Weathered Newsletter No. 1
Come in from the storm
Welcome to my first Weathered Newsletter edition. I’m going to share with you some articles that you might’ve missed from January as well as what clue you into what I’m reading now.
I kicked off 2023 with a rant about how It’s The End of The World. I have to admit that I had the same-titled song by REM in my head when I was writing that article.
Next, I wrote about The Death of The Great Salt Lake, a key ecological area for migrating birds. My family and I are amateur ornithologists and we have a deep sadness about how fast birds are dying off.
My last two articles of January were a social commentary on how The American Dream is Dead For You and how Everything is a Lie in Corporate America. Not only am I a staunch environmentalist but I do care a lot about a stable economy and community. I believe that our entire capitalistic system is doing more harm than good, no matter what some politicians and corporations say.
What I’m reading
I’m really concerned about Bird Flu (Avian Flu) right now. I’ve been following the news across the Internet and my “stay alert” warning bell has been ringing.
“The recent spillover to mammals needs to be monitored closely,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO’s director-general, told reporters on Wednesday, according to the Agence France-Presse (AFP). But “for the moment, WHO assesses the risk to humans as low.” — As Bird Flu Spreads to Mammals, Health Officials Urge Caution
They’re always warning of the risk to be low to humans until it isn’t.
While the risk to people remains low, public health officials must prepare “to face outbreaks in humans, and be ready also to control them as soon as possible,” Dr. Sylvie Briand, director of Global Infectious Hazard Preparedness and Emergency Preparedness at the WHO, told Fortune. — The spillover of bird flu to mammals must be ‘monitored closely,’ WHO officials warn: ‘We need to be ready to face outbreaks in humans’
What’s troubling is that it’s jumping to mammals now. There’s a massive die-off in seal populations.
In what is being described as a “mass mortality event”, more than 700 seals were found dead in December in the Caspian Sea, near to where the highly contagious H5N1 variant of avian flu was found in wild birds months earlier. — Mass death of seals raises fears bird flu is jumping between mammals, threatening new pandemic
Seals aren’t immune. Bird flu is killing off bears, mountain lions, and skunks in Colorado.
First came a black bear in Huerfano County, which state wildlife officials euthanized after seeing it suffer from seizures, Duncan said. The animal’s remains froze in the wild until it thawed enough to be taken to a health lab for testing, which confirmed traces of H5N1.
Then, a skunk from Weld County tested positive for the virus in November, Duncan said.
And finally, in mid-January, a mountain lion was found dead in Gunnison County, Duncan said. The lion also tested positive for H5N1 and suffered liver damage and bronchointerstitial pneumonia. — Bird flu infects Colorado mountain lion, black bear and skunk, all now dead
Book recommendation
I picked up Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival by David Canterbury (affiliate link) last year. The book explains how to build shelters, tie knots, cook food, and keep your equipment ready. My kid is a Boy Scout and there’s a ton of overlap in there from what he and I learned going camping with the Scouts but I’m glad to have this book in my library.
Thanks for reading. Keep your nose to the wind, your powder dry, and be prepared.
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