Happy #NewstodonFriday! If you’re absolutely averse to seeing coverage of the U.S. election and Donald Trump, you might want to look away now — or scroll quickly. If you can bear to linger, you’ll find important stories about Elon Musk’s political funding, why the media aren’t talking about the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, the push to get out the Native vote, and what happened after Hurricane Maria. Interspersed, there's an investigation into the state of criminal prosecution in Anchorage, two inspiring stories on assistive technology, a look at whether Alan Shepard hit three golf balls on the moon, and some gorgeous photos, including bracken that looks like Jabba the Hutt. To remind you, our goal with this thread is to highlight the work of newsrooms and individuals that maintain an active presence in the fediverse. Follow their accounts, click on their stories, donate and subscribe, and interact in the comments below.
Here’s an important and sadly unsurprising story from @404mediaco. @jasonkoebler writes about how an Elon Musk-funded PAC is speaking out of both sides of its mouth, telling Muslims in Michigan that Kamala Harris is a close friend of Israel and Jews in Pennsylvania that she’s anti semitic.
Alan Shepard was the first American in space and on a later trip to the moon as part of the Apollo 14 mission, he famously hit two golf balls. In "The Barber, The Astronaut, and The Golf Ball,” excerpted in @TexasObserver, two writers investigate if there was a third ball — and what happened to it.
“Something that went to the moon is a Holy Grail, then there’s a hierarchy within that level, too,” says Robert Pearlman, a space memorabilia expert. A key measure: “Was it stained by moon dust?”
https://www.texasobserver.org/book-excerpt-moon-golf-ball/
#History @histodon #Books @bookstodon #MoonLanding #SpaceExploration #Newstodon #NewstodonFriday #FollowFriday
“The push to get out the Native vote is strong,” @Toastie writes for @HighCountryNew. They looked into the web of dilemmas Native folks face each electoral season, from accessibility of polling stations and candidates’ attitudes to Indigenous interests to whether voting in U.S. elections is compatible with Native cultural values.
@ProPublica and Anchorage Daily News collaborated on this distressing story about the state of criminal prosecutions in Anchorage. Defendants in at least 930 misdemeanor cases have walked free since May 1, with crimes ranging from violating a restraining order to driving drunk with children in the backseat. The reason? The overloaded court system, and the lack of prosecutors. Here’s more.
https://www.propublica.org/article/criminal-case-dismissals-anchorage-alaska
Around 15% of people develop PTSD after experiencing trauma due to violent conflict. Anastasiia Kryvoruchenko writes for @timkmak’s Counteroffensive about how, amidst the horror of war, experts in Ukraine are building VR technology to help veterans.
https://www.counteroffensive.news/p/ukraines-pioneering-virtual-reality
We certainly remember where we were on Jan. 6 2021 — and what we saw. But has the media in general forgotten? “With Trump running for president again, editors and producers have decided to prioritize everything but his treasonous actions. Their stories reflect a run-of-the-mill campaign with two people who have differing views on taxes and civil rights,” writes @damemagazine’s Allison Hantschel. She asks why legacy media has memory-holed the attack on the Capitol.
https://www.damemagazine.com/2024/10/15/legacy-media-has-memory-holed-january-6/
When assistive technology for people with physical disabilities is developed, the final users of it — its “pilots” — are often not involved until the very end. That’s why robotics expert Robert Riener launched the Cybathlon. The technotopian competition takes place every four years — the next tournament is this month in Switzerland and online — and involves eight events including the assistance robot race, in which pilots control a robot assistant from their wheelchairs and the brain-computer interface race, where pilots with quadriplegia use their thoughts to guide an animated avatar through an obstacle course. Here’s more from @KnowableMag.
Hurricane Maria, the deadliest storm to hit Puerto Rico, was seven years ago. In a new song, Bad Bunny blasts the political corruption and energy inequality of his native territory. It’s hot on the heels of other Puerto Rican artists supporting Donald Trump, who opposed disaster funding for the island after the hurricane when he was in power. @thexylom’s Angely Mercado analyzes the song, and Bad Bunny’s political advocacy.
Finally, a palate cleanser after this politics-heavy thread: The winners of the Nikon Small World competition, which our @ArtPhotosDesk featured earlier this week, and which rewards the best photos taken under microscopes. A fighting weevil, many-eyed green crab spider, insect egg parasitized by a wasp and Jabba the Hutt-resembling bracken fern were all highlights of NBC’s photo gallery.
“Legacy Media.” That’s rich.
Call it what it is. Mainstream, pro-fascist corporate media.
Seems to be a large gap missing in the coverage of a convicted felon. I don't see those 34 felonies referred to often enough either.
The reason is simple and extremely evident. The corporate media is owned by billionaires and serves the fascist right.
That's why there used to be rules against media consolidation. Ending those rules was one of Reagan's most evil deeds.
@Flipboard Hey Flipboard. Want to start using flipboard again, but can't remember my details & having a 'mare signing in. Is there a support team I can contact to resolve please?