COMMENTARY FROM A BADASS WOMAN 

I seems like Mother Nature had plans for us and it didn't include posting to websites and social media.  The situation, while consuming several days of our time, fortunately ended very well for us.  No wind damage, no flooding.

But, of course that has not been the case for many thousands of other people and the storm continues to cause problems for many more.

It seems there isn't a day that goes by that doesn't include weather disasters and/or gun violence or both.  How much more bodily harm and destruction and how many more deaths must occur before Congress comes together and agrees on ways to stop it?  Disaster is knocking on our door.  We can either take action to bar it or we can sit and wait to be destroyed. Hey guys, thoughts and prayers don't cut it anymore.

Even if you agree something must be done, if you do nothing, you are contributing to the problem.  There is strength in numbers which cannot be denied.  But time for action is running out.  Let's stop p------ Mother Nature off and get gun controls!  NOW!

https://arborday.org

The Arbor Day Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to planting trees and promoting the importance of trees in our environment. The foundation has been working since 1972 to plant and protect trees around the world, and their efforts have had a tremendous impact on reforestation efforts. Here’s how the Arbor Day Foundation is helping to reforest the world.

Tree Planting Programs

The Arbor Day Foundation has planted more than 250 million trees in forests, parks, and urban areas around the world. The foundation works with local communities and organizations to identify areas that need reforestation, then provides funding and resources to help plant new trees. The foundation also works with schools and other organizations to promote tree planting initiatives, such as its annual Tree City USA program which encourages communities to plant trees in their cities.

Conservation Efforts

In addition to planting new trees, the Arbor Day Foundation also works hard to protect existing forests. The foundation has partnered with governments, corporations, and other organizations to create conservation programs that protect forests from deforestation. These programs often involve creating protected areas where logging is prohibited or restricted, as well as working with local communities to promote sustainable forestry practices.

Education Initiatives

The Arbor Day Foundation also focuses on educating people about the importance of trees and forests. The foundation offers educational materials for teachers, students, and other members of the public about tree planting and care, as well as information about how deforestation affects our environment. The foundation also hosts an annual Arbor Day celebration each year in April where people can come together to learn more about tree planting and conservation efforts.

The Arbor Day Foundation has made great strides in helping reforest the world over the past few decades. Through its tree planting programs, conservation efforts, and education initiatives, it has helped restore forests around the world and educate people about why it’s important to protect our environment.

 

https://floridiansprotectingfreedom.com/

www.splcenter.org

The SPLC is a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond, working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of all people.

 

"Bees Can't Bayer It" is the slogan for the campaign the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is waging against Bayer to draw attention to the crises Bayer is causing in our bee population. According to the NRDC over the past year 39 per cent of this country's honeybee colonies collapsed - one of the largest losses ever recorded.  Science has proven the world's most widely used insecticides, called neonics, is a key factor in this die-off of bee colonies.  There are barely enough bees available each year to pollinate key food crops.  We depend on bees to polinate 70 out of 100 major food crops.  This crises could soon cause reduced access to healthier foods and rising food costs.

While you make think of Bayer as the trusted maker of aspirin, it is also one of the world's leading manufacturers of bee-toxic neonics.  The neonic chemicals it invented, imidacloprid and clothianidin, have made as much as $1.5 billion in annual sales.  But Bayer, the German chemical giant, is facing difficulties in selling their chemicals close to home because the European Union has restricted the use of these chemicals.  Bayer, however, is pressing forward to sell more and more of these bee-killing pesticides in the U.S.  Neonics are now the most heavily used class of insecticides in the United States, applied to an estimated 150 million acres of crops each year.

There are indications the danger is spreading far beyond bees. The EPA has found that three of the most widely used neonics likely harm up to 80 percent of all threatened and endangered species and likely driving more than 200 vulnerable plant and animal species toward extinction.  Meanwhile, as neonics turn up in our food and drinking water, there is increasing concern about how they may impact our health.  Recent research shows that neonics pass effectively through the placenta during pregnancy and from breast milk to nursing newborns.  Human health studies have found that children exposed to neonics in the womb are at increased risk for birth defects like malformations of the heart and brain, as well as increased risk of autism-like symptom.

Meanwhile Bayer is waging a PR blitz that appears to be sowing doubt about available science and diverting attention away from its bee-killing products.  It wants you to believe bees are suffering from mites, disease, viruses, and loss of habitat - anything and everything but neonics - which Bayer claims are perfectly safe.  

For more information:  Natural Resources Defense Council      https://www.nrdc.org/bio/daniel-raichel/take-action-protect-bees-during-national-pollinator-week