Thriving without sunlight in winter | Top 10

+ a promotion for Ulysses S. Grant US Edition - Today's top story: Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's pending promotion sheds new light on his overlooked fight for equal rights after the Civil War [View in browser]( US Edition | 11 December 2022 [The Conversation]( Welcome to Sunday and the best of The Conversation. As the winter solstice approaches, sunlight is in short supply here in New England where I’m based. The sun is usually just peeking over the horizon when I wake up – and it’s dark long before I close my laptop for the evening. These shorter days can bring on winter blues, which trigger effects like daytime sleepiness and a craving for sweets, explains Lina Begdache, an associate professor of health and wellness at Binghamton University. In one of this week’s reader picks, Begdache offers some [tips for getting through winter physically and mentally strong](. In editors’ picks, Sharyn Graham Davies of Monash University in Australia writes about [the history of transgender people in Indonesia](, a country where faith and queer identities are often seen as incompatible. This piece was part of a series produced by The Conversation, Religion News Service and the AP that examines the inclusion of LGBTQ people in religious denominations around the world. All nine stories from the [three news organizations are available here](. This week we’ll bring you stories about the steep drop in America’s personal savings rate, the future of snow days and why people fear the disappearance of regional accents. Emily Costello Managing Editor Today's newsletter supported by [readers like you.]( Readers' picks General Grant stands in front of his campaign tent at his headquarters in Virginia in 1865. Bettmann/Getty Images [Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s pending promotion sheds new light on his overlooked fight for equal rights after the Civil War]( Anne Marshall, Mississippi State University Known as the military leader who saved America, Ulysses S. Grant left a legacy of fighting for the rights of enslaved people during and after the Civil War. - [Shorter days affect the mood of millions of Americans – a nutritional neuroscientist offers tips on how to avoid the winter blues]( Lina Begdache, Binghamton University, State University of New York Research shows that young adults and women are particularly susceptible to seasonal affective disorder. - [Satellites detect no real climate benefit from 10 years of forest carbon offsets in California]( Shane Coffield, NASA; James Randerson, University of California, Irvine Millions of dollars have gone into California’s forest carbon offset program – with little new carbon storage to show for it, a new study suggests. - [How to deal with holiday stress, Danish-style]( Marie Helweg-Larsen, Dickinson College Denmark, despite its cold and gloomy winters, is full of people who consistently rank among the happiest in the world. - [A judge in Texas is using a recent Supreme Court ruling to say domestic abusers can keep their guns]( April M. Zeoli, University of Michigan; Shannon Frattaroli, Johns Hopkins University Research shows that removing guns from violent abusers saves lives. But laws doing just that are at risk of being ruled unconstitutional, following a landmark Supreme Court guns case. Editors' picks A man walks amid buildings damaged by Russian missiles in Ukraine on Nov. 28, 2022. Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images [Russian troops’ poor performance and low morale may worsen during a winter of more discontent]( Liam Collins, United States Military Academy West Point Given their numbers advantage, Russian troops were expected to quickly capture Ukraine. That didn’t happen, and with winter approaching, more Russian military defeats are expected. - [For Indonesia’s transgender community, faith can be a source of discrimination – but also tolerance and solace]( Sharyn Graham Davies, Monash University Indonesia has criminalized same-sex sexuality, but trans people are finding support in some trans-inclusive mosques and churches. - [China’s Belt and Road infrastructure projects could help or hurt oceans and coasts worldwide]( Blake Alexander Simmons, Colorado State University; Rebecca Ray, Boston University China’s international lending projects have big potential impacts on oceans and coasts. By cooperating more closely with host countries, Beijing can make those projects more sustainable. - [Supreme Court signals sympathy with web designer opposed to same-sex marriage in free speech case]( Mark Satta, Wayne State University The Supreme Court’s initial questions during the 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis opening arguments focused on whether the case might be premature, and what kind of discrimination is at play - [This course takes college students out of this world – and teaches them what it takes to become space pioneers]( Joshua D. Ambrosius, University of Dayton Spacecraft are just a small part of what it takes for humans to become an interplanetary species. A political science professor explains how there is much more to creating a spacefaring society. News Quiz 🧠- [The Conversation U.S. weekly news quiz]( This week: questions on Hawaii, top-ranking generals and toilet flushes. Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our other weekly emails: [Science Editors' Picks]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Politics Weekly]( About The Conversation: We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to [helping academic experts share ideas with the public](. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. 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