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Can you feel the new beginnings? - December 21 Good News RoundUp [1]
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Date: 2022-12-21
Here's a special picture for the special occasion of December Solstice
Good Day, Gnuville! Loads of good news again today — in fact so much good news I have literally run out of time to stuff it all in! — and fun things to read and look at and listen to, as well!
Pour yourself a nice hot drink, settle in and read all about it!
Special Solstice Intro
At 9:48pm GMT (3:48pm CST) today the north pole will reach its furthest tilt away from the sun, and the planet will have achieved its southern solstice. In the northern hemisphere, we experience the shortest period of daylight of the year, while the southern hemisphere receives its longest day. This is the time of the midnight sun for the south polar region.
As in June, the exact date and time of the December solstice varies from year to year, but it is always on December 20, 21, 22 or 23. Interestingly, because the earth's orbit around the sun is an elliptical pattern, the seasons are not exactly uniform in length. Northerners who love the warmer months will be delighted to learn that spring and summer are slightly longer seasons than winter and fall!
The Shortest Day
by Susan Cooper
Yule dreaming
So the shortest day came, and the year died, And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive,
And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, reveling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear the
Echoing behind us - Listen!!
All the long echoes sing the same delight,
This shortest day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, feast, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Welcome Yule!!
🎶 Music for December Solstice 🎶
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📰🚨 Top News 📰🚨
This bears repeating and then check below!
Opinion: The January 6 committee’s devastating conclusions, Julian Zelizer, CNN, December 20, 2022.
For anyone who continues to believe that the January 6, 2021, insurrection was exaggerated or was a haphazard, amateurish effort gone bad, the final report should throw cold water on those beliefs. The committee’s recommendations are historic. The panel made four criminal referrals against Trump, including charges of insurrection, to send to the US Justice Department. If the United States is to survive as a “nation of laws and democracy,” the committee’s chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson, said we can “never let this happen again.” The referral is largely symbolic because it doesn’t obligate federal prosecutors to bring criminal charges. But the committee’s findings have provided a formidable body of evidence that there was an elaborate effort, led by the President of the United States and his Republican allies in Congress, to systematically overturn an election that he lost.
🚨 J6 Committee is already working with new SC Jack Smith 🚨
Jan. 6 committee starts 'cooperating extensively' with special counsel Jack Smith: report, Brad Reed, Raw Story, December 20, 2022.
As reported by Punchbowl News, the committee has begun cooperating "extensively" with the United States Department of Justice after wrapping up the first phase of its work, including sending information to recently appointed special counsel Jack Smith. "Starting last week, the select committee began sending Smith’s team documents and transcripts," the publication writes. "Much of the production from the Jan. 6 committee is in relation to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and John Eastman, the Trump lawyer at the center of the 'fake elector' scheme."✂️ In addition to Trump, attorneys John Eastman, Rudy Giuliani, and Jeffrey Clark could also face potential legal exposure because of the committee's work.
Every effort to hold Donald Trump accountable has been thwarted by those who made it someone else’s job. Not anymore.
Justice Is Coming for Donald Trump, David From, the Atlantic, December 19, 2022.
Thanks to the work of the congressional committee investigating the attack on the Capitol, Americans now have ample detail to support McConnell’s assessment. They know more about when and how Trump provoked the event. They have a precise timeline of Trump’s words and actions. They can identify who helped him, and who tried to dissuade him.✂️ Show Trump a line, and he’ll cross it. That was his record as president, down to his last days in office, when he absconded with boxes of government materials as though they were his private property. Trump has already announced a run for president in 2024. Whatever happens with that run, his likeliest Republican rivals are studying his methods, considering which to emulate and which to discard. The incitement of violence by the head of the government is not an infraction that can be dismissed and forgiven by any political system that hopes to stay constitutional. For six years, the job of upholding the rule of law against Donald Trump has been passed from one unwilling set of hands to the next. Now the job has returned to where it started. There is nobody else to pass it to. The recommendation has arrived. The time for justice has come.
Sounds like “consciousness of guilt” to me!
Mark Meadows told Trump aide to stay away from meeting with GOP lawmakers who plotted overturning 2020: testimony, Brad Reed, Raw Story, December 20, 2022.
Meadows is in deep trouble — couldn’t happen to a more deserving guy! Newly uncovered testimony reveals that Nick Luna, a former White House aide to President Donald Trump, told the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th Capitol riots that former chief of staff Mark Meadows had instructed him to stay away from a meeting between the then-president and state Republican lawmakers who supported overturning the 2020 election. In the testimony, which was obtained by CBS News, Luna told the committee that Meadows shooed him away from a meeting Trump was having with Republicans who backed his efforts to throw out certified election results so he could remain in power. "There was one instance where it would normally be my job to go in and make sure that [the] president is comfortable in wherever the situation is," Luna told the committee. "And I remember, specifically, this instance [Meadows] had said, 'Do not, don't come in, don't come into the room today."
At long last, the taxes TFG said he would release (sure, Don)
Trump taxes: House panel to make long-sought returns public, JOSH BOAK, BRIAN SLODYSKO, LISA MASCARO and MEG KINNARD, AP, December 20, 2022.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic-controlled House Ways and Means Committee voted along party lines on Tuesday to make parts of Donald Trump’s tax returns public, a move that could provide new insight into the finances of a former president who broke political norms by refusing to release the information on his own. The level of detail that will be revealed is uncertain, but lawmakers said they expect it to include six years of Trump’s tax returns and eight affiliated companies. Some sensitive personal information would be redacted. While an initial report on the committee’s work was issued later Tuesday night, the tax returns themselves may not be released for several more days. ✂️ The Trump Organization was convicted earlier this month on tax fraud charges for helping some executives dodge taxes on company-paid perks such as apartments and luxury cars. The current Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, told The Associated Press in an interview last week that his office’s investigation into Trump and his businesses continues. “We’re going to follow the facts and continue to do our job,” Bragg said.
🎶 Music for Indictment Season 🎶
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News from Congress (and Dems Deliver!)
The Omnibus Govt Funding Bill
Here’s what’s in the $1.7 trillion federal spending bill, Tami Luhby and Katie Lobosco, CNN, December 20, 2022.
The spending bill is the product of lengthy negotiations between top congressional Democrats and Republicans. Lawmakers reached a “bipartisan, bicameral framework” last week following a dispute between the two parties over how much money should be spent on non-defense domestic priorities. They worked through the weekend to craft the legislation. The Senate is expected to vote first to approve the deal this week and then send it to the House for approval before government funding runs out on December 23. The bill would keep the government operating through September, the end of the fiscal year. Overhaul of the electoral vote counting law Funding for January 6 attack prosecutions
I can’t seem to itemize the things in the funding bill (not sure what’s up with that but I don’t want to ruin the whole GNR trying to make it work!), so here is Sen. Leahy’s summary which explains everything. It’s not everything we wanted, but it is nearly everything we need right now. Thanks, Dems!
Zelenskyy to visit US Congress today
President Zelenskyy goes from strength to strength exhibiting historic leadership, bravery and grace under incredible pressure. After traveling to the front line at Bahkmut to rally his country’s defenders with a stirring speech, the Ukraine leader must have quietly fulfilled a plan to travel to the USA, surprising not only the international press, but even our members of Congress:
Zelensky slated to appear in Congress on Wednesday, John Hudson, Washington Post, December 20, 2022.
Zelensky plans to meet with congressional leaders to thank lawmakers for including funding for Ukraine in a spending package they are looking to pass this week, according to one of the aides. He is expected to address members of Congress, and lawmakers are rescheduling plans to be in Washington according to a second congressional aide. The aides spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record.✂️ Without disclosing Zelensky’s visit, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) sent a letter to her colleagues Tuesday, asking lawmakers to be “physically present” for a “very special focus on Democracy” on Wednesday night. The letter set off a scramble among lawmakers who had already left Washington.✂️ It was unclear whether Zelensky will visit the White House on Wednesday, as officials have warned of security concerns related to his trip. The White House declined to comment. But President Biden has made holding together a Western coalition supporting Ukraine a central mission of his presidency. Although all of the countries in the coalition are grappling with the economic consequences of the war, they have shown few signs of withdrawing or softening their support even as heat prices rise during the winter.
I am pretty sure that Handsome Joe (and the best Speaker in US history, Nancy Pelosi) have arranged this visit to shore up not only Congressional support for Ukraine, but also the EU and allies support. Joe Biden is so experienced in international affairs and I am grateful we have him in office at this critical juncture in world history.
🌲 Joe and the Dems Deliver for the Environment
First on CNN: Biden administration moves to phase out compact fluorescent light bulbs and push market toward LEDs, Ella Nilsen, CNN, December 19, 2022.
The Biden administration is unveiling a new proposed rule that, if enacted, would effectively phase out compact fluorescent light bulbs and move the US light bulb markets decisively to more energy-efficient LEDs. The Department of Energy is proposing the rule on Monday with the aim to finalize it by the end of President Joe Biden’s first term. The rule would more than double the current minimum light bulb efficiency level, from its current standard of 45 lumens per watt to over 120 lumens per watt for the most common bulbs. The details of the proposed rule were shared first with CNN. This change will accelerate what White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi said is an “increasing shift in the marketplace toward LED lighting” over the last decade. Zaidi said moving away from compact fluorescents and even less efficient incandescent bulbs will ultimately lead to savings for consumers.
The Postal Service pledges to move to an all-electric delivery fleet, AP via NPR, December 20, 2022.
In a major boost for President Joe Biden's pledge to eliminate gas-powered vehicles from the sprawling federal fleet, the Postal Service said Tuesday it will sharply increase the number of electric-powered delivery trucks — and will go all-electric for new purchases starting in 2026. The post office said it is spending nearly $10 billion to electrify its aging fleet, including installing a modern charging infrastructure at hundreds of postal facilities nationwide and purchasing at least 66,000 electric delivery trucks in the next five years. The spending includes $3 billion in funding approved under a landmark climate and health policy adopted by Congress last year. The White House hailed the announcement as a way to sustain reliable mail service to Americans while modernizing the fleet, reducing operating costs and increasing clean air in neighborhoods across the country. "This is the Biden climate strategy on wheels, and the U.S. Postal Service delivering for the American people,'' said White House climate adviser Ali Zaidi.
By the way, here’s a reminder at how state and local people power can make a difference. It was states like mine that helped make this happen!
A plan announced by DeJoy in February would have made just 10% of the agency's next-generation fleet electric. The Environmental Protection Agency criticized the Postal Service, an independent agency, for underestimating greenhouse gas emissions and failing to consider more environmentally sound alternatives. Environmental groups and more than a dozen states, including California, New York and Illinois, sued to halt the initial plan and asked judges to order a more thorough environmental review before the Postal Service moves forward with the fleet-modernization program. The Postal Service later adjusted its plan to ensure that half of its initial purchase of 50,000 next-generation vehicles would be electric.
🎶 Yule Music for Joe Cool 🎶
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⚖️ Law and Courts ⚖️
A new approach to holding fossil fuel industry accountable
Big oil is behind conspiracy to deceive public, first climate racketeering lawsuit says, Nina Lakhani, the Guardian, December 20, 2022.
The same racketeering legislation used to bring down mob bosses, motorcycle gangs, football executives and international fraudsters is to be tested against oil and coal companies who are accused of conspiring to deceive the public over the climate crisis. In an ambitious move, an attempt will be made to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for “decades of deception” in a lawsuit being brought by communities in Puerto Rico that were devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017. “Puerto Rico is one of the most affected places by climate change in the world. It is so precariously positioned – they get hit on all fronts with hurricanes, storm surge, heat, coral bleaching – it’s the perfect place for this climate litigation,” said Melissa Sims, senior counsel for the plaintiffs’ law firm Milberg.
Judge strips Alex Jones of bankruptcy protections after he tried to dodge $1.5B Sandy Hook judgment, David Edwards, Salon, December 22, 2022.
In a ruling on Monday, López granted an order to lift a stay that was automatically put in place when Jones filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections. The judge set the order "immediately to (i) allow the Sandy Hook Post-Trial Families' Cases to continue to proceed to entry of final judgment and (ii) once judgments are entered, to allow appeals, if any, to proceed and the Sandy Hook Post-Trial Families to pursue, respond to and participate in any such appeals without further order of the Court." News 12's John Craven reported that the families of Sandy Hook victims agreed to postpone collection of the massive debt for now.
A Texas superintendent ordered school librarians to remove LGBTQ books. Now the federal government is investigating. Mike Hixenbaugh and Jeremy Schwartz, ProPublica/The Texas Tribune, NBC, December 20, 2022.
The U.S. Education Department’s civil rights enforcement arm has launched an investigation into a North Texas school district whose superintendent was secretly recorded ordering librarians to remove LGBTQ-themed library books. Education and legal experts say the federal probe of the Granbury Independent School District — which stemmed from a complaint by the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and reporting by NBC News, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune — appears to be the first such investigation explicitly tied to the nationwide movement to ban school library books dealing with sexuality and gender. The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights notified Granbury school officials on Dec. 6 that it had opened the investigation following a July complaint by the ACLU, which accused the district of violating a federal law that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender. The ACLU complaint was based largely on an investigation published in March by NBC News, ProPublica and the Tribune that revealed that Granbury’s superintendent, Jeremy Glenn, instructed librarians to remove books dealing with sexual orientation and people who are transgender.
Wells Fargo has to pay restitution — and reach out to the customers they wronged
So often when a bank or corporation is found to have done (illegal) harm to customers, it’s up to the customers to seek redress. In many cases, people don’t even know that they can be reimbursed for the damages caused, so they never see a penny. That problem has been addressed as well as the harm itself in the settlement that Wells Fargo agreed to under scrutiny by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (thanks, Dems!) :
Wells Fargo to pay $3.7 billion settling charges it wrongfully seized homes and cars, Chris Arnold, NPR, December 20, 2022.
Wells Fargo has agreed to a $3.7 billion deal with regulators to settle charges that it took advantage of customers on their auto loans, mortgages and bank accounts.✂️ People had their cars wrongfully repossessed by Wells Fargo and the bank took actions that resulted in borrowers wrongfully losing their homes, according to the order from the CFPB. Others customers were charged improper overdraft fees on their checking accounts.✂️ Under the terms of the order, Wells Fargo will pay $2 billion to millions of customers who were harmed. The bank will also pay a $1.7 billion fine.✂️ Under the order the CFPB says Wells Fargo is required to reach out to customers who were harmed and eligible for reimbursement. The bureau says customers who are experiencing ongoing problems with Wells Fargo, or other financial providers, can submit complaints by visiting the CFPB's website.
🎶 Kwanzaa Principles Music 🎶
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😡😩 Republicans in Disarray 😫😤
LOL Qevin and the Q-ties
Senate Republicans would rather deal with Democrats than McCarthy as he resorts to threats: CNN's Tapper, Matthew Chapman, Raw Story, December 20, 2022.
On CNN Tuesday, anchor Jake Tapper and his panel reacted to the new threat from House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) that if any Senate Republicans back the bipartisan omnibus spending package, on track to pass the Senate shortly, he will scuttle any legislation those Republicans introduce that reaches the House when he is Speaker. "Kevin McCarthy desperately trying to get the number of votes he needs to become the next leader in the House," said Tapper. "He is threatening senators, if they vote for this $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package, that any future legislation they offer will be 'dead on arrival' when it comes to the House. Take a listen to the one Republican senator reacting to that." ✂️ "Well, I don't know if I buy the threat, but I find it — Kevin's in a tough spot," said Cramer. "Statements like that, and statements coming from House Republicans is the very reason that some Senate Republicans feel they probably should spare them from the burden of having to govern."
GOP's John Cornyn shreds Republican Kevin McCarthy after his threat against Senate legislation, Sarah K Burris, Raw Story, December 20, 2022.
WASHINGTON — GOP leaders sent a letter to the Republicans in the Senate on Monday threatening to kill every bill that comes to the House from a Republican that supports the omnibus spending bill that will keep the government funded through Sept. 2023. House Republicans had threatened to shut down the government ahead of the holidays. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Senate Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) said that their problem is that the GOP is in the minority. Even in the House, the GOP is so split that they'll likely struggle to bring conservatives together with the far right.✂️ "Well, I wonder what they're gonna do, uh, legislatively," he said. "They can't do anything by themselves. And they're in the — they have a thin majority. They're having a hard time even gettin' a majority for the Speaker." When asked about Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) specifically, Cornyn quipped, "Good luck getting elected Speaker."
the Q-ties
'Christmas came early': Critics amused as 'open secret' feud between Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene escalates, Travis Gettys, Raw Story, December 20, 2022.
"The antagonism between Boebert and MTG has been an open secret in DC for years now as Boebert has chaffed at being tied to someone she views very negatively on a personal level," said attorney Blake Allen. "That antagonism is now erupting into a public feud." "Anyone surprised by the infighting between Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene just hasn't been paying attention," said blogger Betty Bowers. "They're both so thirsty for attention, they have been always side-eyeing each other warily, worried that the other would get the spotlight. It was inevitable." "The boebert/greene feud might be the only good thing to come out of this GOP House majority," said Twitter user Covie_93.
Looks like this guy’s in trouble! 👀
Fair use requires me to select just a few paragraphs from this article, but this is only about half of the stuff this sleveen falsified or mischaracterized. And he also seems to have wads of money, but no apparent legitimate (or at least registered) source of income. hmmmm….
Who Is Rep.-Elect George Santos? His Résumé May Be Largely Fiction. Grace Ashford and Michael Gold, New York Times, December 19, 2022.
But a New York Times review of public documents and court filings from the United States and Brazil, as well as various attempts to verify claims that Mr. Santos, 34, made on the campaign trail, calls into question key parts of the résumé that he sold to voters. Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, the marquee Wall Street firms on Mr. Santos’s campaign biography, told The Times they had no record of his ever working there. Officials at Baruch College, which Mr. Santos has said he graduated from in 2010, could find no record of anyone matching his name and date of birth graduating that year. ✂️ His appearance earlier this month at a gala in Manhattan attended by white nationalists and right-wing conspiracy theorists underscored his ties to Mr. Trump’s right-wing base. At the same time, new revelations uncovered by The Times — including the omission of key information on Mr. Santos’s personal financial disclosures, and criminal charges for check fraud in Brazil — have the potential to create ethical and possibly legal challenges once he takes office.
🎶 Worst Xmas song ever for the worst Rs 🎶
🐩💙 CG’s Picks 💙🐩
Hello Everybody! It’s me, Curlygirl! I have lots of great stories for you today including one ESPECIALLY for Rascal!
🦜 I read yesterday in arhpdx’s GNR that Rascal likes watching raptors and thinks he may even BE an eagle or a hawk or something like that. I think that is pretty cool and no doubt Rascal can definitely hold his own, flying with the big birds! Still, I wonder would he share my admiration for crows and ravens? We already know that chloris creator appreciates crows because she even wrote some books about them! My first story today made me daydream about being able to soar and fly like that — I am a dog and I can only run and walk and jump and swim and stuff like that. But Rascal, maybe YOU could do this!!!
Raven joins road trip down Dempster Highway — for 45 minutes, CBC Life (North), December 16, 2022.
The Dempster Highway in northern Yukon can be a lonely drive in winter, but one B.C. couple enjoyed some surprising company for part of their recent journey — a raven that flew along for about 45 minutes. ✂️ Lavoie was at the wheel, cruising down the snowy highway at about 80 km/h, when he saw the bird suddenly "swoop down" and catch up to the truck. "At first I was quite surprised. I didn't expect it to catch up with us for sure, and I was quite nervous that it was going to slow down too fast, or I was going to speed up too much," he said.✂️ The bird seemed to be riding a draft by keeping close to the front of the truck. Occasionally, it would disappear from view, alongside the truck or in front, only to appear once again as if it were leading the way down the road. x x YouTube Video
It’s a long video but even the first few minutes can amaze you like it amazed me! My favorite part was between 4 — 7 min as the sun sets (and the people are talking about the raven with amazement and like they are all 3 on a journey together). I watched the whole complete thing! I think the raven was doing it on purpose for sure and I think he was having fun! The story at CBC says he kept with them for about 45 minutes with one stop to feed their cat and they also fed the raven! Then, they got back on the road and the raven went with them until it met up with another raven and the two birds flew away. WOW, what a fun thing those humans and raven experienced together! At 19:45 the lady says “It’s definitely a good omen...we’re being guided out by the raven.”
Also, now I want Mama and me to do a road trip up the Dempster Highway in Yukon! Mama has a schoolfriend from when she was a puppy human child who is a scientist up in Whitehorse so maybe we could go visit her!
🐕 Here’s a story about a dog who needed help (and a home) and then a storm blew open a door at a house and it was like a miracle! And then, a human came by and shut the door to keep the family inside safe. There is so much love in this story that I can’t write enough words about it! Just watch it!
x This stray puppy showed up in someone’s living room — in the middle of the night! @JJFromTheBronx pic.twitter.com/7TjpNASHpf — The Dodo (@dodo) December 20, 2022
🐈 🐈⬛ Next, here’s a story for all you cats out there — oops hang on! Actually, it is a story for your humans, sorry cats. In fact, maybe you cats should hop upthread there and watch the raven video while your humans read the next story…you’ll like it! Their cat makes a cameo appearance at 21:17 so go check her out! Go, go!
OK, cat humans, now’s your chance!
Why your cat is obsessed with destroying your Christmas tree — and how to make them stop, Mary Elizabeth Williams, Salon, December 18, 2022.
Patrik Holmboe, head veterinarian for the Dutch veterinary telemedicine provider Cooper Pet Care, concurs. "Outdoors, cats are able to express a variety of natural behaviors. These include climbing trees and structures, and hunting and stalking prey," he says. "Many owners simply do not have the time to dedicate to providing adequate mental stimulation for their cat. For a cat that's evolved to chase mice and other small creatures, a toy mouse simply lying out in the open just doesn't cut it. Overall, it is safe to say that many indoor cats are basically bored, and are not given adequate opportunities to practice their natural behaviors. Now enters the Christmas tree. All of a sudden, there is a new and exciting structure in the house. This isn't even taking the ornaments into consideration. With the ornaments, there is now all of a sudden an influx of new dangling, shiny and fun things to explore and play with." Can you blame your cat for going bonkers?✂️ Don't underestimate the power of diversion. Says Mikel Maria Delgado, "If you do not provide your cat with things to climb, scratch and play with year-round, then you should start there. If you have a cat tree, that's something that your cat is using on a regular basis, so the holiday tree is not going to be quite as exciting." Then, she says, "There are safety measures that you want to take with a holiday tree. Securing it to the wall is a good one, so your cat doesn't knock it over. Limit the type of decorations that you put on it — nothing breakable, nothing that could injure your cat, keeping in mind things that they might swallow and get sick from eating. Tinsel can be problematic. Strings can be problematic. Cover the bottom of the tree so they can't drink the tree water."✂️ Finally, just be sensitive to your cat's moods. Chyrle Bonk, a veterinarian with the pet furniture company Hepper, says, "Some cats don't like a crowd and may choose to hide during your holiday dinner. Be sure to outfit their hiding spots with water and a comfy bed to reduce stress. You may also want to move their food bowl and litter box there if it's not there already."
🎶 Hanukkah music to make you smile 🎶
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❤️🌲💙Holiday Notes 💙🎍❤️
As the old year winds down, there are many holidays celebrated around the world. In the USA, we are most familiar with Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Yule. All of these holidays have something in common — faith that brighter days are ahead … and underpinning that faith is love. ❤️
Here are some bits and pieces to top up your love reserves and help see you through the winter months.
❤️🏳️⚧️I challenge you not to cry (also it will warm your heart so much!): A holiday whiskey commercial is going viral for its heartwarming message — and surprising twist, Lindsay Lowe, today.com, December 16, 2022.
A Spanish commercial for J&B Whiskey is bringing people to tears with its message of love and acceptance. The holiday ad, which has racked up more than 1 million YouTube views, shows a grandfather in what looks like a rural Spanish village furtively learning how to apply makeup.✂️ After some trial and error, the grandfather studies himself in the mirror, sporting a full face of expertly applied makeup, while a cover of “She,” a song originally released by Charles Azvenour in 1974, plays in the background. At first, it seems like the commercial is about the grandfather exploring his own identity — but then comes the emotional twist. x x YouTube Video
Father-daughter duo’s twist on wedding dance goes viral: 'Made me smile so big', Yi-Jin Yu, GMA, December 20, 2022.
"When we were deciding on what dances we were gonna do, we were like, there's no way that we can do just a slow song because we're gonna cry the entire time and that's uncomfortable for me and for all the guests, so my dad actually brought up the idea. He's like, "We need to do a fun dance!'" Krieger told "Good Morning America."✂️ Krieger, who said she’s "super close" with her father, estimates the two of them practiced every week for about eight to nine months before her Nov. 12 wedding. And even though she was nervous to perform in front of her now-husband Andrew and 170 guests, she felt it was worth all the effort in the end to share "such a special memory" with her dad and their family and friends.✂️ "I think it's really easy to take things for granted and experiences that you've had or people in your life so I think if people could take away one thing, it would just to be really cherish those special and close relationships you have in your life and just try to make memories while you can,” she said. “Because I was going to back out on the dance a couple times when we were practicing [but] now I'm so glad I did it, just so we can have that memory together." Link to the video → www.goodmorningamerica.com/...
🛒 How grocery chain Kroger aims to create hunger-free communities by 2025, Heather Wake, Unworthy, December 20, 2022.
Good to see a huge corp giving back. Kroger, one of the largest grocery chains in the country, established its Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation back in 2018 with a simple mission in mind: to create communities free from hunger and waste by 2025. According to the foundation’s website, “35% of food produced in the U.S. is thrown away, yet 42 million Americans struggle with hunger.” That’s why more than $48 million has been directed toward organizations and nonprofits working to address food waste—from those focused on providing disaster relief to those creating more sustainable food systems. And a huge portion of the foundation's efforts goes toward improving food access to underserved communities. Some of their more well-known partners in the effort include: Feeding America, No Kid Hungry, ReFED, The Recycling Partnership and the World Wildlife Fund. But Zero Hunger | Zero Waste also heavily contributes to a wide range of innovative start-ups like reHarvest Provisions, which uses imperfect produce to create "superfood smoothie pops," and Journey Foods, a software company that helps food manufacturers make their supply chains more sustainable.
🎶 Music for love of humanity 🎶
⚡️ Lightning RoundUp ⚡️
⚡️ Your special winter solstice 2022 horoscope is here, Bryanna Collier, CBC Life, December 2022.
⚡️ What went right in 2022: the top 25 good news stories of the year, Gavin Haines, Positive News, December 2022.
⚡️ The bubbling question: What's the best wine to bring to a holiday party? Gabriel J Sánchez, NPR, December 18, 2022.
⚡️ Readers share their favorite holiday recipes with a side of hilarious stories, NPR staff, December 18, 2022.
⚡️ Easy, pull-together appetizer ideas for holiday entertaining, Katie Workman, AP, December 20, 2022.
⚡️ Your Hanukkah holiday dinner menu is here! CBC Life, November 2018.
⚡️ 17 Delicious Recipes to Serve for Kwanzaa This Year, Isoke Samuel, Food52, December 23, 2021.
⚡️ Magical Recipes for Yule, Patti Wigington, LearnReligions, July 2019.
⚡️ The best movies and TV of 2022, picked for you by NPR critics, NPR staff, NPR, December 20, 2022.
⚡️ THAT SOUND YOU HEAR IS DONALD TRUMP SCREAMING AT THE MAR-A-LAGO POOL BOYS OVER THE RELEASE OF HIS TAX RETURNS AND POSSIBLE PRISON TIME, Bess Levin, Vanity Fair, December 20, 2022.
💗 How Can You Help Build Our Democracy Back Better? 💗
💙 RoundUp WindDown 💙
I have to stop here as it is nearly 1 AM and I am exhausted but there is still more news! Can you all share some in the comments? THANKS!
🥶 PSA: Much of the country is bracing for a big blast of arctic cold this week. If you’re in an area that is expecting much colder temperatures, here are some helpful tips on how to prepare for it. 4 things to do now to prepare yourself and your home for extreme cold, Scott Dance and Amudalat Ajasa, Washington Post, December 20, 2022.
That’s it from me and CG for another week and for another season. Winter starts this afternoon and after tonight, the days will once again begin to lengthen. Isn’t that amazing? I find whenever I start to feel overwhelmed by world events, if I stop and pay attention to the rhythms of nature, my perspective changes. I see that in the broader sweep of history, humanity is a survivor species. We will survive our current challenges. But what is more, we will do better than survive — we are in the process of building a better world.
As always, I encourage you to get outdoors every day if you can — even if its just for a couple of minutes to take a few breaths and look up at the sky. Eat nutritious food and get some rest, too. We’ve got a big exciting year ahead of us. There will be challenges, and there will be victories. We will build on all the progress that Joe Biden and Dems have succeeded in launching so far.
Happy December Solstice, Everyone! To New Beginnings!!
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