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Views on Garden Insects Are Changing. Why Many ‘Pests’ Are Now Valued (Maria)
The author writes, “We’re all familiar with beneficial insects like ladybugs, dragonflies and bees, but it’s high time we reconsider our definition of ‘pests’ and collectively add other, less-familiar insects to the friendly bug list. Native beetles, assassin bugs and even wasps are among those that make significant contributions to the environment despite their threatening appearance. Great Britain’s Royal Horticultural Society has even removed the pest designation from slugs and snails, typically considered garden menaces. As it happens, they too play an essential role in the ecosystem. … This shouldn’t come as a surprise — everything on Earth has a purpose.”
What Democrats Are Getting Wrong About Transgender Rights (DonkeyHotey)
The author writes, “In the wake of an election in which Donald Trump stoked fear about trans people — as in the much-discussed ad that warned ‘Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you’ — Democrats are now debating how much the issue of trans rights hurt them and how fast they should retreat from it. Which is remarkable, because throughout her brief campaign, Kamala Harris was all but silent on the subject. It’s not clear how much further Democrats could actually retreat. The party’s decision to focus on the issues that matter to most voters, especially reproductive rights, and set trans rights aside is based on a misconception. The two issues can’t be separated, because trans rights don’t just resemble reproductive rights; trans rights are reproductive rights.”
In Egypt, Gazans Endure ‘Unbearable’ Life With Little Support (Dana)
From +972 Magazine: “Since the outbreak of the war, some 105,000 Palestinians have fled Gaza to Egypt, according to the Palestinian ambassador to Egypt, Diab Al-Louh. However, even those who successfully cross the border continue to face severe hardships. Upon arriving, Egyptian authorities grant them 45-day residency permits; once these expire, they are left without the ability to access legal work or basic services. Egypt is obligated to support refugees under the 1951 International Refugee Convention, but Palestinian refugees, who are supposed to receive social services and assistance from the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), are not normally covered under that convention. However, Egypt has never granted UNRWA a mandate to operate within the country, arguing that the agency’s presence could undermine Palestinian refugees’ right of return.”
Thanksgiving Dinner Is Historically Affordable This Year (Laura)
From NBC News: “You may not know it by looking at sticker prices in grocery aisles, but Thanksgiving dinner is more affordable than it has been in years. The costs of this year’s holiday feast — estimated at $58.08 for a 10-person gathering, or $5.81 a head — dropped 5% since last year, the lowest level since 2021, according to a nationwide survey of grocery prices by the American Farm Bureau Federation, which represents millions of U.S. farmers. But the picture improves further when adjusted for inflation. ‘If your dollar had the same overall purchasing power as a consumer in 1984 … this would be the least expensive Thanksgiving meal in the 39-year history of the AFBF Thanksgiving survey, other than the outlier of 2020,’ the authors wrote. For plenty of households, it doesn’t feel that way.”
CPA Report Reveals How BlackRock Channels Billions in US Investment Funds to Companies Linked to the CCP and PLA (Russ)
The author writes, “CPA’s thorough investigation reveals that BlackRock is not only funding Chinese military companies, but also those involved in China’s nuclear weapons program and in oppressive campaigns against minority groups including the Uyghurs. Through its offshore subsidiaries, BlackRock holds significant stakes in entities that are sanctioned by the U.S. government, effectively circumventing U.S. sanctions laws and posing a serious threat to national security and investor protection.”
Republicans Push To Extend New Voter ID Law Next Year; Democrats Seek Repeal (Reader Steve)
From the New Hampshire Bulletin: “The new law that will require hard proof of voter ID and citizenship to vote in New Hampshire just barely took effect — six days after the Nov. 5 general election. But already, Republican and Democratic lawmakers are seeking to change it this legislative session. Republicans are hoping to expand the law, known as House Bill 1569. It requires all voters to present ID at the polls or they won’t be allowed to vote. And it requires that all new voters must present hard copies to prove their U.S. citizenship through a birth certificate, passport, or other documents. … Democrats, meanwhile, are introducing a bill to repeal the law. They argue the new requirements will impose excessive burdens to vote and will disenfranchise people who don’t have immediate access to identification and citizenship documents. And looming over all legislation is a pair of lawsuits in federal court intended to overturn the law.”
Einstein’s Most Famous Theory Just Passed Its Biggest Test in 13,000,000,000 Year History (Sean)
The author writes, “Putting together the general theory of relativity in 1915, Einstein proposed that space and time are effectively one giant blanket that are woven together. Refining Newton’s law of universal gravitation, Einstein mused that something as massive as the Sun bends this space-time blanket. This led to correct predictions about black holes and the Sun delaying radio signals, but now, the general theory of relativity has faced its biggest test yet. In fact, it’s a test that’s been in the works for 13 billion years.”
