US government tries to rein in an out-of-control subscription economy

By David Arditi, Professor of Sociology, University of Texas at Arlington

Signing up for a subscription to a streaming service or newspaper has never been easier.

Canceling it, on the other hand, can be a cumbersome journey involving phone calls, letters or finding the option to cancel buried in a remote menu on an app.

And that’s if you remember to cancel in the first place.

Now, thanks to a new rule passed by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, you may have an easier time getting rid of subscriptions you no longer want.

The…

Read complete article

~	Aceh Tsunami: Monuments help to remember disasters - and forget them

~	Acehnese women: Crucial role in peacebuilding overlooked, discriminated by local regulations

~	Turkey's environmental activist is among BBC's 100 inspiring and influential women

~	50 years ago, Cyclone Tracy flattened Darwin – and Australia’s attitude to disasters changed forever

~	Work or play? The rise of online ‘kidfluencers’ is raising complex legal and ethical questions

~	How parents can safely navigate their kid’s first sleepover

~	I’ve calculated Santa’s speed on Christmas Eve – and this is what it would do to Rudolph’s nose

~	Keep calm and carry on your routines: how to manage kids’ ‘Christmas crankies’ over the holidays

~	How to get the kids through a long car trip without screens or losing your mind

~	The Christmas album that heralded the end of a folk musical era: The Kingston Trio’s The Last Month of the Year