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An apparent bug in Google's Sitelinks algorithm is showing links to unhelpful pages. The post Google Sitelinks Algorithm Bug Shows Wrong Links appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Meta underwent another big round of layoffs on Monday, cutting 3,600 jobs, or roughly 5%, of its total workforce. Between 2022 and 2023, the tech giant eliminated 21,000 positions, nearly a quarter of its workforce, and continued to reduce staff in 2024. But while those other recent reductions appeared driven by organizational restructuring and cost-cutting efforts, CEO Mark Zuckerberg seemed to tie this week’s layoffs to those he deemed “low performers.” “I’ve decided to raise the bar on performance management and move out low performers faster,” Zuckerberg wrote in an internal memo when announcing the cuts in January. “We typically manage out people who aren’t meeting expectations over the course of a year, but now we’re going to do more extensive performance-based cuts during this cycle.” Some of the employees who have just been let go object to this characterization, though, and they are fighting back. Layoffs are increasingly common in tech, but they’re often framed as a failure of the company and its leaders rather than a reflection of individual employees. (Although Amazon famously culls its workforce based on performance metrics, and Microsoft reportedly has plans to do the same.) Given Meta’s public trumpeting of the “low-performer” criteria for this recent initiative, however, being swept up in this batch of layoffs seems closer to just getting fired. When these newly unemployed workers apply for other jobs, the concern is that hiring managers who might ordinarily be impressed with seeing “Facebook” on a CV will know exactly why these applicants are suddenly on the market—and, as a result, may be less inclined to give them a chance to defend themselves in an interview. Instead of waiting to find out for sure, some laid-off workers have started preemptively defending themselves online—and they are bringing receipts. Kaila Curry, who, until Monday, worked in product content operations at Meta, posted on LinkedIn her surprise at being lumped in with supposed low performers after receiving an “exceeds expectations” in her mid-year review. “I frequently asked for feedback and was always told I was doing a good job,” she wrote in the post. “I was never placed on a [performance improvement plan], never given corrective feedback, and never properly mentored or provided clear expectations. Curry’s experience lines up with a new report from Business Insider, claiming Meta’s director of people experience allowed managers to add employees from higher-performance tiers to those marked for layoffs if they couldn’t reach their reduction goals just from lower-rated employees. A spokesperson for Meta tells Fast Company that these were “performance-based terminations,” adding, “Prior ratings were not downgraded. Simply because someone had a history of meeting or exceeding expectations does not mean they continue to consistently meet the bar.” In searching for other potential reasons for her inclusion in the layoffs, though, Curry cites one recent incident: “Perhaps I became too vocal when our shift to young adult (YA) content involved removing safeguards that protected LGBTQ+ users.” The past few months have been a time of transition for Meta. The company has recently made major changes to its content moderation and DEI policies that appear in line with Zuckerberg’s recent embrace of President Trump. (The CEO also donated to Trump’s inauguration fund, added UFC CEO and Trump ally Dana White to Meta’s board, and declared on Joe Rogan’s podcast in January that companies currently need more “masculine energy.“) Another former employee, data scientist Joshua Latshaw, was also taken aback by his inclusion in the layoffs. As he wrote on LinkedIn, his five-year history with the company included several “exceeds expectations” ratings and a promotion. (His post even includes screenshots of those reviews in the comments.) According to Latshaw’s post, a “meets most expectations” in 2024 followed months of turmoil within his team—with the managers who conducted his review having only worked with him for less than six weeks. “This is the first [Performance Summary Cycle] at [M]eta that I wasn’t exactly correct in predicting my rating,” he wrote. The lone “meets most expectations” rating in Latshaw’s tenure at Meta was also striking, he notes, because it followed his taking parental leave earlier in the year. Over on Reddit’s r/Layoffs sub, a pseudonymous poster, identifying as a senior-level Meta employee who was let go on Monday, wrote that she, too, had taken maternity leave in the lead-up to her layoff. Several posters elsewhere on Reddit describe rumors of other Meta employees being laid off after returning from a recent parental or medical leave. (Meta did not comment on this.) Regardless of what led each Meta employee to wind up in this round of layoffs, it’s clear that the “low performer” moniker struck a nerve among those affected. Meta’s stock has been on the rise, with shares gaining 65% in 2024. Yet, considering that Zuckerberg’s big bet on the metaverse continues to cost his company billions of dollars per quarter, the CEO should maybe consider himself fortunate to have evaded the “low performer” label himself. View the full article

Ukraine has offered to strike a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump for continued American military aid in exchange for developing Ukraine’s mineral industry, which could provide a valuable source of the rare earth elements that are essential for many kinds of technology. Trump said that he wanted such a deal earlier this month, and it was initially proposed last fall by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as part of his plan to strengthen Kyiv’s hand in future negotiations with Moscow. “We really have this big potential in the territory which we control,” Andrii Yermak, chief of staff to the Ukrainian president, said in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press. “We are interested to work, to develop, with our partners, first of all, with the United States.” Here is a look at Ukraine’s rare earth industry and how a deal might come together: What are rare earth elements? Rare earth elements are a set of 17 elements that are essential to many kinds of consumer technology, including cellphones, hard drives and electric and hybrid vehicles. It’s unclear if Trump is seeking specific elements in Ukraine, which also has other minerals to offer. “It can be lithium. It can be titanium, uranium, many others,” Yermak said. “It’s a lot.” China, Trump’s chief geopolitical adversary, is the world’s largest producer of rare earth elements. Both the U.S and Europe have sought to reduce their dependence on Beijing. For Ukraine, such a deal would ensure that its biggest and most consequential ally doesn’t freeze military support. That would be devastating for the country, which has been at war for nearly three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. The idea also comes at a time when reliable and uninterrupted access to critical minerals is increasingly hard to come by globally. What is the state of the Ukrainian minerals industry? Ukraine’s rare earth elements are largely untapped because of the war and because of state policies regulating the mineral industry. The country also lacks good information to guide the development of rare earth mining. Geological data is thin because mineral reserves are scattered across Ukraine, and existing studies are considered largely inadequate. The industry’s true potential is clouded by insufficient research, according to businessmen and analysts. In general, the outlook for Ukrainian natural resources is promising. The country’s reserves of titanium, a key component for the aerospace, medical and automotive industries, are believed to be among Europe’s largest. Ukraine also holds some of Europe’s largest known reserves of lithium, which is required to produce batteries, ceramics and glass. In 2021, the Ukrainian mineral industry accounted for 6.1% of the country’s gross domestic product and 30% of exports. An estimated 40% of Ukraine’s metallic mineral resources are inaccessible because of Russian occupation, according to data from We Build Ukraine, a Kyiv-based think tank. Ukraine has argued that it’s in Trump’s interest to develop the remainder before Russian advances capture more. The European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, identified Ukraine as a potential supplier for more than 20 critical raw materials and concluded that if the country joins the 27-nation EU, it could strengthen the European economy. What happens next? Details of any deal will likely develop in meetings between U.S. and Ukrainian officials. Trump announced Tuesday that he would send Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to Ukraine to meet with Zelenskyy. “This War MUST and WILL END SOON — Too much Death and Destruction. The U.S. has spent BILLIONS of Dollars Globally, with little to show,” Trump said in a post on his social media network about the trip. U.S. companies have expressed interest, according to Ukrainian business officials. But striking a formal deal would likely require legislation, geological surveys and negotiation of specific terms. It’s unclear what kind of security guarantees companies would require to risk working in Ukraine, even in the event of a ceasefire. And no one knows for sure what kind of financing agreements would underpincontracts between Ukraine and U.S companies. —SAMYA KULLAB, Associated Press Susie Blann and Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report. View the full article

Trader Joe’s and other grocers are limiting the number of eggs customers can buy across the U.S., citing limited supply caused by the ongoing bird flu outbreak. Trader Joe’s is capping purchases to one carton per customer each day, the Monrovia, California-based chain confirmed. That limit applies to all of Trader Joe’s locations across the country. “We hope these limits will help to ensure that as many of our customers who need eggs are able to purchase them when they visit Trader Joe’s,” the company said in a statement sent to The Associated Press Tuesday. Photos of in-store notices about eggs purchase limits at retailers nationwide have swirled around online in recent weeks. In addition to Trader Joe’s, consumers and several local media outlets have also reported varying limits seen at stores like Costco, Whole Foods, Kroger and Aldi locations. When each limit went into effect is unclear, however. And not all are being implemented nationally. A spokesperson for Kroger, for example, confirmed that the supermarket giant doesn’t currently have “enterprise-wide limits” in place — but said some of regional divisions and store banners are asking customers to cap egg purchases to two dozen per trip. Walmart says it also hasn’t imposed national limits — expect for bulkier purchases of 60-count cartons, which have been capped to two per purchase, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retail giant confirmed Tuesday. “Although supply is very tight, we’re working with suppliers to try and help meet customer demand, while striving to keep prices as low as possible,” Walmart said in an emailed statement. Costco, Whole Foods and Aldi did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday. But Costco confirmed to CNN that the chain was limiting its customers to three packages of eggs, which are typically sold in two-dozen or four-dozen cartons. Meanwhile, notices previously seen in some Target locations have warned about supplier shortages, but don’t indicate specific purchase limits. The AP reached out to the retailer for further information. Avian flu is forcing farmers to slaughter millions of chickens a month, pushing U.S. egg prices to more than double their cost in the summer of 2023. The average price per dozen nationwide hit $4.15 in December — and it appears there may be no relief in sight, with the Agriculture Department predicting prices will soar another 20% this year. Retailers could notably feel added pressures with Easter demand fast approaching. Beyond grocery stores limits, U.S. consumers are also facing more expensive eggs in some restaurants. Last week, Waffle House, for example, said it would be adding a 50-cent surcharge per egg on all of its menus. —Wyatte Grantham-Philips, Associated Press View the full article

CSV, or Comma Separated Values, are files used for all kinds of things, from managing large datasets to exporting data to move it between web services. You might think CSV files are just spreadsheets, similar to Excel files, but it's a lot more interesting than that: Open any CSV file in a text document and you'll learn that the "comma separated" thing is literal. Really, these files are just text documents—every line break is a row in the table, and columns are the items in each row, all separated by commas. There is nothing stopping you from editing the values right there in your text editor of choice, but doing so would be extremely annoying. And while you can import CSV files into Excel and work with them there, it can get confusing—you have to keep track of which Excel features work in CSV files, and which do not. That's why, if you have to work in a CSV file, it's best to have a dedicated tool. A better tool for editing CSV filesModernCSV, an indie app for Linux, Mac, and Windows computers, is the best tool I've come across for this purpose. If you work with CSV files frequently, or just need to edit one quickly, it's worth checking out. This application is built specifically with CSV files in mind and makes working with them simple. For example: you can double-click the column number to re-order all items in the list based on that row. To test it, I downloaded a CSV breaking down all U.S. counties by population. The original file was organized by population; by double-clicking the state ID column I could quickly sort by state. After saving, the CSV itself was changed. Credit: Justin Pot That's just one example. It also offers complete find-and-replace, which is perfect for cleaning up corrupted files. It supports filtering, and lets you edit multiple cells at once: just select all the cells you want to edit and start typing, everything highlighted will be affected. There's even a command bar, triggered with the keyboard shortcut CLTR/CMD-L. This lets you quickly use any of the commands offered by the application without needing to learn the dedicated keyboard shortcut—just type what you want to do and hit enter. Credit: Justin Pot The app also offers support for quick pivot tables, which helps provide greater insight into the data. Case in point: I was able to use my information about U.S. counties to extrapolate U.S. state populations. Credit: Justin Pot There are more features worth digging into, but I recommend you check out the documentation if you want to learn more—there' a lot there. Free or paid versionsModernCSV offers a free version that includes many of the best features discussed above. There are two paid versions: Premium Personal for $39—adding features like filtering and date conversions—and Premium Business for $59, which offers pivot tables and other advanced reporting features. I think the free version is worth having on hand for anyone who even occasionally needs to edit CSV files, while the paid versions are great if you're a power user. View the full article

In comments to reporters, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., underscored what she said was a conflict of interest between Elon Musk's DOGE's actions at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and his business interests with X Money. View the full article

Joseph Otting, who is leading Flagstar's turnaround, said potential buyers may be interested in acquiring the regional bank once it gets past certain challenges. View the full article

Neo Home Loans, the business at the center of the trade secrets suit, has always maintained its independence in its lender partnerships, its co-creator claims. View the full article

Google will soon fully transition to automatically generated publication pages next month, in March. Back in April 2024, Google told us Publisher Center will soon stop allowing you to add publications and now this is the next step. This means that all publication pages in Google News will be generated automatically by Google. What Google said. Google wrote: Following our announcement in April 2024 last year, Google News will fully transition to automatically generated publication pages in March. This change improves our existing publisher workflow and simplifies our current product experience. Moving forward, all publication pages in Google News will be generated automatically. As a result, publication pages that had been created by publishers manually will no longer appear to users in Google News. Publisher Center will discontinue customization features for publication pages in Google News, and the Google News tile will no longer appear in Publisher Center. What is not changing. Google said this has no impact on what content is eligible to appear in Google News or other Google News related surfaces. “Content from publishers that adheres to our content policies is automatically eligible for consideration in Google News and across news surfaces,” Google wrote. Google will still use its confusing automated methods for determining what is included and not included in Google News. Also, for Google News Showcase and Reader Revenue Manager, publishers will continue to submit logos through Publisher Center. What is changing. Here is what is changing: Custom sections that were previously created in Google Publisher Center will no longer appear on publisher Google News landing pages. Publishers will no longer be able to use Google Publisher Center to customer their logos and publication titles. Google News will use a site’s favicon for the publisher logo instead. Google News will use the site names for publication titles instead. Why we care. Google Publisher Center, which was once a really great place for news publishers to control and maintain their publications in Google News, is becoming less and less value to news publishers. Google wants to automate the process and claims, “This change improves our existing publisher workflow and simplifies our current product experience.” However, I know that news publishers continue to miss the old method for Google News and Publisher Center. View the full article

President Donald Trump on Tuesday moved to revert to older standards for light bulbs as well as toilets, showers and other water-using appliances, a day after signing an order promoting plastic straws and rescinding a plan to reduce single-use plastics. Trump said he would call on the Environmental Protection Agency to go back to water standards from his first White House term that would also affect sinks, washing machines and dishwashers. In a post on his private social media platform, Trump wrote that he was directing EPA Secretary Lee Zeldin “to immediately go back to my Environmental Orders,” calling them common sense. “I look forward to signing these orders,” Trump added. On Monday, Trump signed an executive order encouraging the U.S. government and consumers to buy plastic drinking straws, part of a broader weakening of environmental commitments by the Republican president after taking office on Jan. 20. Trump first served in the White House from 2017-2021. Trump’s Democratic predecessor, President Joe Biden, had embraced a host of environmental measures, including new energy-efficiency requirements for household clothes washers and dishwashers that capped water usage. Conservatives had challenged the rules in court. (This story has been corrected to reflect that no action has been taken yet in the headline) —Susan Heavey, Reuters View the full article

Lenders increased offerings in jumbo and non-QM segments as the industry focuses on customers with strong credit, the Mortgage Bankers Association said. View the full article

The Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development is stiffing American businesses on hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid bills for work that has already been done, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday. The administration’s abrupt freeze on foreign aid also is forcing mass layoffs by U.S. suppliers and contractors for USAID, including 750 furloughs at one company, Washington-based Chemonics International, the lawsuit says. “One cannot overstate the impact of that unlawful course of conduct: on businesses large and small forced to shut down their programs and let employees go; on hungry children across the globe who will go without; on populations around the world facing deadly disease; and on our constitutional order,” the U.S. businesses and organizations said. An organization representing 170 small U.S. businesses, major suppliers, an American Jewish group aiding displaced people abroad, the American Bar Association and others joined the court challenge. It was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington against President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, acting USAID Deputy Administrator Peter Marocco, a Trump appointee who has been a central figure in hollowing out the agency, and Russell Vought, Trump’s head of the Office of Management and Budget. It is at least the third lawsuit over the administration’s rapid unraveling of the U.S. aid and development agency and its programs worldwide. Trump and ally Elon Musk have targeted USAID in particular, saying its work is out of line with Trump’s agenda. Marocco, Musk and Rubio have overseen an across-the-board freeze on foreign assistance and agency shutdown under a Jan. 20 executive order by Trump. A lawsuit brought by federal employees associations has temporarily blocked the administration from pulling thousands of USAID staffers off the job. The funding freeze and other measures have persisted, including the agency losing the lease on its Washington headquarters. The new administration terminated contracts without the required 30-day notice and without back payments for work that was already done, according to a U.S. official, a businessperson with a USAID contract and an email seen by The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal by the Trump administration. For Chemonics, one of the larger of the USAID partners, the funding freeze has meant $103 million in unpaid invoices and almost $500 million in USAID-ordered medication, food and other goods stalled in the supply chain or ports, the lawsuit says. For the health commodities alone, not delivering them “on time could potentially lead to as many as 566,000 deaths from HIV/AIDS, malaria, and unmet reproductive health needs, including 215,000 pediatric deaths,” the lawsuit says. The filing asserts that the administration has no authority to block programs and funding mandated by Congress without approval. Marocco defended the funding cutoff and push to put all but a fraction of USAID staff on leave in an affidavit filed late Monday in the lawsuit brought by the workers’ groups. “Insubordination” and “noncompliance” by USAID staffers made it necessary to stop funding and operations by the agency to allow the administration to carry out a program-by-program review to decide what U.S. aid programs could resume overseas, Marocco wrote. —Ellen Knickmeyer, Associated Press View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Presidents Day is not until Feb. 17, 2025, but as is often the case, retailers have started their sales well in advance. Best Buy has the best sale I've seen so far, with great deals on major appliances and tech products, including headphones, TVs, soundbars, washers, and more. Here are my favorite deals from the sale worth considering. Resolution: 4K, Size: 55 inches, Display: LED, Backlight: Edge Lit, Voice Assistant: Alexa. 55” Samsung The Frame (LS03D, 2024) $899.99 at Best Buy $1,499.99 Save $600.00 Get Deal Get Deal $899.99 at Best Buy $1,499.99 Save $600.00 Wireless Connectivity: Bluetooth, Maximum Frequency Response: 20 kilohertz, Peak Power: 550 Watts JBL Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer 5.1-Channel $259.99 at Best Buy $599.99 Save $340.00 Get Deal Get Deal $259.99 at Best Buy $599.99 Save $340.00 Noise Cancelling (Active): No, Wireless Connectivity: Bluetooth, Water Resistant: Yes. Apple - AirPods 4 $99.99 at Best Buy $129.99 Save $30.00 Get Deal Get Deal $99.99 at Best Buy $129.99 Save $30.00 Capacity: 4.5 cubic feet, High-Efficiency: Yes, Washer Load Type: Front load, App Compatible: Yes. Samsung 4.5 Cu. Ft. Smart Front Load Washer $699.99 at Best Buy $1,034.99 Save $335.00 Get Deal Get Deal $699.99 at Best Buy $1,034.99 Save $335.00 Processor Model: i7, Graphics: Intel Iris Xe, RAM: 16 GB, Display Type: LED, Screen Size: 15.6 in. HP 15 (Intel Core i7 12th Gen, 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, Touch Display, 2024 Model) $499.99 at Best Buy $799.99 Save $300.00 Get Deal Get Deal $499.99 at Best Buy $799.99 Save $300.00 Screen Size: 40 millimeters, Operating System: watchOS, App: Yes, Built-in Storage: 32 GB. Apple Watch SE 2nd Generation $169.00 at Best Buy $249.00 Save $80.00 Get Deal Get Deal $169.00 at Best Buy $249.00 Save $80.00 SEE 3 MORE A Samsung washer with a $335 discountIf you're looking for a washer, peep this Samsung 4.5 Cu. Ft. Smart front load washer for $699.99 (originally $1,034.99), the lowest price it has been over the last few months, according to price-tracking tools. If you need other major appliances and like free TVs (who doesn't?), Best Buy is offering a free 75-inch Samsung Crystal UHD TV when you buy two or more appliances and they total at least $2,499.99. Very doable if you need a stove or fridge. The Frame TV is $600 offSamsung's The Frame is perfect for those who don't want an ugly TV to be the centerpiece of their living room. The matte and anti-reflective screen truly makes it look like you have a piece of art hanging on your wall (I've been fooled by them before). You can get the 55-inch The Frame for $899.99 (originally $1,499.99), the lowest price it's been over the last few months. A JBL soundbar and subwoofer combo over 50% offBuck for buck, there's nothing that elevates a home theater setup like getting a soundbar and subwoofer combo. The JBL 5.1 Channel Soundbar and Subwoofer combo is $259.99 (originally $599.99), a killer deal and the cheapest it has been over the last few months. You can read more about the PCMag review here. A powerful HP laptop for less than $500An HP laptop with an i7 processor with 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage for $499.99 (originally $799.99) is impressive. Make sure you're OK having a 15.6-inch screen, which is definitely on the bigger end of the spectrum. The resolution isn't 4K (only Full HD) with an LED display, but if you care about performance over design and aesthetics, it's a good choice. Apple Watch and AirPods up to $80 offApple users will enjoy the budget Apple Watch SE 2nd Generation for $169 (originally $249) and the new AirPods 4 for $99.99 (originally $129.99). Both of these are at the lowest price they've been over the last few months. Finally, a note of caution: If you've been eyeing that Google Pixel 7 Pro deal at Best Buy, don't buy it. It's much cheaper over at Woot with more storage. You're welcome. View the full article

For a decade, Dr. Bronner’s has been a certified B Corp, a designation issued by the nonprofit B Lab that confirms a company has met certain environmental, social, and governance standards. But now the soap company is dropping its B Corp certification without plans to renew. Dr. Bronner’s says B Lab’s standards are weak, and that some multinational corporations are now using its seal—an encircled B, which became a symbol that businesses can be “a force for good”—as a form of greenwashing. Dr. Bronner’s mainly takes issue with B Lab’s increasing certifications of multinational corporations like Unilever Australia, Nespresso, and Nestle Health Science—and the fact that these businesses are not required to provide third-party certifications on the humans rights or environmental impacts of their supply chains. Instead, a business can still get a B Corp certification by scoring high in other assessment areas, like if it monitors waste or has a certain percentage of management from underrepresented populations. To Dr. Bronner’s, this means B Lab is failing to ensure that its certification “won’t be used to mislead consumers,” David and Michael Bronner, CEO and President of Dr. Bronner’s, said in a joint statement. “Sharing the same logo and messaging regarding being of ‘benefit’ to the world with large multinational CPG companies with a history of serious ecological and labor issues, and no comprehensive or credible eco-social certification of supply chains, is unacceptable to us.” A B Lab spokesperson says the nonprofit remains “deeply committed” to its mission, and that “catalyzing business as a force for good is a journey rather than a destination.” It has been working with its member businesses, advocacy groups, and independent experts to strengthen its standards, and in early 2025 will publish new requirements. These updated standards, the spokesperson says, “address today’s most urgent social and environmental challenges, providing clear, impactful requirements that companies must meet in order to deliver leadership and systemic change.” Dr. Bronner first became a certified B Corp in 2015, the same year it became a benefit corporation—a separate, unrelated legal designation that allows companies to pursue social good instead of simply profit. In the years since, it’s become one of the top-scoring B Corps. The company currently has an overall score of 206.7, while the B Corp website notes that the median score for “ordinary businesses” is 50.9. (It’s also reportedly the highest score ever awarded by the nonprofit). The minimum score to become a certified B Corp is 80 points over five areas: governance, workers, community, environment, and customers. B Corp’s logo has graced thousands of brands, including notably progressive ones like Patagonia and Ben & Jerry’s. Dr. Bronner’s says its B Corp fee is paid through September 2025, but that the company won’t renew after that point. It’s also begun removing the B Corp logo from branding and marketing materials. For the past few years, Dr. Bronner’s has been pushing B Lab to improve its standards—especially after larger companies joined the B Corp community. In 2022, the Nestlé-owned coffee company Nespresso announced that it received B Corp certification, setting off a wave of backlash from other B Corps. Just two months after that announcement, 30 certified B Corps—including Dr. Bronner’s—signed an open letter to B Lab protesting the certification, pointing to the history of child labor and wage theft on farms that grew Nespresso’s beans. B Lab’s standards have been questioned before, especially as the number of certification submissions has surged. And B Lab has taken action against some companies for behaviors that go against its ethos. In 2022, Scottish brewery BrewDog announced it was no longer a certified B Corp—though they said their status wasn’t revoked, just that they withdrew after B Lab “requested additional measures” that they couldn’t fulfill. (BrewDog received scrutiny after its certification from former employees who said the company’s culture compromised their health and safety.) In 2024, B Lab stripped Havas, a French public relations company, of its certification because of the agency’s relationship with Shell. But it’s mostly B Lab’s certification of multinational companies that has received the most criticism, especially from its own B Corp community. It’s these large companies that are using their B Corp certification as a marketing ploy, Dr. Bronner’s says in its statement. Dr. Bronner’s has been pushing B Lab to require companies, especially those multinational corporations, to certify all major supply chains. “The raw agricultural materials a company uses—whether meat, milk, eggs, palm oil, cocoa, coffee, cotton, and any others—are often produced in terrible ways in terms of social and environmental impact, “ the Bronners said. Requiring third party eco-social certification for major multinational supply chains would, they added, “protect against the B Corp Certification being misused by companies to hide these unsustainable and unjust corporate practices.” They acknowledged that some certified B Corps do already practice this, including Patagonia, another prominent example of a purpose-driven business. But, they said, “they are unfortunately a minority and this is not required by B Lab, most glaringly in the case of large multinational companies and their enormous supply chains.” View the full article

It turns out that getting your news from robots playing telephone with actual sources might not be the best idea. In a BBC study of OpenAI, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and Perplexity’s news prowess, the news organization found that “51% of all AI answers” about news topics had “significant issues of some form.” The study involved asking each bot to answer 100 questions about the news, using BBC sources when available, with their answers then being rated by “journalists who were relevant experts in the subject of the article.” A few examples of issues include Gemini suggesting that the UK’s NHS (National Health Service) does not recommend vaping as a method for quitting smoking (it does), as well as ChatGPT and Copilot saying politicians who had left office were actually still serving their terms. More concerning, Perplexity misrepresented a BBC story on Iran and Israel, attributing viewpoints to the author and his sources that the article does not share. Regarding its own articles specifically, the BBC says 19% of AI summaries introduced these kinds of factual errors, hallucinating false statements, numbers, and dates. Additionally, 13% of direct quotes were “either altered from the original source or not present in the article cited.” Inaccuracies were not fully distributed between the bots, although this might come as cold comfort given that none performed especially well either. “Microsoft's Copilot and Google's Gemini had more significant issues than OpenAI's ChatGPT and Perplexity,” the BBC says, but on the flip side, Perplexity and ChatGPT each still had issues with more than 40% of responses. In a blog, BBC CEO Deborah Turness had harsh words for the tested companies, saying that while AI offers “endless opportunities,” current implementations of it are “playing with fire.” "We live in troubled times,” Turness wrote. “How long will it be before an AI-distorted headline causes significant real world harm?" The study is not the first time the BBC has called out AI news summaries, as its prior reporting arguably convinced Apple to shut down its own AI news summaries just last month. Journalists have also previously butted heads with Perplexity over copyright concerns, with Wired accusing the bot of bypassing paywalls and the New York Times sending the company a cease-and-desist letter. News Corp, which owns the New York Post and The Wall Street Journals, went a step further, and is currently suing Perplexity. To conduct its tests, the BBC temporarily lifted restrictions preventing AI from accessing its sites, but has since reinstated them. Regardless of these blocks and Turness’ harsh words, however, the news organization is not against AI as a rule. “We want AI companies to hear our concerns and work constructively with us,” the BBC study states. “We want to understand how they will rectify the issues we have identified and discuss the right long-term approach to ensuring accuracy and trustworthiness in AI assistants. We are willing to work closely with them to do this.” View the full article

Construction projects are notoriously difficult. They involve multiple teams, suppliers and more when building a structure. Ensuring the schedule is realistic and the project can be delivered on time requires techniques such as CPM construction. What is CPM construction? It stands for the critical path method in construction. What is critical path construction? That’s what we’ll learn, including how to make a CPM construction schedule and why general contractors want to use it. We’ll even throw in a free critical path template. What Is the Critical Path Method (CPM) in Construction? As noted above, CPM construction stands for the critical path method. It’s a project management technique used to make a construction schedule, determine the longest sequence of dependent tasks and identify the shortest possible duration for completing the project. Using CPM in construction helps project managers prioritize tasks, allocate resources effectively and identify potential delays. This is crucial for keeping projects on schedule, optimizing resource allocation and minimizing delays or cost overruns. Two key elements of CPM construction are the critical path diagram and the critical path algorithm. They help visualize and calculate the project schedule. Let’s look at both of these elements to better understand them. Critical Path Diagram: This visually represents the project’s activities, dependencies and the sequence in which tasks must be completed. It helps identify the project’s critical path. Critical Path Algorithm: This is used to calculate the critical path and project schedule. It is typically performed using one of two methods: forward pass and backward pass. The algorithm helps determine the project’s duration, identify critical tasks and calculate float or slack time (the amount of time a specific task or activity can be delayed without negatively impacting the project’s schedule). We’ll show how to create a CPM construction schedule by hand, but who has time for that? When managing a construction project, general contractors and their teams need to be more efficient, which is why they use construction project management software. ProjectManager is award-winning construction project and portfolio management software with robust Gantt charts to create schedules and identify the critical path. Like any Gantt chart, ours can organize tasks and allocate resources and costs. But we go beyond that to link all four types of task dependencies to avoid delays and cost overruns and can set a baseline to track progress in real time. There’s also a filter to identify the critical path, without having to pick up pen and paper or engage in complex calculations. Get started with ProjectManager today for free. /wp-content/uploads/2024/04/critical-path-light-mode-gantt-construction-CTA.pngProjectManager has Gantt charts that filter for the critical path and more. Learn more What Is the Critical Path of a Construction Project? The critical path of a construction project is the series of tasks that determine the earliest possible completion date for the project. As noted above, it’s the longest sequence of dependent activities, meaning these tasks are directly connected. Any delay in one of them will result in a delay in the project’s overall completion. In simpler terms, the critical path represents the chain of activities that have no slack time. In other words, there is no room for delay in these tasks without pushing back the final project deadline. Knowing this is critical for project planning and monitoring. It helps project managers focus on the most important tasks that could impact the project’s success. By identifying the critical path, construction crews can allocate resources more effectively and complete tasks on schedule. How to Make a CPM Construction Schedule Creating a critical path method construction schedule involves several steps. Note, this is how one would make the CPM construction schedule with a pen and paper. The following is a detailed guide on how to do it manually. 1. Create a List of Tasks Start by creating a comprehensive list of all tasks involved in the project. These tasks should represent the activities that need to be completed during the construction process. It’s ideal to use a work breakdown structure (WBS). This hierarchical diagram captures all the deliverables in the project and the tasks or activities needed to complete them. 2. Estimate the Duration of Tasks For each task, estimate the duration. There are several ways to help make a more accurate forecast. For example, there’s historical data from past, similar projects. Also, seek out experts for their judgment. 3. Identify Task Dependencies At this point, the general contractor or whoever is building the construction schedule, has to determine the tasks that are dependent on other tasks. This means that one task can’t start or end until another dependent task has been started or completed. 4. Draw a Critical Path Diagram Now, use a piece of paper to visually represent the tasks and their dependencies in a network diagram. This is typically done using nodes, a circle to represent tasks, and arrows to show dependencies. 5. Calculate the Critical Path of the Project To calculate the critical path and determine the longest path through the network’s diagram, one must calculate the earliest start time (ES) and earliest finish time (EF) for each task, as well as the latest start time (LS) and latest finish time (LF). Any tasks with zero float (the difference between the earliest and latest times) are on the critical path. Critical Path Template Finding the critical path on paper is one way to help when scheduling a CPM construction project. However, there are more efficient ways. The best is the use of construction project management software, but for those who aren’t ready to upgrade, download this free critical path template for Excel. /wp-content/uploads/2024/05/critical-path-method-screenshot.png Use this free template during the planning phase of a CPM construction project. It helps determine a more realistic schedule that can be followed to deliver the project on time. Instead of creating a CPM construction schedule from scratch, this free template lays it all out, from ES, EF, LS, LF and slack. Benefits of Implementing CPM in Construction Projects Using CPM in construction projects offers several significant benefits. These advantages help improve project planning, execution and control. They help projects deliver on time and within budget. Here are a few key benefits. Prioritizes the Allocation of Resources for Critical Tasks One key benefit of CPM construction is that it helps project managers identify which tasks are on the critical path, meaning these tasks directly impact the project’s overall completion time. These tasks are the most important to complete on time and any delay in them will cause a delay in the entire project. The critical path does this by focusing on those critical tasks, optimizing resource use, helping with resource-leveling to balance resources across tasks, managing dependencies and minimizing delays. Facilitates Project Task Sequencing and Workflow Management One primary goal of CPM construction is to help project managers plan and coordinate all tasks involved in the construction process, ensuring they are completed in the right order with minimal delays. It assists in task sequencing by defining task dependencies, establishing the critical path and defining task duration. In terms of workflow management, CPM in construction visualizes task dependencies and scheduling to see the flow of tasks and their dependencies, which makes managing the workflow easier. It minimizes downtime by making sure when one task is done, the next can start. It also optimizes resources across tasks. Helps Accurately Track Project Progress CPM construction is also an excellent way to accurately track project progress. It helps project managers continuously monitor the status of tasks, identify potential bottlenecks and ensure the project stays on track. Monitoring critical tasks in real time is essential for regular updates, as well as tracking milestones and identifying delays and taking corrective action. It also tracks float and slack time and can forecast project completion, which keeps stakeholders informed. ProjectManager Is CPM Scheduling Software for Construction All of those advantages can be achieved. Project managers might reap the benefits by creating a CPM construction schedule on paper or even the free template we offer. However, the point of using the critical path in scheduling a construction project is to work more efficiently. This requires investing in construction project management software. But not all software is equal. ProjectManager is award-winning construction project and portfolio management software with powerful Gantt charts that can make construction schedules that identify the critical path. This forecasts projects more accurately and provides tools to track project progress in real time. Track Labor Costs With Timesheets and Workload Management Charts Monitoring progress is important, but there’s more to time management when running a construction project. If the budget gets out of hand, general contractors can kiss their profit margin goodbye. Therefore, costs are also a critical metric to track. Secure timesheets streamline payroll and offer a window into labor costs. To keep labor working as scheduled, our resource management tools balance workload and provide a real-time overview of resource allocation with color-coded workload charts. There’s even a team page that summarizes crew activities on a daily or weekly basis. It can be filtered to view priority, progress and more. /wp-content/uploads/2024/05/timesheet-lightmode-good-version-lots-of-tasks.png Monitor Project Progress With Real-Time Dashboards There are multiple ways to monitor costs and other key performance indicators (KPIs). Project managers can have a high-level view of the project by toggling to the real-time project or portfolio dashboards. These tools automatically collect live data and display them in easy-to-read graphs and charts that show time, cost, workload, health and more. It’s an instant status report. For a real status or portfolio report, as well as reports on variance, timesheets, workload and more, visit our reporting page. All reports are customizable, meaning they can be filtered to show details or provide a summary and share easily to update stakeholders. /wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Dashboard-light-mode.jpg Related CPM Construction Content Critical path construction is important. For those who want to delve into the critical path, there’s more to learn. Below are a handful of recent articles we’ve published on CPM with Gantt charts, how to use PERT with CPM and much more. Critical Path Method (CPM) in Project Management Displaying the Critical Path on a Gantt Chart Critical Path Template for Excel (Free Download) How to Make a CPM Schedule: CPM Scheduling Basics PERT and CPM: Their Differences and How to Use Them Together ProjectManager is online construction project and portfolio management software that connects teams whether they’re in the office or on the job site. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay updated with email and in-app notifications. Get started with ProjectManager today for free. The post Critical Path Method (CPM) in Construction: A Quick Guide appeared first on ProjectManager. View the full article

A viral TikTok video showing an empty book signing for an elderly author tugged at millions of hearts—until it was exposed as a marketing stunt. The book in question, Just Cuz, was reportedly written by Barbara Miller as a tribute to her late husband, Marv. “She wrote it as a way to deal with her grief,” the video’s voiceover explained. Posted last month, the video shows an empty bookstore with “Aunt Barb” setting up her books on a table to sign for customers who were nowhere in sight, followed by a dejected but hopeful “Aunt Barb”—and it quickly racked up more than 33 million views, sparking an outpouring of support. Hundreds of commenters pledged to buy the book and attend her next signing. But TikTok creator Sam Cahn was the first to burst Aunt Barb’s bubble. “The bad news is that this was fake,” he said in his own video. “The good news is the book is selling.” Cahn became suspicious when he noticed how new Miller’s social media presence was and that there was no announcement of a book signing across any of her pages. After calling the bookstore, he found out that someone had paid $150 to rent the space on a Monday, when the store was closed, and staged the entire scene. “This isn’t an attack on Barb,” he clarified. “I think she’s sweet. I love the success.” He did, however, think it was worth calling out the 100% staged video from justcuzthebook. “I just want you to know that this didn’t happen: Nobody didn’t show up to a book signing.” The emotional manipulation tactic is, unfortunately, tried and true. “‘My parent did this thing but nobody came to see’ is always a marketing gimmick . . . but it gets me every time,” one user commented underneath Cahn’s video. “Omg I cried my eyes out on the original post,” another wrote. On social media, the sob story has become a go-to strategy for struggling artists chasing virality. Pity appears to be a powerful currency, one that can turn engagement into attention and attention into sales. It’s now not uncommon to see people sharing stories of professional failure (like Aunt Barb), seemingly in the hopes of gaining support, promotion, and even purchases from total strangers online. And often, it works. This kind of emotional marketing taps into our most basic instincts: If we feel bad enough for someone, we’re more likely to hit “buy” (regardless of whether the work in question is even good). It’s a crass but effective tool, one that plays on our emotions for clicks. That turn into bucks. So, okay, maybe sometimes it pays to engage in a bit of emotional manipulation . . . just cuz. But let’s keep it to a minimum and maybe not use it with matters of great consequence, k? View the full article

In an ad that aired in select markets during Sunday’s Super Bowl, Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, encouraged viewers to visit his website, Yeezy.com. The site originally listed a variety of merchandise, but right after the ad aired, quickly limited the selection to a single $20 white T-shirt emblazoned with a large black swastika. The site listed the product under the name “HH-01,” which, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), is code for “Heil Hitler.” Ye’s site hosted the shirt, but it was sold through the ecommerce platform Shopify. The shirt remained live until Shopify removed the listing this morning, and now searching Yeezy.com leads to an error page. While the T-shirt is no longer available through Shopify, Fast Company found that one reseller, as of this morning, had already listed the shirt for sale on eBay at a huge markup of more than $600. This suggests there is a secondary market for the shirts following a day of sales on the original site. [Screenshot: eBay] Following an inquiry from Fast Company, eBay removed the listing. But this afternoon, another reseller posted a listing for the shirt that blurred out the swastika symbol, possibly as a workaround to eBay’s offensive items policy. eBay has since taken down this posting, as well. The far-right has used similar codes and hate symbols during President Trump’s first term, and that practice is on the rise again. “The dog whistles in conservative politics have become bullhorns in the Trump era,” Robert Rowland, professor of communications at the University of Kansas, who studies Trump’s rhetoric, told Fast Company in 2021. The incident calls into question how retailers should walk the line between upholding “free speech” and standing against hateful rhetoric—especially in an era when many major brands are walking back their commitments to DEI. Shopify and eBay respond to Ye’s swastika shirt In a statement to Fast Company on the takedown of the T-shirt listing, an eBay spokesperson said, “eBay has zero-tolerance for items that promote anti-Semitism or hate of any kind. eBay’s Offensive Items policy prohibits the listing of anti-Semitic items, including any items from after 1933 that include a swastika. The shirts in question are covered by this policy and eBay is actively blocking or removing any listings for them. Sellers who violate eBay policies may face sanctions up to, and including, a permanent suspension.” In reference to the removal of the Yeezy website, a Shopify spokesperson stated, “All merchants are responsible for following the rules of our platform. This merchant did not engage in authentic commerce practices and violated our terms, so we removed them from Shopify.” Apparently, Shopify was aware of the T-shirt listing by Monday afternoon at the latest, but discouraged its support staff from commenting if any merchant clients reached out about the item, according to a report from The Logic. This isn’t the first time that Shopify has faced criticism for accommodating items that could constitute hate speech. Back in June 2024, Shopify appeared to have updated its Acceptable Use Policy to remove a previous ban of “hateful content,” replacing it with a condition that sellers cannot “call for, or threaten, violence against specific people or groups.” Then, in November, Shopify drew backlash for hosting a store that posted merch denying the Holocaust and parodying the likeness of Anne Frank. Shopify did not respond to Fast Company’s request for clarification on the distinction between Ye’s swastika t-shirt and the aforementioned listings, which appear to still be live at the time of this writing. What this means for brands going forward The HH-01 t-shirt came after Ye published a series of antisemitic tweets to his personal X account, including one claiming, “I’m going to normalize talking about Hitler,” which ultimately led to the shutdown of the account. Ye has a storied history of falling out with business partners due to instances of hate speech. Back in 2022, longtime collaborator Adidas cut ties with the artist after he published a series of anti-Semitic comments. Other brands, including the talent agency CAA and the tech company Kano, also ended their partnerships with Ye at the time. It’s possible that Ye expected his Shopify site to go down, and even with the shutdown of the Yeezy domain, he got what he wanted: an attention-grabbing stunt, and shirts featuring hate symbols on secondary markets, indicating either way that the political climate is creating a permission structure for hate groups to wear what was formerly dog whistles on the sleeve. While Ye’s clash with Shopify is nothing new, it demonstrates a need for increased vigilance from companies like Shopify and eBay to screen their listings and act quickly to remove hateful products. Amidst a rising crackdown on DEI policies from the federal level, the onus lies on brands to take responsibility for harmful imagery. View the full article

Less than 1% of views of YouTube videos come from Google search clicks, according to a member of Google’s legal team. The quote. Here’s what Attorney John Schmidtlein said, according to Courthouse News Service: “Roughly less than 1% of views on YouTube come from people who click on [search] links,” Attorney John Schmidtlein of Williams & Connolly, who represented Google, said in court. Why we care. This is the first time this statistic has been revealed publicly, as far as I know. It might be 100% true. The majority of people likely discover and view videos directly on YouTube, either via YouTube search or YouTube’s recommendation algorithm. But. Google does seem to self-preference YouTube a lot. it’s hard to imagine that Google would show videos in prominent places in search results if the videos weren’t getting clicked on and watched. Google vs. Rumble. The statistic was revealed in federal court last week, ahead of what would be yet another antitrust trial brought against Google – this time by Rumble, a rival video platform. Rumble is arguing that “a rival cannot hope to compete” when Google gives preferential visibility to YouTube – especially on mobile, but especially when Google ranks YouTube videos over Rumble videos even when Rumble’s name appears in the search query. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. It's a potentially concerning sign of the times, but my morning is dictated by my apps. On an average day, I start off by putting in a mobile Dunkin' order, checking my sales on Poshmark and my rentals on Pickle, and playing the New York Times games before shifting over to the more serious work apps. As of last week, I added a new app to the morning mix: Finch, which is sort of like a to-do list mixed with a Tamagotchi. My ultimate goal with this whole morning app rotation is to resist the siren call of social media and, with it, an unproductive start to the day. This app, I reasoned, would help me be even more productive by giving me structured goals and rewards for my real-world responsibilities. Finch is a little bird who thrives on your successFinch is an app that gamifies your productivity. As you complete daily tasks and mark them done in the app, you nourish a little bird, who grows and thrives based on how much you give them. It's a very cute concept. The more you accomplish and interact with your bird, the more "adventures" they go on, skills they develop, and growth they achieve. Setting up my Finch. Credit: Lindsey Ellefson The app comes pre-loaded with tasks and—I won't lie—they were a little more basic than what I needed. They include things like "get out of bed" and "drink water." I can imagine being in a funk bad enough that these little reminders (and the in-game rewards that come with completing them) would be helpful, so I found that sweet, but not beneficial for me. I kept a few of them in the to-do list for some easy wins, but was able to add in the other things I want to accomplish daily, like "work out." You can tie the completion of certain tasks to in-game challenges, earning specific prizes for, say, washing your face seven days in a row. You can also set tasks to occur weekly, monthly, or at whatever interval makes sense for you. Finch offers motivation to be productive, without the shameThe interface is really simple to use and understand, which I appreciate. All I have to do is open the app and tap a checkmark next to a task to indicate I've done it. From there, I earn rewards, like in-game currency, new traits for my bird, and I can buy her little outfits or whatever. It's rudimentary, yes, but it's very relaxing and pleasant. I like this more than other productivity apps because it doesn't shame you in any way. It's encouraging, not stressful, and the game element is novel and cute enough to keep it interesting. (Not to brag, but my bird has very nearly grown from a baby into a toddler, all because I drank some water and washed my face.) There's also no major time commitment. If all I wanted to do was check off items on my list, that would be fine. There are rewards for doing other things—like following guided breathing or stretching exercises, listening to soundscapes, writing down daily reflections, and chronicling your overall emotional state—but no penalties for not doing them, so the game element here is only positive, not competitive or stressful. It's very clear that this is, above all, a self-care app, but it's entirely possible to input more concrete to-dos into your list. I spent my first week using it lightly, mostly relying on those early-stage goals the app came up with, but now that I've gotten the hang of it (and my bird needs some cute new outfits) I'm going to add more of my work and home-based tasks. This is going to be especially helpful as a cleaning checklist, since I've liked but not loved any of the other ones I've tried. The app is available on iOS and the Google Play store. It's free and you can totally just use the free version, but for $39.99 per year, you can access more exercises and shop items, plus customize the little icons that appear next to your to-dos. You get a seven-day free trial to see if you're into all that, but it's not especially necessary. The free version does everything you need. View the full article

Central bank chief vows to ‘focus on the data’ rather than get dragged into political debatesView the full article

In my work reporting on health, I often refer to the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and more. Healthcare workers, scientists, and others rely on these, too. But information has been disappearing from those websites. There’s no simple hack to work around this. Some vital information is missing. Some has been restored, with subtle and not-so-subtle changes—like suggesting you search for adoption when you actually searched for abortion, or replacing the phrase “pregnant people” with “pregnant women,” as if the word “people” did not already include women. And we don’t know how future additions to the website may be hobbled. The CDC’s weekly research publication, which had operated more-or-less independently when it came to publishing research, has been under “unprecedented control” by the Trump administration, CBS News reports. That publication, the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, didn’t put out its Jan. 23 or Jan. 30 issues. In the midst of a bird flu epidemic that is driving up egg prices and threatening to spread well beyond farms, the administration reportedly stopped the publication of three studies on bird flu, including one on wastewater, one on exposure in cattle veterinarians, and one—whose data was accidentally published and then yanked—on the ability of bird flu to be transmitted between people and farm cats. There’s no replacing the MMWR’s independence, and some of the information pulled from the CDC’s website has not yet been returned, including guidelines for Mpox vaccination, and other pages on sexually transmitted infections including HIV and on LGBTQ+ health concerns and disparities, as reported by the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. A federal judge has ordered the CDC to restore data on its website, but the Trump administration has ignored plenty of court orders relating to its illegal activity in recent weeks—so forgive my skepticism. Until then, here are a few places to find missing health and medical information that the CDC would normally have been able to provide. Physician associations like ACOG and AMAThe American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has made sure to publish its “endorsed guidance” documents that were authored with the CDC. “Endorsed” means that these are guidelines that ACOG fully supports. As the name of the organization suggests, these documents are ones that relate to obstetrics and gynecology. The American Medical Association has a Youtube series dedicated to weekly reports of health and medical news—hardly a replacement for the MMWR, but worth keeping an eye on if you want to stay up-to-date on current health issues in the U.S. The good old Wayback MachineIf you’ve found a dead link for something that used to be on the CDC website, check the Wayback Machine at archive.org. It may not have everything, but I was able to find some missing content there. For example, a PDF entitled “A Guide to Talking About HIV” that used to live here is available in a Wayback Machine snapshot from December 2024. Data mirror projectsA project called the End-of-term Web Archive has downloaded government websites at the end of each presidential term since 2008. Other organizations have been attempting to save information from the CDC and other government websites, as Nature reports. The University of Minnesota has a collection of end-of-term data repositories here. The Internet Archive has some CDC datasets here, including data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, which is no longer on the CDC website. (Its data explorer was here, but clicking that link currently just loads a message saying “The Application is currently offline.”) Other countries’ health agenciesThe U.S. CDC may be the most prominent (or it was, anyway, I guess) but other countries have their equivalents. The Public Health Agency of Canada, for example, has information on topics like sexual health that may be unavailable on the CDC website. View the full article

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager. A reader writes: About four months ago I hired a new employee, Arnold. He interviewed very well, and the other interviewers on the panel agreed he was the best candidate. However now I am starting to see some serious gaps in ability. The biggest issue is that Arnold totally forgets entire conversations we’ve had. Some examples: • I told him in June that he needed to plan the agenda for the team meeting in late July. A few weeks into July, I asked how the agenda was coming, and he said that was the first time he heard about it. I pointed him to our shared notes document from our 1:1 conversation in June where we discussed it. • I assigned him a report to analyze sales trends over the course of the year. We spent 30 minutes talking about how the company decided to pivot from teapot sales to toaster sales, and this report should provide an update on the outcomes of that strategic sales shift. He turned in his report, which concluded that teapot sales declined and we should investigate why that happened. When I told him we talked about why that happened (a strategic decision by leadership), he said he doesn’t recall hearing that context. • I assigned Arnold a project to implement a new project management technology that my peer (Dane) had experience working with. I connected Arnold with Dane for him to learn best practices. A few weeks later, I hear from Dane that he is frustrated with Arnold. He says Arnold doesn’t follow his instructions, yet repeatedly asks the same questions, even when Dane has already provided the answer. I have seen screenshots of Slack messages of the same question answered multiple times by Dane in writing. Am I being gaslit by Arnold, or do you think something else is going on? I’ve even enlisted my manager to set up 1:1s to reinforce important topics with Arnold in case there’s something about my communication style that is not effective. But my manager has had the same experience with him forgetting key topics of conversation. I have other direct reports who are amazing and seem to be thriving, so I’m baffled and frustrated by how much time I am needing to invest in Arnold for mediocre results. I suspect we are on our way to a performance improvement plan for Arnold, but what exactly can he improve? His memory? How do I coach this kind of behavior? I doubt he’s gaslighting you and Dane — at least not in the original sense of the word, which means intentionally trying to make you think you’re losing your mind. (It comes from the 1944 movie Gaslight, in which a man tries to make his wife think her grip on reality is slipping away.) I suppose it’s possible that that Arnold is deliberately not bothering to retain anything in the hopes of sowing chaos, but it’s far, far, far more likely that he (a) has a terrible memory, (b) isn’t conscientious enough to take the normal steps people take to retain things, like paying attention in conversations and writing things down, and/or (c) is trying to cover up mistakes by pretending he doesn’t have any memory of previous instructions. Fortunately, no matter which of these options it is (or even if it’s some other explanation), the solution is the same: Sit down with Arnold, explain there is a pattern of him not retaining information and instructions, and say that he needs to figure out better systems for capturing info so it doesn’t keep happening. Explain that the issue is serious and it’s essential to get it fixed immediately. Ultimately Arnold needs to figure out what system will work for him, but you should feel free to suggest specific systems that you think would work in his context. The most obvious one is, of course, taking notes, but you might also suggest that he write up summaries of his takeaways after each discussion and email them to you and that he refer back to them every time he works on that project. You also might supplement that on your end by asking him to repeat back his takeaways at the end of each discussion with you. (That can be a pretty useful strategy even for someone who isn’t having trouble remembering details, because often it will bring to the surface some miscommunication that you didn’t realize had happened.) From there, treat “retaining and applying information” the same way you would any other key performance requirement — meaning that if it keeps happening, you should continue to flag the pattern and move fairly quickly to “since this is crucial to being able to do the job, let’s figure out if we can help you get where you need to be or not” (which in most workplaces will mean a formal improvement plan, but can also just be a couple of serious conversations as long as you’re extremely clear about the potential consequences if the problem continues and the timeline he has for fixing it). In other words, treat it the same way you would if he kept missing deadlines or turning in work with serious mistakes or anything else that goes to the heart of “not doing the job we need done.” Also, since someone is certain to mention it in the comments: it’s entirely possible that Arnold’s memory is a medical issue. We have no way of knowing whether that’s the case, but you’d proceed the same way regardless (flag the pattern, explain it’s a problem, and ask him to address it). Certainly if he mentions some sort of medical context (like “I’m on a new medication that is affecting my memory’) you’d give him more grace while he actively works on solutions with his doctor … but at the end of the day, no matter what the explanation is, he does need to implement systems to track important details for his job, and you can and should hold him to that regardless of what’s at the root of it. View the full article

The MBA disclosed the year-end rankings of income-producing mortgage servicers at its yearly conference for this part of the industry. View the full article

Google Ads is launching a new video enhancement feature for Demand Gen campaigns. The update automatically creates shorter versions of existing video ads to better engage diverse audiences. Details: The enhancement will automatically generate condensed versions of existing video ads. The feature will be enabled by default across all Google Demand Gen ad campaigns. Advertisers have until March 10 to opt out of the automatic enhancement. Why we care. Short-form content consistently captures higher engagement, especially on mobile and social platforms. By automatically generating shorter video versions, this could aid in reaching diverse audiences without the added cost or effort of creating new content. This update is a low-effort way to maximize ad performance and stay competitive in an increasingly fast-paced digital landscape. However, it may be so low effort that quality would need to be closely monitored. Be open to test but ensure the outputs match the message your original video is trying to send across. How it works. You can manage the enhancement through ads.google.com or by working with their Google sales representatives. First seen. This update was first brought to our attention by PPC expert Julie Friedman Bacchini, who shared the message she received from Google about this message on X: What’s next. You have approximately one month to evaluate the feature and decide whether to keep it enabled for your campaigns. The big picture. The feature arrives as social media platforms and advertisers increasingly pivot toward short-form video content to capture fleeting consumer attention spans. Between the lines. This move signals Google’s growing investment in AI-powered advertising tools, helping advertisers maximize reach without increasing creative production budgets. View the full article