This is the Sacramento Delta, home of the infamous delta smelt, about half an hour before sunset. Which picture do you like better? The one on the left sports the original lens flare, which seems to give it a slight sense of liveliness. The flare has been photoshopped out in the other image, which gives it a quieter look. I’m undecided.

Please note that there’s no question here of which picture is the more “authentic.” Flare is an artifact of lens design, not a part of the scenery. This is purely a matter of which version you like better.

October 10, 2019 — Above Antioch, California

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WE'LL BE BLUNT

We need to start raising significantly more in donations from our online community of readers, especially from those who read Mother Jones regularly but have never decided to pitch in because you figured others always will. We also need long-time and new donors, everyone, to keep showing up for us.

In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

Please learn more about how Mother Jones works and our 47-year history of doing nonprofit journalism that you don't elsewhere—and help us do it with a donation if you can. We've already cut expenses and hitting our online goal is critical right now.

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