Morning Reads for World Bee Day (May 20)

Good morning! It’s World Bee Day, a day first designated in 2017 by the United Nations to recognize the importance of bees because of their role as pollinators. Did you know that nearly 90% of the world’s wild flowering plant species depend at least in part on animal pollination, along with more than 75% of the world’s food crops and 35% of global agricultural land?

I depend on them for my garden, but I’m also a bit unnerved by the idea of keeping bees. I elect, instead, to put up pollinator hotels, garden without pesticides, and plant a variety of pollinator-friendly flowers. Here are some suggested activities for you on World Bee Day, if you’re so inclined.

And now, the news!

Pat Conroy

Alice Walker

  • Goldman Sachs economist Blake Taylor’s data shows that states that “reopened” didn’t see much of an economic boost compared to others that did not. As a whole, however, the U.S. is on an upward shift economically.
  • The Centers for Disease Control was finally allowed to release its guidance for reopening, now that several states have already done so.
  • A federal judge in Texas has ruled that fear of COVID-19 is a valid reason to vote by mail in that state.
  • A study out of Hong Kong using hamsters has found that wearing masks can reduce the transmission of COVID-19 by 75%.
  • Getting the promised help from broadband companies during this pandemic has often been difficult and frustrating for poor Americans.

Flannery O’Connor

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