Please Support The Poor Poet

May 29, 2018

Please Support The Poor Poet

Dear reader, your support is absolutely essential to continue this site.

Moon of Alabama provides news and analysis which mainstream media cover late or not at all. This site is free. It serves original thought and no-nonsense writing on a (nearly) daily basis. It has an open and lively comment section. It is the full-time effort of this single person.

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The growing readership of the blog and your feed back keep me going. But I also need to eat and pay rent. I have little other income. Each donation to this Poor Poet, be it $5, $50 or $500, is welcome and urgently needed. A recurring contribution or institutional sponsorship would be great.

Transaction costs are smallest when you send cash or a check. You can also use a bank-wire transfer. Send email to MoonofA @ aol.com (remove the spaces) for the necessary details. (They are the same as before.) You can use a credit card or other means when you donate through the PayPal button below. (The receiving account is in Euro – 1 Euro is about US$ 1.20)

Thank you!

Bernhard aka b.

Posted by b on May 29, 2018 at 10:59 UTC | Permalink

Comments

Wired something, as this is one of the best sites this side of the universe.

Posted by: Jeff | May 25 2018 9:01 utc | 1

Do it tomorrow. Agree with the first commenter, one of the VERY few sites where I also read the article itself, not just the comments.

Posted by: Peter Schmidt | May 25 2018 9:09 utc | 2

How come no bitcoin payment option 😀

Posted by: moe | May 25 2018 10:00 utc | 3

You are fantastic b. Will send $$ but it will have to be tomorrow.

Posted by: fairleft | May 25 2018 10:02 utc | 4

I’ve banned PayPal, and overseas transfer too expensive.
Suggest setting up a Patreon account.

Posted by: imo | May 25 2018 10:11 utc | 5

Can you please make a non-PayPal method of payment available? I want to contribute but not be forced to set up a PayPal account. Your site is incredible and should be strongly supported for its insightful analysis.

Posted by: DocP | May 25 2018 10:14 utc | 6

You referenced paying by cash or cheque. Do you have an address I can mail a cheque to?
Antoinetta III

Posted by: Antoinetta III | May 25 2018 10:27 utc | 7

Done.
Thank you b!

Posted by: Das Kommentariat | May 25 2018 10:58 utc | 8

I’ve set up a monthly payment. This site is one of the very few that deserves it. Keep up the excellent work Bernhard!

Posted by: Lance | May 25 2018 11:02 utc | 9

set up a monthly payment, this is one of the best sites around. thanks for all the excellent work

Posted by: anon | May 25 2018 11:47 utc | 10

Solve it yourself by accepting banner ads, that will generate more money than small donations by commentators here.

Posted by: Jerzy | May 25 2018 12:40 utc | 11

Hi Bernard,
Can you become a verified Brave Browser publisher? That way I can support you with the Crypto tokens BAT(You can cash these out for Fiat, it is a straight forward process). The Brave Browser was created by Brendan Eich, inventor of JavaScript. Incidentally I came across your site because Brendan Eich re-tweets your articles.
You can find more info here
https://brave.com/publishers/

Posted by: Patrick | May 25 2018 12:49 utc | 12

@moe How come no bitcoin payment option 😀
Bitcoin is a scam. To convert it to money with which I can buy coffee is way to expensive and complicate.
@imo – Suggest setting up a Patreon account.
I see no differene between PayPal and Patreon except that Patreon is now the more expensive option.
Why not drop a bill into an envelope and send it by snail mail?
@DocP – Can you please make a non-PayPal method of payment available?
I mention three such methods above. Direct bank transfer or a check or cash via mail. Please email MoonofA @ aol.com for the necessary data.
@Antoinetta III You referenced paying by cash or cheque. Do you have an address I can mail a cheque to?
Yes, but please understand that I do not want to put my physical address on the web. Please email MoonofA @ aol.com for my contact data.
@Jerzy Solve it yourself by accepting banner ads, that will generate more money than small donations by commentators here.
Wrote the guy who has AdblockPlus installed with his browser … 🙂
@Patrick Can you become a verified Brave Browser publisher? That way I can support you with the Crypto tokens BAT
No. Sorry, I will neither join another payment shop that will likely shut down in a few month nor do I believe in the crypto money hype. I have seen too many of both come and go.

Posted by: b | May 25 2018 13:12 utc | 13

Only found you recently, but I do feel that I ‘found’ you – I love your work and I love the btl comments people. Don’t have much but you’re very welcome to some of it with pleasure and I hope you can carry on, it’s very necessary and thank you 🙂

Posted by: Billy Dasein | May 25 2018 14:13 utc | 14

That photo looks like my home! Will send in a weeks time.have only been aware of this site,since early March -Salisbury incident.now it’s the best source of reality/sanity I have.thank you sir.

Posted by: Mark2 | May 25 2018 14:30 utc | 15

b 13
This is not my computer,
why not adress what I said, start using banner ads, you would be getting 10s of thousands of dollars very fast.

Posted by: Jerzy | May 25 2018 15:30 utc | 16

“full-time effort of this single person.”
Money may help, but shouldn’t we also find a bride for our single poet?

Posted by: Piotr Berman | May 25 2018 15:32 utc | 17

Done. Thank so much, b. Do not give up!

Posted by: btpsilveira | May 25 2018 15:39 utc | 18

@ b. it’s in the mail…i am happy to contribute..
@16 jerzy… he did address what you said.. you refuse to listen!

Posted by: james | May 25 2018 15:53 utc | 19

Happy to contribute, but I dont like PayPal. Another way?

Posted by: Norbert | May 25 2018 16:16 utc | 20

b,
I use PayPal. Sent in Euros.
I appreciate your quality work and value this “salon” for discussion.
RR

Posted by: Red Ryder | May 25 2018 16:39 utc | 21

Done.

Posted by: Gesine Hammerling | May 25 2018 16:51 utc | 22

james
Nope he didnt, and what business of yours is it lol

Posted by: Jerzy | May 25 2018 16:52 utc | 23

@ Jerzy with the ongoing tripe about how to run a web site.
It is our business as patrons of this site to like or not like the things you suggest and write about them. I have a feeling you fell into the wrong bar….don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

Posted by: psychohistorian | May 25 2018 16:57 utc | 24

Done. Keep up the great work b!

Posted by: Trisha Driscoll | May 25 2018 17:53 utc | 25

Excellent opportunity to empty my unused Paypal account. Thanks!

Posted by: Joost | May 25 2018 18:03 utc | 26

Done. It goes without saying: Always tip your bartender.

Posted by: Jonathan | May 25 2018 18:04 utc | 27

Something sent.
You are welcome.
Best wishes.

Posted by: Emily | May 25 2018 18:07 utc | 28

Renewed and raised monthly, compromised and used PayPal, all with gratitude to the host and to 99% of the commenters. Reading M of A is a rewarding ritual. Thanks, b.

Posted by: Glorious Bach | May 25 2018 19:34 utc | 29

Some potage fur a Poor Poet. ¡Buen provecho!
In memory of Leni a German cousin and Herbert, her husband, and their family.

Posted by: Formerly T-Bear | May 25 2018 19:38 utc | 30

This site is free
and in the words of the old bard, mr. Frank Zappa…
“If we can’t be free at least we can be cheap.”

Posted by: john | May 25 2018 20:19 utc | 31

I refuse to use PayPal. Why can’t I just use my credit card?

Posted by: Brendan Harkin | May 25 2018 21:19 utc | 32

Have you thought, b, about Craig Murray’s solution of a low but continuing monthly payment? 2 pounds/euros per month. He doesn’t like one time payments.
As you know, b, I’ve done my bit in the past, and I’ll do it again. Would it be better to move to a model of ongoing payments? I’d be up for that, to keep you going.

Posted by: Laguerre | May 25 2018 21:43 utc | 33

Done. Thanks, b!!!

Posted by: Dr. Wellington Yueh | May 25 2018 22:02 utc | 34

Will donate by credit card tomorrow. I assume you promise never to divulge donors’ names.

Posted by: mg | May 25 2018 22:49 utc | 35

Gotta larf at the naysayers – perhaps contrarianism is an innate state of being for some rather than a considered position. If so I don’t expect we shall see any diminution of their tosh after I point out that 90% of their complaints/objections seem to have been addressed by b in his article as well as by clicking the donate button and examining the options.
One of the worst facets of being a workers’ representative in a union was this shit. During times when management ceased automatic subscription deductions, it would always be down to us to collect dues, as the professional unionists were ‘too busy’ to attend to such matters and I suspect that since the rules prevented ‘unfinancial members’ from challenging ’em on the executive they weren’t that discomfited anyhow by internal resistance from the small groups of trots, concerned xtians, or stalinists who fucked up so many general meetings.
Every whinge I can see on this page I’ve endured face to face from some sad little tightwad who wants to give me a hard time for using my spare time to try and assist members like them. Yet they were never reticent about collecting the pay increases improved superannuation/pension and working conditions we fought for.
In the end I was saying what b is far too considerate and polite to say here, but which needs to be said. “Pay up or piss off, I don’t care which but don’t be wasting everyone’s time with your petty bullshit which is really about being selfish & greedy.” Same here if you want to contribute, you will find a way. I’ve had dodgy paypal accounts since that mob of usurers first kicked off. Buy a burner CC and set up a paypal account with a burner phone. Paypal is about greed they don’t care. There are a ton of other ways to do it if you actually put some effort it to it.
There will be others of course who genuinely cannot spare the cash. If you read his posts, you know by now that b doesn’t want anyone in that boat to stress about this. The rest who use the site but wriggle round for lame excuses strike this reader as being the worm they seek to emulate.

Posted by: Debsisdead | May 25 2018 23:43 utc | 36

Just sent a BooB donation, can anyone guess?

Posted by: Sl | May 25 2018 23:58 utc | 37

My email yahoo or gmailwill not accept MoonofA @ aol.com address.

Posted by: Dennis Szilak | May 26 2018 0:15 utc | 38

Once a month b, hope your snail-mail address hasn’t changed. Thanks!!

Posted by: ben | May 26 2018 0:16 utc | 39

Posted by: Dennis Szilak | May 25, 2018 8:15:10 PM | 37
you hafta take out the spaces b put in to prevent scrapers from grabbing the addy as a spam target

Posted by: Debsisdead | May 26 2018 0:22 utc | 40

I would love to send you some holochain coins called $HOT, but you should hold on to them, in a safe. But you can also trade for cash on the exchanges. Cheers

Posted by: Sarah | May 26 2018 0:30 utc | 41

You mentioned sending cash by mail. Would a money order/cashiers check work? It’s sup[posed to be the same as cash but more securely delivered to the recipient.Hopefully not too much would be lost converting from $’s, right?
Also I second laguerre’s request – why not set up a monthly payment system? many art outfits do it that way, stretch it over a year or so, then the fund raisers can be done just annually?
I will contribute any way that’s acceptable and works for you, though the money order is probably the best (and cheapest) one to get you some spare change.
Yours is one of the best analysis sites currently on the web. Too bad you can’t deposit compliments in the bank.

Posted by: Merlin2 | May 26 2018 5:21 utc | 42

Thank you for everything Mr. B. 50 Euros coming your way. Please continue your excellent work.

Posted by: TST | May 26 2018 8:38 utc | 43

done

Posted by: Curtis | May 26 2018 13:48 utc | 44

b this needs to become your livelyhood, your material is top notch and warrants it.. Good luck!

Posted by: Lozion | May 26 2018 16:04 utc | 45

Small donation sent. Please keep up the excellent work.

Posted by: Norwegian | May 26 2018 16:10 utc | 46

Mediocre donation sent.
Thanks for your excellent work!

Posted by: little-dragon | May 26 2018 16:40 utc | 47

Dear Bernhard, thank you very much for your great work! Your IBAN hasn’t changed since last year? Does it still start with DE97 2005?

Posted by: Guido | May 26 2018 18:52 utc | 48

Thank you b, for excellent work. Euros on the way.

Posted by: Robert | May 26 2018 19:28 utc | 49

Also, am setting up a monthly.
Suggest all my fellow barflies do so, no matter how small.
B’s page is the most-informed and most-objective news site of which I am aware.

Posted by: Robert | May 26 2018 19:41 utc | 50

Thanks for your service, b — and thanks for the reminder!
I consider my new, modest, recurring monthly contribution worth every penny and more.
Best wishes!

Posted by: BT | May 26 2018 20:16 utc | 51

@all – thank you very much for the compliments and of course your donations!
@jerzy @16 – banner adds do not make much money, far far less than you think, but annoy the readers.
@Norbert @20 – the possible other ways to donate are describe in my post at the top.
@Brendan Harkin @32 Why can’t I just use my credit card? Because I am just a private person. I have no way to process credit cards.
@Laguerre @33 monthly payments – If you uses the paypal button it will offer that option.
@mg – @35 I assume you promise never to divulge donors’ names. I promise that.
@Dennis Szilak – @38 My email yahoo or gmail will not accept MoonofA @ aol.com address. You must remove the “space” before and after the @
@Merlin2 – @42 Money order – I am in Germany. Money orders are seen as even more antique here* than checks. They are a big hassle and expensive to cash. Just a normal check or cash in an envelope will do.
(*In Europe we use direct money transfers from checking account to checking account via SEPA. Can be done from the home computer and will be processed in less than a day. Can be set up to do automatic monthly transfers (rent etc) or as a draft allowance (electricity bill etc). I haven’t used a check to pay for something since the early 1990s.)

Posted by: b | May 26 2018 20:19 utc | 52

@13 — your response makes sense from your perspective. However, the facts are I had/have an unresolved correspondence with PayPal some years back due to a small donation I was making at the time to someone who subsequently turned out to be somewhat of an idiot drawing the attention of PayPal (and possibly others) security. In the end I told PayPal to ef-off with their intrusive BS and haven’t used them since. I live in Aust. Snail mail and foreign currency are problematic in practice. Bank transfers cost $20 min. I’m happy to use Patreon and do so from time to time for ‘poor poets’ — whether it’s worth your while I cannot say.

Posted by: Imo | May 26 2018 21:27 utc | 53

cheers b, wrote you an email some time ago but was too lazy to snailmail you something. as stupid as it is, two clicks via paypal are just easier :-|. did that right now.
If anything for “progress” I’d start with “educating the people” which you definitely do one of the best jobs at of anyone. so after all i deem your work more relevant than any charity stuff. hope it helps keeping this site up and wish you the best. glad you don’t do ads.

Posted by: radiator | May 26 2018 22:42 utc | 54

also, since we’re on the subjects of donating and praise, I’ll have to praise the style of this site. No thousands of external js sources pulled in, no fucking 30%-of-the-screen header and footer, no indiscernable columns or supersize fonts which make for a 30-word teaser. Everything adjusted for focused information intake and readability. kind of like a lightblue version of fefes blog, which, I’m quite sure, you’re familiar with. Good.

Posted by: radiator | May 26 2018 23:04 utc | 55

IMO @ 53
Orbit Remit @ $4.00
World Remit @ $3.99 (first one free)
The exchange rates for both are significantly better than any of the major Aus banks.
Multiple transfer options – bank acct. to bank acct. /cc/ cash etc.
No excuse.
Debs @ 36
Currently shop steward for an electrical maintenance workshop only weeks away from everyone being made redundant (factory closure)- ETU & AMWU have negotiated a much better package than was in the EBA (extra weeks & long service for all irrespective of length of service,extra for over 45’s etc.) and there are still some cunts complaining.
I joined the ETU in 1976 & have spent a lot of time on picket lines, so every time I hear “what has the union done for us?” I just want to kick the fuckwit right in the knackers with my steel capped boots.
Retirement beckons for this old dinosaur.

Posted by: ted01 | May 27 2018 0:25 utc | 56

b- Thank you for the hard work and integrity you put in this work. Wish you and MOA the best

Posted by: Kooshy | May 27 2018 2:13 utc | 57

Sent you what I could yesterday, which wasn’t much. Given your hard work and unwavering honesty, I wish it could have been much more. Sadly, life is done dealing winning hands to me and those around me…so I did my best on your behalf.

Posted by: Paul | May 27 2018 2:37 utc | 58

Posted by: ted01 | May 26, 2018 8:25:27 PM |
Yeah I know comrade there are always whiners, the funniest whines I heard came from those members who reckoned “letting women into the workplace screwed up the union” – certainly mainaining solidarity was more difficult when meetings were allegedly distracted with issues about feeding the kiddies, but that is the reality, the families were always there and it was just that more emphasis (rightly so IMO) was put on them with the ‘feminisation’ of workplaces.
Getting a worthwhile redundancy deal is the hardest thing of all – the bosses know exactly how to create fear and set about splitting in an environment where everyone is worried.
Pleased to hear the AMWU has come good, cos we had a bit of a blue with the old metallos following a heavy session in the bar down at Clyde Cameron(RIP). Usual bullshit after a couple of years of negotiation our union (CPSU) finally arrived at an agreed position on a proposed restructure and had set up a seminar down at Albury–Wodonga to brief delegates, but a tiny cadre of Victorian delegates who rejected the process worded up a few metallos in the bar and suddenly it was on.
Good fun tho I doubt anything like that happens in the tightly controlled environments of 21st century trade unions, I retired a long time back and it was the workers rights fights which I missed most of all. Shifted to NZ where it is much worse cos 50 years of closed shop protection had made lazy unions and members totally unprepared for what came next.

Posted by: Debsisdead | May 27 2018 2:40 utc | 59

Hey EU folks,
B gave a link to SEPA but I could not find what the cost per transaction is. Please share…thanks.
To make a bank to bank transfer in the US cost $25 dollars each…I suspect in the EU is is closer to $0.25 each

Posted by: psychohistorian | May 27 2018 3:08 utc | 60

Many thanks b. Being dirt poor is my problem, but if I ever find myself in a position to contribute, I will.
Just know that your good work is being spread to the darkest little corners of this planet, and always provides ammo for the good fight.

Posted by: dan | May 27 2018 9:10 utc | 61

Done!
Thanks.

Posted by: L’Akratique | May 27 2018 12:35 utc | 62

@psychohistorian – @60 – To make a bank to bank transfer in the US cost $25 dollars each…I suspect in the EU is is closer to $0.25 each
Its €0.05 per SEPA bank transfer with my bank when done electronically (€0.10 when done on paper), independent of the amount and within 28 European countries. The bank offers an upgrade to the regular checking account which brings the price per transfer down to zero. The package includes several other advantages (travel insurance, credit card etc.) with a total fee of €10 per month, instead of the €3.95/month for the basic account.
IMHO U.S. consumer banking is pretty much stone-age compared with Europe. I never found out why. Too many interests which want to keep the business expensive?

Posted by: b | May 27 2018 12:37 utc | 63

| @ Bernhard aka b.
At about # 30, a donation was made to your efforts here. Please return that donation forthwith. Your censorship of my remark at # 64 is entirely uncalled for and is completely unacceptable. In no way was there anything untoward in that deleted comment other than an observation. No threat was made, no liable was made, nothing untoward about the person, only wry observation of what happens when banks are threatened. Since you insist on absolute control of any and all thought here, you are on your own, the Stasi could have used your skills.

Posted by: Formerly T-Bear | May 27 2018 16:32 utc | 64

@ b with the follow up to my question and his own question: “Too many interests which want to keep the business expensive?”
Thanks for the detailed info about consumer banking in EU. Yes, banking in the US is all about making money and none about providing a service to the public…..and as we are seeing, they will accept no competition.

Posted by: psychohistorian | May 27 2018 21:45 utc | 65

done
Thanks

Posted by: Virgile | May 28 2018 0:36 utc | 66

A donation sent and my heartfelt thanks to you b for your insights.
And to my fellow Americans here at the whiskey bar, for this Memorial day please read or re-read “War is a racket” by Smedley Butler.

Posted by: Citizen621 | May 28 2018 2:26 utc | 67

Another humble small donation from me.
For in the end it depends on blogs like those to stay alive to inform.

Posted by: Mimicry | May 28 2018 7:55 utc | 68

@ 63 b | May 27, 2018 8:37:44 AM
@ 60 has earned a reputation for wanting to put bankers out of business. They in return don’t want to see @ 60 coming through the door, therefore $25 per. One receives as one gives, QED.

Posted by: Formerly T-Bear | May 28 2018 8:01 utc | 69

Pleased to help with some bucks the brain & soul of this site that allows us to breath then survive in our politically polluted world.
Congrats for your superb job, Bernhard.

Posted by: Hamilcar Barca | May 28 2018 19:21 utc | 70

I don’t post anything here but I read it most everyday and have done for at least seven years. I’ve given a monthly amount because this site is better than buying a daily dead tree press release.
Without your posts/insights/commenters I’d be the same as the myriad of dead from the neck up people that I come into contact with every day. In over ten years of searching out the real stories I’ve only ever met one other person who had a grip on what was going on. These are sad times.
Keep going B it is appreciated.

Posted by: Eli Jack | May 29 2018 1:27 utc | 71

Done. And I won’t even demand that you reinstate my IP address.

Posted by: donkeytale | May 30 2018 1:50 utc | 72

@b, thank you very much for your great work! If your IBAN hasn’t changed since last year (still starts with DE97 2005) I’d like to transfer some money. Please confirm!

Posted by: Guido | May 30 2018 8:04 utc | 73

@Guido @72 – the data is the same as before.

Posted by: b | May 30 2018 17:16 utc | 74

@b, thank you for your great work! I don’t subscribe to journals anymore. Instead I’m transfering you the equivalent 🙂
Your writings and many comments here are much better than the press.

Posted by: Guido | May 31 2018 8:56 utc | 75

Any btc address we could contribute thru?

Posted by: E | Jun 3 2018 15:27 utc | 76

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