The Xylom

We’re kicking off 2025 with a bit of good news: Thanks to readers like you, we raised $23,904 during our year-end NewsMatch campaign! Thank you for your investment in The Xylom and democracy! ?? As the only Asian American-serving news outlet dedicated to science, climate, and environmental coverage, your support allows us to shed light on underserved and neglected communities in a second Trump administration. It's not too late to give: https://lnkd.in/ePhn_Rw3

NEW: Atlanta has a below-average recognition of human-caused climate change and the scientific consensus behind it, according to newly released data from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University. Amidst the Trump NIH's decision to end funding for studies of the health effects of climate change, primary care providers are trying to depolarize the issue and break through misinformation, one clinic visit at a time, writes Alex Music. This story is co-published by Atlanta Community Press Collective and 285 South. https://lnkd.in/egwQ7YDr #atlanta #climate #climatechange #health #publichealth #nih #news #journalism

Climate change has changed the rainfall patterns in the region, shifting the regular patterns of the monsoon as well as the agriculture that depends on it. As a result, water sources that villagers can actually utilize have become rare, or in some cases, non-existent. In the coastal village of Tepus, resident Karno said he and other community members tried digging wells at several locations and depths without any success. This means he has to carry water for kilometers in large jerry cans just to keep his livestock and crops hydrated. “Water is very scarce there. The water pipes connecting the village to the agricultural land are no longer flowing at all, and likewise, the water storage has been empty for the past few months,” he said. In Tepus, villagers have difficulties meeting daily water needs, especially for drinking, cooking, and personal hygiene. The growth of crops has been disrupted, which threatens local food production and causes anxiety about future food shortages. Desi and scores of other residents of Selopamioro Village in Bantul Regency have been relying on the few water springs as well as government handouts for clean water this summer. “The drought in this village has been felt since April (2024), and there has been no rain until now. The wells in this area have dried out, so residents can only get water from the springs,” she said. Around 50 families in the area depend on this spring. As a result, the water is distributed in separate quotas during the day and night. Desi and the other families belonging to the day quota can take water from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. local time, while about 30 other families have to wait until nightfall to refill their supply. “If they use it all at once, the water clearly won’t be enough,” she said. Every day, Desi walks 300 meters to get two buckets of water for her family’s daily needs. On days she is lucky, she can get five. Honoring World Water Day, For?The Xylom?#WorldWaterDay?#Photojournalist?#Drought?#Water?#Weather?#Climate?#SocialIssues?#Environment?#Space4Water?#Farmer?#Yogyakarta?#GunungKidul?#Bantul?#Indonesia?#Editorial?#Freelance?#garrylotulung

NEW: Nigerian authorities have been playing whack-a-mole with Chinese companies illegally quarrying near residences. Abdulwaheed Sofiullahi looks at the deadly consequences of one such case in Kwara State: https://lnkd.in/ejpgrpUi #nigeria #china #mining #quarrying #environment

In 2017, Dr. Jasmine Clark, then an Assistant Teaching Professor at Emory University, directed Atlanta's 8,000-person?March for Science. She leveraged her grassroots organizing experience into a successful run for the Georgia House of Representatives, flipping a Republican-held seat in the diversifying suburbs of Dekalb and Gwinnett counties. Eight years later, Clark, who still balances her lawmaking and teaching responsibilities, returned to the science protest scene, this time as a?Stand Up for Science?speaker. “You know what’s crazy and also really disheartening is that almost eight years ago, I was doing this exact same thing … for something as simple as evidence-based policymaking,” she told protestors at the Georgia State Capitol. Rep. Clark?spoke to The Xylom about what's at stake for Asian Americans, immigrants, and science at this critical time, and why you can't keep politics out of science. Read our full coverage: https://lnkd.in/eQVuBm8r Are you a federal worker or research scientist in Atlanta and beyond affected by recent Trump administration policies? Send us tips through the Signal encrypted app: https://bit.ly/4gMYlcp ??: Alex Ip, Aorui Pi ???: Alex Ip, Noah Daly, Jenny Morber #gapol #atlanta #georgia #standupforscience #science #health #biology #research #protest #interview #news #journalism

John Harris is a Ph.D. candidate at Georgia Tech and an organizer for United Campus Workers. In the past month, he volunteered with the team to bring Stand Up for Science to life in Atlanta, drawing hundreds of protesters on March 7th. “Union members who do science need to start thinking about the power that they have to keep our institutions running that provide the funding for these institutions, and start to use that power,” he explains. “When we come together as a community of care … then we can make change happen.” Harris spoke to The Xylom about the uncertainty experienced by battery researchers like him in Georgia, what concerns his colleagues at large public higher education institutions, and why he thinks labor unions are vital in this fight. Read our full coverage: https://lnkd.in/eQVuBm8r Are you a federal worker or research scientist in Atlanta and beyond affected by recent Trump administration policies? Send us tips through the Signal encrypted app: https://bit.ly/4gMYlcp ??: Alex Ip, Aorui Pi ???: Alex Ip, Noah Daly, Jenny Morber #gapol #atlanta #georgia #standupforscience #science #electricvehicle #battery #research #protest #interview #news #journalism

Eating disorders show up in AAPI communities but are often underreported and understudied. Being aware of disordered eating behaviors is important for communities that are less likely to receive professional treatment which can result in providing early intervention to better long-term recovery outcomes. In this perspective piece, I write about my experience and touch upon how this disorder can be so nuanced, and why clinician and patients fail to recognize the signs and symptoms. Thank you to The Xylom for giving me a platform to share this story!

It was lovely working for @thexylom as their Seattle correspondent covering the #standupforscience rally.

The various Stand Up for Science rallies differed in format and participation across cities. Here are some observations from Alex Ip, Noah Daly, and Jenny Morber?during the biggest science protests in nearly a decade: https://lnkd.in/eQVuBm8r #standupforscience #science #health #research #trump #elonmusk #rfkjr #doge #atlanta #newyorkcity #seattle

This month, I was honored to be selected to the Editor & Publisher (E&P) Magazine 2025 Tomorrow's News Trailblazers for my work at The Xylom. I was asked for a lesson I’ve learned early in my career that I think future news trailblazers should know. I have some strong thoughts, considering my upbringing in Hong Kong and current events stateside: "In the words of historian Timothy Snyder, 'Do not obey in advance. Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do.' You don’t have to be a stenographer for the wealthy and powerful. You don’t have to 'sanewash” and “both sides' the story. You don’t have to hand over your sources or materials gathered to law enforcement or a weaponized court system. If you work for a school paper, you do not have to agree to censorship from campus administration. You don’t have to consent to your work being lifted by generative AI models. You don’t have to accept sub living wages, union busting, harassment, gaslighting or isolation. You have agency. Use it. When you don’t speak up for yourself, your community, your audience and the truth — someone else will. We know how that has gone." Thank you to E&P for the recognition and to their staff, Mike and Robin Blinder, for publishing my full response, which you can read below. I deeply appreciate the nominations from our Managing Editor Rhysea Agrawal and friend Emily Sachar. We got more work to do!