Welcome 🌻 to Friday’s Roundup of Good News!
I don’t have many tRump-leaning people in my life. But over the holidays I kept encountering one, an old friend of my husband’s. Male. Older. White. Over the years, this guy has parroted covid conspiracies. He has recommended ivermectin. And some crime statistics that I knew were untrue.
Finally, I spoke up. I said, “Look, I’m a Democrat.” Now, I did not get much support from others, who were mostly not American anyway (well, husband agreed with me on the sharp downturn in crime). But it put a kabosh on this guy’s nuttiness.
It also didn’t end the friendship (although the friendship may be reduced in the future, but for reasons unrelated to politics). I also think it was a good way to put a different face on the “other”. Sometimes these people are so barricaded in their silos that they have no idea that there’s another perspective.
It’s just a small step, but although I was uncomfortable doing it — usually I don’t hesitate, but there were reasons I won’t explain here — I felt much better afterwards. (Also, I was told later the guy is supporting Nikki Haley and not tRump in the primaries, and although I am no fan of Haley, I don’t think she would end the American experiment.)
When we speak up, we have to remember we can’t expect the instant gratification of immediate conversion. But these people hear it from one source, and then another, and then you make a fissure in their understanding. Remember, repetition is good! Repetition is good!
Anyway, guys, we have a lot to do this year. Let’s take a look at how the good guys are speaking up (much better than I), and then everyone needs to get to work:
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, January 11, 2024: Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at a Holiday Party for the USS Delaware
- Thursday, January 11, 2024: Readout of Latest White House Meeting with RSV Immunization Manufacturers
- Thursday, January 11, 2024: Joint Statement from the Governments of Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, United Kingdom, and the United States
- Thursday, January 11, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on Coalition Strikes in Houthi-Controlled Areas in Yemen
- Thursday, January 11, 2024: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, NSC Coordinator For Strategic Communications John Kirby, and National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard
- Thursday, January 11, 2024: Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at a Women’s Health Research Event at the University of Illinois, Chicago
- Thursday, January 11, 2024: Nominations Sent to the Senate
- Thursday, January 11, 2024: President Biden Announces Presidential Delegation to the Republic of Guatemala to Attend the Inauguration of His Excellency Bernardo Arévalo
- Thursday, January 11, 2024: President Biden Announces Key Nominees
- Thursday, January 11, 2024: Readout of Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer’s Meeting with United Nations Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag
- Thursday, January 11, 2024: Background Press Call by a Senior Administration Official on Taiwan Elections
- Thursday, January 11, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on Record-Setting Small Business Applications
- Wednesday, January 10, 2024: Readout of Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer’s Meeting with People’s Republic of China Minister of the International Liaison Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Liu Jianchao
- Wednesday, January 10, 2024: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby, January 10, 2024
- Wednesday, January 10, 2024: Nominations Press Release Attached
- Wednesday, January 10, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on Historic 20 Million Enrollees in Affordable Care Act Health Care
- Wednesday, January 10, 2024: President Biden Names Forty-Fourth Round of Judicial Nominees
- Tuesday, January 9, 2024: Readout of National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s Call with the Director of the National Security Office of the Republic of Korea Chang Hojin
- Tuesday, January 9, 2024: Readout of Vice President Kamala Harris’s Convening With Voting Rights Leaders
- Tuesday, January 9, 2024: Remarks by Vice President Harris Before Roundtable Discussion on Voting Rights and Protections With Advocates and Leaders | Atlanta, GA
- Monday, January 8, 2024: Remarks by President Biden at a Political Event | Charleston, SC
- Monday, January 8, 2024: Nominations Sent to the Senate
- Monday, January 8, 2024: Readout of Vice President Harris’s Call with Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa of Bahrain
- Monday, January 8, 2024: Readout of Vice President Harris’s Call with President Herzog of Israel
- Monday, January 8, 2024: Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby En Route Charleston, SC
- Monday, January 8, 2024: President Biden Announces Key Nominees
- Monday, January 8, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on Mitch Landrieu
- Sunday, January 7, 2024: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Rhode Island Disaster Declaration
- Sunday, January 7, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on the Bipartisan Funding Framework
- Sunday, January 7, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on Orthodox Christmas
- Saturday, January 6, 2024: Remarks by Vice President Harris at the Annual Retreat of the Women’s Missionary Society of the 7th Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church | Myrtle Beach, SC
- Friday, January 5, 2024: Remarks by President Biden on the Third Anniversary of the January 6th Attack and Defending the Sacred Cause of American Democracy | Blue Bell, PA
- Friday, January 5, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on Supreme Court Order on Idaho’s Abortion Ban
- Friday, January 5, 2024: Letter to the Speaker of the House and President pro tempore of the Senate consistent with the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148)
- Friday, January 5, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on Stopping Over 500 Illegal Under-21 Gun Purchases Through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act
- Friday, January 5, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on the December Jobs Report
👎 Out with the Bad, In with the Good 👍
Statement from President Biden on the record-setting number of small businesses started White House Briefing Room
Every time someone starts a new small business, it’s an act of hope and confidence in our economy. Today, we learned that Americans filed 16 million new business applications during the first three years of my Administration—16 million acts of hope, the strongest stretch on record. That’s three years in a row with more applications filed than in any other year on record, including any year of the prior Administration. And we know that small business growth has been particularly strong among Black and Hispanic entrepreneurs, with Black business ownership doubling and Hispanic business ownership up 40% since 2019. This small business boom hasn’t been an accident—it’s a result of my Administration’s strategy to support entrepreneurs, help small businesses access the resources they need to thrive, and promote competition to level the playing field.
This is all part of a broader story of progress growing our economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down. Our economy has added more than 14 million new jobs since I took office—including many from small businesses—while the unemployment rate has been below 4% for the longest stretch in more than 50 years, American workers’ wages and wealth are higher now than before the pandemic, and inflation is down by nearly two-thirds from its peak. I’m going to continue doing everything in my power to build on this progress and grow our economy—with a strong middle class, lower costs, and more opportunity for all Americans—while standing up to extreme Republican attempts to provide more giveaways to big corporations and undermine competition at the expense of small businesses.
Lunches for many kids!
We don’t like to talk about it much, but some of the Ds are not as squeaky-clean as we would like. Well, the feds in Manhattan have started a program to encourage whistleblowers with respect to corruption. New York Daily News
NEW YORK — Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have launched a new whistleblower program encouraging witnesses of public corruption and other crimes to come forward without fear.
At an informal sit-down with journalists who cover the federal courts in Manhattan, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said the idea behind the pilot program is to help prosecutors find out what they don’t know. He said he hopes it will help prosecutors root out corrupt power players by incentivizing whistleblowers to cooperate with the feds early and voluntarily in exchange for non-prosecution agreements.
“There are plenty of people, I imagine, out there who have some exposure, who are laboring under the kind of anxiety that they’ve done something wrong and they don’t want to live in fear, who, if they hear about it, we hope they end up giving us a call. There’s a path for them,” Williams said.
From C suites on Wall Street to the subway tunnels of the M.T.A., federal prosecutors hope to hear from staffers across the public and private sectors with information about nonviolent corruption offenses they’ve witnessed or participated in on the job.
Well done, Brazil!
💣 Republicans: Party of Crimes and Chaos 💣
Even Fox has noticed the chaos in the House Brad Reed Raw Story
After witnessing still more public rebellions against Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), despite the fact that he has only been on the job for fewer than three months, co-host Steve Doocy lamented the current state of the House GOP.
"The Republican side in the House are in such disarray," he said. "The speaker of the House is hanging onto his job by a thread... it takes just one for a motion to vacate, that's what happened to Kevin McCarthy."
This prompted co-host Ainsley Earhardt to express anguish about what's happening among House Republicans.
Republican majority slimmer during funding window Nicole Lafond Talking Points Memo
So far 17 Republicans have announced they don’t plan to seek reelection — that’s not including expelled-Rep. George Santos (R-NY) nor former-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who resigned from Congress at the end of December. Of the 17, only one has indicated he’ll leave the Capitol before the end of his term: Rep. Bill Johnson’s (R-OH) last day in Congress will be January 21 — he’ll then take a gig as the new head of Youngstown State University. That’s almost a month before the special election to replace Santos is held and two months before the California special election to replace McCarthy.
While McCarthy’s seat is expected to be filled by a Republican as his former district is solidly red, it is less certain whether a Republican or a Democrat will be elected to replace Santos, whose district is still considered a toss up after last year’s court-drawn redistricting maps helped Republicans flip four seats typically held by Democrats in the state, including Santos’ district. (It won’t matter for this special election on February 13, but the New York State Court of Appeals ordered an independent commission to restart the mapping process, giving New York Democrats another chance to redraw district lines.)
The Ohio Republican’s early departure will help bring House Republicans’ majority down to 219 during a crucial legislative window, meaning the majority party can only lose two votes in order for legislation to pass.
An R who recently announced plans to retire is Greg Pence, a brother of Mike Pence. Greg has mostly been quiet about Jan 6, but at one point he did praise his brother, so that may make him persona non grata. Anyway, lots of Indiana R reps choosing not to run again.
The Rs actually prefer the minority:
⚡️ Representative Andy Ogles in trouble like George Santos Walter Einenkel Daily Kos
What a bunch of thievving dweebs!
Enjoy:
Michigan GOP in disarray by Nick Corasaniti and Neil Vigdor New York Times
Simmering tensions within the Michigan Republican Party boiled over on Saturday, with some party officials voting to remove their embattled chairwoman, Kristina Karamo, in a contentious proceeding that she and other state Republicans argued was illegitimate.
The showdown, which occurred at a meeting held by a breakaway faction of the state party, now appears likely to wind up in court.
The effort to oust Ms. Karamo, who was not present for the meeting, is the latest clash in a party that has been marred by infighting and financial difficulties since Ms. Karamo took control of it in February, and is likely to further hamper Republican efforts in the critical swing state during the 2024 election cycle.
Ms. Karamo was part of a cohort of far-right activists who ascended to the top of state parties as former President Donald J. Trump and his grass-roots supporters raged against his 2020 election defeat.
Note: when you let grifters and election-deniers run your party, your party is likely to be broke both financially and organizationally.
🚚 💙 Democrats Deliver 💙 🚚
I absolutely loved how Hunter Biden appeared at the R oversight committee hearing that was trying to hold him in contempt for not speaking. He offered to speak, but they refused him. And then Representatives Moskowitz and Crockett and Raskin were terrific! I can’t include it all here Evan Hurst, Wonkette
Rep. Comer (R-Squeal Piggy Piggy Squeal) and his committee held a hearing and a vote yesterday [January 10] on referring Hunter Biden to the full House to be held in contempt, for defying their subpoena for testimony. (Biden has been willing the entire time to testify publicly, which was originally part of Comer’s offer. However, knowing that Comer and his colleagues lie as often as they fart, especially about Hunter Biden, he didn’t want to sit for a closed-door deposition. That was when Comer started sticking the goal posts up his butt so nobody could reach them.)
The committee — and also Jim Jordan’s House Judiciary Committee — ultimately voted along party lines for that recommendation, but it was weird because of how Hunter Biden and his lawyers Abbe Lowell and Kevin Morris had shown up for the hearing and were present and available for questioning as the dumbfucks bitched about how Hunter wouldn’t answer their questions.
So that was awkward. It was especially awkward how they sat there right up until it was Marjorie Taylor Greene’s turn to speak, at which point they showed her all the respect she’s earned by quietly but firmly standing up and walking out of the room.
Democrats deliver democracy Jennifer Rubin Washington Post
In remarks Friday, Biden did not hold back. He made clear that the election is about our “sacred cause” — democracy — and reminded voters that George Washington voluntarily gave up power. “In America, genuine leaders — democratic leaders, with a small d — don’t hold on to power relentlessly. Our leaders return power to the people, and they do it willingly because that’s the deal,” he explained. “You do your duty. You serve your country. And ours is a country worthy of service. … We’re not perfect, but, at our best, we face head-on the good, the bad, the truth of who we are. … That’s what great nations do. And we’re a great nation. We’re the greatest nation on the face of the Earth.”
Put differently, what makes us great is our democracy, and democracies reject those would-be dictators who cling to power in defiance of the people’s will.
Voters care about democracy:
Now this poll is interesting!
Actually, this poll should be as suspect as the other polls, although this poll certainly should be right, as the Rs have been threatening Social Security.
💜 Unity? 💜
Students in Iowa demand action on gun violence Meghan MacPherson We Are Iowa
DES MOINES, Iowa — While legislators began a new session Monday at the Iowa State Capitol, there were also protests taking place just outside the respective chambers.
Students from across the state walked out of school and descended on the statehouse, protesting against gun violence and demanding action.
The rally came just four days after one student was killed and several others were injured in a shooting at Perry High School. ✂️
“Iowans have had enough of prayers. We need action," said Hannah Hayes, state director for March For Our Lives Iowa. "You, Governor Reynolds have the power to create meaningful change, you have the power to save more lives from being senselessly stolen in this state.”
Democratic lawmakers also joined the students in their rallying efforts, speaking to the crowd about the impacts of gun violence in Iowa.
“Ending gun violence should not be a partisan issue. Keeping our children safe in schools should not be a partisan issue," said Sen. Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque.
I put this in the unity section because so many people feel this way. It should not be a partisan issue.
📥 Actions You Can Take 📤
Tax-exempt organization complaint referrals. 13909. You can fill this out for the NRA and lots 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?
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. Defund the seditionists. This is a list with companies that sometimes have donated to 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.
🔎 Want to check out what’s going on with campaign contributions? Check out this diary. 👀
🐍 Schadenfreude 😈
🚚 Cummins, who cheated, to pay 1.675 billion! Justice Press Release
The Justice Department, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), California Air Resources Board (CARB) and California Attorney General’s Office today released the details of a proposed settlement with diesel engine maker Cummins Inc. for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act and California law. Beyond agreeing to pay a $1.675 billion civil penalty – the largest ever assessed in a Clean Air Act case – Cummins has agreed to spend more than $325 million to remedy the violations, which included the use of software “defeat devices” that circumvented emissions testing and certification requirements.
Under the settlement, Cummins must complete a nationwide vehicle recall to repair and replace the engine control software in more than 600,000 RAM 2500 and RAM 3500 pickup trucks equipped with the company’s diesel engines. Cummins will also extend the warranty period for certain parts in the repaired vehicles, fund and perform projects to mitigate excess ozone-creating nitrogen oxides (NOx) emitted from the vehicles and employ new internal procedures designed to prevent future emissions cheating. In total, the settlement is valued at more than $2 billion.
NOx pollution contributes to the formation of harmful smog and fine particulate matter in air. Children, older adults, people who are active outdoors and people with heart or lung diseases are particularly at risk for health effects related to smog or particulate matter exposure. Nitrogen dioxide formed by NOx emissions can aggravate respiratory diseases, particularly asthma, and may also contribute to asthma development in children.
SAP to pay 220 million because of bribery Justice Press Release
SAP SE (SAP), a publicly traded global software company based in Germany, will pay over $220 million to resolve investigations by the U.S. Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) into violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
SAP’s resolution with the department stems from schemes to pay bribes to government officials in South Africa and Indonesia. The department’s resolution is coordinated with prosecutorial authorities in South Africa, as well as with the SEC.
According to court documents, SAP entered into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the department in connection with a criminal information filed in the Eastern District of Virginia charging the company with two counts: conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery and books and records provisions of the FCPA relating to its scheme to pay bribes to South African officials, and conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provision of the FCPA for its scheme to pay bribes to Indonesian officials.
Another J6 criminal sentenced to prison:
You think tRump’s challengers are having trouble? Look at this challenger to Biden:
⚡️ Moms for liberty lady resigns from school board after being arrested for shoplifting Walter Einenkel Daily Kos
🍳 putin’s propagandists having trouble claiming sanctions don’t matter Julia Davis The Daily Beast — plus, egg-flation
During Russia’s New Year’s show The Little Blue Light 12 months ago, one of its hosts, Dmitry Guberniev assured the viewers that victory in Ukraine was near. He said, “Life is like a biathlon or ski racing. If you’re having a hard time, then the finish line is near.” During the same program, comedian Yevgeny Petrosyan claimed that the West had tried to destroy Russia but instead was forced to freeze and suffer without Russian gas supplies. He boasted: “Like it or not, Russia is enlarging!”
The mood was markedly different
during this year’s festivities. Instead of laughing at the West, Petrosyan wished fellow Russians to have “barns and cellars that are fully stocked and regularly replenished with patience and optimism.” ✂️
The Russian ruble showed its strongest decline since 2015 and became one of the three weakest currencies of developing countries
tracked by Bloomberg. This comes at the same time as a “demographic catastrophe” bemoaned by Russian experts and commentators, which has seen migration exacerbate a natural population decline
in almost half of the regions. Migrants from the CIS nations are also less inclined to work and live in Russia, due in part to a weakening ruble and also because
police raids, rounding up migrants for military mobilization, have become so frequent.
In 2023, therapists reported an increase in complaints about permanent stress and financial worries. The poorest Russians, including pensioners, suffer the most. Just in time for the holidays, the price of eggs in Russia shot up by 40 percent or more and their availability greatly diminished. Some regions started to limit the number of eggs an individual could buy, with some stores even selling them individually. This was an especially sensitive issue, since a traditional New Year’s salad, the Olivier, requires eggs as one of its main ingredients. During his annual televised event, Direct Line, Putin had to apologize for the rising egg prices—a fact that even state TV propagandists described as “shocking.”
I enjoyed this:
📣 Let’s Honor Truth ☀️️
In his speech at Valley Forge, President Biden spoke a lot about truth, and called tRump a liar and a loser. This is so important, so this week we honor President Biden and his effort to get out the truth. White House Briefing Room
A record 81 million people voted for my candidacy and to end his presidency. Trump lost the popular vote by 7 million.
Trump’s claims about the 2020 election never could stand up in court. Trump lost 60 court cases — 60. Trump lost the Republican-controlled states. Trump lost before a Trump-appointed judge — and then judges. And Trump lost before the United States Supreme Court. (Applause.) All of it, he lost.
Trump lost recount after recount after recount in state after state. But in desperation and weakness, Trump and his MAGA followers went after election officials who en- — who ensured your power as a citizen would be heard. These public servants had their lives forever upended by attacks and death threats for simply doing their jobs. ✂️
When the attack on January 6th happened, there was no doubt about the truth. At the time, even Republican members of Congress and Fox News commentators publicly and privately condemned the attack.
As one Republican senator said, “Trump’s behavior was embarrassing and humiliating for the country.” But now, that same senator and those same people have changed their tune.
As time has go one — gone on, politics, fear, money, all have intervened. And now these MAGA voices who know the truth about Trump on January 6th have abandoned the truth and abandoned democracy.
They made their choice. Now the rest of us — Democrats, independents, mainstream Republicans — we have to make our choice.
I know mine. And I believe I know America’s.
We will defend the truth, not give in to the Big Lie. We’ll embrace the Constitution and the Declaration, not abandon it. We’ll honor the sacred cause of democracy, not walk away from it.
Note I am sure President Biden lies sometimes, or sometimes doesn’t tell us all. For example, he has to be quiet about delicate negotiations with other countries.
I need to thank Lawrence O’Donnell (not that he needs my thanks!) of The Last Word for bringing the aspects of this speech to my attention.
🌹 Let’s Celebrate Love ❤️
This is listed as a mother’s love but I consider it an example where the love goes both ways:
📎Odds & Ends 📎
East Palo Alto goes from murder capital to 0 homicides in 2023 Andy Corbley, Good News Network
Now called the safest city on the peninsula, East Palo Alto is located on the San Francisco Peninsula in San Mateo County between Palo Alto and the big tech centers of the nation.
In 1992 there were 42 homicides out of a population of just 24,000 people. The majority-black city suffered as black neighborhoods did all across the country from the crack cocaine epidemic, but after initial action to increase the police presence, an all-hands-on-deck approach from local nonprofits, faith-based groups, neighborhood watch organizations, and what few business leaders there were eventually saw the number plummet down to single digits even while drug sales continued to flourish.
One innovative tactic was from a neighborhood watch-type organization called “Just Us” that would frequent street corners and copy the license plates of any car that came to buy drugs. The police would then find the owner of the car, and simply write them a strongly worded letter letting them know that their car was recorded in a high-crime, high-drug use area.
Once of these letters, the LA Times reports, arrived at the desk of a city judge, whose son as it turns out was using the judge’s car to buy crack.
Digging dog saves neighborhood Andy Corbley Good News Network
A disastrous gas leak was detected underground by Kobe, a 4-year-old husky owned by Chanell Bell, who trusted her intuition and listened to Kobe’s warnings.
Having moved into the home rather recently, Bell noticed Kobe was digging in the same spot in the yard hour after hour. She didn’t think much of it as he is an avid digger when the need arises, but as it got larger and larger, she took notice. ✂️
Chanell had had a gas leak in the house earlier in December, and seeing that the hole went under the sidewalk, she “trusted her intuition” to take out her gas detection device.
Immediately, the reading detected gas.
Not just gas, but a potentially cataclysmic amount of gas.
Chanell alerted authorities who informed her that if Kobe hadn’t detected the leak when he did on December 21, the consequences could have been fatal.
Mouse caught tidying up man’s desk every night
Some information about upcycling Libby Leonard EcoWatch
Quick Key Facts
- Upcycling is the reusing of discarded objects, materials and other waste, for repurposing into something new of higher value and different use.
- Upcycling reduces waste in landfills, where products take forever to break down and emit greenhouse gases while they do. Upcycling plastic in particular also reduces pollution from manufacturing and conserves resources, as it reduces the need for new plastic products.
- Upcycling is more environmentally friendly than recycling, which uses more energy (which means fossil fuels), water and other resources in its processes of breaking down. Recycling also is now found to release large amounts of microplastics into the environment.
- Some things that can be upcycled into other goods are: cardboard, glass, plastic, metal and tin cans, wood, paper, styrofoam and other non-biodegradable packaging, and clothing.
Upcycling reduces emissions by skipping manufacturing and not cluttering landfills.
Love Dolly Parton!
Foods that may reduce your risk of cancer Nikki Compo New York Times (not a new piece, but worth sharing)
On average, more than one in three people in the United States will develop cancer at some point in their lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society. And many of those cases, they say, can potentially be prevented, including by making changes to your diet.
Scientists have a good idea of what you should avoid to reduce your risk of cancer, such as red and processed meats, “fast” or processed foods, alcohol and sugary drinks. But knowing what to eat isn’t always straightforward, said Johanna Lampe, a cancer prevention researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle.
The foods are: cruciferous vegetables; tomatoes (easier to absorb when cooked and combined with healthy oils); legumes; nuts, especially walnuts; berries; garlic.
🐦 I do a lot of other writing. A recent offering: the Crow Nickels (chronicles), a trilogy about crows who want to save birdkind from extinction: Hunters of the Feather, Scavengers of Mind and Familiars of the Flock (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 — such as The Meryton Murders — and others based on history and Greek mythology, such as Jocasta: The Mother-Wife of Oedipus, can be found here. All titles are available through Kindle Unlimited, but I only get paid if you turn the pages.
💙 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 say something nice to friend or a stranger.
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.