FMD17
@fmd17.bsky.social
I like science & braille & food & cats & books. And large plaster statues of yeti.
Reposted by FMD17
The number of confirmed #measles cases in South Carolina has hit an astonishing 558 in an outbreak that started in October. For context: that is more cases in 4 months than the entire US racked up most years in the past 30+ years. www.reuters.com/business/hea...
Measles cases in South Carolina explode to 558, state officials say
South Carolina reported nearly 250 new measles cases this week, official figures showed on Friday, bringing the total of confirmed infections to 558 since October as the threat of a wider outbreak inc...
www.reuters.com
January 19, 2026 at 2:24 PM
The number of confirmed #measles cases in South Carolina has hit an astonishing 558 in an outbreak that started in October. For context: that is more cases in 4 months than the entire US racked up most years in the past 30+ years. www.reuters.com/business/hea...
Reposted by FMD17
I was let go from my day job. So until I get a new income I'm a full time author. So if you want to support an author my novels are 0.99 or you can sign up for my newsletter and get books for free.
Links in comments or bio.
Until then my cat is enjoying my book from her box.
#caturday #cats #sff
Links in comments or bio.
Until then my cat is enjoying my book from her box.
#caturday #cats #sff
January 17, 2026 at 9:37 AM
It’s 5:30 am eastern time—anyone else’s Verizon still out? Our phones still show SOS.
January 15, 2026 at 10:36 AM
It’s 5:30 am eastern time—anyone else’s Verizon still out? Our phones still show SOS.
Reposted by FMD17
NEWS: A day after the Minneapolis shooting, Secretary Noem quietly signed a new policy barring congressional visits to ICE facilities without a week's advance notice. That policy change led to three MN Dems being blocked from accessing an ICE facility today. www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
January 11, 2026 at 2:39 AM
NEWS: A day after the Minneapolis shooting, Secretary Noem quietly signed a new policy barring congressional visits to ICE facilities without a week's advance notice. That policy change led to three MN Dems being blocked from accessing an ICE facility today. www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
Reposted by FMD17
If you want to support local news in Pittsburgh in the wake of the Post-Gazette's closure, I recommend the @publicsource.org -- they do seriously good work and love the city
What this moment means for Pittsburgh’s news ecosystem — and our role in it
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette will cease operations in May, and Pittsburgh City Paper has been shut down. Public Source is here for you.
www.publicsource.org
January 10, 2026 at 9:34 PM
If you want to support local news in Pittsburgh in the wake of the Post-Gazette's closure, I recommend the @publicsource.org -- they do seriously good work and love the city
Reposted by FMD17
Please be aware that contrary to their fundraising ads, @forwardblue.bsky.social has no relationship with the No Kings mobilizations, no record of doing anything in support, no inside information, and is ignoring requests to cease advertising that suggests they are involved.
January 10, 2026 at 7:39 PM
Please be aware that contrary to their fundraising ads, @forwardblue.bsky.social has no relationship with the No Kings mobilizations, no record of doing anything in support, no inside information, and is ignoring requests to cease advertising that suggests they are involved.
Reposted by FMD17
"The media has largely let [tech companies] set the terms of the debate, right down to the terminology used in any discussion of these systems."
From @nannainie.bsky.social & me in @techpolicypress.bsky.social on how to spot and resist anthropomorphizing language about so-called "AI".
From @nannainie.bsky.social & me in @techpolicypress.bsky.social on how to spot and resist anthropomorphizing language about so-called "AI".
We Need to Talk About How We Talk About 'AI' | TechPolicy.Press
We share a responsibility to create and use empowering metaphors rather than misleading language, write Emily M. Bender and Nanna Inie.
www.techpolicy.press
January 9, 2026 at 1:31 PM
"The media has largely let [tech companies] set the terms of the debate, right down to the terminology used in any discussion of these systems."
From @nannainie.bsky.social & me in @techpolicypress.bsky.social on how to spot and resist anthropomorphizing language about so-called "AI".
From @nannainie.bsky.social & me in @techpolicypress.bsky.social on how to spot and resist anthropomorphizing language about so-called "AI".
Reposted by FMD17
Okay shirts are available! $5 from the sale of each Abolish ICE shirts goes to @nilc.org and they're printed at a Union shop (Commonwealth Press) here in Pittsburgh. They'll ship in 2-3 weeks, maybe sooner.
alternatehistories.com/products/abo...
alternatehistories.com/products/abo...
January 9, 2026 at 8:39 PM
Okay shirts are available! $5 from the sale of each Abolish ICE shirts goes to @nilc.org and they're printed at a Union shop (Commonwealth Press) here in Pittsburgh. They'll ship in 2-3 weeks, maybe sooner.
alternatehistories.com/products/abo...
alternatehistories.com/products/abo...
Reposted by FMD17
Watch the full video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmNt...
‘They decided on a narrative’: Hayes rips DHS ‘lies’ after deadly ICE shooting
YouTube video by MS NOW
www.youtube.com
January 8, 2026 at 2:32 AM
Watch the full video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmNt...
Reposted by FMD17
While there is so much that is disturbing about this case study in the destruction of academic freedom, one high point is the refusal of the targeted professor to submit
![Dear Dr. Sweet,
I hereby submit my S 2026 syllabus for PHIL 111, Contemporary Moral Issues, for mandatory censorship review.
The syllabus has not changed much since I last taught the course. I have made some minor adjustments to the module on Race and Gender Ideology and to the lecture on Sexual Morality. These topics are commonly covered in this type of course nationwide, and the material is discussed in depth in the assigned textbook (Fiala and MacKinnon, 10th edition). I also ask my students to read a few passages from Plato (Aristophanes' myth of the split humans and Diotima's Ladder of Love).
Please note that my course does not "advocate" any ideology; I teach students how to structure and evaluate arguments commonly raised in discussions of contemporary moral issues.
If you interpret System Rule 08.01 §2.1(b) as prohibiting these topics, I would like to remind you that the U.S. Constitution protects my course content. Texas A&M is a public institution bound by the First Amendment. The Supreme Court has noted that academic freedom is "a special concern of the First Amendment, which does not tolerate laws that cast a pall of orthodoxy over the classroom" (Keyishian v. Board of Regents, 385 U.S. 589, 603 [1967]).
Another relevant precedent is Sweezy v. New Hampshire. Here is Chief Justice Earl Warren for the majority in 1957:
"The essentiality of freedom in the community of American universities is almost self-evident. No one should underestimate the vital role in a democracy that is played by those who guide and train our youth. To impose any straitjacket upon the intellectual leaders in our colleges and universities would imperil the future of our Nation. No field of education is so thoroughly comprehended by man that new discoveries cannot yet be made. Particularly is that true in the social sciences, where few, if any, principles are accepted as absolutes. Scholarship cannot flourish in an atmosphere of suspicion and distrust. Teachers and stu](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5pjg2eunftajrebw6bxtq44g/bafkreias47524bi4ukbmlqalsyb47xjavdti7dk2khrtcpgrfedietsnee@jpeg)
January 7, 2026 at 11:32 AM
While there is so much that is disturbing about this case study in the destruction of academic freedom, one high point is the refusal of the targeted professor to submit
Reposted by FMD17
Open Letter Denouncing the Lunar and Planetary Institute's Censorship of Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) abstracts (you can sign it)
🧪 #PlanetSci
🧪 #PlanetSci
Open letter - Denouncing LPI's Censorship of LPSC Abstracts
signatories.planetary-research.org
January 7, 2026 at 11:04 AM
Open Letter Denouncing the Lunar and Planetary Institute's Censorship of Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) abstracts (you can sign it)
🧪 #PlanetSci
🧪 #PlanetSci
Washington Post reports that people who cover or mar Dear Thin-skinned Leader’s face on the new national park pass may be accused of “fraud” and have to buy another pass. I guess they know that people will want to, um, get creative. Posting just a screen shot of the full story.
January 7, 2026 at 1:36 AM
Washington Post reports that people who cover or mar Dear Thin-skinned Leader’s face on the new national park pass may be accused of “fraud” and have to buy another pass. I guess they know that people will want to, um, get creative. Posting just a screen shot of the full story.
Reposted by FMD17
Hi, we are an alternative to Amazon-owned Audible 👋🏻 With us, you select the independent bookshop you want to support (we have 3,000+ partners across the globe), and we share profits from your purchase with them.
We're also employee-owned and a registered Social Purpose Corporation.
We're also employee-owned and a registered Social Purpose Corporation.
March 14, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Hi, we are an alternative to Amazon-owned Audible 👋🏻 With us, you select the independent bookshop you want to support (we have 3,000+ partners across the globe), and we share profits from your purchase with them.
We're also employee-owned and a registered Social Purpose Corporation.
We're also employee-owned and a registered Social Purpose Corporation.
Reposted by FMD17
Craig, a famed super tusker from Amboseli, died of natural causes — a rarity today.
His life showed the impact of protection in Kenya, even as Africa’s elephant population has plunged. Progress exists, but habitat loss keeps their future uncertain.
His life showed the impact of protection in Kenya, even as Africa’s elephant population has plunged. Progress exists, but habitat loss keeps their future uncertain.
What Craig’s long life reveals about elephant conservation
The death of a well-known wild animal is an odd kind of news. It is intimate, because so many people feel they have met the creature through photographs and video. It is also impersonal, because the…
news.mongabay.com
January 6, 2026 at 11:53 AM
Craig, a famed super tusker from Amboseli, died of natural causes — a rarity today.
His life showed the impact of protection in Kenya, even as Africa’s elephant population has plunged. Progress exists, but habitat loss keeps their future uncertain.
His life showed the impact of protection in Kenya, even as Africa’s elephant population has plunged. Progress exists, but habitat loss keeps their future uncertain.
Reposted by FMD17
This is the energy everyone needs to take into 2026.
December 31, 2025 at 3:45 PM
This is the energy everyone needs to take into 2026.
Reposted by FMD17
Fantastic news for paleontology that the Paleontological Research Institute in Ithaca NY is staying open this year! Intensive fund-raising was successful & enough to pay off the mortgage for their building, helping to preserve this long-standing institution for national & international science. 🧪
Holy shit I'm so relieved I could cry. A very happy new year to PRI!!! www.priweb.org/blog-post/pr...
PRI's Wonderful Life — Paleontological Research Institution
By Dr. Warren Allmon , Director of the Paleontological Research Institution December 30, 2025 The holidays are a time for “Christmas movies” in my house, and one that is always on our list is&nbs...
www.priweb.org
January 1, 2026 at 3:26 PM
Fantastic news for paleontology that the Paleontological Research Institute in Ithaca NY is staying open this year! Intensive fund-raising was successful & enough to pay off the mortgage for their building, helping to preserve this long-standing institution for national & international science. 🧪
Reposted by FMD17
Oops! Our Monster Vacation calendar was incorrectly listed as sold out on our website; but don't fear! We have them in stock and ready to ship for 2026 adventures, now for just $20!
alternatehistories.com/collections/...
alternatehistories.com/collections/...
2026 Monster Vacation Calendar
Real vintage photos, fake monsters! After digging into a collection of 35mm slides from family trips across the country, I’ve created the ultimate collection of vacation photos, with appearances from ...
alternatehistories.com
January 1, 2026 at 3:54 PM
Oops! Our Monster Vacation calendar was incorrectly listed as sold out on our website; but don't fear! We have them in stock and ready to ship for 2026 adventures, now for just $20!
alternatehistories.com/collections/...
alternatehistories.com/collections/...
Reposted by FMD17
Republicans wouldn't let Jack Smith testify in public. Instead they did it behind closed doors and released a transcript and video on New Year's Eve, hoping few people would notice.
They think it’s smart politics, but I think it’s one more attempt to cover up treason. History will agree with me.
They think it’s smart politics, but I think it’s one more attempt to cover up treason. History will agree with me.
Capitol riot 'does not happen' without Trump, Jack Smith told Congress
Former special counsel Jack Smith told lawmakers that the Jan. 6. riot at the U.S. Capitol “does not happen” without President Donald Trump.
apnews.com
December 31, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Republicans wouldn't let Jack Smith testify in public. Instead they did it behind closed doors and released a transcript and video on New Year's Eve, hoping few people would notice.
They think it’s smart politics, but I think it’s one more attempt to cover up treason. History will agree with me.
They think it’s smart politics, but I think it’s one more attempt to cover up treason. History will agree with me.
Reposted by FMD17
More than a decade after regulators promised to improve reporting standards for this waste, an Inside Climate News investigation found huge discrepancies in state records.
Tracking oil and gas waste in Pennsylvania still a ‘logistical mess’
More than a decade after regulators promised to improve reporting standards for this waste, an Inside Climate News investigation found huge discrepancies in state records.
www.wesa.fm
December 28, 2025 at 1:33 AM
More than a decade after regulators promised to improve reporting standards for this waste, an Inside Climate News investigation found huge discrepancies in state records.
Reposted by FMD17
Seems there is yet another app using the ICEBlock logo and charging people for access. It’s called ICEBlocker and it is not us.
DO NOT DOWNLOAD or pay. Best we can tell is it’s Russian.
We would never ask for money.
DO NOT DOWNLOAD or pay. Best we can tell is it’s Russian.
We would never ask for money.
December 27, 2025 at 3:17 AM
Seems there is yet another app using the ICEBlock logo and charging people for access. It’s called ICEBlocker and it is not us.
DO NOT DOWNLOAD or pay. Best we can tell is it’s Russian.
We would never ask for money.
DO NOT DOWNLOAD or pay. Best we can tell is it’s Russian.
We would never ask for money.
Reposted by FMD17
A🧵
Who inspired you in 2025?
Every month, The Media and Democracy Project honors exemplary individuals & publications for their commitment to journalism, democracy, & press freedom.
We are grateful to and inspired by our 2025 heroes! We hope you are too.
Who are they? Why are they heroes?👇
Who inspired you in 2025?
Every month, The Media and Democracy Project honors exemplary individuals & publications for their commitment to journalism, democracy, & press freedom.
We are grateful to and inspired by our 2025 heroes! We hope you are too.
Who are they? Why are they heroes?👇
December 20, 2025 at 7:21 PM
A🧵
Who inspired you in 2025?
Every month, The Media and Democracy Project honors exemplary individuals & publications for their commitment to journalism, democracy, & press freedom.
We are grateful to and inspired by our 2025 heroes! We hope you are too.
Who are they? Why are they heroes?👇
Who inspired you in 2025?
Every month, The Media and Democracy Project honors exemplary individuals & publications for their commitment to journalism, democracy, & press freedom.
We are grateful to and inspired by our 2025 heroes! We hope you are too.
Who are they? Why are they heroes?👇
Reposted by FMD17
I know one of you has to have a billionaire’s phone number, $1m to save one of the best fossil collections in the country is a bargain. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/s...
December 24, 2025 at 7:38 AM
I know one of you has to have a billionaire’s phone number, $1m to save one of the best fossil collections in the country is a bargain. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/s...
Reposted by FMD17
Join us and become part of our activist community in 2026 as we continue the fight for more informative and pro-democracy media operating in the public interest.
(All meetings via Zoom)
www.mobilize.us/mediademocra...
(All meetings via Zoom)
www.mobilize.us/mediademocra...
The Media and Democracy Project - What activists can do: Fix Media Now · The Media and Democracy Project
Join the Media and Democracy Project to better understand and respond to the factors that influence public opinion, voters and democracy. Each session we will activate on a current information-related...
www.mobilize.us
December 20, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Join us and become part of our activist community in 2026 as we continue the fight for more informative and pro-democracy media operating in the public interest.
(All meetings via Zoom)
www.mobilize.us/mediademocra...
(All meetings via Zoom)
www.mobilize.us/mediademocra...
I don’t live in Ithaca but I’ve joined the museum as a member! Please support this effort to support this museum—and science! Scientific research needs support more than ever right now.
For #fossilfriday, The New York Times has written a good article about the Paleontological Research Institution, what the museum means to the field of Paleontology, and its current financial situation (much improved even from a few weeks ago).
🧪🦑⚒️🦣 #paleontology
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/s...
🧪🦑⚒️🦣 #paleontology
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/s...
An Engine of Fossil Discovery Fights Its Own Extinction
www.nytimes.com
December 23, 2025 at 1:18 PM
I don’t live in Ithaca but I’ve joined the museum as a member! Please support this effort to support this museum—and science! Scientific research needs support more than ever right now.