Starting late this spring, the naively well-intentioned European e-Privacy “cookie-consent” initiative will start to make its presence felt in Britain. As a result, British Internet users will soon be faced with an onslaught of cookie-consent requests and explanations that will confuse, confound and annoy nearly all users, while ultimately undermining the ability of British companies to compete online. In short, it will make the web worse for everyone.

Once a person takes a place in public office, they discover that they need to learn how to deal with the press and, occasionally, that involves figuring out how to avoid them. There are many strategies on how to accomplish this, the one currently most in vogue involves positioning the entire media as biased therefore depicting all of their questions as unfair attacks that you can rightfully avoid. Of course, that takes a while. Fortunately, Alberta Health Services CEO Stephen Duckett has found an easier technique: when pesky journalists start following you around, distract them with a big cookie.

Former Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl guested on NPR’s Leonard Lopate show yesterday to talk about Gourmet‘s “shocking” demise, and the immediate aftermath (they had to be out of the office almost immediately). Also, how she was informed of the news and how she informed her staff.

Shortly after Conde Nast announced this week’s closures Mediaite obtained a memo to the digital staff from Condé Nast Digital svp Drew Schutte suggesting the clock was ticking with regards to the websites of the shuttered magazines. Does this mean we should just expect more of the same on the Conde Nast Digital front? Meaning: not much.

Slate’s Jack Shafer comparing the fate of Conde Nast to that of that other overreaching, reality-ignoring American powerhouse, General Motors. Next up: Graydon Carter and Anna Wintour fly to Washington in their private jets to beg for a bailout!

Today, when the the news hit that Condé Nast would be closing some titles from their bridal and parenting divisions, I feared for the future of pot roast. I’m clearly not the target demographic for Cookie magazine. But my wife has been a subscriber for most of its four years in existence, and I’ve come to appreciate it as the one “parenting” (read: “mommy”) magazine that I read regularly. And now it’s gone.

the shuttering of Gourmet remains to many the biggest shock of today’s Condé Nast layoffs. The fate of its equally well-known editor Ruth Reichl is unknown right now, though considering the company plans to keep both the publishing and television arm of Gourmet active chances are they will find a place for her. That said, what does Reichl’s precarious position say about the fate of Condé’s other high profile editors?

The wait is, sadly, over. After months of speculation, the painful results of McKinsey’s evaluation of Condé Nast are in and it’s not pretty. Condé has just announced that it plans to shutter Gourmet, Cookie, Modern Bride, and Elegant Bride. CEO Chuck Townsend’s full memo after the jump.

UPDATE: Drew Schutte: “Cookie.com and Gourmet.com sites will remain up at least through the end of the year.”