FOLIO
Conjoined human twins are rare, but conjoined whitetail deer come fully to term might be even rarer. And in the case of a Freeburg, Minnesota discovery, even more heartbreaking: Found by a mushroom hunter, the perfect, tiny, two-headed female fauns never drew breath (stillborn), but there were signs the mother had groomed them. For the curious, the conjoined fawns will soon be on display at the Department of Natural Resources headquarters in St. Paul, reports the Twin Cities’ City Pages. For the deeply curious, a study co-authored by University of Georgia researcher Gino D’Angelo, the DNR’s Louis Cornicelli, and the University of Minnesota’s Christina Clarkson and Arno Wuenschmann is available here.
CHANGE IS WHERE THE HEART IS
“Real change takes work,” said gay rights activist Cleve Jones over breakfast with a writer from the Coachella Valley Independent. Jones is being honored May 18 for a lifetime of fighting for gay rights, with the Harvey B. Milk Leadership Award of the Coachella Valley. Among his achievements, he came up with the idea for the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt (today the memorial weighs in at about 54 tons).
These days, Jones is still fighting for change, “Getting people to take the time to focus on political issues and organize is always a challenge.” And though he does think things have gotten better, “I remember when it was illegal for us to dance. Young people have no clue that this is how we lived.” In the CVI article, Jones further discussed the challenges of getting folks together. “As an organizer for LGBT equality-and currently as a labor organizer for hospitality workers’ union UNITE HERE-Jones said it has never been easy to organize people. ‘People have their lives. Most of us lead very complicated and busy lives. […] I think when people realize we are really under attack, we do respond. I think we’re facing so many different issues that it’s hard to get people to focus-especially when you look at the occupant of the White House.'” Asked if there is hope for change in the “near future,” he replied, “I hope so.”
MEMORIES OF THE HEART
Modeled after MoMA’s “Meet me at MoMA” program, the Wisconsin Historical 
Museum hosts a monthly program, Spark! designed for older adults with memory loss and their care partners. Program and special events coordinator Katie Shapiro explained, “We’re not asking people ‘do you remember?’ We’re just trying to start a conversation.” The programming includes music, objects as cues, and looking at art to access feelings, which can spark memories, reports the Isthmus, Madison, Wisconsin’s alternative weekly newsmagazine.
HARD-HEARTED
The MissoulaIndependent reports, “Montanans can expect to see yet another push this fall to lift Endangered Species Act protections for grizzlies in the state.” It’s an attempt to delist the bears from the Endangered species list (Removal of the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem Population of Grizzly Bears) that conservationists (and common sense) suggest will allow for the magnificent bears to become just another trophy head on a wall. GRRRRoss.
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