(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Wednesday Good News Round Up [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-04-26 Good Morning! Grab your cup of preferred beverage, take in some positive vibes and chat in “the best comments section ever.” When the Congress was so eloquently (cough, cough) electing their leadership I saw the infamous tweet of Katie Porter (love her) reading a book whilst she attentively watched the very fine people perform a quick and organized vote (who am I kidding). That book was the Subtle Art of not Giving a F*ck. Well, I had to have that book because I certainly have very few f*cks left to give, so cool I must be on the right track. But in all seriousness, I am glad I picked it up. The message is much more towards your personal outlook of your own life rather than the positivity we try to enshrine here at the GNR yet we can take some of those lessons and apply them. For me, there are just some folks I have to tune out, especially those with the largest blowhorn who just shout for attention and grift. They need no more of our attention. Although we need to fight against all the horrible ways some are attempting to shred and vilify people, our planet and our democracy, we need to focus on what we can do and not give voice and power to those who seek out fame and fortune on the backs of those without. “Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” -Francis of Assisi On to the Good News. The best news…Biden's In It is my personal opinion that at this point in our time of the vast workings of underhanded scumbags trying to destroy our country and dehumanize anyone who is not a wealthy white male, Biden-Harris is the only ticket to beat the fascists. the president formally announced his reelection bid, seeking to swipe a traditional Republican theme—freedom—for his own campaign. “That’s been the work of my first term: to fight for our democracy, to protect our rights,” Biden says. “To make sure that everyone in this country is treated equally, that everyone is given a fair shot.” “The question we’re facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom. More rights or fewer,” Biden says. “I know what I want the answer to be, and I think you do too. This is not a time to be complacent.” All I can say to that is Amen brother! The “Dark Brandon” meme — and why the Biden campaign has embraced it the Dark Brandon meme’s popularity among Biden supporters was so swift and decisive that it has effectively become a positive affirmation, not only of Biden himself, but of the internet’s ability to reclaim and salvage what once was lost. In the year or so since Democrats — including numerous politicians and White House staff members — started using it, the “Brandon” meme, which began as an ironic take on an already-ironic meme from the right, has become a triumphant anthem for the Biden campaign. Most recently, visitors to Biden’s newly unveiled 2024 campaign website discovered the site’s 404 (page not found) landing page serving a “Dark Brandon” Easter egg and pointing people towards a special “Dark” campaign tee emblazoned with the Brandon image. I am pumped. Let’s help them get the message right! E. Jean Carroll's Rape Allegations Against Donald Trump Finally Get a Day in Court Jury selection began Tuesday in the writer's case against the former president in federal court in Manhattan. Writer E. Jean Carroll’s sexual assault allegations against former President Donald Trump, 76, are finally in court as jury selection began in federal court in Manhattan on Tuesday. Carroll, 79, alleges that the former president attacked and sexually assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in 1995 or 1996. Politico reported that there’s been no discussions of out-of-court settlements at this time. If Carroll’s legal team prevails, this would be the first time Trump is held to any degree of legal responsibility for a sexual assault. He has been accused of sexual harassment or sexual assault by at least 18 women. It’s now up to a jury to see if Carroll’s allegations are—what Trump called— “a complete con job” or another example of how the MeToo movement has bred an environment that finally allows survivors to obtain some kind of justice. All I can say is E. Jean you are power. Stalin Is Dead,Tuckums Is Gone, The Masses Rejoice In good news for America, "sentient white supremacist bow tie," "angry barking walrus," and "worst human being known to mankind" Tucker Carlson has been unceremoniously dumped by his overlords at Faux News, evidently not for being a racist POS whose toxic $787.5 million lies threatened democracy but for bad-mouthing said overlords. America's response: "Don't let the door hit you on your way out. Actually, let it." He departed declaring, "Let them eat bugs," and still lying. Thoughts and prayers. Listen, I did not really want to give space to Tucker but this chick has some snark! A giddy AOC reacts to the ousting of Tucker Carlson: "Good things can happen" Just two days ago, MSNBC's Jen Psaki asked AOC if media organizations should be accountable "for being platforms of incitement," to which AOC answered hell yeah. "When you look at what Tucker Carlson and some of these other folks on Fox do, it is very, very clearly incitement of violence … and that is the line I think we have to be willing to contend with." x This video of AOC has conservatives enraged. Please share it. pic.twitter.com/jUO3BKftUl — Walter Masterson (@waltermasterson) April 25, 2023 Well I just gave airspace to Elon and Tucker, oh well it was worth it. Wind Farms and Birds Are Learning to Coexist With bird-tracking AI and turbines that grind to a halt before strikes occur, today’s wind farms are safer than ever for travelers on the wing. The Fryslan wind farm in the Netherlands is a sprawling array of 109-meter turbines situated in the deep blue waters of Lake Ijssel, north of Amsterdam. Capable of powering 500,000 homes, its sustainability bona fides are obvious. But less immediately apparent are the elements of its design that protect the local ecosystem as well. Built as the world’s first nature-positive wind farm, Fryslan incorporates a number of innovative measures to reduce collision risks to birds, including radar systems to monitor bird movements through the turbine array, and even several man-made islands that provide breeding habitat for seabirds such as the Common Tern, Sterna hirundo. The Fryslan development encapsulates how considering wildlife early in the design process can result in wind farms that benefit not just the climate, but also local wildlife. In doing so, Fryslan confronts a central challenge of large-scale renewable power projects: How to generate sustainable energy without harming biodiversity in the process. The Joy of Watching a Transmasculine Character Who’s Right at Home in Rural America Among a stellar cast in HBO's Somebody Somewhere, Fred Rococo is quietly radical, wonderfully nuanced representation. Somebody Somewhere is set in the rural town of Manhattan, Kansas, and follows Sam (Bridget Everett), a 40-something who’s struggling to find a sense of purpose in her hometown while mourning her sister’s death. Imbued as it is with gravitas and humor, introspection and self-effacement, the camp and the mundane, the show lands “somewhere” (pun intended?) between drama and comedy. And while Somebody Somewhere is about feeling lost, it doesn’t pin much blame on rural Kansas. Unlike The Wizard of Oz, there is no hopeful tornado to take Sam away from the place she grew up (though there is a very literal tornado). Nor is Sam arriving to this sleepy little town from the big city, thus armed with the worldly perspective one garners from a concrete jungle. Instead, she stays close to home and finds her chosen family in a crew of local misfits, many of whom are queer. That crew includes Fred Rococo, played with an indelible mix of humor, sensitivity, and tenderness by New York City nightlife performer Murray Hill. Why detail these scenes? They aren’t overtly dramatic—which is par for the course for Somebody Somewhere. They don’t establish life or death stakes for a queer character at odds with their community or open a window into the suffering one experiences from being different. Nor do they depict a glamorous 20-something figuring life out against an exotic backdrop. And that’s precisely the point. Read the whole thing. Cannabis company offers jobs to all 400+ Burger King workers laid off in Detroit Last week, a Burger King franchise owner from Texas closed more than two dozen locations around Detroit, Michigan. Those shut down left more than 400 people unemployed. That's when Stiizy, a Michigan-based cannabis brand, decided to offer jobs to every laid-off individual. Full- and part-time positions are available. Gotta love that! After 30-year-dispute, San Jose to remove statue in victory for Native American and Mexican communities After more than 30 years of controversy, the Thomas Fallon statue in San Jose, California is being removed. The bronze sculpture, which was installed in 2002 without public input, depicts Captain Thomas Fallon raising an American flag during the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt—a symbol that some, like members of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, believe represents a brutal time in Native American and Mexican history. While the removal comes at a hefty $450,000 price tag, it marks a big victory for Muwekma Ohlone and other affected communities. With no plans for a replacement statue, a traffic median will be installed following the removal, which is set to be completed by May 4. How new vaccine technologies could reduce the massive death toll from malaria If you were to nominate an infectious disease for “worst in the world,” malaria would probably be a top contender. Every year, it kills more than 500,000 people, most of them children. There’s been significant progress in the fight against malaria — before the Covid-19 pandemic, two decades of public health work had driven death rates down significantly — but there’s still a long way to go. One avenue for finally getting the upper hand in the fight against malaria? RNA vaccination, using some of the same principles as the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccines. For the past seven years, researchers have been working to bring RNA vaccines to the fight against malaria. In 2018, one team at the Yale School of Medicine published early results suggesting that their RNA vaccine approach showed promise — in mice. In February 2021, a patent was approved for their approach. There’s some reason to think that the RNA approach might produce more durable immunity against a disease like malaria. When the approach was tried in a mouse model by the Yale School of Medicine team, preliminary results looked good. The next stage is human clinical trials, possibly at the University of Oxford, where the vaccine is being further evaluated and whose anti-malaria program includes human challenge trials with volunteers to test vaccine efficacy. 15 Harry Belafonte Quotes We Need to Hear Now More Than Ever My favorite: “Each and everyone of you has the power, the will and the capacity to make a difference in the world in which you live.” Rest in peace Harry. As a resident of New York State, I had to post this even though it is a couple weeks old now. I never get tired of it! x New Yorkers outside trump tower "NEW YORK HATES YOU" pic.twitter.com/IDIoyNF5bs — Optimistic Lizard 🌊proud to be a LIBERAL (@rex197878) April 14, 2023 It’s really good to be bringing the good news again! We can do this! Note: I will be at work when this posts, a few more months until semi-retirement. You all know what to do. Peace! [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/26/2165900/-Wednesday-Good-News-Round-Up Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/