#hope

[reasonsforhope]

"A ceasefire deal was reached Wednesday [January 15, 2025[ to end 15 months of fighting in the Gaza Strip, according to President Joe Biden, Qatar's prime minister and Hamas officials.

The hard-won agreement will also free dozens of hostages held in Gaza, as well as Palestinians in Israeli jails, bringing the first real break in violence since a weeklong truce expired Dec. 1, 2023.

The deal will take effect Sunday [January 19, 2025, this appears to be the prisoner release, not the ceasefire itself], according to Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, whose country hosted weeks of intense negotiations.

Under the phased agreement, Israeli forces would withdraw to the Gaza border, allowing displaced Palestinians to return to their homes and for the transfer of hostages and prisoners. Large amounts of humanitarian aid would be shipped to the enclave and hospitals and health care centers would be rebuilt, he said.

Hamas, meanwhile, will release 33 hostages in exchange for 100 Palestinian prisoners with life sentences, according to a portion of the deal shared by Hamas. Israel will also release 1,000 Palestinian prisoners who were not involved in the Oct. 7 attacks, the text says, and an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners will also be released abroad or in Gaza...

Earlier, a diplomatic source in Washington told NBC News that Netanyahu was preparing to meet with his security Cabinet, where approval of the deal was expected quickly. He would then take the pact to the full Cabinet, which is also expected to approve. 

Israel’s Supreme Court would have 24 hours to permit an appeal, so the earliest a ceasefire could go into effect would be Friday [January 17, 2025], the source said. The first group of hostages would come out Sunday, the person added.

The war has shattered Gaza’s infrastructure and displaced most of its population. Health officials in the enclave say more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, most of them civilians.

The chances for a ceasefire seemed vanishingly small after many false dawns in recent months.

In November, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Netanyahu for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Amnesty International and Doctors Without Borders in December accused Israel of carrying out a genocide in Gaza."

-via NBC News, January 15, 2025

[sarahcute]

This is so beautiful and from Tumblr...

What’s going to make you happy right now? Is it some cake? Is it a nap? Is it calling your mom? Is it going on a drive and blasting music? Is it taking a bath? Is it reading a book?

Check in with yourself because you deserve that happiness, whatever it is.

[reasonsforhope]

"An endangered bird famous for its elaborate leaping courtship displays is being reared in a special facility where the animals are able to develop their wild instincts.

With less than 600 individuals left in the wilds of Cambodia, conservationists have shown that the Bengal florican can successfully grow up in semi-captivity, raising hope that a safe and stable population can be reintroduced to prevent further declines.

A large facility inside the 144 square miles of forest comprising Phnom Kulen National Park is the world’s first assurance colony of this florican’s Indo-Chinese subspecies. As the name implies, it’s native to Bangladesh and India, where it is also endangered.

Amid waist-high grass, soft mesh netting divides areas for these members of the bustard family to grow up in seclusion. Minimal visual contact with their keepers ensures that these birds have room to practice all the important skills they’ll need for wild living—like foraging, keeping a lookout for predators, but most importantly for a florican, how to find a mate.

All species of floricans look to dazzle prospective mates with a remarkable courtship display. Standing in high grass, they will leap between 6 and 9 feet off the ground whilst striking a heroic pose that involves tucking their legs up and leaning back.

Hardly flightless, their goal isn’t to take to the wing, but to stay airborne enough to attract the attention of a female, before falling back to the ground and disappearing among the grasses.

Unfortunately, these birds need grasslands to live in, but grasslands in their native range are rapidly being turned into agricultural land by a developing South Asian population.

Leaping into action

The Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB) established the captive colony in 2019. Cambodia has a high degree of threatened biodiversity, with over 400 species listed as Endangered or Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and 56 considered Critically Endangered.

The Bengal florican is just one of 30 such species held at the ACCB for future protection. The florican has just one remaining wild population of fewer than 600 individuals among the Tonle Sap Floodplains.

Conservationists from the ACCB work mainly to educate community members, especially Buddhist communities and students, about the plight of these ground-nesting birds.

“By engaging with diverse groups, we hope to bridge the conservation gap across generations,” Christel Griffioen, ACCB’s Country Director, told the IUCN.

These connections with the community have proved vital to the ACCB’s work. During the florican breeding season, the ACCB is notified where and when a wild florican nest is located. Depending on the timing in the season and the placement of the nest, ACCB biologists may choose to leave the eggs alone, but if the conditions aren’t optimal for chick mortality, they will safeguard the eggs, hatch them in their facility, and rear the birds in captivity for eventual reintroduction into the wild.

So far, the 11 surviving birds hatched at ACCB from eggs laid in the wild, along with four wild-hatched birds that have been taken in for one reason or another, are living and developing well.

“A full-time team at ACCB is dedicated to hand-rearing newly hatched chicks until they’re old enough to feed alone. They’re then moved into a facility that mimics their habitat where they remain, with limited to no human contact, safely cocooned in taller grass and soft ceilings that allow the males to practice their mating display,” writes the IUCN, noting that Christel and her team are always trying to transfer what they know about these birds in the wild to their conditions at the facility.

The conservationists hope to form a captive breeding program to further stabilize the animal’s numbers."

-via World at Large, January 10, 2025

[reasonsforhope]

"Norway is on the cusp of bidding farewell to internal combustion vehicles forever now that the automotive transition in the country has reached highway speeds.

Tax incentives and other perks like free parking, a diverse market of foreign and EU-made vehicles, and a vast charging network have steered almost all of the country’s national consumption towards electric vehicles.

Setting a non-legislative and vague goal of phasing out fossil fuel cars back in 2017, the recent market data suggests that the goal is now well within reach for the Arctic country of 5.5 million.

Despite the cold temperatures regularly draining batteries, consumers speaking with the BBC said range and charging weren’t major struggles given a simple change of mindset: from charging when you need it to charging when you can.

They also said there’s no reason why the Norwegian model couldn’t be adopted by other countries, as there’s not really an overly ‘green’ mindset in the purchasing decisions: it’s more about ensuring EVs are available, affordable, and sensible.

The best-selling EVs in the country are Teslas, followed by models from VW and Toyota. Unlike the US and EU countries, Norway hasn’t imposed tariffs on Chinese-made EVs, and a variety of Chinese makes enjoy a 10% share of Norway’s market which saw EVs account for 88.9% of new cars sold in the country last year, up from 82.4% in 2023.

A third of all registered cars on the road in the country today are electric if one includes diesel. Compared to just gasoline-powered cars, the split is closer to 50-50.

Norway has more proven gas and petroleum reserves than any other European nation. Like many of the world’s largest oil and natural gas exporters, they enjoy a massive sovereign wealth fund totaling over $1.7 trillion which allows them, the BBC reports, to shrug off the loss of tax revenue from EVs most of which are exempt from import and property taxes."

-via Good News Network, January 14, 2025

[randomreasonstolive]

Reason to Live #11844

    Soft pretzels with cheese! – Guest Submission

(Please don't add negative comments to these posts.)

[the-qalankhais-sweetheart]

I'm choosing to believe this, and I needed this. Thank you, fam ❤️

here’s to everyone hitting a low point after doing really well. you’re amazing and so strong and your hard work is not erased. you will find happiness again

[hayanahed]

Emergency: Help Evacuate My Family From GAZA WAR

Dear Humanity,

I'm Haya from Gaza , from a family of 8 people: my parents, two sons, and four daughters (two of them suffer from allergies).

I've witnessed the evidence of the tragedy that has struck our lives in Gaza, where my family and I have survived amidst numerous previous wars. But today, we face the most dangerous and fierce battle in the current war. The urgent need intensifies for us, as we have nothing left and are unable to secure our basic needs such as food, water, and safe shelter.

Here is our story - On October 7th, our lives changed forever, my family and I evacuated from northern Gaza to southern Gaza, hoping to return soon, but it wasn't meant to be. Our home was surrounded, burned, and then completely destroyed, Our home, once a fortress of hope, now lay in ruins, a stark reminder of our shattered dreams.

The night before we left from the north to the south was terrifying. Shelling sounds were everywhere, making a loud noise that felt like it went through our souls. Every explosions shook the ground like earthquakes, sending shockwaves of fear through our trembling bodies. filling us with fear. The air smelled of destruction and blood, making it hard to breathe. When dawn came, we saw the devastation around us, realizing our home was now a symbol of loss and despair.

We ran into the streets and with each step we took into the unknown streets, we felt as if we were plunging deeper into the abyss of our shattered existence, leaving behind everything we own in our home: Clothes, important official documents, the car, and literally it's almost everything - the enormity of our loss weighed heavily upon us.

Our home it was where we found hope, safety, and made precious memories. Losing it felt like losing years of our lives, leaving us adrift amidst the wreckage of our shattered existence.

A brief video depicting the devastation that struck our home and our entire neighborhood in Gaza.

Desperate Plea: Escaping Gaza's Allergy Nightmare

I, Haya, suffer from severe allergy to penicillin-derived medications, and my sister, Amal, also suffers from severe allergies to medications from my family such as Paracetamol and Ibuprofen.

These allergies create a deep sense of fear and anxiety for us, as we live in a constant state of tension and fear of anything that may require a visit to the hospital. We fear being given inappropriate medications due to the unavailability of suitable treatments in Gaza because of war or lack of awareness and not informing the doctor of our allergies, which could lead to serious consequences threatening our lives.

MY Father Income

Our dreams are heading towards oblivion in the labyrinth of an uncertain future

My story, along with my siblings, represents a united team of four individuals, three of whom are skilled programmers and one graphic designer. We work as freelancers in the world of freelancing.

As for my younger sister, she is a student studying at the College of Architecture. She has always carried a big dream in her heart, a dream of being part of changing Gaza, of making it more beautiful and better. She looked forward to the day when she would receive her degree and start building this dream. But the beginning of the war changed everything. The destruction of infrastructure and universities cast shadows of despair over her dreams.

When I think of my brother in Belgium, I can't help but feel deep sadness. He has been suffering from unbearable anxiety and insomnia since the outbreak of the war. Sleep eludes him at night, and his physical and mental health collapses under the weight of these heavy burdens, negatively affecting his performance at work. Problems and challenges pile up in front of him without the slightest opportunity for rest.

We all feel psychological pressure and extreme anxiety. The war hasn't been limited to external attacks but has deeply infiltrated our daily lives. We search among the rubble for a little safety and the basic resources for survival. Every day comes with a new challenge that we must overcome.

As we sway amidst the rubble of shattered dreams, our souls wrestle and our hearts beat strongly challenging the ravages of war.

Our parents earnestly seek a way to rescue us from this hell, feeling the heavy responsibility for every moment we spend under the shadows of fear and destruction. They dream of a safe place where they can build for us a better future, filled with security and hope, for we deserve life in all its meanings of comfort and peace.

Perhaps this fundraising campaign represents a light in the midst of darkness, it is indeed the only hope we cling to firmly.

I appeal to the world as a whole to hear my cry and the mournful cry of my family in Gaza. We need the helping hand that reaches out to wipe our tears and build a bridge to safety.

Your donation is not just a donation; it's an opportunity to rebuild life and brighten a better tomorrow. Be part of our hopeful story, for we need your hand to start anew.

The purpose of the fundraising campaign

The goal of this fundraising campaign is to rescue my family - my parents, my siblings, and me - through the Rafah Crossing to Egypt, which currently requires $5000 per person. This campaign is our only chance to stay alive, and I humbly request your assistance at this critical time. I will provide you with a comprehensive breakdown of the expenses, committing to transparency and clarity.

All of our important links are here https://linktr.ee/hayanahed

Verified by :

⭐️ operation olive branch, number 26 on their spreadsheet. (On Master list)

⭐️ Project watermelon,line 249 on their spreadsheet. Or you could see it as number 212 here is the photo for more clear proof

Thank you for your kindness and support.

.جزاكم الله خيراً

yours sincerely;

Haya Alshawish.

[thotsandpreyers]

“HOPE” spotted in Washington D.C.

[goodnightmari]

I did not know they were stackable ?????????

[myofficeisablanketfort]

"still people holding on to nothing but rubble, but it's their rubble"

Make no mistake, the Palestinian resistance caused this. Just hours ago, they announced a successful operation against the IDF

Its operations like these that has made it difficult for the IDF to conduct a genocide in Gaza

Of course the biggest credit goes to the people of Northern Gaza who steadfastly refused for 16 months to let their land get colonised

[tree-whispering]

[kedreeva]

Following the author of The Last Unicorn on Facebook is the only thing that makes being on that site worthwhile.

(source)

[hug-your-face]

via @swatercolor [insta]

[sarahcute]

This is so wonderful, and from Tumblr...

me after saying hello and standing awkwardly in a corner

[capric0rn]