We just discovered @msfreepress is in the fediverse! Here’s a great piece from Jermany Gray about the game-changing effect of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, or PrEP, a pill that if taken daily, can decrease the chances of getting HIV from sex by up to 99%. “I started my journey with PrEP in 2021, and I have now been on it for more than three years. This decision has undoubtedly shielded me from the risks faced as a Black gay man from the South,” he writes. “On this National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, Feb. 7, 2025, I urge more people to educate themselves about PrEP and to take control of their sexual health.”

https://www.mississippifreepress.org/opinion-prep-is-the-gamechanger-in-the-fight-against-hiv/

#Health #Science #LGBTQ #AmericanSouth #HIV #Newstodon #NewstodonFriday #FollowFriday

Our @NewsDesk shared this powerful warning from @Vox. Hungarians saw their democracy dismantled at breakneck speed by Victor Orbán, and it’s essential to act fast.

https://www.vox.com/politics/398068/trump-musk-power-grab-hungary-orban

#USPolitics #Hungary #TrumpAdministration #VictorOrban #Newstodon #NewstodonFriday #FollowFriday

OpenAI wants to become a for-profit company, but California Attorney General Christopher Lamerdin has questions. First of all, what about the clause in the AI company’s articles of incorporation under which “OpenAI’s assets are irrevocably dedicated to its charitable purpose?” Here’s more from @themarkup.

https://themarkup.org/artificial-intelligence/2025/01/23/openai-investigation-california

#Tech #Technology #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #Newstodon #NewstodonFriday #FollowFriday

@Flipboard @404mediaco

#JoinIndivisibleOrg
#StopTrumpNow
#StopElonMusk
#uspol

ALT

The first thing that struck Christian theologian David Brockman about the policy allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to arrest people in churches was the irony: Christian nationalists often say that government should be kept out of churches, and yet here we are. He talked to @TexasObserver about what Christians should do. “The bottom line is that Christians are supposed to care for the stranger among us,” he says.

https://www.texasobserver.org/ice-churches-christianity-constitution-trump/

#Religion #Christianity #Immigration #USPolitics #Newstodon #NewstodonFriday #FollowFriday

@Flipboard @themarkup

"It's AI. You can ask it to do anything."

Good. Ask it to fuck all the way off.

The California condor disappeared from the wild in the 1980s. @KnowableMag explains how it was brought back, thanks to “refaunation” work in California and Mexico. “What began in the United States has expanded across borders, creating a binational effort in which Mexico has taken an increasingly prominent role. This cooperative approach reflects the very nature of the species, which does not recognize borders in its historical habitat,” writes Iván Carrillo.

https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/food-environment/2025/california-condor-reintroduction

#Birds #Ornithology #Nature #Environment #Mexico #California ##Newstodon #NewstodonFriday #FollowFriday

@Flipboard @TexasObserver

Let's make something clear. They don't speak for me!

In New Jersey, there’s no legal mechanism for judges to take into account whether a defendant suffered abuse that may have been a factor in their committing a crime. Seventy-two percent of first-time offenders imprisoned for a violent crime in the state’s women’s prison were abused by their victim. While Governor Phil Murphy has granted clemency to some people, The ACLU of New Jersey and other groups are now advocating for a legislative fix. @bolts takes a look at the issue.

https://boltsmag.org/new-jersey-clemency-and-sentencing-for-survivors-of-abuse/

#Incarceration #Prison #PrisonReform #Clemency #Law #NewJersey #Newstodon #NewstodonFriday #FollowFriday

Ukrainians smile less than Americans — and not just because of the war. @timkmak’s Counteroffensive looks at the concept of “resting Slavic face,” and the cultural reasons behind it. [Story may be paywalled].

https://www.counteroffensive.news/p/why-do-ukrainians-smile-less-than

#Ukraine #UkrainianWar #Psychology #Culture #RestingSlavicFace #Newstodon #NewstodonFriday #FollowFriday

Wizkid is Nigeria’s most popular musician and a star around the world too. @thecontinent reviews his new album, “Morayo,” which combines Afrobeats, R&B, dancehall, reggae and fújì.

https://continent.substack.com/p/review-wizkids-on-cruise-control

#Africa #Nigeria #Music #Afrobeats #Wizkid #Newstodon #NewstodonFriday #FollowFriday

How do you like your eggs? Preferably without bird flu. @TheConversationUS looks back at how America was on the brink of a pandemic in 1957, but managed to avoid it thanks, in part, to the abundance of eggs that were used in the production of the vaccine. Will the U.S. get lucky again?

https://theconversation.com/us-dodged-a-bird-flu-pandemic-in-1957-thanks-to-eggs-and-dumb-luck-with-a-new-strain-spreading-fast-will-americans-get-lucky-again-247157

#History @histodons #Science #BirdFlu #Medicine #Newstodon #NewstodonFriday #FollowFriday

Last of all, a bit of lightness in another heavy week: Our @CultureDesk shared this story about how the Proud Boys have had to give up their trademark to a Black church they vandalized. The Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. can also block the far-right group from selling licensed goods, like T-shirts or hats, without the church's approval. @AssociatedPress has the full story.

https://apnews.com/article/proud-boys-trademark-church-jan-6-enrique-tarrio-de927b297eaf45df048771a5d52199eb

#ProudBoys #BlackMastodon @blackmastodon #Newstodon #NewstodonFriday #FollowFriday

@Flipboard @TheConversationUS @histodons I prefer my eggs vegan. Reducing the risk of another pandemic is just one more good reason.