Anonymous Crow

As yall may know from past posts, I've been dealing with a lot of health shit, and late last year decided to go on medical leave / sabbatical to recover and focus on healing.

It took a lot longer to get there than I hoped / planned, because health complications kept complicating. Eventually we found out the reason my health crashed so badly is because the brutal flu I caught over Christmas left me, in turn, with a brutal post-viral syndrome. So....good thing I was already planning to take a sabbatical tbh.

(Note: Get your vaccines!!! For the flu and COVID, because post-viral syndromes fucking suck, and COVID is still a huge health threat!!!)

My health has been really stressful and intermittently quite scary, but things are (....hopefully) stable again, and I'm safe. That's the important part <3

(Sidenote: I've been recovering from brain fog and pain when focusing mostly by playing a ton of Hades II, actually with an amount of success that really surprised me. If you're struggling with executive function shit and think you might like it, I would really recommend trying it or something similar as a way to work on rebuilding those mental muscles that doesn't Completely Suck)

I'm mostly resting and working on health shit, and blogging as a hobby (this is why reasonsforhope is just reblogging other ppl's shit lately lol), so you'll see me in and out occasionally, but mostly I'm trying to focus on my health

Speaking of which: I am very, very lucky that I'm safe, and specifically, that my housing and ability to access affordable medical care are stable and taken care of. I am able to do this in large part due to the Affordable Care Act / Obamacare. Universal healthcare now!!

So, having established that I am not in financial distress or need right now, luckily: If you do want to support me, my work, and my recovery, reminder that I have a ko-fi!

I don't always have time or spoons to respond, but I read every note, and I very much appreciate and <3 the people who have been helping support me and my work thus far

I will still be transitioning from here to having my own newsletter (which I plan to set to automatically repost here and on my bluesky accounts, probably using an RSS feed, so you will still be able to follow me on here, but the blog may just run off automation.)

Obv that's been on total hold for months now, but I did create a signup and landing page for it, so you can sign up there if you want to start getting the newsletter as soon as it starts coming out (hugely dependent on my health, quite probably at least 6 months)

Hope you're all doing as well as you can be <3

Keep on keeping on, and wish me luck with medical stuff! (Send me strength lmao, gods know healthcare bureaucracy has already made me need it)

for any address to twitter you can replace the “x.com” with “nitter.net” and you will be able to browse as if you have an account. Lifesaver.

—

Trump hijacked US’s 250 anniversary to serve ‘political ideology and pet projects’, congressional report says

Ageless Linux intends to force the issue before the California state supreme court, then ultimately (probably) the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). It's a stupid, dangerous law, voted into place by legislators who either don't understand the core issue OR knowingly voted for it because they're assholes.

California is an influential state in the US. Many laws & regulations passed there eventually trickle out to most states. That's why it's worrisome to see this kind of thing rammed through, and why it's important to fight it.

If you like these weekly compilations, please consider tipping me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles!

1. Can globally essential mangroves bounce back from deforestation? New study gives hope

“[The study] found that unexpected expansion and regrowth across the world began counterbalancing mangrove forest loss around 2010. The rate of gain has nearly outpaced losses, resulting in about a cumulative 1% global decline since the 1980s. […] The study also found that mangroves are becoming less degraded […] which means they are denser, retain more carbon and help secure shorelines.”

2. Peptide alternative to antibiotics could combat antimicrobial resistance crisis

“The peptide is stable and nontoxic to humans and is synthesized to attack the surfaces of bacterial or fungal cells that create biofilms, a sticky matrix that is often impenetrable to antibiotic treatments. […] “Our peptide shredded bacterial biofilms, which cause up to 75% of life-threatening infections," Neelakantan explains. [… It] “not only rescues from devastating bacterial infections, but also reduces inflammation and promotes wound healing."”

3. Norwegian startup raises $6M to fix this sneaky source of energy waste

“[The new] software-enabled devices can dial down the use and temperatures of existing heating cables to reduce electricity demand [using precise sensors….] Nordic Pharma said it has seen a 20% drop in the cables’ energy consumption since installing Eqon’s devices, which have also helped to alert the manufacturer to potential problems, such as frozen pipes and over- or underheated oil, that can disrupt production.”

4. How a tiny blue gecko became a conservation comeback story

“The gecko (Lygodactylus williamsi) lives in only two small forest reserves […] and depends almost entirely on screwpines for shelter, food, basking and breeding. […] Since 2016, they have cut down nearly 100,000 [invasive] cedar trees, reduced forest fires by around 80%, and planted about 5,000 native trees a year. Those efforts are helping the gecko’s population return toward earlier levels [as well as] improving habitat for other wildlife[….]”

5. Amazon floodplains cocoa offers a climate-resilient and sustainable chocolate

“Protected and irrigated by the forest canopy of the floodplains, Elene’s cocoa is more resistant to […] a fungus that devastated Brazilian crops in the 1980s, as well as climate change impacts like droughts and heavy rains. [… The presence of] “abundant and diverse local pollinators […] improves reproduction and results in better-quality fruit, more resistant to disease, higher in quantity and superior in flavor.” [… Between 2000 and 2024] reforested cocoa areas expanded more than fourfold[….]”

At long last, I am no longer without technology and I was able to finish @sabrecmc‘s commission for this fanfiction over here.