Welcome 🌻 to Friday’s Roundup of Good News!
I have been traveling over the period that covered this Friday and the last. Given the situation, I promised myself a break from the news. Not a complete break — when you write these, you can’t ignore the news completely — but enough to let my spirit rest and recover.
But — the shootings. The war. The evil. Unless I take refuge inside a cave, which is not an option, the awful headlines are still there.
The headlines can lead to despair.
The headlines can lead to hopelessness and helplessness, so that we will not bother to fight.
You know what? They’re designed to make us do that. To give up before the fight begins.
Fighting is important. Because, sometimes — not all the time — just sometimes, when we fight, we win.
Of course, sometimes despair does get to me. However, most of the time — and this may because I have a strong optimistic streak, which I know is not available to all people — most of the time I can choose to fight instead of letting myself despair.
On the other hand, I think we could do a lot to fight smarter.
For example, a recent Daily Kos diary pointed out that conservative brains are not like liberal brains. We should stop trying to talk to them as if they reason and feel the same way we do (I’m not saying not to engage, but to change tactics). I won’t repeat everything from that diary here (no room), but here’s a different example that I heard on a podcast: liberals don’t like to repeat things, because we don’t need to have them repeated. Repetition is tedious for the repeater. For the liberal, repetition can even feel rude.
On the other hand, once you’ve settled on some phrase, repetition is easy. Repetition works. So, as I have said before 😄, Repetition is good. Repetition is good. And repetition can work on conservatives. But don’t expect it to work immediately. Make your point, more than once, and move on. Your words may sink in.
There are many more things we can do, of course.
It’s a long fight, dear friends, but good things are still happening. Come in and read about those who are working smart and hard and who are making the world a better place. And if you can, choose another option besides despair, because we need you.
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, May 26, 2022: Statement by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Fiji Joining the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity
- Thursday, May 26, 2022: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, May 26, 2022
- Thursday, May 26, 2022: Readout of White House Meeting with LGBTQI+ Leaders on Reproductive Justice and Civil Rights
- Thursday, May 26, 2022: NSC Press Statement on National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s Phone Call with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic
- Thursday, May 26, 2022: Nominations Sent to the Senate
- Thursday, May 26, 2022: FACT SHEET: Biden Administration Announces Launch of First Federally-Supported Test to Treat Site
- Wednesday, May 25, 2022: Remarks by President Biden and Vice President Harris at Signing of Executive Order to Advance Effective, Accountable Policing and Strengthen Public Safety
- Wednesday, May 25, 2022: Executive Order on Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices to Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety
- Wednesday, May 25, 2022: Statement by the Press Secretary on Steve Dettelbach’s Confirmation Hearing
- Wednesday, May 25, 2022: Nominations Sent to the Senate
- Wednesday, May 25, 2022: President Biden Announces Third Round of U.S. Marshal Nominees
- Wednesday, May 25, 2022: Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at Operation Fly Formula Event
- Wednesday, May 25, 2022: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Kansas Disaster Declaration
- Wednesday, May 25, 2022: President Biden Announces Key Nominees
- Wednesday, May 25, 2022: President Biden Names Eighteenth Round of Judicial Nominees
- Wednesday, May 25, 2022: FACT SHEET: President Biden to Sign Historic Executive Order to Advance Effective, Accountable Policing and Strengthen Public Safety
- Tuesday, May 24, 2022: Readout of National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s Call with National Security Advisor Kim Sung-han of the Republic of Korea
- Tuesday, May 24, 2022: Remarks by President Biden on the School Shooting in Uvalde, Texas
- Tuesday, May 24, 2022: Remarks by Vice President Harris at the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies 28th Annual Awards
- Tuesday, May 24, 2022: A Proclamation Honoring The Victims Of The Tragedy In Uvalde, Texas
- Tuesday, May 24, 2022: Readout of White House Meeting with State Legislative Leaders on Reproductive Rights
- Tuesday, May 24, 2022: Nominations Sent to the Senate
- Tuesday, May 24, 2022: Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the Republic of India Before Bilateral Meeting
- Tuesday, May 24, 2022: Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of the Commonwealth of Australia Before Bilateral Meeting | Tokyo, Japan
- Tuesday, May 24, 2022: Joint Statement Between the United States and the European Commission on European Energy Security
- Tuesday, May 24, 2022: FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Report: “Advancing Equity Through the American Rescue Plan”
- Tuesday, May 24, 2022: Quad Joint Leaders’ Statement
- Tuesday, May 24, 2022: Readout of President Biden’s Meeting with Prime Minister Albanese of Australia
- Tuesday, May 24, 2022: Readout of President Biden’s Meeting with Prime Minister Modi of India
- Tuesday, May 24, 2022: Remarks by President Biden During Quad Fellowship Announcement Photo Spray
- Tuesday, May 24, 2022: Remarks by President Biden, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia at the Second In-Person Quad Leaders’ Summit
- Monday, May 23, 2022: FACT SHEET: Quad Leaders’ Tokyo Summit 2022
- Monday, May 23, 2022: Background Press Call Previewing President Biden’s Final Day in Japan
- Monday, May 23, 2022: Memorandum on the Designation of Colombia as a Major Non-NATO Ally
- Monday, May 23, 2022: Remarks by Vice President Harris on Mental Health and Wellness
- Monday, May 23, 2022: Statement on Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity
- Monday, May 23, 2022: Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan in Joint Press Conference
- Monday, May 23, 2022: FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Holds Justice40 Week of Action to Highlight Historic Investments in Overburdened and Underserved Communities
- Monday, May 23, 2022: Remarks by President Biden at Indo-Pacific Economic Framework For Prosperity Launch Event
- Monday, May 23, 2022: Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan During Bilateral Meeting
- Monday, May 23, 2022: On-the-Record Press Call on the Launch of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework
- Monday, May 23, 2022: FACT SHEET: In Asia, President Biden and a Dozen Indo-Pacific Partners Launch the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity
- Sunday, May 22, 2022: President Biden Announces First Two Infant Formula Defense Production Act Authorizations
- Sunday, May 22, 2022: Biden Administration Announces Second Operation Fly Formula Flight
- Sunday, May 22, 2022: Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan En Route Tokyo, Japan
- Sunday, May 22, 2022: Remarks by President Biden and President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea at the Air Operations Center’s Combat Operations Floor on Osan Air Base
- Sunday, May 22, 2022: Remarks by President Biden Before Air Force One Departure | Pyeongtaek, Republic of Korea
- Sunday, May 22, 2022: Remarks by President Biden on Hyundai’s Investments in Savannah, Georgia
- Sunday, May 22, 2022: Readout of President Biden’s Call with Prime Minister-Designate Anthony Albanese
- Saturday, May 21, 2022: Remarks by President Biden and President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea at Official Dinner
- Saturday, May 21, 2022: Background Press Call by a Senior Administration Official Previewing President Biden’s Third Day in the Republic of Korea
- Saturday, May 21, 2022: Remarks by President Biden and President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea in Joint Press Conference
- Saturday, May 21, 2022: Statement by NSC Spokesperson Adrienne Watson on Deputy National Security Advisor Anne Neuberger’s Travel to Brussels
- Saturday, May 21, 2022: Readout of White House Meeting with Reproductive Justice Leaders
- Saturday, May 21, 2022: Bills Signed: H.R. 7691 and H.R. 7791
- Saturday, May 21, 2022: Remarks by President Biden and President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea During Bilateral Meeting
- Saturday, May 21, 2022: United States-Republic of Korea Leaders’ Joint Statement
- Saturday, May 21, 2022: Readout of President Biden’s Meeting with Republic of Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol
- Friday, May 20, 2022: Background Press Call by a Senior Administration Official Previewing President Biden’s Second Day in the Republic of Korea
- Friday, May 20, 2022: President Biden Announces John Kirby as NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications
- Friday, May 20, 2022: Statement by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on the District Court Ruling on Title 42
- Friday, May 20, 2022: President Biden Announces Key Nominees
- Friday, May 20, 2022: Statement from President Biden on Record-Low State Unemployment Rates
- Friday, May 20, 2022: Remarks by Vice President Harris Before Virtual Meeting on Reproductive Rights
- Friday, May 20, 2022: Remarks by Vice President Harris at the AAPI Victory Power Fund Celebration
- Friday, May 20, 2022: Remarks by Vice President Harris on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Investments in Electric School Buses
- Friday, May 20, 2022: Readout of Vice President Harris’s Call with President Macron of France
- Friday, May 20, 2022: A Proclamation on National Maritime Day, 2022
- Friday, May 20, 2022: A Proclamation on Armed Forces Day, 2022
- Friday, May 20, 2022: A Proclamation on National Safe Boating Week, 2022
- Friday, May 20, 2022: Remarks by President Biden After Touring Samsung Electronics Pyeongtaek Campus
- Friday, May 20, 2022: Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan
- Friday, May 20, 2022: FACT SHEET: In First Stop on Asia Travel, President Biden Tours Model for Samsung’s New Texas Semiconductor Facility
👎 Out with the Bad, In with the Good 👍
☀️ Solar microgrids are keeping Ukraine’s hospitals running Chris York Reasons to Be Cheerful
During any conflict, fuel sources and power grids are a critical target for an invading force. In Ukraine, Russian missiles have attacked the country’s only fully-functioning oil refinery and a blockade of Ukrainian seaports means resupplying the country by tanker is not possible. In April, Russian hackers targeted the Ukrainian power grid, attempting to cause a blackout that would have impacted two million people.
So it was that as the first missiles fell on Ukraine in February, American renewable energy experts Will Heegaard and Paul Shmotolokha lept into action to support Ukrainian hospitals — themselves believed to be the subject of a Russian “terror bombing” campaign — in anticipation of the fuel and power crises that they knew would soon take hold. ✂️
To date, the two have mainly worked on projects in the U.S., and never before in Ukraine. Leveraging their contacts network to establish transport routes into the country, and supported by disaster relief nonprofits on the ground, they began by sending LED lighting equipment and headlamps to hospitals, before expanding the program to include portable solar microgrids, which can recharge the LED kit as well as other essential medical and communications equipment. They also sent microgrids to a refugee camp in Moldova, a country bordering Ukraine which suddenly found itself hosting tens of thousands of people fleeing the war.
It’s these last items, the solar microgrids, which are being touted as a game-changer in disaster relief settings. Unlike diesel generators, which are traditionally used to provide emergency backup power but which can only produce energy in real time, solar microgrids such as those deployed by Heegaard and Shmotolokha can produce and store energy independently from the main grid without relying on dwindling supplies of fossil fuels.
Boris could not take it anymore — nor can other good people:
💣 Republicans: Crimes & Chaos 💣
GOP superintendendent illegally passes school bus John S Adams, Montana Free Press via Raw Story
Around 7:30 a.m. on May 19, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen
illegally passed a school bus at a bus stop near her home, according to a complaint filed with the Helena Police Department.
According to the information report, a red Chevy Colorado pickup drove around the bus’ fully extended crossing arm while schoolchildren were loading onto the bus at a stop near Mountain View Park on Helena’s southeast side. The bus driver said he recognized Arntzen behind the wheel and wrote down the license plate number of the vehicle she was driving, which he later submitted to police.
It’s “only” a traffic violation — but this being done by the state superintendent of schools? And it can be a very dangerous traffic violation.
Pence should hate tRump even more than we do. And maybe he does:
After all, Pence campaigned for Brian Kemp in the Georgia R primaries, and tRump hates Kemp.
🍑 Speaking of Georgia, the Feds are investigating tRump and connections to the fake electors Matt Chapman Raw Story
On Thursday, CNN reported that Justice Department investigators have interviewed Republicans in Georgia about whether they had any contacts with former President Donald Trump's campaign, as part of the growing probe into whether a crime was committed in the plot to submit slates of fake "electors" declaring Trump won states he did not win.
"In one case, FBI agents asked a prominent Georgia Republican whether he had direct conversations with Trump," reported Katelyn Polantz. "'They just asked who talked to me. If anyone from the Trump campaign had been in touch with me. Did Giuliani talk to me? Did Trump talk to me?' said Patrick Gartland, who was set to serve as an elector but dropped out. He recounted how two FBI agents visited his home in Marietta, Georgia, a few weeks ago."
More R election crimes here: Charges in Florida against those running sham elections Josh Kevensky Talking Points Memo
Three Floridians were charged Tuesday in relation to an alleged 2020 scheme to run sham candidates in local elections, part of a convoluted plot with murky links to Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL).
State prosecutors said in a press release that they charged political consultants Eric Foglesong and Benjamin Paris in relation to the scheme, as well as alleged sham candidate Jestine Iannotti, one of a series of no-namers to run in multiple state elections in Florida in 2020.
Gaetz has not been charged or formally accused of any wrongdoing in the case.
Candidates for R MI gov could be disqualified due to fraudulent signatures Matt ShuhamTalking Points Memo
A signature forgery scandal has turned the race for the GOP nomination to be Michigan’s next governor on its head: Two leading Republican candidates did not collect enough signatures to qualify for the primary ballot after invalid signatures were excluded, according to a report from the state’s Bureau of Elections.
The Bureau of Elections reports will now go to the Board of State Canvassers, which will vote Thursday on which candidates qualify to appear on the ballot for the state’s Aug. 2 primaries.
Thirty-six petition circulators — campaign workers hired to collect signatures — “submitted fraudulent petition sheets consisting entirely of invalid signatures,” according to the Bureau. In all, according to the Bureau’s report Monday, these circulators submitted at least 68,000 invalid signatures across nominating petitions for 10 candidates.
💙 Democrats Deliver 💙
💰 Lots of money being proposed for education in California! The Mercury News
In a major win for California and Bay Area public schools, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the state plans to give schools a record $128.3 billion and expand its per-student spending to $22,850 to give a boost to the state’s education system amid a string of hardships throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
“That’s a number you’ve never seen in California,” Newsom said on Friday as he presented details of his revised state budget — revealing a $97.5 billion surplus due largely to economic gains from California’s wealthiest. “This is about education reform. This is about completely reimagining the education system.”
The cash will fund universal transitional kindergarten, college savings accounts for all students, school facilities, youth mental health and teacher training and recruitment, among other needs illuminated by the coronavirus pandemic, he said.
💜 Unity? 💜
🎩 T. Maysle. Some states increasing Medicaid offerings to keep new moms alive. Doktor Zoom Wonkette
Bet you guys could use some good news about now, huh? In a reminder that government can do good things that make people's lives measurably better, the US Department of Health and Human Services has announced that four new states will be extending postpartum Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) benefits from the usual 60 days after someone gives birth to a full 12 months.
Oregon, California, Kentucky, and Florida will join seven other states in offering the longer benefits, which are expected to help out about 126,000 low-income families in the four new states. Another nine states and the District of Columbia are also in talks with HHS's Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) about extending the benefit, too.
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement,
The first year after giving birth is a critical period — and families deserve the peace of mind knowing they will be able to access the health care coverage they need, without interruption.
We like this thing where Joe Biden's HHS is working with states to help people stay healthy and live better. It's a lot nicer than when HHS emphasized kicking people off healthcare to convince them to stop being poor. Could we please not go back to that please?
I have this in the Unity section because it’s being done by 2 D states and 2 R states (although Kentucky does have a D governor).
There are reasons for a country to want to increase its birth rate. Given the number of humans on the planet, I don’t always agree with them, but I know there are genuine economic arguments. And how much better to do it by offering moms help instead of punishment.
Of course, this is happening under a D federal government, so it’s really more a D thing than an R thing. But it will make some Rs happy.
📥 Actions You Can Take 📤
Voting rights. This may be the biggest issue threatening our democracy right now. Besides contacting your representatives at the state and federal level to do the right thing (depending on who they are), you can support and contact these organizations:
ACLU — American Civil Liberties Union
Democracy Docket — founded by Marc Elias, so important in fighting the challenges after the last election.
Fair Fight — founded by Stacey Abrams
🌱Grass roots. Biden and Harris can do the top-down stuff, but we have to support from the bottom. I don’t know how to deprogram 75 million people, but some things have been written about, such as deep canvassing, and lots of people are talking about this. If you know someone (who did not storm the Capitol), then see if you can be pleasant. Instead of trying to reason with them (logic is obviously not their strong point) distract them with something else. We need to remove the sources of lies and to take down the temperature. If we get more of the Rs to wear masks and to get vaccinated and to vote for Ds, the country will be a better place. We need to coax some of them out of the rabbit holes and diffuse the anger and the crazy.
🏃 Run for something. If you want to run for something, but have no idea what to do, these people will help you. They also like money and volunteers to help those people who are running, so even if you’re not in a position to stand for office, you can help. Note: they are especially planning to target the 57 Rs in local governments who participated in the insurrection.
👎 Defund the seditionists. This is a list with companies that sometimes have donated to the seditionists, and their current approach to supporting or not supporting the seditionists. The list is long. You will recognize many of the corporations, and you probably have a relationship with some — either you are a customer, a shareholder, or maybe even an employee. Contact them and compliment or complain, but let them know you are watching. Forward it to others.
🐍 Schadenfreude 😈
Russian media host complains about their economy Julia Davis The Daily Beast
When Russia’s own problems are being discussed, the mood in Kremlin-controlled TV studios is far from jolly—in part because state media mouthpieces were so wrong in their earlier predictions about how the war would impact Russia. While Putin was mounting his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, his top propagandists were tilling the soil of public opinion, assuring everyday citizens that the war would be quick and relatively painless. In January, TASS published commentary by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who asserted that Russia isn’t afraid of sanctions because “We are quite big and quite self-sufficient to be harmed by these sanctions." He claimed that sanctions were even beneficial for the Russian economy: “To some extent we are trying to take advantage of them in terms of developing our domestic economy, our domestic production.” ✂️
One paramount problem plaguing the Kremlin is the lack of high-performance computer chips, due to the Western ban on the export of semiconductors to Russia. Advanced semiconductors power critical battlefield systems and without them, the Russian military’s fighting ability is severely eroded. The frustration over Russia’s current impotence to secure its own chip manufacturing is spilling out even in the tightly controlled state media environment.
On Tuesday’s 60 Minutes, host Popov shot down suggestions from pundits that Russia can quickly organize its own production of semiconductors. “One factory that produces semiconductors would cost us $20-30 billion... It’s quite clear that we can’t build them quickly. We have to look for them on foreign markets. It’s utopia for us to suggest we could be making them here,” Popov said.
Some Russian mothers are demanding their sons not fight in Ukraine Steve Rosenberg BBC
When Marina's two sons were conscripted last winter to the Russian army she welcomed the idea of her children doing a year's military service. ✂️
But a few weeks later she began to worry. Her sons had been deployed to an area close to the border with Ukraine.
On 24 February President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops to invade Ukraine. That day Marina (not her real name) lost contact with her sons.
"Time stopped for me. I couldn't eat. I couldn't sleep," she told me. "I exchanged messages with the mothers of other conscripts from the same unit. It turned out that many of them had lost contact with their children, too."
The Kremlin promised that Russian conscripts would not be sent to Ukraine.
“Marina” got her sons back (they don’t want to talk about their horrible experience).
More on the “crisis” at the Southern Baptist Church Russell Moore Christianity Today (in case you missed it, the SBC has the same sexual abuse problem as the Roman Catholic church.)
Someone asked me a few weeks ago what I expected from the third-party investigation into the handling of sexual abuse by the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee. I said I didn’t expect to be surprised at all. How could I be? I lived through years with that entity. I was the one who called for such an investigation in the first place.
And yet, as I read the report, I found that I could not swipe the screen to the next page because my hands were shaking with rage. That’s because, as dark a view as I had of the SBC Executive Committee, the investigation uncovers a reality far more evil and systemic than I imagined it could be. ✂️
For years, leaders in the Executive Committee said a database—to prevent sexual predators from quietly moving from one church to another, to a new set of victims—had been thoroughly investigated and found to be legally impossible, given Baptist church autonomy. My mouth fell open when I read documented proof in the report that these very people not only knew how to have a database, they already had one.
Allegations of sexual violence and assault were placed, the report concludes, in a secret file in the SBC Nashville headquarters. It held over 700 cases. Not only was nothing done to stop these predators from continuing their hellish crimes, staff members were reportedly told not to even engage those asking about how to stop their child from being sexually violated by a minister. Rather than a database to protect sexual abuse victims, the report reveals that these leaders had a database to protect themselves.
I know, hardly anyone here is surprised by this depravity, given the other stuff these people are up to. Anyway, it’s time for class-action suits and it’s time to break the SBC.
📣 Let’s Honor Truth ☀️️
Beto O’Rourke stands up for truth:
🌹 Let’s Celebrate Love ❤️
As they say, look for the helpers
And, our neighbors up north:
📎Odds & Ends 📎
Researchers create more efficient solar cell DOE/NREL Science Daily
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) created a solar cell with a record 39.5% efficiency under 1-sun global illumination. This is the highest efficiency solar cell of any type, measured using standard 1-sun conditions.
"The new cell is more efficient and has a simpler design that may be useful for a variety of new applications, such as highly area-constrained applications or low-radiation space applications," said Myles Steiner, a senior scientist in NREL's High-Efficiency Crystalline Photovoltaics (PV) Group and principal investigator on the project. He worked alongside NREL colleagues Ryan France, John Geisz, Tao Song, Waldo Olavarria, Michelle Young, and Alan Kibbler.
Details of the development are outlined in the paper "Triple-junction solar cells with 39.5% terrestrial and 34.2% space efficiency enabled by thick quantum well superlattices," which appears in the May issue of the journal Joule.
I’m so glad Scott and Bezos got divorced! Because now she can do what she wanted to do:
Monarch butterfly count up Paige Bennett EcoWatch
After many years of plummeting populations of migrating monarch butterflies, a WWF-Mexico survey brings good news: during the 2021-2022 overwintering period,
the monarch butterfly presence observed in the forests of Mexico was 35% higher than the previous year. While the butterflies are still vulnerable and require more conservation efforts, the survey gives some hope for recovery.
The survey, Forest Area Occupied by the Colonies of Monarch Butterflies in Mexico During the 2021-2022 Overwintering Season, measured the amount of forest the butterflies cover, since it is too difficult to count each butterfly. In total, WWF-Mexico noted that 10 colonies of monarch butterflies spanned 2.835 hectares (7.005 acres) of forest in late December 2021, up 35% from the 2.10 (5.189) hectares covered in 2020. Six colonies covered 2.174 (5.372 acres) hectares inside the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, a World Heritage Site. An additional 0.661 hectares (1.633 acres) of forest outside the reserve were also covered in butterflies.
“The increase in monarch butterflies is good news and indicates that we should continue working to maintain and reinforce conservation measures by Mexico, the United States, and Canada,” Jorge Rickards, general manager of WWF-Mexico, said in a press release. “Monarchs are important pollinators, and their migratory journey helps promote greater diversity of flowering plants, which benefits other species in natural ecosystems and contributes to the production of food for human consumption.”
Isn’t this nice?
🐦 I do a lot of other writing. A recent offering: Hunters of the Feather, a story about a thinker-linker crow who wants to save birdkind from extinction, and the sequel, Scavengers of Mind. (They’re really good! They’re really cheap! Buy and review or rate positively! And Hunters is also available on Audible!) Other stories, based on Jane Austen novels — including a new one for lovers of Pride & Prejudice, Mrs. Bennet’s Advice to Young Ladies — and others on Greek mythology, can be found here. All titles are also available on Kindle Unlimited (but I only get paid when 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 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.