reply to post by AsarAlubat
On the first part, it's not wisdom. I only wish..lol The knowledge is, unfortunately, as narrow as the effort to get it. I have a lot of time as a
seemingly unemployable and currently full time college student with a few years of that left to go through University before I'm done and too busy to
do this anymore. So, lots of time for effort....but still narrow to the topics.
Definitely NOT elitism. I don't want to suggest that. There's a real practical reason I don't list/share some sites that I go to. It's the same
reason you don't see them full-site index themselves on Google to find on a first page result that way. They're too small or too fringe to handle
the traffic rush. I've been on to see a couple sites literally crash outright after someone linked them on an ATS story which was particularly high
profile at the wrong moment. Some sites also might tighten up what they have available if their users pick up by hundreds or more within a few days.
Others want to be obscure. For example, the U.S. Army used to have a site up with the full standard Army class room courses in an open and 100%
publicly accessible way. I literally went through everything they had (including tests I diligently and fairly graded myself on) from weapons to
maintenance. I suppose they figured out how popular that was becoming....since it's past tense, the last I checked for it. It was fun though and I
love finding things like that!
For the above reasons, it also leads to the fact some take a lot of work to find because they don't index and don't want to. So, it is something of
a work product in time to find. There aren't many like that...but, well? Read my threads. I source my stuff with links.
For sourcing, it's a matter of
original source. If CNN reports on Unemployment, I go to bls.gov and check the index chart published there to
confirm it's what they say it is, then BLS publishes a brief report from those who made the number, about how they believe it came to be that way. It
beats any media spin. Report of a quake? USGS.gov,
EMSC,
quakes,
Iris all give the scoop and the first two are
Government. The U.S., obviously, and the second one is for the European version with a strong focus on Europe, across the Middle East and North
Africa.
Military News is best out of the source...
Stars and Stripes is a good one to watch and every state has National
Guard of course. Most have their own RSS or news feeds and/or twitter feeds. You'd be surprised what crosses those sometimes. Speaking of
that....Twitter was once wasted B.S. for teens texting about what no one but they could care THAT much about.......but it's become one of a few
outlets everyone from City Hall to the State Department publishes though and often, broken down to feeds out of specialized areas. That's
priceless.....and geographic for interest, so each to their own area and what is available.