(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Good News Roundup for June 6, 2023 [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-06-06 Good morning, Gnusies! Happy Tuesday!! Speaking of happiness, I found so much good news for this roundup that I challenge you not to feel happy by the time you finish reading it. So if you’re ready for a mood boost, fill up a mug with your morning beverage of choice, get comfortable, and dive in! Technical note: Because some GNR writers have had trouble saving their work due to corrupted links, I’m taking no chances. I’ve removed almost all links from within the quoted sections in today’s items. If you want to follow a rabbit hole in any of the items, just open the main link to get to the story as originally published. Opening music What fits today’s theme better than this?! “Happiness is the truth.” x YouTube Video * * * * * Good news in politics How Is This Terrific May Jobs Report Bad News For Joe Biden? Under a snarky headline, Wonkette celebrates Biden’s recent victories. By Doktor Zoom on Wonkette: The Labor Department's monthly jobs report for May showed another better-than-expected rise in new jobs, with the economy adding 339,000 of them. That's far better than the Dow Jones forecast of 190,000 jobs, and the White House wasted no time putting out a statement from Joe Biden noting that since he took office, the economy has created more than 13 million jobs, which is "more jobs in 28 months than any President has created in an entire 4-year term," although of course not many presidents (zero) have come into office during a pandemic that killed jobs dead. Even so, it's been a far faster recovery than was being predicted in the depths of the pandemic, and Biden policies did a hell of a lot to move it forward. Heck, let's just let Joe toot his own horn a bit more, since there's a lot of tootworthy economic news: We also learned that the unemployment rate has been under 4 percent for 16 months in a row. The last time our nation had such a long stretch of low unemployment was in the 1960s. And the share of working age Americans in the workforce is at its highest level in 16 years. Meanwhile the annual inflation rate has fallen for 10 months in a row, and it’s down more than 40 percent since last summer. During that time, take-home pay for workers has gone up, even after accounting for inflation. In short, the Biden economic plan is working. And due to the historic action taken by Congress this week, my economic plan will continue to deliver good jobs for the American people in communities throughout the country. Toot! May was the 29th consecutive month in which jobs have grown, which includes the final month of the Trump administration, so he'll probably insist Biden has simply been coasting on the recovery Trump started by whining about the 2020 election results. The unemployment rate did tick up three-tenths of a percent, to 3.7 percent, although we're continuing to have the lowest unemployment rates since 1969. Nice. What with the debt limit bill passing and the economy not going off the cliff that Republicans were aiming for, Wall Street was a tad giddy over the news, with the Dow Jones industrial average getting a 600 point growthboner, although as ever, we caution that the stock market is not the economy anyhow. In any case, we predict the positive economic news will force Fox News to increase its repetition of the video of Joe Biden tripping and falling by at least 30 percent in the coming days. Joe Biden’s 23 greatest achievements as president of the United States … so far 🎩 to WineRev for mentioning this great item in Sunday’s History Corner: From The Smile News [a site I’ve not seen before]: Here are 23 of Joe Biden’s greatest accomplishments as president of the United States. 1. Passed the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package to increase investment in the national network of bridges and roads, airports, public transport and national broadband internet, as well as waterways and energy systems. 2. Helped get more than 500 million life-saving COVID-19 vaccinations in the arms of Americans through the American Rescue Plan. 3. Stopped a 30-year streak of federal inaction on gun violence by signing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act that created enhanced background checks, closed the “boyfriend” loophole and provided funds for youth mental health. 4. Made a $369 billion investment in climate change, the largest in American history, through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. 5. Ended the longest war in American history by pulling the troops out of Afghanistan. 6. Provided $10,000 to $20,000 in college debt relief to Americans with loans who make under $125,000 a year. 7. Cut child poverty in half through the American Rescue Plan. 8. Capped prescription drug prices at $2,000 per year for seniors on Medicare through the Inflation Reduction Act. 9. Passed the COVID-19 relief deal that provided payments of up to $1,400 to many struggling U.S. citizens while supporting renters and increasing unemployment benefits. 10. Achieved historically low unemployment rates after the pandemic caused them to skyrocket. 11. Imposed a 15% minimum corporate tax on some of the largest corporations in the country, ensuring that they pay their fair share, as part of the historic Inflation Reduction Act. 12. Recommitted America to the global fight against climate change by rejoining the Paris Agreement. 13. Strengthened the NATO alliance in support of Ukraine after the Russian invasion by endorsing the inclusion of world military powers Sweden and Finland. 14. Authorized the assassination of the Al Qaeda terrorist Ayman al-Zawahiri, who became head of the organization after the death of Osama bin Laden. 15. Gave Medicare the power to negotiate prescription drug prices through the Inflation Reduction Act while also reducing government health spending. 16. Held Vladimir Putin accountable for his invasion of Ukraine by imposing stiff economic sanctions. 17. Boosted the budget of the Internal Revenue Service by nearly $80 billion to reduce tax evasion and increase revenue. 18. Created more jobs in one year (6.6 million) than any other president in U.S. history. 19. Reduced healthcare premiums under the Affordable Care Act by $800 a year as part of the American Rescue Plan. 20. Signed the PACT Act to address service members’ exposure to burn pits and other toxins. 21. Signed the CHIPS and Science Act to strengthen American manufacturing and innovation. 22. Reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act through 2027. 23. Halted all federal executions after the previous administration reinstated them after a 17-year freeze. And BTW, Heather Cox Richardson mentioned as an aside in her June 2 Substack column that “[Biden] has signed more than 350 bipartisan laws in his time in office.” Of course the media hasn’t been talking about that… Biden-Harris Administration Announces Funding for 63 Projects in 32 States That Will Help Reduce Train-Vehicle Collisions and Blocked Rail Crossings in the U.S. From transportation.gov: The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)... announced [yesterday] it has awarded more than $570 million in Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) Grant Program funding to projects in 32 states. This inaugural round of funding will address more than 400 at-grade crossings nationwide, improve safety, and make it easier to get around railroad tracks by adding grade separations, closing at-grade crossings, and improving existing at-grade crossings where train tracks and roads intersect. Preventing blocked crossings and collisions is one of many ways President Biden’s Investing in America agenda will make a difference in people’s everyday lives by improving safety and convenience and creating good-paying jobs to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure. Last year, there were more than 2,000 highway-rail crossing collisions in the U.S. and more than 30,000 reports of blocked crossings submitted to FRA’s public complaint portal. ✂️ For years, FRA has received complaints from citizens, states, and localities regarding the delays and disruptions caused by frequently blocked crossings that force residents to wait hours at intersections or take detours. These delays and disruptions can also prevent first responders from getting to emergencies quickly. Further, over 2,000 collisions occur every year at highway-rail grade crossings. The projects selected for funding in the first year of this program will greatly improve the quality of life in communities big and small, creating safer rail crossings and allowing people to get to and from their homes, schools, businesses, hospitals, fire stations, and workplaces without being stranded and delayed by a standing train. * * * * * 🍿 Repellent Republicans Rushing toward Ruin 🍿 Kari Lake Takes Break From Losing AZ Election Over And Over To Record Crappy Protest Music I couldn’t resist reporting on the latest ridiculous stunt from Kari “Go Jump in a” Lake. By Gary Legum on Wonkette: Kari Lake […] is releasing a music single Thursday at midnight called “81 Million Votes, My Ass” […] The track was produced by members of the team behind a song Donald Trump and a group of Jan. 6 prisoners released in March. ✂️ Apparently the mockery from anyone with functional eardrums was not enough for the crew that put that one together. Now calling themselves the Truth Bombers, they have returned with this befoulment of the art form that Plato extolled as giving “soul to the universe.” And miraculously, they convinced Kari Lake to take a short break from losing the Arizona governor’s election again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again to help out: Lake agreed to participate to raise awareness about voter fraud, she told “Real America’s Voice” on Wednesday. “I want to send a message to the technocrats, to the tyrants, that we’re on to what they’re pushing,” Lake said. “We’re on to this B.S. system.” ✂️ The title of the song comes from a speech Lake gave at CPAC’s Ronald Reagan Dinner this past March and reflects the wingnut trope that there must have been voter fraud in the 2020 election because there is simply no way Joe Biden could have gotten 81 million votes, because reasons. He's old! He stutters! He never left his basement during the campaign! That Biden maybe got 81 million votes despite staying in his basement because Donald Trump didn’t stay in his never seems to occur to this collection of Mensa scholars, at least not while there are dollars to suck out of conservative pockets by claiming otherwise. C’mon, you know you wanna hear it! x YouTube Video * * * * * The media misbehaving Inside the Meltdown at CNN Subheading: “CEO Chris Licht felt he was on a mission to restore the network’s reputation for serious journalism. How did it all go wrong?” Gee, what a mystery… BTW, according the Columbia Journalism Review, this piece is “the talk of the media industry. ...channeling a wider consensus, [Brian] Stelter called it “a 15,000-word defenestration” while Mike Allen, of Axios, described it as “devastating,” “brutal,” and “destined to become an iconic magazine profile.” So you might be interested in reading the whole thing. From The Atlantic: ...just a few months into his job running one of the world’s preeminent news organizations, [Chris Licht] claimed to have a “simple” answer to the question that might very well come to define his legacy. “The media has absolutely, I believe, learned its lesson,” Licht said. ... “I really do,” Licht said. “I think they know that [Trump is] playing them—at least, the people in my organization. We’ve had discussions about this. We know that we’re getting played, so we’re gonna resist it.” Seven months later, in Manchester, New Hampshire, I came across Licht wearing the expression of a man who had just survived a car wreck. Normally brash and self-assured, Licht was pale, his shoulders slumped. He scanned the room with anxious eyes. Spotting me, he summoned a breezy chord. “Well,” Licht said, “that wasn’t boring!” ✂️ When he took the helm of CNN, in May 2022, Licht had promised a reset with Republican voters—and with their leader. He had swaggered into the job, telling his employees that the network had lost its way under former President Jeff Zucker, that their hostile approach to Trump had alienated a broader viewership that craved sober, fact-driven coverage. These assertions thrust Licht into a two-front war: fighting to win back Republicans who had written off the network while also fighting to win over his own journalists, many of whom believed that their new boss was scapegoating them to appease his new boss, David Zaslav, who’d hired Licht with a decree to move CNN toward the ideological center. One year into the job, Licht was losing both battles. * * * * * Good news from my corner of the world Oregon sues to stop contamination by PFAS chemicals Many other states have done the same or are in the process of doing so. It’s about time. From Portland Tribune: Oregon and Washington are the latest states to sue manufacturers, including 3M and DuPont, in connection with firefighting foam and its alleged link to contamination by so-called forever chemicals. Attorneys General Ellen Rosenblum of Oregon and Bob Ferguson of Washington filed separate suits against 21 manufacturers just two days before three companies — DuPont, Chemours and Corteva — reached a $1.2 billion settlement of some claims of contaminated drinking water. ✂️ PFAS persist in the human body and the environment. They are found in firefighting foam used at commercial airports and military bases, waterproof jackets and other clothing, and nonstick coatings on pans and food containers. The current Oregon Legislature has passed a law (Senate Bill 543) that bans such coatings on food containers, along with polystyrene, effective in 2025. Rhode Island also filed a similar suit on May 25, and Maryland a pair of suits on May 30. Thousands of pending suits have been consolidated in an action pending before a federal judge in South Carolina. Washington state’s suit was filed in King County (Seattle) Superior Court. Oregon’s suit was filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court, where Rosenblum said state lawyers intend to show that the manufacturers introduced the foam and chemical contamination to Portland International Airport and Kingsley Field Air National Guard base in Klamath Falls. Business, other leaders seek pay raises for homeless outreach workers It’s good to see businesses join the demand for better pay for these heroic workers. From Portland Tribune: The Portland Business Alliance is sending an immediate call to metro area leaders to increase pay for homeless service workers and streamline funding for homeless services. The alliance sent a letter to Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson, Washington County Chair Kathryn Harrington and Clackamas County Chair Tootie Smith on Wednesday with their concerns. The letter was also signed by local service providers, business associations and community leaders. In the letter, the business alliance says the low wages are hampering efforts to hire and retain frontline workers, which is also stalling efforts to address the homelessness crisis. “We are deeply concerned that one major roadblock will stand in the way of urgent progress if not addressed. We must urgently address the ability of our service providers to hire and retain front line and support workers to do the tough and often heroic work of helping our homeless neighbors get the services they need. While there are many reasons for the staffing challenges with our service providers, we believe persistently low wages are the main culprit, which must be urgently diagnosed and addressed,” the Portland Business Alliance said in its letter to county leaders. Fearing for their trans daughter’s safety, a Texas family flees to Oregon Of course, it’s a tragedy that families like this need to leave Texas, but I’m glad and proud that Oregon is a refuge for them. From KOIN: Karen’s love for her child turned into advocacy — in Texas, where she, her husband and children lived. In 2021, Karen joined other people rallying at the state capital in Austin against a slate of bills targeting health care for transgender children, like puberty blockers, or even seeking therapy from a behavioral health provider. The bills and the attacks were relentless. The attacks focused on their health care, tried to go after providers of care that has been deemed best-practice medical care by literally every major medical association. After advocates and some push back from the business community, many of the bills did not pass that session. Then in 2022, Gov. Greg Abbott — facing primary challenges to his reelection — ordered the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate providing gender-affirming care as child abuse. He also ordered the parents who provided it to their children to be investigated. “I would always say, ‘Well, I’m going to stay here and fight until they try and take my kids away.’ And I would say it as, like a, well, you know, that’s never going to happen. But then it did,” Karen said. “We were advised to leave before we couldn’t leave.” ✂️ Her husband’s employer saw the stress the political battle was having on their family and helped accommodate their move to Portland. It was immediately a reset for Karen’s daughter. “When we got into Oregon we went downtown. Then there’s this massive Pride festival and I thought it was really cool,” she said. “I felt like I’m in the right place. This is where I live now and I don’t plan on moving ever again.” Karen sees a freedom in her daughter she didn’t see when they lived in Texas, a freedom from worry, freedom of thought — and freedom to be a kid again. Could the Northwest’s basalt rocks help slow climate change? This is an intriguing interim solution for sequestering CO2 in the Northwest as we transition to renewable energy. But more research needs to be done to reassure the tribes that no damage will be done to their ancestral land. From Oregon Public Broadcasting: Carbon sequestration isn’t new. Places in the Midwest and Gulf Coast already store carbon underground...in sandstone rocks. But, basalt is different. When you put CO2 in the spaces between the rock, it turns into minerals. “Once it's mineralized, the really cool thing is it can't leak. It is a solid rock. It's not going anywhere,” [Casie] Davidson, [a geologist with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory] said. Some of the best basalt formations are in the Northwest. But this type of carbon sequestration hasn’t been studied here until recently. In fact, the only test site in the world for storing carbon dioxide in basalt is just down the river from where they stood. At that site in 2013, scientists pumped liquid CO2 down a conical hole they drilled. It was more than a half-mile deep – about seven times the size of Palouse Falls. It took them more than three months to carefully drill and measure the rock. ...In just a couple years, the CO2 had started to transform into minerals. ✂️ Davidson said it will be a Band-Aid as the region transitions to renewable energy. She said it’ll be especially useful for industries that produce a lot of CO2, like manufacturing plants. ✂️ But a lot of the geologic reservoirs in the Northwest’s basalt are in the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation’s homelands. There needs to be a better understanding of the mineralization process before this technology becomes widespread, said Althea Wolf, with the tribe’s Department of Natural Resources. ...Wolf said the tribe worries that drilling deep into the earth could contaminate the groundwater. * * * * * Good news from around the nation Biden orders 20-year ban on oil, gas drilling around tribal site in New Mexico This is really wonderful news. Chaco Canyon is not only a sacred site for several tribes, it’s also an extremely important archaeological site. It needs as much protection as it can get. BTW, if you ever have a chance to visit it, go — it’s a life-changing experience. From PBS: Hundreds of square miles in New Mexico will be withdrawn from further oil and gas production for the next 20 years on the outskirts of Chaco Culture National Historical Park that tribal communities consider sacred, the Biden administration ordered Friday. Doorways at Pueblo Bonito The new order from Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland applies to public lands and associated mineral rights within a 10-mile (16-kilometer) radius of the park. It does not apply to entities that are privately, state- or tribal-owned. Existing leases won’t be impacted either. A World Heritage site, Chaco Culture National Historical Park is thought to be the center of what was once a hub of Indigenous civilization, with many tribes from the Southwest tracing their roots to the high desert outpost. After extensive studies and consultations, the plan has pitted the Navajo Nation against other tribes in the region amid concerns about economic impacts and that individual Navajo allotment owners may be left landlocked by restrictions on public land. “Today marks an important step in fulfilling President Biden’s commitments to Indian Country, by protecting Chaco Canyon, a sacred place that holds deep meaning for the Indigenous peoples whose ancestors have called this place home since time immemorial,” Haaland said in a statement. “I value and appreciate the many Tribal leaders, elected officials, and stakeholders who have persisted in their work to conserve this special area.” Unions are relieved as the Supreme Court leaves the right to strike intact This is good news because it could have been really bad news. From NPR: The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday handed a victory to business interests in a labor dispute, but the win was more of a whimper than a roar. By an 8-to-1 vote, the high court ruled against unionized truck drivers who walked off the job, leaving their trucks loaded with wet concrete, but it preserved the rights of workers to time their strikes for maximum effect. "Virtually every strike is based on timing that will hurt the employer," said Stanford Law School professor William Gould, a former chairman of the National Labor Relations Board, and there was "great concern that the court would rule broadly to limit the rights of strikers. "But that didn't happen," he noted in an interview with NPR. At first glance, the Supreme Court did seem poised to issue a decision more damaging to unions. Thursday's ruling followed three earlier decisions against labor in the last five years, including one that reversed a 40-year-old precedent. And the truckers' case posed the possibility that the court would overturn another longstanding precedent dating back nearly 70 years. So labor feared the worst: a decision that would hollow out the right to strike. Thursday's decision, however, was a narrow ruling that generally left strike protections intact. The US set for a green jobs bonanza It’s great to see studies confirming the positive effect that green jobs will have on the economy. From Positive News: A green jobs bonanza in US fossil fuel regions will outweigh losses from transitioning to net zero, according to a study by researchers at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, US. They modelled a number of scenarios based on varying levels of renewables adoption, and found that energy sector jobs could increase to as much as 4.5 per cent of the US workforce by 2050 – up from 1.5 per cent in 2021. Even in a scenario where renewables were constrained, growth in sectors such as wind turbines and solar would still offset job losses in declining coal, gas and oil, with America’s total employment in the energy sector doubling or even tripling in the same period. Interestingly, the study noted that Republican strongholds – which have traditionally focused on job loss potential as an argument against renewables – stand to gain the most. However, the report stressed the need to retrain workers in declining sectors. The revolt of the Christian home-schoolers This fits neatly into Mokurai’s argument that the children of extreme wrong-wingers are turning their backs on the indoctrination they experienced growing up. From The Washington Post (gift link): Christina and Aaron Beall stood among many families resuming an emotional but familiar routine: the first day of full-time, in-person classes since public schools closed at the beginning of the pandemic. But for the Bealls, that morning in late August 2021 carried a weight incomprehensible to the parents around them. ✂️ Aaron and Christina had never attended school when they were children. ... Both had been raised to believe that public schools were tools of a demonic social order, government “indoctrination camps” devoted to the propagation of lies and the subversion of Christian families. ✂️ Christina and Aaron were supposed to advance the banner of that movement, instilling its codes in their children through the same forms of corporal punishment once inflicted upon them. Yet instead, along with many others of their age and upbringing, they had walked away. ✂️ Home schooling today is more diverse, demographically and ideologically, than it was in the heyday of conservative Christian activism. Yet those activists remain extraordinarily influential. Over decades, they have eroded state regulations, ensuring that parents who home-school face little oversight in much of the country. More recently, they have inflamed the nation’s culture wars, fueling attacks on public-school lessons about race and gender with the politically potent language of “parental rights.” But what should be a moment of triumph for conservative Christian home-schoolers has been undermined by an unmistakable backlash: the desertion and denunciations of the very children they said they were saving. U.S. Is Giving Away Lighthouses for Free to Preserve Them As Historic Landmarks This is an excellent way to preserve these fascinating, photogenic landmarks. From Good News Network: A unique opportunity for a fixer-upper is coming by way of the US General Services Administration (GSA)—6 historic American lighthouses. Going up this year via public auction, the federal government has a unique way of ensuring lighthouses retain their historic status which can even involve auctioning them off to private citizens with an affection for the now-obsolete structures. ✂️ Cleveland West Pierhead Lighthouse, one of the lighthouses that will be sold to the public. The US has hundreds of lighthouses that once ensured sailors could safely come into harbor but are now derelict since the invention of GPS technology. The GSA routinely sells off lighthouses to nonprofits interested in conservation, state and local governments, educational agencies, and even federal ones. However if no buyers come up, the GSA will auction them off to the public at prices ranging from $10,000 to nearly $1 million, reports NPR. Since the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act was passed in 2000 more than 150 lighthouses have been sold or handed over to various organizations. This includes 81 that are now owned by government agencies and nonprofits and another 70 that have been sold to the public. ✂️ This year, 6 lighthouses are being placed on Notice of Availability, and 4 are going direct to public auction. Should any of the 6 not find owners, they too will be sold to the citizenry. * * * * * Musical break From Good News Network: The original demo tape that landed Prince his first record contract is being auctioned. ✂️ At just 18 years old, Prince single-handedly wrote, arranged, sang, and played all the instruments for the tracks at Sound 80 Studios in Minneapolis. The historic artifact, obtained from the estate of the late Warner Bros. Records executive Russ Thyret, “serves as a testament to the visionary talent of the enigmatic musician and marks the inception of one of the most legendary careers in popular music.” ✂️ Prince signed with Warner Bros. on June 25, 1977, less than three weeks after celebrating his nineteenth birthday. Russ Thyret, who later ascended to become Chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Records, worked closely with Prince throughout his illustrious career. Following Thyret’s passing in 2021, archivist Jeff Gold, a former Warner Bros. Executive Vice President/General Manager who had collaborated with both Prince and Thyret, discovered the demo tape in Thyret’s attic. x YouTube Video * * * * * Good news from around the world Humankind — What we learned from a hundred stories about people stitching the world back together Do click the link 100 Stories of Humankind and read each of the entries. You’ll be very happy you did. From Future Crunch: In August 2020, we set out on a simple mission: to find one human every week who was making the world a better place. We were in the depths of the first of the COVID-19 lockdowns: the streets of the world were quiet, our relationships hung by a video call, and our survival depended on whether we could trust ourselves and our neighbours to do the right thing. The project was inspired by Rutger Bregman’s book Humankind: A Hopeful History, which challenges the assumption of humans as inherently selfish and competitive. Bregman argues that this is wrong, that in truth we are hard-wired to take care of each other and solve problems, and this innate kindness and collaboration in the face of obstacles is what has led to our flourishing as a species. It's a radically different perspective from what we see in the news, which exposes the worst of us–corruption, destruction, and intolerance–on loop, 24/7. ✂️ These are our emergency workers, tending to the world at its most broken places: in war zones where our humanity hangs by a thread, at the epicentre of disasters where hope is the only lifeline left. They remind us that it’s one thing to show up, but another to stay, and then to keep showing up. ✂️ They are inspiring and heartbreaking, highlighting our deepest wounds, while reminding us that at any given moment, there will be people tending to healing them. Mending the world, putting it back together, is invisible work that often extends beyond the lifetime of the people who started it. They become custodians of a change they may never see bloom. And yet, they do it anyway. It's impossible to read their stories without them changing you. And the point is to let them. Thank you so much to all of our paying subscribers for making this project possible. If you'd like to see the full list of our Humankind, they're over here: 100 Stories of Humankind Poland: hundreds of thousands march against rightwing populist government Wrong-wingers being challenged around the world. Excellent news! 🎩 to T Maysle for mentioning this in a comment yesterday. From The Guardian: Hundreds of thousands of people have marched through central Warsaw to protest against Poland’s rightwing populist government before a delicately poised election due in the autumn. The Law and Justice (PiS) party came to power in 2015, since when it has eroded democratic norms, attacked the independent judiciary and launched campaigns against the LGBTQ+ community and reproductive rights. Lech Wałęsa takes part in the protest. “We’re half a million here, it’s a record,” said Donald Tusk, the former prime minister who leads the Civic Platform opposition grouping. He said the march on Sunday had been the biggest political gathering since Poland regained independence after the communist period. There was no official confirmation of the size of the rally, though Warsaw’s city hall also gave a 500,000 estimate, and central streets thronged with crowds of protesters. ...“The whole of Poland, the whole of Europe and the whole world sees how strong we are and how we are ready to fight for democracy and freedom again, like we did 30, 40 years ago,” Tusk told the crowds at the start of the rally.✂️ Also present at the rally was Lech Wałęsa, the shipyard worker who emerged as a leader of the solidarity movement and later became Poland’s president. He is now a staunch critic of PiS. The volunteer search and rescue ships saving migrants from the sea A great example of private citizens stepping up when governments fail to act. From Positive News: As European politicians crack down on the ‘small boats’, civilians on converted fishing tugs are taking to the English Channel and the Mediterranean Sea to save those at risk of drowning ✂️ With the onset of spring, ...the numbers of refugees trying to enter ‘Fortress Europe’ start to swell. Tens of thousands will seek to make the crossing in the coming months, packed by trafficking gangs into dangerous, unseaworthy vessels. Since 2014, volunteers for the German charity Sea-Watch have rescued around 45,000 migrants from the central Mediterranean. As with civil search and rescue teams operating in the English Channel and the Aegean Sea, they operate as an adjunct to the coast guard and other official agencies. ✂️ With its operations based out of Lampedusa, an Italian island midway between Tunisia and Sicily, Sea-Watch runs a voluntary air-surveillance service to alert the emergency services and other civil rescue teams to migrant ships in distress. It also runs rescue ships of its own. ✂️ It’s not only Sea-Watch whose volunteers are taking to the seas to help, he notes. Other civil society groups operating in the Mediterranean include Sea-Eye, SOS Humanity, SOS Mediterranee, Open Arms, Mission Lifeline, Salvamento Marítimo Humanitario, Louise Michel, and Life Support, to name but a few. None are under any illusion that their rescue services are the final answer. As [Oliver] Kulikowski [spokesperson for Sea-Watch] states: “Our work definitely isn’t a permanent solution because the problem is much bigger. We are just trying to do what we can in what is a very sh*tty situation.” Courageous Volunteers Save Hundreds of Animals in Ukraine's War Zones These people are true heroes. From GoodGoodGood: Volunteers of the Kyiv Animal Rescue Group have been rescuing animals since 2014. Until winter 2022, the team had rescued animals only in the capital Kyiv and the surrounding region, but in December, they went on their first evacuation mission to the eastern part of the country, which has been heavily shelled amid Russia's full-scale war. Since then, the volunteers have already launched four missions to evacuate animals from the East: they have gone to Bakhmut twice and neighboring Chasiv Yar twice. Throughout these missions, they have managed to rescue about 300 cats and dogs and one goat. ✂️ “...removing the animals [from the conflict zone] is not the only problem. It is difficult to comfortably accommodate all of them because all the shelters in the Kyiv region and neighboring regions are overcrowded,” said Mykhailo Storozhuk, a volunteer animal rescuer. ...“This is why first of all, we are taking those who won't survive on the street. For example, those animals which lived in someone's home. They are used to warm houses and accessible food. Or animals which have been wounded or seriously ill,” Storozhuk explained. ✂️ Due to a shortage of staff, the rescue group can travel only once per month. Mykhailo said that such infrequent trips also have advantages because, during this time, the volunteers can find homes for the animals they evacuated and make room for new ones. ✂️ “Cats and dogs which live amid the shelling are very easy to pick up, even though they have just met us. They are kind and affectionate. When you try to catch a stray cat in Kyiv, it is wild and aggressive and won't let you pick it up. And these animals behave as if they are saying: ‘Take us away from here, take us out.’ As soon as we open the carrier and give them food, they run into it,” Mykhailo said. * * * * * Good news in medicine Lung cancer pill cuts risk of death by half, says ‘thrilling’ study 🎩 to bilboteach for mentioning this exciting item in a comment yesterday. From The Guardian: A pill taken once a day cuts the risk of dying from lung cancer by half, according to “thrilling” and “unprecedented” results from a decade-long global study. Taking the drug osimertinib after surgery dramatically reduced the risk of patients dying by 51%, results presented at the world’s largest cancer conference showed. Lung cancer is the world’s leading cause of cancer death, accounting for about 1.8 million deaths a year. ...“Thirty years ago, there was nothing we could do for these patients,” said Dr Roy Herbst, the deputy director of Yale Cancer Center and lead author of the study. “Now we have this potent drug. Fifty per cent is a big deal in any disease, but certainly in a disease like lung cancer, which has typically been very resistant to therapies.” The Adaura trial involved patients aged between 30 and 86 in 26 countries and looked at whether the pill could help non-small cell lung cancer patients, the most common form of the disease. Everyone in the trial had a mutation of the EGFR gene, which is found in about a quarter of global lung cancer cases, and accounts for as many as 40% of cases in Asia. An EGFR mutation is more common in women than men, and in people who have never smoked or have been light smokers. ✂️ Herbst, the assistant dean for translational research at Yale School of Medicine, said the pill was proven to be “practice-changing” and should become the “standard of care” for the quarter of lung cancer patients worldwide with the EGFR mutation. Cheap New Smartphone App Monitors Blood Pressure–Through Your Fingertips As someone with a genetic predisposition to high blood pressure who has to take medication to keep it low, I’d definitely use this as an alternative to the awkward cuff monitor. From Good News Network: A smartphone app has been developed that monitors blood pressure by using a simple and cheap 3D-printed plastic attachment that clips in front of the camera flash. High blood pressure is an underlying trigger for many of the world’s deadliest medical conditions, and the new device, which could cost as little as 10 cents, could help make regular checks more easy, affordable, and accessible. A key advantage is it avoids the problems of blood pressure cuffs. Using one that is too large or small, or using one incorrectly, can give inaccurate readings and thus a false sense of security, or of alarm. A paper describing the invention was recently published in Scientific Reports, and the next steps would include making the technology more user-friendly, especially for older adults, testing its accuracy across different skin tones, and creating a more universal design. “Because of their low cost, these clips could be handed out to anyone who needs them but cannot go to a clinic regularly,” said senior author Professor Edward Wang, director of the UC San Diego’s Digital Health Lab. “A blood pressure monitoring clip could be given to you at your checkup, much like how you get a pack of floss and toothbrush at your dental visit.” To measure blood pressure, the user simply presses the clip. A customized app guides them on how hard and long to push during the measurement. A new star was born in the fight against Alzheimer’s Any progress in understanding and fighting Alzheimer’s is worth celebrating. From Positive News: A simple blood test for Alzheimer’s could be a step closer after scientists identified a brain cell which appears to have a lead role in the development of the disease. A key marker of Alzheimer’s is the build-up of amyloid protein in the brain, but not everyone with these toxic amyloid plaques goes on to develop symptoms. The question of why has proved an enduring mystery, but researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, US, think they’ve cracked the puzzle after discovering that star-shaped brain cells called astrocytes act as ‘key regulators’ in Alzheimer’s progression. The team used blood tests to examine amyloid levels and astrocyte reactivity in 1,000 cognitively unimpaired elderly people. Astrocytes help maintain brain health, and the study found that participants with a combination of both high levels of amyloid and abnormal astrocyte reactivity would progress to develop Alzheimer’s symptoms. “This puts astrocytes at the centre as key regulators of disease progression, challenging the notion that amyloid is enough to trigger Alzheimer’s disease,” said study lead Tharick Pascoal. * * * * * Good news in science This Ukrainian startup is making ‘polystyrene’ out of mushrooms A very ingenious alternative to polystyrene packaging — and it’s 100% compostable. It’s encouraging that L’Oréal appears ready to put it to use soon and that Samsung and Sony are considering it. From Positive News: ...in 2016, ...Ukrainian biochemist graduate [Julia Bialetska] realised that she wanted to do something about throwaway plastic. Working with the M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany back in Kiev, she and [her husband Eugene] Tomilin started experimenting. They began to grow a material that played on the strength of waste hemp fibres, which they ‘glued’ together with mycelium – the network of fungal threads that mushrooms grow from. Made of mushroom roots and hemp stems, S.Lab's packaging is fully biodegradable and waterproof. The result is a natural replacement for expanded polystyrene – that lightweight material that is so useful as packaging that in 2016 we produced 6.6m metric tons of it. They may not be the only startup working on this kind of solution, but Bialetska and Tomilin’s company, called S.Lab, is certainly on a winning streak at the moment. Its product has already completed a successful pilot for cosmetics maker L’Oréal, where it could be used to cushion shampoo and conditioner packs. Companies such as Samsung and Sony, meanwhile, have been exploring whether it might be suitable for packaging fragile television sets. “It is 100 per cent biodegradable and after usage, it can just be thrown in with the food compost or even into the soil on the yard,” says Bialetska. Conventional polystyrene, meanwhile, can take 500 years to break down, or even longer, according to some estimates. “[Our material] will fully decompose in just 30 days, and there are currently no [commercial] alternatives like that,” she continues. With the same features as polystyrene or foam plastic – thermal insulating, waterproof, strong, and even safer in terms of fireproofing, Bialetska says – what’s not to like? Team develops a centipede robot with variable body-axis flexibility I wish the video made the action of this robot a little clearer, but it’s obviously significant that it can adjust its path without computer guidance. From TechXplore: Researchers from the Department of Mechanical Science and Bioengineering at Osaka University have invented a new kind of walking robot that takes advantage of dynamic instability to navigate. By changing the flexibility of the couplings, the robot can be made to turn without the need for complex computational control systems. This work may assist the creation of rescue robots that are able to traverse uneven terrain. Most animals on Earth have evolved a robust locomotion system using legs that provides them with a high degree of mobility over a wide range of environments. Somewhat disappointingly, engineers who have attempted to replicate this approach have often found that legged robots are surprisingly fragile. The breakdown of even one leg due to the repeated stress can severely limit the ability of these robots to function. ✂️ Now, investigators from Osaka University have developed a biomimetic "myriapod" robot that takes advantage of a natural instability that can convert straight walking into curved motion. In a study published recently in Soft Robotics, researchers from Osaka University describe their robot, which consists of six segments (with two legs connected to each segment) and flexible joints. Using an adjustable screw, the flexibility of the couplings can be modified with motors during the walking motion. x YouTube Video * * * * * Good news for the environment Solar will soon eclipse all other forms of energy From Positive News: Solar energy is forecast to be the world’s largest single source of electricity by 2027. From powering Europe with Saharan sun to sending orbital arrays into space, here are five of the most exciting recent developments in the sector 1. Europe to plug into desert sunshine Egypt is planning to link a 3GW solar farm in the Sahara to Greece via an 850-mile cable by the end of the decade. Power delivered by the ‘GREGY Interconnection’ cable will serve grids in Greece, Italy and Bulgaria. 2. Space-based solar edges closer to reality The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Solaris project is seeking funding from its member states to explore putting giant solar arrays in orbit, each capable of generating 2GW – the equivalent of a nuclear power station. 3. Solar car parks are now mandatory in France New laws approved by the French senate in November mean it is now mandatory for new and existing car parks with space for at least 80 vehicles to be covered by solar panels. 4. Energy crisis kickstarts a boom in solar panels for UK homes The ongoing cost of living crisis has sharpened focus on solar as a means of tempering soaring energy costs in the UK, despite less lucrative returns for panel owners. 5. Berlin mandates solar for all new buildings There’s more savvy solar law-making in Berlin where rooftop PV panels are now compulsory for new-build properties and existing buildings undergoing rooftop renovations. Glacial mud could be a glorious new climate ally Fascinating. From Positive News: Mud, glorious mud – there’s nothing quite like it for cooling the blood, or so the song goes. Now scientists from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, say it could help cool the planet, too. Researchers studying the CO2 capture potential of rock ‘flour’ ground by Greenland’s glaciers say spreading it on farmland could trap billions of tonnes of planet-warming carbon dioxide, while increasing crop yields. The flour flows as mud beneath Greenland’s ice sheets, which produce 1bn tonnes of the stuff a year – essentially an unlimited supply. The emissions capture process, called Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW), is a turbo-charged version of a natural phenomenon: atmospheric CO2 dissolves in rainwater to produce carbonic acid. This breaks rock down into stable minerals which lock in CO2. Powdered rock has a greater surface area which catalyses the process. Prof David Beerling from England’s Sheffield University, who has worked on similar ERW studies, told Positive News: “ERW mimics the natural carbon cycle reactions that have been stabilising Earth’s climate for millions of years. It is one of the few options that can scale to a billion tonnes of CO2 removal within decades.” * * * * * Good news for and about animals Brought to you by Rosy, Nora, and Rascal. Watch Tiny Dog Sprint After Coyote While His Puppy Pal is Being Attacked in the Backyard Rosy is in awe of Vinny. What a super-pup! From Good News Network: In California, a little dog was saved from a prowling coyote when his friend, a 10 lbs. Maltese “hero in a fur suit” summoned all his wolfish instincts to chase the predator out of his yard. It happened in a flash; just 10 seconds as Erin Macaluso recounted on Facebook. Coming back from a nighttime walk, she and her husband forgot to put the cover on the doggie door. ✂️ A coyote slipped through the bars of the metal fence, and, hearing his intrusion, Macaluso’s two dogs quietly went outside to investigate the noise. They were a 12-pound Morkie, which is a mix between a Maltese and a Yorkshire terrier, named Harley, and Vinny, an 11-year-old Maltese with just three teeth. ✂️ In a video posted on Facebook, security camera footage shows a little dog immediately being chased around the yard by a coyote while another beast lurks beyond the fence. Then, a white knight bolts from the house towards the coyote and scares it away. x YouTube Video ✂️ Harley the dog suffered major injuries but will make a full recovery, the vets said. Newborn Litter of Critically-Endangered Scottish Wildcat Kittens Nora loves these captivating kittens, and she’s delighted that they’re boosting the population of endangered Scottish wildcats. From Good News Network: Scottish wildcat kitten. Adorable photos show a newborn litter of 5 Critically-Endangered Scottish wildcat kittens. First-time mom Talla gave birth to the litter at Wildcat Wood in Highland Wildlife Park, on April 2nd, and the kittens are due to receive their first veterinary check soon to determine their sexes. The Scottish wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) is one of the country’s most iconic animals, but also one of the most endangered. This is mostly because of inbreeding with feral or domestic house cats, and habitat loss. ✂️ A total of nine wildcats live at the Highland Wildlife Park. The new kittens will be on show for the public to visit, unlike other wildcats which are part of a breeding project. At 5 weeks old, they are already exploring their enclosures and playing atop the plastic and wood crates that form their den. ✂️ The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland leads the partnership project Saving Wildcats, working with global experts to restore Scotland’s Critically-Endangered wildcat population by breeding and releasing them into the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland’s largest. All those cats born last year are soon to be released. Christmas tree still in place due to nesting bird Rascal applauds the Brits for having their priorities straight. Birds rule! From BBC: A Christmas tree is still in place in a Yorkshire town centre after a pigeon made its nest among the branches. Beverley Town Council was told it was illegal to remove the tree because it is against the law to damage the nest of a wild bird while it is in use. The tree was supposed to be removed in January but five months later the wood pigeon is still in residence. ✂️ The town council had been getting "quite a lot of comments" on the wilting Christmas tree, [Councillor Alison Healy] said. Ms Healy said it was a "unique situation" for the council and the bird was being checked on regularly by East Riding of Yorkshire Council officers. The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 includes protections for wild birds and their eggs. It means it is an offence to take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while that nest is in use or being built. Andy Gibson from Yorkshire Wildlife Trust said wood pigeons would usually migrate to France or Spain during the winter but warmer weather means they are more likely to stay in the UK. "It isn't just about moving the nest, you are killing the eggs, you are killing the chicks [if you disturb it]," he said. "In a month's time the eggs will have hatched. A bit more time and the chicks will have fledged and then you can take it down. ...” * * * * * Art break A simply stupendous photo. What an eye! From My Modern Met: Japanese photographer Kenichi Ohno makes regular visits to a local marsh in order to practice his nature photography. But one image in particular, which shows an egret wading in the shallow water, is causing a stir. After being awarded an honorable mention in the Nature in Japan photo contest organized by the The All-Japan Association of Photographic Societies (AJAPS), Ohno's photo went viral. People weren't sure if what they were staring at was real or the result of Photoshop. The image, which is titled Gap, has been confirmed as being completely real. Even though it can take a minute to understand what's happening, everything makes sense once it's been explained. The odd split in the frame, where one half is blue and the other half is pale orange, creates a strong illusion. In fact, this illusion is part of what made the jury single out the photo from the 5,600 images entered into the contest. ✂️ If the illusion still isn't clear, this diagram allows us to “see” what's happening. * * * * * Hot lynx www.newyorker.com/...Inside the U.S. Effort to Arm Ukraine. An absolutely fascinating deep dive into the back story of the most consequential military/diplomatic effort of our time. www.columnblog.com/… The Cruel Irrationality of Our ‘Deserved vs. Undeserved Poor’ Moral Framework in Two Paragraphs. A righteously furious and concisely written analysis of the persistence of this abominable framework. www.nytimes.com/… Why an Octopus-like Creature Has Come to Symbolize the State of A.I. “The most important meme in A.I.” is a many-eyed creature with tentacles and a smiley face mask attached to one of its tentacles — i.e., a scary monster trying to look benign. Very interesting. www.saveur.com/… I (Basically) Stopped Weeding Thanks to This Game-Changing Gardening Method. “Tilling is out. ‘No Dig’ is in.” Intriguing! lithub.com/… The 28 Novels You Need to Read This Summer. Literary Hub is my go-to for book recommendations. lithub.com/… 25 Nonfiction Books You Need to Read This Summer. More LitHub recommendations. * * * * * 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! Closing poem I recently came across this poem again, and remembered being moved by it at Obama’s first inauguration. It’s worth rereading. May we walk forward in the light. Praise Song for the Day BY ELIZABETH ALEXANDER A Poem for Barack Obama’s Presidential Inauguration Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each other’s eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues. Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair. Someone is trying to make music somewhere, with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum, with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice. A woman and her son wait for the bus. A farmer considers the changing sky. A teacher says, Take out your pencils. Begin. We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed, words to consider, reconsider. We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of some one and then others, who said I need to see what’s on the other side. I know there’s something better down the road. We need to find a place where we are safe. We walk into that which we cannot yet see. Say it plain: that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of. Praise song for struggle, praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign, the figuring-it-out at kitchen tables. Some live by love thy neighbor as thyself, others by first do no harm or take no more than you need. What if the mightiest word is love? Love beyond marital, filial, national, love that casts a widening pool of light, love with no need to pre-empt grievance. In today’s sharp sparkle, this winter air, any thing can be made, any sentence begun. On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp, praise song for walking forward in that light. ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ 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! 💙❤️ [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/6/6/2171797/-Good-News-Roundup-for-June-6-2023 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/