August 27, 2021
We've got especially inspiring stories today on the Update with news that the all-female Afghan robotics team has landed safely in Mexico and Hawaii's impressive renewables progress. Listen to The Optimist Daily Update with Summers & Kristy - Making Solutions the Read More...
Could driving habits and credit scores be the earliest indicators of dementia?
Early detection is critical for successfully treating Alzheimer’s and dementia, but what if identifying the first noticeable symptoms is already too late for adequate treatment? An emerging field of research is looking for clues outside of traditional medical diagnosis to accelerate dementia Read More...
Thought Leader Series: Julian Spector on Hawaii's renewable future
This Thought Leader Series piece was originally published in Canary Media's August 19, 2021 Newsletter. BY Julian Spector Last week I visited Oahu, Hawaii's most populous island, which is currently girding itself for the closure of the state's last coal plant. My mission: to figure out how Read More...
EPA announces ban on harmful pesticide chlorpyrifos
Even if you’ve never heard of chlorpyrifos, you’ve probably come in contact with it on your food. This common pesticide has been on the market since 1965 and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 5.1 million pounds of the chemical have been used on American crops like Read More...
August 26, 2021
We've got lifestyle tips on the Update today. Listen to learn why you should journal about setbacks and how swearing might actually be good for you. Listen to The Optimist Daily Update with Summers & Kristy - Making Solutions the Read More...
August 26, 2021
We've got lifestyle tips on the Update today. Listen to learn why you should journal about setbacks and how swearing might actually be good for you. Listen to The Optimist Daily Update with Summers & Kristy - Making Solutions the Read More...
Good news: Climate reporting accuracy improving in news media
With floods, fires, droughts, and storms flashing across the headlines every week, the realities of human-driven climate change have become impossible to ignore. Fortunately, it seems like the mainstream media is catching up to this realization as well with a recent report detailing that 90 percent Read More...
This zombie escape room prepared clinicians for the pandemic
Back in 2019, the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System began running escape room simulations to teach clinicians about the importance of personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection-halting measures in a highly infectious medical setting. Organizers Kristy Causey and Grace Boseman created Read More...
The Optimist View: Fighting Fire with FireーRethinking wildfires with Indigenous wisdom
“Everything on the earth has a purpose, every disease an herb to cure it, and every person a mission. This is the Indian theory of existence.” - Mourning Dove BY Amelia Buckley As wildfires continue to rage around the Western United States, Greece, Turkey, and more, I reached out to my Read More...
Snorkelers discover record-breaking coral in Great Barrier Reef
A group of snorkelers in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef discovered a true treasure during a dive last week. While swimming off the coast of Goolboodi island in Queensland’s Palm Island Group, they stumbled across a coral measuring 17.4 feet (5.3 meters) tall and 34.1 feet (10.4 meters) Read More...