Public Posts

"Disturbances on the sun may have the potential to devastate our power grid and communication systems. When the next big storm arrives, will we be prepared for it?"  More at The New Yorker ➜ 

"It’s the big threat. A cheap, white powder — 50 times more powerful than heroin — which kills more than 70,000 people each year in the United States and countless others across the rest of the Western Hemisphere. EL PAÍS, in a long-term investigation that spanned two continents and included interviews with anti-drug czars in the U.S. and China, visited the clandestine laboratories in Sinaloa, where fentanyl is manufactured".......Read More at El Pais ➜  Also Read: How the United States got hooked on fentanyl 

"In a “time bank,” members accumulate bankable hours, for instance by babysitting or doing repairs, and get “repaid” with assistance when they need it, usually later in life"   More at Reasons to be Cheerful ➜ 

"The strategy behind the “No-Blame” approach is counterintuitive but effective: enlisting the bullies’ help to solve the problem." More at Reasons to be Cheerful ➜

The removal of the Great Works Dam on the Penobscot River in Old Town, Maine shows that when dams are removed, a river and its fish can recover with surprising speed. More at Reasons to be Cheerful ➜ Krause

A community in India called Banda has been facing severe water scarcity due to climate change and overuse of resources. Now it has found a way to combat drought by implementing a system of water budgeting to minimize overuse of resources and water waste.  The villagers have reported an increase in crop yields and have been able to maintain a steady supply of water for their daily needs. More at Reasons to be Cheerful ➜

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A digital platform has been created in Brazil to help preserve indigenous languages. Teens are using artificial intelligence to help translate, store, and spread these languages. The platform also helps create audio recordings and videos, and allows teens to access online courses, encouraging youth to learn the languages and keeps them alive for future generations More at Reasons to be Cheerful ➜

West Bengal in India is seeing a remarkable recovery of its forests. Thanks to a successful collaboration between local communities and the government, the region has seen a significant increase in tree cover over the past few decades. The project has been so successful that the area now has more trees than it did in 1973! With the help of the local communities, the government is replanting trees, protecting wildlife, and utilizing the forests for sustainable economic growth. This inspiring example of collaboration and conservation shows the potential for positive change. More at Reasons to be Cheerful ➜

"In the years following the Cuban Revolution in 1959, hundreds of thousands of Cubans left the island nation for South Florida, setting the stage for what would become one of the most important linguistic convergences in all of the Americas....Today, the vast majority of the population is bilingual....and there is a lot of Spanish – and a lot of English – being spoken in Miami....This  sustained contact between Spanish and English speakers, particularly when speakers translated directly from Spanish is creating a new dialect". More at The Conversation ➜

“Dark money” refers to spending meant to influence political outcomes where the source of the money is not disclosed. Here’s how dark money makes its way into elections:" Read more at OpenSecrets