Recent News and Ideas from
Author DJ Mathews

Available Now!
The newest book you’ve been waiting for
Part of a U. S. Review of Books review
“This little book will look at and answer some questions about whether nature (or human nature) is winning or really benefitting from all this technology…” More of a quote below:
“The nature vs. technology debate has existed for decades and takes many nuanced forms. In this book, Mathews uses broad strokes with technology, including cars, guns, phones, fossil fuels, plastics, and AI. Nature is focused both on the health of the earth and oceans as well as on the animals and humans inhabiting the earth. Through a collection of fifteen chapters, Mathews discusses some of the good and the bad, which are byproducts of both technology and the natural world. Some of her discussions involve cyber-bullying and school shootings, plastics in the ocean and the dangers to the coral reef, forever chemicals, meditation, and climate change brought on by industry and burning fuels. She has included a wide variety of resources to support her findings.
Mathews’ concise book will give readers a vast overview of many topics surfacing in this ongoing dialogue…”
:
Buy this important book ($13) at this address: https://booklocker.com/books/13621.html or click on the book trailer below the prices for a 20 percent discount !
(AND MORE NEWS And Views BELOW)
Now an eBook or in print: Nature vs. Technology — An excerpt is on the writer news/ideas page
Find out more news and views below!
Great Ideas with
DJ Mathews
(My little sketch of planet earth)
SPRING HAS SPRUNG!!! And this past week was an important part of the spring– EARTH DAY!!!
April 22nd may have “officially” been designated EARTH DAY, but really, shouldn’t it be every day of the week? And what did I actually DO on April 22nd? I did S.O.S. (Save Our Streams) water monitoring, sponsored by the Izakk Walton League. DID YOU KNOW — Something like 51 percent of our U. S. streams are not monitored and are impaired by pollution (pollution stat according to the Environmental Integrity Project). And these streams can actually feed into rivers where people can their drinking water. Not good! So it’s a big deal.
Yes, it’s important. Fellow Master Naturalists and myself looked at these tiny, tiny bugs (macroinvertebrates), which are indicators of water quality. Mayfly, stonefly, hellgrammites (Dobson flies), start out after hatching as tiny bugs or larvae with gills, moving about in water that also moves, eventually changing a bit more and bursting out of the water without those gills but with wings, living a short time above the stream to mate, create eggs, and pass on so the next generation can live on.
These water critters (some as small as a quarter of an inch on average) provide food for the bigger water bugs, fish, frogs living in or near the water, even newts, a type of salamander. And they are a good indicator of water quality. The more sensitive to water pollution critters include mayflies, stoneflies, and water pennies (look them up– they are flat looking and a light brown with tiny legs underneath). Critters tolerant of pollution include lunged snails, black flies, aquatic worms and (ew) leeches. And our sampling included a lot of black fly larvae, which are shaped like a curved bowling ball and are like an eighth of an inch! But then, the stream had not been rained on for many days and was moving rather slowly for us monitors, who put a net with tiny holes in the water (4 times) to have enough bugs to actually count.
So what if you DON’T stream monitor, then how can you help the environment, and reduce carbon emissions?
SOME IDEAS TO HELP PLANET EARTH (cta):
—DRIVE LESS;
—BUY/USE LESS PLASTIC;
—RECYCLE PLASTIC/CANS/CARDBOARD/PAPER CONTAINERS;
—BUY COTTON INSTEAD OF POLYESTER, WHICH SHEDS MICROPLASTICS INTO THE ENVIRONMENT;
—TAKE CLOTH BAGS TO THE SUPERMARKET;
—RAISE BEES;
—PLANT A BUTTERFLY GARDEN OR ONE FOR MOTHS (LIKE FROM THE BOOK “GARDENING FOR MOTHS” BY JIM MCCORMAC: GO TO https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/gardening-for-moths-a-regional-guide/37667837/item/54633921/?mkwid=%7cdc&pcrid=77103417407098&pkw=&pmt=be&slid=&product=54633921&plc=&pgrid=1233652299428776&ptaid=pla-4580702892164497&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping+%7c+NEW+condition+books&utm_term=&utm_content=%7cdc%7cpcrid%7c77103417407098%7cpkw%7c%7cpmt%7cbe%7cproduct%7c54633921%7cslid%7c%7cpgrid%7c1233652299428776%7cptaid%7cpla-4580702892164497%7c&msclkid=53da1dde1ddf15d4fff975d334f56ecb#idiq=54633921&edition=65646535
This is me with newest book, Nature vs. Technology — who’s Winning? See a book trailer about it
by linking on this link, WHICH OFFERS 20 PERCENT OFF: https://youtu.be/YfEH6J5LSr4 OR See it at this other link:
https://booklocker.com/books/13191.html
Get some info from a regarded source and hope you will STAY SAFE AND HAPPY IN SPRING AND BEYOND.
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D. J. Mathews is an author of 3 books and working on a 4th. She is also a freelance writer, blogger, product reviewer, and proud mother. She taught English and writing for several years at Radford University. She is a Master Naturalist. See her humorous rants at https://medium.com/@djmathews or buy her a digital coffee for her writing at https://ko-fi.com/dj50772
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My mission
Extensively, I will provide ideas and examples on managing money better, paying for an education, dealing with doctors, and good ideas or deals when it comes to travel. I will also consider science, as it relates to my book “Great American Women in Science and Environment.” Science and the future can be both a good or bad thing, depending on your consumer choices and outlook. And writers can always use tips on how and where to make money. I will do regular blogs on these issues, seeking always to inform in an entertaining manner.
