#5SmartReads - May 22, 2023

Hitha on the unspoken benefits of rewilding, Megan Hunt, and savory take on this breakfast staple

May 22, 2023

I was captivated by Megan Hunt’s no-holds-bar filibuster speech on the floor of the Nebraska legislature denouncing the anti-trans bill that was up for a vote (linked here, if you haven’t watched it). The video only scratches the surface of many key truths - the power of our state legislature on our lives (and how well they typically function, compared to Congress), on political labels, and on impact over airtime.

This quote stuck with me [on her changing political parties during the filibuster, from Democrat to Independent]:

“If Fox says “Democrat Megan Hunt,” that means we hate Megan. If Vox or something says “Democrat Megan Hunt,” that means we love Megan. I get it, labels are useful. But obviously Democrats are not a monolith. We've got Democrats in Nebraska who support complete abortion bans who are voting for the anti-trans bill. And we've got Republicans in Nebraska who aren't. I just don't want to be a part of it.

Somebody on Twitter was like, “Oh, you're gonna lose your next election because you won't have their donor list.” And I was like: Bitch, I've never seen a donor list in my life. Is the party supposed to help you fundraise? I've literally never heard of that. The national Democrats never noticed anything we were doing in Nebraska until one or two of us got a little popular on Twitter. Then it was like, all of a sudden, we’re your favorite? Shut up.”

The national Democratic party would be wise to heed her words. And if you want to join in the fight for an America where everyone can live freely and openly, follow For Facts Sake - there’s more coming from and this group.

Something I value so much about MM.LaFleur is how they’ve centered their company on their community - and have done so for the past 10 years.

A lot of brands have work with creators or folks to create a capsule from their collection. But there’s something really special about this capsule wardrobe for doctors. Not only are these pieces perfect for the most demanding days, they also update our mental image of what a doctor looks like - and who a doctor is.

Each of these women - Pooja, Michelle, and Janet - are more than their medical practices. They are multi-hyphenated women who I’m immensely inspired by. I’ll leave you with Pooja’s definition of success, which mirrors my own:

“… success looks like having the flexibility to choose who I work with and what projects I take on, making sure that everything I build is aligned with my values. It takes a long time to build a career where you have that flexibility, and I hope that 10 years from now, I’ll be able to look back and feel like all those puzzle pieces came together with what we are building for women’s mental health at Gemma.”

If you’re in NYC, please save the date June 14th (6-8 pm) for a special event I’ll be doing with MM.LaFleur at their Upper West Side store.

In “what will save us is what we should’ve been doing all along,” I give you the OG carbon sequestration solution.

Restoring natural habitats for animals, and protecting existing ones.

In a healthy habitat, carbon storage capacity can be increased up to 250% compared to habitats where animal populations are below baseline population numbers.

And not only is the solution right here, it’s incredibly scalable in our lifetime.

“Restoring animal populations, or “trophic rewilding,” can accelerate the rates of sequestration and storage in a process called “animating the carbon cycle.”

“Instead of taking 77 years to get that 500 gigatons out, we could actually have that in 35 years,” Schmitz said. “We could do it if we really made a concerted effort to rebuild these populations.””

I appreciate that this article brings up the challenges of rewilding and the potential negative consequences of doing so - there is no silver bullet for any problem, but restoring animal habitats with care should absolutely be included in large climate change actions or legislation.

Are you a sweet or savory breakfast person?

I’m a savory breakfast person. Said breakfast needs to be prepared quickly or ahead of time, because I don’t have the patience or the energy in the mornings.

Savory oatmeal has been a staple of mine for years (here’s my go-to recipe), but I get bored of it easily. Many of these oatmeal recipes would work for any time in the day and can be prepared in a large batch, which is my kind of recipe.

I’m getting back into a meal prep routine, and plan on trying some of these in the coming weeks - starting with that pizza oatmeal (I’m going to add some cottage cheese to boost protein, and top with some chopped peppers and onions for crunch and fiber).

Over 2,000 businesses in Iran have been shut down for a day to several days because they allowed women showing their hair into their businesses.

This is the Iranian government’s latest move against the women refusing to cover their hair, and I don’t think they considered the unintended consequences of this rebuke.

““This is a lose-lose game for businesses. If they warn (women) about not wearing the hijab as per the authorities’ orders, people will boycott them,” said Mohsen Jalalpour, a former deputy head of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce. “If they refuse to comply, the government will close them down.”

Bijan Ashtari, who writes on Iranian politics, warned that business owners who had remained silent during the Mahsa Amini-inspired protests could now rise up.”

I continue to stand in awe of the bravery of the Iranian women, who are living their lives the way they chose to. These everyday moments of rebellion against the hardline government matter - and the tighter the Ayatollah and his team grip on the women, the more they will lose in the long run.

Zan. Zendegi. Azadi. Woman, Life, Freedom.

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