Steve Holden's Blog

20 Helpful Verification Tools for Journalists

This article offers a wealth of valuable resources, including "20 Helpful Verification Tools for Journalists."

 

 

Tip - Taxes & National Debt Podcast

This Freakanomics podcast, "Ten Myths About the U.S. Tax System," is worth listening to if you want some great background on the current state of our National Debt and some suggestions on fixing tax policies.

 

Can You Develop & Sell A 100% American Made Product?

The Search Engine podcast does a great job tackling this topic in the episode "The Puzzle of the All-American BBQ Scrubber."

I ordered one and will post a review and photos once I get it.

Make Your Business Easy To Find With what3words

Follow these steps to discover your what3words address and display it so customers and guests know exactly where to find you.

How To See The Humanity In Anyone

I got forwarded this link, "How to see the humanity in anyone" (Practicing a form of ‘deep curiosity’ can help you connect with yourself and others, even if they’re on the ‘other side’) by Scott Shigeoka.

Here are the key points from the end of the thoughtful article:

• Practicing deep curiosity can help you connect with yourself and others. It’s not just intellectual; it’s about searching for understanding in a way that can stir your heart and spirit.
• Let go of your assumptions, biases and certainty. Deep curiosity is a muscle you can strengthen, beginning with detaching yourself from the mental shortcuts that you usually rely on.
• Prepare your mindset and setting. Planning ahead for how you will act and speak in social situations can help you practise deep curiosity with greater intention.
• See the dignity of every person, including yourself. One way to do this is to ‘turn toward’ people – notice their bids for your attention and invite them to tell you more.
• Welcome the hard times in your life. It’s easy to fight or withdraw when you’re feeling overwhelmed. By learning to slow down and embrace your negative emotions, you’ll be better placed to recognise your own needs, find meaning in your experiences and connect with others.

More info at Greater Good and TED.

Tip - Where Does Your Rain Go?

This came in this morning's email newsletter from Recommendo.

This website will map out where rain goes based on the topography of the land:

•     https://river-runner-global.samlearner.com/

Tip = Recomendo Email Newsletter

I enjoy this weekly email newsletter in my inbox on Sunday mornings called Recomendo.

Here is a link to the most recent version:

• https://www.recomendo.com/p/calling-out-room-dynamicsteeny-phone

Free New Public Domain Books

Google Books has made available the following books that recently went into the public domain available for free:

1. "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway
2. "All Quiet On The Western Front" by Erich Maria Remarque
3. "God's Man: A Novel In Woodcuts" by Lynd Ward
4. "Toad of Toal Hall" by Alan Alexander Milne

I have read and recommend #1 and #2.

Podcasts Recommended - January 6th Focused

I enjoyed learning more about January 6th related news, opinions, thoughts, etc., from these two podcasts:

• Remembering January 6 with Charlie Sykes
• Was January 6th a success? (With Charlie Warzel)

More Information - Three Scammer Alerts

The Internet has good and evil.

Three warnings to review on the evil side:

• Washington Post-
  • She believed she was an FBI ‘asset.’ The scam drained her life’s savings.
  • Enter the ‘ether,’ where scammers weaponize your emotions.
• Wired - 
  
  • Malicious Ads in Search Results Are Driving New Generations of Scams