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Good News Roundup for August 1, 2023 — Don't let the bad crowd out the good [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2023-08-01
That might seem like a small number of denials, considering the magnitude of gun purchases in the United States. That’s fair. But that’s still hundreds of unlawful and potentially dangerous gun purchases that otherwise would have proceeded if this new process wasn’t created.
Since the rollout began last year through July 11, the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS, conducted 116,349 background checks on potential purchasers between 18 and 20 years old. Of those, 1,100 checks resulted in a denial. And according to the FBI, some 23 percent of those blocked purchases — or 253— wouldn’t have been flagged under the old system.
So far, the results look promising. New FBI data obtained by The Trace shows that enhanced background checks have stopped hundreds of young adults who shouldn’t have guns from buying them.
On the federal level, a push last year to raise the age to 21 to purchase semiautomatic rifles failed, but lawmakers in Congress reached a compromise: They created an enhanced background check process for people under 21 who are looking to buy firearms from licensed dealers. The enhanced checks, which require the FBI to do a deeper inquiry than in standard background checks, began rolling out in some states in November 2022 and went nationwide in January.
In classic Keynesian fashion, that bill greatly boosted the public’s purchasing power. It delivered a cash payment to citizens, and a monthly prepayment of a Child Tax Credit to families with children, which reduced the nation’s rate of child poverty by 40 percent. It loaned or gave money to businesses to keep their doors open and their workers employed. And with so much very needed money suddenly traversing the economy, the rate of unemployment dropped quickly to historic lows...far faster than in the previous two sluggish recoveries. As a result, workers in jobs that were unrewarding found a host of offers from employers desperate to staff up. Autor, Dube, and McGrew document that the workers who quit their jobs didn’t just quit; they overwhelmingly found new employment that paid better.
..the answer to the whence-full-employment question is the policies that Biden and the Democratic Congress enacted soon after Biden took office. Specifically, it’s the much maligned $1.9 trillion recovery bill that Congress passed in the late winter of 2021.
How sizable were the gains that those low-wage workers made? According to a study by economists David Autor, Arindrajit Dube, and Annie McGrew, so many workers—predominantly young, with no more than high school educations, working overwhelmingly in low-wage service-sector jobs—quit those jobs in 2021 and 2022 for better-paying ones that this collective job switch actually reduced such indices of inequality as the gaps between college-educated and non-college workers, and that between the 90th income percentile and the 10th income percentile, by a full 25 percent. Both those gaps had been steadily widening for the past four decades. So sizable were these gains among low-wage workers that they were the only group of workers over the past two years who have seen wage increases that outpaced the rise in inflation. ✂️
The Great American Quit Rate (full name: Great American Quit-Your-Stinkin’-Job-for-a-Better-One Rate) has finally subsided. While it lasted, though, it enabled the nation’s low-wage workers to make the first substantial economic gains they’ve made in 40 years. And that the GAQR existed at all was due almost entirely to President Biden’s war on poverty—a war that has gone largely unnoticed by both the public and the media.
Senior White House officials and cabinet members will fan out across the country starting this week, and continuing through the August congressional recess, to mark the anniversaries of the IRA, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the PACT Act, which benefits veterans, the official said.
Biden will visit Arizona, New Mexico and Utah from Aug. 7-10, after a week's vacation in his home state of Delaware, to hail the work of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to combat the climate crisis and "unleash a clean energy and manufacturing boom," an administration official said. Biden will also host an event at the White House on Aug. 16, the official added.
U.S. President Joe Biden will travel to the key battleground state of Arizona and two other Western states next week as part of a travel blitz by senior administration officials touting recent economic gains and the anniversaries of key legislation.
Since the MSM refuses to cover Biden’s policy successes without bothsidesing them, the President and his team are bringing the message in person.
I was there. She was so damn brave. You really can't hear all the ignorant booing. I gave her a standing ovation.
Sinead O'Connor sings Bob Marley's 'War' live at the Bob Dylan Tribute, after she ripped up a photo of the pope on Saturday Night Live. A commenter on YouTube said this:
You might think that all the dire headlines of the past couple of weeks would have entirely crowded out any good news, but in fact I’ve found so many encouraging news items that I didn’t have room to include them all. Yup, this is another mega-GNR. 😉 So fill a large mug with your favorite morning beverage, find your most comfortable seat, and let’s get going.
..you're allowed to be heartbroken and hopeful. Hope, not as a naive belief in a rosy future, but as a commitment to search for possibilities.
..now more than ever, it's crucial to resist the allure of despair. ✂️
Good morning, Gnusies! If you’ve been suffering the effects of triple-digit heat this past couple of weeks, it may be hard for you to stay hopeful. But as Gus Hervey at Future Crunch reminded us this week,
For the first time in a century, the US is raising fees for drilling on federal lands
Subheadline: “The Biden administration's new proposal makes drilling for oil on public lands a lot more expensive.” Good. About time!
From Grist:
The rules for oil and gas extraction on public lands have been stagnant for decades. Oil and gas companies have paid 12.5 percent in royalties to the federal government for drilling on public lands for more than a century, significantly lower than the rates many Western states charge. Companies must also post bonds, financial instruments that guarantee taxpayers aren’t left holding the bag for environmental cleanup if a driller goes bankrupt. But those bonds were set in 1960 at $10,000 per lease, a small fraction of the true cost of plugging and cleaning up oil wells that businesses leave behind. Good governance groups and environmentalists have long argued that these rules have functioned as a subsidy for fossil fuels, shortchanging taxpayers and encouraging oil and gas extraction at a time when the planet is warming at a dangerous rate. The Biden administration is now attempting to correct that imbalance. On [July 20th], the Interior Department announced a sweeping set of reforms aimed at protecting public lands, saving taxpayers money, and holding oil and gas companies accountable for environmental cleanup. The new proposed rule hikes the minimum royalty rate to 16.7 percent, raises the minimum bid for leases from $2 per acre to $10 per acre, and increases the minimum bond from $10,000 to $150,000 per lease. The rule also prioritizes leasing in areas where oil and gas infrastructure already exists, leaving more space for developing renewables, and adds protections for wildlife habitats and cultural sites.
Joe Biden From The Government And Here To Help, May Ronald Reagan Rot In Hell
A lovely rant by Wonkette’s Doktor Zoom. I love his writing.
From Wonkette:
You know how we bet Joe Biden would like his presidency — ideally, two terms of it — to be remembered? How about this: as the antidote to Ronald Reagan and decades of antipathy to the very idea of governing. ✂️ Which brings us to Biden’s announcement [last] Tuesday that his administration is preparing a rule to fix a problem he’s brought up in two State of the Union addresses: Insurance companies, those benevolent do-gooders, still treat coverage for mental healthcare and drug addiction treatment far differently from coverage for physical healthcare, despite a 2008 law that required insurers to cover them all equally — and even after Congress beefed up the law in 2020. ✂️ Biden’s going to fix that, with a new Health and Human Services rule that...will make sure that “about 200 health plans serving 90,000 people will get the coverage.” ✂️ ...in addition to great big initiatives..., much of what the Biden administration has accomplished has focused on getting into the machinery of government and fixing little headaches that have bedeviled people for years, even decades. ✂️ Ninety thousand people instantly qualified for mental health coverage. Eight hundred thousand people with a clearer financial future. Seventy-four hundred Coloradans not having to pay loans for a school that defrauded them. It adds up, and the sum is that Ronald Reagan was wrong, as if we didn’t already know that. Joe Biden’s from the government. And he’s here to show you he can help.
Biden campaign beefs up its data operation
In the midst of their historic run of progressive policy victories, Biden and his team are still managing to make sure they don’t drop the ball for the 2024 election.
From The Washington Post (gift link):
During the 2020 Democratic primary, Joe Biden’s campaign had scant resources and stunted momentum as it braced for disappointing finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire. As the campaign prepared for the make-or-break moment of Super Tuesday, when 14 states would hold primaries or caucuses, a small group of staffers in the Philadelphia headquarters suggested a plan to maximize Biden’s prospects. The strategy called for pouring resources such as ads, endorsements and media into specific congressional districts where Biden could sweep the delegate haul rather than splitting it with other candidates. The plan succeeded: On March 3, Biden won nearly 100 more delegates than Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), catapulting him from underperformer to likely nominee. On [July 24th], President Biden’s campaign elevated two of the advisers behind that strategy to top positions in his reelection effort, part of a broader effort to make data and analytics central to his push for a second term. Becca Siegel, who served as chief analytics officer for the 2020 campaign, was named a senior adviser to lead those efforts, and Meg Schwenzfeier, who was the data science director, will serve as chief analytics officer.
Here's Biden's plan to take back a red state and eliminate GOP path to winning 2024
More smart election strategy.
From Raw Story:
President Joe Biden reportedly has a plan to win a reliably red state that will take away the ability of Donald Trump --- or any GOP nominee --- to win the election. Biden defeated Trump in 2020 by taking states like Georgia, Arizona, and Wisconsin. This time around, his plan involves North Carolina, according to a Politico piece on [July 22nd]. "President Joe Biden is eyeing redemption in North Carolina next year," the outlet reported. "Biden lost the Tar Heel state to Donald Trump by just 1.4 percentage points in 2020, and a Democrat at the top of the ticket hasn’t managed to turn North Carolina blue since Barack Obama did in 2008. Now Biden’s team sees opportunity in 2024 amid a fresh abortion ban, a contentious, expensive gubernatorial race and steady population growth that has ballooned urban and suburban areas." All of these factors come into play, making North Carolina into a potential swing state, according to Politico.
Ketanji Brown Jackson Has Perfected the Art of Originalism Jujitsu
Biden hit a home run when he nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson.
From Slate:
During her confirmation hearing, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson associated herself with two methodologies, originalism and textualism, that are prized by the conservative legal movement. It was not a feint. ... In place of lofty odes to the majestic generalities of the Constitution, the justice has consistently favored its original meaning and a statute’s plain text over other considerations. It’s a stark departure from her predecessor, Justice Stephen Breyer, who could not write in the originalist style to save his life. But was it effective? In short: Yes, to a point. Jackson may have helped stave off disaster in a handful of key cases, steering the court away from hard-right results through tactical deployment of originalist and textualist arguments. Unlike Breyer, she expertly wielded the conservatives’ own tools against them. She spoke the language of the right to promote left-leaning principles. And from time to time, she beat the 6–3 supermajority at its own game. Jackson’s originalism has received the most attention in the context of race, and for good reason: Like most progressive originalists, she views the Constitution through the lens of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, passed in the wake of the Civil War. These amendments fundamentally altered the entire Constitution, expanding federal power over the states while extending civil rights and equal citizenship to all Americans. (In theory, at least.) This Second Founding informs many liberals’ vision of the law today, including Jackson. Contemporary scholars on the left, for instance, point out that Congress enacted explicitly race-conscious measures after the Civil War to address past discrimination against Black Americans. Jackson laid out this evidence during arguments over the Voting Rights Act, when Alabama’s solicitor general claimed the law’s consideration of race was unconstitutional. The framers of 14th Amendment, Jackson explained, used “race-conscious” remedies to safeguard the rights of Black Americans. How could it be unconstitutional for the Voting Rights Act to do the same? It was, as the New York Times’ Adam Liptak has observed, “a kind of mission statement” from the brand new Justice.
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The media misbehaving
I would prefer not to write about where the economy is headed, and media coverage thereof.
World-class snark. Bolding mine.
From James Fallows on Substack, via email:
I’d prefer not to write about the future course of the economy, because who knows what comes next. And I don’t need to write about the coverage, because a U.S. Senator has made the point so concisely and well. Brian Schatz, a Democrat of Hawaii, used the vestigial Xitter to make this point yesterday: “Weird to me watching reporters skipping over giving credit to Biden for the economy and going right into ‘why isn't Biden getting credit for the economy?’ It's because you are turning a remarkable economic turnaround into a ‘here's why this is bad for democrats" story.’ “ What he is referring to? An endless series of stories, most frequently in the New York Times but also in the WaPo and public broadcasting, which follow the following narrative arc: Report: Latest figures show things getting better for the economy. (Unemployment, inflation, supply chain, stock values, you name it).
Economic “analysis”: But things probably will get worse.
Political “analysis”: Why do people feel so bad about the economy? And why that’s a problem for Biden. ✂️ Why do people feel so “bad” about an economy that by all measurable indicators is getting so much better? Gee, I dunno.
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Good news from my corner of the world
Oregon expands free health insurance for low-income residents – regardless of immigration status
This the kind of policy that happens when a state has a Democratic trifecta.
From Oregon Public Broadcasting:
Oregon has expanded free health insurance that mirrors Medicaid to all residents who qualify, regardless of their immigration status. The move took effect July 1. It marks an expansion of a Medicaid-type program for immigrants last year for residents who don’t qualify for the Oregon Health Plan because of their immigration status. The program, Healthier Oregon, covered those 19-24 and 55 and older who met low-income and other qualifications and was funded by a $100 million allocation by the Legislature in 2021. The expansion this month to all immigrants who qualify follows a two-year allocation of $460 million for the program in the recently ended legislative session. The Oregon Health Authority said that 40,000 immigrants who had received state-funded emergency health coverage were switched to the program on July 1. An authority spokeswoman, Amy Bacher, said the agency estimates that 55,000 people will be covered through the program.
Oregon Department of Energy launches heat pump incentive program aimed at rental housing
From Oregon Public Broadcasting:
Oregon has begun providing incentives for heat pumps to accelerate the clean energy transition for a key demographic — renters. The state Department of Energy recently launched the Oregon Rental Home Heat Pump program. It provides rebates to landlords installing energy efficient heat pumps and electrical upgrades from approved contractors to rental properties. Tenants living in rented rooms, houses, apartment buildings, manufactured homes and recreational vehicles qualify. The program was created last year under state Senate Bill 1536, after extreme high temperatures from the 2021 heatdome event killed at least 96 Oregonians. ODOE’s senior incentive program analyst Doug Baer said the intent is to provide renters relief during extreme weather events. It could also help lower energy bills. “We want to be sure that during an extreme heat event, someone has the ability to cool, whether it’s a living space or a living room or a bedroom,” he said. “You can go to this certain part of your space and find some survivable cool area.”
Oregon’s Land Use Law Creates Wildfire-Adapted Communities
From Sightline Institute:
In Cascadia, “fire weather” and a growing population are constants, and they are creating a lethal alliance.
Building wildfire-resilient communities by guiding growth away from fire-prone areas is key for climate adaptation. Instead, new housing developments are sprawling into the wildland-urban interface.
Growth management policies offer an important solution.
The residents of Bend, Oregon, used the state’s land use law to shrink by 70 percent a proposal to build thousands of houses in a fireplain and redirect growth to inside city limits.
This wildfire success story shows why Oregon’s land use law, despite having successfully protected farm- and forestland, has allowed more sprawl than intended. It took sustained community advocacy and future-looking city and county leadership to use the law to redirect growth away from a fireplain and nurture a climate-resilient city.
Gresham [OR]’s efforts in Pleasant Valley prove stormwater mitigation can make developments green
There’s much more to this encouraging story, so do click the link.
From The Outlook:
When Katie Holzer, who is passionate about water systems and amphibians, first took a job with the city of Gresham, she didn’t realize how many of her duties would take her into the heart of the suburbs. “I was upset,” admitted Gresham’s watershed scientist and environmental specialist with a laugh. “I was sure it would be depressing because a lot of cities just stick stormwater in a corner.”...The common technique was to find a small lot within a neighborhood, make a steep incline so water would run down, and throw a small drain at the bottom. While somewhat effective, that method was an eyesore — with large, chain-link fences required to keep out young children to prevent any drownings. ✂️ But in the past two decades things have been different in Gresham. The city has been using a burst of new developments to try out exciting stormwater management systems, which not only better treat the runoff, but create natural oases within some of the most densely populated areas. “I’ve learned in Gresham it is not just management, we are building community amenities,” Holzer said. That has been best found at Pleasant Valley, the sweeping series of subdivisions that have popped up in Southwest Gresham since an original vision was debuted in 2004. … With support from developers, albeit sometimes begrudgingly, city naturalists have constructed a series of man-made ponds, wetlands, and woods that has led to the return of diverse flora and fauna. “Being out here and bringing these wetlands back and connecting people to nature has been amazing,” Holzer said. “I’ve seen kids get off the bus and walk the long way home just so they could go around the stormwater pond.”
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Good news from around the nation
The Uvalde Candidates Are Here And They're Not Going To Be Quiet
It’s great news that people who have been directly affected by America’s gun fetish insanity are stepping up to serve in politics. Lucy McBath is already making a difference in Congress. Here are two other impressive candidates ready to fight for gun regulations.
From Wonkette:
The tattoo on Kimberly Mata-Rubio’s arm is a drawing of her that her daughter Lexi made. Just as last year’s horrific school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, has created — as most mass shootings do — a new crop of gun control activists, it has also driven some folks to run for office, like Kimberly Mata-Rubio, whose daughter Alexandria “Lexi” Rubio was among the 19 fourth-graders and two teachers killed at Robb Elementary School. Mata-Rubio is running for mayor of Uvalde in November’s special election to replace Mayor Don McLaughlin, who’s resigning to run for the Texas House next year. ✂️ Mata-Rubio told ABC News she’s running because My other children are going to grow up in this community and I want it to be the best it can be for them. […] There is so much potential. There are things I love about Uvalde — so much history and a rich culture — and I don’t want this town to stay where it is and just be remembered for this tragedy. I want to move forward but I want to bring along our children and those two teachers. She’s an ad exec and former reporter/editor at the local paper, the Uvalde Leader-News, which interviewed her after she announced her candidacy. ✂️ The Uvalde massacre is also the driving force behind state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who was a prominent critic of the slow police response and Texas Republicans’ refusal to even consider any changes in gun laws following the shooting. Gutierrez recently announced he’s running for US Senate with the hope of taking on podcaster and sometime Senator Ted Cruz, probably the most despised member of the Senate. ✂️ Gutierrez says he owns “a whole bunch of guns,” but not an AR-15 because nobody needs one of those, which is why he supports an assault weapons ban. He’s seen their effects. He also says that when he met with Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to call for a debate on gun reforms, he told Patrick how disturbing the [unreleased police and surveillance video] footage was, and broke down crying while trying to describe the horror of what he’d seen. “I don’t break down much, but I broke down in this hour-long conversation with him. I said we need to do something, and we ended up doing nothing. Patrick said to me, ‘Roland, there’s a reason we don’t look at the video.’ Can you imagine that? One of the leaders of the state suggesting to me that he’s not going to look at the video footage because he doesn’t want to see what happened.
Blue-state doctors launch abortion pill pipeline into states with bans
Telemedicine shield laws are allowing abortion pills to flow to anti-abortion states. More pro-choice states need to put such laws into place.
From The Washington Post (gift link):
A new procedure adopted in mid-June by one of the largest abortion pill suppliers, Europe-based Aid Access, allows U.S. medical professionals in certain Democratic-led states that have passed abortion “shield” laws to prescribe and mail pills directly to patients in antiabortion states. Previously, Aid Access allowed only Europe-based doctors to prescribe abortion pills to women in states where abortion is restricted and then shipped those pills internationally, leaving patients to wait weeks. The telemedicine shield laws, enacted over the past year in New York, Massachusetts, Washington, Vermont and Colorado, explicitly protect abortion providers who mail pills to restricted states from inside their borders. The result is a new pipeline of legally prescribed abortion pills flowing into states with abortion bans. In less than a month, seven U.S.-based providers affiliated with Aid Access ...have mailed 3,500 doses of abortion pills to people in antiabortion states, according to Aid Access, putting just this small group alone on track to help facilitate at least 42,000 abortions in restricted states over the next year. If more doctors and nurses sign up, as current providers hope they will, the numbers could climb far higher.
Lawmaker proposes 'bill of rights' for unhoused people in Michigan
Bills like this one are a good way of pushing policy-makers to come up with solutions to the homelessness crisis.
From WMYD (Detroit):
A lawmaker has introduced a bill that would institute a “bill of rights” for those experiencing homelessness in Michigan. Introduced by Rep. Emily Dievendorf, the “Bill of Rights for the Homeless Act” would offer the same rights to unhoused people as other members of society. If passed, unhoused individuals would be granted the right to: Navigate and make use of public spaces and services.
Equal treatment without discrimination.
Medical care regardless of housing situation.
Vote, register to vote, and access documents proving their voting status if they are U.S. citizens.
Protection from disclosure of medical records and other documents provided to shelters and services without legal authority.
Privacy among personal property.
The right to attend school despite housing status. Violations of any of the above rights may lead to relief, damages and attorney fees awarded to plaintiffs. View House Bill 4919 in its entirety: 2023-HIB-4919 by WXMI on Scribd
Amid Strikes, Abigail Disney & Fan Activists Seek To Protect Disney Employees
Note that there’s a live link so you can sign Fandom Forward’s petition to Disney shareholders. Currently, the “duty of care” requirements for the Disney corporation apply only to shareholders, not to employees.
From GoodGoodGood:
As one of the largest entertainment labor movements in modern U.S. history takes shape with thousands of members of the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists striking across the country, you might assume that super-fans are at home, pouting about delays in production of their long-awaited films and TV shows. On the contrary — they’re part of the resistance. Fandom Forward, a nonprofit dedicated to using popular media as a gateway to activism; Imperative 21, an organization that calls for a systemic reset of America’s economic system; and Abigail Disney, a filmmaker, philanthropist, and activist, have teamed up to launch a campaign dedicated to protecting Disney employees. ✂️ The first small action Disney fans can take is to sign a petition urging Disney shareholders to vote to expand its Duty of Care. Organizers also urge supporters to show up to the parks, to events, and to the annual shareholders meeting, to make this dream a reality. ✂️ “When Disney changes, everybody else pays attention. It’s not just any company we’re talking about here, and it’s so close to the heart of what Americans think of, what America’s about,” [says Abigail Disney]. “If we can shift at Disney — it seems impossible — but every Disney movie tells you to do the impossible thing.”
Meet Kevin Maxen, the first US men’s professional sports coach to publicly come out as gay
The more people see men in “manly” occupations coming out as gay, the more widely the LGBTQ+ community will be accepted.
From Optimist Daily:
Kevin Maxen, the associate strength coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, is the first male coach in a men’s professional sports league in the United States to come out as gay. He frankly expressed his reasoning for taking this step in an interview with Outsports, adding, “I don’t want to feel like I have to think about it anymore.” I don’t want to have to lie about who I’m dating or why I’m living with someone else.” Maxen’s determination to embrace his truth and live truthfully derives from a desire to assist others in enjoying their lives as they wish, rather than allowing fear of others’ reactions to hold them back. He hopes that by stepping into the forefront as an openly gay coach, he may inspire more people to break free from traditional restraints and be true to themselves. ✂️ Kevin Maxen’s daring marks a significant milestone in a league where representation has been limited. Only 16 players in NFL history had openly come out as gay or bisexual as of September 2022. Maxen’s disclosure adds a new layer to the NFL’s journey toward diversity, establishing him as a true leader in the field of American men’s professional sports coaching.
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Good news from around the world
The world is making progress against extreme poverty
Basic income could save health services billions – study
This study was done in Britain, but it’s applicable everywhere.
From Positive News (London):
New research bolsters the case for a universal basic income (UBI), suggesting it could save the UK’s National Health Service tens of billions of pounds. A UBI guarantees a regular, government-backed income for all. Advocates say it could boost wellbeing and the economy, while reducing inequality. Critics claim it would disincentivise work. Modelling funded by the National Institute for Health and Social Care Research (NIHR) assessed the potential health impacts of UBI. It suggested that a £75 per week UBI could prevent up to one million cases of depression annually, plus up to one million more “physical health symptoms”, saving the health service billions. The team behind the work – led by Prof Matthew Johnson at Northumbria University – previously modelled three UBI schemes costing the government between £274bn-£675bn a year. Their scenarios included tax and benefit reforms, resulting in a near-zero cost to the public purse. Anthony Painter, an economic security expert, said the evidence of UBI’s positive impacts was “relentless”. “It’s good to see the evidence base deepen to further open the debate on the importance of UBI and economic security for health and wellbeing.”
A four-day week trial confounded critics
No one should still be “confounded” by the success of the four-day work week. Just like UBI, it’s a no-brainer.
From Positive News:
Firms that embraced a four-day week in a North American trial were better able to retain staff and saw no noticeable drop-off in productivity. What’s more, 40 per cent of staff reported feeling less stressed. That’s according to a 12-month review of the US and Canadian pilot, which saw working hours fall but pay remain the same. The findings chime with similar research in the UK, although critics question whether the benefits can be sustained in the long term. Jon Leland, chief strategy officer at Kickstarter, one of the companies involved, said: “We’ve seen very few people choose to depart the company since the implementation of our four-day week. This has dramatically improved our ability to meet objectives.” The report comes as Portugal becomes the latest European nation to pilot a four-day week.
A Fight for Salmon Fishing Rights Connects Indigenous Peoples Across the Pacific Ocean
It’s wonderful to see a marginalized indigenous community in Japan find strength and inspiration in the successes of an indigenous community in the U.S.
From Civil Eats:
In May 2017, Masaki Sashima, head of the Raporo Ainu Nation, led a small delegation of fellow Tribal members from Urahoro, a coastal city in Hokkaido, Japan, to visit their Indigenous counterparts in Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Despite the separation in language, culture, and a vast ocean, he recalls the striking bond between them. “These,” he says, “were fellow Salmon People.” For the Ainu, a people Indigenous to Japan’s northernmost island and its surrounding region, salmon is king—as fundamental to life as the air, mountains, and sea. In fact, shipe, one of several Native names for the fish, is synonymous with food itself. “It returns to us year after year,” says Sashima, “as though it were a promise.” Members of the Raporo Ainu Nation and the Monbetsu Ainu Association observe asir cep nomi, an Ainu ceremony that marks the fish’s annual migration back to the island’s major rivers and tributaries. It was an eye-opening experience, he says, to see the Makah and Lower Elwha Klallam Tribes freely exercising their right to catch salmon. Sashima insists that the ability to do so is inherent to all Native Salmon Peoples—yet it is wholly disregarded by the Japanese government. The restriction threatens an already compromised and marginalized existence, he adds, and fails to uphold Indigenous rights recognized by the United Nations. Drawing on inspiration from Pacific Northwest Tribes in the United States, the Raporo have set out to reclaim historical fishing rights they believe Japan extinguished 140 years ago. But despite commonalities in Native histories, the group faces the upstream challenges of a differing legal framework, cultural fabric, and colonial past. Nevertheless, advocates see the American precedent—one cemented by government treaties and state recognition of sovereignty—as foundational to their pursuit.
J-Pop Star Shinjiro Atae Comes Out as Gay During Fan Event
LGBTQ+ individuals in Japan have struggled against discrimination for a very long time, so it’s encouraging to see a popular entertainer come out as gay.
From Billboard:
During a free fan event at Line Cube Shibuya in Tokyo on Wednesday (July 26), the Kyoto-born singer officially came out to his fans as a gay man. Speaking to a crowd of approximately 2,000 fans according to a press release, Atae spoke at length about his decision to come out and what he hoped it meant for fans struggling with a similar process. Atae then took to his Instagram to announce the news to the rest of his fans who were unable to attend the event. “To all my fans, today was a very special day for me,” he wrote. “For years, I struggled to accept a part of myself … but now, after all I have been through, I finally have the courage to open up to you about something. I am a gay man.” Acknowledging that for a long time he “could not even say it” to himself, the J-pop singer said that he eventually accepted who he was and decided to share his truth with the world. “I’ve come to realize it is better, both for me, and for the people I care about, including my fans, to live life authentically than to live a life never accepting who I truly am,” he wrote.
A protest against Russian tourists in a Georgian coastal city ended with their cruise ship leaving ahead of schedule
Hopefully this will wake up at least some of the Russian tourists, though the ones quoted are definitely clueless.
From Meduza:
On the morning of July 27, the cruise liner Astoria Grande arrived in the Georgian resort town of Batumi. The ship was carrying more than 800 people, most of whom were tourists from Russia. That evening, when the ship was slated to depart, local protesters gathered at the city’s port. The demonstrators spoke out against Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and Russia’s strengthening relationship with Georgia, and expressed outrage at the responses some of the passengers gave journalists when asked about Russia’s occupation of parts of Georgia. “Russia’s not an occupier. What, you think we occupied you? We liberated Abkhazia from you. They asked us for help, so we went in with tanks. I’ve been to Abkhazia, and I saw how all the buildings have broken windows,” said one Russian woman, according to the outlet Novosti Gruzia. “We’re the Soviet Union. We’re a single country,” another Russian passenger reportedly said. Protesters held signs with messages like “Russian warship, go fuck yourself,” “Abkhazia is Georgia,” “Russia is an occupier,” and “Go back to your fucking country.” Additionally, they carried photos of Abkhazia and the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, and played the Georgian national anthem, according to the outlet Batumelebi. ✂️ Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili voiced support for the protesters. “I’m proud of our people, who peacefully protested against Russia’s newest provocation: a stop by a Russian cruise liner at the port of Batumi in Georgia at the same time that Putin is blocking grain shipments and preventing free navigation in the Black Sea. The security of the Black Sea is vitally important for Georgia, Ukraine, and the European Union,” she wrote on Twitter.
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Good news in medicine
Psychedelics show promise for treating anorexia in early trials
More evidence that psychedelics are the wave of the future for treating a wide range of mental/emotional disorders.
From New Scientist:
Early evidence suggests that psilocybin may assist in treating anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder characterised by distorted body image and severe food restriction. In a few small trials, people who took the psychedelic drug saw a reduced severity in their eating disorder. Psilocybin, the psychoactive substance in magic mushrooms, has previously been shown to improve symptoms of depression, anxiety and addiction. These conditions share similarities with anorexia and often co-occur alongside the eating disorder. Several groups are investigating whether the drug can improve anorexia as well. Stephanie Peck at the University of California, San Diego, and her colleagues gave 10 women with anorexia nervosa a 25-milligram dose of psilocybin, which is enough to produce psychedelic effects. Psychologists guided participants through the psychedelic session and discussed the experience with them the day after and again a week later. ✂️ The researchers found that, on average, participants’ concerns about weight and body shape improved by 24 per cent and 34 per cent, respectively, from the start of the trial to a month after. They also saw significant reductions in anxiety and preoccupations about food and eating. Additionally, 90 per cent of participants reported feeling more optimistic about their life three months after the treatment, and 70 per cent believed their overall quality of life had improved.
NHS could use honey and vinegar for ‘low-cost’ wound care
There have been several stories lately about researchers confirming the efficacy of folk medicine. It certainly makes sense to me that our ancestors would have worked out ways to treat common problems like wound infections, and it also makes sense that those methods still work against bacteria that have developed immunity to antibiotics.
From The Times (London) via Future Crunch (evading the paywall):
A traditional combination of honey and vinegar has shown promise as a treatment for stubborn wound infections, scientists have said. Mixtures of honey and vinegar, known as oxymel, have been used at least since Roman times for medicinal purposes. A study has now raised hopes that it has antibiotic properties that could be harnessed by the NHS. Bacterial infections can be especially difficult to treat when the responsible bugs are protected inside a biofilm — a complex, slimy agglomeration of microbes that can bind tightly to flesh. To assess whether oxymel could be effective, researchers from the University of Warwick ran a series of tests on a bacterial biofilm in a laboratory. … “We applied a low dose of honey; that alone didn’t kill the bacteria, and a low dose of acetic acid that also could not kill the bacteria alone,” said Dr Freya Harrison of the University of Warwick. “...when we put these low doses together, we saw a large number of bacteria dying which is really exciting. We really need to investigate whether combining these substances could help patients who are not responding to either substance used alone.” ✂️ The researchers also found that some natural vinegars had a greater ability to kill bacteria than an equivalent dose of pure acetic acid. In particular, the results suggest that pomegranate vinegars are promising candidates for further study. These had strong antibacterial activity and, like acetic acid, were effective when combined with honey.
Robot Medic Can Roll Into Hazardous Environments to Provide Medical Treatment Where Doctors Can’t
This will be a godsend for victims of earthquakes, fires, and wars.
From Good News Network:
A new robotic medic could save lives in places like radiation zones that are too dangerous for nurses and doctors to operate. ...The “game-changing” technology has potential to save lives in high-risk emergency environments, such as humanitarian disasters or war zones, say the University of Sheffield team who developed it. And the first-of-its-kind system was developed in just nine months. Using medical telexistence (MediTel) technology, researchers from the University’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), Sheffield Robotics and Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering, created the mobile, robotic-controlled un-crewed ground vehicle (UGV). It boasts virtual reality (VR) capability, enabling medics and operators to assess critical casualties in hazardous environments, allowing them to perform a remote triage while also ensuring their safety. It features two robotic arms which can effectively remotely operate medical tools to perform a critical initial assessment of a casualty within 20 minutes. That includes temperature, blood pressure and heart rate checks. It can also carry out a palpation of the abdomen and administer pain relief through an auto-injector—all while streaming real time data to the remote operator. x YouTube Video
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Good news in science
Stunned Researchers Discover that Metals Can Heal Themselves ‘Without Human Intervention’
I find materials science endlessly fascinating. If I had another lifetime to live, I’d seriously consider training in that field.
From Good News Network:
Scientists for the first time have witnessed pieces of metal crack, then fuse back together without any human intervention, overturning fundamental scientific theories in the process. If the newly discovered phenomenon can be harnessed, it could usher in an engineering revolution—one in which self-healing engines, bridges, and airplanes could reverse damage caused by wear and tear, making them safer and longer-lasting. The research team from Sandia National Laboratories and Texas A&M University described their findings [on July 20th] in the journal Nature. “This was absolutely stunning to watch first-hand,” said Sandia materials scientist Brad Boyce. “What we have confirmed is that metals have their own intrinsic, natural ability to heal themselves, at least in the case of fatigue damage at the nanoscale,” he told the Laboratory’s press. ✂️ “The extent to which these findings are generalizable will likely become a subject of extensive research,” Boyce said. “We show this happening in nanocrystalline metals in vacuum. But we don’t know if this can also be induced in conventional metals in air.” Yet for all the unknowns, the discovery remains a leap forward at the frontier of materials science.
Early Warning: GPS Data Could Detect Large Earthquakes Hours Before They Happen
This isn’t usable yet, but the data is very promising.
From SciTechDaily:
A systematic global analysis of GPS time-series data from nearly 100 large earthquakes suggests the existence of a precursory phase of fault slip that occurs about two hours before seismic rupture. The analysis of Global Positioning System (GPS) time-series data from nearly 100 large earthquakes worldwide has unveiled evidence for a precursory phase of fault slip, which occurs approximately two hours before seismic rupture. In a related Perspective, Roland Bürgmann writes, “If it can be confirmed that earthquake nucleation often involves an hours-long precursory phase, and the means can be developed to reliably measure it, a precursor warning could be issued.” The quest to predict large earthquakes is a longstanding, yet elusive goal.
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Good news for the environment
From Future Crunch:
An Infinitely Recyclable Plastic Could Solve the World’s Pollution Problem
More cool materials science!
From Good News Network:
Scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed a new infinitely recyclable plastic that could be the answer to the world’s growing pollution problem. ✂️ The California research team has successfully engineered microbes to make biological alternatives for the starting ingredients in an infinitely recyclable plastic known as poly(diketoenamine), or PDK. “This is the first time that bioproducts have been integrated to make a PDK that is predominantly bio-based,” said project leader Dr Brett Helms. “And it’s the first time that you see a bio-advantage over using petrochemicals, both with respect to the material’s properties and the cost of producing it at scale.” He explained that, unlike traditional plastics, PDK can be repeatedly deconstructed into “pristine” building blocks and formed into new products with no loss in quality. PDKs initially used building blocks derived from petrochemicals, but those ingredients can be redesigned and produced with microbes instead.
Geothermal Power is Finally a Reality After Next-Generation Breakthrough of Carbon-Free Energy in Nevada
This is a BFD.
From Good News Network:
Fervo Energy announced it had successfully completed the well test at its full-scale commercial pilot, ‘Project Red’, accelerating the deployment of next-generation geothermal power. The successful well test confirms the commercial viability of Fervo’s drilling technology and establishes Project Red as the most productive enhanced geothermal system in history. The 30-day well test, a standard for geothermal, achieved a flowrate of 63 liters per second at high temperature that enables 3.5 MW of electric production, setting new records for both flow and power output from an enhanced geothermal system. Fervo is the first company to successfully drill a horizontal well into thermal reservoirs of heat to produce commercial geothermal energy, thus “reducing drilling risks”. “By applying drilling technology from the oil and gas industry, we have proven that we can produce 24/7 carbon-free energy resources in new geographies across the world,” said Tim Latimer, Fervo Energy CEO and Co-Founder. “The incredible results are the product of many years of dedicated work and commitment from Fervo employees and industry partners, especially Google.” In 2021, Fervo and Google signed an agreement to develop the next-gen plant with the goal of powering Google’s Cloud servers in Las Vegas with an “always-on,” carbon-free resource that will reduce the company’s hourly reliance on fossil fuels.
The first cargo ship running on green methanol is setting sail
Jessiestaf mentioned this encouraging news in his Lightning Round yesterday.
From Fast Company:
As a new container ship set sail [two weeks ago], it [was] the first to ever run on green methanol—made from methane captured from food waste at landfills. Maersk, one of the world’s largest shipping companies, ordered the ship two years ago as part of a commitment to only buy new ships that can use green fuels. While the ship takes its first voyage over the summer, from South Korea to Denmark, the company already has another 25 of the ships on order, and it’s also beginning to retrofit older ships to use the same fuel. By the end of the decade, the company—which operates more than 700 ships, and owns 300 of them—plans to transport a quarter of its ocean cargo using green fuels. Green methanol, which can be made either from gas from plant sources like food waste, or from renewable electricity and green hydrogen, can cut a ship’s emissions by 65-70%. Globally, shipping is responsible for around 1 billion tons of CO2 emissions per year, roughly the same as the airline industry. Since it can’t fully eliminate emissions, green methanol is not a perfect solution. Other technology to cut emissions on ships is also in development, including ammonia, liquid hydrogen, and electrification. But because the industry is a major polluter, and getting on track to meet the Paris climate goals requires immediate action, Maersk chose to move forward with green methanol because it knew it was feasible.
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Good things to do for yourself
Here’s some helpful self-care advice directed especially at those of us who focus on politics, from high visibility protestors to stay-at-home postcard writers and phone bankers.
Stressed About the State of Democracy?
By Ruth Ben-Ghiat on Substack:
..today’s post is about the imperative of self-care: we can't work to save democracy if we're not keeping ourselves mentally and physically healthy. … Resilience and mental toughness are essential whether you are dealing with doxxing and trolls, receiving death threats, defending yourself against lawsuits (the modern autocrat's way of financially and psychologically wearing down opponents), or facing hostile security personnel as you protest in the streets or spend nights in jail. There is also the toll of psychological warfare which, by its nature, works in a cumulative fashion to wear us down. The sociologist Jacques Ellul [noted] in his 1965 study of propaganda [that the] target of propaganda "must not be allowed a moment of meditation or reflection" so that he "cannot recover, collect himself, [or] remain untouched by propaganda during any relatively long period." … "I respect the time I spend each day treating my body, and I consider it part of my political work...Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare," Audre Lorde, a veteran of feminist and other battles, wrote knowingly. That means giving yourself what you need to replenish your energies, be it time with friends and family, time alone, time with a mental health professional (if finances permit), or time off from social media and political activity.✂️ The message of resilience is: resist the deluge as best you can, and then rest, recover your strength and serenity, and return to the struggle.
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Good news for and about animals
Brought to you by Rosy, Nora, and Rascal.
German Shepherd Becomes a Surrogate Dad to Abandoned Ducklings
Rosy chose this very sweet story. What a good boy Ben is!
From Good News Network:
A German Shepherd [in New Zealand] has taken a clutch of abandoned ducklings under his wing and become their ‘very protective’ surrogate dad. The dog named Ben recently had a BFF relationship with an adult duck that flew away unexpectedly, so perhaps he sensed that the newly-hatched ducklings were related. Ben and the fledgling brood bonded immediately and now he spends most of his days watching over them as they sleep, eat, play, or have a bath. He even barks at the family tabby cat if it dares get too close to his fluffy little family. x YouTube Video
Nora chose this fascinating video about a truly dedicated wildlife photographer determined to capture images of the magnificent Florida panther in its habitat.
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