Happy new year, fedi friends and welcome to the fascinating world of 2025, which has already lasted approximately 15 months. Here’s a selection of stories from newsrooms with an active presence in the fediverse, plus a couple from our own desks.These include Meta employee reactions to their new policies (not good!), an exploration of the social worker shortage in Texas, an article on making peace with our younger selves, and a story for the ages about the man who infiltrated right-wing militia and shared his experiences with @ProPublica. Please follow all the newsrooms featured, click on their stories, boost them, subscribe, donate and support any way you can.
Is there anyone in the fediverse who hasn’t read this extraordinary story? Just in case, we’re posting it here. It’s about John Williams, a man who infiltrated right-wing militia, and then shared what he found exclusively with @ProPublica. “Williams turned on a recording device and dialed. [Retired detective Bobby] Kinch picked up after one ring: ‘What’s going on?’ he bellowed. ‘How you doing, man?’ ‘I don’t know if you remember me,’ Kinch continued, but they’d met years before … ‘Well I’m the sitting, current national director of the Oath Keepers now.’”
https://www.propublica.org/article/ap3-oath-keepers-militia-mole
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a Liberal, has stood down and the Conservative Party of Canada looks set to win the next election. @thetyee reports on the “highlights” of its leader, Pierre Poilievre’s conversation with Jordan Peterson.
https://thetyee.ca/News/2025/01/08/What-Pierre-Poilievre-Told-Jordan-Peterson/
Meta’s “anything goes” attitude to free speech doesn’t extend to its own employees. @jasonkoebler of @404mediaco writes about how the company is deleting internal criticism of new board member, UFC president Dana White. “Major W,” one employee posted. “We hire Connor [McGregor] next for after work sparring?.” Employees are also livid about changes where Meta users can now say LGBTQ people have mental illness. “I am LGBT and Mentally Ill,” one post by an employee on an internal Meta platform called Workplace reads. “Just to let you know that I’ll be taking time out to look after my mental health.”
https://www.404media.co/facebook-deletes-internal-employee-criticism-of-new-board-member-dana-white/
Texas has a dire shortage of social workers. @TexasObserver explores how the state is shooting itself in the foot by imposing a lifetime ban on candidates who’ve been convicted of certain crimes such as assault. The law came into place in 2019 and does not allow for rehabilitation or glowing recommendations — it’s one strike, and you’re out. James Knight and Daryl James spoke to Katherin Youniacutt, a grandmother and recovering alcoholic with more than 10 years of sobriety who is still being punished for a mistake she made in 2007.
https://www.texasobserver.org/social-worker-license-lawsuit-texas-law/
Shakespeare’s “Richard III” depicts the reign of the infamous monarch as “wrought with chaos, confusion and corruption that fueled civil conflict,” says Trinity College associate professor David Sterling Brown, writing for @TheConversationUS. He draws parallels between King Richard and Donald Trump.
#Literature #Arts #Culture #Shakespeare #Writing @histodons #Trump #Newstodon #NewstodonFriday #FollowFriday
Author Milan Kundera once said of his younger self, “This jerk that I was, I wouldn’t like to see him.” @KnowableMag dives into the psychology of self-continuity — the sense of being friendly towards and connected to our past selves — and how it can lead to better emotional health.
The @AssociatedPress is on the ground in and around Los Angeles, taking extraordinary photos of the devastation caused by the fires. Our @ArtPhotosDesk shared some of their images.
#Photography #Photos #News #Photojournalism #LosAngelesFires
#LAFires
Donald Trump isn’t the only one threatening — or implementing — tariffs against China. @restofworld reports on the countries restricting Chinese-made products around the world.
https://restofworld.org/2024/china-tech-tariffs-which-countries-will-impose/
Ukrainian human rights activist Makysm spent two years and four months in jail, before being released as part of a POW swap last October. @timkmak talked to him about his experiences in captivity and after.
https://www.counteroffensive.news/p/returning-to-normal-life-after-russian
The decline of legacy media isn’t limited to the U.S. @thecontinent says so-called alternative media outlets accounted for as much as half of the most popular digital news consumption in Kenya. Most of these sites are focused on light content, with scant regard for ethics. Data consultant Norbert Mburu is concerned that political forces could co-opt these new media voices, leaving no one to hold politicians to account.
https://continent.substack.com/p/kenyans-are-changing-how-they-get
Last of all, our @CultureDesk ran a poll on this story from @RollingStone about the best videogames of all time. Respondents strongly disagreed with the magazine’s editors. Read the article and tell us in the comments what you think.
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/rs-gaming-lists/best-video-games-of-all-time-1235215978/
@Flipboard @CultureDesk @RollingStone breath of the wild at number 1 is... a choice. one i disagree with lol
@chirpbirb @Flipboard You and the majority of people in our poll — results here!
@CultureDesk @Flipboard Yeah, then this list is a joke. Is the article author a Nintendo fanboy or something!?
Also, GTA V's story mode might be good, but San Andreas was the best in the series IMO. That game is better than V imo.
@cameronbosch @Flipboard We don't work for Rolling Stone, but as far as we can see it was put together by four of their staffers! They say in the intro: "For this list, we looked at both how influential each game was at arrival, as well as whether it still holds up. A good game may have played well, but a great one still does. These are games that made the culture what it is today and will chart where it goes tomorrow." Most of the people who voted in our poll of the top 4 (https://flipboard.social/@CultureDesk/113784153024666479) were firmly in the Tetris camp, with BOTW and Super Mario World tying on 18% of the vote and GTA V bringing up the rear.
@CultureDesk @Flipboard They must have a bunch of people who don't really understand video games voting then.
@Flipboard @CultureDesk @RollingStone
My missing faves:
Star Castle
Space Invaders
Asteroids
Defender
Outrun
Donkey Kong
Galaxians
Manic Miner
Atic Atac
Revenge Of The Mutant Camels
LLamatron
Tetris
Jetpac
Arkanoid: Revenge Of Doh
Impossible Mission II
Interphase
International Karate+
Wizball
KLAX
Wipeout 2097
Gran Turismo
Speed Devils
Jetset Radio
Soul Calibur
Mario Kart 64
Goldeneye
Resistance Fall Of Man
Heavenly Sword
Homeworld
Killzone
Halo: Combat Evolved
SSX Tricky
1 / 2
@Flipboard @CultureDesk @RollingStone
2/2
Jak & Daxter
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
Ratchet & Clank
GTA IV
Jetset Radio Future
Pikmin
Red Faction
Just Cause
Civilisation Revolution
Infamous Second Son
Hitman Absolution
Crackdown
Dishonored
Uncharted 2
Bioshock Infinite
Horizon Zero Dawn
Ghost Of Tsushima
I'm still missing loads and I feel I have to order this by date but not bad so far!
@Jyoti @Flipboard Read this list to our resident game expert at the House of the Culture Desk and he said: "This person is European."
That's a weird response? And offensively wrong.
@Jyoti Oh yikes, this is what we get for dashing off responses to posts without thinking things through or providing any context whatsoever. We loved this list. Will explain to you what we were (badly!) trying to say in a private message and will apologise fulsomely here for offending you.
No worries and I apologise too - I've been having a bad day cos the news everywhere is so fucking awful. So I was snappy and angry in my reply.