Category Archives: News to use

Useful news for all to advance knowledge of the world and how it works

‘He said he was fine — but what else would a brother tell his sister?’ Dmytro Kozatsky, whose photos gave the world a window into Azovstal, is now in Russian captivity. His sister told Meduza his story. — Meduza

Source: ‘He said he was fine — but what else would a brother tell his sister?’ Dmytro Kozatsky, whose photos gave the world a window into Azovstal, is now in Russian captivity. His sister told Meduza his story. — Meduza

Comparing America to Israel on gun laws is dishonest – and revealing | The Times of Israel

Israelis must meet a detailed list of criteria (Hebrew link) to be allowed to own a firearm. They must ask the state for a license, are permitted only one gun at a time, and must even ask for permission to sell their gun. And the Firearms Licensing Department is no rubber stamp: Roughly 40 percent of requests are rejected.

Indeed, before even requesting a license, Israelis must meet minimum age requirements, be in good health and of sound mind, and have no criminal record, among other preconditions.

There’s more. Once they are granted the right to carry a gun, Israelis are limited to just 50 bullets in their possession at any given time. They must shoot or return old bullets before they can buy new ones, a process that can only take place at tightly regulated shooting ranges where each bullet’s sale is carefully registered. The types of guns permitted also depend on the reason for the license – i.e., a veterinarian may only purchase a gun approved by the government for the killing of animals, a hunter’s license only permits the purchase of a firearm from an approved firearms list kept by the Parks Authority, and so forth.

In other words, as the Public Security Ministry explains on its website, Israeli law “does not recognize a right to bear arms, and anyone wanting to do so must meet a number of requirements, including a justified need to carry a firearm.” There is no inkling of a belief among Israelis that citizens should be permitted to own guns as a check on government power — that is, as a limit to the sovereignty of the state expressed in its monopoly on violence.

Source: Comparing America to Israel on gun laws is dishonest – and revealing | The Times of Israel

We can Do Better Wednesdays, Editing Process: Killing My Darlings, M. Faulkner

Context, Thought, and Learning: ShiraDest Offers Project Do Better

This is a section I’d rather not remove, but probably needs to be removed, from Chapter Six:

Transportation is a matter of both sustenance and sustainability, and thus is a key component of societal infrastructure for many reasons, which must be supported robustly, through funding and through usage by all citizens. Recall that many many studies have shown the high return in later years to society on investments in human and physical infrastructure that support early development.

Transport and health care systems are critical parts of both. Since more investment in mass transit may entail less investment in car related infrastructure, it is to be reminded that true freedom is not the ability to pollute and speed at will, but the ability to have real input in where one’s tax dollars are spent, to travel peaceably and affordably across any span of continent in order to walk in clean spaces…

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Let’s save the wildlife – Fritillaria delavayi

Myrela

Fritillaria delavayi je biljka koja živi na kamenitim padinama kineske planine Hengduan. Lokalno stanovništvo godinama je iskorišćava za potrebe tradicionalne medicine, a zbog učestalog branja ova biljka počela je razvijati vlastitu samoodbranu, da bi se sakrila od ljudskih pogleda. I ruku. Počela se kamuflirati da bi imala veće šanse za preživljavanje tako što je svoju zelenu boju, kojom se isticala u kamenitom podneblju, zamijenila za sivu. Kada natjeramo jednu biljku da se, doslovno, sakriva od nas, što to govori o ljudima? Govori da svoje potrebe stavljamo ispred ostalih i da nemamo sluha za one koji se sami braniti ne mogu. Ovo je nevjerojatan slučaj, kada čovjek toliko našteti biljnom svijetu, da doslovce “pogura” nečiju evoluciju.

Izvor: (https://www.novilist.hr) – Fotografija: (https://www.sciencealert.com)

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Let’s save the wildlife – Fritillaria delavayi

Myrela

Fritillaria delavayi je biljka koja živi na kamenitim padinama kineske planine Hengduan. Lokalno stanovništvo godinama je iskorišćava za potrebe tradicionalne medicine, a zbog učestalog branja ova biljka počela je razvijati vlastitu samoodbranu, da bi se sakrila od ljudskih pogleda. I ruku. Počela se kamuflirati da bi imala veće šanse za preživljavanje tako što je svoju zelenu boju, kojom se isticala u kamenitom podneblju, zamijenila za sivu. Kada natjeramo jednu biljku da se, doslovno, sakriva od nas, što to govori o ljudima? Govori da svoje potrebe stavljamo ispred ostalih i da nemamo sluha za one koji se sami braniti ne mogu. Ovo je nevjerojatan slučaj, kada čovjek toliko našteti biljnom svijetu, da doslovce “pogura” nečiju evoluciju.

Izvor: (https://www.novilist.hr) – Fotografija: (https://www.sciencealert.com)

View original post

Let’s save the wildlife – Fritillaria delavayi

Myrela

Fritillaria delavayi je biljka koja živi na kamenitim padinama kineske planine Hengduan. Lokalno stanovništvo godinama je iskorišćava za potrebe tradicionalne medicine, a zbog učestalog branja ova biljka počela je razvijati vlastitu samoodbranu, da bi se sakrila od ljudskih pogleda. I ruku. Počela se kamuflirati da bi imala veće šanse za preživljavanje tako što je svoju zelenu boju, kojom se isticala u kamenitom podneblju, zamijenila za sivu. Kada natjeramo jednu biljku da se, doslovno, sakriva od nas, što to govori o ljudima? Govori da svoje potrebe stavljamo ispred ostalih i da nemamo sluha za one koji se sami braniti ne mogu. Ovo je nevjerojatan slučaj, kada čovjek toliko našteti biljnom svijetu, da doslovce “pogura” nečiju evoluciju.

Izvor: (https://www.novilist.hr) – Fotografija: (https://www.sciencealert.com)

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Curbside compost in 200+ US cities

Back to the future. Growing up in LA county, California in 1950s, my chore was taking care of the food waste only bucket that was picked up weekly in a separate can at curbside. Stopped in mid-1950s for more convenient one can trash and landfill or ocean dumping of trash.

Darcy Hitchcock

Food scraps represent roughly 20 percent of what goes into the landfill. Increasingly cities and states are offering curbside collection to meet climate goals, improve soils and deal with drought.

More than 200 cities across the country, and many universities, have followed San Francisco’s lead and implemented curbside collection of food scraps for composting. In compliance with the new law—(SB 1383) requiring California cities to reduce landfilling of compostable materials by 75 percent by 2025—cities up and down California are establishing curbside programs that provide bins for food scraps, sticks, and leaves, so they can be turned into ‘black gold’ compost for farmers.

Obviously 2025 is just around the corner, so cities are seeking solutions. Recology has been providing composting services a long time but you’ve likely never heard of them. Recology became employee owned back in 1986, providing social as well as environmental benefits. They provide a retirement plan…

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Underrated Summertime Salad

snapshotsincursive

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Fab Foodstuff: Underrated Summertime Supper! Does anyone have a Himalayan Salt Block besides me? Well, one of the things I like about it is, it can take the guesswork out of adding seasoning to food. It’s a block of pink salt, after all. When serving cold foods like salads, fruits, and cheeses, refrigerate the salt block overnight before using. This helps to keep foods chilled for hours when you need it. Simply arrange the ingredients directly on the block, drizzle on the dressing, and you’re good-to-go. Clean up is easy. Never use soap; salt is naturally antibacterial. Remove food residue with a damp cloth or sponge. Rinse it with a clean swipe, then dab dry. Allow the salt block to air-dry before next use. You’re done.

UNDERRATED SUMMERTIME SUPPER

Ingredients:

4 ounces goat’s milk cheese, plain

1 teaspoon Italian dry mix spice blend

1/4 teaspoon…

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Only In ‘America’

Filosofa's Word

Yesterday afternoon, just as I was beginning to work on a good people post for this morning, the breaking news update jumped onto my screen …

Texas school shooting leaves at least 2 dead

I stopped what I was doing and went in search of information … turns out that, as you all know by now, 19 students and one teacher, Eva Mireles, were killed … or let’s call a spade a spade … they were brutally murdered while in school, the one place our children should be able to feel safe!  The death toll may yet rise if some of the students taken to the hospital don’t survive, or if students still missing are later reported to have died.  Plus, the 18-year-old shooter shot his grandmother, who is in critical condition in the hospital, before setting out for Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

This, my friends, is what…

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