Alexander Graham Bell Speaks!

Scientists are finding ways to extract the sound from 19th Century experimental recording media without actually physically playing (and thus destroying) them. Nifty!

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***Dave Does the Mastodon

8 hours ago

#Hegseth 's memo on "pausing" anything #trans -related in the US #military. Key paragraph:

"The Department must ensure it is building 'One Force' without subgroups defined by anything other than ability or mission adherence. Efforts to split our troops along lines of identity weaken our Force and make us vulnerable. such efforts must not be tolerated or accommodated."

Of course, this comes in a memo that *explicitly* singles out a subgroup on something other than ability and mission adherence.

9 hours ago

Defense Secty #Hegseth has both halted all #genderaffirming medical procedures for active-duty service members and frozen all promotions for #military with "a history of #genderdysphoria ."

This is what prejudice and hate, draped in the American flag, looks like. The same memo promises that military #trans folk will be treated "dignity and respect," when the whole rest of the memo is about anything but.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/hegseth-orders-immediate-pause-gender-affirming-medical-care/story

12 hours ago

The guy who hates foreigners in his country sure seems willing to make people foreigners in another country.

" #Trump says #Palestinians wouldn't be allowed back into #Gaza under his plan"

So, yes, #EthnicCleasing -- you know, the sort of #warcrime the #ICC prosecutes.

No, Donald, promising (as if anyone would believe your promise) to build them new, beautiful houses somewhere else doesn't make it any better, neither for them nor the "somewhere else."

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-says-palestinians-wouldnt-allowed-back-gaza-plan-rcna191491

1 day ago

Who knew you could simply stop the work legally authorized by #Congress by simply saying, "Nuh-uh"?

I guess it helps when you have a lickspittle Congress to not make a fuss over someone ignoring their authority.

#Democracy #Trump #cfpb #gop

https://apnews.com/article/trump-consumer-protection-cease-1b93c60a773b6b5ee629e769ae6850e9

1 day ago

The US record with the #ICC has always been dodgy. We're hyper-sensitive to anything that looks like it infringes on our sovereignty. That's been true across parties and presidential administrations.

But the active hostility from #Trump, especially as much of it is pandering to #Israel, is disgusting. It goes beyond fears about sovereignty and directly into "might makes right" territory. It's not non-cooperation, it's an attack on #HumanRights .

#justice #WarCrimes

https://www.thenational.scot/news/24920081.uk-joins-78-nations-denouncing-donald-trumps-icc-sanctions/

1 day ago

And more #evil

Erasure is easy, if we let them make us forget.

#DEI #STEM #women #NASA #Trump #DOGE

2 days ago

Meanwhile in "Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer" news, our new Secretary of Defense ...

#Hegseth #diversity

https://www.mediaite.com/politics/pete-hegseth-calls-diversity-is-our-strength-the-single-dumbest-phrase-in-military-history/

3 days ago

In unrelated news, plans have been announced for a "Triumph of the Will" marathon at Kennedy Center later in 2025 ...

#notreally #yet

3 days ago

The least of current threats to democracy from #Trump right now, but a highly emblematic one.

"Donald Trump said that he will oust board members of the Kennedy Center, while naming himself as its new chairman."

While POTUS can appoint trustees, the by-laws don't allow him to appoint himself chairman. Though no doubt that if he can fire trustees and stack the board with his cronies, they will happily name him to that role. Maybe even raises a statue to him.

https://deadline.com/2025/02/trump-kennedy-center-board-1236281969/

3 days ago

#uspol #lgbtq #missingchildren

As "save the children" is pivoted by the #Trump regime into "save the children we want to be saved."

This is #evil

#ncmec

https://www.wonkette.com/p/trump-and-dont-say-gay-come-for-the

3 days ago

It's also worth noting that a number of #Trump 's bestest buddies -- #Putin, #Xi_Jinping , the #Saudi rulers -- have profoundly bad records on religious freedom (including toward Christians) -- far, far worse than "Boo-hoo, evil anti-Christian laws mean I can't fire gay people for being gay."

Lack of mention about dealing with *that* "anti-Christian bias" tells you it's not about #ReligiousFreedom, but about #power.

#ChurchAndState

4 days ago

#Trump 's siccing #DoJ on "anti-Christian bias" sounds fine, but I expect that translates into dangerous "If Christians (only the right kind of #Christians, mind you) don't get to do whatever they want, regardless of the law, but with your tax dollars, they are being religiously oppressed" nonsense. Or worse.

#ChristianNationalism

https://www.comicsands.com/trump-christian-nationalism-bias

4 days ago

Via my son:

#pinky #brain

6 days ago

#USA under #Trump: winning hearts and minds!

"America's adversaries cheer Trump admin's #USAID teardown"

https://www.axios.com/2025/02/05/trump-usaid-musk-doge-russia-iran

6 days ago

" #Trump [again] suggests permanent resettlement of #Palestinians from #Gaza "

Pssst. Hey, Donald. The official term is #EthnicCleansing . Yeah, I know, that sounds bad, but, hey, since it's official US policy to keep #Netayahu happy ...

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5126689-trump-palestinians-resettlement/

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