Some Positive Stories You May Be Missing

It’s easy to look around us and despair at all the wrong that’s happening in our world.  Everywhere we look there’s political corruption, greed, hatred, a deteriorating climate, hunger, war, loneliness, crime, poverty, the list is endless.  It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that there are good people out there doing good things to improve the world we live in.

The following are just a few examples of positivity that should brighten your day.  They are taken from bluecrabcollective.com, so if any of these items especially interest you and you would like more information on them, just check out the Blue Crab Collective’s “The Horizonist Blog” where you’ll find the complete articles – plus many more.  That said, here’s a sampling of good things that are happening in our world.

• • Shipping is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, so 175 nations have formally agreed to reduce those emissions to net zero by around 2050.    It’s a big order, but they’re  ahead of schedule.

• • Non-hallucinogenic hemp can be used inexpensively for food, paper, textiles, medicine, fuel, animal feed, plastic substitute, skin care products and more.  And yet, in most places, it is either illegal to grow or it is tightly restricted.  Even so, the Lower Sioux tribe of Morton, Minn., is using  it to build homes – an idea that could spread.

• • Imagine what would happen if we had an economic system that focused on people and the planet rather than maximizing private profit and endless growth, as capitalism does.  Such an economy is more than a gauzy dream; it is a global movement that is grounded in concrete practices and is rapidly gaining steam worldwide.  It is called the solidarity economy, and the time appears ripe for it to become a reality.

• • Christian nationalism has nothing to do with Christianity and everything to do with extreme rightwing politics.  It is the antithesis of true Christianity, but it also is the antithesis of America’s democracy. “Bad Faith” is a documentary that exposes  its intention to hijack the 2024 presidential election, destroy our democracy, and shape the United States in its flawed will.

• • Our criminal justice system is plainly broken.  Police departments cannot keep up with the crimes being committed in their jurisdictions, and when they do send lawbreakers to prison the lawbreakers often emerge as better criminals.  There is a better way, however, and researchers, practitioners and local leaders are finding it. They are moving away from individualized notions of violence and toward public health-based approaches. They are focusing on underlying social determinants of health, the needs of people most impacted by violence, and providing support for navigating trauma.   And, it is working.  They are actually making communities safe without the police.

• • The owners of Stewart’s Shops, an ice cream chain in the Northeast, believe the company’s success is due to its employees, so they showed their appreciation by making 175 of them millionaires.  It’s a plan that worked well for Stewart’s, so it could be – should be? might be? – copied by other chains.

• • Most all the nearly 620 ferries that operate in the United States rely on diesel engines that spew more harmful gases into the air than almost any other commercial harbor craft.  San Francisco, however, has just launched the world’s first hydrogen ferry that spews nothing but water vapor and a little heat. The goal is for all short-run ferries in California to produce zero emissions by the end of 2025.

• • Even though the great majority of Americans thinks crime is increasing across the nation, it isn’t.  The exact opposite is true.  Crime rates are plummeting almost everywhere.

• • Strong  evidence shows that America badly needs more Black doctors, but the Supreme Court’s 2023 ban on affirmative action in higher education is resulting in medical schools training fewer Black persons to become doctors.  To help rectify that, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg has pledged to donate $600 million to four historically Black medical schools, stipulating that the money must be used as scholarships.

• • Public libraries are unashamed socialist organizations that form a bulwark against capitalism, and not only is that a very, very, very good thing, but all across the nation libraries are very, very, very popular with people — regardless of their political leanings.

• • Scientists have long been searching for a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to traditional lithium-ion batteries, and now they’ve found it: the world’s first Potassium-ion battery. The Texas start-up that developed it says it is suitable for demanding applications and is production ready, so we may see it in action very soon.The Canadian government is rolling out a new plan designed to solve the country’s mounting housing shortage and spiraling prices.  It is offering provincial governments billions of dollars in infrastructure funds – but only if the cities will abandon single-family zoning laws and allow the construction of multifamily housing.  The plan could even help mitigate climate change.

• • Many people across America work in such low-paying jobs that they need to hold down two or three jobs just to make ends meet. But if you have a full-time job, doesn’t it make sense that you should be paid enough to live on?   Cleveland City Council thinks so, so it is preparing  to launch a research project that will guarantee workers $50,000 annually plus benefits, no matter what low-paying jobs they have.  If the project is successful it could  spread nationwide.

• • In 1954, when the U.S. Supreme Court declared public school segregation was unconstitutional, thousands of all-white private schools opened across the South, hundreds of which still exist.  Today, even though many of those schools are church based, state legislatures are finding ways to subsidize them.  But the folks in the tiny town of Thomasville, Ala., have found a way to stave off resegregation.

Again, if you want more information on any of these items, visit bluecrabcollective.com, home of the “The Horizonist Blog“, then feast.