a few of them up in Canada. 
   

 

In Other News of the Bad Economy

• Not surprising it turns out credit unions, often lauded as the virtuous and wholesome alternative to big banks, can be just as much assholes and profiteers as those same big banks. Story via Politico. Unlike banks, credit unions have less disclosure requirements usually, but a new law in California meant they had to disclose things like how much they skinning their clients with overdraft fees. 
• Many people may be losing their child care as additional child care funds from the pandemic days dry up. Story via NPR. Situations like this affect a lot of people: the child care workers who may not stay due to low pay, the centers possibly closing if they lack workers, and the families who depend on said child care centers so the adults in the family can go work. It really is a domino effect. 
• Not really a new story, but U.S. insurers are leaving states with high climate risks, you know, places prone to things like hurricanes. Story via Scheerpost. Because a lot of Americans, especially in red states, may not believe climate change is a thing. But insurance companies sure do realize the effects of climate change on their wallets when they have to keep paying claims in the same disaster prone areas over and over. 
• Costco is getting ready to raise prices on their memberships. Story via The Hill. On a disclosure note, we do shop at Costco, which we also prefer vastly to Sam's Club, which we used to do before but dropped when we moved to Costco. Overall, works well for us, and I think as long as the increase is not outrageous, we'll probably stay.
  
• No one is safe from inflation, not even Girl Scout cookies. Yes, they are raising prices again. Story via Salon. It appears the price, at least in some places, is going up from $5 to $6 per box. 
• And if you wanted coffee with those cookies, well, coffee is getting expensive too, more so if you are one of those people who insists on getting fancy lattes from Starbucks. Vox explains why that latte now can be at $7 dollars.
   

 

 

Hustlin' in the Bad Economy

• In a bit of a follow up as well as an illustration that school teachers are not paid enough, that Missouri school teacher who got suspended because some snitch told the school district she had an adult OnlyFans site with her husband has decided to resign and devote herself full time to her porn business. Story via The New York Post. How good is the side hustle now full time venture? Well, prior to the "scandal," her "channel raked in between $8,000 and $10,000 per month, which has at least doubled after word of her suspension got out." You got to hustle in the Bad Economy, and this now former teacher certainly has it going.
  

Uber Rich

• Bob Menendez, U.S. Senator from New Jersey recently indicted for corruption, may not be doing as well these days. However, a business he tended to favor is doing fine, and may be reaping rewards from Menendez's love for gold. Yes, the precious metals industry has gotten a bump in business thanks to the corrupt honorable senator from New Jersey. Story via Politico.

 

Book Review: The People's Hospital

Ricardo Nuila, The People's Hospital: Hope and Peril in American Medicine. New York: Scribner, 2023. ISBN: 9781501198045. 

Genre: nonfiction, memoir, history

Subgenre: medical, health care, United States, policy, Bad Economy 

Format: hardcover

Source: Hutchins Library, Berea College. I ordered this one for our collection. 

This is a book that can be moving, angering, upsetting, even a bit horrifying at times. Yet it also offers some moments of hope in the midst of the Hard Times.

Dr. Nuila, the author, works at Ben Taub Hospital in Houston, Texas. I picked up this book in part because it was about Ben Taub. I had a sojourn in Houston early in my librarian career, and one of the things about the city I was told early on is that if I ever got shot I would be taken to Ben Taub, that in Houston that was the hospital you wanted to go to if you got shot. However, in addition to being a local trauma center, Ben Taub is a hospital of last resort, a safety net hospital. It is basically the indigents' hospital. If you are poor and/or uninsured, and you have no place to go, or more likely other hospitals won't take you, especially if you don't have health insurance or vast wealth, Ben Taub will take you in and provide you with quality care. This is not easy, and there are costs given that health care always has costs, but Ben Taub and its doctors and staff make it work with compassion and finding funding wherever they can. Doctors at Ben Taub are what doctors everywhere should be: more concerned with patient care than money and fancy medical facilities. The difference at Ben Taub is that doctors treat you based on your need. At most other hospitals they treat you, if at all, based on what you can pay. Now some not so bright readers may chime in about emergency rooms and how they take everyone, it's the law. Well, not quite. An ER will take you and stabilize you at most, especially if you can't pay, and they will still bill you in obscene ways. Anyhow, the book goes over that, so go read it. 

The book is divided into four parts with 15 chapters. The author blends stories of specific patients with a look at his hospital and how it operates. Along the way we also get a history of hospitals and health care in the United States. Things could be a lot better in American health care, but let's be honest, Americans often make some seriously bad and selfish choices, and those choices have led to the medical industrialized disaster of for-profit American health care. It does not have to be that way, but unlike other civilized nations where health care is a right, Americans would rather let others die based on income than caring for others and sharing resources. I digress. 

The patient stories can be moving, and they can be gruesome at times. Some may have a good ending; others will not. A small detail in the reading is how some of the stories play out. When Dr. Nuila writes that so and so, who was relatively healthy and often young, chose to get the cheapest possible health insurance (assuming of course they have an employer that offers health insurance), you can hear the ominous shark movie music. You and I know what happens next: someone is getting medically royally fucked. 

If you have a heart, some empathy, and a sense of humanity, reading this may not be easy. Some details of patients' suffering are not easy to read. Learning how the U.S. health care system works, or rather does not work, can be frustrating and infuriating. To humane readers with compassion, they may find themselves asking "what the fuck?" and "how is this allowed to happen?" a lot. 

On the other hand, if you are a materialist right winger who worships capitalism and believes you only deserve health care if you earn it and are worthy, then this book will go right over your head. Although to be honest, I don't expect many of those selfish libertarian wannabe capitalists to read this book. That is often an issue with books like this: the people who actually need to read it and learn its lessons are not going to read it. 

A strength in the book is also in the historical overviews. Concepts such as medical wards, insurance coverage, and even patient privacy are well presented and explained. The author provides a lot of good information and demystifies a lot of the American health care industry, and it is an industry, often very inhumane. Another strength is that the writing is very accessible for common readers and/or people without medical backgrounds.

I recommend this book for public and academic libraries. Medical libraries need this in their collections as well. Here on my campus this book may be of interest to courses in general studies (GSTR 210, 410), sociology, nursing, and a couple other academic areas. Any students writing papers on health care in the United States and/or poverty in the United States needs to be reading this book. 

Overall I found this powerful book hard to read. It invokes a lot of emotions, and if you have any sense of humanity it will move you. If may also, if you are healthy, make you pray you never need health care services in the United States. I am not one of the healthy. I have my own health issues and, so far, I am lucky only because my employer offers semi-decent health insurance that does what I need (for now at least). If I was unemployed and/or indigent, I would likely have died in a ditch by now. There but for the amusement of the Cosmic Joker go you and me, a concept I wish more folks would take to heart (just insert your deity of choice). Again, I digress for a moment. Bottom like is this is a strong book but worth reading if you are willing to seriously consider its lessons and warnings and integrate them. 

4 out of 5 stars. 

Additional reading notes: 

What inspires this book: 

"The stories in this book are inspired by [Anton] Chekhov's portrayal of people hidden from us. But this book also shows what Chekhov didn't live to see: more people working to alleviate this suffering, and government, not charity, helping in this work. It is a love letter to the hospital, my hospital, where people find healthcare and revere it like treasure. It is also a letter to those sitting in positions of authority, to alert them to the consequences of failing to act with immediacy" (17). 

 

The three options for sick and uninsured in the United States. I am just listing them but do read the book for details on why these are not really options (see pages 31 and 32): 

• Find a clinic or doctor and pay cash (good luck on that). 
• Go to an ER (assuming you get it the bill you get after may well kill you). 
• Suffer through your sickness (what too many people end up doing).
   

The racket of for-profit care (and nonprofit care; they are not any better): 

"The promise of profit means each of these players is clawing and charging the others: insurance denies claims, hospitals inflate bills for insurance, Big Pharma ups drug prices to scrounge from insurance's profits. Let's call it 'Medicine Inc.,' then, this amalgam of healthcare suppliers in America, for its level of sheer conscience-less competition. It's not a perfect term, and it's not meant to disparage business or capitalism" (37). 

The above passage is also one of the various moments in the book where the author is not willing and/or able to go far enough. Business and capitalism do need to be disparaged and fully called out. The capitalistic American way is a key obstacle to having a good compassionate health care system in the United States, which most of the rest of the world already has. I wonder if his timid moment here reflects the fact he does work in Texas. 

A bit of what Europe did, which the United States could've done except asshole American doctors lobbied against it (they were not the only culprits, but again, read the book for details), another example of "I've got mine Jack, so fuck you!" 

"Europe played differently. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, many European countries restricted doctors' fees to keep healthcare affordable to the public. Healthcare access became a public good, with the government providing access to doctors and clinics for those who could not afford it. But American doctors lobbied against such a plan" (46). 

The doctors' excuse was fear of losing control of what and how they could, often arbitrarily, charge. The irony is that insurance companies just allowed them to bill even more because they can get away with it. It also means doctors who take insurance end up going along with what the insurance dictates. All very American and very capitalistic. 

So thus, what many American doctors do now: 

"But as healthcare grew more expensive and inaccessible, doctors tailored their diagnostics and treatments to what a patient could afford rather than the best course of treatment" (55).

Signs the economy is bad: May 27, 2022 edition

Welcome to another edition of "Signs the Economy is Bad" here at The Itinerant Librarian. This is the semi-regular (as in when I have time and/or feel like doing it) feature where I scour the Internet in search of the oh so subtle hints that the economy is bad. Sure, pundits may say things are getting better, but what do they know? And to show not all is bad, once in a while we look at how good the uber rich have it.

Welcome to a Memorial Day weekend holiday edition of "Signs the economy is bad." I took a look at the bad economy last week, but it turns out I found more than enough stories to have a look this week, so here we go again.

Big News This Week

For many, the big news this week is the school shooting at Uvalde (link to CNN, mainly for reference). That is not however bad economy news, so we are moving on. If you want to learn more about it or add to  your outrage, feel free to seek out those news. This week, there is a follow up to the big news from last week which was about the baby formula shortage. 

• The 19th has a story on how parents are forming and using social media groups to find baby formula in the midst of the continuing shortage.
  

 

Education News

We have quite a few news from education, especially from higher education. 

• It is a known fact by now that the academic job market is dismal. If you are hoping to find a tenure line job as a professor in some American university or college, your prospects are pretty dim. The Chronicle of Higher Education looks at the bad situation and suggests that hiring should be based on a lottery system. Before you say "what the fuck?" like I did before I read the article go ahead and read it. There are some interesting details here such as the fact a lottery as suggested has existed before. The article also looks at certain details of social capital, privilege, and I guess we could call it a sort of soft nepotism in faculty hiring. 
• A recent big story in the bad economy is the high price of gasoline. This can have repercussions on things like travel (hey, this is the Memorial Day weekend, but more on that below, so keep reading). It can also be an issue in commuting to work. Southwest Tennessee Community College is trying to help out their employees a bit by having "virtual Fridays."  Story via Inside Higher Ed. This means they are moving classes to online on Fridays and student services will be also online during the summer session. Would it not be nice if they did this during the regular school year as well? I keep saying if people can and are willing to work remotely, and the work is done productively, then let them and stop the anal retentive managing impulse of needing to have people in their offices. Personally, I am fine working on site and prefer that, but for those who can handle remote just let them already.
• In token gestures, The Chronicle reports that Cornell University is making efforts to help employees protect personal time. I find this laughable because to be honest a lot of this should be both common sense and basic courtesy. Not sending e-mails out of work hours? That should be a fucking mandate, and if you are one of those administrator workaholics (or more likely an asshole who schedules e-mails for the off hours after you left for your weekend), you deserve a smack over the head at least. Friday afternoons off? That would be nice. Again, no one is more detested than a supervisor who schedules a meeting on a Friday afternoon. Don't be that asshole.  Cornell is doing this as an experiment for six weeks in June and July. Why? As they put it, "...to thank the university’s work force for its efforts during 'a time of continued stress and strain...”. How about instead of this token temporary bullshit you pay your employees decent wages and you keep the measures in place? Measures that by the way should be a given anyhow in treating your workers like human beings instead of the exploited laborers you see them as. To be honest, this token attempt is a bit insulting. 
•  Inside Higher Ed reports that young Americans and those folks with student debt are less likely to find value in higher education. Gee, I can't imagine why, but they try to figure it out anyhow. 
• Meanwhile, student affairs staff are quitting their jobs in higher education due to low pay and burnout. Via Inside Higher Ed. Again, I cannot imagine why, even more so in these Hard Times with a pandemic going on and colleges often exploiting their employees' goodwill and using the "do it for the students" to keep them working until they burnout. Kind of like certain college I know that uses the "it is the [college's] way, and if you do not work yourself to the ground, you are not good enough to be here" line. Maybe they can go work at Cornell where at least they might get their Fridays off for a couple of months if lucky. 
• So, you are a fairly prominent university and you recently acquired a relatively well regarded journal of arts and culture. The bad economy hits you, we are in Hard Times, what do you do? Well, if you are the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), and you own The Believer, you sell it to a website that peddles "no strings attached" sex hook ups and sex toys. That is exactly what they did. See story from The Chronicle. You may wonder why would they do that. Simple answer from the article" money." The company basically waved a $225,000 check at them, and UNLV was happy to take it and cash it. It is the bad economy after all.
  

 

Health and Medical News

• Are you one of those cool and hip people who enjoy vaping? Well, I hope you also enjoy higher medical costs overall. UPI reports on a new study that reveal that annual healthcare costs for those who use vaping products were a bit over $2,000 than for folks who do not use tobacco products. Enjoy your oh so sophisticated vape.
  

The Bad Economy  Around the World

• The United Nations warns that with food prices rising we can expect "crippling food shortages." Story via NPR.  We are not quite at the killing each other for food hellscape scenario, but to be honest, could be a matter of time. 
• Meanwhile, in Great Britain  the BBC reports that chicken is getting more expensive and they explain why. I am sure if it has not happened in the U.S. it is just a matter of time before your bucket of KFC gets more expensive.
  

 

In Other News of the Bad Economy

I got a few miscellaneous stories this week, so let's have a look at these signs the economy is bad.

• Did you know there is a monopoly in ice cream cones? Story via The Hustle. Turns out one baking company has been gradually setting itself up as the only major ice cream cone maker. They've gradually bought out their competitors. Now, this is not a crisis...just yet. But if they decide to jack up prices, ice cream stores may have an issue, which could lead to them rising prices on your ice cream served on a cone. As I said, not a problem. . . yet. 
• Did you also know there is a shortage of carpenters in the U.S.? The Hustle explains why.
  
• Uber and Lyft are raising prices, in part because they pretty much have nothing else in terms of ideas or solutions. Story via VICE. Part of the problem is the companies' exploitative model. But another part of the problem is "that most people are not willing to pay the fares it would cost to run a profitable taxi service with the overhead Uber and Lyft require, to say nothing of paying drivers a decent wage." People who use these services, especially in big cities, are people with money, but heaven forbid they help to pay decent wages to the workers serving them (despite whatever bullshit lip service they give). 
• More people are questioning the expense of weddings, specifically those who get invited to be part of the "wedding party," like groomsmen and bridesmaids. The Hustle has a story on how wedding expenses are just getting out of hand. We all know about asshole bridezillas and their outrageous behaviors and extreme demands; hell, there is even a TV show about them. So I am glad more people are finally saying fuck it, we are not spending thousands of dollars on an overpriced wedding affair. I certainly would turn down any invitation to be in a wedding party, or any wedding for that matter. One, I am not attending a potential COVID spreader event. Two, I am not willing nor able to go spending money I do not have for someone else's wedding. So good on these folks to make their stand. 
• The Wendy's burger chain may be putting itself up for sale as reported via UPI. I used to like Wendy's somewhat back in the day when they had their salad bar. That is about how long it has been since I have been in a Wendy's.
• More and folks are unionizing or working to unionize in these Hard Times and bad economy. The latest I have heard about are the employees of video game company Activision Blizzard. They are joining the Communication Workers of America. Story via NPR.
• We mentioned earlier the high gas prices in the bad economy. Well, despite the high prices many Americans are saying fuck it, and they are driving anyhow for the Memorial Day weekend. Story via Al Jazeera. If the prices keep rising, it may put a damper on demand and travel, but for now, it seems Americans are just either sucking it up, or doing what they always do in the bad economy when money gets tight: putting it on their credit cards.
  

Hold My Beer 

(Serious fuckery in the bad economy)

It is not very often I find stories of serious fuckery in the bad economy, but this one definitely qualifies: 

• Via Salon, a woman was charged $40 for crying in a doctor's office. Read the story for details. That is some serious fuckery right there.
  

 

Uber Rich

Finally for this week, I found a few stories to reassure us that the uber rich are doing just fine in the bad economy.

• Want to take your honey on a date and make sure it is NOT a cheap date? If you got some money to burn you can take your honey to this seafood boil restaurant where their most popular item is $200 and you could easily spend over $500 on a meal with your honey. Story via The Atlanta Black Star. Way I see it once the meal costs as much as a good car payment, that is definitely not the place for me. 
• Naturally the weapons traders and makers are making money supplying weapons to Ukraine in their war, and of course to conflicts around the world. Story via Scheerpost. This is more of an ongoing story. 
• Finally, of course, the pharma and food companies and investors are raking in the money during the pandemic. Story via UPI. Because investing in human misery and tragedy always yields dividends in capitalism. This is based on a new report from Oxfam (link to the PDF report). These Hard Times where so many of us are suffering has "been one of the best times in recorded history for the billionaire class."

 

Signs the Economy Is Bad: July 30, 2021 edition

 Welcome to another edition of "Signs the Economy is Bad" here at The Itinerant Librarian. This is the semi-regular (as in when I have time and/or feel like doing it) feature where I scour the Internet in search of the oh so subtle hints that the economy is bad. Sure, pundits may say things are getting better, but what do they know? And to show not all is bad, once in a while we look at how good the uber rich have it.

Well, another week and it's the end of the month, and yes, the economy is still bad. Let's have a look plus stay tuned for this week we have a winner of the "No Shit, Sherlock!" Award for Stating the Obvious. 

Rural News

• Things are not going well for rural towns between the pandemic and the bad economy. Their latest scheme (oops, possible solution) is trying to lure remote workers to move to their states in an attempt to boost local economies. Story via The Hill. This does assume these workers have enough financial resources to move out of their cities to those middle of nowhere places. For those with the financial means (and good Internet), it can mean more affordable living costs and in some cases some states even give those people tax breaks to sweeten the deal. 
• The Daily Yonder takes a look at how the pandemic is affecting restaurants in rural areas. Their report draws from this study out of the Journal of Public Health.
• Trying to get an effing hospital to be transparent about their charges when giving you service is next to impossible; that is how they fleece you. You are in a vulnerable spot,  you need care, and you may or not be worried about the actual costs, something they certainly use to their advantage.  It is much more difficult when dealing with rural hospitals. Story via The Daily Yonder. By the way, guess who tried to do something about this? The Trump administration which put in place the Hospital Transparency Rule. They must have had someone semi-competent they did not fire right away to put that rule in place. Not that it has made much of a difference since hospitals have pretty much not given a fuck and mostly not complied so far. 
• Meanwhile, farmers are having a hard time shipping their farm products out. Via NPR. Here is an illustration of the problem: "Shippers are delivering record volumes of back-to-school supplies and fall fashions from Asia to the West Coast. Typically, those containers travel to North Dakota or other points in the middle of the country to be filled with U.S. exports. But today, instead of carrying soybeans and other American products back across the Pacific as usual, many of the containers are going back empty as shippers rush to bring in even more imports." In other words, it is cheaper and more profitable for the shippers to bring stuff from Asia, including all those super cheap back-to-school supplies (in high demand now that schools are reopening no matter who gets sick), unload here and then rush back to Asia with empty containers to get more stuff than waiting on farmers in North Dakota or wherever to put soybeans or what have you on those containers.

 

The Bad Economy  Around the World

• Now, Americans may get all excited that their federal government is giving them some crumbs to live on (out of taxes they pay by the way) in the form of a $300 or so child tax credit. Whoop dee doo. Meanwhile, while not perfect, well, read how Germany does it. It is a heck of a lot more generous and family friendly. Story via Esquire. 
• In news from across the pond in the British Isles: 
• In northeast England, extreme poverty is leading to more cases of child services interventions. Via The Guardian.
• Philip Morris has announced that they will stop selling Marlboro cigarettes in the United Kingdom. Via NPR. However, do not get too excited. They will just be selling other things that can be just as bad to people's health. 
• In India, COVID is devastating families, not just because of the medical crisis. It is causing financial devastation as well from medical debt. Via Al Jazeera.
• Meanwhile, the sign that the economy is bad in Mexico this week is that tortilla prices are soaring. Via Al Jazeera.
• In Latin America, sex workers are finding they are locked out or unable to use OnlyFans, the popular online platform many sex workers use to promote their services. Story via VICE. If you are in a wealthy country like the U.S., you can pretty much take for granted that you can use OF. If on the other hand, you live in some of the poor parts of Latin America, things like good Internet access (if any access at all) and lack to a banking account can keep you from using OF.

 

In Other News of the Bad Economy

• Netflix is losing subscribers in the U.S. Story via The Hustle. The company has still added subscribers, just not in the U.S. Part of this I am sure is what I have said before: there are more and more streaming services, and all have different things, and after a while how much are people really willing to pay to feed their FOMO (fear of missing out)? I do find a bit ironic people whined about cutting the cable, blah blah, and now as they add yet another service to get that one show the bill starts adding up. 
• Via HBS Working Knowledge, a study reveals that many companies often liquidate too quickly or without planning ahead. The working paper asks what if some of those companies were given time to restructure? Would they be more likely to survive? 
• In what do things really cost?
• Type Investigations looks at the cost of the cheap chicken we get. It may be cheap for you and me at the grocery store (although given the pandemic that may be changing), but there are a lot of other human costs, illness, etc. 
• The Rockefeller Foundation has put out a report on the "true cost of food." A bit from the report: "In 2019, American consumers spent an estimated $1.1 trillion on food. That price tag includes the cost of producing, processing, retailing, and wholesaling the food we buy and eat. It does not include the cost of healthcare for the millions who fall ill with diet-related diseases. Nor does $1.1 trillion include the present and future costs of the food system’s contributions to water and air pollution, reduced biodiversity, or greenhouse gas emissions, which cause climate change.  Take those costs into account and it becomes clear the true cost of the U.S. food system is at least three times as big—$3.2 trillion per year" (emphasis in original). Hat tip to Food Politics. 
• Mother Jones looks at the costs of shipping good around the world, specially bringing them to the U.S. A lot of it has to do with how much shipping companies pollute. 
• President Biden recently announced a proposal for states and municipalities to pay $100 to get people to vaccinate. That story via CNBC. However, this is far from the first time that incentives have been tried to get the COVIDIOTS to vaccinate. Offering guns, marijuana, beer, and even gold has not really gotten a lot of people to get their shot. That story via VICE. Heck, here in Kentucky they are running a lottery of $1 million among those who got the shot. Yea, I put my name in the hat, but still I am not sure how much that gets people here to get a shot. Anyhow, if I win, you'll be hearing from me LOL. 
• Speaking of drugs and weed, Americans are on track to spend more on weed and cannabis than they spend on milk. Story via Leafly. Could the next big ad campaign be "Got Weed?" 
• On a bit of trivia, did you know that by now American cars, specially American trucks, are bigger than U.S. World War II tanks? Story via VICE. One of the findings from the study: "Perhaps more surprising is that large SUVs like the Chevy Suburban, Lincoln Navigator, and Ford Expedition, specifically marketed as family vehicles, are just as comparable to World War II tanks in size. " All you need is to mount a gun or two on it, and you are good to go in the new urban hellscape.

 

Hold My Beer 

(Serious fuckery in the bad economy)

• In profiteering fuckery: 
• The Pendejo In Chief and conservatives are profiteering from disinformation. Via Mother Jones. Turns out that lying and cheating and trying to overturn a perfectly legal election can bring in big money. 
• Meanwhile, via Democracy Now!, turns out that lawyers and consultants are profiteering out of money from funds that should go to victims of California fires. I am not saying lawyers work for free, but fucking damn it outright profiteering while people suffer should be a crime. 
• In just plain fuckery: as hospitals go broke, the corporations that hold them, even if the hospital no longer exists, keeps suing former patients. Story via NPR. Add to this stories like the one above about the serious lack of transparency in billing, and this becomes a massive problem and outright exploitation of vulnerable people. 
• And in something that we all sort of new but we now have evidence for it, yes, making waitresses be all "friendly with a smile" to grovel for tips DOES lead to asshole customers sexually harassing them. Via NPR. Because even when eating out, men can still be ill behaved pigs. The study finds: "The results, they said, confirm that dependency on tips and a requirement to appear emotionally pleasant on the job work together to increase an employee's risk of being sexually harassed."

Uber Rich

• Big banks are a little cranky that President Biden wants to make it easier for you and me to move our money to wherever the hell we want to move it. Story via Mother Jones. Less exploited clients means for those bankers less cigars they can light up with $100 dollar bills. The idea is to make it easier for you to move your funds and financial data easier so if you want to, for example, go to an online bank you can do that without the big bank you may be using now giving you shit about it. 
• Did you want to take a cruise around the world? Pandemic or not, some people want to do that. However, not if you are trying to get on Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Their 132-day $73,000 or so cruise sold out within 3 hours of it being announced. Story via NPR. Clearly there has been some seriously pent up demand. 
• People still want to move to D.C., so interest in luxury apartments is up. To lure those people in, apartment developers are trying just about any amenity in the book to get people to close the deal. Story via The Washingtonian.
• Finally, for rich people with money to burn for lunch. the restaurant in New York City that sells a $300 burger figured you might want fries with that. You can now get fries with it for $200. Story via Boing Boing. I am just buying some buns and frozen burgers for the grill to make at home, add my own fixings, some cheese, and I am good. Oh, also add a bag of frozen fries or some fresh potatoes to bake. 

And finally for this week, we have a winner: 

The "No Shit, Sherlock" Award for Stating the Obvious

• In one of those seriously blatant statements of the obvious, so much so even Stevie Wonder could have seen it, Dr. Leana Wen, speaking at Democracy Now!, stated what most of us able to see the signs and know human nature already knew: “We know that we can’t trust the unvaccinated..."

Well, no shit Doc. 

In fact, I called it back in May when the CDC said that stupid statement of trusting people on an "honor roll", and best part is I am not a doctor. Hell, I am not even a pundit nor so I play one on TV. Here is my tweet from May:  

There it is, I did say, and I am sure I was not the only one. This definitely was one of those moments I did not need cartomancy for. Thus, for the week of July 25 to July 31, Dr. Wen gets the "No Shit! Sherlock Award for Stating the Obvious." Congratulations. 

Signs the economy is bad: July 16, 2021 edition

Welcome to another edition of "Signs the Economy is Bad" here at The Itinerant Librarian. This is the semi-regular (as in when I have time and/or feel like doing it) feature where I scour the Internet in search of the oh so subtle hints that the economy is bad. Sure, pundits may say things are getting better, but what do they know? And to show not all is bad, once in a while we look at how good the uber rich have it.

It is not often I do this feature two weeks in a row, but we have plenty of stories to tell us the economy is bad. So let's get on with it.
 

 Rural News

•  Via The Rural Blog, a report that the U.S. birth rate is declining due to young women doing things like going to school and getting their educations and/or focusing on jobs and careers. However, there is an exception to that trend: rural areas. I may say that I can't imagine why, but the article provides a hint: "Fertility tends to be higher in economically stagnant areas, and childbearing often has more cultural importance for women." I do not think I need to say anything more. 

Government News

• Not all areas of the economy are bad. Gun sales are going up and up as more people are buying guns. As a result, many of them are doing so without a background check because the FBI's background check system has been overwhelmed. Why is that possible? The Rolling Stone article explains that: "If an FBI background check is delayed by more than three business days, gun dealers can legally sell a firearm without a completed background check." 
• Suddenly I am reminded of that scene in the film Casino where Ace Rothstein (Robert De Niro's character) is worried about his application to work in casinos, and he is told not to worry because there was a serious backlog, and the background checkers were overwhelmed (link to YouTube for the scene's clip). That's about how it works for buying a gun but with the difference that if they do not get to you in a "timely" fashion you can go right ahead and buy that gun without a check. 
• Speaking of guns, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has a new report out "Firearm Injuries: Health Care Service Needs and Costs."  While they admit that "there is no complete information on the health care costs of gun injuries," they still managed to find out enough to make a pretty good picture of the costs of gun shot injuries in the United States. For example, they found out "using hospital data from 2016 and 2017—the most recent that were available—GAO estimated that the initial hospital costs of firearm injuries were just over $1 billion annually." You can read summary as well as the full report. 

 

The Bad Economy  Around the World

•  Via Al Jazeera, a report that the Australian music scene has gotten massive economic losses due to COVID-19. According to the article, "economic modelling by consultancy firm PwC Australia indicates that the Australian music industry was worth 1.82 billion Australian dollars ($1.36m) in 2019 – a figure expected to plunge as much as 90 percent in 2020." I am sure this is not just Australia and music scenes around the world have suffered as well.
  

In Other News of the Bad Economy

•  In news about Amazon: 
• Back in June, the Big A had their "Prime Day." If you went shopping, I hope you got what you wanted because if you returned it, odds are it is getting destroyed. Story via VICE. According to the article: "As millions of shoppers flock to Amazon's website for Prime Day deals, an ITV investigation has revealed that a single Amazon fulfillment center in the UK is destroying millions of products a year instead of reselling or donating them." And that is just one fulfillment center. Amazon has such centers all over the world. We can only imagine how much is destroyed rather than reselling it or just donating. 
• Amazon as it turns out gets some help in their business from The New York Times of all places. Story via FAIR. According to the investigation, in essence, the NYT presents "articles" that are really just promotions to shop at Amazon. It is worth a read. 
• In addition, as if Amazon having excessive control of how you shop online, it also has excessive control of what you stream online to watch as well as other web services. In essence, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the back end provider for pretty much every major streaming service such as Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, etc. The significance? "
  If you are watching a filmed piece of entertainment on any screen—at a theater, at home or on your phone through a digital direct-to-customer stream, on a television network, or on a streaming service, the odds are extremely likely that you’re making use of AWS. It has become the backbone of Hollywood." When it comes to online streaming, you really can't get away from Amazon. It's a damn monopoly. 
• News about McDonald's. 
• Via UPI, the company reports that for the first time ever they are launching a loyalty program. Turns out they do this in other parts of the world, and they are finally implementing it in the U.S.
• The company is also work to replace drive-thru workers with AI (artificial intelligence). Story via Big Think. Because there is nothing worse than the drive-thru attendant messing up your order. Oh yes, there is, the robot that will mess up your order. 
• On a side note, this is part of the growing trend of companies to try to automate every process possible so they do not have to pay employees to do those jobs. The result of this is often less efficiency to be perfectly honest because when you DO need to find a human being to solve your problem, and sooner or later you will, there is not a human being to be found. This is how you get shit like endless phone trees when you are trying to contact a company due to an issue. 
• The company that does card grading (as in assessing value and quality of trading cards and other collectibles) for Pokemon was recently acquired by a private equity firm. Story via VICE. Right now, due to the pandemic, collectible trading card markets, including for Pokemon cards, is pretty hot at the moment. By the way, this equity firm also sells and rents houses and properties around the world. Thing is it is an equity firm, which often means the kiss of death for whatever it was they acquired once they finish loading it up with debt, cannibalizing it, and dumping it. So we'll have to see where this goes. Story caught my eye because I have family members who work in trading card stores who report that Pokemon cards are quite a hot commodity at the moment, and grading them has become a big deal. 
• A bit of trivia and explanations: 
• No, you cannot recycle bowling balls. Via Curbed. It turns out that "breaking bowling balls apart and selling the individual components for scrap isn’t logistically or economically feasible.' 
• The Hustle explains the economics of dollar stores. 
• NPR explains what you really need to know about those hiring bonuses you keep hearing about. They do not come as easy as people may think. As the old saying goes, there is always a catch.
•  Did you know $40 billion in wages are lost every year due to "brain waste" of immigrants? Story via Public News Service. What does "brain waste" mean? Basically it is highly educated people such as lawyers, doctors, etc. who are unemployed or underemployed in basic jobs such as taxi drivers, baristas, etc. There is nothing wrong with those more basic jobs, but there is a loss when a medical doctor ends up making your coffee because he is an immigrant having a hard time finding a professional job in the U.S., not to mention the U.S. is losing on that much needed talent. 
  
• For family caregivers, out of pockets costs are getting worse overall. Story via Public News Service. This is based on a new AARP study. The pandemic is not helping. For instance, according the AARP article, "not surprisingly, the coronavirus made life more difficult for caregivers and care recipients. More than 4 in 10 caregivers report spending more time per week and more money on caregiving because of the pandemic."
• In bad news for renters: 
• NPR points out once more the obvious: that rents are out of reach for most folks earning minimum wage. 
• And if by some miracle you do find an apartment to rent, it may turn out the landlord refuses you? Why? Because they now use "screening companies" that rank you based on an AI score that may or not be accurate. Even if you have a good credit rating, the AI may rate you lower for other reasons that may or not be relevant, and may also be racist. As of this post, Pro Publica is doing an investigation on this, so if you have been turned down for an apartment that you thought you should have gotten, consider sharing your story with them. 
• In jobs that suck: 
• Via the Dallas Observer, waiters and baristas tell why they are leaving the food service business. It is not that the job sucks per se. It is the lousy work conditions and poor pay from owners and managers that basically exploit them, plus then there are the self entitled ill behaved customers. I've worked food service in the past, including being a waiter, so yes, I can certainly relate as it is not a job I would take now if I could avoid it. One reason for those folks leaving: "The younger workforce on which this industry has historically relied now appears to have more options and less patience for toxicity." Same here. I do not have patience for workplace toxicity. In fact, I've left workplaces precisely to get away from toxic environments. I do not think anyone should have to put up with that, so either employers get their act together and fix that, or they can go out of business if need be due to lack of workers. I have zero sympathy for toxic employers. As for you asshole customers, either behave and tip well, or stay home and cook your own damn food. 
• On the other hand, gig work does suck, and in this VICE article Uber and Lyft drivers explain why. This is another case of lousy poor pay and badly toxic work conditions that the companies often enable or conveniently ignore. Things are so bad for the companies that even with cash bonuses, they are having a hard time finding workers. As for passengers, a lot of whom are inconsiderate assholes adding to the work toxicity, they are finding prices for rides have gotten higher. I'd add since these gig companies often have driven cab companies out of business, well, less competition, but that is another issue. Overall, driving for Uber and Lyft and similar companies is not worth it. 
• A lot more public libraries are serving as food distribution hubs. Story via The Conversation. Food insecurity is always a sign of the bad economy. Our public library here often does free lunch for children during the summer along with the local school district (even though it is something the local Party of Stupid city mofos have wanted to cut back because heaven forbid you feed children in need). 

 

Hold My Beer 

(Serious fuckery in the bad economy)

• Well, Patreon is doing pretty well in the bad economy as they provide a platform for climate change deniers and other hucksters to monetize their conspiracies and misinformation. Story from VICE. From the article: "'The spread of climate misinformation is prolific on social media, as well as on sites like Patreon, where users are actually financially compensated through the platform for spreading falsehoods,' Daniel Jones, president of Advance Democracy, told VICE News." So yea, it does pay to spread falsehoods and conspiracies as Patreon shows. 
• Some small unknown online advertising and data companies are getting a broad range of data and information from Americans and then selling it to bidders all over the world, and odds are you have no idea. Story via VICE.
  

Uber Rich

• Mother Jones explains that yes, there IS an aristocracy in the United States, and it is thriving. 
• And how does that aristocracy stay in power for what appears to be an eternity? Well, they employ a whole industry of bankers, accountants, and other assorted financial wolves that spend millions in order to preserve and grow the trillions. Read about it in this story from Rolling Stone.