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Important Items
Federal judge says insurers no longer have to provide some preventive care services (including cancer, heart screenings, contraception, PrEP, a ton of pregnancy-related care) at no cost
A federal judge in Texas on Thursday said that some Affordable Care Act mandates cannot be enforced nationwide, including those that require insurers to cover a wide array of preventive care services at no cost to the patient, including some cancer, heart and STD screenings, and tobacco programs. Bush-appointed Judge O’Connor also deemed unlawful the ACA requirement that insurers and employers offer plans that cover HIV-prevention measures such as PrEP for free. The ruling took effect immediately and applies nationwide.
Overall, about 60% of the 173 million people enrolled in private health coverage used at least one of the ACA’s no-cost preventive services in 2018 prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a recent Kaiser analysis.
The Justice Department filed a notice of appeal on Friday. The Biden administration is also appealing O’Connor’s earlier ruling that the task force’s recommendations violated the Constitution’s Appointments Clause and that requiring HIV-prevention drugs to be covered at no cost violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. An appeal of the current case would head to the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals, perhaps the most conservative federal appeals court in the country.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/30/politics/affordable-care-act-preventive-care-reed-oconnor/index.html
Previous COVID infection linked to lower brain oxygen levels, cognitive problems: study
“Participants who previously had COVID-19 perform worse on two specific cognitive tasks, but brain imaging showed that during these tasks, there was a lack of oxygen reaching the sections of the brain that would normally be fully engaged”
Idaho Is About To Be The First State To Restrict Interstate Travel For Abortion Post-Roe
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/idaho-abortion-bill-trafficking-travel_n_641b62c3e4b00c3e6077c80b
Last Week was Trans Day of Visibility/Trans Week of Visibility & Action. What Can You Do?
More than 400 bills have been introduced across the country attacking trans youth — from threatening to criminalize health care to investigating families for affirming their children to banning trans youth from school activities, these bills represent a threat to trans survival. Visibility alone won’t save us, take action! #TDOV
April Anti-Trans Legislative Risk Map
MT @ErinInTheMorn Daily, trans people and allies ask if they are safe in their state or where to move. Sometimes its students looking at college. Sometimes its companies picking conference venues. So I made the anti-trans legislative risk map.
https://erininthemorn.substack.com/p/april-anti-trans-legislative-risk
Business Statement on Anti-LGBTQ State Legislation
Here’s something you can do this #TDOV to support trans ppl. Is your company listed on this Business Statement on Anti-LGBTQ State Legislation from the Human Rights Campaign? If not, talk to your HR/DEI ppl to make that happen!
https://www.hrc.org/resources/business-statement-on-anti-lgbtq-state-legislation
>$2M Raised for Mercury Stardust’s 2nd Annual TikTok-a-Thon for Trans Healthcare
‘Significant’ inequalities affect non-white researchers when publishing their work
HT @publishingtrend Study of one million research papers finds publication delays and fewer overall citations for non-white scientists #DEI
Justices Must Disclose Travel and Gifts Under New Rules
The change comes as members of Congress have called for the justices to be held to ethics standards similar to those for the executive and legislative branches.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/29/us/politics/supreme-court-trips-gifts-disclosures.html
Innovation
Fully Transparent Solar Cell Could Make Every Window In Your House A Power Source
https://news.scienceclub1.com/2023/01/fully-transparent-solar-cell-could-make.html
Immersive Video Games Are Coming to a Theater Near You
Sounds like a trend to watch – you know how there’s escape rooms everywhere? Well, there are 11 of these already in Chicago. The founder of Tough Mudder’s next venture is the Interactive Gamebox, affectionately called “a theme park in a box.” #gaming
https://www.wired.com/story/immersive-gameboxes-irl-cooperative-gaming/
Meow Wolf Enters the Mini-Golf Metaverse
https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/meow-wolf-is-entering-the-mini-golf-metaverse/
Technology
The value of creating shared context in the age of personalized, on-demand media
https://anu.substack.com/p/collective-experiences
How to use AI to do practical stuff: A new guide
https://oneusefulthing.substack.com/p/how-to-use-ai-to-do-practical-stuff
Custom AI chatbots are quietly becoming the next big thing in fandom
https://www.theverge.com/23627402/character-ai-fandom-chat-bots-fanfiction-role-playing
ChatGPT Is Banned in Italy Over Privacy Concerns
ICYMI ChatGPT, the AI tool, was temporarily banned in Italy on Friday, the first known instance of the chatbot being blocked by a Western government. The country’s data protection authority said the company unlawfully collected personal data from users. #AI
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/31/technology/chatgpt-italy-ban.html
OpenAI’s GPT-4 violates FTC rules, argues AI policy group
The FTC received a complaint from the Center for AI and Digital Policy, which calls for an investigation of OpenAI and its product GPT-4. The complaint argues that the FTC has declared that the use of AI should be “transparent, explainable, fair, and empirically sound while fostering accountability,” but claims that OpenAI’s GPT-4 “satisfies none of these requirements” and is “biased, deceptive, and a risk to privacy and public safety.” The complaint comes a day after an open letter calling for a six-month “pause” on developing large-scale AI models beyond GPT-4 highlighted the fierce debate around risks vs. hype as the speed of AI development accelerates. Some legal experts say federal AI regulation could come from the FTC in 2023. #AI
https://venturebeat.com/ai/openais-gpt-4-violates-ftc-rules-argues-ai-policy-group/
ChatGPT Data Breach Confirmed as Security Firm Warns of Vulnerable Component Exploitation
Midjourney ends free trials of its AI image generator due to ‘extraordinary’ abuse
Publishers Worry A.I. Chatbots Will Cut Readership
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/30/business/media/publishers-chatbots-search-engines.html
Tinkering With ChatGPT, Workers Wonder: Will This Take My Job?
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/28/business/economy/jobs-ai-artificial-intelligence-chatgpt.html
How one publisher is using generative AI to publish thousands of evergreen posts, create a chatbot
BuzzFeed Is Quietly Publishing Whole AI-Generated Articles, Not Just Quizzes
https://futurism.com/buzzfeed-publishing-articles-by-ai
Can artificial intelligence write fiction with real tension?
https://www.ft.com/content/e898bc41-56e1-40d7-ab94-f1755082dd02
How Nestlé is using AI to set creative rules for its 15,000 marketers
Nestlé’s 15,000 marketers – who work across 2,000 brands in 200 territories – as well as its agency partners are required to run all creative assets through the system to check they meet the new requirements before they can run.
https://www.thedrum.com/news/2023/02/15/how-nestl-using-ai-set-creative-rules-its-15000-marketers
Levi’s Will Use AI Models Alongside Human Ones
https://www.pcmag.com/news/levis-will-use-ai-models-alongside-human-ones
Tech guru Jaron Lanier: ‘The danger isn’t that AI destroys us. It’s that it drives us insane’
“This idea of surpassing human ability is silly because it’s made of human abilities.” Lanier says comparing ourselves with AI is the equivalent of comparing ourselves with a car. “It’s like saying a car can go faster than a human runner. Of course it can, and yet we don’t say that the car has become a better runner.” There’s plenty left to worry about: human extinction remains a distinct possibility if we abuse AI, and even if it’s of our own making, the end result is no prettier. #AI
TikTok’s Owner Pushes a New App, While Under Washington’s Glare
ICYMI ByteDance, the Chinese company behind TikTok, is trying to woo popular social media creators to Lemon8 before it is officially introduced this year.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/29/technology/tiktok-lemon8-content-creators.html
TikTok’s Inevitable Push Toward TV-style Content
https://lensmag.xyz/story/tiktok-s-inevitable-push-toward-tv-style-content
Twitter and Unverified Checkmarks
“Now the verified checkmark means nothing. The person is not important, or special, or interesting, or notable, or even verified. The meaning of the checkmark is now inverted. You’re so utterly unimportant that you have to pay for a special badge”
https://ez.substack.com/p/free-bird
Amazon just opened up its Sidewalk network for anyone to build connected gadgets on
The long-range, low-bandwidth network can give any IoT device free low-speed data.
https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/28/23659191/amazon-sidewalk-network-coverage
The New World of Work
MT @rishad A summary of some recent key studies and data on the new emerging landscape of work from Harvard, MIT, McKinsey, The Conference Board, The Labor Department, and of course GPT 4 (which has interesting perspectives on future managers).
https://rishad.substack.com/p/the-new-world-of-work?sd=pf
Publishing & Media
Copyright: US Court Rules Against Internet Archive
ICYMI “The publishers have established a prima facie case of copyright infringement,” writes Judge John G. Koeltl of the United States district court in the Southern District of New York in his 47-page decision, which includes a firm rebuke to the controversial concept of “controlled digital lending.” #copyright
https://publishingperspectives.com/2023/03/copyright-us-court-rules-against-internet-archive/
Welcome to Brandon Sanderson’s Fantasy Empire
MT @esquire The genre’s most popular writer is determined to upend how books get made. We visited @BrandSanderson’s mind-blowing headquarters in suburban Utah, where he and dozens of employees are working to restore power to the reader. @adamm0rgan writes.
https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/a43438119/brandon-sanderson-profile/
New project seeks to bring south Asian literature to western readers
Diverse Voices Non-Profit Shuts Down, #DVPit Will Continue
https://twitter.com/beth_phelan/status/1641817701638086659
In the UK? Nominate your local rail station or secondary school for a Penguin Vending Machine
https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2023/03/were-taking-the-penguin-books-vending-machine-on-the-road
Texas Observer will continue publishing after staff crowdfunds more than $300,000
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/03/29/texas-observer-keep-publishing/
With Budget Deadline Looming, Library Supporters Urge Congress to #FundLibraries
OverDrive App Discontinued 5/1
RT @OverDriveInc The OverDrive app will be discontinued on May 1. We encourage you to make the switch to Libby, OverDrive’s newer reading app. Libby is made by the same people, with the same goal of connecting you to your library and to your favorite books and magazines.
https://www.overdrive.com/apps/libby/switchtolibby
HarperCollins UK Edits Agatha Christie Novels to Remove “Offensive” Language
Lit Agents: Are You Seeing Changes in Publishing with Increased Book Bans?
Literary Agents: Share what you’re seeing in the world of books with regard to book bans by filling out this survey. Any agent is welcome to partake, and you may pass the survey along to colleagues — it is anonymous, with no required number of questions to be answered. Please fill it out.
https://bookriot.com/book-bans-survey-for-literary-agents/
PEN America Index of Educational Gag Orders
RT PENamerica Introducing Higher Ed Autonomy Restrictions: a new tab on PEN America’s Index of Educational Gag Orders, our official tracker of all gag order bills introduced since 2021. The Higher Ed Autonomy Restrictions tab includes bills that ban/restrict tenure in ways that usurp college prerogatives; ban departments or DEI offices/initiatives; hand curricular control to political appointees; or mandate easily-abused “institutional neutrality” requirements.
As Book Bans Gain Favor, Some Say Libraries Could Go
When Missouri Proposed Library Censorship, Librarians Got Organized
This organized response did not come from nowhere. Missouri librarians have been systematically preparing library workers for such challenges since at least 2015. That’s the year librarian Colleen Norman worked with her colleagues at Mid-Continent Public Library in Independence, Missouri, to develop a workshop designed to train frontline library workers in the basics of intellectual freedom principles and book challenge defense. Norman and her colleagues tested the training at a branch, then extended the workshop to the entire library system, training 900 Mid-Continent library workers in one-on-one conversations in just six weeks.
Norman and her colleagues then pitched the training to the Missouri Library Association’s annual conference, and it was a hit. Now, intellectual freedom and challenge defense training has become a standard offering at the event. Library directors across the state saw the impact the program was having and some started to request trainings in their own libraries. With funding support from the Missouri Library Association to cover travel costs and fees for the training team, “it just exploded,” said Norman. They also worked with Amigos Library Services to offer training around the country, and expanded locally, working with student activists organizing in the small town of Nixa, Missouri.
https://truthout.org/articles/when-missouri-proposed-library-censorship-librarians-got-organized/
Missouri librarians are risking jail time – for doing their jobs
https://www.codastory.com/rewriting-history/missouri-libraries-book-ban/
Missouri Reps Just Voted to Completely Defund the State’s Public Libraries
The new budget sets funds for libraries to $0. Library groups say the move is retaliation for suing the state over its recent book ban law.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3wgv5/missouri-voted-to-defund-public-libraries-book-bans
A State-by-State Guide to the Coalitions and Campaigns Fighting Legislation Criminalizing Librarians
Here is a look at the messaging, coalitions, and strategies of advocates in eight states with recent bills to remove the prosecution exemption for librarians and educators in current obscenity laws. There are at least 17 states with similar legislation. While every situation differs, library advocates can learn from actions and coalitions in other states.
Resources & Opportunities
Women and Power: What’s Changed since 2016?
As the 2024 race for President heats up and Donald Trump continues to make headlines, it’s time to take a clear-eyed look at his legacy and how it has impacted women’s lives. Come hear a panel of experts, including acclaimed journalist Nina Burleigh, The Nation magazine’s national affairs correspondent Joan Walsh, and political strategist Celinda Lake. Thursday, April 13, 6-7 pm ET, virtual. Free for @WMG_NYC members, $15 for non-members.
https://www.womensmediagroup.org/event-5226662
10th Annual Writers For Hope auction
RT @writersforhope Join us on April 3 for the 10th Annual Writers For Hope auction at http://writersforhope.com! 100% of proceeds will go directly to @EveryVoiceCoal and @LambdaLegal. #WritersForHope #amwriting #saapm2023 #supportsurvivors
https://www.writersforhope.com
A Look at Literary Events in Spring 2023
Via @publishingtrend
https://www.publishingtrends.com/2023/03/a-look-at-literary-events-in-spring-2023/
The Changemaker Authors Cohort & free virtual Changemaker Authors Conference
Via @jbakernyc The Changemaker Authors Cohort supports social justice practitioners to write books that will create durable narrative change and restructure the way people feel, think, and respond to the world. In 2023, we will host an in-depth conference for aspiring and working writers from various fields, particularly organizing backgrounds, as a springboard for the next cohort application cycle. The programs are co-created by Narrative Initiative and the Unicorn Authors Club, and partially resourced by the Ford Foundation.
https://www.unicornauthors.club/changemakers
2023 Picture Book Rising Star Mentorship
https://www.pbrisingstars.com/mentors
Black Creatives Mentorship
MT @diversebooks Apply to be a 2023 WNDB Black Creatives Fund Mentee! Collaborate with one of these experienced creators in children’s & adult fiction, and receive individual support and feedback to turn a mostly completed work-in-progress into a fully completed draft. #blackcreativesfundmentorship
https://diversebooks.org/programs/black-creatives-mentorship/
The 2023 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction
MT @ursulakleguin It’s time! During April, all are welcome to nominate books for the 2023 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction, a $25,000 prize given to the author of a work of imaginative fiction that reflects the concepts and ideas that were central to Ursula’s own work.
https://www.ursulakleguin.com/prize
2023 WNDB Internship Grant
MT @diversebooks ⭐️ The 2023 WNDB Internship Grant application is OPEN! ⭐️ Are you of a diverse background and looking to work in either children’s OR adult publishing? We continue to offer $3,000 grants, 12 for children’s-focused internships and 12 for adult-focused!
https://diversebooks.org/internship-grants-application-process/
BIPOC of Publishing in Canada Mentorship Program 2023
Mentor applications are open. Mentee applications will open in mid-April.
https://www.bipocofpublishing.ca/mentorship-program
Writing Black Activist Lives
RT @SchomburgCenter Thursday, 4/6 at 6:30 PM: Join the discussion online as our @SchomburgCBFS series looks at new biographies bringing us a deeper understanding of familial freedom fighters and lesser-known such as Paul Robeson & Nellie Y. McKay. #SchomburgCenter
The Riverdale Writers Circle
Hosted by the New York Public Library, this free in-person workshop, in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, is for those looking to receive feedback on current projects and interact with other local writers.
https://www.nypl.org/events/programs/2023/04/06/riverdale-writers-critique-circle
Resources to Help If You’re a Target of Cybermisogyny
MT @womensmediacntr The online harassment of women, sometimes called cybersexism or cybermisogyny, is specifically gendered abuse targeted at women and girls online. If you’re being targeted, here are some resources at @WMCSpeechProj to support you.
https://womensmediacenter.com/speech-project/tools-resources
Free Long COVID Follow-Up Care
MT @MarkLevineNYC If you’re suffering from long covid symptoms, you can access care via 212-COVID19 (Press 4). You’ll be connected to one of @NYCHealthSystem’s centers for long-term covid follow-up care—regardless of insurance or ability to pay.
FREE ESL conversation groups via Zoom every Wednesday night
MT @PenParentis PSA: South Brooklyn Mutual Aid offers FREE ESL conversation groups via Zoom every Wednesday night. All levels welcome! interested folx can register here. SBKMA also provides free meals, grocery deliveries & food drives for the South Brooklyn community.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdS9kdnPDm2bFiI4zEyBgvA8YhpTi25Hsl8t2QnZcJ4MvTXpg/viewform
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