Welcome 😊 to Friday’s Roundup of Good News!
There has been so much going on this week! Team Blue, after appearing that it would not and could not do, has been stepping up efforts all over the place. Turns out a lot of people have been working all along! Jan 6th, getting rid of lead pipes, and so much more.
We still cannot know that our side will win, of course. And we still have to fight the pandemic and climate change, as well as fighting for voter rights.
But we can rest awhile and applaud the efforts of those who have been working so hard.
Come on in, dear gnusies — we’re all socially distanced, anyway — and lap up your favorite beverage while you graze on the good news, in what is truly one of the nicest places on the internet.
Regular Scheduled Programming
No one here is naïve; we are aware of the many who are fighting to destroy our country. Some of us expected it: the cheating, the lying, the chaos, and yes, even the attempts to cling to power despite the clear will of the people. But we are here to read the efforts and the positive results of those (including us and our fellow gnus) who are working so hard to save our country from those very bad people. We are furious with them for what they are doing and we are letting them know. Remember:
💙 There are more of us than there are of them.
💛 They are terrified when we organize. THERE IS LOTS OF EVIDENCE THAT THEY ARE TERRIFIED!
💔 They want us to be demoralized. The best way to keep up your spirits is to fight. So, take the time to recharge your batteries, but find ways to contribute to the well-being of our country and our world.
🗽 Biden as President!🗽
Biden, Harris and their administration have been hard at work. Here are the last week’s posts at the White House briefing room.
- Thursday, December 16, 2021: Readout of the Roundtable on the Biden-Harris Administration Trucking Action Plan
- Thursday, December 16, 2021: Remarks by President Biden After Meeting with Members of the COVID-19 Response Team
- Thursday, December 16, 2021: Statement from President Biden on the Build Back Better Act
- Thursday, December 16, 2021: Remarks by President Biden at Presentation of the Medal of Honor
- Thursday, December 16, 2021: Press Briefing by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, December 16, 2021
- Thursday, December 16, 2021: Statement by NSC Spokesperson Emily Horne on National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s Call with B9 Counterparts
- Thursday, December 16, 2021: Remarks by Vice President Harris on the Biden-Harris Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan
- Thursday, December 16, 2021: Bills Signed: H.R. 5142 and S.J. Res. 33
- Thursday, December 16, 2021: A Proclamation on Wright Brothers Day, 2021
- Thursday, December 16, 2021: Letter on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Serious Human Rights Abuse and Corruption
- Thursday, December 16, 2021: Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Serious Human Rights Abuse and Corruption
- Thursday, December 16, 2021: Statement from President Joe Biden on Unemployment Insurance Claims
- Thursday, December 16, 2021: Protecting Against Malicious Cyber Activity before the Holidays
- Thursday, December 16, 2021: FACT SHEET: The Biden-Harris Administration Trucking Action Plan to Strengthen America’s Trucking Workforce
- Thursday, December 16, 2021: FACT SHEET: The Biden-Harris Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan
- Wednesday, December 15, 2021: Statement by NSC Spokesperson Emily Horne on National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s Meeting with National Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan of Armenia
- Wednesday, December 15, 2021: Remarks by President Biden in Dawson Springs on the Response to the Tornadoes
- Wednesday, December 15, 2021: Remarks by President Biden in Press Gaggle
- Wednesday, December 15, 2021: President Biden Announces Key Nominees and an Appointee to Board and Commission Roles
- Wednesday, December 15, 2021: President Biden Announces Key Diplomatic and Agency Nominees
- Wednesday, December 15, 2021: Remarks by President Biden During Briefing with Local Leaders on Tornado Response
- Wednesday, December 15, 2021: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Amends Kentucky Disaster Declaration
- Wednesday, December 15, 2021: Remarks by President Biden After Surveying Storm Damage During Tour of Mayfield, Kentucky
- Wednesday, December 15, 2021: Nominations Sent to the Senate
- Wednesday, December 15, 2021: Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials
- Wednesday, December 15, 2021: Letter to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate on Imposing Sanctions on Foreign Persons Involved in the Global Illicit Drug Trade
- Wednesday, December 15, 2021: Executive Order on Establishing the United States Council on Transnational Organized Crime
- Wednesday, December 15, 2021: Executive Order on Imposing Sanctions on Foreign Persons Involved in the Global Illicit Drug Trade
- Wednesday, December 15, 2021: FACT SHEET: The Biden Administration Launches New Efforts to Counter Transnational Criminal Organizations and Illicit Drugs
- Wednesday, December 15, 2021: Statement by NSC Spokesperson Emily Horne on National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s Call with Russian Presidential Foreign Policy Advisor Yuriy Ushakov
- Wednesday, December 15, 2021: Readout of Investment Roundtable Hosted by the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization
- Wednesday, December 15, 2021: Press Gaggle by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
- Wednesday, December 15, 2021: Remarks by President Biden Before Marine One Departure
- Wednesday, December 15, 2021: President Biden Names Eleventh Round of Judicial Nominees
- Tuesday, December 14, 2021: Remarks by President Biden at a Holiday Celebration for the Democratic National Committee
- Tuesday, December 14, 2021: Statement by President Joe Biden on 800,000 American Deaths from COVID-19
- Tuesday, December 14, 2021: Statement by Press Secretary Jen Psaki on the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act
- Tuesday, December 14, 2021: Readout of White House Meeting with Bipartisan Group of Newly-Elected Mayors
- Tuesday, December 14, 2021: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, December 14, 2021
- Tuesday, December 14, 2021: Remarks by Vice President Harris Before a Meeting with CEOs to Discuss Investment in Central America
- Tuesday, December 14, 2021: Progress at the Pump
- Tuesday, December 14, 2021: Remarks by Vice President Harris and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in a Moderated Conversation at the Freedman’s Bank Forum
- Tuesday, December 14, 2021: Statement from President Joe Biden on Pfizer’s COVID-19 Antiviral Pill
- Tuesday, December 14, 2021:FACT SHEET: Highlights From The Biden Administration’s Historic Efforts To Reduce Gun Violence
- Tuesday, December 14, 2021: A Proclamation on Bill of Rights Day, 2021
- Monday, December 13, 2021: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Illinois Disaster Declaration
- Monday, December 13, 2021: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Tennessee Emergency Declaration
- Monday, December 13, 2021: Nominations Sent to the Senate
- Monday, December 13, 2021: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, December 13, 2021
- Monday, December 13, 2021: Remarks by President Biden at Signing of Executive Order on Government Services
- Monday, December 13, 2021: Readout of President Biden’s Call with President of Finland Sauli Niinistö
- Monday, December 13, 2021: President Biden Announces Key Nominees
- Monday, December 13, 2021: Remarks by President Biden After a Briefing on the Federal Response to the Severe Weather that Impacted Several U.S. States
- Monday, December 13, 2021: Executive Order on Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government
- Monday, December 13, 2021: Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials
- Monday, December 13, 2021: Statement by NSC Spokesperson Emily Horne on Middle East and North Africa Coordinator McGurk’s Travel to Iraq
- Sunday, December 12, 2021: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Kentucky Disaster Declaration
- Saturday, December 11, 2021: Remarks by President Biden on the Severe Weather that Impacted Several U.S. States
- Saturday, December 11, 2021: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Kentucky Emergency Declaration
- Saturday, December 11, 2021: Readout of President Biden’s Call with Governors of States Impacted by Severe Weather
- Saturday, December 11, 2021: Readout of President Biden’s Call with Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear
- Saturday, December 11, 2021: Readout of Vice President Kamala Harris’s Call with Presumptive Honduran President-Elect Xiomara Castro
- Saturday, December 11, 2021: Readout of President Joe Biden’s Briefing on Severe Weather
- Saturday, December 11, 2021: Statement by Vice President Kamala Harris on Supreme Court Ruling on Texas Law SB8
- Friday, December 10, 2021: Remarks by Vice President Harris on the Supreme Court Ruling on Texas Law S.B. 8
- Friday, December 10, 2021: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, December 10, 2021
- Friday, December 10, 2021: Statement by President Joe Biden on Supreme Court Decision on Texas SB8
- Friday, December 10, 2021: Background Press Call by Senior Administration Officials on Day One of the Summit for Democracy
- Friday, December 10, 2021: Readout of President Biden’s Call with Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany
- Friday, December 10, 2021: Bill Signed: S. 610
- Friday, December 10, 2021: Remarks by President Biden at the Summit for Democracy Closing Session
- Friday, December 10, 2021: Remarks by President Biden at the Memorial Service of Senator Robert J. Dole
- Friday, December 10, 2021: Statement by President Joe Biden On Kellogg Collective Bargaining Negotiations
- Friday, December 10, 2021: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. to Award Medal of Honor
- Friday, December 10, 2021: Statement from President Joe Biden on the Appointment of Catherine Russell as Executive Director of UNICEF
- Friday, December 10, 2021: Recent Data Show Dominant Meat Processing Companies Are Taking Advantage of Market Power to Raise Prices and Grow Profit Margins
- Friday, December 10, 2021: Statement by President Joe Biden on Today’s Consumer Price Index Data
👎 Out with the Bad, In with the Good 👍
Getting rid of those damned lead pipes:
Revising the revisionists Tony Tekaroniake Evans High Country News
In September of 1824, a Scottish schoolteacher turned fur trapper made his way to a mountain summit overlooking the awe-inspiring Sawtooth Valley near present-day Sun Valley, Idaho. Historical Marker 302 on Highway 75 at Galena Summit now commemorates the moment when Alexander Ross and his entourage first stood at the spot above the headwaters of the Salmon River. The sign proclaims that Ross “discovered” the summit before spending another month traveling “mostly through unexplored land.”
The notion that Ross “discovered” any place that had not already been well traveled by Native Americans strikes Idaho State Historic Preservation Office Deputy Tricia Canaday as absurd. “Of course, Indigenous groups had been traversing that route for millennia,” she said. Canaday has taken on the monumental task of working with Idaho’s five tribes to revise many of the 290 signs in the states’ historical marker system, and possibly add new signs.
The initiative’s stated goal, Canaday said, is to rebalance Idaho’s roadside history with an Indigenous perspective and thereby create a more culturally sensitive and historically accurate picture of the past. Each state in the U.S. appears to have its own standards and protocols for reviewing highway marker language, she said, and her office is in charge of Idaho’s. As a result, Ross may soon be known for having “mapped” or “encountered” Galena Summit, rather than discovering it, Canaday said. That might seem like a small success, but it’s just one piece in a wider mosaic that could transform Idaho’s roadside history for generations to come.
Shh, don’t let the critics of CRT know about this!
More reasons to get vaxxed:
The quest for more powerful showerheads is over Anna Phillips Washington Post
The Energy Department has reversed a Trump-era rule increasing how much water could be used in a shower by allowing multiple nozzles to carry equal amounts of water at once.
In closing the loophole Tuesday, Biden officials restored a 2013 standard that most shower heads on the market were already meeting — or exceeding.
Manufacturers did not demand the rollback. Instead, the call for more powerful showers came from Trump himself, who complained that the conservation standards led to low water pressure and a dissatisfying shower experience.
It’s the judges, stupid Liz Dye Wonkette
Another day, another federal judge is taking senior status in time to ensure his seat goes to someone competent. Thank you for your service on the Third Circuit, Judge Thomas Ambro! And to you, Judge D. Brooks Smith, who announced your decision to take senior status earlier this month. That brings the total to three vacancies for President Joe Biden to fill on the Third Circuit alone.
And while it's tempting to take a dark view as we limp out of 2021 — GOOD RIDDANCE! — let's take a moment to appreciate Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who have been nominating and confirming judges at a blistering pace all year. The Supreme Court may be a flaming dumpster fire, but Biden has nominated more judges than Trump did in his first disastrous year, filling vacancies at a historic pace, and judges are heading for the exits in droves while Democrats hold the Senate and the coast is clear.
Just yesterday Biden nominated nine more federal judges, bringing the total to 73, beating Trump's record of 72. The nominees are a diverse group, not just racially but in their professional backgrounds. Yesterday's cohort includes Nina Morris, executive director of the Innocence Project, which supports criminal justice reform and works to exonerate wrongly convicted prisoners. US Magistrate Judge Kenly Kiya Kato, a former federal public defender, will be elevated to a district judgeship in California. And she'll be joined by California Superior Court Judge Sunshine Suzanne Sykes, a member of the Navajo Nation and a descendant of the Coyote Pass-Jemez Clan. Before joining the state judiciary, Judge Sykes worked as a staff attorney for California Indian Legal Services and as an advocate for abused and neglected children.
And then there’s this:
💣 Republicans in Disarray 💣
We know that certain House members have had their records subpoenaed:
I am sure that many of you have seen McConnell’s remark that whatever the committee finds will be “interesting.” I expect McConnell has a pretty good idea of who these people are, but he’s not going to help them at all. Remember, McConnell is very deliberate and has no trouble brushing off reporters when he wants to.
Pence has no reason to love tfg, and perhaps it’s showing
🍑 Local Rs did not want David Perdue to run for Georgia governor Emma Hurt Axios
A majority of Georgia's Republican state senators quietly sent former Sen. David Perdue a letter last month asking him not to run for governor, Axios has learned. Weeks later, Perdue forged ahead and announced his primary challenge to incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp.
Why it matters: Former President Donald Trump's campaign against "disloyal" Republicans has set off GOP worries around the country about the risk of dividing, weakening or radicalizing the party. Nowhere has the dynamic played out more openly so far than Georgia.
- Perdue is arguing Kemp can't win in November because he lacks the support of Trump and his base.
- Trump was furious after Kemp declined to take steps to overturn President Joe Biden's 2020 win in the state.
💙 Democrats Being Cool 💙
I expect you have already seen this story, but it is such a great example of Ds being cool. Governor Gavin Newsom of California starts putting together law to help sue those breaking gun laws. Dan Friedman Mother Jones
Texas lawmakers used an audacious strategy to get their controversial abortion law past the Supreme Court: empowering private citizens to sue abortion providers and anyone who “aids and abets” patients trying to obtain the procedure in the state after six weeks. But the lawmakers may not have anticipated what their law could inspire. Now, California Governor Gavin Newsom says that he plans to borrow the tactic to advance his own measure that would allow private citizens to sue gun manufacturers or people who sell assault weapons or so-called ghost guns.
In a statement on Saturday, Newsom’s office said his staff would work with the state’s attorney general and Democrats who control the state legislature to write a bill that allows state citizens to sue anyone who “manufactures, distributes, or sells an assault weapon or ghost gun kit or parts” in California. Newsom suggested damages of at least $10,000 per violation.
⚡️ NY AG Letitia James is considering a similar approach. She is sick of the prayers. ⚡️
Senator Warren calls on the SEC to probe executive compensation at oil firms Reuters
Dec 15 (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren has asked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate executive pay at large oil firms, including Marathon Petroleum (MPC.N), Chevron (CVX.N) , and Occidental Petroleum (OXY.N).
The U.S. oil firms "may be misleading investors and the public about their executive compensation by using loophole-ridden climate metrics tied to CEO pay", Warren said in a letter dated Dec. 14 to SEC Chairman Gary Gensler.
Executives at oil firms misleading the public? I’d be shocked, shocked.
And there’s this:
FDA makes abortion pills more accessible Oriana Gonzalez Axios
The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it will issue new guidance that will make abortion pills more accessible in some states, even after the pandemic.
Why it matters: The move makes permanent pandemic-era guidance that allowed people to access the medication through telemedicine and receive the pills by mail, where permitted by state law. Before the FDA temporarily changed the rule due to the pandemic, people were required to go to doctor's offices, hospitals or clinics to receive the mifepristone abortion pill. ✂️
Yes, but: The abortion pill is either heavily restricted or banned in almost half of U.S. states, and more could follow suit.
💜 Unity? 💜
I don’t click on all of the links at the White House briefing room, but I do read all the headlines. And over the past year, I have been struck by how many times disasters have been declared in states, often for events that have not dominated the headlines.
This past week it was tornadoes in Kentucky. The politicians there (Governor Andy Beshear, and Senators McConnell and Paul) wanted aid for their state. Chris Cillizza CNN points out how hypocritical this is of Senator Paul.
"As the sun comes up this morning we will begin to understand the true scope of the devastation, but we already know of loss of life and severe property damage," the Kentucky Republican Senator wrote to President Joe Biden. "The Governor of the Commonwealth has requested federal assistance this morning, and certainly further requests will be coming as the situation is assessed. I fully support those requests and ask that you move expeditiously to approve the appropriate resources for our state."
Which makes sense. Disaster relief is a place where the federal government can make a real difference -- particularly in the early stages of the aftermath as residents (and even state government) may be struggling to get back on its feet.
The problem? Well, Paul has made something of a career out of opposing disaster relief in places other than Kentucky.
In 2013, he opposed a disaster relief measure for the Northeast following the devastation caused by Superstorm Sandy. "I would have given them 9 billion and I would've taken the 9 billion from somewhere else,"
Paul explained at the time, citing the price tag for the measure. "I would have taken it from foreign aid and said, 'You know what, we don't have money for Egypt or Pakistan this year because we have to help the Northeast."
Actually, Paul had a point. The NJ governor was then Chris Christie, and I heard the funds were not well managed.
Still, baby steps. Paul and McConnell did join their governor to ask for money for their state. Just like even the evil governor of Florida asked Biden for help after the collapse of that apartment building. And it makes a difference to Kentuckians.
We often dismiss those in red states because they vote against their own interests. We need to remember that they are stuck in bubbles without any other information, and have heard lies about the Ds all along.
📥 Actions You Can Take 📤
!!!!!!!!!! Voting rights. This may be the biggest issue threatening our democracy right now. Besides contacting your representatives at the state and federal level to do the right thing (depending on who they are), you can support and contact these organizations:
ACLU — American Civil Liberties Union
Democracy Docket — founded by Marc Elias, so important in fighting the challenges after the last election.
Fair Fight — founded by Stacey Abrams
🌱Grass roots. Biden and Harris can do the top-down stuff, but we have to support from the bottom. I don’t know how to deprogram 75 million people, but some things have been written about, such as deep canvassing, and lots of people are talking about this. If you know someone (who did not storm the Capitol), then see if you can be pleasant. Instead of trying to reason with them (logic is obviously not their strong point) distract them with something else. We need to remove the sources of lies and to take down the temperature. If we get more of the Rs to wear masks and to get vaccinated and to vote for Ds, the country will be a better place. We need to coax some of them out of the rabbit holes and diffuse the anger and the crazy.
🏃 Run for something. If you want to run for something, but have no idea what to do, these people will help you. They also like money and volunteers to help those people who are running, so even if you’re not in a position to stand for office, you can help. Note: they are especially planning to target the 57 Rs in local governments who participated in the insurrection.
👎 Defund the seditionists. This is a list with companies that sometimes have donated to the seditionists, and their current approach to supporting or not supporting the seditionists. The list is long. You will recognize many of the corporations, and you probably have a relationship with some — either you are a customer, a shareholder, or maybe even an employee. Contact them and compliment or complain, but let them know you are watching. Forward it to others.
🐍 Schadenfreude 😈
One step forward!
Julian Assange extradition could mean more trouble for tfg Frank Figliuzzi MSNBC
Former President Donald Trump already faces a future filled with legal battles in multiple federal, state and local jurisdictions from Georgia to the District of Columbia to New York state and Manhattan. And, now, a British court decision against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange could resurrect the two seminal questions from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation: Did Trump obstruct justice, and did his campaign collude with Russia? Assange, an Australian citizen sitting in Her Majesty’s Prison Belmarsh in southeast London, may hold the key that reopens the prosecutive possibilities.
On Friday, a U.K. court ruled that Assange can be extradited to the U.S. to face espionage charges stemming from his 2010 publication of State Department and Defense Department files provided by Chelsea Manning, a former Army intelligence analyst. As explained in The New York Times, the federal case on Assange asserts that he:
“... participated in a criminal hacking conspiracy, both by offering to help Ms. Manning mask her tracks on a secure computer network and by engaging in a broader effort to encourage hackers to obtain secret material and send it to WikiLeaks. The other is that his solicitation and publication of information the government deemed secret violated the Espionage Act.”
More progress.
“Feral Trumper” indicted Josh Marshall, Talking Points Memo (member only article)
So many people involved in the “voter fraud” sham are simply stone cold liars or the types who play act believing things with some winks and nods to themselves. But the movement also has lots of people who genuinely believe. And now one of them has been indicted for running a guy off the road and putting a gun to his head back in October 2020.
Mark Aguirre is a former Houston PD captain who was hired by a straight-out-of-central-casting “conservative activist” named Steven Hotze. They were operating as what Aguirre identified to police as the “Liberty Center,” which seems to have been a self-styled private Big Lie-centered investigation. (It’s full legal name is The Liberty Center for God and Country, because of course it is.)
Back in October 2020, Aguirre spent four days surveilling an AC repair man named David Lopez Zuniga. He suspected Lopez’s AC business was a cover for a massive voter fraud operation and that his AC repair box truck was actually carrying 750,000 phony ballots. On October 19th he intentionally rear-ended Lopez’s truck to force him to stop. He then pulled a gun on Lopez, forced him to the ground and apparently demanded he confess to the vote rigging scheme he and his team were investigating. He then held Lopez at gun point until police arrived.
Aguirre has been indicted. Good to know he is no longer in the police.
Just how stupid and vain is Mark Meadows? Liz Dye Wonkette
And while we're on the subject, the Committee notes that Meadows is now claiming privilege over messages on his personal cell phone, multiple Gmail accounts, and the encrypted messaging app Signal. If those communications are privileged, as Meadows insists, that begs the question as to why he failed to use his official White House account for executive branch business. Or why those official communications haven't been turned over to the National Archives as required by the Presidential Records Act. Or why Mark Meadows doesn't have to go directly to email jail for conducting "government" business on a private server.
In summary and in conclusion, Mark Meadows handed over evidence to the Select Committee that not only admits that some of his communications are not privileged, but also contains prima facie evidence that he failed to comply with federal records retention laws. Compare this to Kash Patel, the Forrest Gump of every Russia and Ukraine scandal for four years, who appears to be cooperating with the Committee, and Steve Bannon, who totally stiff-armed the subpoena and got indicted for contempt of Congress, but at least had the sense not to hand over incriminating documents.
So in case you were wondering who's the stupidest person subpoenaed so far, looks like we have a winner.
Derek Chauvin pleads guilty in civil rights violation case Mary Yang The Guardian
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has pleaded guilty to violating George Floyd’s civil rights during the arrest that killed Floyd in May 2020, sparking mass racial justice protests across the US and beyond.
Chauvin appeared in federal court in person on Wednesday morning to change his plea to guilty. It means he will not face a federal trial in January, though he could end up spending more years behind bars when a judge sentences him at a later date. ✂️
As part of the plea deal, Chauvin also pleaded guilty to violating the rights of a then 14-year-old boy during a 2017 arrest in which he held the boy by the throat, hit him in the head with a flashlight and held his knee on the boy’s neck and upper back while he was prone, handcuffed and not resisting.
This week, I have to hand the virtual medal of honor to the January 6th committee, who is not just pursuing the truth of what happened about that day (and the stuff leading up to it), but whose work is taking on FOX News, the most powerful purveyor of lies in the US. I am sure you have seen this before, but enjoy it again:
And there’s this:
But Liz Cheney is not the only brave Republican who deserves some respect this week. There’s also Kathy Bernier of Wisconsin, who has been standing up to the lies in her party:
For more you can read this piece at the Milwauke Journal Sentinel. Remember, these Rs defending democracy can pay a heavy price in their parties.
🌹 Let’s Celebrate Love ❤️
93-year-old Quebecois donates his little island to conservationists Andy Corbley Good News Roundup
Near to where the Ottawa and St. Lawrence Rivers meet, a small island teeming with
birds and turtles sits surprisingly untouched amid a suburban sprawl that has turned the surrounding waterline into concrete walls.
The island, called Île Ronde, was spared from this development by the dollars of one man back in the 1960s, who after decades of refusing to sell to real estate and property men, has just donated it to the Nature Conservancy Canada to be protected forever. ✂️
Out of their window, the seven-acre Île Ronde sat offshore by a mighty stone’s throw. Wikström convinced the previous owner to sell it, and it was there that many childhood memories were made among migratory birds and turtles.
Now at 93 years of age, he’s at peace knowing the forests and marshlands, the little cabin and birdhouses he built, will all be protected forever.
The article occasionally spells the last name Vikström, but who cares? It’s great news.
📎Odds & Ends 📎
Talking crow has fowl mouth Andy Corbley Good News Network
Sure enough. Finding an open window at Allen Dale Elementary School, the bird made its way into a fifth-grade classroom and started helping itself to some snacks—all the while adoring the attention from the kids, and being quite friendly.
Oh, and it began talking.
According to local reporting from The Oregonian, the crow was actually a rescued bird that was all grown up and had lived with a family in the community for years, since it was a baby. None of the students or teachers knew that however, and its calm demeanor and vocabulary left them stunned.
“It would say ‘What’s up?’ and ‘I’m fine’ and a lot of swear words,” said Education assistant Naomi Imel. “It was like a parrot. It was the weirdest thing.”
Microbes evolving to digest plastic Paige Bennett EcoWatch
It’s no secret that plastic is taking over our planet at a rapid pace. Now, researchers
of one study have found that microbes in the oceans and soil all around the world are quickly evolving to digest the plastic. The study authors say these findings show “a measurable effect of plastic pollution on the global microbial ecology.”
Published in Microbial Biology, the study takes the first large-scale look at microbes’ potential to degrade plastics by evaluating DNA samples from the environment as well as a dataset of 95 enzymes that have been previously studied. They found over 30,000 non-redundant enzymes with the potential to degrade 10 different types of plastic.
Even more interesting, the study notes that the type and amount of enzymes correlates with location-specific pollution trends, showing just how ever-growing plastic pollution is causing these organisms to evolve.
🐝 ☀️ 🌻 Solar panel farms could boost bee population Paige Bennett EcoWatch
A new study finds that installing solar farms could become a two birds, one stone situation, as these areas can also double as thriving pollinator habitats if land owners allow meadows to grow around the solar panels.
The study, from researchers at Lancaster University in the UK that will be presented today at an Ecology Across Borders conference, shows that installing solar farms could be greatly beneficial to nature.
“Our findings provide the first quantitative evidence that solar parks could be used as a conservation tool to support and boost pollinator populations. If they are managed in a way that provides resources, solar parks could become [a] valuable bumble bee habitat,” said Hollie Blaydes, associate lecturer and doctorate student at the university. “In the UK, pollinator habitat has been established on some solar parks, but there is currently little understanding of the effectiveness of these interventions. Our findings provide solar park owners and managers with evidence to suggest that providing floral and nesting resources for bumble bees could be effective.”
🐦 I do a lot of other writing. A recent offering: Hunters of the Feather, a story about a thinker-linker crow who wants to save birdkind from extinction, and the sequel, Scavengers of Mind. (They’re really good! They’re really cheap! Buy and review or rate positively! And Hunters is also available on Audible!) Other stories, based on Jane Austen novels — including a new one for lovers of Pride & Prejudice, Mrs. Bennet’s Advice to Young Ladies — and others on Greek mythology, can be found here.
💙 What You Can Do to Rescue Democracy 💙
It turns out that participation in democracy is not just an every-four-years event but requires active participation, like, whenever you can find time.
Current projects:
Look in the comments for Progressive Muse’s report on Postcards to Voters
And some other ideas:
You can relax and recharge.
You can join protests and freeway blog.
You can help register new voters.
You can smile.
You can get out the vote for special elections.
You can reach out to upset Republicans. We need to win some back.
You can share your ideas below.
🌻
💙 “Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we all are created equal and the harsh ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart. The battle is perennial, and victory is never assured.” 💙
President Joseph R. Biden
🌹 🌹 🌹
TRUTH MATTERS. LOVE MATTERS.