Day: December 23, 2024

France tries new government to break political deadlock  The Washington Post
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Popular NFT marketplace OpenSea is at the center of a growing speculation surrounding a potential token launch.
After years of anticipation, a newly formed OpenSea Foundation and cryptic online posts have fueled expectations for a token dubbed $OCEAN.
Competitors like Blur and Magic Eden have already introduced tokens, adding pressure on OpenSea to follow suit. Whilst no formal announcement has been made, these hints have kept the NFT community remain speculative.
The establishment of the OpenSea Foundation has become a focal point for speculation about the $OCEAN token. This post on X from @waleswoosh revealed that the foundation is registered in the Cayman Islands. Whilst the foundation’s purpose remains undisclosed, similar entities have been used by competitors to manage token launches.
An X account linked to the foundation recently posted “ocean enters the chat,” which was acknowledged by OpenSea and its CEO, Devin Finzer. This interaction has been widely interpreted as a subtle nod to an impending token.
Adding to the intrigue, OpenSea’s social media engagement has also fueled airdrop rumors wherein the platform recently asked its followers, “How long have you been using OpenSea?”—a question many see as related to measuring user loyalty, a common metric for airdrop eligibility.
Meanwhile, crypto enthusiasts are placing their bets on the likelihood of a token launch through prediction platform Polymarket where the odds of an OpenSea token announcement before 2024 rose sharply to nearly 60% following the OpenSea Foundation’s cryptic post. A separate market also predicts an 82% likelihood of an airdrop before April 2025.
However, traders remain divided over the token’s long-term success. A Polymarket prediction on whether $OCEAN would achieve a $1 billion fully diluted valuation one week post-launch currently places the odds at 56%, reflecting cautious optimism.
Whilst details remain scarce, OpenSea’s recent activities suggest that a token launch could be on the horizon, leaving traders and NFT enthusiasts eagerly awaiting further updates.
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I’ll watch almost anything profiling the inner workings of the criminal mind. However, as a viewer, I find non-violent crime the most compelling because, in a way, it’s easier to understand. Don’t get me wrong, I won’t take a dark turn and embark on a life of crime. But it’s easier for me to relate to someone who steals or cheats than it is to empathize with a person who commits an act of unprovoked violence.
Much of the true-crime programming available on cable and streaming is murder-related. So, I’m always quick to hone in on content profiling white-collar crime. A documentary within that scope called Biggest Heist Ever just dropped on Netflix and it’s quite compelling as its story is stranger than fiction. I was riveted from start to finish. Better yet, the documentary has a punchy runtime of around 90 minutes.
The film chronicles the rise and subsequent fall of two resourceful young entrepreneurs in the tech space. Each carved out a niche for themselves and could likely have made a comfortable living and enjoyed a typical life. But both had greater aspirations. Heather Morgan and Ilya Lichtenstein wanted it all. They used their industry prowess and knowledge of cryptocurrency to pull off a heist of epic proportions. And they came dangerously close to getting away with it. Unfortunately for the duo dubbed “Bitcoin Bonnie and Clyde”, the digital paper trail they left behind eventually led to their undoing. 
Heather and Ilya’s story stands out because they were partners in crime. It’s exceptionally rare for romantically linked individuals to commit crimes together. That may stem from a fear of incriminating a loved one. However, these two weren’t dissuaded by any such concerns. They lived well and enjoyed a life of luxury until their eventual apprehension.
Plus, their story is often hilarious. Heather’s rapper alter ego and outlandish social media content make the pair seem like extremely unlikely criminals. But the more we learn about each of them, the more things fall into place.  
The Netflix documentary provides a compelling psychological profile of both Ilya and Heather. Initially, it’s nearly impossible to believe these people pulled off a heist of such grand proportions with such consummate skill. But as we uncover details about their respective backgrounds, it becomes easier to accept that they were both destined for success, infamy, or … something. Each was a gifted student in their early years and possessed a skill set that made them uniquely capable of pulling off this unprecedented feat.  
It’s thrilling to get the chance to live vicariously through these two as we learn of their daring misadventures. It’s compelling to see a variety of commentators comprised of hackers, journalists, law enforcement, and those who knew the pair paint a picture of how these seemingly ordinary folks went from humble beginnings to running afoul of the FBI.  
Given that the subject matter is highly specialized, I appreciate how Biggest Heist Ever breaks down cybercrime in layman’s terms. I don’t write code or invest in cryptocurrency, so my knowledge of the subject matter is pretty minimal. However, the commentators make the events retold within plenty easy to understand and never go too deep into the technical aspects, ensuring even the least technically inclined viewer can keep up.
I’m also pleased to report that the subject matter is presented with brevity in mind. In the age of the docu-series, it’s so common to see material stretched beyond thin, to the point where even the most innocuous aspects of a given case are examined in painstaking detail. Streamers seem to actively encourage documentarians to lean into the most sensational elements of the stories they’re telling and draw out the proceedings as long as possible. Why? Content is king in the streaming age, and a longer runtime equals more hours streamed. The more you use a given service, the less likely you are to cancel your membership. Fortunately, Biggest Heist Ever keeps it punchy and never veers into monotony. Director Chris Smith covers all the key points and calls it a day. That’s my kind of reporting. 
Though Smith’s coverage is in-depth and informative, I don’t think we’ll ever know the whole story. This isn’t a case that’s neatly tied up with all outstanding questions answered. There are elements of the investigation that none of the people profiled are allowed to address due to national security concerns. But that only serves to make the ordeal more fascinating. Any answers the filmmakers could give us would likely pale in comparison to what we can construct in our minds. 
If you are game to experience Biggest Heist Ever, make your way to Netflix and give it a go. 
Summary
The characters profiled within are so colorful that the doc almost feels like fiction.
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The House Ethics Committee’s final report on its investigation into former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., found that he engaged in a long list of conduct that violates House Rules and some that are potentially criminal offenses at the state level.
The committee released withdrew his bid after more details on the Ethics Committee investigation and other allegations were reported.
House Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest said Monday in a statement following the report’s release that while he does not “challenge the Committee’s findings,” he did not vote to release the Gaetz report. 
“The decision to publish a report after his resignation breaks from the Committee’s long-standing practice and is a dangerous departure with potentially catastrophic consequences,” he said.
Trump’s transition team and House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The committee outlined a significant amount of evidence that it says shows Gaetz, as a member of Congress, regularly engaged in sexual activity with women who he was also paying substantial sums of money. Committee investigators said they tracked more than $90,000 to 12 different women over a five-year period from 2017 to 2020. The Committee concluded the payments were likely connected to sexual activity and or drug use. 
Two women told the committee that Gaetz had paid them for sex, including a woman who said he paid a woman for sex at a small, invitation-only party in Florida, where prostitution is illegal, in 2017 while he was a member of the House, their lawyer told NBC News. Those women were of age at the time.
The same woman told the panel that, at the same party, she witnessed Gaetz having sex with her friend, who was 17 years old at the time.
The report also details a 2017 sexual encounter Gaetz was alleged to have had with a woman who was a junior in high school. The woman testified before the committee that she had sex with Gaetz twice at a party when she was 17. She also claimed to receive money from the then-congressman that she perceived to be a payment for sex. 
“The Committee received testimony that Victim A and Representative Gaetz had sex twice during the party, including at least once in the presence of other party attendees. Victim A recalled receiving $400 in cash from Representative Gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex. At the time, she had just completed her junior year of high school,” the report reads. 
The woman told the committee that she did not tell Gatez she was underage and the committee also said it did not discover any evidence that Gaetz knew he was having sex with a minor.  
Lawyers for the accusers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
While the committee concluded that Gaetz may be in violation of several state laws, it did not find conclusive evidence that Mr. Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws. Gaetz was the subject of a lengthy criminal investigation by the Justice Department, but prosecutors chose not to bring charges.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office did not immediately return a request for comment. A spokesperson for Washington, D.C, Attorney General Brian Schwalb declined to provide comment.
The report goes into detail about a 2018 trip Gaetz took to the Bahamas. The committee said it believe the trip violated House gift rules, citing the testimony of one woman who described the trip as payment for sex. The committee said Gaetz engaged in sexual activity with several women on the trip and one of the women on the trip said she saw Gaetz take ecstasy. 
Earlier Monday, in an attempt to prevent the report’s release, Gaetz sought a temporary restraining order against the House Ethics Committee and its chair, Michael Guest, calling for an injunction that would prevent their release of the expected report detailing the investigation into him.
“The Committee’s apparent intention to release its report after explicitly acknowledging it lacks jurisdiction over former members, its failure to follow constitutional notions of due process, and failure to adhere to its own procedural rules and precedent represents an unprecedented overreach that threatens fundamental constitutional rights and established procedural protections,” Gaetz’s lawyers said.
Prior to the report’s release, Gaetz had repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, noting that a separate Justice Department probe into allegations of sex trafficking ended with no charges.
Gaetz has repeatedly denied having sex with anyone underaged or paying for sex.  
“I’ve had no chance to ever confront any accusers. I’ve never been charged. I’ve never been sued,” Gaetz wrote on X last week.
“In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated — even some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years,” he continued in a lengthy post. “I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18. Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court — which is why no such claim was ever made in court. My 30’s were an era of working very hard — and playing hard too.”
“It’s embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now,” Gaetz wrote.
Ryan Nobles is a correspondent covering Capitol Hill.
Gary Grumbach produces and reports for NBC News, based in Washington, D.C.
© 2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC

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HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale High School District 86’s student absenteeism rate remains high compared with the years before the pandemic, according to the Illinois Report Card website.
The state tracks the rate of students who are absent 10 percent or more of the days in a school year, whether excused or not. For a 180-day year, that means a student missed at least 18 days, or 3½ weeks.
Last school year, 19 percent of Hinsdale Central’s students were chronically absent, a slight reduction from the previous year’s 21 percent. Pre-pandemic, the rate was 9 percent.
At Hinsdale South, 23 percent of students were chronically absent, down from 26 percent a year earlier. Before the pandemic, the rate was 17 percent.
Central and South are in the ballpark of similarly wealthy high schools in the area. Last year, the chronic absenteeism rates at York High in Elmhurst and Lyons Township High in La Grange were 22 percent and 23 percent, respectively. Their rates, too, are elevated compared to before the pandemic.
CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM
Here are the percentages of students who missed at least 10 percent of days in a school year with or without a valid excuse:
Hinsdale Central (Hinsdale)
2024 19%
2023 21%
2022 20%
2019 9%
2018 13%
Hinsdale South (Darien)
2024 23%
2023 26%
2022 23%
2019 17%
2018 16%
York (Elmhurst)
2024 22%
2023 37%
2022 22%
2019 10%
2018 16%
Lyons Township (La Grange)
2024 23%
2023 24%
2022 28%
2019 13%
2018 11%
Source: Illinois Report Card

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Denzel Washington turns 70 later this week, but the Gladiator II star managed to squeeze in one more life milestone before the big day. On Saturday, the Oscar-winning actor was baptized at a New York City church in a ceremony that was livestreamed on Facebook. Dressed humbly in a gray T-shirt and black sweats, Washington was joined at the Kelly Temple Church of God in Harlem by his wife, Pauletta, who got emotional talking about her husband's "spiritual journey," per People.
"I'm very proud of you," she told her emotional husband, per Page Six. "You are the head of our house, and you have set a great example for our children, who are now adult children who know the difference because we have shown them the difference." According to Archbishop Christopher Bryant, Washington noted, "It took a while, but I'm finally here. … If [God] can do this for me, there's nothing He can't do for you. The sky literally is the limit."
Washington is also said to have been presented with a minister's license, which will allow for him to be ordained in the future. People notes that Washington's baptism comes after an Esquire interview published last month in which he said it was "not fashionable" and "not sexy" to be a God-fearing actor in Hollywood. "I'm unafraid. I don't care what anyone thinks," he said. "See, talking about the fear part of it—you can't talk like that and win Oscars. You can't talk like that and party. You can't say that in this town. I'm free now." (More Denzel Washington stories.)

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Earlier this month, at a National Association of Independent Schools (“NAIS”) conference, more than one speaker got up and gave a blatantly anti-Semitic diatribe. This revered national education association is the premiere accreditation agency of over 1,500 of the most elite private schools in the country, including Dalton on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The conference program was so biased that some Jewish participants tried to hide their Star of David pendants inside their shirts. The relentless anti-Semitism unleashed over the past year speaks volumes about a larger infection that has reached the top echelons of America’s most vaunted school accrediting organization. This kind of raw bigotry by an education organization against a religious minority tells us something unnerving about the state of our schools right now.
The American answer – the only hopeful answer for our long-term social health – is to get back to reminding ourselves just how and why this country was founded. That means reviving civics at the heart of our school curricula, long before our children land on college campuses or in the workplace. If we don’t expose young people to the great debates and documents upon which our nation was established, how can we expect them to be thoughtful citizens of a republic when they mature? Imagine students in middle school reading George Washington’s letter to the colonial synagogue of Newport, Rhode Island. In that central epistle of American government, written to the Jewish community by our first president, Washington made clear that tolerance of different identities is not merely a conditional indulgence. Bigotry would be given “no sanction.” Liberty for all was an a priori presumption based on natural rights.
How many of our students in middle school and high school know terms such as natural rights and religious liberty, let alone the classic texts on which they are based and that helped spawn these United States? We need to recommit ourselves to education about our foundational propositions, events, and documents.
Last month, just as the NAIS conference of hate was about to start, another national conference got underway. This one was different.
The Jack Miller Center is devoted to one purpose: the teaching of American civics. As Dr. Justin Dyer from the University of Texas at Austin succinctly explains, that means “the rights and duties of citizenship.” This is a vast curricular mandate, necessarily beginning with the classics of Western thought that led to the American Founding and documents such as the Federalist Papers and the Constitution. How do the ancients, from the Jews to the Greeks to the Romans all the way to Locke and Hobbes and Rousseau, get us to Jefferson and Adams? And how does Jefferson get us to Lincoln and beyond? How was our government formed, and how has it evolved over time? What is its structure? What does it mean to be a citizen of this new and different kind of country in the history of nations?
These are fundamental questions. At the Jack Miller Center’s November National Summit on Civic Education, the urgent significance of this kind of student learning was the only agenda item. Various educational leaders spoke, and real, concrete discussions took place on practical curricular progress. As the Head of School of a classical middle and high school, I see this kind of national dialogue as intrinsic to our founding principles. Students acquire significant skills as readers and writers while also gaining a deeper understanding of the American story.
At Emet Classical Academy, we stand each morning for the Pledge of Allegiance. This is not some rote ritual. We say it because we understand what it means. In our high school Practicum Program, students are mentored by an expert in their extracurricular field of interest, learning that industry substantively while also thinking about how to make a public contribution. For example, a ninth-grade student interested in sports management is mentored by the leader of a sports facility. He will study the role sports play not only in our city’s economy but also in local democracy. These kinds of curricular modules form the pieces of a truly meaningful education.
Civics is at the root of the kind of students we seek to raise. Will they be reflective and public-minded, or, in the frankest of terms, civically illiterate, and then compelled through no fault of their own to become resentful of a democracy to which they feel they have no claim? The choice is ours—not only as educators but also as parents and citizens.
If we in school leadership positions don’t move fast, we’ll continue to see the downward spiral of our democracy into tribalism and hatred, just as we saw at the NAIS conference this month. The Jack Miller Center, and schools that learn from its work and commit to a path of knowledge about, and hope in, the American experiment, offer another way. Hate comes from insecurity. Education is its antithesis. Let’s start teaching our children once more about their own promise—and their country’s.

Abraham Unger is Head of School at Emet Classical Academy.

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Reporter, Infosecurity Magazine
Read more about Internet Archive’s wave of cyber-attacks:
Customer service provider Zendesk has helped Internet Archive resolve a breach that let hackers send emails on behalf of the digital library.
In the latest episode in a series of cyber-attacks that saw Internet Archive hit by DDoS attacks and a website defacement, a threat actor sent many of the library’s users an email seemingly from the Internet Archive team sharing a stolen access token for the digital library’s Zendesk account.
This was confirmed by an Internet Archive blog post on October 21, which declared that “hackers disclosed archive.org email and encrypted passwords to a transparency website, and also sent emails to patrons by exploiting a third-party helpdesk system.”
Speaking to Infosecurity, a Zendesk spokesperson said that Internet Archive did not secure its authentication tokens, which enabled unauthorized access to their Zendesk instance. The Zendesk team has since worked with Internet Archive to secure the non-profit’s account.
“It’s important to note that there is no evidence this was a Zendesk issue and that Zendesk did not experience a compromise of its platform,” the spokesperson added.
News site BleepingComputer said the hacker behind the Internet Archive breach contacted them and claimed they managed to get hold of an exposed GitLab configuration file on one of the organization's development servers, services-hls.dev.archive.org.
This file allegedly contained an authentication token allowing the threat actor to download source code from Internet Archive.
This source code likely contained the application programmable interface (API) access tokens for Internet Archive's Zendesk customer support system.
Speaking to Infosecurity, Josh Lemos, GitLab's CISO, commented: “It is imperative that users implement security best practices by rotating personal, group, and project access tokens and use a key management server (KMS) for securely storing secrets. Storing key material, including tokens and API keys in configuration files, is a security anti-pattern.”
He also said that starting in version GitLab 16.0, all access tokens now have a forced expiry date as a security best practice to ensure that leaked tokens are not usable forever.
BleepingComputer reported that it had "repeatedly tried to warn the Internet Archive about their source code being stolen due to a GitLab authentication token that had been exposed online for nearly two years."
In its latest blog post, Internet Archive did not say whether the data allegedly accessed by the threat actor in the non-profit’s source code was safe.
“The safety and integrity of the Internet Archive’s data and patrons remain our top priorities. As the security incident is analyzed and contained by our team, we are relaunching services as defenses are strengthened. These efforts are focused on reinforcing firewall systems and further protecting the data stores,” the library’s message read.
Some of the Internet Archive services have now resumed, including the Wayback Machine (starting October 13) and Archive-It (October 17), and archive.org has been made available in a read-only manner since October 21.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

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By Henry Neondo
In the heart of Molo Sub-County in Nakuru County, Kenya, lies a kitchen garden that stands as a testament to the healing power of tradition. Mama Jane Sigara, a dedicated farmer and passionate herbalist, has made it her mission to preserve and promote indigenous vegetables, herbs, and traditional plants that are fast disappearing from many Kenyan farms and forests.
With a strong belief that food is medicine, Jane has carved out a quarter-hectare space within her compound in Gitaru village of Molo sub-County to cultivate and conserve as many of these plants as possible.
In so doing, Mama (a respectful name of an elderly lady) Jane, as is popularly known, not only enriches her family diet but also contributes to the wider community’s health and well-being besides ensuring that the tradition is not lost to the generations ahead.
For a visitor unfamiliar with Jane’s garden, the sight in her compound might seem like any other rural farm: a patch of land that looks abandoned, with plants and herbs sprawling freely in every direction including the veranda of the two houses within her compound.
Yet, this apparent disarray is anything but accidental. Every plant, herb, and grass on her farm has a specific purpose and offers some kind of benefit.
Jane’s garden is an eclectic mix of traditional herbs and vegetables that not only serve culinary purposes but also possess medicinal properties. She has minimized tilling and weeding to allow the plants to grow naturally, a method that aligns with her holistic approach to health and agriculture. In Gitaru village, Jane is known as the “traditional seed grower and propagator.” It is a title she wears proudly, as she believes that the knowledge of these plants should not be lost to future generations.
As she leads you through the garden, Jane’s enthusiasm for her plants becomes evident. She will be telling you the benefit of  a plant or herb as she unconsciously plucks it , throwing it in her mouth chewing while explaining its purpose and value.
She has created a space where nature is allowed to thrive, and where food is considered as much a remedy for the body as it is a source of nourishment.
A walk through the garden
One of the first things you notice as Jane takes you through her garden is the abundance of indigenous plants. They grow in clusters, as if they have found a com

munity of their own. Among these, Jane points out a few key varieties that have been integral to her diet and their attendant health benefits for years.
Known locally as Managu in Kikuyu and Esagaro in Kisii, African nightshade is a popular vegetable that has been a staple of Kenyan cuisine for generations. With its dark green leaves, this vegetable is rich in vitamins and minerals, particularly iron and calcium. It is often cooked as a stew or added to soups, and is believed to help manage blood pressure and improve digestion. Jane prescribes this nutritious vegetable to the neighbours who consult her regularly. She equally incorporates this into her meals, and it plays an important role in maintaining her overall health.
This leafy green, known as Wagoroso in Kisii and Sukuma wa Shamba in Nakuru, is another common vegetable grown in Jane’s garden. The spider plant is highly nutritious and is known for its high iron content, making it particularly beneficial for people suffering from anemia. It is commonly boiled, steamed, or stir-fried, and its benefits extend beyond nutrition—it is also used in traditional medicine to treat ailments like skin diseases, menstrual cramps, and digestive problems. Jane believes that eating these nutrient-dense vegetables has been key to maintaining her strong and healthy lifestyle.
Amaranth, known locally as Terere or murere in most both bantu-speaking Kenyans, is another vegetable that has long been cherished in traditional diets. It is rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals, and is often included in stews or served as a side dish. Amaranth is believed to help regulate blood sugar levels and improve overall immune function. Jane grows various varieties of amaranth, both the green and red-leafed types, which she incorporates into her meals and shares with her community.
In Kisii, cowpea leaves are known as Ekitookye or Mchicha wa Njiru in Molo. These leaves are packed with essential nutrients, including proteins, vitamins A and C, and calcium. The leaves are often used in stews or soups, and the legumes themselves are cooked as a protein-rich side dish. Cowpea leaves are also considered a medicinal plant, with some people using them to treat symptoms of malaria, chest infections, and digestive disorders. Jane emphasizes the importance of growing such multi-purpose plants that not only provide food but also aid in medicinal healing.
Coriander, or Dhania, is an essential herb in Jane’s kitchen garden. Used both as a spice in cooking and as a medicinal herb, coriander is believed to aid digestion, reduce inflammation, and act as an antioxidant. The fresh leaves are used to garnish food, while the seeds are dried and ground to make a flavorful spice. In addition to its culinary use, coriander has been shown to help lower blood sugar levels, which makes it particularly beneficial for those managing diabetes.
Known for its distinct lemony fragrance, lemongrass, or Onyung’a in Kisii and Ngurumu in Nakuru, is another herb that Jane has cultivated in her garden. The leaves are often used to make herbal teas, which are believed to have calming and digestive properties. Lemongrass is also used in various skin treatments, as it contains antioxidants and has antibacterial properties. For Jane, lemongrass serves as a natural remedy for stress relief, digestion, and even as a soothing oil for massage.
Ekitong’onera in Kisii and Enyoro in Nakuru, bitter leaf is a powerful medicinal plant that Jane has in abundance. Known for its potent healing properties, bitter leaf is commonly used in traditional medicine to treat a wide range of ailments, from malaria to digestive disorders. Despite its bitter taste, it is revered for its detoxifying effects and its ability to cleanse the liver and purify the blood. Jane has learned how to incorporate this plant into her diet, using it in soups or as a medicinal drink when needed.
The Significance of Traditional Food Practices
Mama Jane’s approach to food is one rooted in tradition and respect for nature. She has always believed that food should not just be something to fill the stomach but something that heals and nourishes the body. Her strict diet is based on the foods she grows in her own garden, and she avoids processed foods or anything that does not come from her land. For her, this is the key to maintaining a healthy, strong life.
“I live a healthy and strong life. It is all about food. Food to me is medicine. I don’t take anything that does not grow on my compound,” Jane says with a smile. She is a firm believer in the medicinal power of the plants she grows, and she feels that her diet—rich in traditional vegetables and herbs—has been instrumental in maintaining her well-being.
By consuming foods in their whole form, including seeds and leaves, Jane minimizes the loss of nutrients that often occurs when food is processed or peeled. She believes that many of the foods she grows, especially those with seeds, provide important nutritional benefits that are lost when foods are stripped of their natural components. “I try to eat many foods with seeds, avoiding peeling off many of the plants I cook and eat,” she explains. “This way, I have maintained a healthy lifestyle.”
The Importance of Conservation
Mama Jane is not only dedicated to maintaining a healthy lifestyle but also to preserving the plants and crops that have nourished her community for generations. With the increasing use of hybrid and commercial crops, many traditional vegetables and herbs are disappearing, threatening biodiversity and food security in the region. Jane has taken it upon herself to conserve these plants by growing and propagating them in her garden, ensuring that they are not lost to future generations.
Through her work, Jane has become a champion of biodiversity in her community, encouraging others to embrace traditional farming practices and grow indigenous crops. She has also taken it upon herself to educate her neighbors and the younger generation about the importance of preserving local plant varieties, not just for their nutritional and medicinal benefits, but also for their role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem.
“I want to show others that you don’t need to buy expensive fertilizers or pesticides to grow food. You can rely on nature and traditional methods to maintain a healthy farm,” Jane says, her face radiating the pride of someone who is helping to preserve an important part of her culture.
Mama Jane Sigara’s garden is more than just a place where food is grown; it is a living testament to the healing power of nature. By preserving traditional herbs and vegetables, she is not only securing her own health but also safeguarding the knowledge of her ancestors for future generations. As Kenya continues to face challenges related to food security and nutrition, the example set by Jane offers a valuable lesson in the importance of returning to our roots and embracing the wisdom of traditional farming practices.
Through her work, Mama Jane is helping to keep alive a heritage of healing and health that has sustained generations of Kenyans for centuries. Jane is a member of a community working with the Maendeleo Endelevu Programme (MEAP) in Molo, Kenya. MEAP is one of the partners of the African Biodiversity Network, supporting communities in building resilience to the impacts of climate change.
END
The article is published with a generous support from the African Biodiversity Network 
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Humanity faces an urgent need for change to prevent biodiversity loss and the continued destruction of our planet. The UN biodiversity expert panel’s latest “transformative change” report highlights the dire need for radical societal shifts.
Released Wednesday by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the report calls for immediate action to address overconsumption, wealth concentration, and humanity’s growing disconnection from nature.
“It is not just governments. It is not just business. It is not just civil society. It is all of us. We all need to work together,” said Arun Agrawal, one of the report’s lead authors.
While transformative action may seem challenging, the report emphasizes that it is achievable. Here’s a closer look at three inspiring examples of successful transformations from around the world.
In 2002, Spain suffered a severe ecological disaster when the Prestige oil tanker broke apart, spilling massive amounts of oil into the Atlantic Ocean.
This environmental catastrophe devastated Galicia’s coastline, causing significant biodiversity loss and severely affecting marine life and the livelihoods of local fishing communities.
In response, the communities in Galicia decided to adopt a new approach to marine reserve management, called the “Os Minarzos” model.
This innovative strategy brought together fishers, scientists, and local authorities to collaboratively restore and protect the marine ecosystem.
The model emphasized sustainable fishing practices, scientific guidance, and community involvement – promoting cooperation among all stakeholders.
Although the transition faced challenges, including initial disagreements and tensions, the initiative became a long-term success.
Over time, the “Os Minarzos” model led to healthier marine ecosystems, improved fishing practices, and increased biodiversity. Local fishers also experienced higher incomes, while trust and cooperation within the community strengthened significantly.
The model’s impact extended far beyond Galicia. It inspired international guidelines for sustainable marine management and influenced networks of over 20 million fishers across Europe and the Americas.
In China, the Ant Forest mobile application has become a powerful tool for promoting eco-friendly habits and environmental restoration.
Launched in 2016, this innovative app encourages users to adopt sustainable behaviors, such as walking or cycling instead of driving, and cutting down on plastic and paper usage.
For every eco-friendly action, users earn “green energy points” in the app, which accumulate to grow a virtual tree. Each virtual tree is then matched with the planting of a real tree.
The initiative has made a significant impact. Since its inception, Ant Forest has planted an astounding 548 million trees across 13 provinces in China. This reforestation effort not only helps combat climate change but also addresses environmental degradation in vulnerable areas.
Beyond its environmental benefits, the project has also provided economic opportunities. It has created jobs in eco-agriculture and ecotourism, particularly in rural regions struggling with environmental challenges.
The Nashulai Maasai Conservancy in Kenya is a pioneering example of how traditional knowledge and community engagement can drive effective conservation.
This initiative blends the wisdom of indigenous practices with modern approaches to tackle multiple challenges, including species protection, income generation, and climate change mitigation.
The conservancy adopts a holistic strategy by establishing community-managed protected areas. These areas not only safeguard wildlife and combat biodiversity loss but also involve local communities in activities like river cleaning and tree planting.
Such efforts improve environmental health while addressing the needs of the people living in the region.
This collaborative approach has transformed Nashulai into a thriving habitat where both humans and wildlife coexist harmoniously. By empowering local communities and integrating ecological restoration with socio-economic benefits, Nashulai exemplifies how conservation can work in harmony with human development.
“Over a very short period of time, biodiversity reappeared,” said Karen O’Brien, another lead author of the report. “The power of community, again and again in our examples, is important.”
The UN report highlights the interconnectedness of ecological, social, and economic challenges – offering a blueprint for action.
Addressing biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse requires collective effort. “It is all of us. We all need to work together,” said Agrawal.
These stories from Galicia, China, and Kenya show that transformation is not only possible but can yield tangible benefits.
Whether through community-driven conservation, innovative technology, or collaborative governance, humanity has the tools to make a difference. The question is whether or not we will rise to the challenge.
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