Michaela Haas

2 weeks ago | reasonstobecheerful.world | Michaela Haas

Living Paradigms is a series about what we can learn from the customs and cultural practices of others when it comes to solving problems. It is sponsored by Wonderstruck. Maidu fire practitioner Danny Manning twirls a traditional fire stick made from an elderberry plant between his hands, rubbing it against a fire board until the first ember forms. He kindles it with a cottonwood bundle and gently blows on it until it turns into a flame.

3 weeks ago | reasonstobecheerful.world | Michaela Haas

In the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, a quiet revolution in end-of-life practices is underway. At Ramsey Creek Preserve near Westminster, South Carolina, the deceased do not rest under rows of cold marble, but beneath meadows and oaks, their presence woven into the natural world. The first body Billy Campbell buried on his land was the stillborn child of friends. Then a colleague who died suddenly in a car accident “solidified the rightness of it,” Campbell recounts.

3 weeks ago | sueddeutsche.de | Michaela Haas

Wo bleibt der Protest der Amerikaner gegen Trump, fragt die halbe Welt. Unsere Kolumnistin schaut sich im Land um und kann sich über diese Frage nur wundern. „Demokratie = kein Diktator!“, steht auf einem Schild, auf einem anderen „Trump <3 Putin“ oder „Du kannst einem Clown eine Krone aufsetzen, aber das macht ihn nicht zum König“. Hunderte stehen vor der Eisdiele „Golden Spoon“ an der Zufahrtsstraße zu meinem kalifornischen Küstenstädtchen Laguna Niguel und schwenken Schilder.

4 weeks ago | withguitars.com | David Byrne |Alex Burness |Michaela Haas |Jennifer Cole

Many people in jails are being detained until their trials, meaning that they are considered legally innocent and maintain their voting rights. Problem is, most U.S. jails make it tough to exercise those rights. But not Colorado. Now, every jail in the Centennial State has its own polling station –– and voter turnout is surging. Each year, countless birds die after colliding with buildings. But simple solutions exist, from tiny dots on glass to turning out the lights.

1 month ago | reasonstobecheerful.world | Michaela Haas

When I entered my friend’s newly built guest house near San Diego, I admired the broad glass front that opened up to a panoramic view over the valley. By the time I left an hour later, an egg-yolk-yellow warbler was writhing in front of the glass entry door. We took the barely breathing beauty to a bird rehabber who told us it would not survive. According to an often-quoted estimate, building collisions kill a billion birds in the U.S. every year, plus 40 million in Canada.