Laura Welp

The Flawed Ideology That Unites Grass-Fed Beef Fans and Anti-Vaxxers From RFK Jr. to Hollywood A-listers and Democratic senators, people across the political spectrum are jumping onto the slippery slope of nature-based solutionism.

If the 2010s were marked by techno-solutionism, then the 2020s might be the decade of "natural solutionism". Both are flawed, disdain the regulatory state, and in both "expertise is treated as suspect, corrupt, or altogether illegitimate, with anecdotes and mantras replacing verifiable data"

Amazing story.

Cheatgrass spreads where livestock grazing wipes out native plants, fueling fire and invasion. WWP’s meta-analysis proves grazing makes it worse, yet agencies push cows as the “solution.” Shifting baselines make people forget what’s been lost. This isn’t natural—it’s policy-driven destruction.

The script. THEY will gain, you and I will lose.

TNC does some good things but they also indulge in a lot of greenwashing. Western Watersheds Project (who I work for) just blocked them from bulldozing 13 reservoirs for livestock grazing in the Bears Ears National Monument. I'm sure they'll try again, but we won a reprieve for a little while.

Not surprised to see them jumping on the political bandwagon. They abandoned real conservation for greenwashing long ago. It's so much more lucrative.

Peak government efficiency means firing people accidentally and having to spend more resources getting them back.

Midweek pod is up: www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm...

Trump Can Be Stopped Other countries managed to fend off autocracy. By borrowing from their playbook, America can too.

If you do want to know how it works—and, specifically, how it can work in the US, here’s a thing I wrote: substack.com/home/post/p-...

Thanks. That was fun.

A quick resistance task:
1. Google Gulf of Mexico
2. “Gulf of America" is the top
3. Click on the three little dots to the right of it
4. Select "Send Feedback"
5. Click on "Gulf Of America"
6. Select "Inaccurate content"
7. Select "Incorrect" and type in "The correct name is “Gulf of Mexico"

Painted bats belong alive in the wild — not dead on walls. Tell Amazon and eBay to stop selling painted woolly bats so their populations can again flourish in the wild — where they belong.

Sad fact: The U.S. is the largest known market for trade in painted bats, who are native to South and Southeast Asia. Their populations are declining, and their biggest threat is overcollection for decor.

Join us in telling retailers: Stop selling painted bats ⬇️

Persimmons

A one-panel comic by Glauco Villas Boas. A group of people stand against the corner of a wall. One reaches around the corner and uses a long stick to push open a door labeled 2025.

This comic gets shared every year with the date changed. It is by Brazilian cartoonist Glauco Villas Boas (1957-2010).

Big news for the Point Reyes National Seashore today. Elk fences will be removed.

www.sfchronicle.com/climate/arti...

It's worth noting that Joe Biden, by issuing a sweeping pardon, is protecting his son from *future* retribution by an incoming president who has promised to use the Justice Department as a weapon against people he doesn't like.

that's right!! why not get this for yourself as a holiday treat

knowledge.... is a priceless gift

but this book is currently 30% off with code CYBER2024!

www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/talia...

I Watched Orbán Destroy Hungary’s Democracy. Here’s My Advice for the Trump Era. To dismantle the machinery of autocracy, you first need to understand how it works.

This is a great, straightforward article that defines the problem and the work we must do (starting now). Well worth the read. Drop some of your fave quotes in the comments. Let’s discuss…
www.politico.com/news/magazin...

YouTube video by Franchesca Ramsey - Topic The Leopards Ate My Face

(Lyrics/alt)

I never thought
the leopards would eat my face
Nooooo I never thought
the leopards would eat my face
Well i turned my back on my own kind
but i somehow thought that I'd be fine
no i never thought the leopards would eat my face
(slow it down now)
[Repeats slower]

im not saying all the new followers are getting to my head but i did briefly think, "what if i started a cult based on distributing grilled cheeses to the hungry and lonesome"

time to unleash The Grilled Cheese Essay (which personally made padma lakshmi cry) on the newskies

buttondown.com/theswordandt...

My favorite book of the year. I recommend it to everyone.

I'm dimly beginning to understand this. Thanks!