#132: Don't Stay Silent
As I write this, people all over the United States are protesting against the continued police brutality against black people, after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on George Floyd’s neck until he died.
George Floyd is only the latest victim in a long line of black people killed by the police. Systemic racism is rooted deep not just in US society, but also here in Europe.
It’s easy as someone who enjoys a lot of privilege to not say something when confronted with someone else’s injustice. But silence supports the status quo. Silence is the tacit support of those who oppress.
So speak up. And listen when the oppressed speak, and believe their stories. Justice can only be served if we make sure that those responsible have to face justice.
Listen to MKBHD reflecting on the color of his skin.
Read Neil DeGrasse Tyson reflecting on the color of his skin.
More (h/t to atp.fm): * 11 Things You Can Do To Help Black Lives Matter End Police Violence * Obama’s list of resources and and ways to take action * How to Be an Activist When You’re Unable to Attend Protests * 10 Books About Race To Read Instead Of Asking A Person Of Color To Explain Things To You * 21 Podcasts That Confront Racism in America * How to be Antiracist
On Trial
Normally, when someone is killed, their killer gets a trial in front of a judge and a jury of their peers. But police officers in the US very rarely end up in front of one: how the Supreme Court lets cops get away with murder.
Tear Gas
The police is liberally using tear gas, among other things, to quell the protests. If you inhale it, you feel as if you’re choking, even though you can still breathe normally. And tear gas has even more insidious, dangerous effects, especially during these Covid-19 times.
Audience of One
When Twitter had the audacity to fact-check one of Donald Trump’s tweets, he went ballistic, threatening to weaken the immunity internet companies enjoy regarding hosted content
.Even though it looks like he’s targeting all the social media giants, in particular Twitter, his message is actually aimed at just one person: Trump Is Doing All of This for Zuckerberg. And Zuckerberg quickly issued a statement, making it clear Facebook wouldn’t interfere with anything Trump would post.
But now Zuckerberg has to deal with a rising resistance in his own company, as Facebook employees revolt over his stance on Trump.
“The trampoline is working”
In 2014, during rising tensions between the US and Russia, Dmitry Rogozin, then a senior Russian official, suggested the US use a trampoline to launch their astronauts to the ISS.
6 years later, on March 30th, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched for the 85th time, and for the first time, with two humans aboard. This also marks the first time since the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011, that an American-built rocket has carried humans into space.
A Study in Science
The Covid-19 pandemic has moved so fast, scientists have trouble keeping up. But as time goes on, more and more data is studied, and we learn more things. For example, face masks do help, but maybe not as much as we’d like.
At the same time, other studies are retracted due to doubts about the data they’re based on, like this Hydroxychloroquine study pulled over suspect data.
A Bat and his Car
Since his first appearance in Detective Comic #27 in 1939, the character of Batman has become an icon, along with his ride, the Batmobile. Glen Weldon takes a look at every Batmobile from movies & TV.
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Elon Musk’s vision is what got SpaceX off the ground. But its secret to success is its president and COO: Gwynne Shotwell