Scott Kelly - Astronaut turned Photojournalist

I was hooked when @StationCDRKelly began posting images to the hashtag, #yearinspace.  Commander Kelly posted images to the world, from outside the earth that were literally breath taking; captured with inspiring words to accompany them.  He still shares images that he posted, like this funny picture of his holiday table from space, which he appropriately captioned, "Is it dessert time yet?  #HappyThanksgiving from former holiday dining table to yours!"  I wonder, do the image rights belong to him or NASA?

Scott Kelly may have had a full-time job working for NASA as an astronaut, but I think his photo journalism skills could help him retire happily.[1 image, 3 links, 1 quotation, 106 words]

Charlie the Coyote and Shreve.

As Shreve Stockton rode cross country on her Vespa Vagabond from San Francisco to New York City, she passed through a rural area of Wyoming; returning a month later to reside full-time because she, "fell in love with this place."  A "tiny town in Wyoming" is the location and a coyote named "Charlie" is the foundation of her blog, The Daily Coyote.  For ten years, Shreve has posted an image of Charlie's everyday adventures.  My only tip when reading her blog is to start from the beginning and fall in love with Charlie, as I have.  Shreve drew me in with her second blog, Honey Rock Dawn encompassing her farm filled lifestyle with her photographs and even a healthy recipe or two. [1 image, 4 links, 3 quotations, 122 words]

Ballistic Missile Inbound...Seek Shelter!

Aamer Madhani of USA Today, reveals a big upset in Hawaii's Emergency Management Agency, following the big "oops" of an emergency alert, which was sent out to the cell phones of Hawaiian residents on January 13, 2018.  Following an investigation, the article reveals why Hawaii's Emergency chief resigned and an officer was fired because of the false missile alert.  Aamer mentions the Governor of Hawaii, David Ige, promising "change" after the "blunder caused more than a million people in Hawaii to fear that they were about to be struck by a nuclear missile."  My polite thought to Aamer's quote, "blunder" is putting it lightly![1 image, 2 links, 3 quotations, 104 words]

Super Blue Blood Moon - 2018

The Super Blue Blood Moon was visible to many viewers in the United States during the early hours on January 31, 2018.  Contributor Jesse Emspak, for Space.com, writes a very informative article detailing the best locations to view this rare event.  Jesse also explains what these multiple lunar events are, why they are so special and even provides tips on how to photograph them.  Included in the article is a, "Best of" photo and video gallery, displaying incredible images of the Super Blue Blood Moon, which are stunning.  My favorite photograph in the article was captured in Oakland, California and shot by Astrophotographer, James Jordan.  Who wouldn't get excited to witness the "first total lunar eclipse since 2015 and the first Blue Moon Blood Moon visible from the U.S. since 1866!"[1 image, 2 links, 1 quotation, 130 words]

The 2018 Flu - It's Frightening

The image of this map should be very concerning with just a quick glimpse.  The CDC tweeted an updated report, #FluView on January 20, 2018.  It mentions that 39 states in the United States are "experiencing high flu-like activity."  I found it somewhat disconcerting when I stumbled over the same image by another hashtag from the CDC, #FluFactFriday from which they tweeted that this was the "1st time all states in the entire continental U.S. have reported widespread flu activity during the same week."  The image is daunting, especially with their "Flu Fact Friday" hashtag.  The flu this year is no joke and should be taken very seriously.  I appreciate government agencies using media outlets like Twitter, to help inform the public of deadly outbreaks like the flu and other significant viruses or diseases. [1 image, 3 links, 3 quotations, 134 words]

Adam Ferguson Series on Boko Haram Survivors

This photo is from an Instagram series by photojournalist Adam Ferguson. In this series Ferguson is spotlighting the strong teenage girls and women who survived after the terrorist organization "Boko Haram strapped suicide bombs to them." In this series he discusses how these young Nigerian women were strong in the face of danger. This photo series is both strikingly beautiful and powerful in its message. I really enjoyed seeing this series. It was shot beautifully to hide the identities of the women in artistic ways and it was captivating to read about their strength. Posts like this remind us of the hardships that others face and their strength and resilience during that hardship. [1 image, 1 link, 1 quotation, 113 words]

Ben Lowy Swims with Sharks

In this photograph posted to his Instagram account, photojournalist Ben Lowy documents his time swimming with sharks. The shot was taken off the shore of Isla Guadalupe, Mexico. In his comment, Lowy states that he was "in the water with one of nature's oldest and most primal predators - the great white shark." This image is absolutely stunning and showcases both Lowy's talent as a photojournalist and the beauty and power of nature. Although journalism can be controversial and political, it can also be enjoyable and give us a chance to explore the world from our own homes. I really enjoyed this post and the beauty of this image. [1image, 1 link, 1 quotation, 109 words]

Ben Smith Comments on Puerto Rico

In a tweet including a link to an article about Puerto Rico's struggle to regain power, Buzzfeed's Ben Smith commented that even "five months later" after Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico still has no power. The article that he linked, which is posted on Buzzfeed's website, explains how the citizens of Puerto Rico are still struggling in the aftermath of Maria even as Trump paints a false picture stating that the U.S. territory is "doing well". Although conditions have improved in San Juan, in the rural areas they are still without electricity. This tweet was posted on January 28th and it is so informative to be reminded of how little help the people of Puerto Rico are receiving. This tweet reminds people that although time has passed, the citizens of Puerto Rico still need help and support. [1 image, 2 links, 2 quotations, 136 words].

David Guttenfelder Posts from South Korea

This image was posted to David Guttenfelder's Instagram account on December 13th, 2017. In his comments accompanying the photo Guttenfelder explains that this is a South Korean bunker "just 12 km south of the coast of North Korea's Hwanghae Province." He states that he is at the bunker to continue his "project on the divided Korean Peninsula." Guttenfelder is a National Geographic Photojournalist and his posts are greatly varied in content. Posts like this one about the South Korean bunker are a great way to learn information about global issues in an interesting visual way. His posts are succinct and informative and allow for his followers to see all different parts of the world. [1 image, 1 link, 2 quotations, 114 words]

Sean Hannity's Comments on Border Wall

In a tweet on January 30th, Sean Hannity posted a link to an article on his website that details the eight prototypes that are being tested for the suggested border wall. The article includes the above photograph of these prototypes. In his tweet Hannity stated that these prototypes have "proven impenetrable". This tweet was interesting to me because I have not heard very much about the progress of the proposed wall so it was informative to have this article that gave some insight on what is being done. However, it is also interesting to note that although the article stated the walls are impenetrable, not much information is given about how they came to that conclusion. The article does seem very biased towards supporting the efforts to build the wall, but it is still an interesting and informative read. [1 image, 2 links, 1 quotation, 145 words]

Mark Knoller's Updates on POTUS

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I'm not sure if he is using an iPhone 3 or what, but the images he posts aren't the best quality. Even so, I really enjoy Mark Knoller's posts on Twitter because they provide up-to-the-minute updates on what @POTUS is doing. The above image was posted at 5:45 p.m. on Friday, January 12. Knoller only added the following words: "Air Force One lands @PBI_Airport." Though a short update, it reminded me that Trump would be spending the weekend at Mar-a-Lago again. There is a lot going on in politics, so I think it is good that we still have a free press that provides accountability to our elected officials. [1 image, 4 links, 1 quotation, 115 words]