43 Comments

The ending video was spectacular. Thanks for sharing all this good news!

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I agree! Glad you enjoyed!

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My brother has a telescope - not as fancy as the one in this video - so I had to send him the link!

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With good news so bloody difficult to come by, your column today was a brisk Spring tonic...cheers!

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So glad you enjoyed it!

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Thank you! I am so grateful we have the Biden administration in those challenging times. They are juggling so many things at once and making a real difference. Historians will have so much to unpack about this era. If we give it our all and re-elect him and defeat MAGA we’ll have done one more thing to bend the arc of history back towards justice. So much we see in fiction is about the future when things go wrong but maybe we can create one of hope and progress. Amazingly we know how to solve many of humanity’s current challenges; we just need to minimize the influence of bad actors.

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Exactly, Jason.

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"They are juggling so many things at once and making a real difference."

If you aren't already familiar with it, check out this webpage about the Biden-Harris record:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/therecord/

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Thank you for another compilation of advancing democracy!

Great video on the heels of Monday's eclipse.

Keep up the great and inspiring work!

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I will try! (:

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Wow, indeed! What a great inspiring coming together kind of video. Thank you.

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Wasn’t it great?

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Love all the good news each week! Could you resend the address to recycle eclipse glasses for children in South America? Thanks for everything!

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That wasn't me.

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Loved the video on remembering to look up, and also wanted to let you know that I’m enjoying the siblings Spotify playlist you provided not too long ago. I can now recognize Chapin Sisters’ songs right away but it may take a while longer to get to where I can name those songs where your voice is also in the harmony.

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It's just the one-- "Toxic." The rest were recorded after I left the band.

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That video! 🌘🔥💫 Such a great reminder that we are e all connected. “Look up more often.” Thanks for the weekly roundup, Jess. Always reinforces my hope.

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Thanks, Paula. So glad you enjoyed.

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Jessica, you have ferreted out so much really wonderful news - this and every week - thanks so much! An especially surprising and promising one was that the Indiana state court just approved religious exemptions to its abortion ban! And all the common sense updates to the WIC packages.

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I agree! I think that's a bigger deal than we realize. Seems like something that could work its way up to SCOTUS?

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Such a great list and that moon video 😭. I was privileged to witness the eclipse in rural Indiana and the feeling was such unity, we were all coming together to witness something spectacular. An added bonus hours on the road in rural Indiana and I did not see one tr...mp hat, t-shirt, sign or bumper sticker! That was such a delightful surprise, 🤞🏻 hopefully it's a sign the times they are a changing. And of course we need to keep showing up to build the world we want ❤️

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Indeed we do!

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Enjoyed Pompeii info and photos and the video- oh wow! [couldn't come up with anything original ! ]

Thank you.

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Thanks, Lauren!

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Terrific! 🙏

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Thank you for the David Pepper article. You are right - VERY uplifting and so I just contributed to those three Missouri women’s campaigns! You keep me positive and hopeful, Jessica!

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Oh yay I’m so glad!!

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You might also enjoy this "On Democracy" podcast from last year featuring Crystal Quade who is one of the Dems running in the primary for the MO Governor's race. She is definitely not your typical candidate :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQPXzFRTwbg

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Thanks, Cheryl. Missouri is fortunate to have Crystal. Imagine, first one in family to graduate from high school and now running for Governor!

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I read both Jay Kuo and Pepperspectives. I subscribed to both substacks and donated to the 3 campaigns featured in Pepperspectives.

I'm not surprised that the 3 candidates featured were women. Since 2016, I've been involved with and supporting a growing number of pro democracy organizations. Most of my co volunteers continue to be women. I see more men everyday which is encouraging.

Reading about the three wonderful candidates running for office in Missouri reminded me of our trip to see the solar eclipse. It was 2:30 AM Tuesday morning when got home from viewing it at Lake Wappapello State Park near Poplar Bluff.

I was impressed with how well people treated each other as we gathered to watch what some of us described as a major lifetime experience. We were a diverse collection of people from all over the country. I even met a man from Australia. I decided to write a substack article about our adventure. You can find it at: https://thomasdillhunt.substack.com/

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Thank you, Thomas!

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Two women who say abortion restrictions put them in medical peril are now campaigning for Biden. 🪓

I attended one of those Biden campaign events last week in Charlotte, NC. We also had a local OB-GYN who specializes in high-risk pregnancy and a woman who works at (is in charge of?) a local abortion clinic speak about the challenges of states' restrictions on reproductive healthcare.

I am so glad the Biden campaign is leaning in and calling out the GOP on their assault on women! NC could be FL if the GOP candidate for Governor, Mark Robinson, gets elected.

https://www.realmarkrobinson.com/

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I just got a call from Ashley Cossins in Missouri - from her personal cell phone- thanking me for my donation. I told her I saw the article about her on Jessica’s substack and she was delighted to know where the flurry of small contributions originated. This group is truly a strong community to uplift and support… we were both moved to tears realizing the power to connect… I am so glad she felt less isolated out in a corner of MO and wanted to share how much we matter.

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OMG that's amazing! May I share this comment?

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Yes, certainly may share!

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Also can you remind which newsletter I posted about her in?

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April 14 I believe

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In the David Pepper piece

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