Category Archives: Politics

“We came in peace for all mankind”

NPR: How Do You Preserve History On The Moon?

“Historic preservationists are hoping that the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing this summer will persuade the United Nations to do something to protect Neil Armstrong’s footprints in the lunar dust.

Some of his boot marks are still up there, after all, along with other precious artifacts from humanity’s first steps on another world. Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin left behind tools and science equipment, a plaque that read, “We came in peace for all mankind” and the U.S. flag, which has likely been bleached white by five decades of harsh ultraviolet light.

Other than a dusting of lunar soil or the random micrometeorite impact, Tranquility Base has been an untouched time capsule since the astronauts departed — though that could change as more nations and even commercial companies start to explore the moon.

“There has never been historic preservation off our planet. It’s a really difficult subject,” says Michelle Hanlon, a law professor and space law expert at the University of Mississippi who co-founded For All Moonkind, a nonprofit group devoted to protecting historic sites in space.”

„Sobald wir Angst haben, gehen wir” – Juden in Deutschland

WDR Unterwegs im Westen: Jüdisches Leben: Zwischen Alltag und Angst?. (YouTube, 29min)

“m Alltag verschweigen viele Juden in NRW ihre Religionszugehörigkeit aus Angst vor Anfeindungen. Die Bedrohung kommt vor allem vom rechten Rand der Gesellschaft. „Heute werden wir mit Klarnamen im Internet beschimpft. Und aus Schulen hören wir, dass Jude wieder ein Schimpfwort auf den Schulhöfen ist“, erzählt Michael Rubinstein. Er ist Geschäftsführer des Landesverbandes der jüdischen Gemeinden Nordrhein und erlebt, wie sich jüdisches Leben in Deutschland verändert.”

“Bus Justice Is Awesome.”

Chicago Magazine: What CTA Workers Know. “Train operators, bus drivers, and station agents are the eyes, ears, and heart of Chicago’s circulatory system. Seeing the city from their point of view reveals us at our best and our worst.”

Also:

What Cops Know. “You can learn a lot about a city by seeing it through the eyes of police officers who patrol it.” (June 26, 2017)

What Teachers Know. “Chicago’s public school instructors have one of the toughest—and most rewarding—jobs in the city. Here’s what they talk about when parents and principals aren’t listening.” (December 4, 2017)

What Trauma Docs Know. “At Chicago’s most intense ERs, the degree of mayhem rivals that of a war zone. Working there can take a heavy toll — and yield immense rewards.” (August, 2018)

Link via MetaFilter.

“He just can’t help himself.”

The New Yorker: A Weak and Rambling President Declares a Fake National Emergency. By John Cassidy.

“Trump’s description of the situation at the border is almost entirely fictitious, of course, but in one sense it is real. It’s a central element of the political narrative he has constructed for his white-nationalist base over the past three and a half years, and, as he helpfully sought to explain, it’s one he can’t easily back away from at this stage. “I ran on a very simple slogan: ‘Make America Great Again,’ “ he said. “If you’re going to have drugs pouring across the border, if you’re going to have human traffickers pouring across the border in areas where we have no protection, in areas where we don’t have a barrier, then it’s very hard to make America great again.“

In this carefully concocted narrative, the wall isn’t a mere stretch of concrete or steel fencing stretching along the border; it’s a symbol of national sovereignty and regeneration. But, if it’s so important, why didn’t Trump get it built during his first two years in office, when the Republicans controlled both houses of Congress? Trump’s failure to get his own party to support what was arguably his signature campaign pledge demonstrates that he is fundamentally a weak and isolated President. But, of course, he can’t admit that publicly, either. Instead, he said, “It would have been great to have done it earlier. But I was a little new to the job, a little new to the profession. And we had a little disappointment for the first year and a half. People that should have stepped up did not step up. But we’re stepping up now.“ Take that, Paul Ryan!”

Link via MetaFilter.

“More than 5,000 migrant children in January”

NPR: Inside The Largest And Most Controversial Shelter For Migrant Children In The U.S.

“”We see a very different picture,” says Leecia Welch, senior director of legal advocacy and child welfare at the National Center for Youth Law. “We see extremely traumatized children, some of whom sit across from us and can’t stop crying over what they’re experiencing.”

She continues, “We hear stories of children who are told from the first day of their orientation that under no circumstances can they touch another child in the facility, even their own sibling, even friends who they’re saying goodbye to after many months of shared intense experience. They can’t hug them goodbye. If they do, they’re told they will be written up and it could affect their immigration case.”

Welch concludes, “We see a very different picture than the reporters see.””

Link via MetaFilter.