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Hellbenders and the Health of Mills River

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Patryk Battle sat down this week with Maria Wise, executive director of the Mills River Partnership. They discussed the health of the Mills River riparian system post-Helene.

Maria explained that parts of the river are still beautiful and look nearly unaffected by the storm. Other parts, just a few hundred feet away from the untouched riverbanks, are “areas of near-total devastation.” She considers this to mean that the riverbanks have no riparian buffer left. Maria said that farm fields by the river have lost 90% of their topsoil. The destruction will need “years and years of recovery to come.”

Patryk asked Maria about one species in particular that contributes to the health and vitality of the riparian system: the hellbender salamander. Noting that the hellbender is an amazing sight as the largest salamander in North America, Patryk feared that this precarious population might be wiped out. Maria confirmed that the Mills River Partnership has been seeking stories of sightings to track the hellbenders. The Forest Service Pisgah Rangers recently told the Partnership of finding 43 hellbenders—an encouraging sign! But Maria guesses that about 75% of the Mills River hellbender population has been wiped out. Patryk and Maria discussed some advantages of the hellbender being put on the endangered species list, as well as some upcoming volunteer days to help revegetate the riparian areas of the Mills River. To learn more about helping, visit the Mills River Partnership’s website or listen to the full interview in the archives.


More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

We (MUST) Keep Us Safe: An interview with a Long-Term, Anonymous Anarchist Comrade on Repression, Trauma, Security Culture, and Revolutionary Solidarity

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This week, we’re featuring an anonymized chat with a longtime anarchist on lessons learned trying to be free while being targeted by state repression. We talk about experiencing trauma, the need for strong relationships and movements offering shelter and strong alternatives to the alienated society of state and capital, while also speaking on the challenges of mental health and inviting in new participants in anarchist movement.

You can find the zine of the full interview (including curses) on our blog post alongside the full hour and forty minutes of conversation plus Sean Swain segment.

Descending References and Resources List According to Interview:

Green Scare Background

Grand Juries

Border Detention

Police Visitation

On Phone and Digital Security Culture

Infiltration Cases:

Anti-Repression Resources:

J20 Case

Sobriety Discussion

Mental Health/Trauma/Burn Out

 

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More Posts for Show: The Final Straw Radio

Asheville Kittens

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On this week’s AFM News Hour, news correspondent KP Whaley sat down with Andee Bingham, founder and director of the Esther Neonatal Kitten Alliance, to learn about the Alliance’s work in our community and their response to helping kittens in the wake of Helene. Andee first moved to NC from the Northeast, where kitten needs are much different. She saw that there was a need here to help kittens, particularly newborn and critically injured ones.

Andee discussed many of the challenges that animal rescue organizations face, including lack of experience, supplies, and training. She found that there was a need for these kittens beyond what typical rescues could offer. This is how Andee found herself beginning the Kitten Alliance. Their goal is to take in kittens that require a level of care that other shelters cannot provide. About 80% of the animals the Kitten Alliance takes in each year are either too young (under 5 weeks old) for traditional shelters or are too sick or injured. Andee said that, even though most of their animals arrive “pretty close to dead,” the Alliance saves about 89% of them. 

Lastly, Andee shared some strategies for how to help kittens in need. She also told a couple of heartwarming stories of cats and kittens. If you love kittens, or even if you’re a dog person like KP, give Andee’s stories a listen in the archives, and visit the Kitten Alliance website for more information.


More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

All Will Be Equalized with Andrew Zonneveld and Modibo Kadalie (ACAB 2024)

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This week, we’re sharing a recording of Andrew Zonneveld from the 2024 Another Carolina Anarchist Bookfair talking about his book All Will Be Equalized!: Georgia’s Freedom Seekers of the Swamps, Backwoods, and Sea Islands 1526-1890 alongside his friend Modibo Kadalie. To see a video with the slides from the presentation, check out our youtube page.

 


More Posts for Show: The Final Straw Radio

We Will Need Time: Two Libertarian Communist perspectives on events and possibility in Syria

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In this episode, you’ll hear Cedric and Khuzama, two libertarian communists with connections to Syria and editor contributors to the blog interstices-fajawat.org , speaking about their observations of what’s been going on leading up to and through the ouster of Bashar Al-Assad, as well as complications among various factions on the ground and the view from the Syrian diaspora. The situation on the ground is changing fast, so check the show notes for this episode on our website for links to news sources that can be helpful in keeping up.

  • https://aljumhuriya.net/ar/article_types/english/
  • https://www.aa.com.tr/en/economy/ousted-assad-regime-leaves-behind-devastated-economy/3419159
  • https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/9/what-is-captagon-the-addictive-drug-mass-produced-in-syria

If you’re listening to the radio edition, you can find an additional 30 minutes of content in the podcast version at our website or the various streaming services linked at TFSR.WTF . And if you care to hear a perspective from an anarchist combatant affiliated with Tekosina Anarsist, which works with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria affiliated with the SDF and Rojava Revolution, you can find our episode from December 22nd and the transcribed zine already online at our website.


More Posts for Show: The Final Straw Radio

An Anarchist View From Rojava on Recent Events in Syria: A conversation with a combatant of Tekoşîna Anarşist

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This week, we’re sharing a conversation with Errico, a combatant member of Tekoşîna Anarşist, an internationalist anarchist formation in critical solidarity with the Rojava Revolution. For this episode, Errico answers some questions we had about what’s been happening in Syria and concerns from within the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. You can find ideas and updates from the TA formation on their blog, https://tekosinaanarsist.noblogs.org. The full audio of this interview can be found at our website and past interviews with TA can be found here.

Errico’s voice has been re-recorded by a comrade for anonymity. The transcript is already up in the show notes and at our website for easier reading, translation and sharing and you can find past interviews we’ve done with TA linked in the show notes. And there is an announce-only signal group that anyone can join with updates and analysis by anarchists in the region or paying attention which we’ll link in our shownotes. Just a headsup, the usernames of members of this group will be visible to the all other users there and it might be a good opportunity to set up your signal username and make your phone number unfindable for better anonymity prior to joining the signal group ( https://signal.group/#CjQKIN0TDK_nsHV4uXRtLIdaUOL2R6yv7uvRs8c3RUiXLr-EEhBPEntGCDqJQOD4pzU36i6O )

We simultaneously recorded an interview with Cedric and Khuzama, two libertarian communists and editors of and contributors to the blog Interstices-Fajawat.org about their insights into Syria. This interview will be coming out soon, so keep an eye on our podcast feed.

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More Posts for Show: The Final Straw Radio