Edition 21: Unearthing apples (and other hidden stories)

(This newsletter was sent to email subscribers on April 24, 2020.)

Happy Friday, muggles. Two retired friends — a veteran and an FBI agent — teamed up in pursuit of an important mission: to find America’s lost apple varieties. In past years, the team was happy to report one or two new finds, but this year, they uncovered ten previously unknown apples! Likewise, we have uncovered some hidden stories for you. 🍎

Gangs make (temporary) peace in order to help feed starving communities in Cape Town

Wed Apr 8

For the time being, rival gangs have called a truce in order to help distribute food to their communities. South Africa is currently under one of the strictest lockdowns in the world; residents are forbidden from leaving their homes or risk being fined, which adds significant financial stress to impoverished individuals. Even the gang members, who are normally among the richest in the community, were struggling as the lockdown had stalled illicit drug trafficking and other major sources of income.

While community members have expressed happiness over the food distribution efforts and temporary ceasefire, local police remain skeptical, noting that one good deed does not necessarily erase a longstanding record of violence and extortion.

“Tow truck” spacecraft saves satellite from orbital graveyard (at least for the next five years)

Fri Apr 17

Instead of letting a 19-year-old satellite fly into a “graveyard orbit” where it can stay out of the way of working satellites, two companies teamed up to build a spacecraft that would extend its working life by five years. How? They designed a probe that essentially functioned as a tow truck, which attached to the satellite’s engine nozzle to refuel it. In February 2020, the spacecraft was launched, successfully docking with the satellite and taking over its steering functions until it was refueled. Earlier this month, reporters learned that the satellite is once again fully operational — with the probe still attached.

Why does this matter?

Most companies would have simply allowed aging satellites to run out of fuel, rather than attempt to revive them. This mission was the first of its kind and opens doors for a potential business opportunity: reviving older satellites that have run low on fuel but are otherwise operational. This practice would also help limit the amount of debris surrounding our planet, which poses a danger to important spacecraft in our orbit.

Previously on Below the Fold: In January, hundreds of bright satellites were launched into Earth’s orbit, disrupting astronomers’ observations of the stars. Experts fear that, due to a lack of government oversight, more commercially owned satellites will be launched in the future, one day altering our view of the night sky.

Nuclear power plants implement 12-hour workdays

Mon Apr 20

Six U.S. power plants have been approved to extend work shifts to 12 hours a day for a two-week period. In some cases, employees are also scheduled for an extra 14 hours a week.

Why are work shifts being extended?

To minimize risk for viral transmission during the pandemic, many plants have decreased the number of workers on-site; however, to keep up with maintenance duties, they say employees need to work longer hours. Companies also advocate for delays in certain inspections, since some would require people to work in close proximity.

Environmental and workplace protection groups worry that these lax policies come with additional safety risks — specifically, having sleep-deprived, overworked employees oversee a nuclear power plant.

“You want an alert workforce. You don’t do this with bus drivers, but they’re saying it’s OK for nuclear power plant workers.” — Paul Gunter, Director at Beyond Nuclear (Union Leader)

Trump administration appoints a controversial Food Safety Czar to oversee meat production industry

Wed Mar 25

Here’s something even we missed: Last month, the Trump administration appointed Mindy Brashears as the new Food Safety Czar. However, Brashears was previously paid to support corporate interests by:

• Testifying on behalf of a large meat company in a high-profile libel lawsuit
• Publishing research that framed certain industry groups in a positive light
• Defending the meat industry on NBC after reports about contaminated products surfaced

What does her appointment mean?

Food safety advocates fear that Brashears’ appointment could weaken food safety regulations at a critical time. In fact, she recently pushed for a new policy that would

1. Revoke limits on line speeds at pork processing plants — increasing risks of injury for workers
2. Replace government inspectors with company employees

Given this new policy push and Brashears’ history of prioritizing corporate interests, safety advocates express strong concerns about workers’ and consumers’ health, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic spreading rapidly through slaughterhouses.

Previously on Below the Fold: The Department of Agriculture is allowing some poultry processing plants to increase their line speeds to 175 chickens per minute — waiving the industry’s limit. Union groups fear that ramping up production will cause workers to miss more health defects on chicken carcasses *and* increase their own risk of injury.

For the first time, Facebook will warn users about falsehoods

Thurs Apr 16

Facebook has announced new plans to tackle the spread of coronavirus-related misinformation by addressing specific users who have reacted to or commented on harmful and inaccurate posts about the disease.

How will it work?

Facebook has designed a short post that will appear at the top of users’ news feeds, encouraging them to “Help Friends and Family Avoid False Information About COVID-19” by sharing a link to a list of falsehoods collected by the World Health Organization. The post, however, does not specifically warn users that they had previously liked or commented on a coronavirus hoax. Will a gentle warning be enough to slow the spread of misinformation?

How does misinformation spread so effectively, and how can readers improve their ability to spot it? Our blog post explores these questions.

A rogue gunman in Canada killed at least 22 people during a 12-hour rampage

Tues Apr 21

Last weekend, a shooter in Nova Scotia set out on a 12-hour crime spree, setting fire to several homes and killing at least 22 people. The mass shooting, considered the worst in Canada’s history, included 16 different crime scenes in five small coastal communities. The shooter’s rampage had stretched roughly 60 miles before he was shot, presumably by police; he died shortly after his arrest.

Authorities find six tourists waiting out coronavirus lockdown in a cave

Tues Apr 21

Indian officials have found six tourists, including one U.S. citizen, living in a cave in Rishikesh, a popular tourist spot in the foothills of the Himalayas. What were they doing there? Self-isolating, of course.

The tourists originally stayed in a hotel, but had to leave because they were running low on money. To preserve their remaining cash and to protect themselves from infection, they took refuge in a cave — where they had lived for 25 days. After being found by the police, the group was moved to comfier quarters at a private religious retreat center.

Updates on previous stories

• Self-employed and freelance workers are now eligible for state unemployment benefits under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. Four months ago, California also passed the AB 5 law to protect freelancers across a variety of industries from exploitative workplace practices. (Original Story)
• Hong Kong’s government has arrested 15 activists for organizing and participating in three “unlawful assemblies” that took place in August and October of last year. The arrests were marked as the largest “crackdown” on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement since the protests began last year. (Original Story)

That’s all for this week. Have a magical weekend.✨

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