Google News Adds Advanced Search Capabilities (Will Be of Much Use to Freepers)

Google News ^ | July 21, 2003

[Timesink]

For as long as Google News has existed, its search feature has been a pale copy of the many search features available on the rest of Google. You could plug very basic searches into the box at the top of the page, and limit by source (if you knew how, which most people didn't), but as of today they offer the same full advanced search capability as all other parts of Google. You can easily choose to search only certain news sources (example: only Fox News articles); only news sources in a certain state or country; whether the search terms are anywhere in the article, only in the article, only in the headline,or only in the URL; and limit by date (though Google News still only retains articles for 30 days).

[Mamzelle]

Who cares about a right to know? Everybody and his harddrive keeps a dossier on you and me. Our credit history, medical history, legal history...I hate it. But I can't do anything about it. I don't think anyone has a right to traffic in private info, but nobody agrees with me, so...who cares?

Politically, knowing who donates to what is useful information. And, I guess I could make the argument that donors get to deduct donations from their taxes, and therefore that does make it of public concern.

Non-profits proliferate--I am acquainted with some who formed their own bogus charities in order to provide themselves with certain perks with a tax-discounted bill. All legal, I guess. Why NOT know about it?

[Mamzelle]

Actually, it's part of the 990s that they have to file, and those 990s are part of public access. Guidestar.org provides the PDF files. You can pull up a particular "charity" like Planned Parenthood in a certain region, and see where their money comes from. They are supposed to provide a list of donors, but those donors are often foundation "fronts." Or you can see where a particularly charitable foundation disperses its own funds.

What I'd like is a cross-referenced spreadsheet.

[deport]

Whatever, but I've never seen a donor list provided for a 501c3 in their 990 filings.... By the way not all non profits are listed on Guidestar..

[Mamzelle]

re: not all non profits )))

Never seen a donor list? Curious. The 990s I've searched have accountants doing the filing, and they include where the money comes from. Most have some details--many have plentiful details. And it's fun to see how the nonprofits donate to each other! The law requires that these nonprofits disperse 5% of their "net worth" (for lack of a more formal term) in donations *out* from the foundation itself, and to get to that net worth you include the year's income. Income consists, generally, of donations. Without the list of donors, the possibility of laundering would be great. If no mention is made of who does the donating, I'd really expect a racket.

More than one search engine can handle, since everyone and his puppydog is starting a "vanity charity."

However, if you are seeking a particular nonprofit, keep trying. I find new ones listed every day.

[MoralSense]

Many of Google's search features are patented by Switchboard (SWBD), which just signed a significant contract with Google. Google is expected to go public later this year or early next.

[apackof2]

bump