Hi everyone, I am on a plane heading to New York to speak at the Nonprofit New York conference, and Wi-Fi is very spotty, so apologies for the poor grammar and coherence.
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The past few months (years) we have all been inundated with terrible news about awful things happening all over the world. While we should continue paying attention to them and act when we can, it’s important to acknowledge that awesome things are also taking place.
Here are some hopeful and inspiring things below, in no particular order. A lot of this is from Instagram, news sites, and Buzzfeed.
· Last week, the US experienced a blue wave in our elections, which was a welcome and much-needed bit of hope for many of us. Among the left’s victories, Zohran Mamdani scored a decisive victory to become New York’s 111th mayor, beating back not just the right wing, but moderate democrats, and showing that being unapologetically progressive is a winning formula.
. California passed Proposition 50, which allows Democrats to temporary redraw congressional districts to favor Democrats, and this will significantly help balance out the GOP’s attempt to keep power during the midterms through redrawing districts in Texas to get more Republican House representatives.
· Supreme Court denies revisiting decision on marriage equality. Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis refused to do her job of issuing marriage licenses to gay couple, claiming it was against her religion. Her case risked jeopardizing SCOTUS’s decision that legalized same-sex marriage. By not hearing the case, that decision stands.
· Montana may have found a way for states to curb the effect of Citizens United, a destructive SCOTUS ruling that allowed corporations unfettered power to buy elections.
· Costa Rica runs on almost 100% renewable energy! Meanwhile Scotland in 2022 generated 113% of its electricity demands through wind power; its renewable energy sector sustains more than 42,000 jobs.
· Bus drivers in Okayama Japan have gone on strike. They are still working and driving their routes, but they won’t be accepting payment from passengers! Brilliant!
· Trump is going to UK, where he will be welcomed by a gigantic picture of him with Epstein. Truly, it is a big, big picture, yuge. Thank you, UK activists.
· Burkina Faso has made tremendous progress fighting desertification. It’s Great Green Wall project has created 4 million hectares of forest since 2022. This helps significantly with famines and other problems created by the land drying out.
· The ozone layer is healing and might fully recover, thanks to policies that help decrease the use of chemicals like chlorofluorocarbons (CFSs). Heck, scientists think in 10 or 20 years, it may heal completely.
· The Ocean Cleanup has been tackling the problem of plastic pollution in the ocean by removing plastic and intercepting it before it reaches the ocean. It estimates that with enough support, 90% of plastic floating in the ocean can be removed by 2040.
· Women rule in Namibia! Namibia becomes the first country where top government positions are held by women: Its president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, VP Lucia Witbooi, speaker of national assembly Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, and secretary general of the ruling party, are all women. 57% of the country’s cabinet is women.
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Read full article here.
