Apartment concerts — kvartyrnyks — in Ukraine are nothing new. They took place throughout the Soviet years, where Ukrainians could read poetry, sing songs, and freely discuss the government. Veronika Romanova and Mariana Lastovyria write for @timkmak’s Counteroffensive about what it’s like to attend the 2025 version. “The existence of kvartyrnyks demonstrates how Ukrainian culture persists despite constant adversity – whether under authoritarianism or in the face of open war against it,” they write. [Story may be paywalled.]

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The automatic license plate reading camera technology made by Flock is supposed to prevent carjackings or find missing people. @404mediaco says in one Texas case, it was used to track down a woman who was believed to have had a self-administered abortion. 83,000 cameras were used in the search, including ones in states where abortion is legal. The sheriff’s office in Johnson County says that the woman’s family were concerned for her health and that this was the sole reason they were tracking her. “The idea that the police are actively tracking the location of women they believe have had self-administered abortions under the guise of ‘safety’ does not make me feel any better about this kind of surveillance,” says Eve Galperin, director of cybersecurity at digital rights organization the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).

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And finally, introducing Ruby Ibarra, a Filipina American rapper who won @npr’s Tiny Desk contest with her entry, "Bakunawa." The three-song performance features an all-Filipino band, and Ibarra sings in English, Tagalog and Bisaya, sometimes switching languages between verses. As she introduces herself, she says: "Being human is not illegal. Immigrants have been here, lived here, worked here. And this immigrant is here. From Tacloban City, Philippines, all the way to Washington, D.C., my name is Ruby Ibarra."

Link: https://flip.it/ZoSr3q

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ALT