Good morning, Gnusies! As usual, I’m letting the theme of my intro be dictated by the news I found, and what came up for me today is the power we gain by working together. Whether it’s the tight-knit team that makes up the Biden administration, partnerships creating positive change in our communities, employees joining together to demand better working conditions, or researchers making breakthroughs in science and medicine, when we work together we make progress, no matter how hard the challenge.
It’s another long one today, so grab a mug of your favorite morning beverage, settle into a comfortable seat, and let’s see some of the things that cooperation is accomplishing here and around the world.
Opening music
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Good news in politics
Jill Biden to host a conversation with women denied medical care post-Roe v. Wade
It’s so smart of the Dems to keep hammering on the abortion issue. It’s our strongest weapon against the Republicans.
From NBC News:
First lady Jill Biden will host a roundtable conversation at the White House on Tuesday with women who have been denied medical care in the year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, according to a White House official. As part of the administration’s effort to mark the anniversary this week, she will be joined by White House Gender Policy Council Director Jennifer Klein and four women from across the country to “highlight their stories” and the administration's “commitment to protecting access to reproductive health care,” the official said.
The meeting, first shared with NBC News, will kick off a series of high-profile events focused on the reversal of the landmark decision, which will culminate with a major speech by Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Harris will rally supporters, advocates and community leaders on abortion access, which Biden aides view as a key issue for voters ahead of the 2024 election.
President Biden will also speak around the one-year anniversary with remarks expected later in the week, according to the White House official.
In Palo Alto, President Biden announces $2.6 billion for climate resilience, modernizing electrical grid
Another great message to voters.
From Palo Alto Online:
President Joe Biden announced that his administration is investing more than $2.6 billion to fight climate change and to help communities become resilient during a stop at the Lucy Evans Baylands Nature Interpretive Center and Preserve in Palo Alto on Monday, June 19.
Standing outside amid blustery winds, Biden announced the latest funding: nearly $600M for climate resilience through the launch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's “Climate Resilience Regional Challenge,” and $2 billion for building the electrical grid, a move that would also create jobs, he said. ✂️
"Starting tomorrow the Department of Commerce will launch the first, largest competitive climate resilience … challenge to provide $600 million to coastal and Great Lake communities that are building projects to protect against the impacts of climate change from sea level rise, flooding and storm surge, we're investing in the people in places that haven't been hit the hardest, but who are also on the frontlines," Biden said during a live-streamed press conference. ✂️
The Department of Defense is also going to announce that it's investing more than $2 billion to modernize the nation's electric grid to be more climate resilient, including more than $67 million in California.
Encouraging News on Inflation is Why the Fed Paused Rate Hikes and May Want to Keep Them Paused
By Robert J. Shapiro in Washington Monthly:
The Biden administration has pulled off a remarkable two-step—at once, beating inflation while expanding employment. In both cases, policy decisions drove the results—10 interest rate increases to tame inflation; and, to bolster employment, enactment of a major stimulus in response to the pandemic, followed by programs of large-scale infrastructure investments and tax benefits to bolster American industry in areas such as clean energy and semiconductor manufacturing. Sustaining the happy results of these policies will depend on the Federal Reserve foregoing more interest rate hikes and the administration foregoing additional spending programs. Fortunately, on Wednesday, the Fed declined to hike rates. Ominously, it suggested more may be coming. ✂️
The good news on inflation is fairly broad-based. Rising energy costs driven by OPEC and Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine were the leading factors pushing up prices in 2021 and 2022. Gasoline prices, which jumped 42 percent in 2021, fell nearly 20 percent over the past year—and over the last six months, gas prices declined at an annual rate of 23 percent. Food prices, which jumped nearly 10 percent in 2022, still rose by almost 7 percent over the last year. But food prices over the last six months increased at an annual rate of just 3 percent. … Similarly, new car prices that jumped 11.8 percent in 2021 rose 4.7 percent over the past year—and increased over the last six months at an annual rate of just 2.2 percent. ✂️
Happily, we should also expect to see inflation in overall services ease in the coming months. … So, why do economists such as Larry Summers call for more interest rate hikes? For many economists, the era of Paul Volcker, when the Federal Reserve chair and his colleagues steadily raised rates from 10.25 percent in July 1979 to 20 percent in February 1981, still represents what’s necessary to break inflation. But it’s the wrong paradigm for today. ✂️
After the recent failures of Silicon Valley Bank, First Republic Bank, and Signature Bank, the Federal Reserve is more focused on the danger that additional interest rate increases pose for still more banks with portfolios invested heavily in Treasury and mortgage-backed securities. (These assets fall in value when interest rates rise.) Given the last six months of steady disinflation, it’s good that the Federal Reserve paused the rate hikes on Wednesday, as it was expected to do. And looking ahead, the Fed should be as sensitive to banking risks and a possible downturn as they are to any inflation data that might point to another rate hike. No one is saying that the Fed should declare “Mission Accomplished” in fighting inflation, but neither should it act as if we were back in the 1970s.
Clean energy manufacturing projects announced since Inflation Reduction Act passage
From Future Crunch:
* Starred projects have not announced investment amounts. Job numbers are for permanent positions estimated by companies.
The right-wing narrative about Biden is collapsing
Jessiestaf mentioned this piece yesterday, and I’m adding more details here. Do click the link to read this very encouraging piece in full.
By Simon Rosenberg in Hopium Chronicles:
As we discussed last week...we are witnessing what may be a historic meltdown on the right side of the American political spectrum. Let’s review:
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Republican leaders are choosing to once again excuse and embrace Trump’s epic malevolence and ongoing betrayal of the country
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McCarthy has lost control of the House, and may never get it back
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the backlash to DeSantis’ extremist agenda in Florida is growing, as it should
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a war has broken out between Fox News and Musk/Twitter/Tucker Carlson, just weeks after Fox was essentially found guilty of lying and helping stoke a domestic insurrection in the United States
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the leader of CPAC, one of the right’s most influential organizations, has been accused of sexual assault and financial improprieties by his own staff
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one of the right’s most important allies in the UK, Boris Johnson, just resigned from Parliament in disgrace
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Rs are losing in the early 2023 elections, as they did in the battlegrounds in 2022
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The corruption of the Roberts Court is now undeniable
But of the all GOP’s challenges, and there are so, so many, the most consequential may be the clear across-the-board success of the Biden Presidency. It is making the fictional “worst President in history” narrative the right-wing noise machine has invested so much in impossible to maintain.
White House picks up the pace on regs
🎩 to T Maysle for mentioning this good news in a comment last Thursday.
From E&E News:
The White House revealed plans for energy and environmental regulations Tuesday, with rules primed to meet a crucial deadline to avoid being overturned by Republican lawmakers if President Joe Biden loses his reelection bid. The spring Unified Agenda offers a window into the Biden administration’s intent to shore up regulatory actions on air, water and climate in the months ahead. ✂️
Finalizing federal rules by the first half of next year is paramount for the White House. Otherwise, they may be open to being killed by a GOP-led government after the 2024 election, which could prevent a future administration from enacting similar rules to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The administration has already begun to push up its deadlines on regulations, which is a notable departure from past practice. “The past agendas were essentially just a catalog of six-month delays,” said James Goodwin, a senior policy analyst at the Center for Progressive Reform. “If you said June, the next would say December. In other words, nothing got done.” He added: “That’s not really the case here.” ✂️
This is also the first regulatory agenda released under [Richard] Revesz, [Biden’s head of the Office of Information and Regulatory [Affairs] (OIRA)], who was confirmed by the Senate in December. As OIRA’s administrator, he has led a revamp of the rulemaking process to emphasize benefits from environmental protections.
Ron Wyden plans to introduce legislation to strip the Saudi sovereign wealth fund of tax benefits, amid growing anger over the PGA Tour-LIV Golf agreement.
Sen. Wyden has been fighting for many years to bring the Saudis to justice for exfiltrating Saudis who have committed crimes, many of them extremely serious like rape and felony hit-and-run. So it doesn’t surprise me that he’s outraged about the PGA-LIV deal.
The article further notes that “The investigation comes on the heels of another probe into the deal launched by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), the chair of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.” Dems are on it!
From Politico:
Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden said Thursday he intends to introduce legislation that would strip Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund of significant tax benefits in light of concerns over the deal between the PGA Tour and the Saudi-backed rival league LIV Golf.
The Oregon Democrat said he is launching a wide-ranging investigation of the agreement between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, which is owned by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. His goal is to understand the ownership structure of the merged entity and whether the PGA Tour’s ownership of any real estate near U.S. military and manufacturing facilities could pose national security risks. ✂️
While Wyden said he has serious concerns about the PGA Tour’s classification as a tax-exempt organization going forward, he went a step further by announcing his plans to target an exemption in the Internal Revenue Code currently available to PIF that allows it to generate dividends, interest and capital gains from many of its investments in the U.S. tax-free. ✂️
“It’s widely understood that the Saudis rip Americans off at the pump and funnel their oil profits into various efforts to launder the reputation of their violent authoritarian regime, but at a minimum there’s no good reason to help them along with a taxpayer subsidy."
— Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)
Gavin Newsom Brutally Schools Sean Hannity On The Economy In Explosive Interview
We need more Dems to stand up like this to the Wrong-Wing media!
From Yahoo:
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) doggedly defended his home state’s economic policy against Fox News host Sean Hannity in new footage from a recent interview in Sacramento.
Aired Friday, the video shows Hannity hitting the governor with questions on business in California, suggesting that companies were abandoning their headquarters there “to increase their profits and save money — because you tax too much.” ✂️
Hannity pressed on, contending that businesses were fleeing California after “paying that high tax bill” — a comment that prompted apparent exasperation from Newsom.
“This is on its way to be the fourth-largest economy in the world. What are you arguing for? Mississippi’s economic policy?” asked Newsom, speaking over Hannity’s attempts to interject. “Literally that’s what you’re arguing for. The great [former Republican Gov.] Sam Brownback’s Kansas policy? It was a debacle — no economic growth. Seventy-one percent of the GDP in America are [in] blue counties,” Newsom added, saying that economically successful states like California were “subsidizing” those that employed Hannity’s favored policies. ✂️
The release of the new video came after Hannity aired other parts their discussion Monday. In that footage, Newsom blasted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) over his treatment of migrants and went to bat for President Joe Biden.
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Good news from my corner of the world
Providence Portland nurses walk out in city’s first nursing strike in 22 years
It’s way past time for hospitals to provide fair compensation and reasonable working conditions for nurses, who were absolutely heroic during the pandemic and are still suffering the aftereffects.
From The Oregonian:
The first nurses’ strike in Portland in 22 years began early Monday at Providence Portland Medical Center, where 1,300 nurses walked off the job.
The 100 nurses at Providence hospital in Seaside and 400 at the health giant’s home health and hospice service were expected to join the five-day work stoppage soon after.
The two sides have been unable to craft a mutually agreeable deal. The union argues that its members’ primary demand is new minimum staffing rules to address chronic understaffing they say has become the norm during the pandemic.
“This isn’t just about money and never has been,” the Oregon Nurses Association said in a statement Thursday. “It’s about sick time and paid time off to care for ourselves and our families, ensuring safe staffing so our patients are properly cared for, and making our careers sustainable.”
And Sen. Jeff Merkley immediately tweeted his support:
This could be the most beautiful homeless shelter you have ever seen, and it’s getting results
Surprisingly — or perhaps not surprisingly, given the state of local media —I was unaware of this shelter in my home town until I saw this story on CNN.
From CNN:
In 2008, [Brandi Tuck] started a nonprofit, now known as Path Home, that provides shelter, support, and a host of services to families experiencing homelessness in Portland, Oregon. The organization has since helped more than 10,000 parents and children.
Between 2020 and 2022, Oregon saw one of the nation’s largest increases in homelessness, with numbers growing by more than 22%, according to federal data. Many of those people are unsheltered, which means they sleep in tents, cars, or on the streets. ...Oregon has the highest percentage of unsheltered families with children in the United States. ✂️
[Path Home] houses 17 families with children, and they can stay for up to six months. Specialists help families find permanent housing, while case managers help people access the services they need. Classes about finances, life skills and parenting are also available. The goal is to help families regain control over their lives. “When people think about homelessness, they don’t think about the families and the kids that we serve,” Tuck said. “70% of them work while they stay in shelter. And they’re just regular folks who are down on their luck.” ✂️
Traditional homeless shelters – often in gyms or warehouses – can be chaotic and cluttered spaces, with little privacy for families. So, Tuck worked with a local architect to create the first shelter in Oregon with trauma-informed design, which opened in 2019. “It’s designed to give the sense of emotional, physical, and psychological safety,” Tuck said. “It helps families heal from the crisis of homelessness.”
CNN Hero Brandi Tuck's nonprofit, Path Home, runs Oregon's first shelter built with trauma-informed design.
Exploring Two-Spirit, queer Indigenous legacies through art
I’m continually impressed by the wisdom of Indigenous cultures. I didn’t know about the Indian tradition of honoring trans people as “Two Spirit,” which is such a perfect description.
From Street Roots:
When looking at your own history, who looks back? It could be someone just like you.
A new exhibit at the Chachalu Cultural Museum in Grand Ronde called “My Father’s Father’s Sister” explores that question for Two-Spirit and queer Indigenous, or Indigiqueer, people.
Co-curated by Anthony Hudson and Felix Furby, the newly-opened exhibit focuses on Shimkin, a 19th-century Two-Spirit Atfalati Kalapuya healer and will be open to the public until November 30.
Seeking to empower others in their community with the joy and healing of acceptance, Hudson (Grand Ronde, Siletz), a Two-Spirit artist and writer and Furby (Grand Ronde, Chinook), a Two-Spirit cultural researcher, created an educational art program exploring the history of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer peoples in their community and celebrating their contemporary contributions.
The “My Father’s Father’s Sister” exhibit at Chachalu Cultural Museum features a reconstructed portrait of Atfalati Kalapuya healer Shimkin created by Grand Ronde artist Steph Littlebird.
[From the interview that follows]:
Furby: Shimkin had the power to heal people, she had clairvoyance, and she also had, what was most interesting, the power to become woman. And that one really caught my eyes like this power is put through this phrase of the “power to become woman.”
There’s something that we culturally refer to as spirit powers; these are powers that someone is called to but then has to go and receive, and the thing is that whatever these powers are, they have to be respected and then honored by the community.
To receive this power, Shimkin had to dance five consecutive nights for five years to receive this spirit power.
I guess one of the things that strikes me is just that this was something that it sounds like more people had — it sounds like wasn't just Shimkin. And it offers a little glimpse of understanding into how the thinking of some amount of gender diversity might have been in our cultures, which is the most information I think I've ever seen about any of that.
This Indigenous-led farmers market in Portland is a destination for all
I haven’t visited this market yet, but I definitely will!
From Oregon Public Broadcasting:
Though the Cully Farmers Market has been a staple in the Cully neighborhood for a few years now, this year is the first time that the Native American Youth and Family Center, commonly known as NAYA, is fully in charge of running the event.
“Our goal is to create a space for all marginalized folks, of course focusing in on Indigenous, Native, Black and brown vendors,” said S.A. Lawrence-Welch..., Native marketplace and retail coordinator at NAYA. “We are inviting people to be a part of that and really creating a Native-led space.”
In creating a space of accessibility and community, it was important to Lawerence-Welch to eliminate potential barriers for vendors at the market. This means all of the tents and tables are provided for the vendors and there are no fees, which are common at most other farmer’s markets. “We’re just kind of trying to make this farmer’s market the most equitable place we can for people that may not have access to some of the other markets out there,” Lawrence-Welch said. “My goal over the next few years is to absolutely make it a destination for the community.” ✂️
Beyond just creating accessibility for vendors, Lawrence-Welch and other event organizers strived to make the market a destination for all, regardless of socioeconomic status. One way they have done this is by providing free food boxes, filled with produce grown at the NAYA garden, to 10 community members at each market.
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Good news from around the nation
Damaged portion of I-95 in Philadelphia will be reopened within two weeks, governor says
This welcome news comes after numerous warnings that the repairs would take months. I’ll bet Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor had a lot to do with this turnaround.
From CNN:
The damaged section of Interstate 95 that collapsed in Philadelphia will be reopened within the next two weeks, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Saturday. ✂️
“I can tell you now, I can state with confidence, that we will have I-95 reopened within the next two weeks,” Shapiro said, speaking alongside President Joe Biden following the president’s aerial tour of the highway collapse.
“We are going to get traffic moving again, thanks to the extraordinary work that is going on here by these union trade workers,” he added. “These are special people working their tails off, and Mr. President, they are working 24/7 literally around the clock.”
Governor Newsom Announces Statewide Expansion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Provide Universal Access to Free Books for Young Children
More great news from Newsom. BTW, this should be happening everywhere.
From CA.gov:
California is launching the statewide expansion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The expansion, made possible by bipartisan legislation SB 1183 (Grove) — which was signed into law by Governor Newsom last year — allows all California children under the age of five to be eligible to enroll in the program to receive a free book every month in the mail. The program is currently active in areas across 30 counties in California and this expansion is expected to fully cover the entire state by 2028. ✂️
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is currently active in all 50 states and has gifted over 200 million books since 1995. California is the first state to provide a bilingual option where children and their families can select to receive bilingual books in both English and Spanish. When California’s statewide expansion is complete, it will be the largest statewide Imagination Library in the nation.
Under Governor Newsom’s leadership, and in partnership with the Legislature, California is improving education outcomes and investing in literacy. California outperformed most states in mitigating learning loss during the pandemic, and through historic levels of school and library funding, the state is building a cohesive structure of support for educators and students that reflects a focus on equity, inclusion, and academic success.
Tennessee is Sending Free Books to 200,000 Kids to Keep Them Reading Over the Summer — Families Are ‘Thrilled’
Some rare good news from a Republican-led state.
From Good News Network:
To combat learning loss over the summer, Tennessee is funding the delivery of surprise books to keep almost a quarter million kids engaged with reading.
The Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation (GELF) expanded its K-3 Home Library program to now include all rising 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade students enrolled in a public school. In collaboration with Scholastic publishing, the program will deliver 1.2 million books to more than 200,000 students, teachers, and librarians this summer.
Six packages consisting of grade-level books will be delivered directly to the homes of participants, at no cost to families or the 152 school districts.
Children enrolled in school districts and charter schools were signed up to receive the books with an opt-out option for families, making it easy for all K-3 students to be a part of the program, with 40,000 more students getting them this year, compared to 2022.
[LA] Metro Opens Downtown Regional Connector Subway
This is an impressive achievement. Investing in light rail is a big step toward giving Southern Californians an alternative to cars.
From StreetsBlogLA:
Earlier today, Metro opened its long-anticipated new Regional Connector subway project. The $1.8 billion 1.9-mile long project ties together three existing Metro rail lines, adding three new downtown stations. The new facility doesn't look like much on a map, but it is making a big difference for Angelenos. Trips in and through Central L.A., trips that used to involve one or two transfers will be one-seat rides, with no transfers. This connectivity saves transit riders a great deal of time, by eliminating the wait time for connecting trains.
The three new stations in downtown L.A. are: Little Tokyo/Arts District, Historic Broadway, and Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill. Photos of these are below.
The newly connected light rail lines through downtown are:
- The A Line now runs all the way from Long Beach to Azusa - 49.5 miles. According to Metro, it's the longest light-rail line in the world, and it will be even longer when construction extending the terminus to Pomona finishes in a couple of years. (The A combined the former Blue Line and Foothill Gold Line.)
- The E Line now run from Santa Monica to East Los Angeles - 22.5 miles. (The E combined the former Expo Line and Eastside Gold Line.)
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Good news from around the world
Global inequality is dropping
🎩 to glorificus, my fellow Future Crunch fan on DKos, for mentioning this excellent news in a comment on Sunday.
From Future Crunch:
Branko Milanovic is the world's foremost expert on the subject of inequality, an area he's been studying for more than three decades. Here he is for Foreign Affairs:
Globalization, the argument goes, may have enriched certain elites, but it hurt many other people, ravaging one-time industrial heartlands and making people susceptible to populist politics. There is much that is true about such narratives—if you look only at each country on its own. Zoom out beyond the level of the nation-state to the entire globe, and the picture looks different. At that scale, the story of inequality in the 21st century is the reverse: the world is growing more equal than it has been for over 100 years.
In the original article from Foreign Affairs, I found the explanation of the Gini index:
The term “global inequality” refers to the income disparity between all citizens of the world at a given time, adjusted for the differences in prices between countries. It is commonly measured by the Gini coefficient, which runs from zero, a hypothetical case of full equality in which every person earned the same amount, to 100, another hypothetical case in which a single individual made all the income. Thanks to the empirical work of many researchers, economists can draw the overall contours of the change in estimated global inequality over the past two centuries.
Same-sex marriage is legal in more than 30 places around the world
It looks like we’ve reached a tipping point on the acceptance of same-sex marriage. We’ll be seeing more and more countries on this map in the near future.
From Future Crunch:
Losing hope of finding kids in plane crash, Indigenous searchers turned to a ritual: Ayahuasca
Some fascinating background to the dramatic story of the rescue of these children.
From Associated Press:
Day 39 was do or die — for the children and the search teams.
That night at camp, Manuel Ranoque, father of the two youngest children, reached for one of the most sacred rituals of Indigenous groups of the Amazon — yagé, a bitter tea made of plants native to the rainforest, more widely known as ayahuasca. For centuries, the hallucinogenic cocktail has been used as a cure for all ailments by people in Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Brazil. ✂️
Ranoque sipped, and the men kept watch for a few hours. When the psychotropic effects passed, he told them it hadn’t worked. Some searchers were ready to leave. But the next morning, 40 days after the crash, an elder reached for what little was left of the yagé and drank it. … Elder José Rubio was convinced it would eventually help find the kids. ...This time, he said, it had worked. In his visions, he saw them. He told [another searcher]: “’We’ll find the children today.” ✂️
On day 40, after Elder Rubio took the yagé, the searchers combed the rainforest again... His vision had reignited hopes but provided no specifics on where the children might be. Groups fanned out in different directions. But as the day went on, they returned to base camp with no news. Sadness set in at camp. Then came the news. A soldier heard via radio that the four children had been found — 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the crash site, in a small clearing. Rescue teams had passed within 20 to 50 meters (66 to 164 feet) on several occasions but missed them. ✂️
The children survived by collecting water in a soda bottle and eating cassava flour, fruit and seeds. They were found with two small bags holding clothes, a towel, a flashlight, two phones and a music box. ✂️
[The children] have become a symbol of resilience and survival across the globe. The Colombian government, meanwhile, has boasted of the cooperation among Indigenous communities and the military as it tries to end national conflicts. “The jungle saved them,” President Gustavo Petro said. “They are children of the jungle, and now they are also children of Colombia.” That’s true, Ranoque told AP, but the Indigenous culture and rituals saved them, too. He credits the yagé and the vision of the elder among their group.
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Good news in science
Scientists beam solar power to Earth from space for 1st time ever
Here’s more of a news item that Jessiestaf mentioned in the Lightning Round in yesterday’s GNR. It’s pretty amazing.
From Space:
A space solar power prototype has demonstrated its ability to wirelessly beam power through space and direct a detectable amount of energy toward Earth for the first time. The experiment proves the viability of tapping into a near-limitless supply of power in the form of energy from the sun from space. Because solar energy in space isn’t subject to factors like day and night, obscuration by clouds, or weather on Earth, it is always available. In fact, it is estimated that space-based harvesters could potentially yield eight times more power than solar panels at any location on the surface of the globe.
The wireless power transfer was achieved by the Microwave Array for Power-transfer Low-orbit Experiment (MAPLE), an array of flexible and lightweight microwave power transmitters, which is one of the three instruments carried by the Space Solar Power Demonstrator (SSPD-1). ✂️
"Through the experiments we have run so far, we received confirmation that MAPLE can transmit power successfully to receivers in space," Co-Director of the Space-Based Solar Power Project, Dr. Ali Hajimiri, said. "We have also been able to program the array to direct its energy toward Earth, which we detected here at Caltech. We had, of course, tested it on Earth, but now we know that it can survive the trip to space and operate there." ✂️
Because MAPLE is not sealed, the experiment also demonstrated its capability to function in the harsh environment of space while subject to large swings in temperature and exposure to solar radiation. The conditions experienced by this prototype will soon be felt by large-scale SSPP units.
Scientists Amazed By Sighting of Extremely Rare Jellyfish Only Seen Once Before
How cool is this?!
From Good News Network:
A group of scientists were left amazed after the sighting of an extremely rare jellyfish that was only seen once before.
The team of experts spotted the animal during an expedition by the Ocean Exploration Trust, a nonprofit dedicated to marine exploration and research.
The video below captures the moment and shows the bizarre-looking creature slowly making its way through the depths, as the team of experts is left entranced at the sight of it. ✂️
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Good news for the environment
How one Argentinian city overhauled its waste management to tackle one of the world's largest rubbish dumps
It was hard to summarize this very encouraging article. Do click on the link to read the details of how this impressive program was developed.
From World Economic Forum:
In 2021, San Carlos de Bariloche in Argentina had a dismal recycling rate and the city’s waste site was declared one of the 50 largest rubbish dumps globally by CNN. A lakeside town in the foothills of the Andes, Bariloche welcomed hundreds of thousands of tourists per year. But the city lacked an integrated, efficient waste management system, let alone a more sustainable or “circular” system enabling recycling and reuse. ✂️
Bariloche’s approach to improving waste management took several phases. First, the city worked with a…team [from global nonprofit Delterra] to pinpoint its waste management issues through site visits, focus groups and drawing on performance benchmarks, as well as waste and cost flow analyses.
Next, the city identified lagging dimensions with high potential for improvement. For instance, as the city grew larger, collection routes had become too long, resulting in patchy service. Bariloche relied on an informal sector of waste workers to separate its recyclables: it subsidized their work but had no formal contract with them, and operations were inefficient.
Based on the analysis, Bariloche has been able to design solutions addressing these areas. The city is now implementing behaviour change activation programmes that target both individual citizens and businesses such as hotels and restaurants, aimed at convincing them to prioritize recycling.
Air Monitoring Stations May Have Amassed a DNA “Treasure Trove”
“Light-bulb moments” are such a wonderful aspect of scientific discovery. This one could be a lifesaver for endangered ecosystems.
From Mother Jones:
Every living thing spreads an invisible signature across its landscape, whether it’s a badger ambling through the grass, an oak growing in the forest, or an eagle soaring overhead. Fur, feathers, skin cells, spores, pollen—all of it is loaded with genetic information that floats away into a data-rich atmospheric soup. Scientists call this information environmental DNA, or eDNA, and it is so potent that in January 2022 researchers announced they’d been able to identify the species in two zoos just by sampling eDNA in the surrounding air.
James Allerton, an air quality scientist at the UK’s National Physical Laboratory, read about that experiment and had one of those wait just a minute ideas. The laboratory operates a number of air quality monitoring networks, including the UK’s heavy metals network. At these monitoring stations, air passes through filters, which are then analyzed to measure levels of toxic metals. “We had not sat at NPL thinking: I wonder if there’s recoverable DNA material on these filters?” Allerton recalls. Yet the idea was too intriguing to ignore. “When you read a report about people who’ve successfully managed to capture animal DNA out of the air—and there we are, working in particulate measurements—then you have the light-bulb moment.” ✂️
The two reached out to the biologists behind the zoo study—Joanne Littlefair of Queen Mary University of London and Elizabeth Clare of York University Toronto—to join forces. [On June 11] in the journal Current Biology, they [announced] their groundbreaking findings: Between an air quality monitoring station in Scotland and another in London, they were able to detect over 180 kinds of organisms via eDNA. That includes a menagerie of animals, like deer, hedgehogs, badgers, and newts; plants that include trees, grasses, wheat, and other crops; and 34 species of birds, including songbirds, pigeons, and little owls. Their study suggests that atmospheric scientists all over the world have been accidentally collecting genetic data that could give biologists unprecedented insight into changing ecosystems. This would be a vast and incredibly valuable cache of information.
South Korea Created A Program that Reuses 90% of the Country’s Food Scraps–to Grow Crops Instead of Landfills
This is what happens when a government decides to spend whatever it takes to solve an environmental problem.
From Good News Network:
Of South Korea’s countless kilograms of annual food scraps, very few will ever end up in a landfill. This is because of two reasons—the first is that it’s been illegal since 2005, and the second is because they have perhaps the world’s most sophisticated food waste disposal infrastructure. While representing a significant burden on the economy [around $600 million annually], the food waste disposal nevertheless produces ample supplies of animal feed, fertilizer, and biogas that heats thousands of homes. ✂️
[After being collected in special bins or in food waste disposal machines,] the food is sorted for any non-food waste that’s mixed in, drained of its moisture, and then dried and baked into a black dirt-like material that has a dirt-like smell but which is actually a protein and fiber-rich feed for monogastric animals like chickens or ducks.
This is just one of the ways in which the food scraps are processed. Another method uses giant anaerobic digestors, in which bacteria break down all the food while producing a mixture of CO2 and methane used to heat homes—3,000 in a Seoul suburb called Goyang, for example. All the water needed for this chemical process comes from the moisture separated from the food earlier. The remaining material is shipped as fertilizer to any farms that need it. All the water content is sent to purification facilities where it will eventually be discharged into water supplies or streams.
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Good news in medicine
Experimental vaccine shows promise in delaying the return of aggressive brain tumor
Discovering anything that can be effective in fighting glioblastoma is great news. And that this is an easily deliverable vaccine makes it even better.
From NBC News:
The vaccine, called SurVaxM, targets a protein found in tumors called survivin, named for the role it’s thought to play in the survival of cancer cells. Get rid of survivin, the thinking goes, and the cancer cells will die.
It sounds like a far-fetched dream: a vaccine that can delay the return of glioblastoma, one of the deadliest and treatment-resistant cancers. More than 14,000 people in the U.S. were diagnosed last year, according to Tom Halkin, a spokesperson for the National Brain Tumor Society, a nonprofit group. It accounts for almost half of all malignant brain tumors. The disease is devastating for patients and families; the five-year survival rate is 6.8%. ✂️
Glioblastomas are aggressive cancers: They grow quickly and tend to have invaded other parts of the brain and spinal cord by the time a person is diagnosed. ...Treatment typically involves surgery, chemotherapy and radiation... But unless every cancer cell is eliminated, the tumor often comes back in what’s referred to as recurrence.
SurVaxM works by training the immune system to target and attack the cancer cells, so if they do return, the body can pick them off, preventing a new tumor from growing.
A diabetes drug brings hope in the Covid battle
Let’s hope this turns out to be as effective as it appears.
From Positive News:
Long Covid could be prevented with a pill commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes, researchers believe.
The condition affects some 65 million people worldwide, with symptoms ranging from debilitating fatigue to lung problems, and loss of taste and smell. Treatment options are limited prompting researchers at the University of Minnesota, US, to examine existing therapies in the hope of finding a breakthrough.
In trials involving overweight Covid-infected participants, they discovered that metformin – usually used to control blood sugar levels – cut the risk of long Covid by 41 per cent. However, more work is needed to see if it could be used to treat existing cases, and whether it is effective in patients who are not overweight.
“Metformin is safe and widely available at low cost,” the study concluded.
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Good things to do for yourself
Here’s a new category, suggested by a couple of intriguing articles that I came across last week. I hope to make this a permanent feature of my GNRs, assuming I can regularly find items to fill it.
6 analog trends that are good for the soul
From The Washington Post (gift link):
In a world hyper-focused on optimization where faster is better, it can feel old-fashioned to mark your page with a paper bookmark. But incorporating the analog into daily life can offer a break from the screen, boost creativity and push back on the idea that maximizing productivity is key.
David Sax, author of “The Revenge of Analog” and “The Future is Analog,” noticed a countertrend growing as digital technologies began to take off with the advent of smartphones, streaming services and social media. The more we rely on digital technology for work, learning and socializing, “the more we seek out analog alternatives as a balance or a different way of engaging with the world,” he said.
Film cameras
There’s an element of suspense that is absent in a digital camera roll. ... The process of dropping off film, waiting for the photos to be developed and flipping through the copies is a practice of delayed but exciting gratification.
Sending letters and postcards
Receiving a letter or postcard can be a glimmer of joy in one’s mailbox. Sending them can be gratifying, too.
Print books and magazines
A reader of strictly printed books will argue that nothing compares to the feeling of a physical book in one’s hands. ... In fact, Gen Z readers frequent libraries and generally prefer physical books to e-books.
Vinyl records
You can cede control with a vinyl record; you don’t have to worry about queuing up the next song or constructing a perfect playlist.
Pens and stationery
An awareness of screen time — even short tasks like jotting down to-do lists — has led people to reconsider the power of pen and paper. On TikTok, the hashtag #stationeryaddict has nearly 800 million views…
Collecting
Collecting doesn’t just apply to expensive antiques or art.
Why Doing Nothing Is Good For You
From Yes! Magazine:
Niksen, a Dutch verb meaning “to do nothing,” is a practice of just being, and can be understood as one way to get some rest. It is watching clouds pass by, not scrolling through Facebook. It is letting your mind wander, instead of reading emails or even making plans for the future. Purposelessness is an important aspect of niksen. Niksen, therefore, is doing nothing despite the health, productivity, and creativity benefits of rest and leisure—not because of them.
Admittedly, this definition is somewhat nebulous and deceptively simple. It does not prescribe a specific activity or method, only purposelessness—and when does doing nothing become doing something, anyway? It also does not speak to the myriad interconnected personal, cultural, economic, and political factors that determine the extent to which people can “niks.”
In many modern societies, every minute has to be accounted for, spent in productive pursuits. Even leisure has turned into effortful—and expensive—self-care. The simplest of pleasures have been subsumed into quantifiable goals. We no longer eat food because it tastes delicious, we do it because it’s healthy. We no longer go for walks simply because it feels good, deep inside our bodies. We do it because we want to cross 10,000 steps off our to-do lists.
Why, then, do we feel like we have to be productive at all times? If rest is so important, why is it so elusive? ✂️
...racial and socioeconomic distinctions of who is “worthy” or “allowed” to do nothing are a global phenomenon. Ingrained stereotypes, media messaging, and government and workplace policies illuminate and reproduce this hierarchy. ✂️
We need to stop treating rest, niksen, dolce far niente, woolgathering, whatever you want to call it, as something we have to earn and start thinking of it as something we deserve—something we’re already worthy of. And we have to do it soon.
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Good news for and about animals
Brought to you by Rosy, Nora, and Rascal.
Rosy sends wags to this good boy!
German Shepherd Injured in Ukraine Gets New Start With Hungarian Police
From AP, via U.S. News:
After a rocket attack in eastern Ukraine, half of Rambo's face was mangled and bloody. Shrapnel had ravaged the right side of his head, and it was uncertain if he would survive.
The 3-year-old German shepherd, who had accompanied Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines of the war, received emergency surgery that saved his life. Now, Rambo is training with the Budapest police department in neighboring Hungary and serving as a reminder that dogs — and people — with disabilities can do great things.
Rambo with his new owner
Rambo spent eight months at [a rehabilitation center], where his jaw was reconstructed, his right ear amputated and several teeth removed. He underwent training to be socialized with other dogs, ... but his fondness for children was clear from the start.
Gyula Desko, a lieutenant colonel with the Budapest Metropolitan Police, then adopted Rambo, providing him with further training and a home. He called Rambo a “very friendly, good-natured dog” who is making good progress in his training and whose survival was “a miracle. Working with him requires more patience and more attention, as we do not know what kind of mental problems his head injury caused him,” Desko said, but Rambo is "so open with people and accepts them, despite his injuries and the shock that befell him.”
It's those qualities, Desko said, that the police force hopes will inspire those who meet Rambo to open themselves to kindness and acceptance.
Nora is always happy when humans go out of their way to be kind to cats, especially vulnerable kittens.
Nevada State Trooper Saves Kitten Cowering on a Busy Las Vegas Highway
From Good News Network:
A police officer was captured on her dash-cam scuttling after a tiny kitten on the side of a busy highway. Officer Estrada is seen in the video below pulling over her vehicle on the Las Vegas, Nevada highway. She quickly approached the terrified kitty, saying “Hi, baby. You’re OK.”
But the Nevada State Trooper had to hustle after the gray feline when it bolted further toward traffic. She finally rounded up the animal, which hid in the glove compartment during the drive back to the station.
Nevada State Police tweeted: “(We) received calls about a kitten on the on-ramp to a busy highway… and Trooper Estrada quickly responded.” The kitten was then given some tender loving care by officers who decided to name it ‘Trooper Kitty’.
Not only was Trooper Kitty rescued safely but it was soon adopted by a wonderful family.
Rascal’s response to this headline was “Of course!”
Parrots Are Taking Over the World
From Scientific American:
Today at least 60 of the world's 380 or so parrot species have a breeding population in a country outside their natural geographical range. Each successful transplant has its own story: some are benign, others a threat to the local wildlife; some are abundant in their home ranges, whereas others rely on cities as a refuge from extinction. All are by-products of the pet trade and animal trafficking around the world. Because they're parrots, they're smart, adaptable, creative and loud. “They're animals that are really social, and they live in cognitively complex social environments,” says Grace Smith-Vidaurre, a postdoctoral fellow at the Rockefeller University and the University of Cincinnati, who studies the birds. “They're like humans in a lot of ways.” ✂️
It's not always clear what makes a specific parrot species successful in habitats beyond their native ranges, Smith-Vidaurre explains. But you can get an idea of it with…Monk Parakeets. … Monk Parakeets are one of the only parrot species whose members build colonies of stick nests—elaborate, multichambered structures that they maintain cooperatively. These nests allow them to survive in temperate regions of South America, where temperatures regularly drop below 50 or even 40 degrees Fahrenheit on cold winter days—and in New York City with its even colder temperatures. ✂️
For some imperiled parrot species, cities may be more than just another comfortable place to call home—they can be a lifeline. Parrots whose native populations are threatened with extinction are holding on in some of the world's largest cities. ...About 200 Yellow-crested Cockatoos live in Hong Kong—approximately 10 percent of the bird's remaining population, says Caroline Dingle of the University of Hong Kong. Population decline from poaching pressure in its native habitat led the International Union for Conservation of Nature to designate the species as critically endangered. ✂️
For better, for worse, and sometimes both, parrots have taken over our cities. Their ability to thrive in our altered habitats is a testament to what makes these species special and why we should work to conserve them in the wild while minding the potential impacts of introduced parrots. They're innovators, problem solvers, socializers and survivors. That's how they earned our adoration in the first place.
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Art break
French glass company Saint-Louis debuted an exhibition titled LUMIÈRES at Milan Design Week 2023.
These videos are mesmerizing. Just the thing for a calm break in a busy day.
From My Modern Met:
The immersive installation featured an array of chandeliers, pendant lights, and other light fixtures. It was made in collaboration with Nonotak Studio, which is run by Noemi Schipfer and Takami Nakamoto. LUMIÉRES features a combination of light and sound displays. Pendant lanterns move up and down, accompanied by a soundscape.
The entire exhibition includes five different displays: Pulsations, Rotations, Vibrations, Projections, and Diffractions. Each one possesses a unique choreography of light and sound.
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Hot lynx
rmi.org/… The Renewable Revolution: It’s exponential, global, and this decade. In recommending this article, Future Crunch said “If you are feeling despair about the fate of the planet, ... then please, take a few minutes to look at this report. ...It will help. We promise.”
archive.vanityfair.com/… The Herald. A 2020 interview of Angela Davis by Ava duVernay. “...there was work that should have happened in the immediate aftermath of slavery that could have prevented us from arriving at this moment. But it did not happen. And here we are. And now we have to begin.”
theconversation.com/… 6 books that explain the history and meaning of Juneteenth. “Collectively, these books about Juneteenth offer fresh perspectives on the history and culture of African Americans on a quest to fully express their freedom. Juneteenth is also an invitation for all Americans to continue to learn about and strive for freedom for all people.”
www.nytimes.com/… What Happened When a Brooklyn Neighborhood Policed Itself for Five Days. “On a two-block stretch of Brownsville in April, the police stepped aside and let residents respond to 911 calls. It was a bold experiment that some believe could redefine law enforcement in New York City.”
www.theatlantic.com/… The Instant Pot Failed Because It Was a Good Product. What happens when private equity takes over a spectacularly successful product. This should be required reading in business schools.
www.newyorker.com/… The View from Inside Beatlemania. Jill Lepore on Paul McCarney’s newly discovered photo diary of the Beatles’ first world tour.
www.newyorker.com/… The Lion and Me. John Lahr on growing up as the son of Bert Lahr, who famously portrayed the Cowardly Lion in “The Wizard of Oz.” A tender, perceptive, and heartbreaking reminiscence.
* * * * *
Where Ever is Herd
Morning Good News Roundups at 7 x 7: These Gnusies lead the herd at 7 a.m. ET, 7 days a week:
As noted last week, our lineup has changed on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Thanks again to niftywriter for holding down truth and justice on Wednesdays!
- The Monday GNR Newsroom (Jessiestaf, Killer300, and Bhu).
- Alternating Tuesdays: NotNowNotEver and arhpdx.
- Wednesdays: 2nd MCUBernieFan, 3rd WineRev, 4th karij. 1st and 5th: lemay50, Andrew F Cockburn, DoctorStrange.
- Thursdays: Mokurai.
- Fridays: chloris creator. Regular links to the White House Briefing Room.
- Saturdays: GoodNewsRoundup, the one and only!
- Sundays: 2thanks. A brief roundup of Roundups, a retrospective, a smorgasbord, a bulletin board, an oasis, a watering hole, a thunder of hooves, a wellness, a place for beginners to learn the rules of the veldt. For instance, we do not welcome grammar-police comments in Roundups.
hpg posts Evening Shade diaries at 7:30 p.m. ET every day! After a long day, Gnusies meet in the evening shade and continue sharing Good News, good community, and good actions. Find Evening Shades here or on the Trending List.
For more information about the Good News group, please see our detailed Welcoming comment, one of the first comments in our morning diaries.
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Good News Sources
🎩 to Mokurai for putting our old lists of sources together in alphabetical order!
NOTE: I have removed Warp News from our list of good news sources. The site founder and author has adopted some positions that I vehemently disagree with, so I am no longer recommending the site.
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How to Resist: Do Something …
NEW! Donate to help Florida’s Gen Z defeat DeSantis!
From an email:
I'm Will Larkins, a 18-year-old student organizer from Orlando, Florida, an LGBTQ+ youth activist, and a proud member of Voters of Tomorrow.
I’ve made headlines for leading state-wide student walkouts against Ron DeSantis’ Don’t Say Gay bill & suing Florida for their attacks on LGBTQ+ youth. And now, my generation needs to go up against him AGAIN.
Right now, Ron DeSantis and the far-right are dismantling our education by banning books and censoring our curriculums – just so they can keep our generation silent and complacent.
The far-right is terrified of Gen Z, and rightfully so.
They know that we have the power to kick them out of office, and Voters of Tomorrow is going to make sure that happens.
We’re registering as many first-time voters as we can because our generation’s future is at stake, and if our leaders don’t protect us, we’ll vote them out. It’s that simple.
But we’re in high school and college. We’re ONLY grassroots-funded and we need your help to fuel our efforts! If we don’t catch up, we’ll have to scale back our youth voter registration campaigns. Can you chip in $27 to invest in Gen Z and turnout young voters? »
Write with Postcards to Voters
🎩 to Progressive Muse for the following info:
On this morning’s Postcards To Voters menu:
1 - Addresses for Ohio Constitutional Amendment
Help us write to Ohio Democrats about voting against the constitutional amendment (“Issue 1”) that will lessen the power of citizens’ ballot initiatives:
Returning Postcards To Voters writers can use these methods to request addresses:
•Text HELLO to (484) 275-2229.
•
Email (if you have trouble with the linked address, you can use Postcards@TonyTheDemocrat.org instead, which will be answered by a human)
•
Slack.com
If you are new to Postcards To Voters, you can get set up by texting or emailing:
•Text JOIN to (484) 275-2229
•
Email
Get postcarding supplies
I like to buy my cards from PtoV because that’s one more way to support them. Here’s my favorite, which costs $18 for 100 cards:
And FWIW, these are my favorite pens — not too thin, not too thick, don’t bleed through: Stabilo Pen 68 Felt-Tip Pen. Even though the ink is water-based, once it’s dry you can get it wet and it doesn’t run.
Learn
🎩 to alamancedem for this very important link: 21 day anti-racism challenges. Challenge yourself to learn more, bring it to your workplace, share it with friends and colleagues. We can all benefit from sharpening our awareness of racism.
I’ll add another suggestion: a documentary titled “Traces of the Trade,” currently available to stream for free on Kanopy (a streaming service offered by public libraries around the country). Here’s the thumbnail description from Kanopy:
Katrina Browne uncovers her New England family's deep involvement in the Triangle Trade and, in so doing, reveals the pivotal role slavery played in the growth of the whole American economy. This courageous documentary asks every American what we can and should do to repair the unacknowledged damage of our troubled past.
This film especially asks what the legacy of slavery is for white Americans. It points to the fundamental inequity and institutional racism that persists and to the broken relationship between black and white Americans. It invites every viewer to consider what it will take to move beyond the guilt, defensiveness, fear and anger which continue to divide us.
Abortion assistance
Here’s an easy action you can take RIGHT NOW:
Donate to two organizations providing support to people in no-abortion states who need assistance getting abortions.
National Network of Abortion Funds
The Brigid Alliance
Both of these organizations provide help with transportation, medical fees, hotel stays, etc., for those who have to travel out of state for an abortion. NNAF is a central clearing house for that assistance, The Brigid Alliance does that work directly.
And here’s another resource for women seeking abortions which I discovered only recently: Women on Web. They provide abortion pills worldwide for women who need to use them immediately and also for women who want to keep a supply on hand. You can make donations on their website to further their work.
NEW! Please pass this info along to anyone you know who may become pregnant.
From the National Network of Abortion Funds:
Misinformation is an anti-abortion tactic designed to already confuse people who are trying to get an abortion. In addition to pointing people to abortion funds, you can help by sharing accurate and important resources with your community:
- If/When How's Repro Legal Helpline is a free legal resource for people seeking abortions who have questions about their legal rights. Helpline attorneys and advocates can be reached at reprolegalhelpline.org or 844-868-2812.
- People need to know their rights when interacting with the health care system. If/When/How and Physicians for Reproductive Health created this simple guide with everything you need to know about talking to a healthcare provider after a miscarriage or abortion.
Get the truth out
Indivisible has created a Truth Brigade to push back against the lies.
Propaganda, false characterizations, intentionally misleading messages, and outright lies threaten our democracy and even our lives. We can effectively combat disinformation, despite the well-funded machines that drive it. They may have money, but we have truth and we have people.People believe sources they trust. When we share and amplify unified, factual messages to those who trust us, we shift the narrative. When we do this by the thousands--we’re part of the Indivisible Truth Brigade, and we get our country back. Join us.️
Our own Mokurai is a member. You can see all of the diaries in the Truth Sandwiches group on DK here.
Call out tax exempt organizations whose political stance violates IRS regulations
A suggestion from chloris creator:
Tax-exempt organization complaint referrals. 13909. This has been filled out for the NRA, but, hey, you can use it for a lot of other organizations. How about if some of us white folk go into some of the MAGA churches and video record what they’re saying?
“The process to get the NRA's tax-exempt nonprofit status revoked has become simpler. All you need to do is save this form and email it to eoclass@irs.gov. It's all filled out for you. You just need to click send.” Allen Glines
Note that the IRS protects your anonymity: The appropriate checkbox is already checked: "I am concerned that I might face retaliation or retribution if my identity is disclosed."
Goodie’s action steps
Most important: DON'T LOSE HOPE. This is a giant and important fight for us but, win or lose, we keep fighting and voting and organizing and spreading truth and light. We never give up.
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Closing music
This song is my go-to for joyful inspiration. And I love Playing for Change’s version.
❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Thanks to all of you for your smarts, your hearts, and
your faithful attendance at our daily Gathering of the Herd.
❤️💙 RESIST, PERSIST, REBUILD, REJOICE! 💙❤️
