Writers and Editors

Over time I will add links providing access to important articles:

President Trump wants a massive tax cut and immigration crackdown bill. Now Republicans must decide what to cut to help pay for it.

Top Republicans are passing around a 50-page list of ideas on how to cover the cost of a tax cut and immigration crackdown bill, including cuts to Medicaid and a 10 percent tariff on all imports. The list also includes tax cut proposals, such as lowering the corporate tax rate and eliminating income taxes on tips.

Here are a few options under consideration (a sample from a 50-page document)

WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE
• House G.O.P. Floats Medicaid Cuts and More to Finance Trump’s Huge Agenda

(Catie Edmondson and Andrew Duehren, NY Times, 1-23-25)

---Read: Draft Options for G.O.P. Cost Cuts for Tax Bill (Ways and Means Committee)

Download the original document:

https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/28cb85c5ed1f6c52/44e83eb4-full.pdf

Here are a few items from the 50-page list of Republican proposals:

Limit Federal Health Program Eligibility Based on Citizenship Status

Up to $35 billion 10-year savings

"Currently, many non-citizens who entered the country illegally are eligible for federal health care programs including advance premium tax credits and Medicaid. This policy would remove specified categories of non-citizens from eligibility for federal health care programs."

Eliminate Medicare Coverage of Bad Debt

Up to $42 billion 10-year savings

"Medicare currently reimburses hospitals at 65 percent of bad debt (uncollected cost-sharing that beneficiaries fail to pay), while private payers do not typically reimburse providers for bad debt. This policy brings Medicare more in line with the private sector by gradually reducing the amount that Medicare reimburses providers for bad debt."

Eliminate Inpatient-only List
Up to $10 billion in 10-year savings
Eliminate the inpatient-only list so more same-day surgeries and procedures can be performed in lower cost, outpatient settings

Reform IRA's Drug Policies
Up to $20 billion in 10-year costs
Reform the Inflation Reduction Act's prescription drug policies to discourage price setting on innovative drugs treating rare patient populations.

HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE

Border wall funding appropriation
No score yet; deficit increase
The Homeland Committee would like funds to build border barriers, including the "Trump Wall" (a 33 ft high concrete barrier) along 700+ miles of the border.
The Homeland Committee estimates $ 18 billion for 734 miles of new wall, $7.8 billion to replace legacy fencing/vehicle barriers, and another $ 10 billion for additional secondary barriers.
Leadership stated the need for Rio Grande River buoys but no specifics were provided.

Again, Download the original document:

https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/28cb85c5ed1f6c52/44e83eb4-full.pdf

• What Are Archives? Society of American Archivists)
• Archives 101: How Archival Records Are Organized (short video, Ryerson Archives and Special Collections)
• Directory of Archival Organizations in the United States and Canada (Society of American Archivists)
• So You Want to Be an Archivist (Society of American Archivists)
• Upcoming Events, National Archives (Society of American Archivists)
• Current Exhibits (U.S. National Archives, Washington, DC)

• U.S. National Archives Facebook page
• Archive Grid OCLC's WorldCat database. ArchiveGrid is largely made up of MARC records from WorldCat. OCLC Research includes over 7 million records describing archival materials, bringing together information about historical documents, personal papers, family histories, and more. With over 1,400 archival institutions represented, ArchiveGrid helps researchers looking for primary source materials held in archives, libraries, museums and historical societies.
• A Brief Introduction to Archives (video, 8.3 minutes, University of Louisville Archives & Special Collections)

• Online Research Tools and Aids (National Archives)
---Locations of various Research Archives, Records Centers
---DocsTeach (The online tool for teaching with documents, from the National Archives)
---America's Founding Documents (Declaration of Independents, Constitution, Bill of Rights)
---Milestone Documents (Lee Resolution, 1776; Articles of Confederation, 1777; Treaty of Paris, 1783; Alien and Sedition Acts, 1798; etc.
---Research our records
---Veterans' Service Records
---Educator Resources
• Hanging Together (the OCLC Research blog)

• Archives 101 Part I: The Basics of Archival Acquisition and Appraisal (Connecticut League of Museums) This series of five, 1-hour live webinars provides information and instruction in the basics of archival management, including archival acquisition & appraisal; arrangement & description; creating finding aids; preservation storage & housing; and access with emphasis on best standards and practices, as well as low-cost solutions. The webinars are designed for staff and volunteers from historical societies, libraries, museums, archives and other cultural heritage organizations with historic record collections.
---Part II: Fundamentals of Archival Arrangement and Description
---Part III: Creating Finding Aids
---Part IV: Preservation Storage & Housing of Archival Collections: Guidelines & Solutions
---Part V: Making Your Archives Accessible

Let me know if I'm neglected to include an important resource. Please provide both the name of the resource and a URL.

• I’m an author and sell on Amazon: How does sales tax work? (TaxJar) "Probably the best thing about publishing your own book through Amazon Author Central is that you are not the seller of record. Why is this so great? Because it means you are not responsible for collecting the sales tax on the books you publish!

    "In this case, Amazon is the seller of record and will sell the book on your behalf. So when readers get the receipt from your book, they'll see that they bought it from Amazon and not from you directly. If you are selling your book through Amazon, Amazon takes care of charging your customers sales tax and remitting sales tax to the state. So Amazon charges and collects sales tax in states where digital books are taxable. You don't have to worry about collecting sales tax on the books you sell!

    "...A good rule of thumb is to remember that sales tax is always due if a transaction is taxable. Either Amazon (or a publisher, bookstore, etc. that you have a working relationship with) should collect tax from the customer, you should collect it from the customer, or the customer should pay use tax."

But if you do sell books directly (at a book fair or craft show, for example), you are responsible for paying sales tax on the items you sold.

These resources seem like a good primer on the topic, but let me know if I should link to others as well:
• Sales Tax Basics for Writers (Helen Sedwick)
• Selling Books & Sales Tax: Practical Things You Need to Know (Clearsight Books)
• Sales Tax Resources & Updates (Sales Tax Institute) Bookmark this page, useful for all things sales and use tax!

     Here you’ll find quick-reference charts, whitepapers, helpful tools, legislative updates, directories, FAQs and more.
• Frequently Asked Questions about Sales Tax (Sales Tax Institute)

Check out Letty Cottin Pogrebin's Dec. 20 newsletter

"Lots of political wisdom, and heed worthy warnings emanate from E.B. White’s 1940 essay, “Freedom,” written in response to Americans’ passivity in the face of Adolf Hitler’s increasingly tyrannical actions in Europe."

• American Oligarchy (Mother Jones)

For its January + February 2024 issue, Mother Jones explores the rise and power of the emerging class of billionaires—fueled by the monopolistic growth of Big Tech—who are remaking America in their own decadent and extractive image. Their bored whims and futuristic fantasies shape how and where you live and work, even as their own worlds are increasingly siloed off from the rest of us. Welcome to the American Oligarchy.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/01/american-oligarchy/

PART 1: INTRODUCTION

• The Rise of the American Oligarchy (by Tim Murphy, Mother Jones, January 2024)

When the US targeted Russia’s oligarchs after the invasion of Ukraine, the trail of assets kept leading to our own backyard. Not only had our nation become a haven for shady foreign money, but we were also incubating a familiar class of yacht-owning, industry-dominating, resource-extracting billionaires. What targeting Russia’s wayward billionaires revealed about our own. American oligarchy is built on a different kind of resource, not nickel or potash, but you—your data, your attention, your money, your public square.

• It’s Time the Word “Oligarch” Lost Its Russian Veneer (Jeffrey A. Winters, Mother Jones, January 2024)

America does oligarchy better than anyone.

PART 2: HOARDING

• How the US Became the World’s Refuge for Dirty Money (by Casey Michele)

When the US targeted Russia’s oligarchs after the invasion of Ukraine, the trail of assets kept leading to our own backyard. Not only had our nation become a haven for shady foreign money, but we were also incubating a familiar class of yacht-owning, industry-dominating, resource-extracting billionaires.

• The Dark Side of the $100 Bill (by Oliver Bullough)

Benjamins are fueling international crime and corruption. So why are we printing more than ever?

• When Gilded Age Lawmakers Saved America From Plutocracy (Daniel Schulman, Nov. 2023)

And how Biden’s team is using their playbook to take on Big Tech.

• How the Rich Keep Their Riches Out of Reach by Tim Murphy

Eight ways to hide an asset

• Refuge for the Robber Barons by Michael Mechanic.

Deranged stalkers? Bitter exes? Angry mobs? Tom Gaffney’s clients are ready.

• This Is What It Costs to Be Rich by Tim Murphy and Jacob Rosenberg (1-25-24)

Our attempt to document the uncommon common costs for the uber-wealthy.

• Martha’s Vineyard Is Being Gutted by Skyrocketing Housing Costs. Yes, You Should Care. (January 30, 2024)

The fight for affordable year-round housing in this elite summer destination offers lessons for dealing with a national crisis.

PART 3: INFLUENCING

• Philanthropy in America Is Broken (Michael Mechanic)

We taxpayers heavily subsidize ultrawealthy giving. But who really benefits?

• Billionaires’ Giving Pledge: Part Tax Strategy, Part PR Stunt (Michael Mechanic and Tim Murphy)

Has it made the world a better place? You be the judge.

• A Brief History of Superyachts (by Tim Murphy)

And how they explain the world.

• How “Woke Capitalism” Became a Right-Wing Obsession by Hannah Levintova

Vivek Ramaswamy may no longer be running for president. But his anti-ESG legacy has already won.

• Receipts. Proof. Timelines. Screenshots: Why We Can’t Look Away From Rich People’s Drama by Scaachi Koul

The uber-wealthy are losing it over the dumbest things—and we’re hooked.

• How Hollywood Learned to Eat the Rich by Morgan Jerkins (2-5-24)

From “Clueless” to “Parasite,” film and TV have long been barometers for how Americans feel about wealth.

PART 4: DOMINATING

• Elon Musk’s Texas Takeover by Abby Vesoulis (photography by Christopher Lee)

How the world’s richest man transformed the Lone Star State into “the modern incarnation of the company town.”

• There Is a Very Good Reason Why Donald Trump Thinks Everything Is Rigged by David Corn

In business, he was a master of gaming the system.

• Meet the Silicon Valley CEOs Who Insist That Greed Is Good (Politics) by Ali Breland

Even if “effective accelerationism” kills us all.

• These Billionaires Want to Disrupt Death—and Keep Their Fortunes Forever by Kalena Thomhave

Sci-fi meets Silicon Valley meets the trust industry.

• Welcome to America’s Wealthiest Zip Code by Dave Gilson. Our guide to one of the nation’s priciest plutocrat playgrounds: Fisher Island

• It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism by Bernie Sanders.

"Only by ending oligarchy can we begin to realize America's promise."

• Monet Changes Everything by Ezra Chowaiki

Tainted billionaires rejoice—redemption is an auction away.

• Australia vs. Rupert Murdoch by Sean Kelly

What's the future of the aging mogul's global empire? Look to the place where it all began.

• Note-Taking is Not Enough: Knowledge Management for Researchers and Writers (morganeua, Writing Cooperative, 5-10-23)

        ["is" should be capitalized; it's a verb.]    

"It wasn’t until halfway through my PhD that I began managing my knowledge. Here’s why I wish I started sooner. It wasn’t until the fourth year of my PhD that I learned about personal knowledge management (PKM) and specifically, the “Zettelkasten” system of note-taking and knowledge management. The zettelkasten ticked all my boxes: it is a flexible, intuitive and enduring method of taking, making, storing, and thinking alongside notes.
     "The zettelkasten, or “slip-box” in English, is a literal box full of slips of paper that the German sociologist Niklas Luhmann used to store his knowledge in the 1960s. Many others have used similar systems before and since Luhmann; including, notably, Umberto Eco, who outlines a similar research process in his book How to Write a Thesis. But Luhmann’s “Zettelkasten” terminology has stuck. Today, many researchers, like myself, house their Zettelkasten not on slips of paper, but digitally as files on their computer.
     "This is the first article in a series of articles I will write to help you better understand the ins and outs of the Zettelkasten — AKA your second brain. However, if you want to get started right away, you can check out my YouTube videos on the topic. David B. Clear also wrote an article for The Writing Cooperative that covers Luhmann’s life and process as well as everything else to do with Zettelkasten. I also recommend refering to the “Getting Started” page on the Zettelkasten website to aid in your knowledge management journey. If books are more your speed, then Sonke Ahrens published a book called How to Take Smart Notes that covers all the basics and will motivate you to start a Zettelkasten of your own.

• Getting Started:Introduction to the Zettelkasten Method (Sascha, Zettelkasten, 10-27-20) The meat of the system.
• Field Report #1: A PhD About Writing with His Zettelkasten (@henrikenggaard, Zettelkasten, 5-27-21)

• How I use Outlines to Write Any Text (Christian, Zettelkasten, 5-24-14)
Outlines are composed of movable parts, as opposed to finished paragraphs and blocks of texts.
Hierarchy creates context. You can see the structure of the ideas you employ.
You can attach research notes as references as they are at first instead of embedding them in the text immediately.

• Zettelkasten — How One German Scholar Was So Freakishly Productive (David B. Clear, Writing Cooperative, 12-31-19)

     Luhmann wrote over 70 books and more than 400 scholarly articles using the Zettelkasten notetaking method.

    'Let's begin with the word "Zettelkasten". This Teutonic word can be broken down into two components: "Zettel", which means note or slip of paper, and "Kasten", which means box. A Zettelkasten is therefore nothing more than a box of notes, properly called a slip box or card index in English.

    Luhmann's Zettelkasten was in fact a piece of furniture. It comprised six stacks of four wooden drawers each, with each drawer filled to the brim with paper notes.'

• How to Take Smart Notes: One Simple Technique to Boost Writing, Learning and Thinking by Sönke Ahrens. Read the comments about Ahrens' work on the Amazon page, for more insight into this way of organizing thoughts/material for a book.

• Preparing Fragments Helps You to Ease Into Writing (Christian, Zettelkasten, 11-26-13) Prepare Research First, Compile a Draft Second.
The task of writing a text can be deferred until you’re well-equipped with notes on the topic. It’s easy to connect the parts when it’s time to write the piece itself since you already prepared phrasing their relationships when you linked notes with each other. You prepare your text in manageable parts this way and afterwards get to a complete first draft in no time.

• Composing and Revising – The Two Modes of Writing

• Count Your Words to Increase Your Productivity (Sascha, 2-6-14)

• How to improve your IT support workflow (Atlassian)

    "A knowledge base is the foundation of a knowledge management practice. In IT, the knowledge base is a self-serve online library of information about a product, service, department, or topic. The data in your knowledge base can be from anywhere, but usually comes from several contributors who are well versed on the relevant subject. The knowledge base can include FAQs, troubleshooting guides, and any other details you may want or need to know. (This page is worth a long look.)

    "In service request management, each time an agent handles an issue, they consult the knowledge base first to see if a fix is already documented. If so, they follow the steps outlined in the article, updating it if any of the steps have changed or if the current documentation is confusing. If no such documentation exists, the agent uses the proper process to troubleshoot and resolve an issue while also documenting the issue and the fix in a new knowledge base article.

    "What is knowledge-centered service (KCS)? Knowledge-centered service—also known as knowledge-centered support or KCS—is when support teams not only provide real-time customer, system, or employee support, but also create and maintain documentation as part of the same process. Simply put, KCS is about getting the in-depth knowledge of IT teams out of their heads and onto the page, creating detailed documentation that employees, system users, and new or less experienced engineers can use without constantly bombarding the service desk with the same requests. It’s about treating knowledge as a business asset and not relying entirely on memory and experience to resolve problems quickly.

• Bluesky Welcome to the social internet.
• Blue Sky app Social media as it should be. Find your community among millions of users, unleash your creativity, and have some fun again.
• Debbie's unofficial guide to Bluesky (Debbie Ridpath Ohi) A useful unofficial resource.
• Blue Sky
    To reply to a chat message on BlueSky, click on the message to open it, type your reply in the gray box that says "Write a message," then click the blue arrow on the right.
    If you're trying to reply to a post or a comment, click on the item you're replying to, type your reply in the box, then click the blue "reply" button.
   There are videos on YouTube that can explain whatever process you are attempting.

• What is Bluesky and why are so many people suddenly leaving X for the platform? (The Guardian, 11-16-24)
• Like ‘old Twitter’: The scientific community finds a new home on Bluesky (Kai Kupferschmidt, Science, 11-20-24) After recent changes to Elon Musk’s X, a gradual migration turns into a stampede. Although academics mostly stuck with X in the year after the poll, Bluesky has rapidly emerged as the new online gathering place for researchers, Kucharski among them. They are drawn by its Twitter-like feel, welcoming features, and, increasingly, the critical mass of scientists in many fields who have already made the move. “The majority has spoken, and researchers are moving en masse” to Bluesky, says De-Shaine Murray, a neuroscientist at Yale University who has also migrated to Bluesky.
• If you're leaving Twitter (Samantha Sunne, Tools for Reporters, 11-20-24) BlueSky, Mastodon and Threads are popular destinations
• What is Bluesky? Everything to know about the X competitor (Amanda Silberling, Cody Corrall, Alyssa Stringer, TechCrunch, 12-3-24)

• Tips and tricks for advanced Bluesky Search  Read More 

Publications that offer free email newsletters (typically in a particular subject area)

Newsletters and magazines, in alphabetical order:
• The Atlantic
• Arkansas Democrat Gazette
• CNN email newsletters
• Early Chirp about the latest happenings in technology, business, and culture
• The Guardian newsletters (UK) 
• Morning Brew 5-minute updates about the business world every day of the week from Wall St. to Silicon Valley
• The New Yorker newsletters
• New York Times e-mail newsletters Most are free and accessible for everyone, but some are available only to digital or Home Delivery subscribers.
• Washington Post newsletters

What other free newspaper-supported email newsletters do you recommend?

Ways to fact-check myths and lies
• Climate action against disinformation: a coalition of over 50 organizations that work to identify, analyze, and counter climate disinformation.
• Natural Resources Defense Council:: a hard look at climate misinformation and ways to combat it, such as pre-bunking.  See Learn About the Climate Crisis
• Environmental Defense Fund: a range of actions, fact sheets, and toolkits for combating climate myths. See Battling climate myths and fighting for the truth
• Science Feedback.org : a worldwide network of scientists who help separate fact from fiction in climate-change media.
• The Fact Checker (Washington Post) A network of scientists who help separate fact from fiction in climate-change media.
• Snopes.com : a popular fact-checking website's entries on climate change
• Cranky Uncle vs Climate Change A game that teaches critical thinking using cartoons, available in the App Store and Google Play and playable online in Firefox and Chrome browsers.

Riveting videos:

• Overcoming the Fossil Fuel Playbook – Untangling Obstructionism and Disinformation: sessions from The Climate Reality Project
• Part One: The National Level an inside look by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD) into their investigative work, moderated by Al Gore, former US Vice President and founder and chairman of The Climate Reality Project.
• Part Two: The Community Level a discussion with Matt Traldi, President and CEO of Greenlight America, and Katie Worth, author of Miseducation: How Climate Change Is Taught in America moderated by Amy Westervelt, Executive Editor of Drilled
• Combating Climate Disinformation: a recording of the Climate Reality Chicago meeting in June, 2024 (video and transcript). Chapter leaders Tom Coleman and Bruce Mainzer offer a fascinating look at types of climate disinformation, ways to identify and combat it, and the campaigns being funded by fossil fuel companies.

With thanks to

The Climate Reality Project DC

DC Chapter Leadership Team Series contributors:

  DC chapter members: Nicole Elinoff, John Fine, Sarah Gallagher, and Paula Seidel
  DC chapter leadership: Kelsey Brown, Max Mozes, Holly Pollinger, and Marelise Voss

Special thanks to Holly Pollinger for sharing this.

See also Climate change: Understanding,covering, and writing or arguing about it and about science denial (in the science section of the Writers and Editors site)

• Public Opinion Polling Basics (Pew Research) A short course explaining how public opinion polling works

• 5 basic things journalists need to know about polls and surveys (Denise-Marie Ordway, Journalist's Resource, 10-9-24) This useful piece shares insights from a political scientist, a social psychologist, a statistician and an investigative journalist.

Main points (explained):

1. Survey and poll results are estimates, and sometimes rough estimates.

2. The best surveys and polls are transparent about their methodology and results.

3. The margin of error is important.

4. Researchers often use the terms “poll” and “survey” interchangeably, although they are technically different.

5. Knowing why people have a certain opinion can be more useful than knowing the percentage of people who hold that opinion at a single point in time.

• The margin of error: 7 tips for journalists covering polls and surveys (Denise-Marie Ordway, Journalist's Resource,11-5-18) To help journalists understand margin of error and how to correctly interpret data from surveys and polls, JR put together a list of seven tips, including clarifying examples.

   "Let’s say that 44 percent of the 1,200 U.S. adults who responded to a poll about marijuana legalization said they support legalization. Let’s also say the margin of error for the results is +/- 3 percentage points. The margin of error tells us there’s a high probability that nationwide support for marijuana legalization falls between 41 percent and 47 percent."

    And other explanations, such as "Note that there are real trends, and then there are mistaken claims of a trend."

• Percent change versus percentage-point change: What’s the difference? 4 tips for avoiding math errors (Denise-Marie Ordway, Tip Sheet, Journalist's Resource, 10-5-22) Many people get 'percent change' and 'percentage-point change' confused. Use this tip sheet, featuring insights from data journalism pioneer Jennifer LaFleur, to get it right.

• Why journalists should look at question order when covering survey and poll results (Denise-Marie Ordway, JR, 9-18-24) How question order bias can affect how people answer questions and five tips to help journalists spot the problem

• What’s a nationally representative sample? 5 things you need to know to report accurately on research (Denise-Marie Ordway, JR, 7-9-24) Knowing what a nationally representative sample is — and isn't — will help you avoid errors in covering clinical trials, opinion polls and other research.To help journalists understand margin of error and how to correctly interpret data from surveys and polls, we’ve put together a list of seven tips, including clarifying examples.

• Covering political polls: A cautionary research roundup (Clark Merrefield, Journalist's Resource, 4-25-19) Journalist's Resource rounds up some of the latest political polling research as Joe Biden jumps into the 2020 presidential race. Fascinating roundup and summary of key articles and warnings.

• ‘Horse race’ coverage of elections: What to avoid and how to get it right (Denise-Marie Ordway, JR, 10-12-23) It’s unlikely journalists will stop covering elections as a competitive game, despite researchers’ warnings that it can harm voters and others. Scholars Thomas E. Patterson and Erik Gahner Larsen offer ideas for at least improving so-called ‘horse race’ reporting, concluding with "What to avoid" and "How to Get It Right."

• Election Beat 2020: Polls, polls and more polls — navigating the numbers (Thomas E. Patterson, Journalist's Resource, 10-13-20) Which of the dozens of polls that cross journalists’ desks are reliable, and which should be ignored?

• How did everyone get it so wrong? (Kenneth P. Vogel and Alex Isenstadt, Politico, 11-9-16) “There was too great a belief that demographics are destiny, and that demographics would lead to a certain outcome,” said veteran pollster Geoff Garin. “The reality turned out to be much different that.” “The very premise of polling is based on the idea that voters will be completely honest with total strangers,” said veteran GOP operative Ned Ryun.

     “Most of the press and folks in DC were science deniers when it came to this election,” said veteran GOP operative Curt Anderson, an adviser to a pro-Trump super PAC. “Even in the face of polls that showed it very close, they all said that Trump had almost no chance. It was because they couldn’t imagine it happening.”